The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1918-05-02
No. ST..


sobbed SO pit!fully that her grief could
not be endured. Most Of the dead
were entirely or partly burned. The
cries Of agony OF the animals fighting
incineration were mixed with the
grOans and sobbing OF the wounded.
But no one had time to bother with
them. The French were making an
other stand outside the city in an open
field. AS the enemy vacated the town
the Germans made an error which cost
them hundreds Of lives. They had &C.
cupied the entire town so quickly that
the German artillery which shelled a
part Of the city did not know Of the
change I'm the situation and threw
shells into the ranks of the infantry.
Finally our soldiers We're compelled to
give up some of their gains by the
pressure OF our own as well as the
French fire, but regained this ground
afterwards. Strangely enough, the
residence section previously mentioned
had not suffered seriously. All the
houses flew the Red Cross and were
used as temporary hospitals.
Here it was reported that Belgians
mutilated German soldiers. Whether
this were true, or only a rumOr, similar
TO OtheRs being constantly started by
German soldiers, l cannot say, but l
do know that on August "a, after the
French had retired, IL was made
known through an army order that
German soldiers had been murdered
there, and that the German army could
not leave the scene OF these outrageS
without first avenging the victims.
1t was ordered by the commander
of the army to level the remainder Of
the city and to show no mercy. AS we
took short rest from our pursuit of
the enemy and looked backward clouds
of smoke to the eastward showed that
the order had been executed. A re-
manning battery of artillery had re-
duced the city to ashes.
The French had made stand out
side the city and resisted to the ut
most, but they were outnumbered. II
was simply impossible to resist the
pressure Of the German war machine.
When the German columns, with fixed
bayonets, attacked to the accOmpani-
ment OF their bloOd-curdling yells
which, like their steel, penetrated to
the bone, they resembled in every re-
Spect American Indians going into ac-
ton, flinging themselves with blood
curdling yells upon their enemies.
After a three-hour fight many French
men gave themselves up as prisoners.
With uplifted hands they sought
mercy.
At last, on the night Of August %
and "a, the enemy's ranks were thrown
into confusion and they retired slowly.
l was in the first detachment which
pursued them. To the right and left
of the road, In the field and bitches,
were dead and wounded.
The red pantaloons of the French
showed brightly on the ground. The
field gray of the Germans could hardly
be discerned.
The distance between us and the re-
treating French became greater. Our
soldiers became happier over the out
come of the battle and seemed to for
get their past hardships. The corpses
which filed the roads and bitches were
forgotten amid the jokes and songs
on every side. The men were already
accustomed to the horrors of war to
such an extent that they unconcerned-
ly walked over the corpses. not oven
considering it necessary to make a
slight detour.
At noon we matted and were served
with dinner from the field kitchens.
We were surely hungry enough and
our canned soup was eaten with the
utmost relish. Many soldiers set their
dishes on the bodies of dead horses
lying about and ate as gayly as IL
they were at home at their own tables.
The few human corpses near our camp