Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-12-03
WAS IN'LOST BATTALION



orders not to waste a single shell.
Consequently we waited and met the
charging Germans with the bayonet.
True, we were badly outnumbered
and faint with hunger; but not one
of our men went down but what his
life was paid for with several enc
mics. Fighting on our nerve we fin
ally drove them off also this time.
But our little plot of ground was not
a pretty sight. Graves everywhere,
but necessarily so shallow that limbs
of our dead comrades would often
show through the bit of soil we had
been able to scoop over them. And
wounded in almost every funk hole.
Hunger was gnawing and thirst
parching us all, especially those of
us who had been gassed during the
strenuous drive preceding our pres
ent adventure. That night the enc
mys machine gun fire became espec-
tally troublesome, the guns having
been so placed as to sweep our posi-
ton with a cross fire. And they
reaped a sad harvest that night. For
the night was bitter cold, too cold for
men to lie quietly in funk holes.
Buddy Killed in Arms
x
was the night | lost my buddy" my
best friend in the army. Each SOL
der usually has his buddy. That
night he and | were shivering in the
same funk hole. the bottom of which
was Oozing mud so deep as nearly to
go over our shoe tops. And the cold
rain kept pelting us. Finally after
midnight we got up to try and find a
D.. Is Gr,I
cold, we tried to get warm by hold
ing each other tightly embraced. But
after standing thus about two hours,
my shoulder. ! called him by his
name to speak to me. He did not
answer. A machine gun bullet had
knew | was not the only one losing
take away the hurt of my loss-nor
that of the other fellow.
"All day October seventh we We're
kept to our funk holes by the enemy's
persistent fire. Every once in a while
hit To crawl over and give him
FIRST aid" was literally to take ones
life in ones hands; but it was done
~
of brotherlmess that made ii possible
for the battalion to hold out. What
one man had he freely shared with
his neighbor Our beloved major put
his own warm coat over a dying SOL
der
"That night no bayonet attack
came. We We're lying tensely eX-
pecting it every minute but that
Fritz. OF course his bullets kept
coming. | have since learned that
the reason for this was no sudden
streak Of pity for us. The Germans
did not relish losing any more men
in direct attacks so they had sent
to the rear for liquid fire, which was
TO have been our dose that night. For
tunately it did not get to their lines
in time.
The Last Day
"Of the next day | have but hazy
recollections On September Thrift
eth, four days after having gone over
the top ] had had rather more than
a taste of gas, the effects of which
together with hunger and thirst, gave
me "A bit of trouble. But ! know that
after dark on October eighth, shouts
were raised for our major on our
left. and as he hurried along the hill
side he was met by the major general
of the 18th Division, who with an adj
vance guard had broken through and
rescued us and there our major was
told that he, after this ranked as
Lieutenant Colonel, an honor which
he richly deserved
give days earlier when we cross
ed the little stream in the valley, we
had numbered six hundred and fifty
men, now less than two hundred re-
manned alive and of this number, all
but sixty-two were in dire need of
medical attention.
"How was | feeling? Well let
that pass. Suffice it to say that !
was in a hospital for months, of
which time | know little. But
must add that on the morning after
our rescue, our fellow comrades
my buddy, among them---were tax
en- out of their shallow graves and
laid to rest in one spot in the valley,
and a larger cross than the one we
had earlier improvised was erected to
mark the place where American boys
chose death rather than surrender.
Too much cannot be said in praise
of Lieutenant Colonel Whittelsey. All
the boys who were there will say
the same He fought in the hand to
hand fight combat with his men and
shared with us every hardship, all
the time cheering us on And want
to say the same for all the officers.
As / was the majors runner ] re-
member with special pleasure Captain
Strongly of Company c the com
mander of our machine gunners. All
our officers were true blue and the
men stuck Loyalty by them"