The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-01-30

Barnwell, is reprinted from the
Barnwell Sentinel.
On Active Service with American
Expeditionary Forces, A. P. o. 79l,
December 10, Grancey-sur-Ource,
France.-Mr. Frank H. Higgins,
Barnwell, S. C.. Dear Frank: On
the morning of November 10th, be-
tween 10 and IL o'clock, I was di-
rected to take my battalion and oc-
cupy a line then held by a battalion
of the 324 infantry, which had been
badly shot up, and to hold that posi-
ton until further orders. The posi-
ton was located on the map and l
was told to get there as soon as pos
sible. At II o'clock we started
through the town of Haudimont on
the Verdun-Metz road in the direc-
ton of ManheulIes. The men were
marching in column of two's and we
had not gone 100 yards before a shell
landed near the head of the column,
followed in a very few seconds Dy
another. We had to go down that
road for about two miles, then across
an open field about a mile further
before we could deploy. An enemy
plane flew high over US directing the
shots, and believe me, they came to
us thick and fast. Itswas one con-
tinuous roar of bursting shells. Some
one suggested that we get of the
road and march On the side, but l
noticed that practically all the shells
were falling at the edge of the road
and the old shell holes were on the
edge, with very few in the middle OF
the road; therefore, 1 thought we
had better stay where there were the
fewest shell holes, and stayed in the
middle of the road until We had to
leave the road. I thought sure they
would hit us when we left the road,
and they did put them all around,
but not a shell touched a man on the
road or while WI were crossing the
field. As soon as We reached posi-
ton, assault formation was taken up
and the advance directly against the
German line was commenced, and II
the old boy and his imps ever broke
loose, they did then, and paid us a
visit. Shells of every kind and cali
Der rained down. We had about l.
500 yards to go to reach the position
we were. to occupy. Mixed with the
shells was a lot of gas, n company
lost "A men gassed, but none OF them
died.
You never saw finer soldiers in
your life, they never halted for n
moment, but moved steadily to the
front, an officer had only to make
a signal and it was obeyed instantly.
Soon after the assault started 10 or
Is men of the 324th infantry came
running back through our lines say
ing that the Germans had machine
guns covering that field and if the
men advanced they would be- wiped
out. but not one of our men paid the
least bit of attention to them, but
kept right ON The machine guns
opened fire all right, and kept it up
all the time, but that made no diher
ence to our boys; they never stopped
until they reached the objective. How
they lived through, it I do not know,
some fell wounded and some killed,
but nothing like you would expect.
The men were deployed with wide
interval between them and that is
the only way We can account for so
few losses. A man would o for
ward a few yards and a she'll would
hit the spot he had just left and blow
a hole in the ground that you could
put a squad in, and in a few min
utes another shell will fall a few
yards in front of him. There SEEM
ed to be some unseen hand guiding
us and protecting US. During the
hardest part of the fighting an enc
my plane flew just over us and some
thing told me he was coming back; I
told the men who were near me, this
was at my post of command, to get
up everything they could to shoot
and be prepared for that fellow
when he came back, and sure enough
in two or three minutes he appeared
headed directly toward us and not
over 100 feet high. AS soon as he
got close enough he opened fire on
us with a machine gun, but the men
we're ready for him and when | told
them "let him have it." they let him
have it for all they were worth with