The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-12-25
Letter Fro1n VerGun.

The following letter from Private
H. H. Sanders to his mother, Mrs. c.
W. Sanders, Hagood, under date Of
November 26th, has just been receiv-
ed.
verdun Sector.
Dear Mother:
Now that the censorship is thing
OF the past, will drop you some little
news that I have had to keep quiet
heretofore.
On July 18th, last I left Camp
Meade, Nd, went to Philadelphia and
! boarded the Haverford, al English
liner, and arrived at Halifax, n. S.,
on the 18TH. After three days lay
off in the Halifax harbor, we con-
tinued the voyage and July the 3lst
we disemarked at Liverpool, Eng
| land. We had some exciting times OFF
by two submarines, finally after a
| battle royal, a we'll placed depth bomb
from the ''Northland," one Of the
ships in our convoy, we sank subma-
rine a few minutes later one of our
submarine chasers sunk another one.
At Liverpool we went in a rest
camp, "Knotty Ash for three days.
Then we went by rail to Ramsey to
another rest camp for couple O.:
days. From Ramsey we hiked to
South Hampton (aboEt mlles) and
got aboard the st. George and after
about five hours CT an awful rough
trip, we CT ossed the English chan
nel and landed at La Harte. Camped
day or two here, then rode in box
cars for four Gays and came to Mont
Morillion. liked from there to lit
tie French village. st. Leomer, pitched
pup tents and had a, pleasant little
camp for weeks. From st. Leonaer
we came on box cars to Lacourtine,
there we went in brick barracks. AZ
ter a couple of days at Lacourtine
left the company and went to Dour-
bune and attended an auto school for
a month. Was then sent back to my
company at Lacourtine and in a
cour. of weeks we were loaded on
box cars and sent to the front. Ar
rived at Dougris, IN three days, un-
loaded the train at night. in the rain:
slept in an old house that was all
shot up and the next day we sluns
packs and hiked for about nine miles
Stayed there for a couple Of days and
left about o'clock one evening.
| walked until o'clock next morning.
| Imagine how I felt after such q nike
with heavy pack on my back.
saw some awful action in the
three days ! have been here before
the arnistice. FRITZ was shelling the
very hill where our dugouts were.
was on guard for gas one night, and
never in my life shah I forget that
night. Uncle Sam was sending over
q, barrage for our doughboys to go
over the top; they were to go over al
! 5 o'clock the next morning. You could
hear the awful roar Of machine guns,
etc. Our boys put Fritz on the run
all right, but believe me, it cost some
price. God knows what a dough boy
Gnfantryman) has to go through.
happened to be working on the road
right b. the first aid hospital, and
every few minutes an ambulance
would roll by loaded Wit: wounded
; some with arms and legs shot OFT
War is al! Sherman said 1t u.s. don
see to save my life how human be-
ing can survive even FOR a month VI
here, when every where you look yot
can see enormous shell splinters from
high explosives. schrapnel, hand
: grenades and gas shells and man!
other things to destroy life. Every
thing is quiet and pleasant UP here
now though. Now and then you car
hcc.r our engineers shooting Off
f German "dud' Can uneXploded she'll
The weather has cleared off and i
hasn't rained since the firing ceased
The Germans sure had this sector
S well fortiled they had millions O.
t barbed VIE entanglements and mile:
of tunnels and dugouts under the hills
am at present in pretty goot
shanty with q good stove. Am eX
e pecting to leave in a day Or two bu
: haven't the least idea when I am go
6 ing, but if rumors are true. will %
;, home before many moons. Have lot
to tell when I come.
Your de"oteG son,
o Hop"
=! - Il oO1+l, A., Tro;, A T.