The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1919-05-01
HE WENT OVER THE
TOP ELEVEN TIMES

Wonderful stories of the World Wal
are told by Sergeant v. C. Nevin, who
arrived in Winnemucca yesterday to
take a position as printer in the office
of The Silver State. Sergeant Nevin
vas on the first transport carrying
American troops to France for par
t~icipation in the war. He went from
his home in Virginia City to Reno and
enlisted at the later city on May 20,
1917. From Reno he was sent to
Camp Mills. NY. for training, arriv-
ing in France on June 81, 1917.
Nevin was placed in the Goth in
fantry, list division, and was under
Major Theodore Roosevelt Jr., who
was battalion major of the LIST bat
talon. Skipping over the reception
received by Neyin's outfit upon their
arrival in France, interesting sights
he saw, his training there and the
preliminary organization of the forces
of this country over there, Nevin's
story in brief is as follows:
He participated in the first battle
engaged in by any American troops,
that of Cantigny, which started May
%, 1918. At dawn that day Nevin
went over the top. The town was
taken in ~forty-five minutes, the opera
ton being wholly an American one.
He says he was entirely unprepared
for what was to happen-didn't know
what to eXpect-and that the hardest
part of it was waiting for the zero
hour. After he was over and into the
fight, he said, his nerves became quiet
and he knew no more fear. The
character of the operation made close
fighting - bayonet work frequently
necessary. There were 500 casualties
that day among the Americans, $500
having been the number sent in.
After attempts during the day on
the part of the doughboys to dig in"
advance trenches outside the captured
city of Cantigny. which resulted in
great loss of life, the attempt was
abandoned. That night Nevin was
sent out with a full platoon of As men
to finish part of the work of digging
the advanced position. 1t was neces-
sary for them to go 200 yards across
No Mans Land in front of the first
line trenches to the advanced position.
At the end of the 200 yards only four
teen men were left in Neyin's platoon,
the other thirty-four being killed or
wounded IN the way.
1t was then that Nevin received his
wound, being shot through the upper
part of one of his legs. There was no
chance for him to gain assistance, and
he stayed and fought with the other
thirteen men until next day. This
handful of Americans withstood six
different counter attacks by the Ger
mans, protecting their platoon sector
covering a trench front Of 200 yards.
Nevin fought through the six counter
attacks, lasting well into the next day,
being taken to a hospital after the
battle was over. utterly helpless, sixty
hours after the commencement of the
action. But the Germans were
whipped! The Huns never reached
those trenches again.
The second battle was far harder to
go into than the first, Nevin said, be-
cause then we knew what we were
going up against" The second en-
gagement he entered was the Second
Battle of the Marine, in which the en-
tire LIST division took part. Nevin
went in with 5000 other Americans.
OF this number 500 came out of the
battle unhurt after five days of fight
ing in open country. This was the
first open warfare of the war and the
fighting took place in wheatields.
After the Marine battle Nevin's out
fit was sent to Pont a Musson, which
is in the St. Mihiel sector. There he
took part in slight operations, such as
night raids. From Pont a Musson
they were sent to Schiesprey, which
is right in front of Mont Sec, one of
the strongest German Notifications on
the Lorraine front.
Thirty thousand Frenchmen had
lost their lives at Schiesprey-seven
French regiments completely annihi-
lated in three attacks, trying to take
Mont Sec, failing each time. The job
of capturing it. which the French said
could never be done. was turned over
to the list division, $4,000 lover the
top" strong. The Americans went at
it differently. however, taking the
mountain in one day after they
started by means of an enveloping
movement.