The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-01-15

Camp Upion) division marching tow.
ard the rear This is the division that
came into prominence through the
brave stand of its so-called Lost Bat
talon in the Argonne forest where
entirely surrounded by the enemy and
greatly oninumbered they refused TO
surrender after four days OF desperate
lighting and were eventually rescued
by the rest Of the division. The
major of the Lost Battalion who in
reply to the enemy's demand for sur.
render said i guess we viii just tell
them TO 90 to Hell. is native of
pittsfeld and a graduate OF Williams
college
Later that afternoon we passed
through Barbecue and there saw for
the first time the damage wrought by
the enemy aircraft In the heart of
the business section there was hard.
ly building standing for distance
CT block. The fifth night we spent
at Nieyes which we were glad to
leave as the place didn't have re.
deeming feature The sixth day. from
the point OF sightseeing. was the ban.
ner day of the trip. We had been rol.
ling along for but short distance
when We came upon q large aviation
( camp and as the day was clear many
of the flyers were up
After lunch We approached the
strongest OF French fortresscs with
almost breathless interest. There
we're near-front signs on every hand
showing the importance which the al.
/ lies attached to Old Verdun. the
mighty. Just before entering the
ruins we came upon thousands OF
shimmering crosses on the hillside
marking the graves Of those who like
I the once big city they had defended
with temerity and devotion. were
! peacefully sleeping. cannot con.
ceive OF more complete devastation
or anything more desolate than what
We saw there. As we emerged from
the place and beheld the battle. scar.
red walls that had not given way at
any point feeling akin to reverence
( for the old fortress came over us
/ Never so long as ! live will I forget
the utter destruction of Nordun and
! Etain. AZ the latter town | did not
notice one building intact Etain. |
understand. changed hands two or
three times and was accordingly nm
der the fire of both German and
French artillery.
"Tho seventh day of our Journey,
Sunday. took IT'S through comparative.
~ open country where we saw many
cannon under American guard AZ
noon we stopped at lower Lonewv for
gas and had lunch A whole division
OF our troops was there ON it's way ia
tho new front 4 very intelligent
French civilian told MS that the Ger
mans came upon the city muc/ soon
or than was expected and in much
larger numbers with the resul, tina
about 1000 French We're left to dofent
the fairly wellforil0ed town agains
10000 Germans After siege an,
bomhardment Of sc hours the II to
D handicap proved too much for IN,
French and all Of them who survive,
the fighting wero captured with wha
was left of the town.
Soon afierward We were. In tn
duchy of Luxembourg and It'll
later entered the capital city. pratt
modern town devoid of signs OF wa
4. with the exception of the prosenc
I OF few French and American so
: diors. The civilians seemed please
80 see MS pass through and locke
D. highly prosperous. Sunday nigh
most OF the company were billetod I
a laree moccupied but ub.to.dat
o dwelling in Grevenmachcr which wa
. the last town We visited before reacl
ing German soil Three OF us sci
goants slept in a room at the home q
/. q German who was surprisingly agree