The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-04-08


while the French have three COM
panies of infantry and one machine
gun company.
After training four weeks our
men were moved into the Verdun
sector.
"Was this a quiet sector?"
''I never found quiet sector in
all my travels. There was always
plenty going on in the way of shot
and SHE'LL" replied the young soldier
"Here we were in the trenches for
eighty-seven days. Our first relief
came in eighteen days when we were
sent back to a reserve position for
eight days. We were supposed to be
in rest camp but we spent the time
repairing. trenches and keeping uE
wire ENHANCEMENT, which did not
give us time to rest or to worry
about what was coming to us"
"When we were making prepara-
ton for the big drive our battalion
went in and stayed twenty-five days
without relief. We were on outpost
duty, and the troops in the rear were
building up defenses.- We were
close enough to hear the German
supply wagons coming up to the Ger
man line. Our artillery kept up a
continuous. fire all night long for
fourteen days in the hope of Destroy
ing the enemy's preparation and
their nerve. During this fourteen
days the Germans did not fire sim
gle shot while before it had been
shot for shot. This silence was un-
canny and rather got on the French
mems nerves for they thought the
big attack would come in this Yer
dun sector, but it moved further
up the line and "broke" at Scissor
and Rheims, making our boys miss
the German offensive.
eve stayed in this sector until re-
lieved in September with orders to
go back for that old well earned
rest all the American soldiers heard
about when they were in France.
We won our rest after, an all night
ride in army trucks, after which we
arrived in a little town, of about. five
inhabitants. In a short
while we were comfortably located
and settled down to routine drills
when on the third day about three in
the afternoon orders were received
that the Division would move at six.
fifteen.
"How could you get ready in such
a short time?"
eve just had to roll up our two
blankets in mussett bags and put
our underwear in our pockets and
weswere ready for the move. We,
marched seven nieats, sleeping on;
the ground in the day time. We ar
rived at our destination about nine
o'clock at night and at eleven-ifty-,
five, it seemed to. US that the world
went up in a blaze. This was in the
Champagne sector and was the be-
ginning of the big fight. We were
Interested spectators that night but
moved forward to the line next day.
Every man carried reserve ration
and two hundred rounds of ammu-
1ition. Rations consists of two cans
If meat and hard tack and every
nan carried his own share.
In the afternoon we moved out of
;own to relieve the French Morac-
cans and our first attack was made
1t six-forty-fve or about daylight
he following morning. We had one
lay Of trench fighting after which
he fighting was in the open. The
Germans were fighting rear guard /
action with machine guns and light.
artillery, to cover the retreat of the
infantry. We were fighting the 4th
orussian Guard. They were good
soldiers and we fought for and paid
dear for every inch of ground We
won. I did not see any German run
ming around with his hands up beg
ging to be captured did not know;
there could be so much noise in the
world but it did not unnerve the ne
groes for they followed their Off
GERS steadily and played a fine part