Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-15
BATTERY MAKES
EkvIED RECORD
Mock Island and Moline Lads Are
Praised by Major Charles Ben
son Before Press Club.
ALL OFFICERS COMMENDED
Places True Facts OF Barbarity and
hulture OF Huns Before the
Newspaper Workers.

NUN 10 slAli4 anu tlO4lLG IdQS,
merly members OF Companies A.
and T of the old Illinois Sixth regi-
LIent. now of Battery F. OF the One
Hundred Twenty-third field artil-
Iery Of the Thirty-third Illinois divi-
son. established a wonderful record
tor themselves before the ending of
-lOstilities overseas. according 10
Major Charles Benson, chief of staff
Ct the division, who spoke before
the members of the Tri-City Press
club in session at the Manufacture
ers' hotel in Moline last night.
The One Hundred Twenty third
reld artillery came out of the fight
.rs with the lowest loss Of any ar
l.ery that saw action" Major Ben
ieCn said 1T was in some Of the
y heaviest and worst lighting Of the
war The record was made as a re
suit of the splendid dictatorship Of
g. 5 officers.
Il cannot say too much for Colo
rel Charles G. Davis OF Geneseo,
'sho was in command. and of Major
edward H Dunavin of Rock Island.
They. with other officers, proved
marvellous in directing the work Of
their ar illerymen."
Major Benson praised the Angus
iana college boys of the division in
his address last night. He spoke of
the patriotic way in which the boys
had enlisted in body and had en-
tered the One Hundred Twenty
,nird and of how they had attained
Offfcerships by hard work Major
Eenson was instrumental in seCuI-
ing the advancement of many Au-
gustana BOYS whom he had under
his command. Arthur V. Swedburg
was promoted TO the rank Of colonel
while in service overseas while
. many other of the college lads won
<9mmissions.
Begins End.
; General John Pershing alone was
responsible for the end of the war,
Major Benson said. When he
stared his gigantic offensive at
Chateau-Thierry, it was the begin
nIng of the end While the Amerl
can losses were heavy, the Germans
lost more. Pershing pushed on and
gained his objective
Rock Island and Moline battery
men had their first taste of battle
early in the morning of July 4 of
ldSI year 1 lie HI y I'LL u " iii
two other divisions, entered that
battle against three German diVi-
sions.
We didn't go into the fracas to
capture prisoners" he said. we
started on our drive at 4 O'Clock in !
the morning and at 3 in the after :
noon had gained our objective and /!
we found that we mad 1900 prison !
ers on our hands.
The Americans mad to be warned |
~ their British comrades not to be /
too eager They went at it too /
much as if they were going to Ring /,
ling brothers circus"
He told of some who. in the first
hath of fire, lost their lives by run /
nlng iRto their own barrage- They .
we're so eager to get" the Hun they
ran into their own curtain of fire.
BayOneted Women.
I'VE captured a young Hun on
tla>< early Fourth OF July morning.
aid the major, who had not quite
finished a letter to his sweetheart. |
We had it translated and read some |
what of the following: I am send |
ing you a ring made from shrapnel. |
This morning | killed three Belgian /
women and four French girls. The /
officer told me to shoot them. but |
there was more satisfaction in kill
ing them with bayOnet. and that !
IS one of the reasons why the Yanks /
took as few prisoners as possible
The major and his men were not /
long in France before they tasted |
Of kultur. After landing at Brest .
they were taken on a twO-day and |
night ride through the fields OF .
france. They were unable to sleep, /
he narrated, and so it was a tired .
!.ody of men who were billeted in 1
a little French village about twenty
miles from the front. The mistress
Of the house told them she had four
sons in the war and her four daugh-
ters-in-law were ali in Red Cross
NeIk. They were her only support
and she was now alone
Bomb Hospital
I'VE were awakened that night
ne said. by the old lady who tried
10 communicate to Us that the Ger
mans were bOmbar,ling the town.
could hardly realize that they would
lombard a town 20 miles from the
front" said the major, but such
was the case. lie duLL-diI u a.
guns sputtered back defantly, but
after the Germans had gone Is
American boys had been killed and
in a nearby hospital 200 wounded
American soldiers had been killed
because OF German barbarity."
Speaks "a College.
Major Benson addressed the stu
dents at Augustana college yester-
day. He returned from France In
the latter part Of September follow
ing a long period IN a hospital in
france because of deafness due to
shell fire He has been serving as
an instructor in various camps in
this country since his return
Major Benson is now a resident of
Chicago and formerly resided in
Monmouth.