The Evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1917-1920, 1919-11-11
ON GLADDEST DAY
IN HISTORY | WAS !"
Columbians Recount Mem
ories of the Coming of
Armistice Day.
MANY WERE ACROSS
From Meuse Fox-Holes,
From Hundreds of Homes
Arose Thanksgiving.

Arose thanksgiving.
On this day, November II, 1913, the
words "a year ago today possess
greater meaning than on any other
day in the history of the world.
No other anniversary since the sto-
ry of mans adventure on this planet
began to be written has been so full
of significance. For on this day a
year ago there came tidings that
meant to practically all the world
greater joy, more profound relief and
brighter hope than any other news
story in history.
To millions of men, scores of them
in Columbia today, it meant an end
to the fear of death, the suffering, the
wounds, the privations that had been
their lot for so long-for some Of
them for four years. To hundreds Of
millions, in homes all over the world,
it meant surcease from crushing anx-
iety, from heartbreaking care-the
dawn of a new era, the birth of new
hopes. No matter that few of the
hopes born a year ago have been real
lied; November II, 1918, was the glad
dest day the world has known.
C0lumbians in Last Battle.
When that fateful eleventh hour OF
the eleventh day of the eleventh
month came, it found Columbia boys
on the Meuse heights confronting the
Boche in the last battle of the war;
it found other Columbians in the great
cities of Europe and America, where
they saw unforgettable sights; it
found thousands in the homes of Co.
lumbia, thanking God for the news
of the Armistice. Some of these Co.
lumbians, who saw the coming of
the Armistice in widely separated
places have told the Missourian about
it.
Jimmy Caudle, business manager
of the Herald-Statesman, was one Of
those Marines who crossed the Meuse
the last night of the war and heard
of the Armistice while engaged in
+ eeing the Meuse heights of Germans.
"A year ago today" he says, Il was
lying in a water-soaked, front-line
'fcx-hole,' confronted by wall of
machine-guns and expected any min
ute to get bumped of If men were
ever cold, worn out and altogether
miserable, we surely were.
with the Fifty-first Company, Fifth
Regiment of Marines, l had been in
the Argonne drive. Upon reaching
the Meuse River, We received orders
to cross and establish a front-line
trench. That was the night of No
vember 10.
Crossed Meuse at Night.
Two pontoon bridges were thrown
across the river. One of them was
Immediately blown up by the enemy.
We were forced to cross on one bridga =.
On the way over l lost my footing
and fell into the Meuse. 1 crawled
back on the bridge, shivering. l had
lost my gun in the stream.
when we had crossed the river
progress was very slow. We had to
crawl and moved down the river only
a mile. That was as far as we could
advance. If we stuck our heads up
We were bumped off,
EARLY the next day we were in a
trench, expecting a counter-attack.
Our company had taken three ma
chine-guns, advanced across a road
held by the Germans and dug in.
Imagine our wonder when at IL
o'clock we heard the Germans yelling
and singing on hill in front of US.
They were waving white flags, too.
But our officers were afraid the re-
port of the Armistice was a trick and
they ordered us to stay in the trench
es. News of the Armistice was con-
firmed at 4:30 in the afternoon and
four of us climbed up the bluff in
search of souvenirs.
Ate With the Germans.
I'VE secured number of knives
and iron crosses. At the invitation of
the Germans we drank wine with
them and dined on an Armistice Day
feast of fried potatoes, soup and black
bread. The Germans were more than
glad the war was at an end Some of
them followed US back to o. r trench,
but they were not allowed to enter
and We were not allowed to go to
the enemy's lines again."
Lieut.. Roscoe E. Harper, Sixth Field
Artillery, First Division, was near
Yoncq, France, when firing ceased
about IL o'clock the morning of No
vember II. An unofficial French mes
sage had come earlier in the day, but
no one believed it, says Harper. No
official confirmation of the signing of
the Armistice ever did come to that
organization, he says.
Fear existed all day that some
thing crooked was going to be pulled
on and it was near night before the
men actually realized the war was
oyer,' says Harper. That night there