The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-04-28
REv. W. ". Drunk IN FRANcE
Continued from Pase one)

home. AT different places through |
this section we found American sol /
diers in camp engaged in some inter
est OF the U. S. Government; they all I
had decided interest in seeing their /
friends at home again.
| have been in Verdun two days. !
Here is the fortress that stood the
test and defied the most determined |
and drastic efforts of the great Hun
War Machine. and resisted successful. |
" every attempt to advance by the |
enemy, thereby breaking the back
bone of the German army. Verdln
has been the hub around which has
revolved the desperate struggles for
the rulership of the world. The evil
dences of this awful struggle are very
apparent.
Yesterday we visited Fort Doua-
mont and Fort Vaux and Death Val
ley. These are about seven miles
north east of Verdun. These two
forts were captured by the Germans
in 1916 and Douamont was held by
them for eight months; Fort Vaux
was held for four months during this
same period. Today We have visited
the section northwest of Verdun. in.
Guiding Dead Mans Hill, the tunnel
of the Crown Prince, which extends
about one mile under the hill, ald
was used for moving troops from enc
side to the other.
We visited Hill No. 304 that was so
often taken and retaken by the
French and Germans. Also Crows
Woods, that may have been a woods
in the past, but now only old snags
and stumps remain. with possibly not
whole tree left standing in miles of
forest. Also the Crown Princes
Tower, about six miles back of the
former German lines. | should men,
ton also Fort Marie. where the kais-
er had appointed the Crown Prince
should meet him and escort him into
the city of Verdun, when that city
had fallen into the German hands.
1t is needless to say that this meeting
has been indefinitely postponed. We
could see clearly the Twins of Ornes,
where the Kaiser came to witness the
great battle of April 1915, when he
expected to inspire and witness a
great victory, but only saw company
after company and regiment after
regiment moved down by the French
guns, until they were piled in heaps
in Death Valley where hundreds Of
thousands persisted.
The whole country about Verdin
is marred and SCARED beyond any
recognition as to what it formerly
was. In many places the surface of
the ground has been literally pound.
ed into pulp and has been so often
churned by the great guns that il
more resembles saw dust then soil
The great holes made by the heavy
artillery are so close one upon the
other that an attempt to walk over
the fields only means climbing out OF
one hole into another and then an
other in continual process.
On Pepper Box1Hill it is safe to say
that there are very few feet. bf bof
that remain in their former position
|. sat for time alone overlooking
Death Valley, and the horror of IL al
came before me like a nightmare
Today | was alone on Dead Mans
Hin; the awful desolatioh and tn,
dread stiffness of death everywhere
was most oppressivey Il felt Irwantet
to get away from It all 1 Y b
Most of the work OF cleaning NJ
l wreckage has been done near tn
city, but out little way the battle
field remains very much as it wa
7 November 18th. a. There are, all kind
|. / Of weapons OF broken veIliclesk g
clothing and occasionally a hunal
body yet untouched. Dugouts o
great variety are numerous as III
sand of the sea. Wire ENHANCEMENT
|. in every direction are without nun
: Der; and trenches running at ever
conceivable angle extend for HUI
dreds of miles in even small sector
I. and the whole country for fiftee
- miles from Verdun is a belt Of con
plete desolation.
4 Tomorrow | shall go to Rheims an
to Chateau Thierry the next day. o
10 the way | will visit the Argonne 70
,, est and the city of Chalons, where Il
re first battle of the Marne was fougl
, between the French and Germans
Al A n act wpak whila nj No