Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-11-28

Shades OF Hugo, Milton Dante help
me tell this story.
For four days they advanced into
Argonne Forrest.
The Argonne Forest
Denser than the Jack-pine jungle
along the upper Fayette; thicker
.ran the spruce cover beside the 81.
ness OF Island Falk Liy1de.
zoe; more tangled than the Wilder
For -Four days the First Battalion,
3CSth American Inlant4y, MAJOR Whit-
tiesey CONNIE nain5, advanced and
continued to advance into Argonne
Forest
| Far ahead Of the supporting rsgiz
mint,
The Germans swung together be-
hind them, surrounded them.
The Yankees dug in.
In square formation, the Yankees
dug in-Germans east, west, north'
south, Germans everywhere and
everywhere Yankees eyes watching
them, Yankee guns ready for them,
Yankee fingers upcn the trig5ers-
What a drama there in Argonne
Forest.
The Yankees dug in.
Machine gun buIlsts sung incessant
ly through the matted growth over
their heads; Austrian SS's dropped
smattering, whining, shells about
them; snipers. battered the earth
with lead beside them
A spiked helmet among the trees,
splotch of dingy gray half re-
vealed through hanging vines-plunk
For seventy hours
the Yankees answered.
While you and l peacefully, quiet
ly, safely, were going about our
daily tasks; while you and l were
eating, drinking drinking the sweet
cool water-breathing the air, the
clean, wonderful air of our Idaho;
while you and / were laughing, talk
irg, resting, Sleeping, the First Bat
talon, the Lost Battalion" there
is the depths of Argonn'e Forest
ffught and fought and fought the
Germans.
SurrOunded-
Like automatums they loaded and
fired, fired and loaded for seventy
hours
We're you ever tired, tired, dead
tired and sleepy
Do you know thirst
Have you felt hunger
Did you ever crouch against a
mud bank, lean against it for sup
port, and even then reel and sway
like an old stump loosened in the
ground yet clinging, clingin, by
some hidden thing that would not,
could not, yield
Has the white, sticky saliva some
time gummed your teeth and lips
and hung in strings from the corners
of your swollen, blackened, mouth
No
What do you know then of agone
How am | to show you the sub
lime endurance of thoes heroes OF
the Lost Battalion" resisting, resist
ing unto death and beyond there
in the black shadows of Argonn
Forest
The Germans dug in.
On four sides of the Americans
the Germans dug in
Admira ton conquered the brute
heart of the Prussian officer in com
mand
He wrote a message and threw It,
wrapped about stone, into the lit
tie group of Americans.
Fearing it would fall unheeded
among them he called out:
Surrender, Americans We will
treat you we'll"
Major Whittlesey is gentleman,
Major Whittlesey does not swear
Major Whittlesey is a devout Chris
tan i'
go to hell" he shot back.
From the parched lips, the swollen
tongues, the tired, dry, thro'ts OF
those Yankee bows. surrounded, hun
cry, worn, a. cheer leaped out and
echoed and re-echoed through !
come Forest
go to hell Please GO to hel +"
and their llauehter MINGLED with j.
Then they fought and fouoht and
fought end h~ld their position un-
til finally, after eternity had slow
Ily tick itself away, the Reoimept
beat through the German lines and