Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-10-09
LOST BATTALION RESCUED.
American Battalion Cut on Five Days
Fights Until Aided,

| With the American Forces Nortn- :
west of Veriun, Oct. S, 11:S a. M
The, American lost" battalion in the
Argonne. forest was rescued ut $40
o'clock yesterday. Though it had en-
countered terrific opposition. IL was
found to be virtually intact few OF its
members being killed or wounded.
| With their ammunition nearly ex-
hausted and weakened from lack of
food during a period Of five days in
which they had been cut off from their
comrades support in the thickets OF
the Argonne. the battalion was
reached by a relief expedition.
! The lost battalion, whose where
abouts was a mystery for some time
after it's disappearance during the at
tack along the edge of the Argonne,
comprised several hundred men under
the command of Mai. Charles Whittle-
sey. Completely surrounded by the
Germans, theJ made their stand with
their pistols and rifles and few ma
chine guns ss defensive weapons.
When rallcf reached them their
stock Of cartridges was almost gone
| and the men were in a weakened con-
Gition from lack of sustcrance and the
effects of the dampness Of these fall
days, from which the trapped In
fantrymen hsd no blankets to protect
| them.
Tie relief expedition encountered
great difficult: in aiding the rescued
men, some. of whom were so weak
they had to be carried. Medical sup
plies and food are being rushed to
their aid.
Several efforts were made yesterday
to obtain reports from the lost bat
talon by messenger and carrier
pigeon. A basket containing a num-
Der Of pigeons was lowered by para
chute I'M the vicinity of where the
Americans were thought to be. The
aviator intYlsted with this task de-
cIared that the basket seemed to fall
exactly where he intended it should.
But no bird lad returned up to a late
hour yesterday.
| The lost battalion pushed ahead
with the other troops when the first
American attack to the west of
Verdun began. Advancing in two
widely separated columns, the enemy
was able to infiltrate behind them
without being seen.
| AZ SOCn HI INC IIltIuDeTS VI Tic DdI-
talon missed the troops to the right
and left Of them. they tried to find
them, but their efforts were checked
for the time being by the rain and ter
rain conditions.
Then began a series OF ingenius
means to give the men relief SO thai
they cold hold out against the assail-
ants ringed about them until theil
comrades forcib1y came to their relief
Many times in the course OF the day
airplanes h,w over the section OF tn,
forest where the Americans were be.
lieved to be and messages were dropped
for them AS it was though their sup
tplies on hand probably had become
exhausted, cunningH devised para
chutes, used, to bring up ammunition
were then released above the fores
which concealed the whereabout o
the troops from the eyes Of their anx.
4 ious searchers.
4 Z was five days az. that the bat
TALON was trapped near the edge OF thu
Argonne forest about two miles south
east of Lancon. It appears that afte
a system Of trenches running eas. ant
west had been captured near the edg'
OK the ArgOnne the AHlSflCdNS pSS2e'
these trenches and gained ground t
the north. L
Durins ,i:e night. however, Gernia:
troops to 4the left Of the AMERICAN
slipped to the rear Of the latter ant
into the trenches captured earlier ant
passed over by the advancing forces
Meanwhile the Germans had closed il
on the~east and west, comp eting tn
circle.>
The surrounded men all had y :,
vanced without their packs. all thu
we're virtually dependent for fool upo
what ~, 2yiators were able to brin
! them. although much OF this wen
astray,
The American troops continued thei
advance east of the Argonne until lat
Monday night After the capture 9
Chatel Chehery they gained furthe
ground.
The advance was aided somewhat b
J the use of smoke bombs and heay
} fog. A platoon Of minenwerfers wa
captured During the night patrollin
j was active. There was interniitten
:, artillery firing during the night on &C
count of movements behind the enem