Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-07-19
GOING INTO THE SECOND BATTLE OF THE MARINE
NTH THE AMERICANS ON THE MARINE,
AMERICANS
BY Herbert Corey

WITH THE AMERICANS ON THE MARINE,
w June 3. Open order fighting is not what /
W had expected it to be be. At least, it is
not this morning. Perhaps had formed my
pectatons the panorama of the Battle of
Waterloo, in which one stands hill with
guide and is shown dense masses of troops In
movement. This open order fighting is not even
noisy-at least it is not tumultnous. Yet we are
near the heart of the greatest battle in the re-
cent history of the world
Where's the front line? had asked an
American M. p who directing the move
ments of some American soldiers.
Il don't know exactly, sir" said he But
think 1t is about mile up this road"
1t much further but his statement alarm
ed us. We had driven along roads which were
bare of movement as though they had been paint
ed on map. There was noise ahead, except
that now and then gun grunted. Suddenly we
had come into village in which the streets were
flowing with men. Tired French infantrymen
were plugging through in small bodies on their
way to the rear. The face of each seemed COW
cred with myriad tiny scratches. When one look
ed closely these scratches to be
the dark channels in which sweat had and
dried and malgamated with the country dust.
Men were sleeping everywhere, for it was
barely dawn French officers, rolled in blankets
and strips of canvas sound asleep by the
road. Hundreds had laid down upon the bare
ground, rolled only in their overcoats, with their
knapsacks under their heads. Their sleep
that of utter exhaustion, it seemed, yet when
they woke they seemed bright eyed and cheerful.
Some managing coffee or stew over little fires,
their mess cups being used for cooking purposes.
Americans were grouped about their rolling
kitchens, eating bareback and corn willie and
drinking vast quantities of coffee
'We'll not go too far, said my companion.
Remember Colonel Boiling
AMERICANS TO THE FRONT.
In the early days of the May offensive Col
onel Boiling had driven along a quiet road
right into the German lines. His body was
found later sitting upright in the car, with
bullet hole through his head. But things have
been somewhat stabilized since then. We found
the American headquarters in little village.
On ahead American troops camped
by the side of the road. American artillery
and supply trains were moving forward and the
"empties' being shunted back.
This American unit had done rather we'll in
it's of getting here. At o'clock
afternoon it instructed to get ready and at
10 o'clock that night to be ready and before
daylight it moved Twenty-four hours later it
the front Cheateu Thierry While
talking of this big French car rolled
by. face that had become familiar through
the illustrated papers dimly through
the dust covered windows of the limousine It
some time before identified the owner.
Then
That's General Foch' we said to each
other. An hour later
There's General Pershing" some one said.
At last, in spite of the comparative noise
lessness, feels that is seeing war as it
should be-as it used to be. The weary drudg-
cry of the trenches is at end. Soldiers might
be in the open. Here and there small
bodies of them deployed the living green of
the French hills in springtime Columns crept
along the edges of the woodland or marched
boldly along the road.