The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-10-30
THOUSANDS Of
GERMANS TAKEN
IN, YANk DRIVE
Former Richmond Boy Writes
Of Advance in Which Two
German Towns Were Taken

"
ceived by Mr.. and Mrs. Francis Via
OF New Paris, Ohio. from their son.
Louis, who lived In Richmond about
six years ago. He has been in France
five months.
THE last letter / wrote you from
our positions up in the Vosges noun
tains. Since then many things have
happened. We were relieved from
that place by another bunch of troops,
but before we left we captured two
German towns, and held them-our d.
vision being the first in the American
army to do that. 1t was considered an
honor and I understand that we are to
get service bar for It. After we left
that place we hiked all the way to
where we began to help in this big
drive. 1t took us a couple OF weeks to
make the trip and it sure was tire
some. Everyone had to walk all the
way except the drivers because the
roads were very bad.
6oche Taken by Surprise.
Nevertheless we got over to our
part in the line in time to do our
part In the drive, and it sure was some
drive. You proba bly, have read about
~ In the papers. will describe what
u saw, that Is all l am permitted to
f'say: We went into position in an
open field on September IL. 1t was
raining very hard at the time. About
midnight that night in addition to the
heavy rain storm the barrage of our
artillery started, and lasted until
noon the next day. For twelve hours
there was a continuous storm Of iron
and steel going at the Germans from
hundreds OF our guns, ranging from
3-inch to 14-inchers. The sky was
violently red from the explosion OF
SO many shells, and under this bar
rage the infantry went over the TOP
after the Boche; drove them back and
captured many thousands. 1t seemed
that everything was done SO rapidly
that the Boche did not have time to
offer much resistance with their ar
tillery. and thus their infantry was
mostly killed or taken prisoner.
we started our advance the next
afternoon, the engineers going ahead
and cutting a road through the barbed
wire, and making the road over the
trenches in the territory the Germans
. have held for the last four years
AS we came across what was Nc
Mans land before the drive, the am
balances were busy taking care Of the
wounded, and could see many deat
Huns scattered over the field and II
the trenches. BY the time we got al
the end of our advance we had gone
about twelve kilometers, which Is
seven and one-half miles. From the
time the drive started until we stop
ped at the end of our advance two
and ,one-half days later, we had no.
had one bite to eat, and some of tho
fellows had not drop to drink, al
though some of them had filed theil
canteens before, and they hold {
quart.
"The Boche in their hurry left behind
thousands Of guns and pounds of am
munition; part Of their horses wer'
captured also, and many of their ma
chine guns, with various other prop
erty that | can't mention. A lot 0
the prisoners that were brought bacl
did not look to be over 16 years o
age, and lots of them looked to b.
70 and over. There were very few
who looked to be between 81 and s.
and they seemed glad that theeir par
in the war was over.
Gassed Eight Times a Night.
You should see the condition unde
which l am writing this letter. l an
down In a Boche dugout which wa
probably used as floor OF protection
In case they were shelled. 1t is
feet down in the ground, four fee
high and three feet wide, and abou
so feet long. We are using it as on
telephone center. Every time tn
guns fire the conclusion puts out m
candle, and so between answering tn
phone and lighting my candle l ar
writing this
II am feeling very good under tn
circumstances. Have forgotten wha
good nights sleep is; we have mis-:
cd so many in the last ten. Their
has not been single night that W
have not been gassed from two t
eight times. Every one takes goo
care OF his gas mask and has it wit
him at all times. 1t is his best frient
with his steel hat. You asked me i
U your letter how much l weigh. Tw
weeks ago | weighed 1856. Well.
must stop and get to work. but / wi
write again the first opportunity l ge
! hope we shall have advanced eigf
more miles by then"