Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-03-07

will keep until got home and that
could tell it much better than could
write it. Then again I did not care
to tell you anything about my being
at the front, because you had anxiety
enough, without that; but now I will
try to give you little along this line.
We first went to the front in the AL
SAGE sector along about the last Of Sep
tember, and remained there until the
last Of October when we went to the
Verdun sector. It was pretty quiet in
the Alsace sector; but when we got
over around Verdun, we found things
more lively. It was here that we be-
gan to make acquaintance with the
big shells. First we could hear them
at distance; but it was long before
we began to see them and some Of US
felt them; but I cannot begin to tell
you all the details in this connection.
We went over the top the morning
the armistice was signed. We were on
OUR way to the line from which we
were to start on Sunday. We spent the
night in shell holes and with shells
falling about US every second 1t was
not at all pleasant. It looked like
each shell was coming right after us,
and we did not know which way to
move or whether to move at all. It
seemed to me that each shell that
came in my direction was bringing my
number and I went from one shell
hole to another, without finding it any
better in the new hole than in the one
I had left. I thought that all of us
were going to be blown away; but as
It turned out only two or three were
wounded.
When 1t began to get dark they quit
shelling us and we got together in a
hole that was fit to sleep in. You
would not think fellow would want
to sleepfn any such place as that; but
we did sleep, or most Of us did; the
machine guns kept popping all right,
and occasionally there was big shell;
but it did not seem to worry US much
any more, because all this SEEM
ed so tame compared with what we
had been through that we took little
notice Of it.
It is a common saying here, that no
matter how bad things are, II you will
look about you, you will find some
thing to be glad about. Amongst
those in our shell hole were several
boys who had fallen into a creek and
who with their wet clothes on were
terribly uncomfortable in the cold.
felt sorry for those boys; but was
glad that had not fallen in the creek.
don't think shall ever forget the
tune Of the machine gun bullet. This
tune became very familiar out there,
and the bullets, they don't mind how
close they come to a fellows ears.
There was some racket stirred up
when we went over the top. Every
fellow had his grit with him and kept
going until 1t was time to stop. Shells
were bursting among and around us,
and machine gun and shrepnel bull
let's were singing by, before and behind
us in every direction. Some Of the
boys were getting wounded and it
seemed that every second would be the
last. During brief halt two boys just
next to me were hit by machine gun
bullets. crawled up and bound the
wound Of one Of them and I crawled
over and doctored the other one also.
T. After a little further advance, the
situation became so hot becarse Of
flanking machine gun fire that it was
deemed bsst$o go back little, in or
der 20 siyes them more room. The
maoa ssssn bullets seemed as thick
as BszkabS xar1n. AS we were dou-
bissf kaSs cs6sss& field. I caught up
wlSSS,sk 5SshSMas limping along
with So bsiEf S49d. He suggested
that Z Isssa hfn; little-44rI
would, asaea felt like I wa.