The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-11-02

sublime In its heroism. immortal in It's
endurance, was enacted by just more
than 1000 men. The main highway from
Bnarville to Apremont passes through
one Of the most wooded parts of the for
est Three kilometers east Of Binarville
1t suddenly crosses creek and steadily
climbs the side of q steep and thickly
covered ravine.
1t was here, and not at Charlevaux, as
1t has been stated In official reports, that
the First Battalion of the 80sth Infantry
Regiment, nearly a company of the
S07th and some elements of the 3o6th
machine gun company, under Major
Charles 8. Whittlesley, dug themselves
In along the road and the side Of the ra-
vine. On the night of October they
suspected that they were in difficulties,
for they found 1t impossible to establish
liaison with either their right or left
flank.
When they endeavored to communicate
with headquarters the runners never
came back, and at last It was discovered
that the Germans under cover OF the
darkness had penetrated to their rear
through a concealed trench.
Every attempt to reestablish contact
with the tanks OF rear was frustrated
by the Germans. and when dawn broke
the Americans found that the top of IL .
ravine at their backs was manned by
German machine guns and that the OPP
posite height above them was lined with
Germans ready at any moment to turn
trench mortars and machine guns down
upon them. By carrier pigeons the
Americans communicated with head
quarters. giving, however. what proved
to he tho e..
when airplanes were sent over to drop
supplies to the besieged men all they
saw was the food and ammunition in
tended for them floating calmly over to
the German lines.
Faced by Starvation.
Soon the food ran short, and the Ger
mans began the attack. At the foot Of
the ravine lies a small creek filled with
green coated water. Volunteers had to de-
scend down precarious pathway through
the trees to get water. but the Germans,
ever alert, fired on every movement, and
soon but trail of dead Americans COW
cred that pathway to the waterside
With every German attack, all of which
were beaten of, the casualties increased
The men did what they could for the
wounded; but as the days passed food
was exhausted. and the men themselves
became weaker and weaker in physique,
but not in resolve. Major Whittlesey
passed around among the men, cheering
them with the prospect of early relief,
which they felt was certain to come.
That competition of nationalities which
insured a splendid standard of bravery
In the American army, that rivalry be-
tween italian and Turk, Jew and Rus
sian. Greek and Armenian, Pole and
German, Czecho-Slovak and Austrian, to
prove that they were as good soldiers
as any one else, that endurance and
bravery were no monopoly of any one
race, and that the taunts of others were
unJustified was never better illustrated
than along that lonely and deathly
road. Jew and Greek, born maybe In
the slums Of New York, were as valiant
as Macpherson or Casey, bred in New
England or the Far West None were
willing to give in. and when the Ger
mans finally sent back a prisoner with
an offer to surrender couched in terms
of the most slckly phraseology and ap-
pealing for the wounded in the sacred
| name OF humanity a vigorous and typ
ical American reply, accompanied by a
volley Of fire. was all they received.
1t was later revealed in Germany,
when q German officer present at the
| action was questioned, that the Germans
had intended to burn out the besieged
Americans with flame throwys.
Wrote Their Last Letters.
Such was the humanity to which they
appealed On the morning of the
fifth day, when hope was fast dying,
when the soldiers wrote what they
thought must be their last letters, when
the dead lay unburied because their
comrades were too weak to dig graves,
when the wounded were dying for want
OF medical supplies. the men heard the
approach Of barrage fire and guessed
that succor was near at hand. At last
some khaki clad figures appeared
through the trees OF the ravine, and a
few minutes later round of hand
shaking and distribution of food brought
smiles to the white, emaciated and I'M
shaven faces of the besieged.
Many of the men could hardly stand
and to keep them free from shell fire
on their way back the Americans pur-
posely diverted their traffic from
road that, observed by the Germans
| was under fire. Half Of the force had
been lost in casualties, and several aero
planes which had attempted to assist
them lay in the forest, wrecked by Ger
man anti-aircraft and rifle fra But the
| story OF their glorious stand filed the
whole division with q pride and spirit
that was reflected in every future action
Of the division
Their relief was made possible by a
splendid attack that the Americans had
made on a series Of hills that sloped
down from the Argonne forest to the
Aire and formed menacing barrier to
Grandpre. 1t began on October 9. The
Twenty eighth Division turned its left
flank so as to face in a westerly direc-
ton, while the Eighty Division on
its right also wheeled to the left with
one brigade. But regiment was miss
ing and a gap existed between the two
divisions.
The valley of the river running along
the foot of the two hills between which
Chatel Cherery nestles was exposed
to fire, but the Americans forded the
Aire, speedily built a foot bridge and.
passing across the open fields under the
direct machine gun and artillery fire of
the Germans stormed tho village, with
out, however. taking either of the two
heights on its sides.
Edge of Forest Reached.
From the summit OF Hill 244 to the
left or southwest OF the village the Ger
mans poured forth a particularly heavy
fire into the advancing Americana who