Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-05-08

ward. lust as we left the copse. from
behind us, up over ridge, came
stream of galloping horses
Its the cavalry" someone shouted,
but soon l made out limbers and field
| guns.
They galloped past US going like
mad, took up a position to our right,
swung into position, numbered, and
/ in two minutes were blazing away. 1t
was thrilling sight.
Torn by Shells.
| In going forward we went around
the end of the larger wood in front of
us, over ground that was torn to bits
by the heavy shell fire that had just
| preceded, over another edge, across
valley. and under the crest of a hill.
| And here we found the tanks going
over the top of the hill to take up
their position. At this point we were
still about a mile from the front line.
At this place opened up an aid post
under the crest of the hill to take care
of what wounded came in while we
were getting into position. | looked
| back across the valley we had just
traversed.
Shrapnel was bursting in the air,
shells were whizzing overhead and our
| guns behind me were belching forth
| the fire. The noise was deafening.
| A railroad ran through the valley
and an engine pulling couple of flat
cars was going by. A couple of sol
| diers were sitting on the rear truck
swinging their feet. A shell burst on
the track and only missed the last car
about fifteen yards. Neither man was
hit and the train went blithely on.
| BY this time it was getting along
| toward evening, the sun was sinking
in the west, and finally went down
! great ball of fire. At the time, | re-
member, l noticed its color. 1t was
| blood red and had sinister look. Was
| it my imagination, or might it have
| been premonition? At any rate, |
shall never forget the color of the sun
! as it set that night at the end of the
first day of probably one of the great
| est battles in history 1t certainly
| didn't look good to me.
The drumming of the guns contin-
ued, twilight gradually deepened into
night, the signalers stopped their wig
wagging and took up their flash sig
nails, a fog dropped down on us and
put the lights out of business, and
when we left to go forward under the
| cover of darkness they were busy put
/ ting out their telephone lines-signal-
ers and runners don't have an easy
| time.
She'll Dump Goes Up.
| Behind US a shell landed in an am
munition dump and it went up with 4
roar; then the rifle ammunition started
| going off like a great bunch of fire
| crackers, and great tongues of flame
| lit up the sky.
1t is reported that the Germans had
broken through our line and we were
to counter-attack in the morning. We
| got into positions without single
| casualty. l opened an aid post in an
| old dugout and settled down to sleep
until morning. You may think it fun
ny that one could sleep under such
conditions, but | had been up since
| 80, had tramped about six or seven
miles, had had a rather trying day
and was dog tired.
So / settled down on the rough plank
! floor and was soon asleep. l must
have been asleep a couple of hours
| when a runner came from headquar-
| tiers and told us we were to move off
| Immediately | looked at my watch and
| it was / 80 a. n. on the second day.
We went back to the railroad, fol-
/ lowed it around to a position some six
miles to the north of us, landing there
| about in the morning and Topped
! down on the floor of some abandoned
| huts to wait further orders. Our or
| ders came along about 8 o'clock. We
marched up acrass the open prairie,
! the sun shining, and it was really hot.
| Just like some of the warm days we
get the last of March at home. In
| going forward it was necessary
for us to march seventy-five yards in
| front of three batteries of field guns.
! There are six guns to a battery. They
! shoot an eighteen-pound shell and
while we were there each gun was
shooting twice to the minute. You
| can imagine the racket when Ten
you that the discharge of one gun can
be heard about four miles. In addi-
| ton the Boche was trying to knock
out this battery and he was dropping
his six inch shells little too close for
! comfort.
Nearly in Trap.
Then | made lovely mistake. ]
was TO establish an aid post near bat
talon headquarters and went blithely
on when / met a company commander
and asked him where to go.
Back there about quarter of a
mile" he replied. This is the front
| center company. If you keep on in
the direction you are going you are
going up over that ridge and Fritz will