The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1919-01-09
FRoM IoHN MeBRIpE
chamnleIIa- Franne. 80 :

tory Of my career since I left the
\ q. S. This is the first time I nave
I felt free to write what please
We left the u S. April % and land,
led in Liverpool, England, May 6. We
took train from there to Southampton
and crossed the channel landing al
I La Havre, France, May s; SO you
4 see we did not stay in England very
i long We didn't get to visit the
towns at all. We stayed at la Havre
I two days, and went down. On the Brit
/ ish front about four miles from Alb
beville, which is about fifteen miles
from the coast. fRere we had Brit
lish instructors for five weeks. Whel
we left there we had a three days
ride in cox cars to Toul We wee
4 there tIly one week before we went
/ into the trenches, Oh June 26. On ody
way over there we came in sight OF
Paris, but did not get to stop. in
/ the Toul sector we had only a few
casualties. From there we wcnv .
tie Lorraine front, at Ponta Mo ,sson
winch is about thirty miles motif Of
Edncy. There is where We saw our
Inst battle. Thai was the right WING
az the famous ST. Miniel drive We
did not have to advance but aaout
me nile there The French had been
wing in TINS town inti The Amtri.
cans came It was wi!nm one mile
If file German line, too 1t had been
s very quiet sect0. The French told
u, not to shoot al them and they
va ! Bet shoot icK We It'd them
lthat " what 81 came over here
to do, and we did When we had been
there about a week we started to
drive. The barrage started at | am.
/ | was on. an observation post just back
of the lines on a very high hill,
where l could see everything. / could
| see where every shell bursted They
were Smelling three towns that I
could see. When a shell would hit
a house it would knock the whole
roof off and sometimes set it on fire.
Then at 6 pm. two companies went
over to see Mr.. Fritz / could see
everything. The men marched up
and formed a line and walked straight
across "No Mans Land The en-
gineers went just in front and blew
lup the wire, and the men rushed
through into Jerry's trenches. Some
were falling all the while, though.
Bob Graves was on detail to go that
night and pick up the wounded. The
French relieved us there, and we
came out and camped in some woods
about twenty miles from Nancy. We
stayed there about four days.
1t was then that Bob and went to
Nancy We had to walk about four
miles, then ride on electric cars. /
went back the next day and had my
picture taken. We had lust gotten
back from the lines and hadn't had
q chance to change clothes, as you
notice in the photo; so don't look at
the clothes.
We left there and went to the Yer
dun front in trucks. The whole divis-
ion moved in trucks 20 men to the
truck for about 10000 men, SO YOU
can imagine the line of trucks. Well,
we got there just in time to hear
the barrage start, and we were in
reserve for about week; then went
M to see Mr.. Fritz ourselves. The
First division drove them about three
miles one day, and we relieved them
that night about o'clock. We did
not know Just where the Germans had
made their line, so they sent twelve
of us scouts to see, Our orders were
to 20 until we drew fire, When
walked over the hill saw the Ger
mans on the next hill 50 | thought
10 myself best not to draw fire from
that bunch if / could keep from it.
The sergeant and some other fellows
on my right did not see them, SO they
went too far and drew fire sure
enough. The sergeant was hit, and
when they saw him lit was Just
breaking day. they saw me, and it
sounded like about dozen machine
runs opening up on us. Bullets were
cutting dirt all around me. | had
about fifty yards to 70 to make it
over the crest Of the hill, and maybe
| didn't run, too.
In due time the skirmish line came
along and drove Mr.. Fritz off the
next hill, but when all was over we
had only about fifty men out Of 200
left. We held the hill, and few
days later a shell came over and a
small piece caught me in the left
hand not much, though. / went to
the hospital and had light touch
If the "flu" while there. was in
hospital near Neaf Chateau.
I was in the drive ten days; and,
5elieve me, those ten days were the
longest month / ever spent anywhere,
Artillery and machine guns were too
olentiful up there for me. There were
no trenches, so we jumped from one
she'll hole to another like rats You
should have seen us digging holes to
ret in when we stopped in range Of
Flitz's guns. We carried little show
Els on our packs, and believe me, we
worked, too, when the shells were
falling around.
I got back to my company just in
time To take 45-mile hike, which
took us three days. ! was gone from
the company five weeks, and did not
'et any mail while gone, So got
about 80 letters at one time when |
rot back. / read so much / hardly
know what was in any Of them, ex-
cept that nearly every one of them
had an account Of some ones funeral,
so / don't think we are so unlucky to
be in France, after all. The "flu"