The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-05-08
A SOLDIERS STORY
TOLD BY HIMSELF
INTERESTING LETTER WRITTEN
BY LIEUT.. SWIHART
Though Dead, the Clio Soldier Boy
Speaks to Many Friends Through
Delayed Letter

WHICH appears DelOW, DuL UnrCugn
force of circumstances was unable to
get it set in type until the present.
However, it's publication now is time
ly, for it tells in a simple yet elo-
quent way of how one Of Clos sons,
whose silent tent is now pitched on
"fame's eternal camping ground" ;"
did his best to serve his country and
uphold unsullied the reputation of
American manhood.
We find pleasure in presenting
herewith an excellent photo-engrav-
ing of Lieutenant Swihart, showing
him in uniform, the original of which
was taken but short time ago in
Germany.
Following is the letter as written
by the lieutenant:
Army of Occupation,
Saarburg, Germany
Jan. 80. 1919
Mr.. Charles H. Reed,
Editor Clio Messenger.
Dear Sir:-Ever since l have been
overseas, nearly year now, l have
intended writing you, but somehow
/ have never gotten at it. Lately
have received several letters from
my parents, requesting that l write
you, so here goes!
AS you perhaps know, came over
seas with the 32d Division, composed
of Michigan and Wisconsin guards
men. / left this Division, however,
in the latter part of March, before
they won their fame in the line, to at
tend the Army Candidates School at
Langres, France.
received my commission at this
school, July 8, and July 26, re-
ported to the 355th Infantry, with
which aggregation l have been ever
since. In this regiment, a part Of
the seth Division, | have served as
Platoon Commander, Battalion Intel
ligence officer and Regimental Intel
ligence Officer.
In the early part of August our Di-
vision, under command of General
Winn, moved from our training area
up into the line. l will never forget
that trip! We moved in trucks, leav-
ing our training area about eight
o'clock in the morning and arriving
a few kilometers behind the lines just
at daybreak the next morning. Of
course, the use of lights of any sort
was very dangerous, so we were
forced to travel all night without
head lights. And, to make it more
comfortable for us, it rained all
night. If you can imagine 10000
doughboys (referring to the infant
ry of our Division alone), travelling
twenty-five men per truck, all night
in the rain, over strange roads, with
out headlights, perhaps you can get
some idea of the joy of that trip.
But that journey finally ended, as all
journeys do. We rested here a few
days and then moved up and took
over a sector Of the front. This last
move was made partly on fiat cars
on narrow guage railway, travelling
at night, and the balance Of the way
on foot.
The sector that we took over was
a part of the Toul sector. Seiche-
prey, where the first American prison
Sers were taken by the Germans,
was just in front Of the sector of
trenches held by Company l, of which
/ was a part at that time. Our
night patrols usually went out or re-
turned through that town. The
night in August when captured my
first prisoners, which, by the way,
. were the first captured by onr reg
iment, I returned to our lines through
Seicheprey, and, incidentally, l was
mighty glad to get back.
This sector was known as a"quiet"
sector until we went "over the top"
on the morning of September IL, in
the first All-American drive, later
known as the st. Miheil Drive. Our
infs cry attack in this drive was pre-
* by four hours of the most ter
iffic artillery bombardment that l
have ever listened to. This lombard
rment opened up at exactly one
o'clock in the morning and from then
until five THOUSANDS Of big guns
kept an incessant stream Of death on
the Boche lines. At five o'clock the
. machine guns opened up their bar
rage; the doughboys went "over the
top and the artillery barrage lifted
that is, the gunners increased their
range, so that they kept steady
stream of lead and steel on the Boche
lines, Just ahead of our advancing
infantry. I suppose you understand
that all of this fire was OVER our
heads, from guns stationed behind
Nr. Sounds rather risky, but it's
not half as dangerous as it seems.
( But all this is history now. Suffice
\ TO say that we went forward, reached
all our detectives, dug in, strength