Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-10-15
FACED Death. UNAFRAIDr
Heroic Conduct Of the Men Of the
Lost Battalion
DEATH TO SURRENDER
Germans Had Them Surrounded On
: All Sides But Were Afraid to Close
In-When Major Was Asked to Sur
render He Told Them to Go to He'll.


max Of the fourth day of the troops
beleaguerment in the Argonne forest.
J When the men were long foodless
and almost wholly without ammuni-
ton. and when many were weak from
exhaustion. but not one despairing. an
American who had been taken prison.
er by the Germans suddenly appeared
at the little camp surrounded in the
valley.
! The man had been sent blindfolded
from the German headquarters with
typewriter note to Major Whittlesey,
reading:
| Americans, you are surrounded on
all sides. Surrender in the name OF
humanity. You will be well treated"
Major Whttlesey did not hesitate
a fraction of second.
Go to hell" he almost shouted.
Then he read the note to those around
him and his men. Notwithstanding their
WEAKNESS and hunger, and in immi-
nent danger every moment. cheered so
loudly that the Germans heard them
| from their observation posts
No Relief In Sight.
None of the battalion could know
that relief would come within "a hours;
none felt sure that it could come at all
before it was too late, but the same
spirit animating them to plunge ahead
in the forest to their perilous position
maintained them at that moment and
every living man. wounded or well. in
the battalion, enthusiastically approx
ed Major Whittlesey's abrupt answer
when the news of it was circulated.
a composite story cleaned from a
dozen recitals reveals that the battal-
ion, when ordered to advance last Fri
day pushed it's way ahead through the
forest and, in it's eagerness to catch up
with the retreating Germans. gradual
| ly spread out and widened its ranks.
This allowedthe Germans to infiltrate
unseen behind the Americans and they
fell directly into a cunning trap which
the Germans had set for them.
Plan Of the Enemy.
The enemy had planned to catch the
Americans in a hollow surrounded on
all four sides by heights, the greatest
of which was a steep hill directly
ahead. The Americans. who were not
accustomed to forest fighting and were
filled with eagerness. dashed into this
hollow without stopping to think that
the enemy might be awaiting them.
The members Of the battalion were at
first checked by their own artillery
barrage, which had worked steadily
forward Nevertheless, it had not
worked as fast as the troops themselves
and the battalion proceeded half way
up the hill and there they waited for
the barrage to pass in front OF them.
Then they discovered that the Ger
mans on both sides had jointly flank
ed them.
Sheltered only in shallow and hasti-
ly constructed trenches, the men were
subjected to a grilling sniping machine
gun fire, as we'll as trench mortar
bombardment every time they showed
themselves. The battalion had started
with meagre rations, expecting more to
reach them later.
Nightly and daily, too, they sent
back volunteer scouting parties. but II
these reached the positions in the rear
without being captured or killed they
could not tell, for none ever returned.
Airmen Search In Vain.
rchtnp
vainly for them flew overhead. but no
outcry the men could make brought
anything but n volley Of shouts and
laughter from the Germans in front
and behind and to the right and left
OF them.
The beleaguercd men discovered
there were German machine gun nests
all around them every fifteen feet or so.
and man to show himself ever so
briefly was the signal for n sweeping
rain of bullets. II a man made an un-
usual noise. trench mortars pounded
the vicinity viciously.
Just for diversions the enemy made
practice OF sweeping the whole ter
rain-the hillside where the improvis-
ed trenches were located, and the val
ley in which the men crawled to get
leaves and water--regularly with ma
chine guns.
Shippers At Work.
Snipers were constantly on watch.
German rs pounded the locality, and
hand grenades also were hourly In ev-
idence. The Americans had no rock
cts or other signals and they were
powerless to attract the attention OF
anyone but the Germans.
AS the days passed the Americans
grew more and more emaciated, but
they never gave up hope. There was
nothing but grim determination toI
hold out until the last man was finish
ed. There was not man in the bat
TALON, wounded or otherwise, hungry
or starved, but secuted the idea of
surrender. Their ammunition was de-
pleted to a point where the few ma
chine guns in the outfit had but one
little belt Of cartridges apiece, and the
rifle ammunition was running so short
that they had received orders not tol
fire at any one attacking until within
short range that his death or serious
injury was almost inevitable.
Major whittlesey. who is a we'll
known New Yorker, had his entire bat
talon behind him to a man. Captain
Leo Stromee Of San Bernardino, CAL,
told the Associated Press his men
jeered at the idea Of surrender. and
the men who came out Of the four
days siege are united in declaring that