Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-10-29
SOUTH PARIS, MAINE, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 70, 1918

SOUTH PARIS, |
Old Second Malne's Gallant Service
NOT GIVEN ITS FULL DUE By THE BOZ
TON PAPERS.
There 10 no need to tell the people o
Maine of the important part taken b
the old Second Maine Regiment-whicl
became part of the 10Sd Infantry
the fighting In Europe during the pas
year. Some Of Its record has been pub
lished, but Of course there is q vas
amount still untold. It 10 also eviden
from the way the Maine honor roll ha
been increasing of late through the OF
icial casualty lists that the regimen
and the Twenty sixth Division of .whicl
It is part have been in the hard 6ght
ing Of the past few weeks, the full stor!
of which has not yet been, told.
1t ia, also q we'll known fact that th'
Massachusetts, troops-without any de
probation Of their valor-have had {, q
undue share of newspaper fame as com
pared with the Maine boys. And 1t Il
not surprising that the fact has nettlet
the Maine boys little as It has come L
their knowledge.
For these reasons particularly. az vel
as for the intrinsic interest in It, thl
Democrat Is pleased to copy the lettel
below together with the Introductory
comment, from the Kennebec Journal: ,
An Augusta man last Saturday morn
ing, Oct. 10, received letter from 9
friend in the 103d Infantry-Somewhere
on the firing line In France-written
Oct. l, and mailed at. an army post
Office there on Oct. 4, showing that mail
can be given quick transportation from
the battle front when conditions permit.
The letter was unusually interesting,
touching on some phases of army life
not found in the news dispatches and 1t
will be violating no condolences to give
the public part OF them. He begins:
Excuse the pencil. am writing this
In German dugout and 1t is some bike
to our Office. am we'll and enjoying
this "a much as one can under the cir.
cumstances. It has been pretty hard on
us, rs we have been steadily ut 1t since
last February. / hear from pretty good
authority that no division on the Allied
side has ever done the continuous stretch
which We have put through, without
being granted leaves. And the end is
not yet! Ibid manage to get 4S hours
in Paree and II / ever get home 1t was .
trip to tell you about. There's only one
Paree and the places Of interest saw
never will be forgotten.
We've just this minute got the news
of the resignation of Count Hertling and
surrender of Bulgaria. It's tough
game ahead yet, but we're some joyful
tonight. F
To continue. Not many of the boys
are left of the old 103d OF 1917. That
doesn't mean they are all dead, but
wounded, sick, transferred, etc., has
thinned our ranks until now the, 103d is
full of requirements from all over the
United States.
Had chance to 90 to an officers
school for q commission, but am not
looking for glory In this mans army and
had rather have my job now than any I'd
lieutenant In the infantry that ever hap
peped. Those chaps at the front have
Il tough and of course life here Is not ell
q bed of roses. Am sometimes far back
and then within2 or three kilometers
from the front. The big chance take
is with the artillery and airplanes
ID 'em) and while we are not allowed
to speak of casualties, I think / am safe
now in mentioning that only q few
weeks ago q nice little Austrian SO she'll
landed In the kitchen among eight OF Us,
killing five outright and knocking me
for q goals without q scratch, That's
what tries ones nerves. God, such .
messl The impact just hung q horse
right up tree-can you imagine itS
Heads, arms and legs-sometimes 1t is
awful, but as the French say: "C'est Ia
guerre."
We are located here In the woods now,
in captured territory. Oh, those square
heads were all fixed nice and comfortably
for a pleasant winter. We now have
nice cement, reinforced dugouts, with
plenty of deep, underground protection.
You must hand 1t to them. Don't let
anyone tell you the Boche army 10 starv.
ing. Some of our men are being fed on
our share of the spoils. We have got
them going and don't care II we never
get leaves, If 1t will only shorten the
scrap. as we'll as everybody else
am we'll "fed up" on 1t, but, by heck, /
can stand the long winter with continu-
ed rain and mud If they can.
The Boston papers have not used rs
right at any time. Here's one that is no
lie and l tell you without fear, favor or
prejudice: On q certain fine summer
day when the 104th relieved the 103d In
q certain sector near Toul, the Sd Bat. OF
our regiment was obliged to 60 back in
again within "a hours and take back the
positions they had just left, that the
104th was unable to hold-and that 10
the "Fighting 9th Mass. !" And in the
offensive at Chateau Thierry, owing to
the understanding Of orders, our
same Sd battalion, 10Sd Inf, were left
alone in q wheat field, fighting like h
against strong machine gun positions.
The 104th, which was supposed to come
in on the second wave, got bewilder.
ed and lost, leaving our men to fight 1t
out the best they could and they did, by
heck! And It was up to platoon OF
our own Company NJ OF Augusta to 60
into No Mans land and bring back .
major of the 104th who was lost, she'll
shocked and half crazy when they found
him.
A bunch of the 10Sd men were cited for
the French Croix dc Guerre; also
number Of the 104th. Our boys were
ll-iined up ready to receive the decora-
tions, but after they got through with
the 104th, there were no more CROSSES
TO 90 around and our boys haven't got
them yet. Some of those boys Of ours
have been cited at least twice for bravery
to my knowledge.
Say, never again will ever laugh at .
Salvation Army lassie. The Salvation
Army, with its small but efficient corps,
has 'em all beat ct the front. The Z. OF
G. also is great. Why, just today, K.
of G. man was up here 70 the very front
and gave-not sold-out chocolate,
cigarettes and chewing gum. I know,
for got some. That's nearer than I've
seen some others to the front.
You really know more about this war
than I do, for whom We are way up here,
where, We can't gei the Paris edition OF
the New FORK Herald, Chicago Tribune
AMI London Nail, the stuf 10 old when
It does arrive. Ny opinion 10 this:
Foch is master Of the whole situation
and yish tho amount Of power he now
hss behind him, I do not think .he will