Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-07-21
Iowan Who Served
With go to He'll"
Whittlesey Home

Waterloo. July 2i--When Go 20
Hell" whittlesey. commander Of the
Lost battalion" In the Argonne, YELL
ed his famous invitation across TO the
Germans surroUDdlng his men, a
Waterloo lad Corfss shirley 30!
Hammond avenue, was among those
present. shirley has returned from
moro than "a years service AT the 'front.'
with Ave wounds on his body from
machine gun bullets and a game
knee. but with smile still on his face.
Shirley enlisted AT New York, Sept.
s, 1917, and was sent 10 Boston Tor
training In April. 1918, he was sent
across and went al once TO the front
lines where he was under fire until
wounded His most thrilling expert
ence was the seven days no spen, In
cup in the Argopne, surrounded by
Germans, who used everything from
small arms 10 field artillery In
a;tepts to dislodse the little band Of
marooned Americans.
During thA time Shirley had for
subsistence two packs OF smoking to-
bacco and candle. The candle, he de-
voured ravenousIy and this morning In
telling OF his experience. said he
could have eaten a dozen more and
would have been glad to get them
Each morning the boys would lie IN
their dugouts and hope their comrades
would rescue them. AS the days
passed, and several attempts failed,
things looked pretty glurn for the bat
talon. For two days they had no
water at all while food was not TO be
had and even the ammunition, ac-
cording 20 Shirley, was almost eS-
hausted
Attempts at dropping food from an
airplane were made but II tell outside
the lines and was taken by the Ger
mans The boys remained in the cup
at the mercy OF the German shell ana
machine gun fire. Shirley says thai
on the seventh day the Germans had
planned on bringing up detachment
Of flame throwers TO spray the pat
talon with, when the Three Hundred
Seventh. after a previous futile at
tempt at breaking thru. succeeded
and then. according to Shirley's stor!
they sure went 10 where the major
dred Seventh tore things loose
Major Whittlesey's dusout was
short distance from mine and l Kne"
all about his answer 10 the Germans
when called upon 10 surrender. He re-
cetyed a note from the German COM
rraDder to the effect that If he sur
rendered he and his men would De
taken thru the German lines unframed
and sent 20 a prison camp. The mayor
called TO the men and asked them II
they wanted TO surrender. They were
NOT in favor of this course. Maj. whit
tIesev then sent across the lines ms
now world known reply Go TO Hell
and the men dug deeper into their
dugouts determined never TO surren-
der. General headquarters heard OF
the position the battalion was IN ana
tried time after time TO send aid, p0l
no, until after seven days did hap
come
Three times I was completely GOV,
cred with earth thrown up from sneHI
explosion from which / dug out and
was wounded Ave times from the TER
rife machine gun fire played on Us
continually. OF the IS in the macnihe
gun company OF which ! was mem
Der. six came ont alive"
Shirley received his discharge Jul!
and after a stay in the east relufheu
~ Waterloo where he will make MS
future home He wa sa son OF ar. anu
Mrs P B. Shirley.