The Robesonian., 1918-10-17
LOST BATTALION" NEVER
WOULD HAVE SURRENDERED

WOULD HAVE SURRENDERED
Trapped by Huns, for a Long Time
FOodless and Almost Without Am
| munition, Still They Would Not
Give Up.
/ The Associated Press CORRESPONDENT
with the American forces northwest
OF Verdun, under date of October 9,
tells the following thrilling story of
the '1ost battalion:
The brightest spot in the heroic and
amazing story of the now famous
lost battalion" which belonged to the
nth division, as yet untold, was the
climax to the fourth day of the
troops beleaguerment in the Argonne
forest.
n When the men were long foodless
and almost wholly without ammuni-
ton and when many were weak from
4 exhaustion, but not one despairing an
oner by the Germans suddenly appear
n ed at the little camp surrounded in the
! valley.
II The man had been sent blindfolded
from the German headquarters with a
typewriter note to Major Whittlesey,
reading:
Americans, you are surrounded en-
all sides. Surrender in the name of
humanity. You will be we'll treated" !"
Major Whittlesey did not hesitate
a fraction of second.
$50 to hell" he almost shouted.
Then he read the note to those around
him and his men, Notwithstanding
their WEAKNESS and hunger, and in
immediate danger every moment
cheered so loudly that the Germans
heard them from their observation
posts.
A composite story cleaned from a
dozen recitals reveals that the battal-
ion, when ordered to advance, pushed
it's way rapidly ahead through the for
est and in it's eagerness to catch up
with the retreating Germans, gradu-
This allowed the Germans to infiltrate
unseen behind the Americans and they
fell directly into cunning trap
which the Germans had set for them.
The enemy had planned to catch
the Americans in hollow surrounded
on all four sides by heights, the great
est of which was steep hill directly
ahead. The Americans, who were not
accustomed to forest fighting and
were filled with eagerness. dashed in
to this hollow without stopping to
think that the enemy might be await
ing them. The members Of the bat
talon we're at first checked by their
own artillery barrage, which had
worked steadily forward. Neverthe-
less, it had not worked as fast as the
troops themselves and the battalion
proceeded half way up the hill and
there they waited for the barrage to
pass in front of them. Then they dis
covered that the Germans on both
sides had jointly flanked them and
had closed in upon their rear.
Sheltered only in shallow and hast
ily constructed trenches, the men were
subjected to a grilling sniping ma
chine gun fire as well as trench
mortar bombardment every time they
showed themselves. Only with the
greatest difficulty and with extreme
caution could they move from place
to place and keep guard against sur
prise attacks.
The battalion had started with mea-
gre rations expecting more to reach
them later. Those, Of course, could no
longer be transported to them. 1t was
the greatest good fortune that they
were fairly we'll supplied with water.
Nightly and daily, too, they sent
back volunteer scouting parties, but
if these reached the positions IN the
rear without being captured or killed
they could not tell, for none ever re-
turned.
L Daily. American aviators searching
vainly for them, flew overhead, but no
outcry the men could make brought
anything but a volley Of shouts and
laughter from the Germans in front
and behind and to the right and left
of them.
The beleaguered men discovered
there were German machine gun nests
all around and man to show himself
ever so briefly was the signal for
sweeping rain Of bullets. If a man
made an unusual noise trench mortars
pounded the vicinity viciously.
| Just for diversion the enemy made
nractice of sweeping the whole ter.
, rain-the hillside where the lmprovlss
ed trenches were located, and the val
lev in which the men crawled to ge'
\ leaves and water-regularly and ther
irregularly with machine guns.
| AS the days passed the American:
grew more and more emaclated ane
more and more bearded, but they new
er gave up hope. There was nothing
but grim determination to hold ou
until the last man was finished. Their,