Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-19
TELLS OF BATTLE
ALONG THE MARINE
Lieut.. Murray Writes of Open
ing Stages of Great
Contest

employees, high and low, were
nightly interested to-day to hear
news of their former advertising
manager, Lieutenant Robinson Muir
ray, who came to the firm direct
from Harvard several years ago and
quickly endeared himself to all
hands and also became immediately
popular in Harrisburg. Joining the
Colonial Club and making a great
number of friends Lieutenant Muir
ray sustained the reputation made
at Harvard where he was not only a
brilliant scholar but topnotch athlete.
He was one of the first to answer the
call for officers and after completing
his course at the first training camp
established, made his way rapidly in
promotion. He is now regimental in
telligent officer, grading upward
from battalion adjutant connected
with the 3Sth United States Infan-
try, Third Division, and his battalion
is the one which will become historic
for its stand at the second battle
of the Marne. In this, the first let
ter received from him, he tells about
it as follows. from the location ION
the north side of the Marne, July
26:"
"Our regiment was. and is, right
in the middle of it all. Sufficiently
so that the regiment has been cited
for it's wonderful work in stopping
the Boche drive. I am told here that
all the country people are talking
about our regiment, and believe me,
they ought to, for there could be
fight they put UP. Many of my
friends have gone west both off,
GERS and men. My only wonder is
that there are any of us left.
II was about 200 yards from the
river Marne when the Boche bar
age started, the night Of July 14-15,
at IL o'clock. to the minute. The
Allied guns had been playing a
steady tune for one hour. When the
Boche opened it was indescribable.
could look down the river valley
and see the high hills on both sides
standing out in relief against the
continuous flashes of light which was
bright as day. Believe me, l did
not pause long to watch.
"All that day we were in it. with
everything going. know what bull
lets sound like now. They're not
pleasant, when one knows they are
aimed right at where you stand. Be-
ing attached to battalion headquar-
ters was up on hill slope, over
looking perhaps two miles or the
valley-the most wonderful oppor-
tunity to watch one of the greatest
battles of the war one could have
a decisive battle that can't yet be
estimated at it's true value.
'I took a scouting trip on top of
one hill; surprised about eight
Boches, and got two of them before
they could get away. Then another
lieutenant and myself went back,
got a detachment of men and went
up once more to help hold our
flanks.
"I'Il tell you Straightforward you
can't learn from papers-if the units
on our right and left fianks had held
as we did, the Boche would never
in the world pushed up back from
the Marne. AS 1t was. we were or
dered from the rear to withdraw be-
cause we had no flank support. So
that is why the regiment is to be
decorated and have the Croix de
Guerre colors on its standard. Our
major is to get the congressional
medal and most of us are 'honorably
mentioned or some such thing.
"But. such things can never pay
for what has been lost. AS I look
out across the river I can see the
railroad running along on the other
side of the Marne-the line of resist
ance' we held. can see a little
rough cross of wood-yes, actually
see it now. with my two eyes. right
on the railroad embankment where
my friend ST. Phillips lies buried
His body laid on the battlefield more
than a week before we could get to
it. Lieutenant K. P. Murray lies
dreds. And that is war. They've
had it for four years over here. DC
you wonder they're sick of it?
I'VE have been in the big counter
attack too, and to-day I heard oul
regiment was to be cited again. More
| of my friends have gone the las
three days. But the attack goes or
around me now-and the Bocht
draws back. For how long 1 DOM
know.
"Yes, I'm spared. I'll have plenty
of tales to tell, stranger than fic-
ton, just because they are true
how we rescued two wounded Amer
leans who had laid in one town five
days, wounded, and the Boches, dur
| ing that time, had brought them
water; how one man wriggled over
killed seven men of a machine gur
| crew and captured the gun; how
another stood in his little trench not
! five feet from the river bank and
threw bombs into the Boche boats
until he himself was killed by one
of his own bombs; how little SCR
geant shot through both legs made
his men carry him up to the firing
line again so he could still command
his platoon.
well, enough of such things. The
sun shines and the fields are just as
| green"
There was an additional Interest
to Lieutenant Murray's letter by rea-
son of the vivid account from Lieu.
| tenant Marcus Dowdel which was
printed on the front page of the
Telegraph on Saturday. The closing
! paragraph in his account fully veri.
| fies the statement of Murray that this
i L. O.