The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1919-01-09

Door.
the steel deck, but was able to crawl
on to the turret door. Just as I was
about to enter the gun was fired. That
particular charge happened to be de-
| fective. The shell split and caused a
back fire and the cordite, fire and gas
came through the breech, which the
explosion had opened.
It must have been q piece of cordite
which did it, but whatever it was, it
hit me in the right eye and blinded it.
The ball Of the eye was saved by the
French surgeons and looks normal, but
- P~iAS-A>-s.o~cxJ~-- una
| they tell me it will always be sight
| less.
was unconscious Immediately from
| the blow and from the quantity Of gas
which 1 must have swallowed. This
gas did me a great deal of damage
| and gives me dizzy spells often to this
day. / do not know what happened
during the rest of the engagement, as
did not regain consciousness until
| three days later at sea. But l heard
| in the hospital that the French super
Idreadnaught Jeanne dare and the
light cruiser Normandy were in it as
well as ourselves, though not at the
time was wounded, and that we had
all been pretty we'll battered. The
Cassard lost 96 men in the engage
ment and had 48 wounded. Some of
our turrets were twisted into all man
her Of shapes and part of our bow
Twas carried away. One of our lieu
tenants was killed in the engagement.
Il was told that both the VERT and
1.-THE kaiserliche Marine were sunk in
this engagement. have seen pictures
Of sailors from the VERT who were
prisoners at interment camps.
i When we arrived at Brest the
Wounded were taken from the ship in
lStretchers and after we had been rest
led for about fifteen minutes on the
dock put into ambulances and rushed
to the hospital. On the way those who
could leaned out of the ambulance and
had great time with the people along
the streets, many of whom they knew,
for the Cassard was Brest ship. And
of course the women and children
yelled, "Vive la France!" and were
glad to see the boys again, even
though they were badly done up.
Some of our men were bandaged
all over the face and head and it was
funny when they had to tell their
names to old friends Of theirs, who
did not recognize them. AS soon as
one of the Brest people recognized
friend off he would go to get cigarettes
and other things for him and some of
them almost beat us to the hospital.
do not know, of course, just what
the surgeons did to me, but I heard
that they had my eyeban out On my
cheek for almost two hours. At any
rate they saved it. The thigh wounds
were not dangerous in themselves and
ii it had not been for the rough treat
nent they got later on they would be
quite healed by this time, am sure.
i really think got little extra at
tention in the hospital in many ways,
for the French were at all times anx-
ious to show their friendliness TO
America. Every time my meals were
served there was a little American
flag on the platter and always large
American flag draped over the bed. I
had everything I wanted given to me
at once and when I was able to, all
the cigarettes I could smoke, which
were not many.
While I was still in bed In the hos
pftal received the CrOix de Guerre.
which I had won at the Dardanelles.
The presentation was made by Lieu