Evening journal., 1919-07-07

JJlh were selecteu 10 assist in Dulldlng
the Pershing Stadium, Colonel Reed
said was evidence OF The good record
they had and OF their efficient work.
Lieuienant-Colonel J. Austin Ellison
is another officer who was unstinted i'm
his praise Of the loyalty and efficiency
OF the men Of the regiment. Colonel
Ellison said the men Of the 59th would
compare fayorably with any in the
service. "They did their duty at all
times and did il well" he remarked.
| Colonel Ellison saw a great deal OF
France during the stay in that country.
The Pioneers were spread over a front
OF nearly 500 miles and from time 10
! time he would visit the companies at
the variO1s places where they were 10
Gated Colonel Reed also travelled over
much Of the front back OF the lines,
wherever his troops were located.
That the Delaware boys often had
some Of the hardest and most import
ant tasks in the army even II they were
not used as as combat regiment. is evi-
dent from an experience Of Company
L, related by Major Harry Smith. Of
1 New Castle, who was commanding the
company
Major Smith told OF how the men Of
his company on one occasion worked
for % hours IN onel stretch TO com
plete the rebuilding % a railroad dur
ing the Argonne drive. This duty was
assigned them under direct orders from
! Genenll Pershing's headquarters and
the men proved that they were equal
TO the occasion. although it was an
immense task. This work was done at
Montfancon near Verdun It was here
that the Kaiser and Crown Prince had
an observation post for severll years,
where they watched from time to time
the bombardment Of Verdun.
The Germans had been driven out
OF MOnifsncon but a section OF the
| railroad had been destroyed. This was
an important point and was badly
needed TO get ammunition over for the
American boys at the front After they
| had been working on the rebuilding
OF the road for some hours a message
was received from headquarters TO the
effect that the road must be finished
| that night. adding ammunition must
be moved over that road tonight"
Major Smith said, i'm telling OF the
| incident yesterday, that no men in
| France ever did more heroic service
J than the members OF Company l.. dur
4 ing that period OF y hours. They
/ realized the importance OF the work
| they were doing and every man 0f
them did his full duty and as a result
/ the ammunition was moved over the
road 10 the infantry at the front be-
fore daybrcak.
Most o. No time" said Major
Smith. tho mcr we're working in the
rain ard mud and under shell hre.
They never nmchod. but kept to their
work and naishcd the job. Some Of
! them we~r gassed during that time, but
none Of them would give up and so to
a hospital after resting for a short
time. and in most cases vomiting, the
men gasscd came right back to their
work
/ When the section Of railroad was
/ completed at , o'clock in the morning
/ Major Smith told the men who were
naturally practically exhausted TO find
/ some place 10 rest Most OF them
! simply got into the first shell holes
they could find and in a few minutes
/ were sound asleep. About this time
| the men OF Company l. did not have
their clothes oCf TO rest for two weeks
/ aud took baths in shell holes. That
was early in October,
/ 70 was about NGonifaucon that the
{ 10Th Division lost so heavily. The eGr-
mans wero strongly entrenched at that
point and it took four days for the
dOughboys 10 drive them ont.
Company J. Lad . narrow escape last
October. while az Esnes. which is not
far from MOnifancon They We're in the
town over night. gctt ng out early in
the morning Jerry evidently had
spotted them and in less than one hour
after they gol oIt the Germans practi-
cally Wiped ouit the town with shell
fire.
II was not unusual. Major Smith
stated, for the Pioneers, in following up
10 do rebuilding work when the Ger
mans were on the run near the close Of
the war. TO find dead bodies Of soldiers
that the burial parties had missed. He
told OF approaching what was formerly
German trench on one occasion and
seeing an American doughboy with his
head lust above the trench sighting his
rifle.
"As drew nearer and he did not
shoot. called. what are you aiming at
lie did not reply and then ! asked him
why he didn't shoot. There was still no
answer and then went up to him and
found that he was dead. He had been
bored right through the forehead with
a bullet, evidently being killed in
stantly He had propped himself while
taking aim and was killed so suddenly
that he still stood In the same position.
From shortly after the Delaware
boys arrived in France until near tho
time that the srmstice was signed
Captain Alfred :. Hirzel, now a major.
who was in command Of Company +,
was with the French engineers back OF
the Inns on important engineering
work. Much Of the work was building
roads. and the material used was large
IL stone taken from towns where the
houses had been demolished by German
shell flre.
THAT was the most wonderful bunch /
Of men ever worked with stated |
Major Hirzel in praising the men Of
Company F. II never saw bunch Of 1
men in my life who worked better than !
they did during sll OF that time" He !
related one particular rush job that /
was done by his company shortly after
the armistice was signed.
"We had a rush order TO build re- !
mount station at Woinville. There /
were four stsbles 2s by 22s: an in
flrmary. 90 by so; barracks. 20 by i00 !
and bow huts. The men cut the /
lumber and erected the buildings in
Just three and one-half hours"
Last March Major Hirzel, who was (
formerly assistant city engineer. went
TO the American University at Beaune
Nyharn hn aff1~dad fha enrinearin~ 2