The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1919-01-10
Letters to the Folks
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LETTERS FROM FRANCE

Mr.. and Mrs. Basil Dorsey are in
receipt of the following interesting
letter from their son, Milton ID. Dor
sew, Company r, 327th Infantry, a.
T.. IT,, who is now in a convalescent
camIp near Nevers, France, after be-
ing gassed i'm the battle Of the Ar
gonne i'm October:
December i, 1918
Dear Mother: + am still in the
convalescent camp and have not re
ceived any mail since leaving the
Company. Now that the war is over
am more anxious than ever to get
home, and think I will not have long
to wait.
"The censor allows us now to tell
where we have been, so I will begin
with Liverpool, where we landed.
We spent two days in camp at Wan-
chester and then went to South
Hampton for two days and then
crossed the Channel to lie Havre,
France, and from there to Ere, where
we were armed with English rifles
and Lewis machine guns, and at
tached to a British Army Corps.
After few days training we went
i'm support, on the Somme front,
near Abbeville. 1t was there that
we got our first experience of enemy
gun-ffre.
"In June we were transferred to
the French Fifth Army and remained
in it until the latter part of Septem-
Der. While we were with them we
held the Tule front at Jerry Remer
Woods. Seispberg, a small town,
with nothing left but battered walls,
was the center of our division.
II did not get into the front line
until the second week in July. We
we're relieved from there before the
st. Mihiel drive and took front
over at Pont a Mission, on the Metz
road and Mosell River, and in the
drive took Nancy and Pagany and
two smaller towns, also some high
ground that gave our artillery a
commanding view of the forts and
only - miles from Metz. We met
strong resistance there and strong
counter attacks, and at no time were
driven from anything but advanced
positions. The Hun paid dearly for
all attempts and gained nothing.
They advanced in massed formation
and outnumbered us, and only re
treated after most of their men had
fallen in No Mans Land.
after that they contented them
selves by shelling No Mans Land at
night and covering it by machine gun
fire. suppose that they thought If
they could not drive u out by force,
that we would be driven out by the
stencil of their dead, for the odor
from them was vile until we were
relieved by two French divisions.
after a few days we were put in
the American First Army and went
to the Verdun front, where we went
into action twice and fought the
fiercest battles we had ever been in.
"The Germans fought desperately
and died on their guns, for they
thought their line could not be brok-
en-, and they knew what it meant to
have it broken at that point, as they
experienced few days later, when
their line of Supplies was cut off.
"They were not able to check our
advance only as we had to wait for
the artillery to move up. Our En-
gineers claim that they buried 500
dead Germans that fell in defending
one small town, about the size of
Sykesville, and that was but small
part of the line, for several other di-
visions were going ahead at the
same rate.
"The longer the drive went the
less resistance it met with, and the
number of prisoners increased. Be-
tween two and three hundred came
over and gave up the day before T
was sent to the hospital, and their
commander said ii was no use to
stand UP against Americans.
''I have been over the top six times
and not scratch, but have been
knocked down by the concussion OF
big shells. I feel that 7 have a lot
to be thankful for by going through
so many battles with only slight
shrapnel wound on the hand from
flying shrapnel on quiet front.
"I have had many good friends to
fall beside me in battle and remain
there in their last resting place, for
most of the men are buried where
they fall, and crosses put up to mark
their graves
No one can half describe the hor-
rors of war and never know unless
they have experienced it. The in-
closed October in the ArgOnne,"
will describe my experience better
than r can.
Words cannot express my JOY AT
the end Of this war, and we are all
happy for doing our part; for what.
we have done is in the name OF
humanity, and the enemy that fell by
our hands fell as the enemy Of God
as we'll as man. Wild savages have
never committed crimes more fend-
ish than the Germans. Now that
they have been put down we know
that our lpeace-makers will make
terms that will compel them to hold
their peace in the future.
"The camp 4 am i'm now is where
4 had Thanksgiving dinner, which
included turkey, but IL did not taste
like the turkey you cook, and W. had.
To line up at chow time, in mud and
rain for it, -
II suppose it will BE- near Christ
mas when this letter reaches you, 20
wish you all a merry one and
Happy New Year. / know that !
will he with you soon.
With love to all,
MILTON"