Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-17
CALLS 18TH BOYS
"CRACK" DIVISION
Pennsylvanians Always in
Thickest Fighting. Says
Returned Pastor

Philadelphia, Feb. 17.-Pennsy1-
vania's Twenty eighth Uron Divi-
sion became known as the "crack"
division of the American army, ac-
cording to the Rev. Robert p. fZeb-
ley, who has returned to his home.
1904 Chestnut street. after almost
two years spent in Y. NJ. c. A.. work
abroad.
Wherever the fighting was most
furious and it seemed as if the Ger
mans might have chance to break
through or stem the American Of
fensive the men of the Iron Division
were sent" he said.
Mr.. Zebley formerly was pastor
of Grace Baptist Church. Camden.
He was one of the fifty-seven "Y"
workers on board the Oronsa when
that ship was torpedoed
Il was with the Twenty eighth
Division at Camp Hancock" he said,
and the wonderful drive at Cha
teau Thierry. The men went into
action on the south side of the
Marne in June and were fighting
continuously as long as the Amer
leans held the sector.
AT La Channel where Quentin
Roosevelt was shot down, the ground
changed hands eight times. The
fighting was in the open, and there
were no dugouts except holes just
big enough for man to get in.
These were made by the boys about
twenty-five or thirty yards apart as
they climbed up the hill and finally
held the ground. Eight Germans
fell to every American. L was fol-
lowing along with the headquarters.
Praises 10th Artillery
Il want to say a few words about
the 107th Field Artillery. The First
battalion went out across the river
Nesle right in front and brought
back prisoners, the only incident of
the kind l believe of the war.
The machine gun men did tre-
mendous work; sometimes food
reached them once a day and some
times not, but ii made.no difference
to their magnificent courage. Every
bit of food had to be taken over the
river to Fismes and Fismette across
pontoon bridge at night under
shell fire and machine gun fire.
The Y. NJ. G. A. men took sup
plies to the machine gun battalion in
the same way and under the same
fire, and was highly commended af-
terward by the senior captain.
We went to the Argonne. In
stead of resting after the five days
march the Twenty eighth went right
into the scenter of the forest, the in
fantry supported by five times the
usual artillery. The light artillery
was right in the infantry trenches
when the battle opened.
"A French general said we would
never get the Germans out, and a
great english statesman declared
that the Huns could not be driven
out of the Argonne, but if this was
done the battle was over. In a month
the Germans were out of the Ar
gonne and a month later the armis-
tice was signed"
German Spike as Souvenir
Look at this souvenir" said Doc
tor Zebley. ut will give YOU some
idea of what the Philadelphia and
Pennsylvania boys were up against" /"
The minister showed a four-prong-
IRON spike, thousands OF which, he
said, were placed in front of the
gun nests to throw down the Amer
leans as they attacked.
What impressed me was the
splendid spirit of brotherhood which
was manifest among the men and
officers. Cigarets and chocolate were
served to the men. A great quantity
was given away, but the men in
many cases insisted on paying for
them.
Much of the criticism leveled at
our work in France in general has
been made by wounded men. who
after being wounded never saw a
Y. NJ. G. A. worker. because by an
arrangement with the Red Cross at
the suggestion of the army the Red
Cross took care of men after they
were wounded"
The Salvation Army workers did
splendid service.
we showed motion pictures at
Chateau Thierry in two dugouts
right in the front-line trenches. En-
tertainments were constantly given
just back of the artillery lines"