Norwich bulletin., 1919-01-13
GTisWoId Boy Fights With Gth Division

| Chemin des Danes, Toul, Chateau
| Thierry, ST Mihiel and Verdun, prac-
| tically every front where the Ameri-
can army was engaged, will be names
| inscribed on the battle standards of
the 26th, or Yankee division, accord
ing to a letter sent to his mother. Mrs.
Il. r. Harris of Griswold, by Percy
Harris, who was in one of the batteries
with the division.
HIS letter which gives a complete de-
scription of the work of the division
and the places where it saw training
or fighting follows:
Dear Folks-YVe moved twice SINCE
last wrote YOU. These movements
are quite unpleasant to US, we have to
carry our packs now, since we 6urned
in all our horses.
We have had no mail since we left
the front on the 18th ult Yesterday,
however, quite a bit reached us; my
share of this was six letters and card.
The letter from you dated Oct. Both
also a letter dated Nov 18th.
Am sure You are as well posted on
the results Of the war as | am if not
better, as we see a paper rarely. In
stead of real news we have many
pleasant rumors floating around; such
as the 26th division will the first one
President in Paris, for the King in
London, and Of course every large city
in the States, including Stamford,
Conn.
You viii probably not understand
my allusion to Stamford. viii have to
write a bit of the history of this bat
terry. It was organized in Stamford
about three years ago as a National
| Guard outfit. 1t was reeinCh ar
uilery battery. Their armory is in
Stamford. This young battery had
seen service before, doing duty on the
| | Mexican border for almost a year In
recognition Of this service these men
wear a green chevron. We tease them
that they were ''gaSsed' on the bordr
Our division which is the 26th or
. New England OF Yankee division is
5 composed of troops of the states of
New England. In our regiment there
? are Rhode Island, Main ad Connecticut
/ batteries. In the infantry every state
l is represented. When we cameoVer
it was purely New England but later
: on when requirements came in, we got
men from all over the States When
" we came over we were transformed to
heavy artillery, 155mm. or in howitz-
= er. The range is about a KIN.
We We're among the first $4,000 over
here, those troops that came over with
General Pershing being ahead of us
S Perhaps you know that We came via
v England. We stopped q few days in
: | Halifax har5or. Oar course zifzaf
i ging throughout the trip took us
around the north of Ireland to Liver
- pool. Thence by rail to Southampton
e l-Where We took a fast steamer across
the channel We were accompanied by
. destrCyers We started at I D. m. and
! all had to be on deck with life pre-
e servers. The crew told Us we would
20 reach HaVre at 10 o'clock in the morn
s. ing. We struck rough sea and
d reached port at Q in the morning.
= Needless to say everyone on board
- WIS sick that night except possibly
The crew. From Havre we went by
t rail to our training camp, Coitquidon
d near GUer. It's not far from the sea
d port St Nazairc, an American base
n ! We reached this on Nov. I, early in the
S morning. There were many times il
@ this early period when we didn't have
enough to eat while hardly anything
= could be bought in GUer, four lilomet.
5. ers away. The camp grew by leap!
Il and bounds, German prisoners dCinG
n most Of the work. More men KEEP
coming into camp. Our firing rang,
is was sort of plateau on the edge o
= a wide but fiat valley. On the othe,
. side OF this valley was a gradually
: sloping hill en- The side Of which wa;
n an abandoned village which Scrvet
h as our target our officers told Ii
that the United States had bought tn
10 village for the purpose. Ea CHI hous
o or barn was a battery target. 1t wal
:, five miles away as the bee flies. On {
clear day every shot could be observ
nj ed. The shot can be seen as it leave
70 the muzzle at lightning speed. Tim
of flight would be about 20 seconds
! The shell weighs about 100 pounds
NJ The last two weeks in camp we ha'
"a war games and Inspections by tn
general. We lett here about Feb.
= for the front. We went to the Chemil
in des Danes north of scissors. Gu
- position was near Vailly. Only 500 me-
" were at the front. The rest of the me-
n and horses were a few miles in tn
a rear. This was the case at ever
o. front: the position is in telephoni
20 communication with the horse line i
: case of emergency.
20 We had a splendid position here
a., Shells neyeF came near US The
- could only reach US with gas, whic
they did to no advantage of theirs.
- We pulled out here about March l
- and started to hike across France TO
Gu tae TOul front. We We're sixteen day
en- route. We went into position nea
: the town of Emmercy, on the rive
Meuse Our horse lines were six lilO
~ meters back of the position in a littI
= town which hOurishes on the bushes
it did with the American soldiers. Thi
le was the purely American front wher
- the first greg fight of the Yanks too
u place in which one of our infantr
-. regiments, the 104th (Our division
- was decorated for bravery with tn
- Crois de Cuerre for repulsing the Ger
u man attack.
After a few weeks here we change
~ our positions, on the same front bu
& about i lliIometers to the east, wher
y the famous Mont See faced us, (thi
was captured in the st. Mihiel driv,
=, it was tunneled throughout its in
= | terror and made almost impregnable
= We stayed here till June 2Sth an
went by road and rail to the Chatea
Nv Thierry front Each battery of al
III tillery has two machine guns for an
" aircraft work, while en- route we ha
$ these all set for action on our caissor
with the crews nearby, whether o
in road or on board car, as the Boche ay
rs iators 1ight swOop down and tres
ed US to some hot lead. On the evenin
.st of July 5 we were on the outskirts
'ly Paris; We disembarlled early the ne2
n morning. We hiked for a few days an
Nv went into position on the Sth, a lit
tie northwest of Chateau Thierry. tt
e. drive started on the 18th; we move
Ter in a general northeastern directio
tn Among our targets the first day We
sh the railroad depot in that famol
e. town. We adjusted our fire by ba
loon observation. On the 18th an a
tack was pulled off on Hill 204 mort
of Chaeau Thierry, between and
n m 0l1,- battery alone numDe5