The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-09-14
Advancing Foe Had Surprise of
Life When He Found Ameri-
cans in Line.
GRAPHIC STORY IN LETTER
Tells of Our Troops Heroic Resist
ance in June-Held by Many Off
GERS to Have Saved Paris
From Huns.

including the marine brigade, look
recently by the navy department. 1t
Is in the form of a long letter from an
officer of the marines to Major Gen
eral Barnett, eommandant of the
corps, and the story told is of peculiar
significance, as in the opinion of many
officers here 1t was the stand of the
Americans along this line which saved
Paris.
The name of the writer is not dis
closed. The Americans were rushed to
the line in motortrucks to support the
hard-pressed French. On June l the
marine brigade deployed in a support
position, the battalion commanded by
Maj. Thomas Holcomb hurrying into
the line as the men climbed out of the
trucks. The Germans were coming on,
and June 2 the French dropped back,
passing through the American lines.
"We had installed ourselves. in a
house in La Vote Chatel, a little vii
lage between Champion and Lucy-le-
Bocage," the letter says. "From n
SltG We Hdu ODStI NdllUn VI lHe hOItA
and northeast. They came out on a
wonderfully clear day in two columns
across a wheat field. We could see the
two twin brown columns advancing in
perfect order until twO-thirds of the
columns, we judged, were in sight.
Foe Slowed Up by ShrapneI.
"The rifle and machine gun fire was
incessant and, overhead, shrapnel was
bursting. Then the shrapnel came on
the target at each shot. The white
patches would roll away, and we could
see that some of the columns were still
there, slowed up, and it seemed perfect
suicide for them to try.
Then, under that deadly fire and a
barrage of rifle and machine-gun fire,
the Boche stopped. 1t was too much
for any men.
THAT men should fire deliberately,
and use their sights and adjust their
range" he says, was beyond their ex-
perience. 1t must have had a telling
effect on the morale of the Boche, for
it was something they had not counted
on. AS a matter of fact, after pushing
back the weakened French and then
running up against a stone wall of de-
Tense, they were literally up in the
air and more than stopped. We found
that out later from prisoners, for the
Germans never knew we were in the
front line when they made that at
tack. They were absolutely myStified
at the manner in which the defense
stiffened up, until they found that our
troops were in line"
The letter tells in detail of the days
of fighting that followed. 1t describes
a daylight charge against a machine
gun host and of scouting raids up to
June 6, when the whole brigade swung
forward to straighten out the line. This
action resulted in the capture of Eel
leau wood.
Hit Three Times, Still Fought on.
Major Sibley's battalion of the Sixth
marine regiment led the way here, with
Holcomb in support. The woods were
alive with enemy machine guns. That
night word came back that Robertson,
with 20 men of the Ninety-siXth COM
pany, had taken B~ouresches, breaking
through a heavy machine gun barrage
to enter the town. Robertson, fighting
with an automatic in either hand, was
hit three times before he would allow
himself to be taken to the rear.
Speaking of individual acts of BRAY
cry the writer says Duncan, a com-
pany commander, "before he vas NOW
ed down had his pipe in his mouth and
was carrying a stick" Later he adds,
Dental Surgeon Osborne picked up
Duncan and with a hospital corps nan
had just gained some shelter when a
shell wiped all three out"
Private Dun1ivy, killed later, cap
tured an enemy machine gun IN Bour-
esches, which he turned on the foe
with great effect, while al another
point young Zimmerman charged a
machine gun at the point of the bayo-
net and sent in II prisoners at a clip"
When the enemy made a stand at
one point in the woods Sibley's bat
TALON was withdrawn and for an hour
and fifty minutes American and
French batteries hammered the wood.
IluSlGSy VIII lilC 1Cnlh AOlipuhJ5 bhSh
went in, and his first message was
that the wood had been cut to mince-
meat. Overton, leading the Seventy
sixth company, finally charged the
rock plateau, killing or capturing every
gunner and capturing all the guns,
with few casualties.
The Eighty-second company lost all
It's officers, and Major Sibley and his
adiutant, Lieutenant Ballamy, reorgan-
lied it under fire and charged a ma
chine gun nest at the most critical time
In all the fighting.
81 wonder if ever an outfit" the let
ter said, went up against a more des-
perate job, stuck to it gamely, with
out sleep, at times on short rations.
with men and officers going off like
flies, and l wonder if in all our long
list of gallant deeds there ever We're
two hattpr stunts than the work of Sib-