Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-12
The "Go-to-HeN" Major
! Tells. IN His O,0,..
Words. the Story Of
the Lost Battalion. +"
He Has Been Pros
noted and Sent Home
as a Re,oard for His
Gallant Action When
Surrounded.

oHTrOunQeQ.
only German words knew: Was list
los?' (Which 1 didn't know till after.
ware meant What's the matter?) and
the boche | fell most directly on am
swered, Was ist los?'
was across his shoulder and had
nm have two bullets through the
spine and he quivered and went down,
The other fellow was facing me and
ssanulng up. so let him have one
through the breast. The first fellow
sort OF quivered again SO 1 let him
nave third shot
Ihere was an uproar for hours. so
l iaE where was until things quiet
60, then crawled into the brush. A
over me- AT midnight ii started to
rain and 1 could travel more freely.
several hours later / ran into an
american sentry who was so startled
AZ seeing me that he almost dropped
ms Ilhe. don't wonder. l had black,
ened my face with mud and camou-
tagged my head with boughs of trees.
l must have been a fine looking sight.
l said to the sentry:
FOR Gods sake. say something to
rue in American: haven't heard any
thing but boche for two days After
ne recovered from his surprise, he
said. Lieutenant, can't I help you to
the rear"
II reached headquarters about 1880
and started to report to the colonel.
He was eating hot cakes. The first
thing he asked me was, When did
you eat last?' I told him, Two DAYS
ago, SIR He said. sit right down and
eat those cakes tried to get the
news off my chest, but he made me
eat first Then lie set the rescue work
in motion"
nor Lieut.. McKeoughss is the part
that Whittlesey played during the af-
fair mentioned. However Maj Whit
tlesey was made lieutenant colonel
soon after. and as reward sent home.
And the Stars and Stripes, the SOL
diers' paper written within sound of
the cannonading, called Whittleseys
conduct the most gallant of the war"
Il related how the rescuers found
along. the trench which. the lost
battalion had occupied for five DAYS.
asking for Maj Whittlesey. A tall
figure said patiently: Here he is
Everybody wants him" He was serv-
ing out rations to his men, although
ne himself was starving.
report has it, also. that the colonel
in charge of the rescuing band, i'm
stead of calling Maj. whittiesey to him.
hunted the brave Whittlesey up him.
self.
Before the war Maj Whittlesey was
n lawyer in New York city. He is about
thirty-ive years old, and a graduate of
Williams College. He is a strapping
man, six feet three inches in height.
and built in proportion. too. His size,
however, gives one the impression of
extraordinary litheness, rather than
mere bulk
1t has been truly set down that most
brave men are also modest. WhttIe-
sey Is no exception. One would prob.
ably mistake his quiet. unassertive.
reserve as shyness. But the clear blue
eyes and the determined set of face
bear ndisputable indication that
Whttlesey is man who ends every:
thing he starts.
Recently reception and dinner was
given to Col. Whittlesey at the Will
Hams Club in New York. Now the
Williams Club. while it Is very cozy and
homelike, was not the place to hold such
an event. For the crowd of Williams
men who turned out to greet Charley
and say how proud they were jammed
the main hall: they were packed like
sGrdines in the vestibule, and on the
third floor and the first floor, and on the
stairways men chung tenaciously to their
place. listening eagerly for every word
Nhittlesey uttered.