The Monett times., 1919-01-31
LETTER FROM FORMER
MONETT BOY

L
Mo-, September II, 1894, and who is
now "A years old, writes a very in
terestlng letter to his father. He is a
brother to Lester Howell.
|. Gondercourt. France, Nov. "a. 1918
Dear Dad:
AS this is the day that has been
adopted by the soldiers as dads day
the day to write your dad, will let
loose this one to you with all the news
l can think of.
First 1 will now tell you where was
in the fight. 1t was On the night of
the Sth of August that received or
ders to bring MY platoon to the front,
and join the regiment that had gone
in that morning. started at 10 O'Clock
and reached the front line at daylight.
The front where went in was at a
little town called Someneky on the
Hindenburg line about half way be-
tween Rheims and Verdun. A division
of U. S. marines were there fighting,
and had been there three days. In
this part of the line the French had
been trying to push them back for
four years and had failed on seven
mass attacks. The marines had partly
driven them from their positions and
was still fighting, These marines had
been in the drive at Chateau Thierry.
Scissors and at st. Mihiel, but they
said that was the hottest fight they
had been in and said that they never
believed we would hold them back
| but we went in and took over their
| front. The two regiments that did it
was the 14lst and the l42nd. The Hist
is my regiment, and the l42nd is made
out of what was the oldest Oklahoma
national guard, We went that night
and the next night at daylight over
the top and at them and through them
but it was an awful scene. The devils
that were in front of US were the
Jaguar regiments. They were picked
men from the Prussian guards and
every man had to be a sharp shooter
to be Jaguar Every one of them
was armed with a machine gun. and
Lugar automatic pistol, and had or
derS to fire until killed and never re-
treat. | must admit they. .swere nervy
men for they at their post and fought
and fought until killed, And so it
went for five days and nights. We
would set distance OF J mile and at
tack and take it: reorganize with only
one officer left to company, we went
again always reaching the distance
set for. So it continued like this,
| blow after blow until on the fifth night
we made the final one. After killing
out ali the machine gunners in front
of us we found nothing in front of us.
All of Germany's crack Jaguar troops
tive regiments), had been,wiped from
existence, so We took up regular
march with only machine gun here
and there to trouble us. The artillery
was on the move all the time which l
had forgotten to mention. Back of
the machine guns was cannon, 1t
seemed, for every soluier we had.
/ They pouned away at US with gas
and high explosive shells, all the
time making it a dangerous, crashing
smoking he'll, but ot all the cool head
ed men I ever saw was the tanned,
long legged rough snecks.. from Okla
homa and Texas that Germany will
never forget. We pushed them back
! of the Aisne river. We reached the
Aisne at a town called Atigney, may
be you can find it on the map, about
half way between and northeast of
Rheims and northeast of Verdun. We
were week waiting for the French to
cross the river on their front on our
right, but after they failed three times
we went and took oyer their front and
put the line across in no time-the
l41st and 142nd did that-then we
were relieved on the goth of October
after % days fighting. There is not
so many of US left, but what there is
are respected and wondered at by
those that know what they have done.
As can't get much more in this en-
velope l had better quit. AS this may
be interesting to others willsSsay that
you can tell them about it or read 1t
to them, but don't let any one else
read it as this writing is soSbad l am
ashamed for any onesoutside of the
family to see 1t.
am in school and we'll. Hope this
finds you all we'll. AS ever your son.
CORLISS S. HOWELL,
lst Lieut., Hg. Co. I3lst Inf, a. z. o.
796.