The courier-index., 1919-01-17
GENERAL AND PRIVATE MEET


anti-aircraft guns ahead on the right,
and the German high-explosive ana
gas shells were pouring into Mont
faucon Wood, but every once IN
while the Ohio brigadier general III
his P. c., says the Stars and STRIPES
among the trees, found himself for
getting the battle ahead while ne
unused:
81 wonder how the boy is making
ont over there on the other SIDE OF
the hill? The machine gun nests
among those walls are hitting II
pretty lively on the other side TOO.
And Carl is somewhere in that val
lev that leads up to them.
Meanwhile. above little stream
that curved away toward the Meuse
at the right OF the height OF Mont
faucon, a doughboy stumbled on
through the brambles of barb wire
and the wilderness of blasted trees
and dead horses while the machlne
gun bullets from the hill swept
among the cratered slopes And as
he broke his way forward with MS
comrades dropping behind him, he
still had time to think:
Il wonder how dad is getting along
on the other side of the hill That
artillery over there sounds as il his
brigade must be right in 1t by this
time"
No Message Over There
That is the way father and son,
general and doughboy, found their
way past Montfaucon the second
dav of the Argonne-Meuse battle
But there were no messages over
signal corps wires to tell the general
that his son. a private in an ONO
infantry regiment, under another
brigade commander, was also think
ing about him. 1t wasn't like the
old DAYS when Carl might drop into
a telegraph office anywhere. dash
off a message on a blank form and
sit down to wait until father wired
the money.
Here. ahead of both father and son
was a stone city on hill that had
impregnable to assault by foot troops
but the tide of battle, while they
were thinking of one another. was
carrying the general by that NIL
fortress on the left, while his son
was being swept by on the right
with miles between them-and those
miles a stretch of death and fire
swept woods, valleys and hills.
Prior to all this there had been
the farewell before they went into
battle. That farewell was also then
first meeting in France. The gen
eral did not know until few hours
before the attack that his son was
near him. The boyle is scarcely
over 21-had walked into his fathers
! headquarters and saluted. There were
the usual greetings. Then the gen
eral had turned to his maps and his
runners. And Carl hurried back to
his company.
Wen Tell Mother
AS they said good bye the general
called TO the boy:
Remember, son, you're where
was and I'm prouder of you than |
can tell. Well tell mother all about
this when it's over"
When the boy had passed behind
the blanket that curtained the arch
ed doorway of the half-ruined house
where the generals post was, the
general told his staff the story of his
son.
81 didn't know he had joined up
until he walked into my office and
said: Dad, I've hooked up with the
Umpty-seventh' He said he was go
ed if he wanted anyone to hand him
anything because his old man was
a general.
81 patted him on the back and told
him. Son. I'm with you all the way.
| gave him some advice on things he
ought TO know-you see, l was a
private myself before the Spanish
American war This has been a
busy year, but Carts letters have
told me much-soldier's letters, you
know, very short, with nothing loose
or sentimental in them. 1t wasn't
until they showed the brigades up
| for this push that we came near
each other'
They Have a Secret
Montfaucon was held by dough
boys. The stone towers that had
stood out boldly among the ruined
walls were flattened in the wreckage
that lay over the whole height.
American artillery was firing over
| Montfaucons to the enemy lines in
the woods beyond. German shells
were. bursting among the American
| positions over the dugouts full OF
dead German soldiers. The Ameri
can lines lay up toward Clerges and
all the way in front OF Montfaucon
| to the right.
The Ohio brigadier generals p. C
now was miles ahead of where il