The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-07-10
CHATIEAC-THIERRY MIRACI l..
(Continued from page 2, column p
near the river on the south bank,
waiting for burial.

near the river on the south Dank,
waiting for burial
The defense plan adopted in this
critical foreground by the Thirtieth
and Thirty-eighth Infantry Regiments
and the Ninth Machine Gun Battalion
consisted of an arrangement of COM
bat groups, presenting no regular
alignment, but located with regard to
accidents of terrain and availa ability
of concealment; and although in the
course of the German attack many of
these combat groups were over
wLelmed, none of them left their
places before the fighting became gen.
eral in all directions, and then such
shifting as took place consisted in
concentrating at the stronger posi-
tions and at those points where the
attacking forces seemed to be arriv-
ing in largest numbers.
The German schedule of attack
provided for crossing the river at
daylight. launching the infantry at
tad1 from the line of the railroad
about 6 o'clock in the morning and
attaining the designated position
acloss the lie Rocq Plateau before
noon of the 18th of July. This op-
erstion involved a penetration into
thu Third Division area varying from
a .hort distance at the western limit
ofattack to more than ten kilometers
inthe neighborhood of Conde.
1t will suffice to say that at dark
thtt night no German had crossed the
FGsoy 'Crezancy Road except as a
prisoner, of which we counted 596,
and no Germans except the dead re-
mtined in front of the Third United
States Division on the south side of
the river. Six days later we had
buried nearly 5000 of them.
The forward companies of the
Tlirty-eighth Infantry and the ma
chine gun support from the Ninth
Btttalion, situated in triangular po-
stion at the mouth of the Surmelin
river, with the short side of the tri-
aigle along the Marne and the long
si1es extending towards the Surmelin
Wiley, never left their positions
throughout the whole of that men,
fable day, and fought for the major
hrt of the time in three different
directions. The battalion of the Thir-
E-eighth Infantry on the extreme
light, based on the forward slopes
ast of Moulins, and which had been
disposed to resist an attack from the
northwest, had to be rearranged dur
ing the early morning hours of the
18th to resist pressure from the east,
Ind fought in that manner with the
Boche on two sides of them, for ~
pr IA hours.
1 No finer example of control by a
fegimental commander or of the con-
hdence Of the men in the wisdom of
bis instructions can be conceived
Ehan this performance of the Thirty
eighth United States Infantry on July
lis, 1918, and it may be very justly
said that Col. U. G. McAlexander was
the rock of the Surmelin valley, just
las Gen. George H. TIL omas was at
|Chickamauga; nor is there any finer
Example of soldierly GOODNESS and
|courage under fire than the action of
Lieut.. Col. Frank L. Adams of the
NThirty-eighth Infantry, who person
ally directed the change of front on
the extreme right flank, and thereby
won his distinguished service cross.
But the other regiments were close
behind the Thirty-eighth in exhibi-
ton of valor. The Thirtieth United
States Infantry held the hill crowned
by the Bois d'Agramont, the key to
the LIE Rocq Plateau. The heaviest
and the greatest den
sity of attack were directed against
this point, but though no German
ever reached it, the German artillery
fire took the heaviest toll of Ameri-
can lives in this gallant regiment, and
it's casualties exceeded 20 per cent.
on the one strenuous day.
The Seventh United States 1nfan-
try, next in line to the left, not only
maintained it's forward positions in
tact, but also gave splendid assistance
to the hard pressed Thirtieth 1nfan-
try on it's right. At Fossy it blocked
all crossing of the river, pinned the
German attack to narrow limits on its
western side, and prevented all eff
forts at infltration. It's losses were
only slightly fewer than those of the
Thirtieth Infantry.
Finally the Fourth United States
- a., 80