Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-01-28
OTTAWA BOY CITED
FOR D. S. CROSS BY
DIVISIONAL CHIEF
CONTINUED from Page II

travelling by train to find the 9th lnf.
which | finally located not far from
yerdun. | have had no information
from the regiment while on leave and
did not know what they were doing
but was extremely delighted when /
Bush" told me that the outfit was
to start the following morning on a so
da ymarch from Verdun to Coblenz |
and that the LIST Division was to cross
-. the Rhine at CobenZ and occupy the
bridgehead there. The colonel asked
me II | wanted to continue at my old
job or whether | would like to com !
mand a company. OF course, | choose
company of my own; body of men
whom | would he directly responsible
for There was vacancy in Com
pany f of the Second Battalion, so |
immediately went to the company and
took command Have been with 1t
ever since. This does not mean that
do not seen Bush and all the rest
very often. for often my battalion is in
the same town or regimental head
me quite often too | have dandy
company of regulars, about 100 strong
and am as proud Of them as can be.
! have five lieutenants whit me and
with the company running smoothly,
il is a real pleasure indeed. SO much
for what | am doing now. Letters ad-
dressed the same as before will reach
me, or if you like, just add Company
f. 26th Inf.
After leaving Verdun We proceeded
by marching across the portion Of
France which had been invaded and
occupied by the Germans for four
long years | cannot begin to describe
the scenes of rejoicing that | saw
as we marched thru these little
French villages with our band play
ing and the flag flying. These people
who had by sheer force been com
PEELED to work for the Hun thru years
of suffering cried like children for joy
and time and again they would rush
out from the street and kiss the
American flag as we marched along
II was wonderful and not a man did
We have but was stirred almost to
tears.
We found these people IN want for
food and often We fed them as we
passed along. The retreating Hun
showed hi strue disposition by driv-
ing away all the cattle and animals
that were left, but | am sure he will
pay for it all. Often as We moved
along the German army would be
onlya few hours ahead of us, AS it
withdrew we advanced Great mum.
bers of prisoners of war just liberat
ed passed us on the way Many of
them wouldn't make good looking beg
gars. They were horribly thin and
plainly showed the results of bod
treatment in the hands of the Ger.
= mans.
Two days march took us across
French territory and we found our.
selves entering German Lorraine. We
found the inhabitants happy to be free
from the heel of Germany and happy
oknow that theye We're to he under
French rule again. From Lorraine
we entered the Grand Duchy Of Lux
emburg and if you look on the map
you will see that it is only a small
state. We found it more or less neu-
trail In some of the villages we saw
numerous French flags, but felt that
the people had displayed the German
flag to the German troops and the al.
lied flag to us. In fact they were
quite diplomatic and always agreed
with the visitors present The people
of the little state spoke some French
more German, and most of all gen
eral mixture called "Luxembush." We
proceeded straight then to Luxembourg
to the Moselle river or German boun
dairy, where we rested eight days
You see the withdrawal of German
troops and advance of the allied army
was done by stages.
1t was a glorious sensation when
we took up the march again and cross
ed the Moselle, entering Germany
proper. | wondered how the people
felt to have a hostile army right in
their own midst, but a just penalty
only for what they hade done.
Day by day our divisions advanced
along the valley of the Moselle until
we reached Coblenz and yesterday
morning We crossed the Rhine and
are now located in defense of the
bridgehead there established There
are three large bridges over the
Rhine at Coblenz making it a very i'm
pOrtant point.
OF course, there are many divisions
of Americans and other allied trOop,
marching on either side of us. We a
all times presenting a formidable line
of defense if the BOche decides hi
wants any more of the war. He an
pears very tame and docile and III
to the present we, have experienced
no difficulties at all. They give II,
everything we ask for Of course. w,
do not requisition food. but we do al
most everything else we need.
We billet the men in the houses