Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-01-13
Lad DESCRIBES
Al. R|4'G'O|]NlN|E BATTLE.
Writes That Gen. Pershing
Was in the Midst Of !.
His Boys.

"A letter received from Charles +.
Harris, who is with the 35th Military
Police company in France. relates I
number of experiences of the Ameri-
letter was received by Edgar White
Of Park River, who is. visiting in this
city at the present time. -
Harris writes from Commercy.
France. where hisrcompany is billeted
in an old French home. He says that
they were with the British troops for
over a month upon their arrival in
France before they Joined the Ameri-
can troops. Their first position was
they were then transferred to the st,
Mihiel sector. He writes: N,
From there we went to the st.
Mihiel sector. We were
to start the drive but we're a day late
in arriving so the 10th division from
Camp Funston was put in instead, and
we went into reserve. The Germans,
however. offered little resistance SO
we were not called on. I wish you
could have seen and heard the bar
rage the Unaks put over. We stayed
there about a week and then moved
up to the Argonne front. and started
that big drive that ended the fate of
the Germans on September rs. We
we're in for six days. although were
supposed to have been relieved after
the third day. F.
Reached sedan.
They kept on driving on this front
until the armistice was signed on No.
vember II, but our troops had
reached Sedan by then. We came out
Of that drive and after replenishing
our ranks we went into the trenches
again on Sunday, October 20, in the
Verdun front. We were relieved from
thele about four days before the
fighting stopped.
expeditionary forces headquarters
that the battle of the Argonne was
the hardest fought battle that the
Americans were in. The Germans
had been there four years so were
well fortified. Our first objective
was a large hill and the French told
that it would take $4,000 Of
his best men to do it. He told them
had n outfit that could do it,
Kansas and Missouri National Guard.
Did Fine Work.
"The troops sure did fine work.
After the artillery got through play
ing on that hill, the Germans had
started for the Rhine, 50 we
hadn't much to do for the first few
hours. Luck was ours that morning
AIS Tor there was a dense log and 1t
didn't lift until about 10 o'clock. The
battle was royal around Cheppy and
a few other towns. General PERISH
ing vas up there himself and shook
hands with a lot of the boys the
night before they went over tn top,
and to show, you how game. he was,
two days after the battle started he
was up there with a rifle and wanda
lier of ammunition over his shoulder.
II Joined this division at Camp
Mills. N. Y. and am glad I have been
with them. The division is from
Missouri. Pershing's home state, and
we r envied a little by other divi-
sions. ~
was at the big show last night,
and it sure was good. I guess they
going to make. a tour of the
expeditionary forces with it,
so will most. likely get to- Paris.
Among the actors is a fellow who
to be with Ringing Brothers
circus. The man in charge used to
play in q stock show company in St.
Louis.
Our division is supposed to parade
next Tuesday OF the Argonne battle
field before President Wilson I
sure would like to be down at Brest
when he arrives today"