Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-01-23
Camp 6 Field


southern part of the county and was
vzith Lieutenant Lloyd 10. Battles OF
Baraboo at the time Of the big excite
xnent on the French front. Both went
from Ouantico to France on the same
boat and in an interesting way
Private Schlag tells Of his experiences.
He attended school in Baraboo ana Is
related to the Mathews family on Third
saveu4ae. In a letter to his father at
Prairie du Sac Private Schiag says:
Ny Dear Dad:
don't believe that IhaEe written
you a letter since have been IN
France. Since this is Fathers Day
feel that / should write you at con-
siderable length and tell what can re-
sra1 of orr more narrowing experiences
an France.
We left OuanticoT,Va.. on the morn
1nx of October Is, 1917, arriving IN
philadelphia the afternoon OF that
day.
Went to the navy yards that even
ing and went aboard the U. D "A. Won
scfeyben. one of the interned German
ships. formerly the Kronprinz Wilhelm
sThe next morning we moved down lhlo
Ngw York harbor and laid there until
she evening of OCTOBER 81, wren we
showed off for France.
Everything went smoothly untli the
eavening of November 8, when the Won
ssste,,hen was rar2med ty the Agge-
rDennonn, formerly the Princess Ce-
aeelia.) The ship was quite Dauly
damaged but managed to keep on her
course. AS the accident occurred III
maid-eeean there was naturally plenty
erf excitement on beard.
On the morning of November ~ we
sailed into the harbOr at BreSt FRANCE
We STAYED aboard the ship until NO
qveuber 10. only going ashore once Tor
a parade through the citys streets'
We were very we'll received. Tne glrls
threw flowers at us and the KloS
gbummed cigarettes from us.
On the 10 we went aboard trans
suvl travelled to Lormont, suoufO
eynf bordeaux. While in camp tnele
*hirtv of us were sent to the village
.os Marcheprime, about twenty kllo-
-s,,eters south of BOrdeau we spent
-abouf FIVE weeks there LOADING pine
slabs on freight cars to be sent TO
sa;rFarent camps and used as 'firewood'
"a Canadian outfit of Forestry corps
operated a saw mill there.
On the second OF January we re-
e.efvtz9 orders to move and the next
,T7ax we went abroad trains and moved
an tea village called Damblain in the
county of Haute Marve. From tnere
~sva mixed to a little village calieo
tgry,aumont-Ia willie, about five kllo-
xoefers distant. Then followed about
two months of the most intensive
,4ra1n1ng that soldiers ever had.
On the first Of March we went
aboard trains again and moved TO the
sFront I forgot to say that had the
and spent two weeks in the hospltaI aC
Neufetateau aleng with a pal named
Gordon Mercer a fine young reno"
from Alabama.
Well we left the train at place
Dnouy. The village had been almost
entirely ruined by shell fire. We h1Keo
from here to azcamp a couple OF miles
from the lines. About two nights later
-sss,e went into the trenches.
we spent about sixty days ratner
ayC1etly there. Had one little scrap IN
(Which we beat off couple OF hundred
German engineers, who came over IN
.yostigating one evening. This was
~agbss,1f the last of April and L got a
ay1ess OF gas along with heaVy colo
ana yvas evacuated to the hospital at
s3aI1Tl1y. 49,
I rssEofned the company on May 70
at a place called Montagny, near Paris.
son May u or the IS. believe we hearo
s,bat the Germans had started new
offensive and had taken scissors.
On the evening OF May 80, CDecora-
4ifm dav.) we received orders to be
ready to leave in trucks. we lalu
around all night and left the next
morning in trucks, going toward
asybateau Thierry and crossing ! the
Marine at MeauK. AS we nearedNtne
Marine we met load after load OF
refugees. dragging back whatever they
could. One could see carts loaded with
all the household goods that might Oe
-piled on some drawn by horses, some
NV oxen. and occasionally one drawn
by an OK and a horse. Always lot
sof children following on foot. Here
and there one might see little girl
wuiih her doll carriage and dolls.
After riding all day and all night
we arrived in village named sMon-
8reuil.
The village was almost deserted as
Tar as civilians were concerned. They
ueft plenty of hard cider and wine
there.
Well, we slept there for about four
hours and started UP, toward the lines.
We got In without any trouble for the
Germans had been coming too fast Tor
shefr artillery to keep with them,
therefore the roads were not being
shelled. But they had the F'renchmen