The daily morning oasis., 1919-11-21
How Bravery Won
An Undying Fame
and a FanauS
Sobriquet
Colonel Entered the War as
Private and Won His Pro-
motion by Gallantry and
Bravery in Conflict.
Albuquerque Herald)

\]AAON1tCAHNS AAOAc Acio(
Col. Dan Morgan Smith, COM
mander of the famous Battalion of
DEATH" who is to speak at the Pres
byterian Church Sunday afternoon at
8 o'clock and at the High School at
8 p. M, is one of the most interesting
lecturers on the American platform
and at the same time one of the
greatest heroes of the world war.
The history of this man reads like
novel. He was born Of one of the
old families of Virginia, educated as
lawyer and rose high in his pro-
fession. He became assistant corpor-
alton lawyer of the city of Chicago,
judge advocate Of the state of Illi-
nois, a member of the bar of the U.
S. supreme court, and special u. S.
attorney and federal prosecutor at
Chicago. He was one of the most
prominent governmental house-clean-
ing prosecutors that section ever had,
and his name was terror to crooks
high up.
Then came the great war and Hon.
Dan Morgan Smith left his position
of trust and honor, went to a recruit
ing officer and said, "My names
Smith, and I want to join the army"
They crowded his more than 200
pounds into doughboy's uniform and
he was now "Private Smith" like
many another of the same name. No
pull for him, but plenty of push. He
rapidly attracted the notice of his
superior officers and rose from the
ranks to major, and was assigned to
the 357th Infantry, Goth Division.
Soon after going to France he was
transferred to the 358th Infantry, and
commanded the first battalion in the
st. Mihiel drive at Fey en- Heye, Viii
cey, Brany, Hill 1904, Les butt Chem
enes, Lesquartre Chemenes, Verdun
and the Argonne forest.
At Les quatre Chemenes he COM
manded the first and third battalions,
of what was left of them, for they
had been so depleted that there were
not enough of the two taken together
to make one complete battalion, only
112O of them left. Orders came, cad
vance and fight en-place (stay till
you're killed)" and so fierce was their
onslaught that the flank troops did
not keep up, and these two battalions
fought their way into the German
line so far hat they found themselves
cut off from their own forces. They
dug in here and stool off three times
their own number, and so deadly was
their fire that prisoners taken said
they thought there was whole regi-
ment over there and were afraid to
attack. Some of these tried treachery
when they saw how they had been
fooled, but "There were some prison
ers what amt" Finally they cut
their way out and back to their own
lines, but of the 1920 who went out to
battle only 327 came back. 1t was
here that they won the name of "Bat-
talon of Death" not because so many
of them were killed, but because they
killed so many of the Germans.
On their return Major Smith was
promoted to the rank of colonel for
"Gallantry in action (bravery on the
field of battle) and able handling of
his battalion
In this lecture this master orator
described the life of the soldier-in
camp-in the trenches-over the top
and back victorious. He shows the
battle in the ground-on the ground
and in the air. The meeting is free.
Colonel Smith will lecture at the
Methodist Church on Thursday even