The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-01-17

Mailed from the Front Noy. 5, 1918
AS irresistible as the surging waves
of the incoming tide, waves Of Ameri-
can fighting men have swept into and
over German strongholds and far into
enemy territory in the Valley of the
| Meuse.
With the smashing, hammering,
Notwithstanding power of storm driv-
en- surf, American shock troops have
struck whenever the Kaiser's wall of
men and steel threatened to hold.
The waves have steadily advanced
and the meek Of the bottle" through
which Prussia's legions sought to es-
cape almost certain humiliation is
closed. Therefore for the inglorious
retreat of the Hun lines from Bel
GUM, for the glorious sweep for
ward of the allied armies, and for
the imminent collapse of the House
of Hohenzollern give Americas first
army its need of thanks.
Among. all regiments that went
into action in the Valley of the
Meuse the one that distinguished
itself the most was the Thirty eighth
United States infantry, the famous
Rock Of the Marine. A regiment of
veterans who won rundying glory by
alone stopping two divisions of Ger
mans in the enemy drive of July IA
Is, and led by Colonel Frank FL. Ad-
ans, winner of the Distinguished
Service Cross, they fully merit the
honor of being used as shock troops
by the allied high command.
A hard task was allotted to the
Thirty-eighth. They were. ordered
to break through some of the Ger
mans strongest defences, go on, and
prepare the way for other Americans
to follow. In later years, when his
torians record the deeds of our
men on this. sector of the western
front, it will be written that the
Thirty-eighth did its big bit with
noble heriosm.
Meanwhile I will write briefly of
what the regiment has just done
and endured.
After several days and nights of
| marching over roads and fields that
were being pounded by enemy long
range guns the Thirty-eighth took
up a position before the German
lines and prepared to attack.
Just as the sun swung into position
one morning not long ago the wore
was given and the boys went over the
top.
What happened as the battalion;
4 formed waves and advanced is almos
beyond the. power Of imagination tt
picture or words to describe.
From their carefully prepared posi-
tions in trenches on the crest OF
hill, and in thick woods, the enem.
oreeted us with an awful salvo O
fire.
Immense batteries of artillery hurl
/ ed tons of shrieking shells upon us
/ Great, jagged pieces of metel tor
Il gaping holes in our lines.
But we went on!
/ Machine guns concealed in score
of nests ahead and on flank position
4 sang their terrifying tack-tack-tac
song while the murderous little stee
| missiles moved US down. Whlz
/ bang shells ripped and tore at GU
II ranks and clouds of gas choked~ an
II smothered us.
II Still we went on!
II Never stopping, not even to aid ia
II len comrades, the boys of the Thirty
II eighth swept on, unfilnchlngiy' III
III hesitatingly.
II Shoch troops must be OF her
IL blood. They must ungrudglngly pa
III the toll-and advance.
III The Rock of the Marine rolled o
H resistlessly through the terrible ne
H OF German steel, leaped Germa
L trenches, striking down the few fot
II who dared to remain and clash ba.
II onets. Machine gun nests were su
IL rounded and the crews eXtermlnate
II by our men. With never lessem1
HI force the regiment rolled on, mere
" less, relentless, gloriously brave.
III The colonel led his troops. Cool
II grinning, he dared the worst OF II
III German fire, cheering and encoura
Ill ing the men by his presence. l s s.
III him standing at the edge of thici'
III smoking a cigar and calmly studyll
III the positions to which his men we
II going. One company passed close
II him and he called to them
Ill @You's got them on the run, boy
Il All you've got to do now is to ke'
Il them going"
Ill The soldiers looked into the
III leaders fearless smiling face, smil
III back at him and went on with
HI newed courage and impetus.
iii A second lieutenant was hit IN
HI head by machine gun bullet tn
W tore through his helmet, ripped