The Nenana daily news., 1918-06-01

stones, mud, earth pieces of trees, . and shell splinter< spattered about them.
 Despite the fierceness of the
 fight at close quarters, not more l. than one bayonet was used, and this
 one on German. The Americans,
 using their automatic pistols, sent
 bullets into the German attackei;
 with good aim, despite the excite
 ment. Rifle bullets accounted for many more.
 Two days after this attack Pre-
 mier Clemenceau went to the Ameri-
 can front and decorated six Ameri- can soldiers with the Croix de Guerre
 with the palm. These men are Lieut. enants Joseph Ganby, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and William Coleman, of Charlestown, s. C., Sergeants Patrick Walsh and William Norton; and Pri- yates Buddy Pittman, of Brooklyn, \. T., and Alvin Smiley, of St. Louis. Lieutenants Canby and Coleman went into No Mans Land in daylight and each brought back a German pris- oner. Sergeant Norton killed a Ger man lieutenant and two soldiers. He was challenged by the lieutenant to leave his dugout, and led out his men fighting. Sergeant Walsh took command of a detachment in front of the wire when his captain was killed and continued to fight. Pri- yates Pittman and Smiley showed heroism in carrying important mess ages through the barrage. An ac- count of the bestowal of the crosses runs thus: 'The names of the men to be decorated were called, and they stepped up, the French premier pin ming the decoration on them and saying word to each. One he patted on the shoulder and said, That's the way to do it. The American blushed and retired to the ranks. "One of the French generals said to lieutenant newly decorated: We have got the Boches down and we shall put them down deeper if we ; keep working as we have i At the end of the ceremony a young private came running along , hurriedly. He spoke for moment with his captain, fearing apparently that he was going to lose his medal. The captain directed him to proceed to MT. Clemenceau's automobile, which he did. The premier stepped out and slapped him on the back, handing him his war-cross. One of the generals remarked laughingly:
 "'Never mind about being late You t:e on time the other morning. That is enough .~.-. .= ''The soldier forgot to salute in the excitement and glory of the mo- ment, but an American general came to his rescue, whispering: Salute, salute - - - :. ''None of the men decorated can wear their honors until authorized by congress"
 The spirit of the troops on the ! American sector is further exem. l plified by sign reading: There's i nc more No Mans Land This is | Yankeeland" And in this incident :. told by Thomas M. Johnson, cores ! pordent of the New York Evening l Sun:
 ''On a visit to the hospital at 1 Soissons I saw the wounded One i man with his leg cut off and part l of his chin and shoulder gone, lay swathed in bandages with his eyes i alert. The general officer accom- ! panying me spoke to the man, who i replied: I hope, sir, you'll let me back, because my eyes and arms are all right and I could handle a ma chine gum"
 "When Americans learn how many men we have on the fighting line in all sectors," says a Washington dispatch, |" they will discover that the ratio of casualties to forces en- gagged is gratifying small" '
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