Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1919-12-11
FRONT At
SAINT MIH|EL
Major Lambert, Late Of En-
gineers. Back at University
Of Iowa
TELLS OF WAR WORK
Now Interested in Million Dollar
Campaign Of Iowa Memorial
Union for Student
Soldiers.

Iowa City, Iowa.-Life at the front
behind the great ST. Mihiel salient
was tres interessant," take it from
Major Byron James Lambert of the
Engineers, who in civil life is head of
the Department Of Structural Engi-
neering in the University Of Iowa.
Back at his old occupation, Major
Lambart is putting into the campaign
this month of the Iowa Memorial
Union to raise 100000 for memo
rial building at the State University
to the heroes of the World War and
the Civil and Spanish-American Wars
who were students or graduates Of
the State University the same energy
he put into building roads and bridges
and railroads "over there"
Working almost continuously under
enemy fire, with a gas mask always
ready, building roads at night, repair
ing them where artillery fire had
made them impossible, Major LAM
bert found army life anything but dull.
He and his men had been in France
nearly five months, he says, before
his battalion was ordered in August
of last year to move up to the front
and join the First Army. On report
ing to General Morrow. the chief en-
gineer, they were distributed over a
front extending from Belleville on the
Moselle River to Verdun, on the
Meuse. The battalion headquarters
were with Company H at the Ratten-
tout railhead, small village on the
east bank of the Meuse river 6 or
miles south of Verdun. Here were
one battalion colored service troops,
numbering about 1000, and some
white troops Their station was In the
Forest de Cinq Freres, an abandoned
French camp consisting OF tumble
down sheds and dugouts, which had
to be disinfected by the Sanitary
Corps thoroughly before being used.
Even then the rats were not EXTERN
mated, but, says Major Lambert,
"they were not particularly vicious,
and caused little loss of sleep"
At this time preparations for the
; great American advance were being
made, and the air was full Of rumors
concerning it. One of his jobs was
to build road from main highway to
large temporary hospital SO motor
ambulances could bring their burdens
to it, The territory was under fire
and Boche planes were constantly cir
: cling overhead. but though the men
at first got stiff necks from "sky gaz
ing" they gradually lost interest In
n the c.3emv niers. relying on their stee
!, helmets Tor protection against bullets
G and shrapnel
: about two or three days before the
e anticipated advance" says Ma1ol
I Lambert in relating his experiences o.
s those days, I'VE were asked to suppl,
o detail of fifty men to work at one o
the nearby hospitals. We selected
e platoon from the colored labor bat
S TALON and sent them out under I
white lieutenant They were told t.
dig water pipe trenches-some three
feet wide, four or five feet deep, ant
l. hundred yards or more in length
l. But when a second ditch was dug par
o allel to the first, and then third ant
. fourth and many more, suspicion be
It came certainty and the next day w
e had to send white men to continu
d the grave digging"
All the time there were troop move
r ments going OH from dusk until dawr
l. Stormy nights cars got stuck In tn
D mud or would go off the road into tn
te ditch requiring arduons work to re
e place them or make passable roa
II again. Night raiding parties OF tn
t, enemy were frequent. One night
party of Germans was found In tn
ID rear of one of Major Lambert's con
IS panies working at a quarry near tn
10 front lines in the forest OF Sommt
l. dieu. Shots were exchanged, bt
e, there were no casualties among til
~ engineers. Another night spy We
ID taken from boat on nearby canal
- but this event was SO common
caused no particular excitement
comments Major Lambert.
On September 8, just prior to tt
he big American drive. he was called
OF the headquarters Of the Field Arm
is and placed In charge Of the Bride
e. Department. On September IL Il
ne artillery preparation for the advan'
n began. lasting four hours, when Il
e infantry went into action.
u "From high hill near Flirey." M
II. jor Lambert relates, 1--WE could 81
ah the Germans retreating from the
OF Mihiel salient on the roads north
sc Mont Sec, burning villages. ammui
~ ton dumps and other material as tn
ho retired. In front OF us they were 6
IN ing so fast that our boys could hard
~ keep up. In a short time prlsone
ne began to come back in squads.
ne platoons and by companies. u
'n' bunch presented marvellous sPt
'ei tacle preceded by one Of our boys G;
rying a big switch and whistlil
Yankee Doodle, and followed by Q
i. other Sammie beating tattoo on
~. old pan. And the Huns seem
slt pleased, too. Can you imagine @
gu boys almost voluntarily submitting
he such humiliation?'
an-
.cu y,oD aMrrutA