The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-10-08
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-HeId by Many Off
GERS to Have Saved Paris
From Huns.


account of the fighting near Chateau
Thierry, in which American divisions,
Including the marine brigade, took
part, early in June, was made public
recently by the navy department. 1t
is In the form of long letter from an
officer of the marines to Major Cen
eral Barnett, commandment of the
corps, and the story told is of peculiar
significance, as in the opinion of many
officers here it 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 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, little viii
lage between ChampillOn and Lucy-le-
BOcage," the letter says. From one
side we had observation of the north
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
i,,lr IN, ,-if
Foe Slowed Up by Shrapnel.
'The rifle and machine gun fire was
ineessant 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. Ii 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 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
fense they were literally up in the
air. and more than stOppe'. We found
that out later from prisoners, for 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 Il It 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 20 straighten out the line This
action resulted in the capture of Bel
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 90 men of the Ninety-siXth COM
pany, had taken Bouresches, 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
10 |. +o1y fn hn
Speaking of individual acts of brav-
cry the writer says Duncan, COM
pany commander, before he was 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 hospital corps man
lad just gained some shelter when a
she'll wiped all three out"
Private Dunlavy, killed later, cap
ured an enemy machine gun in BOur-
nsches, which he turned on the foe
With great effect, while at another
point young Zimmerman charged a
machine gun at the point of the bayO-
act and sent in II prisoners at clip"
When the enemy made a stand at
one point in the woods Sibleys bat
alton was withdrawn and for an hour
md fifty minutes American and
french batteries hammered the wood
hughes, with the Tenth company, then
vent in, and his first message was
hat the wood had been cut to mince-
leat. OvertOn, leading the Seventy
ixth company, finally charged the
ock plateau, killing or capturing every
unner and capturing all the guns,
Nth few casualties.
The Eighty-second company lost all
IS officers, and Major Sibley and his
djutant, Lieutenant Ballamy, reorgan-
led it under fire and charged ma
hine gun nest at the most critical time
| all the fighting.
II wonder if ever an outfit" the let
r said, event up against more des-
crate job, stuck to it gamely, with
1T sleep, at times on short ratiOns,