Carroll County democrat. (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971, 1919-01-10

was back at the gun | had left and
had it in operation and was again
moving them down. The German
losses in killed and wounded were
fearful. The American casualties
were also heavy bat nothing to com
pare with the enemy 7 have seen
my friends and comrades shot down
on all sides Of me. Among them
was Graham and Bradford, a boy
from Memphis.
Graham was carried off the field
seriously gassed but Bradford was
killed instantly. | don't know how
Graham is getting along, he will prob
ably recover if he reached the hos
pital in time, but am sure he will
never rejoin our company. We went
for 48 hours without eating or drink
ing. There were plenty Of rations
only short way back but it was sim
ply counting death to try to get to
them. / viii never forget the sight |
saw after had stood the hunger as
long as | could and went to the ra-
ton dump, all around it were dead
men. have ~drank river water
(Meuse Riverl that in places was red
with human blood. AT night the cries
and means of the wounded who were
waiting until the stretcher bearers
could get to them was simply awful,
but all one could do would be to give
him first aid, try to cheer him and
then leave him, but right here want
to say the stretcher bearers did
some wonderful work, as did every
body else. / have laid in shell holes
for hours enduring the tortures of
hunger and thirst and the discomforts
of the rain and mud and the thous-
and and one other things expecting
every minute to be the last one. It
is the most terrible strain on ones
nerves of anything in the world. |
have seen men of all ranks, from col
onel on down to private, go down
and carried away nervous wrecks, but
merciful God in answer to your
prayers carried me safely through it
all unhurt | have had shrapnel hit
me several times and bullet passed
through my canteen hung to my belt,
but aside from a shock to my nerves
| am all 0. K.
After four days of H we were
given a chance for little relax, we
were put in the support lines and
fresh troops took up our work and
continued to drive the German devils.
We only had "a hours rest and again
we went into the fighting, for three
more days we fought and again we
were brought back in support. 1t was
in the morning of the eighth day
when a runner from Battalion head
quarters came to me with the news
that our last officer had been wound
ed and carried to hospital, and for me
to take command of the company.
Thus it was | went into the fight in
charge of a section and came out in
command of the company. In an
other hour another runner came to
me with orders to assemble my COM
Dany that we were to again move
forward God what a feeling came
over me, how | did hate to lead that
bunch of men back into the slaugh-
ser. | knew it meant certain death
20 some of them. But every man
If them (about forty in number) all
hat was left out of 172, gathered
lround me and expressed q wiling
Tess to 60 with me. A better bunch
ii men never lived and there Int q |
more loyal company Of soldiers in all
he American army than the 327th |
Machine Gun Co. The entire SIND |
Division has a record unsurpassed by
my General Pershing has called /
hem Fighting Fools" and ] want to
ay their reputation was earned by
ard and efficient fighting. l will I
ever forget the day Of October 18th
t was Sunday and the Y. NJ. G. A.
nan brought us a paper. Il wish |
ould say enough to do the work Of
his organization justice but | can
ot do it here.) In big glazing head
ines we read Germany accepts all
t President Wilson'S Peace terms,
tc. For three or four hours there
yas not shot fired on either side, it
,as as still and quiet as could be, it
1as even rumored that all artillery
vould cease at midnight. Of course
II of us felt "helped up" and there
vas a tendency to become careless
nd there were many who did expose
themselves. About o'clock in the
fternoon there were seven enemy air
lanes that came over us flying very
DIV, they gave the necessary signals
nd all of a sudden tho most terrific