The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-31

days of the Argonne forest battle. Col
onel Carpenter was with the Kansas
Missouri division Immediately before
sailing for this country and is bearing
many personal MESA es from the
Kansas boys to their folks back home.
Today the Kansas delegation in con-
gress. attended luncheon at which
the Red Cross worker told the story
of the Argonne forest as he had OBJ
,, tanned it first hand from the Kansas
soldiers. ~
1.-The most accurate estimates of the
actual casualties of the division in this
battle said Colonel Carpenter. place
them around $500 to 5000. That in
Guided the killed and wounded 1 no
! tice the war department places those
actuaay killed and died of wounds up
to November L at S27. That number
has been swelled some since by more
deaths from wounds. Roughly, the di-
vision lost 25 per cent of its strength
in killed and wounded in theesix days
and five nights of the worst battle of
| the entire war.
Says March Statement Wrong.
Colonel Carpenters attention was
| called by Representative Little to the
| statement of Chief of Staff March,
that at no time during the battle did
! any American troops get beyond range
! of artillery support. The Kansan said
in the most emphatic way possible that
| this statement was not correct. He
said the Kansans had fought the last
few days of the battle against the
| n.assed German artillery, machine
guns, gas and airplanes, with little ar
tillery support; that it had been inn
| possible to bring the guns up over the
| territory thru which the KansanS and
A1issourians had fought their way. He
also told Of Kansans being forced to
! defend themselves by rifle and pistol
| fire against German airplanes gswoop-
| ing down on them, but said he did not
| care to go into the air phase of the
| battle at all, as he was not military
| man. He said the Kansas soldiers
! would give their folks the truth of the
! battle once they get home.
I'm not particularly concerned over
a congressional investigation at this
| time Colonel Carpenter said. That
| division is made up of the finest men
from Kansas and Missouri. They are
able to look after themselves and will
| most certainly do it when they get
| home. The folks will find out the real
story of what they went up against
then. And the more they hear of the
great victory they won, the prouder
they will be of them"
Apex of the Battle.
| Colonel Carpenter told how the di-
| gonne sector and formed the apex
! of the drive against the Huns.
| Before it lay the very worst terri
tory of ALL Colonel Carpenter said.
| "They led the big American drive.
/ The French said the first detectives of
| the Americans were simply impossible
i of capture: that it was a position that
couldn't be taken. Zero hour was 5
o'clock the morning of the twenty
sixth of September. The men went
forward under~orders that there was
to be no retreat or falling back. An
| officer who would have ordered a re-
treat would have been shot. But it
needed no such instructions as that.
The Kansas and Missouri boys went
forward with irresistible zeal and in
side of an hour and forty-ffve minutes
the impossible position was captured
Should Be Brought Home.
1.-The 35th Division ought to be
brought home" Colonel Carpenter
said. "They feel they are Nentitled to
come home. and the people of Kansas
and Missouri ought to do what they
could to see that they are brought
home. They were down on the Mexi-
can border, and then had hardly got
home before they went into this war
They have practically seen three years
of service and done it ungrudgingly
and uncomplainingly. They are proud
of their record, but modest. They fee
that they are entitled to come home
in the order of their length of service
That's the one thing they ask. 1t is
hard for the men over there to under
stand why divisions that didn't get
into the fighting at all should be sent
home at once and division that did
and has been away from home prac-
tically three years, counting the bor-
der experience. should have to wait
The men have just one request from
their home folks now-that is get
them home. and they think they are
| entitled to that consideration