The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-02-18
ABBEV|LEE SOLDIER TELLS,OF HIS
EXPERIENCES DURING ARMY LIFE

seasoned up as soldiers. After this
we were sent back to France and we
made the trip in cars whose capacity
was thirty men, but we went forty
five or fifty strong to each car, many
were on fiat cars which were also
loaded with wagons and trucks. We
went to village called Vallioren
and were the first American troops
in the town. We were not greeted
as saviors of the world but were
given a warm reception-the natives
Immediately run the price of cham
pagne up over a dollar bottle,
which made US all warm under our
we'll fitting military collars. Lieut..
Wilkinson and I went into restau-
rant one night and w. D. wanted
to test out whether or no champagne
would bubble and sparkle, as the
poets say, so he gave his bottle a
good shake. 1t bubbled, all right
went right up just like the price
and came down all over me, the ia
BILE, W: D. and the pretty waitress
standing near, all mattresses in
France being pretty, Of course.
We stayed here a week and had
quite a compliment paid us for the
30th and the 9th were made Cen
eral Headquarters Reserves, or in
other wards, were selected as "shock
troops" One of our first experiences
in the genuine horrors Of war was
one night, without any warning
whatever we were loaded on lot OF
London Motor buses and Travelled
in the darkness and rain, all night
long without the slightest knowledge
of where we were going or what was
going to happen. Viewer landed at
Tincourt and nothing really happen
ed but from here we went into line
in front of Bellecourt, which was the
strongest part of the Hindenburg
line. Here we first saw action and
were under genuine shell fire. There
we're plenty of shells, gas and big
bombs. Our boys showed sports
manlike spirit and went at the fight
like veterans. We were preparing to
"bust" the lire and in five days we
had four hundred casualties, mostly
in wounded. We came out as Divis-
ion Reserves, in other words we were
to follow up the advance.
What did you eat when yop were
in line?
Well, mostly canned goods and
cold coffee. The coffee was always
cold when it got up to where we
were.
When we moved back we hiked fif-
teen miles to Toutencourt and or
ders were posted saying the Division
had come out for "well earned and
we'll deserved rest", and that the
men would be issued clean clothes
and plenty Of good rations. Nothing
like this happened, however, for in
ttwo days we were loaded on lot Of
'wn. story army trucks, taken back
to II. first line trenches and slapped
'g1t into the fight where we stayed
i,ler in line or just behind the
lire, until the big fight was over.
1t is beyond the ken Of an ordi-
nary layman to understand the me-
thods used in the present day fight
ing and during this war we have had
to get used to such words as a
"t.rcnch," barrage, smoke screen, gas
mask, &C., and the people at home
have found it hard to know what
they mean. In this we are not un-
ike the soldiers for when asked to
describe a barrage, Lieut.. Neuffer
said it was beyond him. An English
man with a sense of humor has de-
scribed it thus: When asked how
he got wounded he replied that "he
was leaning against barrage when
it lifted and he fell and got hurt"
The time for attack is called the
zero hour and the hour and such
information" as is possible is given
the men beforehand. about fve-thirty