Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-03-20

lSII0T lTOm w. M. hayes " Ilo Ao
Their, w. A. Hayes, superintendent Of
the Madison division of the North
western railway.
Neveu, France.
My Dear Dad: To continue my little
story: The Huns said, God is with
u.s." but they also added that the
Americans were with the allies"
There we were, in our first position
of the drive which the United States
will never forget. 1t was that drive
that made the whole world change it's
opinion of the states as a fighting
power. From this on, the whole world
would know better than to monkey"
with that nation across the water. 1t
showed them that, although these sol
diers from the United States do not
enjoy war, when the time came there
was no better fighter in the world.
When we first entered the lines,
Fritz said, "The American infantry is
drunk and the American artillery is
crazy" and even when "the eleventh
hour of the eleventh day" came, Fritz
mad not learned to really "compree"
the SOLDIERS from the other side" 1t
was in this drive that we gave Fritz
his first real dose of American iron.
But getting back to those four little
75's that were so anxious to speak. The
minute hand had reached and passed
the top number on the dial several
times and now the hour hand stood
straight up.
We could see Fritz's guns, far ahead,
breathe flame as they started piece
of iron in our directiOn-then the Whiz
through the air-then the burst; first,
che in the rear, next, one just ahead
Of us, then probably the next one
would land unhealthy near us.
Why didn't they send us the dope
ard let us get a chance to give Fritz
some of his own medicine?
We knew that the doughbOys were
advancing, and we also knew that we
would soon be out Of range. Almost
in answer to our thoughts, an order
did come, but it was disappointment.
March order" was this unwelcome
command. Fritz was beyond reach Of
our little guns.
The caisson doors were closed, the
sight was put back in its case, the
muZzIe and breech covers were put in
place Tne drivers had returned with
their horses from their sheltered place
in the woods just behind us-we were
soon under way, following Fritz in his
rapid advance to the rear"
But we went on to make the world
safe for the democrats!"
It was just breaking day. Tired?
Yes, we were tired physically, but
mentally never wider awake. We met
the wounded, returning to first aid sta
tions. That night that we had so i'm
patiently spent at the guns, these men
we're just ahead Of us in the lines
meeting the supreme test.
They had met the Hun machine gun
ners. They had met and defeated
those that were manning those hoses
of death" with which Fritz hoped to
stay the advance of the "Yanks."
Then we met prisoners, real prison
ers of war, and our own at that. They
were Huns who, although they had
used every cowardly means they could
think OF, were not nimble footed
enough to escape the Yanks.
We were not ten million strong,
ardly ten thousand, and Fritz knew
it. Every foot of ground was stubborn
Nv fought over. Fritz did not fear
these American fighters as some peo-
pie thought. He knew from then on
that we were good, but still he thought
that he was little better.
This advance showed us that the
enemy had met a great surprise-with
luck. Yes; but it was all bad luck.
His artillery had met disastrous fate.
We passed lots Of Krupp specimens,
and piles Of ammunition which he did
not have time to destroy. He had an
urgent engagement somewhere in the
rear. The Yanks also had an appoint
ment somewhere behind his lines.
The enemy would withdraw the
guns that he could and then retreat
a ways, only to attempt to make
stand little farther back. But each
attempt was a failure. We met their
rear. guards each time with continu-
GUS fire from our famous 75's, hun
dreds OF hand grenades, rife fire, bay
Caets and even fists. They took, held,
and left behind trenches that crum-
bled and disintegrated under the whin-
ing hell from the German artillery. AS
the shock troops, picked from the
cream of the kaiser's war machine,
flung themselves into the first line OF
that advancing Yank army, the Amer
leans converged from their own lines
and fought that last line of Germans
with a fury that sent those not killed
or wounded, Keeling back in a stage
bordering on panic. This supposedly
raw and unframed handful Of men
which had brought a sneering smile to
the lips of that super-brute linden
burg when told of their arrival in
France, had driven off the best of his
human fighting machine.
AS the early hours of the morning
came IN we could see that the YankS'