Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-08-17
An American Doughboy in
France
BY ELLIOTT f. HOFFMAN
Historian of Alexandria Post, No.
"a, American Legion.)
(For the Alexandria Gazette.)
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
(Continued.)
(For the Alexandria Gazette.)

vance and at five-pace interval we
moved cautiously out of the wood to
a point on a high knoll overlooking
the thick woods in the Argonne For
est, reaching this place about $50 p.
m. The enemy was well fortified here
in concrete trenches and by several
series of double barbed wire entan-
clements, some of which were camou-
flaged in such way as to make them
almost invisible. Here we rested
while our trench mortar company
shelled the Germans out Of their dug
outs into the woods. We fixed our bay
onets on the rifles, and with detail
of wire cutters in front we stood
awaiting the Captains signal to
charge down he hill through the bar
! bed wire entanglements after the
! enemy. That was a spectacular, but
dreadful sight--those hundreds of
doughboys armed to the teeth and
J with bayonets fixed, forming long
lines that stretched for miles through
! the woods, standing at attention all
ready to launch forth against Ger
many's best troops. 1t seemed like
ages before the command came. Sud-
| denly it sounded! Down the hill into
| the woods we rushed, with bayonets
straight ahead. Each man was his
own commanding officer-not single
command came from our officers UNI
til we had reached our objective. The
tick! tick! tick! of the machine gun
was heard. Then the faint call of
"Stretcher bearer! Stretcher bealcr!"
Americans and Germans were drop
ping to right and left. Our first lieu
tenant, great big splendid Southerner,
was the first to fall, shot through the
chest by a machine gun bullet. He
still chung to his pistol and continued
TO cry out Get 'em boys!" until his
voice became too weak to be heard.
An Alexandria boy who served as
stretcher bearer helped to carry this
brave officer to the rear and when he
was placed in the ambulance he still
held firmly to his "gat."
On and on we went, scarcely yard
gained without the less of at least
one man. The scene was indescribable
blood everywhere, the delirium and
the insane rawlings of the wounded
and dying heard on every side. 1t was
almost unbearably heart rending and
soul sickening. ! wonder if any man
who was in the terrible Argonne bat
tie can ever hear a mention of war
again without visualizing the horrors
of that time! A corporal of our squad
who, a few minutes before we moved
over the top, had said that he had n
premonition that he was "going west
was struck in the neck and killed in
stantly by an explosive machine gun
bullet. Another boy jus. behind
head and the man directly in front
was shot in the knee. Only two of the
squad escaped All were victims of
the Hun SHIPPER who came out cry
ing, "Camerade! CameradeI But it
was no time for mercy and taking
prisoners was not to be thought of,
so down he fell with bullet shot anil
bayonet thrust from American
doughboys.
Through the woods into an open
spot we charged, with German ma
chine gun fire sweeping every inch
of space before US. Here and there
the biz shell holes made or advance
possible. Each man would sight a
shell hole near him and when he
thought the chances were about even
he would run for that hole. By these
means we gained our objective 1t was
nghtfall when we reached that point
and even then the machine gun bull
lets of the enemy whizzed by our
heads like May flies. We withdrew
few yards back into the woods and
there dug our holes to sleep in behind
trees. Later in the night the company
moved to the road to be better fortl-
fled for the next days advance. A few
of on members were sent out on pat
rol duty, while some were sent to the
rear to fill the canteens of the COM
pany and the others made ready for
the advance which was to be begun
at daybreak.
Our dead lay around unburied and
the means of the wounded could be