South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-01-05
HOOVER DID HIS
BIT At THIERRY
Says He Spent Worst "a
Hours of Life Going Over
Top in Big Drive.

Another south Bend soldier who
has the distinction OF being among
those present" during the memor-
able drive at Chateau Thierry and
around St Mihiel. IS Pvt. Leroy
Hoover OF the IO1st engineers. who
has written his parents, Mr.. and
Mrs. G.. r. Hoover, 1902 Pleasant
St. a most interesting account OF
his numerous and varied experiences
as a member OF the famous regiment
which did its bit in the great allied
offensive OF the late summer and
fall. Under date Of Dec. he writes:
''Esnouveaux Haul Marine.
France.
NY dear Mother.
Il suppose YOU Will be
glad 10 hear where | am and how I
arrived in France. AS you know I
sailed out of New York, it was on
the morning Of the 18th of June.
having boarded the ship Megantic.
a White Star liner. and one of fleet
of II ships, not including the convoy
attached for our protection, the
day before, June IL We landed in
Liverpool. England. on the oath OF
June after zigzagging our way across
the Atlantic and through the irish
sea. along the Irish coast, which we
could see very plainly.
I'VE spent a couple OF days in
Liverpool. then crossed England to
southampton. where we also spent
a couple Of days; from there we
boarded another transport and
crossed the English channel TO lie
Havre, France. about the 1st OF July.
After another couple Of days we en-
trained for a classification camp
where we split UP. and a few friends
and myself being assigned 10 the
engineers. were then sent TO the city
OF Anglers, and the 10th engineers,
a replacement regiment Spent a
couple of weeks here at a school OF
automatic arms. and finally. on the
eth of July. I was placed with my
present outfit. while they were at
Chateau Thierry i'm the thick of
things This was shortly after they
had stopped the big German drive.
After about two weeks we We're
pulled out of the lines for few
weeks more of tiresome drill near
Chattilon sur Sein.
"On Sept. II our division helped
to start the offensive which re
duced the st. Mihiel salient and
here It fell TO my lot 10 do gas guard
for about three weeks. II was at
this place that got my only chance
TO go over the top and say. l always
wanted 10 go over but that was the
worst "a hours l ever spent. and I
can not even hope to explain the
sensations of that day on paper, and
am not ashamed to say that 7 lost all
ambitions of going over again-but
I am glad that i got the experiences
which were afforded.
after holding the lines here until
the early part of October we were
ordered out and marched straight to
Verdun. where this division had
some pretty d. hot scrapping but
succeeded in making considerable
Roadway. but it was very difficult.
and we lost heavily. as we We're di-
rectly on the hinge Of the German
retreat We were here until the sec
ond day after the armistice was
signed.
90" I'm in the 26th di-
vision, called the Yankee division,
and il is a national guard unit from
the New England states although il
now has men from nearly every
state in the UniOn-iny regiment is
the 101st engineers. formerly the 1st
corps from Boston. Mass. and was
organized about the time OF the
Revolution. and filled up TO war
strength from the coast artillery by
volunteers. We were the first ma
tional guard division to land over
here. and the first complete division
10 land in France
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