The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1919-05-13


front to act as stretcher bearers.
My company was not detailed to go
but some of the boys volunteered of
which / was one. We arrived at the
front about 3 a. m. and we're put in
the front line and everything was
silent as death. No big guns firing
or any sniping on our side. The
elements we're lit up with lights.
Jerry heard the first gun fred and
then another long silence and an
other shot and then it seemed like
the whole world was blown up
every gun on the front was going
at rapid fire from both sides-ma-
chine gun bullets flying in the air.
wish you could have stood off at
a safe distance and looked on. Be-
lieve me, it was pretty. Shells burst
ing in the air and bright lights burn
ing in the air and shells falling on
the barrage line and bursting. 1t
would have been wonderful to look
at but you don't feel that way when
you are mixed up in it and don't
know what minute you will get
yours. Well, soon the barrage NOV
ed on and we followed it, taking
prisoners as we went and sending
them to the rear. Well it seemed like
the boys liked it, for they passed
their own objective and kept right
on going until they got out of ar
tillery range and had to stop until
the artillery came up. Of course it
came up that night and the next
morning they were already to con-
tinue the drive. / had to leave them
there to join my own company
which was in close support and we
followed them all day and dug Gin"
that night and stayed until the 9TH
Of October, which was my birthday,
and we, relieved the men in front
and the next morning my company
was in front for the first time. We
took our first detectives with Quite
few casualties but that evening
we went over again and it was here
that Charlie Haynes from Newberry,
Ernest Dents wife's brother, and my
pal, was killed with machine gun
bullets. We were charging ma
chine gun post and he rushed ahead
of me and fell in shell hole. /
rushed up to where he was and fell
in the hole beside him and he told
me he was shot, to go on and get
the dogs. We lost quite a few men
that evening but we took the ma
chine gun post. They would shoot
as long as they had anything to
shoot and when you got up to them
and they saw there was no chance,
they would throw up their hands and
yell "Kameradp Well believe me
there were very few prisoners taken
by us after that evening. The boys
when they heard one say "Kamerad"
would say, "Kamerad, He'll" and
shoot them like dogs and that night
after we had taken our detectives,
we had to stop all night and had
to stand behind brick wall all
night and could not as much as
smoke cigarette. The Huns bomb
ed us all night and you could see
them burning supplies behind the
lines. Well it is getting late. will
finish this tomorrow as 1 am getting
sleepy. Good night, Niger, sweet
dreams.
Why, good morning, Niger, c.
mon tally VOC (How are you).
Well the next morning after
Charlie was killed, we went over
again and it was a cinch--no shell
fire or anything-nothing to do but
walk along and take a shot at
them once in a while. We reached
our objective all right and another
regiment passed through us and kept
up the chase. We dug in there and
rested a couple of days and then