The Carlisle independent., 1920-01-22
nth exploded and lifted the

~
side. 1t toppled there, a mass of
torn, rent and twisted steel. The
little French driver lay to one
side on the ground where he cud-
died in a heap. The conclusion
had broken every bone in his
body. Prisoners were stream
ing toward the rear. Some
looked sullen and others were
glad to be prisoners. Wounded
were carried back on filters, on
shoulders, Or limped along them
selves. Dead were lying where
they hal fallen. And men cursed
and fought their way forward,
trying by superhuman effort to
blot out of sight the things of
war which cried out to them
from every side.
(PART TWENTY NE)
Rest was something unknown
to us after that so-called irwin
chile salient had been wiped out
of German hands. The allied
troops, stimulated to new life
and vigor by the achievements
Of the American army, hurled
themselves against the Hun line
everywhere in a continuous as
sault. The American troops,
eager and enthusiastic for other
victories, held the critical place
in every attack. The Germans
stubbornly resisted every inch
of ground which was prepared
beforehand by nature and by
human ingenuity for just such
defensive warfare. Rugged hills,
tangled thickets, deep ravines
and impassableofords confront
ed the advancing troops every
where. Skillfully placed ma
chine gun nests and artillery
commanded every avenue of ap-
proach.
| 1t became a continuous battle
day after day. The same daily
program was followed at night
and sleep became something al
most forgotten except as a fond
memory Of days long since gone
by. Shivering from the cold and
wet was now looked upon as
mere matter of routine. Supply
trains were often blocked or had
difficulty in getting to US and
we went hungry. 1t was all
looked upon as a matter of
course and all fought only the
harder in order to finish the job
as soon as possible.
We no longer had time to
think ofanything outside the ac-
tual business in hand. 1t was a
move, grind, rush and fight for
twenty-four hours each day. We
had been wanting real action
and now we were receiving our
full measure. Doughboys crawl
ed from bush to bush andthick-
ct to thicket. Machine guns con-
st&ntly played upon them. The
deadly tat, tat Of the hidden
weapons never failed to charge
heavy human toll for each foot
of ground taken. But men could
not be stopped. They would
grimly fall and unflinchingly at
tack any nest of machine guns
when death seemed a certain re-
ward. Artillery broke up enc
my advance or pushed up to
shell machine gun emplace-
ments with direct fire while the
big guns played upon lines of
communication in the rear.
Men worked and fought until
it seemed human bodies could
not endure longer. Men ceased
to be human, they came mani
mate creatures whose endurance
had no limit. They rushed, they
walked, they crawled, they
wormed their way along on the
ground. They pulled guns for
ward with horses, they dragged
them up by hand. They hauled
shells and ammunition in trains,
they carried it on their should
ers. But they gritted their teeth
determined to do or die, fought
on day after day, night after
night and would not stop.
Shells no longer made Us
tremble. Shrapnel no more had
its horror. Gas no further fill
ed US with terror. Sleep was a
luxury almost forgotten. Rain
was with us ever. Mud was
companion always. Cold was a
~; +O. JoiIx- II1pC,o,, Vxyo, n ma