The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1919-02-06
Letters From Where Grim Death
Reigned.
Continued from page II

!
| doughboys and three of our own
men fall. This was a fierce bat
tie and lasted about s hours, bu
we were under heavy artillery
and machine gun fire until min,
o 'clock that night, at which time
we went back to the starting
place and thot we would have
a rest and just got our packs
placed in our old dugouts when
we were called for supper, after
eating, orders came in for we As
men to go up again to hold a
position for the night.
The next morning L went out
over the late battle field and saw
many dead Sammies strewn over
large area.
While holding this position the
Doughboys were taking the fam
Gus hill No. 255. About ten this
day we advanced to the top of
hill 255 and took our position on
the top for the night. The follow
ing morning our company moved
forward and lay in dugouts all
day under heavy high explosive
shell fire. This day we had five
casualties. three killed instantly
and two slightly wounded.
AT 8 p. m. that evening we
were again relieved and marched
nearly all that night to the rear.
The following morning we
started for place where we
were to take trucks for a rail
head to be shipped to Belgium.
We reached this place that
evening and rested the next day
and finally learned we'd have to
instead of ride. There was
a three days march ahead of us
we did not know we
were to be sent to Belgium till
we nearly reached the end of this
extra three days hike. I'll say
there were very few men who
were in condition to make this
march. However, only three or
four dropped out of our COM
pany. Altogether we marched
over 60 miles, and most of the
men were nearly played out and
several were totally exhausted.
When you think of fighting |
against the Kaiser's best trained
;roops for Is days and then hik-
ng 60 miles with but "a hours
lest, you will wonder how we did
t. The Sammies were out to win
his war and they did it.
We finally reached the rail
head and got aboard box cars to
)e shipped to Belgium, after
;hree days ride we landed near
pres on shell torn land where
We scarcely had room to pitch
,ur little tents for the shell holes
we're so close together. The next
lay we started on an all days
march across the late Ypres no
nan s land for a small town
where we took billets. to rest up
md fill up gaps, getting ready
or the big, already planned,
Flanders drive. We got our COM
,any refilled and finished the
chedule and on Oct. % we start
d on a march for the front. That
light we were billeted again and
tayed there till the morning of
he 30th, when we again struck
nut for the front, marched all
orenoon and rested from two
'clock until seven that evening
nd then again took up the
1arch. At four o'clock the fol
owing morning the whole COM
ANY was put into an old barn,
rowded and jammed in like sar-
ines in a can.
All day Of the 31st we lay in
turnip patch and were again
illeted that evening.
On the morning of Nov. LIST we
lade an advance, this was later
nown as the turnip drive on the
handlers front. Again the one
latoon was sent out to act as
support between
he French and American troops
hould gap occur between
hese two units we were to fill
4 the gap About noon on the
st we took our position and had
dvanced but about a thousand /
ards when we had eleven cas-
alties and later in tire day we
ad two more, a total of Ii cas-
alties this one day out Of a pla .
Don of 48 men, among these was
corporal Roy Drake who was j
rounded in the leg by high ex-
losive shell fragments.
About 2:30 this day the pla- +,
Don advanced thru a small town
nd took a position just back of s
ludennarde, here we dug in for (
ne night and were under heavy
nell fire all the while. The fol
wing morning the air was !