The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1919-01-28
TELLS OF STIRRING
TIMES IN FRANCE
SOME OF THE HORRORS OF WAR
DESCRIBED. QUAINT OLD
FRENCH TOWN.

The following is a very interesting
letter that has been received by Mrs.
I. H. Thomson from her nephew, 1t.
S. G. Clark, who is connected with
the hospital service in France:
Soon after the armistice was
signed, along with many other medi-
cal officers, / was ordered back from
the hospital near the front, where
l had been working for two months,
and we are now quartered in a quaint
old French town, for what purpose
no one seems to know. | suppose,
though, we are assembled here to be
sent home when the opportunity pre-
sents itself, but am afraid that will
be at least two months form the
present date. We are all, of course,
very anxious to go home, but don't
want to leave if we are needed over
here; and then, too, every fellow will
have to wait his turn in getting a
boat for the states. There is appa-
rently uper-abundance of w. O.
C's' over here now, but there
wouldn't have been if the war had
continued.
Il am billeted out with a nice
French family and have dandy
room, and the old ladies who make
up the family do everything they can
to add to our comfort. | am really
more comfortable than l have been
since / have been in the army, with
the exception of a short time at AL
lentown. 1t rains almost continuous
ly, though, and with practically moth
ing to do day after day, and with
no form of amusement the life is in
cined to get a bit monotonous; but
compared to my living during the
past few months this is certainly
life of luxury. Very little cold wealth
er, SO far.
This town, with its narrow, wind
ing streets, its old cement houses
with tile roofs and high walls around
them, its canal with canal boats be-
ing pulled slowly along by horses on
the tow path, presents a picture quite
unlike any | have seen before. This
town was founded or built before
Columbus discovered America. The
old cathedral was begun in the 18th
century.
II got to France last summer Just
in time to take part in all of the
American pushes l first joined a
hospital at Jony, a small town near
Chateau-Thierry This is the hospital
which is described by Elizabeth Fra
ger in the Saturday Evening Post of
October 5th and October 18th, which
also shows some pictures of the hos
pital and gives a pretty good descrip-
ton of an air raid. | never will for
get my first impression of an evacua-
ton hospital. On arrival | was i'm
mediately sent into a large tent to
do dressings | thought l had seen
some pretty bad wounds in my hos
0ltal, and ambulance work in New
York, but these were so much worse
that | admit | got sick but stuck it
out all right. Then there would be
some poor devils crying for water
and some coming out of ether going
over the top and doing their best to
get out of bed land some did to
bayOnet a 'Boche' Then that night
the introduction to the operating
room, the continuous stream of
Wounded-s 0 m e very badly-the
frequent blowing of ambulance whis-
ties bringing in more wounded, then
the sound Of a Boche plane and all
lights put out and everything in
darkness, and the internal noise of
the anti-aircraft guns. All of the
above made an impression on be-
ginner which will never be forgotten,
and you are positive after few min
utes in such place that Sherman's
language wasn't strong enough when
ne referred to war.
From this town, when it was pos
slble, we moved up to the city of
Chateau-Thierry The battle-ground
in the city itself and over the sur
rounding country was very interest
ing, and one wonders after seeing
the effects of the weapons of modern
warfare that anyone survives. From
Chateau-Thierry we went to Toul for
the st. Mihiel drive. After pretty
strenuous work there for about a
week we went up to little town
called Fentry in the neighborhood
Of Nerdun and was there when the
Argonne forest drive began on Sep.
26th. The barrage put over by the
American artillery on the morning
Of Sept. 26th was great. The whole
sky in that direction was lit up A
continuous roar shook the win
dows long distance back from the
front. The casualties in this drive. as
YOU no doubt know, were pretty
heavy, and we worked night ard day
for % days without tho least let-up.
The surgeons wor,,ed on 12-hour
shifts, which wasn'- so bad. l was
leader or captain of surgical team
during the latter part of this drive
and was assistant on a team from