Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-05-29
AMERICANS FIRST
WAR BLOW JOLTED
THE HUN; JESTED
AS THEY FOUGHT
Swept All Before Them; Battled
Like Veterans and Eagerly
Sprang Into Fight With
Come on, Men =
PRAISED FOR TEAM WORK
Had Absolute Confidence in Them
selves and Dug In" Needless
of a Ram of Bullets.
CAPTURED TOWN IN RUINS
nv Associated Press 10 Every Evening

nv Associated Press 60 Every Evening
Wrru THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE.
TUESDAY, MAY 2S.
The American line now TIns $50 To 2tn
wards cast Of Cantigny rs a result oi the
successful attack today The nearest
German trench is several hundred yards
east az where the Americans have dug IN.
The Germans 1t has been found, had
many outposts and machine gun en-
/ placements IN Canhgny
America $ first offensive blow was
struck IN a mist The French tanks az
parcutlv did not have much % do, as the
American artillery already had prepared
the way bright sun came out and
shonc on the Americans as they dug IN
IN their now positions.
FACED prArH WITH JEST.
As the Americans startc out across
No Mans Land thcrc were many Jokes
about eating Bochc for breakfast, The
Americans fought as though they were
veterans and there was no hesitation when
the officers sprang forward and shouted
Come on, boys
Several Officers. describing the scene,
agreed that the outstanding feature N
their minds VAS the wonderful morale
Of the mon and their absolute confidence
IN themselves
HFEDtrSS or RAIN or MISSILES.
The Germans poured machine gun hnl-
lets all around the Americans rs they
were diggInC n hut no attention was
narI rs them As Jokes and qWps were
handed back and forth
Tho demcanor Of the men wounded in
the action was found similarly cheerful
when the correspondent visited the field
hospitals this afternoon He saw stretched
otlt on their cots number of these Ainer1-
cans, for the most part only slightly
wounded who acted like school boys
returned from great day Of sport, smok-
ing cigarettes, eagerly relating their
personal experiences and laughing loudly
at the humorous incidents.
MEN KEEN TO co OVER TOR.
Lieutenant George f. Butler, formerly
an attorney In Indianapolis, who was
slightly wounded in the leg. said that
gong over the top was like q maneuver
in the training camp back home The
men were eager for IT, he SAID, and some
Of them remained up IN the trenches all
night talking about the approaching
adventure with cheerful antCIpalons.
When we reached Canugny, he
added. 1T was only pile Of bricks and
stonax Our artillery had levelled the
town The German machine gun bullets
were buEzing about like humble bees, but
our fellows did not pay any more atten-
tion to them than if they had been CON
fetti
FINEST TEAM WORK POSSIBLE
III was the finest example of team
work | ever sew There was not hitch
anywhere The men cracked Jokes and
sanQ but they were busIness-Lke III their
work
Lieutenant Albert f. Billings, OF
BROOKLYN, n Y, who also was slightly
wounded was brought to the hospital and
placed Oh & cot adjoining that Of Lieu
tenant Butler As soon Us their eyes met
thew clasped hands and greeted each other
like long-lost brothers
.'GREAT SNOW, WASN'T IT?''
1T was q great show, wash It2'
Billings said Gee, | wish the folks at
home could have seen it. wouldn't l.
have missed it for the world.
Many of the American soldiers who
took part Ill the successful attack against
the German lines west ot MontdldIer to-
day also participated IL the Tepulse OF
the German raid against the American
lines Monday.
one participant in Mondays affair Is
said 70 have been found today III a she'll
hole in No Mans Land with two wounded
Germans as his prisoners. lie was unable
10 get back to the American lines Monday
night, SO he stood guard over them until
the attack this morning liberated hIm
and secured the prisoners 10 the Americans
BETTER THAN FOOTBALL GAME
Lieut. Irving W Wood, Of Oakland,
California said he did not see one Ameri-
can fall during today's attack
1T was more exciting than football
game he added We have got tho
Huns on the run All We need Is more
Americans and then ge shall lick them.