Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1918-07-05
KENNEDY TELLS
OF PART in BATTLE
Participated in Drive Made By
Marines and Brought Back
a Huns Iron Cross

News-Budget readers will find the
following letter written to Harry
Ballou by Lieut.. Ed Kennedy, of this
city, who is with the Marines in
France, very interesting. He tells OF
his participation in the recent drive
made by the Marines doubtless when
Cantigny was captured) OF killing his
first Bosches, of being gassed, his ex-
periences in getting to the hospital and
the pleasant surroundings there.
Mr.. BallOu received telegram
Wednesday stating that Lieut.. Ken
nedy had arrived at Newport News,
Va, Tuesday, evidently sent home to re-
cuperate or for special duty of some
nature in this country.
The letter follows:
"June 8, 1918
Sunday evening.
Well here 1 am propped up in cot
sans clothes, sans money, sans every
thing. But l have complete outfit OF
eyes, arms, legs. ears and everything
that goes to make up man. My lungs
are not in their proper shape but one
wheeling along and promises to be as
good as ever shortly.
/ suppose by the time you read this
letter, the drive the Marines made will
be ancient history to you people back
in the States, but to the boys taking
part in that attack it will always re-
main fresh in their memory. For it
was their first real opportunity to dis
play their wares as fighting men and
as Britisher would say ''they did
they did dad well and sure did
give Fritz h. Excuse the French
but 1 really cannot express it other
wise and do justice to the situation.
I suppose you wonder why I don't
tell you what ails me. Yes did take
part in the attack, that is, as long as
lasted which was well in the night
when Fritz decided to lombard our
position. We were busy digging in
(that it, my platoon and myself for we
were detached from our company at
the time. Well according to the dope
he dropped about one hundred big
shells around us and I smelled gas and
gave the alarm. / crawled through
wood to see how my platoon was, af-
ter the strafing. In going through the
briar bush my gas mask was torn in
several places and of course friend gas
travelled down into my lungs and fin
ish for Edward A. Well the boys
fixed up a stretcher with pOnchO and
some rifles and carried me away to
the dressing station and they told me
afterward that it was some trip.
came to i'm the early morning, suffer
ing tOrtures and they were preparing
to evacuate me to the rear. Started
out in an ambulance in almost a hail
of shells and machine gun bullets but
managed to pull through. Well tC
make long story short, l wound uI
here in Paris in the hospital. am
feeling pretty good now, except fol
pains in my chest and oh so tired. But
this is heaven. Real beds, sheets, elec
trio lights and real eats. Think of liv
ing on hard tack, raw bacon and very
little water and then to come here tC
real coffee, roast beef and pork, green
vegetables, mashed potatoes and oh
real Strawberries today and last but
not least a mighty pleasant American
girl from Chicago as nurse. She is as
do fipln Ch
tries to make it as comfortable as she
can.
have killed my first Bosche or may
be more, but one l know of and I got
an iron cross from him, but / gave il
to little French kid to give me some
thing to eat, for, as one Of my boys
| said his stomach felt as if his throat
| was cut / lived in corn fields, il
shell holes, old discarded chicken
coops, back of stone walls, sleeping
where / could, when / could, eating
very seldom and water was very hare
to get. But there are funny incidents
which occur which relieve the mOnOt
Ony. For instance some Of the Frencl
peasants i'm leaving did not have time
|
to take all of their cattle. One even
ing about dusk one Marine crawle(
out and laid on his back and milket
| the cow. Well one of the other boy
thought he would try. All his life h
had sold bonds in New York and
guess friend COW must have known i
for she objected and kicked the poo
marine numerically.
Well 1 must close for lights ar
going out and am oh so tired. Whel
/ become more rested / will write yo1
more fully.
| L guess my trip to the States i
'passe'. Hard luck.
Address Inf. w. S. r. as before.
cUrArN rpun AID CIIAD NgnNEC