The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1918-12-26
BOTH DIV. SAVED CIVILIZATION.
Capt. Craig of HartSviilc Tells of He
roic Fighting of This Fam" Is
Division.


boys from Dillon County are mem
bers of the 3Oth Division, the follow
ing interview with Capt. Craig who
was wounded in France and fur
loughed home will be of peculiar in
terest to Dillon folk:
Greenville, Dec 14-One of the
first real narratives of the heroic
work of the goth Division in France
and Belgium was brought to Green
Vile by Capt. Robert E.Craig of
Hartsville, commander OF Company l.,
One Hundred and Eighteenth Infan-
try (old First South Carolina, Ma
tional Guard) Capt. Craig was in
Greenville for short time en- route
to the base hospital at Biltmore, n.
c. He landed at Newport News, No
vember 81, and is SUFFERING from
bronchial asthma which he contract
ed while in the trenches.
In conversation, Captain Craig
told of the wonderful work OF the
South Carolina, North Carolina, and
! Tennessee men of the old Hickory
Division" in the war and expressed
regret that he was not able to be
with them on the memorable date
when they completely shattered the
Hindfnburg line. you have never
seen such courage, such absolute
loyalty as these men displayed and
they have accomplished feat that
generations will herald he said.
when they come hoEie they are
entitled to our best, for they are
none other than the sayiors OF civil
lization.''
! First Service i'm Flanders.
The Thirtie;h Division, upon land
|, ing in Flanders, was first bille:ed al
Mont KENNEL, said Captain Craig.
This sector had seen some of the BIT
terest lighting of the var during the
, first two years and presented a very
: desoIate scene. AT the time the
Thirtieth arrived, the British were
daily expecting a heavy attack by
!; the Germans and the sight OF the
stalwart Americans greatly encour-
aged them. The division remained
!, here for some time and when the at.
tack never came. they were moved
, up nearer the front.
, Captain Craig said that this ba
T talon was the first unit of the Thir
/ tieth to enter the trenches. which wa:
: late in June The division was tn,
: first under shell fire OH independence
. Day, July 4. AS soon as the men were
K in the trenches they began to tak'
great delight in picking off snipers
i The very first men from Company L
- killed fwn anamv SINNERS
i On July 20. just a month aftel
t his entrance into the trenches, Cap
tain Craig contracted malady which
II was thought to be trench fever. PLY
:. sicians later contended, however. tha
: he must have be gassed in some wa,
Il as he contracted bronchial asthma
e He was sent from his company Il
II the American base hospital in Franc
e He remained there until November
= when he was sent to America.
Captain Craig paid a high tribute
= to the courage and bravery of th'
l. enlisted men. when the h stories o
n this war are written. the honor fo
), victory should be given to the pri
n Yates and corporals aud serseants.
d he said. They are the men that have
done the fighting. They are the brav
e est set of boys in the world and ever.
e person in the United States, shoult
v honor them. / never saw a yellow
} man in the Thirtieth Division. l neve
r saw man in old Hickory wall whel
lhe was wounded. l have seen mel
shot through NJ Ii%Ss hold IT. thel sd
wounds and ask their coMAD
cigarettes. You can not beat men
who fight like that would he
willing to wager that for every cas-
ualty in our division there were five
in the enemy's."
Captain Craig told of the heroic
act Of Sergeant Gardner of his COM
pany. During an attack early one
morning Sergt. Gardner was lead
ing his platoon just behind the creep
ing barrage when they suddenly ran
upon machine gun interference. The
German gun was hardly 20 yards
away. Sergeant Gardner. instantly
realizing the peril, drew his revolver
and in four clean shots annihilated
the machine gun crew.
Although Captain Craig was in the
hospital at the time of the big drive
which broke the Hindenburg line. he
heard many thrilling details of the
fighting from comrades. He said that
his company went into battle with
236 men and came out with sc of its |