Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-10-20
GLORIOUS PAGE OF
 AMERICAN HISTORY
Americans In Champagne Forced Back
 HOrdes of Germans From City Of Rheims.

With the American Forces North of Rheims, Wednesday, Oct. 16.-Per- haps the most glorious page of Amer ican military history in this war has Just been concluded in the Cham pagne battle, in which two divisions of United States troops-the second and the thirty -sixth-have done their inadequately heralded part of forcing back the German hordes facing the famous city of Rheims.
 Harlebeke has been cleared of the enemy but allied patrols pushing eastward have been fired upon. Mov ing out of Dessedghen and Marcke, which were occupied, the allies are advancing southeast from there. The enemy artillery is firing heavily on the British in this section of the front where the allied troops are rapidly drawing close to the Scheldt river.
 The British are advancing rapidly astride the Lille-Tournai railway. There is no contact with the main enemy forces south of this line. All the bridges over the Maroq, south of Cherenge, are intact, the Germans having fled so fast they did not have time to destroy them.
 South of Douai the British have reached the outskirts of Auberchi- court and are east of Ecallion and east of Pecquencourt. Many civilians were liberated in these towns.
 The Germans are making vigorous efforts to remove as much material as possible from the Belgian coast. However, they are under heavy bambardment from sea and land. The Belgian gunners are handicapped somewhat on account of the proxim- ity of the Dutch border.
 Many bridges have been repaired and many German mines and traps removed in the Belgian territory al- ready regained.
 The work of the Americans was more notable because one of the American divisions-the thirty sixth entered the terrific battle at an i'm portant point, although new to fight ing and without ever having heard shell fire before. the division with stood the most bitter German counter attacks without flinching Tn. ef- forts of the two units were 80 note worthy that they were praised pub- licly in an order issued by General Naul, in command, fthe twenty first French army coros. with which the Americans were brigaded The general said:
 "On October 8, the second Ameri- can division, having arrived during the night in the sector of the twenty first army corps attacked the forti- fled crest of lBanc, Mont and ,captur- ed itainsa few house despite the des- perate, resistance of the enemy. In the following days it, made an extended advance on the slopes to the north.
 "The thirty sixth division, a recent formation and as yet incompletely or ganized was ordered into the line on the night of October 6-7 to relieve un- der conditions particularly delicate, the second division and to dislodge the enemy from the crests north of St. Etienne and thrown him back to the Aisne. Although being under fire for the first time, the vouno soldiers of General Smith, rivalling in their com- bative spirit and tenacitv the old val iant regiments of General Leiuene. ac- complished all the task set for them.
 "To all, the general commanding the army corps is happy to express to them his most cordial expression of recognition and his best wishes for his recognition and his best wishes for future services, but the past is proof of the future"