Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-25
Hurt.
MEN FOUGHT ON
Major Denig Writes Wife
of Marines Gallant
Work
AT Ell e A'U WOOD
Lieutenant Colonel Hughes
and Major Lloyd, This City,
Also in Charge
AT BE LII f A>U WOOD

The story of three Philadelphia Of
hcers who went through the Belleau
1 Wood battle is told in n letter written
by Major Robert l.. Denig to his wife,
who lives at 2131 Porter street
Major Denig was In the fight with
Lieutenant Colonel John A. Hughes. SON.
n-aw of Rear Admiral Park, Philadel-
phia. and Major Egbert l.. Lloyd, 1900
Cedar avenue.
How the marines went forward. ma
chine guns raking their ranks. men fall
Ing right and left, but the survivors un-
daunted, is told in ajor Denig's graphic
letter.
| "a man near me was cut in two,
Major Denig writes. "Others when hit
would stand, it seemed. for an hour and
then fall in heap
| A Lieutenant Overton mentioned Is
the famous Yale athlete, whose death
was reported several weeks ago. Major
Denig's letter follows in part:
! Spoke Of Mother In Crisis
1--WE formed up in sunken road on
two sides of a valley that was perpen-
dicular TO the enemys 'front.' Hughes
right. Holcomb left Sibey support. We
now began to get few wounded. one
man with ashcn face came charging to
| tho rear Will Shell Snoth ne Silooh
all over. foamed at the mouth. could not
speak. I put him under a tent and
he acted as II he had a fit.
! II heard Lieutenant Overton call to one
of his friends to send a certain pin to
| his mother IL he should get hit.
| AT $3.50 we jumped Off with a line
OF tanks in the lead. For two 'kilos
the four lines OF marines were as
| straight as die. and their advance
| over the open plain in the bright sun
| light was picture I shall never forget
The fire got hotter and hotter. men fell
bullets sang. shells whizzed-banged and
the dust of battle got thick. Overton
was hit by big piece of shell and fell
Afterward, l heard he was hit in the
heart, SO his death was without pain
He was buried that night and the pin
| found.
| "A man near me was cut in two
| Others when hit would stand, it seemed
| an hour. then fall in a heap. I yelled
10 Wilmer that each gun in the barragt
| worked from right to left, then a rab
bit ran ahead and | watched him won
dering If he would get hit. Good rab
bit--it took my mind off the carnage.
| About sixty Germans jumped UP ou
| of a trench and tried to surrender, bu
their machine guns opened up. we fired
back, they ran and our left compan,
after them. That made a gap that hat
| to be filled, so Sibleyg advanced one o.
! his to do the job, then a shell lit in
machinc-gfn crew OF ours and cleaned
1t out completely.
Found Refuge in Hole
AT 1880 we dug in--the attack just
died out. ] found IA hole or old trench
and when I was fiat on my back l got
! some protection. Holcomb was next me
Wilmer some way Off We then tried to
get reports. Two companies we never
could get in touch with. Lloyd came ir
and reported he was holding some
trenches near a mill with six men. Gates
with his trousers blown off. said he hat
sixteen men of variou" companies: an
other officer ON the right reported he hat
and could see some forty men, all told
That. with the headquarters. was all We
could find out about the battalion OF
nearly 800. or the twenty company of.
4, ficers who went in three came out. ant
one. Gates, was slightly wounded.
From then on to about 3 p. m. life
was chance and mighty uncomforta.
BILE. II was hot as a furnace. no water
and they had our range to t. Three
men lying in a shallow trench near me
We're blown TO bits.
YOU could hear men calling for helI
in the wheatfields. Their cries woult
get weaker and weaker and die out. The
German planes were thick In the air
they were in groups of from three tc
twenty. They would look us over ant
then we would get pounding. One of oul
planes got shot down; he fell about c
thousand feet, like an arrow, and hi
in the field back of us. The tank ex
ploded and nothing was left.
I'VE had machine-gun officer with
us and at six a runner came up ant
reported that Summer was killed
Hughes headquarters were all shot up.
."As twilight came. We sent out watel
parties for S,e relief of the wounded
Then. we wondered If we would get re
lieyed q At o'clock we got a message