The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-04-19
CHAPLAIN v. |. HART
ED BATTLE TIDE-RALLIED THE
TROOPS AFTER OFFICERS FELL
-ROuSED THEM TO VICTORY.

-nOOoEO lf1EW ~ VIZ lONY.
Under the two column heading,
Chaplain Turned Battle Tide" the
Evening Sun, of New York, tells the
story of Chaplain w. L. Hart with the
American soldiers overseas, who raj
lied troops after the officers had been
shot down and reused them to victory
The New York Times also tells the
story. Father Hart, who has just re-
turned is a priest of the diocese of
st. Paul. The Sun says:
The l40th Infantry, U. S. A, is made
up of doughty lads from Missouri and
Kansas, and on September 20 last, at
Charpentiere in the Argonne, they
were called upon by Col. De la PLANE,
their commander, to go into battle
against picked and desperate troops of
the German Imperial Arm. They
marched forward in a sickening driZ-
zle of rain, crouching under the bar
rage sent over to protect them by the
American artillery.
The boys had never been in so in
tenSive battle before; a few minor
skirmishes constituted their initiation
into modern warfare. But this was a
big act. one of the chains in the great
offensive that broke the backbone of
German morale and brought about
speedy ending of the war
Up the boys from Kansas and Mis-
souri, went, a few yards at time, their
teeth set, bayonets pointed forward
hearts eager to get into the midst of
the enemy. The Germans sprayed
them with machine gun bullets and
here and there a man fell, hit hard
But his comrades kept on, the bitter
intensity Of war forbidding halt at
that time to succour the fallen.
Through Waves of Fire.
The Germans sent over waves of gas
and fire into the ranks of the Mssou-
rians. The boys, already groggy
through lack of sleep and nourish
ment, were hard hit This was too
much for flesh and blood to withstand
Some OF the officers fell, and thick
hazardous and difficult for men with
inadequate leadership. The boys
found themselves straying out of touch
with the companies ahead, until a
strong voice smacked on their ears.
Keep on forward, forward" 1t
was Chaplain Bill Hart, eXhorting
them. "The enemy is straight ahead
boys. Go to it and give them the
limit
Up and down the lines of stumbling
fighting men the chaplain went, urg-
ing forward Oncoming fighters. bless
ing the boys of his faith who asked
for his blessing, and patting the backs
of the boys who were most apparently
in need Of encouragement
The priest picked out men here and
there, naming them captains, lieu
tenants to replace the fallen officers.
The men followed his voice, drown
ed every other minute by the crash
of shrapnel. They kept on, steadily on
until with final squirt and shout they
dashed into the lines of the enemy and
won their way.
Chaplain Cited for VaIor.
From the headquarters of the Thir-
ty-ifth Division on November Is, four
days after the last shot of the great
war had been fired, came a citation
which read:
chaplain William l.. Hart of the
140th Infantry not only rendered spir-
itual aid to the wounded, but gathered
stragglers together and by word and
example, without regard for his per-
sonal safety, encouraged them to ac-
ton"
The citation is dictated by command
of Major-Gen. Traub and signed by
Col H. S. S. Hawkins, Chief of the
General Staff.
Before going overseas as a Knights
of Columbus chaplain last June, Faith
er Hart had been pastor at Morton,
MINI. Previous to that he was pastor
of st. Marks, Merriam Park, st. Paul.
He served as Knights of Columbus
chaplain at Camp Funston and went
overseas with the boys he had learned
to love and taught to love him in that
camp.
Il knew those boys would make
good once they got into action over
there" said Father Hart, and ,they
/ did with vengeance. The Germans
| were mighty sorry~to meet these men
from Kansas and Missouri. just as they
were sorry to meet any Yankee boys.
But | want TO say that the brayest
men who draw breath are the litter