Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-03-11
WINNERS OF THE war
Spirit Of the American Soldiers Did
the Trick
EXPERIENCES OF PASTOR MCMILLAN

i His Place and Went to the War
! Tells of the Things He Saw at the
! Front-Says the Fighting Spirit Die
i More Than GeneraIship.
4 Pee-Dee Advocate.
Rev. ]. A. Mcmillan, of McColl, made
4 an interesting talk in the crowded
Sunday school room of the Thomas
4 Memorial Baptist church last Wed.
4 nesday night. He has recently re.
L turned from France where he was en-
gagged in Y. M. C. A. work among the
American soldiers. He said that there
had been in the papers a great deal
Of criticism Of the Y. M. G. A. work
There were Y. NJ. c. A. secretaries
I among the many sent, who were not
4 what they should be, but the great ma
/ jority were good and true men, and
your money was well spent. There
is definite movement to discredit the
Y. M. C. A because it is a protestant
Organization.
The Y. M. c. A. has done great
work, but nothing can take the place
Of the church as teacher of the gos-
pei of Jesus Christ.
L The boys over there are the same
that they are over here, deep down II
their hearts, although removed from
the influence of mother and sister and
home and church. I did not see but
one white man from Marlboro in
France-young Stanton from Wesley.
HE was clean and manly there, as he
Lis at home.
i Only one man in five who went to
France saw service, though they all
twere eager to get into the fight. Most
of those from around here were in
service, for the 30th division was in
the thick of 1t.
| Did you know, said Mr.. Mcmillan, that
the Thirtieth had 10 per cent casual
ties? Out of every hundred there were
ten more killed or wounded than they
had in the division.
3 Mr. Mcmillan explained this para
\ doxical statement by saying that 1t
was on account Of men. being replac-
FED. The division was made over as
they were wounded and killed.
The most disappointed of all were
those who were almost at the front
when the war stopped. Mr.. Mcmillan
Twas with one such crowd, who were
in sight Of the battle when the arm
istice was signed; and they did not
lrestrain their profanity.
/ The people over there are not like
Jour people. They do not like US, ex-
tcept in general way, and we don't
Hike them. The British and Amer-
kcan soldiers can't get along togeth-
I er without fighting with their fists.
1t is because they both brag so much.
The Americans make fun Of little
England, and say they can walk across
1t in half a day. When the British
show them the River Thames the
Americans says, "Why we call that a
creek" When shown their biggest
buildings, five stories high, the Ameri-
can makes fun of it, and tells about
the skyscrapers at home. Then the
British soldier says something not
nice about America, and the American
hits him in the face.
The American and French get along
fine. Although the Americans make
fun of the little Seine and other things
French the Frenchman does not re-
sent. He just lets the American go on
Dragging, and they lock arms and have
a good time together.
Mr.. Mcmillan said he thought Gen.
Foch's ability as a strategist had been
overestimated. They say Hindenburg
made powerful massed drives, but had
to stop; that when Foch started, he
kept hitting one lick after another, and
never stopped. This was not French
strategy. He had to keep on to keep
up with the American soldiers. When
they started, they couldn't be stopped.
They disobeyed all orders to halt or
retreat or dig in. Foch had to move
the rest of the army up to keep in t"
with them. It was the hardheaued,
daredevil foolhardiness Of the Amer
lean soldiers that drove the Germans
back.
| Mr.. Mcmillan discussed camoufage,
an art with which women were familiar.
but which men just got into in this
war. The ships and trucks were paint
ed so as to fool the enemy. Great can
non were hidden by bushes. You could
stop in the midst of a great army and
think you were alone in forest. The
soldiers were hid.
Bennettsville Negro Got Two.
In Paris, said Mr. Mcmillan, I met
John Cook, a colored brick mason
from Bennettsville, and we had a
glorious time. John, what are you
doing here?"
He said, I'm wounded" and told
with great glee about the bullet in his
shoulder.
asked, John, have you killed a
German?"
He said. "Yes, killed two, I was
out in the Argonne with my lieuten-
ant and a bullet came out Of bunch
of bushes and killed the lieutenant.
I Jumped behind tree and commenced
shootin' at them bushes. The man In
| the bushes he soon quit shootin' but
I KEEP on and shot hundred times.
Then we went up to the bushes. and 1t
look like every one Of them bullets had
hit him. He sho wuz dead.
And then one day, l was walking
among the bushes in the Argonne'
and me and a great big German met
up right face to face. / sho wuz
skeered. He was skeered too, for he
throw up his hands and holler KAN
erad." Then I joog him with my bay
onet"
The boys over there have learned to
despise camouflage said Mr.. Mcmillan
and to tear Il away and seek the truth