The Glenwood post., 1919-02-15
COWLES
WRITES OF war
Faced Enemy on Battle Front
to Very End. HAS Thrilling
Personal Experiences
GARFIELD COUNTY BOY

Alfred Cowles, one of Glenwood'
young men and son of Mr.. and Mr,.
w. s. Cowles of Carbondaie and who
, has for some time been with the Ameri-
can expeditionary forces in France, was
thought to be missing as he had not
been heard from for some time, but
his parents recently received the fol-
lowing letters telling of his experiences
in the last battle and his journey to
Germany:
Nov. 81, 1918.
In Luxemburg near Town
of Diekirch
Dear Nom, Dad and Kids:
Guess you have almost given me up
bv now, but have not been able TO
write for a long time and I know you
are wondering about me. If l had been
able to send you a cable after the arm
istice was started I would have done
so but we have been on the go ever
since, working and hiking and before
that we were on the front steady for
fifty days.
Well, we can now write most any
thing, but if | get started it would
take a book so will have to put most
of it off until / get home. / guess we
are all hoping that it will be very soon
We have had quite trip since the
were at the last of it, just north of
Verdun, near the towns of Beaumont
and Mouzon and Pouilly on the Meuse
river. The Dutch were on one side and
we were on the other. Was quite
feeling on the morning of the 1lth
when the machine guns and artillery
fire kept it up until about 1855 and
then suddenly quit; it didn IT seem pos
sible. About the worst night that we
had was the night of the 10th when
three of our platoons put foot bridge
made of RATS across the Meuse for the
marines to cross. We were just oppo-
site several machine guns and between
them and the artillery we sure got
hell then after We got the bridge N
three of us (all corporals) volunteered
to cross and guard the enemy and to
keep them from cutting it loose or
damaging it. Well, say, that was the
longest bridge and night in the world.
We just got across when one of the fel-
lows got hit, then the way the big ones
hit around us was something fierce and
several times we were half buried with
mud and clods of dirt. When they
were hitting within Is or 20 feet of
us we were wet and laying on just
small bank with our feet in the river.
Then one shell hit our guy ropes on the
opposite side Of the river from IL, and
we had to cross and get wet again TO
fix it up for the marines and the
wounded to get back. Some of the
division that Wilfred is in also crossed
there that night. .-'.i-
/ left and started for camp about
daylight and it was an awful sight
around there. We lost large per cent,
and fellows who had been with us all
through from Ell Paso were killed and
wounded. The last twelve hours of it
sure seemed too bad.
October 81 went over the top with
part of platoon of our outfit with
the first wave of infantry to cut wire
entanglements to let them through.
When we would see wire ahead We
would run ahead and have q path cut
for them when they got there. That
was at 4:30 p. m. Then we rushed
across country from there, the "Cham-
pagne 'front.' to this other front near
verdun and there again.
On November my platoon was
again elected and we went over with
the 23rd infantry Of our own divisloA
to again cut wire. At shout $3.50 ..
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