Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1919-04-11

Oh the nlsnt of September 25th we
TOOK over the French sector where
they had been for four long years
and at $50 o'clock ON the 26th we
went over the top. through No
Man s-Land, fought all dav long
losing thousands Of men. We STOP
ped at $50 that night and took a
snort rest, Our beds were made of
the cold mother earth, mud and
water. At $50 of the 9th we
were up and at them again, wading
through barbed wire and mud
trenches and machine gun fire and
gas and heavy artillery fire, taking
something like 10000 German pris
oners. took up the sniping and
was about 100 yards in front of nv
company, clearing out an orchard
OF Snipers, when | was wounded. |
had SIX German snipers to my cred
1t when | was shot. This was III
the Argonne wood, known as the
Meuse and Argonne battle, the
bullet hitting my right arm abou.
one inch above the elbow, comine
out midway of upper arm in inner
side, entering right chest, fracturins
the 18th Dorsel and out cutting 8tf
vertebrae one and one-quarter inch
from back bone carrying along with
1t TWO inches of it. Then | rollel
and pulled myself along down into
a road and rolled into the watei
gutter to get protection from
machine gun fire That was 2::3G
.. IN. of the 27lh; | was picked up,
at 4:30 next day, the 2Sth; nothing
TO eat for four long days and nights
lhe Red Cross picked me up anu
loaded me iii their ambulance ano
started for the hospital. We trav-
eled all that night aud next day
over shelled road to E H No. 7
nospltal, got dressed and something
to eat-first for tour days. Then
we loaded into the Red Cross Hos
pltal train, travelled for two days
when we reached Orleans Rec
Cross Base Hospital. This brings
the time to October 9th, and IA
days after | received my wounc
influenza started in my right chest
which caused another operation,
and two Daken tubes put in my
chest and were removed December
25th.
was Oh my back for IS days.
couldn't turn over or raise myselI
up and the first day | was taken
out was led into a wheel chair. !
tipped the scales at IS pounds. Was
classed as D to be shipped back to
the U. 5. the End of November. Was
sent to oavenay Base, SO, md was
there until the 21st of December;
then went to St. Nazaire to sail for
the U. S. | was not able to cele
brate the II month, 1 day and l.
hour, but | enjoyed seeing the other
boys.
On December 21st we were load
ed on the U. S. S. Antigone and
sailed for the States. There were
500 casuals of us together, and we
landed at Newport News, Va, Jan
uary 3, 1919; some glad too. Jan
uary Is, | was discharged from the
hospital. So you see | was in the
hospital from October 1st to Janua
ry Is, 1919. Then we went to
Camp Fremont, Calf, from there tl
Camp Lewis. Wash. We got to
Camp Lewis February 19, 1919 and
were put into the convalescent lie
partment and were discharged from
there. | got my final papers March
9Th, 1919, and now I am home
again feeling my own once more.
Now, as you know, my grand
father, w. K. Fortner helped to
carry the Indians to Little Rock,
Ark, and our father, E. w. Fortner,
helped win our freedom in the strug-
gle of 1926 and we all came ouj
victorious because we were for the
right.
Now, as our great writer's say, it
| behooves me to tell all | have seen