The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-10-04

/ ment into territory IN which tho roar
of guns at the front could DC ratntiy
heard The first to distinguish the DIS
tant cannonading passed the word along
! the line. Late in tho afternoon. during
rest period. the whole regiment gave
itself over TO listening to tho cannon
None of them had heard artillery In ao-
ton before.
Gee. there \soes big one lad
would yell. -Ah. that amt no big gun
that's a Ia" wise companion in arms
} would break in. This would bring out an
acrimonious discussion about arr!r,~rS.
After dark groups Of soldiers gath
cred at the doors Of their barracks and
searched the sky IN tho north Tor gun
flashes. The whole atmosphere OF inc
camp throbhed with eagerncss- mat
.. regiment has never been out or sound
OF artillery fire since. They have been
shellcd time and again They nave
fought in the trenches and in the open
by'day and by night and they arc sun
as anxious for scrap as they w"r" that
night seven months ago when thcy uFSe
| entered the Zone Of combat.
7 could mention hundreds OF spec!nc
! instances illustrating tho lighting Splrit
If tho American dnuEhboy. y few Will
| suffice. Orr night battalion was
| marching u the front in Picardy. Inc
members had seen service in tho Tour
sector but had not been unde- hr'= Tor
more than a month. The battalion halt
cd on the main street of little town
70 wait for orders. Half q dozen young
priyates crowded into an archWay W
take q smoke. Strict orders had pceh
tssued against lighting matches. or
smoking in the open. A boy about ~
YEARS old was just lifting hshteu
match to his cigarette when the scream
Of AN approaching German shell WIS
heard. It was the first she'll the Ger
mans had sent over that evening and It
landed in a church steepie across ~.
street and blew that Stccple and part
~ rho church clear off the map OF
France.
A. the first sound OF the she'll tho
bow halted tho progress Of tho match
toward his face. but kept the lleht III
tact in the hollow of his hands. rs inc
roar Of tho explosion died away ne re
marked: -Oh. boy. that sounds hAe
home Then he completed the Job Oh
lighting the cigarette.
! wounds Cannot Reach Spirit Of Fighters
Scores of our young S"ia.erT 49, ~ u
living on strctchcrs or on the GROUND Al a
dressing station not far hack OF inc inc
front in the afternoon of July ~. Al
were suffering from mach1nc gun
wounds. a tall boy Win ms H'au Si'.ts
Cd down to the scalp touched m" on the
leg as passed the strctcher on winch
h. was lying. Mr. Correspondent no
said, will you all look at my foot; She
feels like she WIS blccdin' like the dGVll;
An emergency handaGc about his an e
had become displaced and blood was
squirting from a nasty wound. win inc
nd Of an orderly 1 replaced the hindaEe.
Along the road a few yards away ma
incs wer, hurryinE to the front,
will you all please kinda iire ne
around sos I c:ln sre them birds !:
asked the hoy. We ltfted him nrnund 70
= position facing tho road and then at
his request. raised him To sitting pos
"Nttaboy." ne yrhcd. war1ng his hand
NJ tho marching column. Attaeoy. 20
70 'en. Oh, you leathcrnecks."
"oh you old timer" howlcd one OF the
Marines in answer. I'LL get you
couple of Heinies."
xii along this road wounded American
1ouxhhoys coming out Of the battle
chncrcd douGhhoys going In. OCCASION
arv 4 wounded American would be
brought in on 4 strrtchcr improTised OF
a blanket and 4 couple OF hr:nch"S or
trees and carried by German prisoners
Tho Germans wero unable to conceal
their arnazemcnt ut the continual inter
change of comment between the wound