The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-11

had flung an insult into his camp. rAito- gether the men of the Alabama regiment
 won g Distinguished Service Crosses, 70 Croix De Guerres, two Congressional medals and r Belgian decorations of va rious kinds" But I was still laying for him and went on innocently to ask if any were cited by their regmental commander, Col w. P. Screws, to be informed that
 90 had received the honor, and that qulte
 q few Birmingham men were among the number I wasn't at all surprised at this. Get this into your head" he said, "and quit pumping me for a minute and let me eat in peace. 'The regiment | fighting power was officially recognized | by the French government. for when it | was given it's citation for unusual bravv | cry it got the name of Tigers for It's i fierce fighting qualities, 8 sobriduet given by the French to Clemenceau, their own | Intrepid leader Even the Germans paid 1 it a high tribute, and the American con- | gressional medal of honor was first pre- sented to one of it's members for excep- | tional bravery on the field of battle 1 STORY OF BAYONET FIGHT | "If you want your blood stirred,' said 1 he his eyes flashing, just listen to this. | We had the first and only organized great | hayonet fight with a regiment of Prussian Guards at Croix Rouge farm. The Ger | mans ndu idl0 q ucdNN diicSo oh ''N l lines held by the One Hundred and Sixty Seventh. When the barrage lifted the en- i emy charged in the old famous mass for l nation The advance American troops
 were commanded by Mai. John w. Car roll of Ozark He issued stirring orders i "'Hold your fire, men, We will slVe | them the bayonet
 ''The Alabamians fixed their bayonet, | and with the ringing southern yell, sprans l over their low ramparts, meeting the Ger mans about 50 feet from their front lines. 1 No quarter was asked and none given. | After about 20 minutes of fierce fighting | the enemy was thrown back by cold steel. 1 and the Alaba amians remained in posses l sion of the field.
 l Tt is an old story. Rome shortened her l sword and conquered the world. But the ! Americans went the Romans one better 1 for the bowie knife marks the highest 1 type of fighting courage. He whose for-
 bears yielded such a close contact weapon
 might wi be expected to do bloody work
 with the bayonet and so an open space
 in front of the lines was covered with l dead. Our loss was not a sheavy as that /, oe the Prussians In one heap, 2IS Prus- sians lay, their bodies touching. Not one 1 Of them had received a bullet wound. | The knife had done it's work. There were many more victims of Alabama's ferocify scattered all around the field This IS the l only such thing which has occurred our- | ing the whole war. Little wonder that l the Germans had no stomach for sucn knife fighters.
 | The mere recital of the casualties pays silent tribute to the desperate fighting qualities of the men. The Alabama reg iment suffered losses of 5o5 killed, So0o wounded and total casualties of no per cent, necessitating so many replacements that it has practically lost it's old iden- l tity.
 This was to be expected as it began it's career as shock regiment in the great defensive battle against the Germans in | Champagne on July 15 1918. In this. its | first major action. the regiment took a l splendid part in the bloody repulse inflict- ed by General Gouraud's Fourth army i upon the great German offensive, ana earned the official and personal commen- da ton of the French command.