The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-09-01
Appeal Made for Funds for Monument
To American Dead at Gerardmer, France
Dudley Lewis, Director of
French American Y. M.
c. A., Issues Call.

| An appeal to the American people
for contributions for the purpose o.
supplying a fund for the erection Of
a monument over the graves Of
French and American dead at Ge-
rardmer, France, Is made by Dudley
Lewis. American director of the
French American Y. NJ. {. A. at &c.
rardmer. Vosges, France.
The American Fifth, Thirty fiftf
and Sixth divisions and the Tween
tieth engineers have had their head
quarters at Gerardmer, and their of
ficers, states Lewis, write that they
remember the little town more pleas
antly than any of the places where
they have been billeted in France. OF
their number, captain, a lieutenant
and seventy-six soldiers lie buried
in the local cemetery.
On Memorial day sixty little chill
dren Of st. Joseph's orphanage, whose
mothers died before they came under
the influence of devoted Soeur Claire,
tho sister superior, and her faithful
sisters, and all of whose fathers were
killed in the war, decorated the sew
enty-eight graves of our American
dead. Later in the day Col. Barnard,
commander of the 1921 French regi-
ment. together with their band, Wis
tied the cemetery and paid touching
tribute to the dead American heroes.
Letter Received Here.
In letter written to friends here,
and which is reproduced in part, Di-
rector Lewis says:
ION Sept. 4. 1914. this glorious regi-
ment which paid our dead this beau
tiful tribute, with its First and Third
battalions. occupied Spite mberg In the
Vosges. supported by a company OF
the Fifth chasseurs and gained that
charges, opposed by a very violent
bombardment of the enemy's heavy ar
tillery. AS result the enemy lost a
position of much strategic Importance,
Two machine guns, and suffered heavy
losses in dead, wounded and prisoners
captured. During the days following,
the regiment showed the greatest
courage and endurance In holding and
terrifying its newly won positions. 1t
followed up this victory. through the
exercise of great gallantry. by taking
Steimbach In Alsace. After eight sue
cessive days of fighting night and day
it took possession one by one OF the
houses. all we'll fortified, maintaining
its positions in the face OF violent as
saults in the midst of fires and trenches
lllleQ Win ice, lnlllclHK On lNt tHG1nN
heavy losses, taking numerous prison.
ers and capturing machine gun.
LATER with the Seventh. Thirteenth ana
Fifty-third battalons of chasseurs,
during a week of bayonet charges. adj
vancing foot by foot. the regiment
gained all the strongholds repeatedly
won by the enemy on the mountain
of Northumberland In Alsace. In
recognition of this strenuous campaign
on June Is, 1916, the regiment, the first
ever similarly honored. was awarded
the fourragere with the red and green
Colors OF the croiX de guerre.
"On the 18th of October, 1915, after
a bloody fight. the regiment stormed
r village. strongly fortified. and took
200 prisoners, together with 900 ma
chine guns. During eight days IT held
the ground conquered In spite OF most
violent enemy bombardments ana
counter attacks which were repeated
three times during the same day. 1t
had already. on the srd OF September.
with one rush, reached the detectives
To which II had been assigned, taking
az the same time numerous prisoners.
On the 22nd of May, 1917. under Lieut.
Col. Barnard, with two hattalions, the
regiment in single advance charge
In the course OF only a few minutes. |
took the plateau OF Classmates In |
Champagne. together with a hundred |
DEMONSTRATING proof of the finest |
spirit and energy. On the 2Sth of |
June II engaged in the attack on the |
plateau of Hurtohlse. where, advancing |
In one rush, IT took a cavern, thereby |
securing more than 800 prisoners. As |
a result of these latter successes the |