Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-10-16
LIEUT.. DOWDELL
AT ST. MIHIEL
Former Harrisburg Man Tells
How Germans Abandoned
Guns to Americans

HOW Ine IeTIndHS at Dt. milliSi
ran way and left batteries of heavy
artillery, and how the Americans
overran the whole salient, is told by
Lieutenant Marcus Dowdell, of Com
pany G, Thirty eighth United States
Infantry. in a letter to his father,
Ralph w. Dowdell, this city. Lieu
tenant Dowdell was formerly of Har-
risburg and has many friends here.
His letter follows:
How to be in a battle and yet not
in it, might be the descriptive title
of this tale. Army Reserve is what
the Marne Division played in the
recent festivities attending further
shortening of the Kaiser's line" in
the st. Mihiel region.
About a month ago when we were
still hanging around the Marne-
Vesle region the newspapers an
nounced that an America Field
Army would shortly be. form
ed with Pershing in personal COM
mand, and about that same time 1T
became rather definite that we
would go into Rest Camp for necess-
airy reorganization. We were q war
weary division at the time and that
Rest Camp with Salvation Army
canteens selling their lemonade,
shrapnel cakes, pies and the famous
mother used to bake certainly did
look good. The Saturday night we
hit that town at about 1890 1 heard
an exciting account of all these lux
uries from the battalion billeting Of
ficer's orderly, and so next morning
I was early in the quest for MA"
and PAS" place of business-but
not so early but that all our Majors,
and most of the captains and shave
tails had preceded my particular
party.
There was a table. Around that
table majrs and captains. Grouped
gracefully around the outskirts were
the shave-tails. In the center of the
table was a large granite-ware buc-
ket and each man hung to cup.
From time to time each man dip
ped his cup into the depths of the
bucket. Each dip cost twenty CEN
times, and was worth a dollar. The
beverage was plain, ola-fashioned
, lemonade. drank 200 centimes
worth, think.
"Luxuries' at the Front
Pres en- tly Ma" approached
through the crowd of doubtboys. We
explained we were hungry and de-
mandsd to know wherewith she
could appease us. She suggested
hot biscuits, eggs, sausage;-with a
| whoop we accepted, and in time,
all these wonderful things appeared.
| Time, for there were many dough-
boys and ma" knew that hot bis
cults for officers meant beaucoup OF
/ the same for the men, and Ma
always plays fair. LuXuries-for we
| had lived on slum and corned willy
and hard tack for a long. long time
while the things mentioned above
| were tntalizing memories of days
| long passed.
| We ate and drank so much 1 inn
mediately haG first-class belly ache
which was satisfactory state, con-
sidering all the circumstances.
And so began our Rest Camp
an institution cleverly designed to
make one forget the whistle OF
| shells, the rat-tat-tat of machine
guns, and the sights which were
common to war. 1t was a period OF
work, of changing jobs, of play, and
regular sleep.
But to all tlfings-even good ones
there comes an end. And soon we
| began to hear whisperings. The
troop trains began to crowd the che.
min de fer and the Route Rationale
And they were headed North.
on For st. Mihiel
One morning our dreams of lone
continued ease and peacefulness
were abruptly brought to close
l remember l was standing on the
steps of the Marie where we had oul
regimental headquarters; prepared
for an early morning start for ter.
rain exercise, when the Adutant
came in, bland and casual. About
two minutes later he dashed dowr
those same steps shouting over his
shoulder, The maneuver is off; we
move tonight"
A day of hustle and preparation
sunset order putting off oul
! start until next day. A sudden re.
versal and start on our way about
10 o'clock. I had spent the evening
| comfortably absorbing Salvation Pic
and was just doing to sleep .wher
the orderly came telling me to fal
my section in at once. We hustled
and rushed and fell in, only to suf
fer long delay, finally falling out
only to fall in again at the double
and to follow the company ahead
which had left so hastily and i'll
formed that we had to race wildly
as they closed up to their ,propel
distance, and we arrived in our plac,
out on the high road out of breatl
and temper, only to find the column
halted and waiting for us.
There followed a heartbreakinl
march of advances and delays. w,
were held up at road intersection
for other columns to pass, we wer,
crowded off to one side of the roaC
for countless rushing auto trucks
The hitherto clear sky became darl
and murky and we were drenchec
with rain. Finally we reached ou
destination just as dreary gray da,
commenced, and made camp in ;
wet, soggy forest, there to hide from
prying airplanes.
Hid I'm the Woods
We stayed in these woods for sew
eral days, and then once more tool
Nup our nightly hiking, ever pressin,
in the direction of the North sta
which occasionally showed through
the clouds which generously poured
their contents upon us, by night ant
day. Every day we stayed in tn,
shelter of our woods, and when dark
ness had come, again took up on