Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-08-30
THE GERMAN SOLDIERS ARE COWARDS.
That is the Estimate of the American Fighters Who Meet
and Lick Them in Battle.
GENERAL PERsHING's MEN ARE NOT AFRAID
Huns Fight Very Well in Long Distance Work; !, But
When They Come to Close Quarters Ihey lro"
Down Their Arms and Surrender.

the centre OF the "OO0. a pdSSerDS
could hardly have detected them. They
wrigslcd about trees and patches OF
shrubbery and rock and were hidden
like snakes. At intervals were tiny
dugOuts in which the men slept some
times. Not often. The colonel went
without sleep or food for five days and
nights. Most Of the officers reported
the same-if they can remember. To
most Of them the events OF the four
teen days fight have telcscoped. Only
now and then a striking incident is
borne in the memory.
Fighting on Monkey Meat"
These are only few Of the deeds
OF hcroism performed by the men un-
def my command" officer after officer
reported. but in the confusion and
excitement, and as the fighting was
altogether in the woods, l can only re-
port upon what can remember Most
has escaped me-"
The fighting now became continu-
ous and although the two weeks in the
wood were starred by two days OF
heavier fighting than was ordinary,
when the Americans attacked in what
passed for force, one day really Diff
fcrcd slightly from any other. There
were two days during which the
Americans were unable to bury their
dead and the German dead still lie
uncovered by earth in that fostering
sink. There were many days when
the men went without sufficient food
and water. At no time did they have
any hot food or coffee. but lived on
canned rations and water.
Monkey meat" the colonel calls
the timed beef.
1t had not proved feasible to dig q
communication trench from the fight
ing trench. There were not enough
men to spare. At this time there
were very few men behind the Ameri-
can lines, and if it had broken the
Germans might have resumed that
rush on Paris which the Americans
force behind to furnish carriers, so
that from 10 TO Is per cent of the to-
tai force was continually on 4 carry
ing detail. They went back to Lucy,
q kilometrc distant, TO bring up can
teens OF water and tins of beef and
loaves OF French bread. Every inch of
the path was under continuous shell
fire. Lucy itself was continually
shaken by shells exploding in it.
When They Saved Paris.
This was the stage upon which an
immensely moving drama was played.
Yet il is n drama which remains as
vague and unreal to me as 1t does to
the actors. No one has yet told con-
ncctcd story.
81 have no story" the colonel said.
IL c;Ln only tell you Of what | saw"
He's an old regular soldier. who has
seen service on many sea and in
many lands. But his lips tremble when
he talks OF the way his men fought.
You held the ine. colonel" his
friends say. You stopped the drive
on Paris"
We paid a heavy price" is his in
variable reply. IL used TO have the
best force. There are not many left"
On either side of the Bois are
wheat fields. The Germans crawled
up through the standing wheat. drag
NTH
turned them into the wood at the
first movement. Then the Americans
nearest dashed out and killed the
gunners. 1t is impossible for the
civilian to understand how 1t Is pos
siblc for Il single man TO capture
machine gun. Yet read few of the
citations:
"Scrgt. James \. Duccy and Private
Raymond V. Van Sickel advanced on
every machine gun firing on the ad-
vancing wave on June l3. Killed Ger
man officers and men in hand to hand
battle and captured guns, permitting
our lines to advance"
"Privates David Z. Colvin and John
Il. Ashland killed four German gun
ners and captured the gun"
THE following men advanced on a
machine gun nest which threatened to
hold back our wave and drove out the
10 Germans who operated 20 machine
guns in it: Second Lieut.. Chester E.
Fraser. Sergts. Walter G. Allen. Geo.
o. Colon. Milton E. Staight, John c.
Patusis, Corps. Joseph l.. Ball and
Edward :. Smith. and Privates Boy
ette. Lester Bergman and James a.
Hawkins. The Germans surrendered
after the wave had passed"
Private Thomas V. Thomas picked
up the automatic rifle OF comrade
who had been wounded and advanced
against n machine gun until himself
was killed"
"Sergt. Andrew Parko rushed ma
chine gun single handed, killed the
two remaining members Of its crew
and then directed 1t against the enc
my"
Private Michael J. Hardiman rush.
ed a machine gun. killed two Germans
and captured the gun"
The whole story OF the American
attack may be found in the report
made by Capt. L. s. Wass, in which
he comments on the bravery Of GER
tain of his men.
All Of Them Heroes.
1T was necessary" he writes. ITO
rush to the machine guns on June 10
and Is, and to take them by sheer
spirit and dash, as otherwise our
wave would have held up. The woods
seemed crowded with them. In every
instance the enemy finally abandoned
the guns and those not killed or
captured ran away. We lost over 80
per cent Of our men killed or
wounded"
In this fighting grenades were used
occasionally. but the American rife
and butt and bayonet did most OF the
work. The Germans had placed ma
chine guns in the trees, while their