Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-21
LIEUTENANT MUNCE TELLS
now OUR MARINES FIGHT
Richmond Officer Gives Graphic De-
scription Of Desperate
Engagement.
MEN ARE FULL OF ENTHUSIASM
Recounts Experiences OF Bringing
:. Up Ammunition Under Heavy Ger
man Firc-AIany Men Are Killed
and Wounded All About Him.

man FhC-.ItdHS ficH ihEC INhiSu
and Wounded All About Him.
John s Munce. Of 2se4 Monument
Avenue has received the following
letter from his son, Lieutenant George
Gillian Muncc. a graduate Of the Nir-
gfnia Military Institute. and now an
officer OF the United states Marine
Corps who has been in France since
last October.
Somewhere in France.
June IL. 1915.
Dear Father know that these
days are anxious ones Tor you and
auntie, am dropping YOU line
course. have seen in the papers about
what we are doing every day and
where We are doins il.
When we arrived here the French
were not expecting Americans and
were much surprised 10 see us.
We came seventy-two miles in fifty
four hours and without rest were sent
forward; on the road we met any num-
Der OF French who told US 20 turn
around. that the hoChes were TOO many
for us. but YOU know that never stop
ped us. Our first position was taken
on the side of densely wooded hill.
with a wheat field about 500 meters
wide between il and tho next wood.
against our strip OF wood was u
plowed field about nifty meters wide.
we faG taken w tneSe positions ABOUT
three hours when the Huns came on,
OF the opposite woods. in four columns
each OF them two men wide, columns
about 100 meters apart.
We waited until they had advanced
about 500 meters and then opened up
and ] never saw such work in my life.
we had low grazing fire and just
moved them down like so much of the
wheat they we're advancing through
Not single man reached our lines. or
even the piowed ground We held
the woods we were in during the night
and the next morning. with the artii-
lery to help as, advanced two kilo-
meters, taking prisoners, machine guns
and mortars Our casualties were
large. but the men fought like man
eaters, never gave the hoches n chance.
The prisoners told us they did NOT
know we were opposite them and from
our uniforms thought we were
Australians Or Canadians and were
much surprised when VIC told them
who we were.
GUNS DESTROYED AND HIS
MEN ALL KILLED OR WOUNDED
In our new position we put up small
barbados and hid ourselves as best
we could, but in the afternoon they
opened up on us again with high en-
plosires ana shrarnel and gave us
hell. l went ur u see the captain
about the new advance we were TO
make and get my work straight When
returned. both of my guns (machine
suns) had been destroyed ana all nv
men Killed or wounded. and was out
OF Job. So that night when we went
forward l went with bayonet and rife,
and ii was some night--so black that
YOU could hardly who was beside
you. yet ~e never faltcrcd. only stop-
ping when We reached our objective
which was two kilomctcrs more than
We had taken.
That night. or rather at daylight
received orders To report at regi
menta! headquarters. When | wen
there, received orders to report tc
Major NJ. and he put me in charge
or the trains Of small arms ammuni
non OF our regiment and ever since
have been hauling ammunition to III,
boys up front. The night before las,
when we took the town. they told m,
10 get ammunition TO the town, as the
men were about out. SO forward
went with il. Two of the wagons ar.
rived Q. r.. the other two were blown
10 pieces and on my way out OF town
my horse was hit and | had 10 Kill
him. as his leg was broken Every
night go forward with food ammrnI-
ton and pyrotechnics and | have los.
animals and men every night. bu, they
'can never say tina, failed 10 star,
out with them.
BRINGING VI AMMUNITION
THROUGH HAIL OF SHELLS
rather ] am too nervous Ia write
sensibiy. Last night when was up
front, our artillery opened up for our
men TO advance and ] vas waiting until
the advance u follow with ammuni
ton when coun,erbarrage by the
Germans was put down; such- noise.
such screams OF shells going through
the air | hope never to hear again.
Men went crazy all around me; horses
and mules became unmanagcable and
no" an! of us lived l shall never
know Our lonS-range guns soon
s!lenccd the hoChcs and our men wen,
forward 10 find the boches had been
caught on our side Of the barrare.
and so to-day we hold many prison.
ers.
ran full tilt into sncezing gas the
other nigh, and received an awfu,
fright, but II soon wore off and am
Father. no words can describe The
hell we have been through or the cour-
age OF our boys at this time. | saw
lad wh1 lad H. hand shot away help.
ing TO unpack srenades, when all the
attention he lad had was a firs,-aid
package our wounded would not &C
to the rear they wanted to 20 back
into the fsa:. DO you remember the
big Australian lieutenant / introduced
you TO on the train? He is quite 2
Zero now. Sellers was shot through
the groin, hut VIII get on O. X GU,
coichel was hit through the breas.
Don't worry about me. am doins
all one man can do for his Couulr,
and. IL get hit. ii will be becaus,
the Germans want al least one OF u.
for ten Of them. That is the percent.
age to cate and we are getting NOR,
ana more every day.
Your loving son,