Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-08-18
ST. MIHIEL SECTOR
Miqhty Battlefield Still a Scene OF
Much Ruin.
RUSTED WEAPONS SCATTERED ABOUT
DR.. Mcconnell Reviews Scenes of Sc
verest Fighting and Gives Vivid De-
scription of the Situation AS He
Eipde II Nav

verest Fighting and Gives Vivid De-
scription of the Situation AS He
Finds 1t Now.
Correspondence OF The Yorkville Enquirer.
Verdun, France, July 20, 1922.
All A. f. +. who haven't been back
to the st. Mihiel sector will want to
know how the place looks at this date.
We drove from Metz to st. Mihiel with
good car, the four of us and our
English speaking guide and n good
chauffeur. We drove down the beau
tiful Mozelle valley some miles, then
to st. Mihiel on the Meuse, on to Yer
dun and back by Etain to Metz some
14O miles in all, crossing and recross-
ing the lines at number of places.
This is the first time / have been in
this sector, for l was about twenty
miles behind our lines when the attack
commenced in September, 1918. If /
were asked to condense in few words
what | saw it would be, "Barbed wire,
barbed wire, more barbed wire, dug
The battlefield has been salvaged in
most part, it is true, and they have
rolled some of the wire up and are
cultivating the fields; but there are
hundreds of acres yet untouched, with
dugouts caving in, the old debris of
battle junk, of rusted bayonets and ri
fles still on it. We had nice sunny
day and Mont See was visible all the
time as we drove around its base.
This height was the chief observation
point for the German, as Montfoucon
was further up in the Argonne. L
could see Montfoucon also, but did not
go in the Argonne.
Pershing brought up 100000 men for
the st. Mihiel attack, and used 100000
in the attack with loss Of 5000, cap
turing about 1900 Germans and All
enormous amount of material. Thea
court looks as it must have looked
right after the battle-buildings all
down, church wrecked and some tenn
porary barracks housing few people.
Some American barracks arc still there
and it felt natural when an American
lieutenant asked me my business, for
we had driven to the cemetery on top
Of the hill above the town.
Some 5000 American lads were
buried here and they were moving
some bodies when we were there and
..Iya IL,
terry was closed to visitors; but po-
litely asked if we were looking for any
particular grave. The flag was ut half
mast, and as | stood there bareheadcd,
with thousands of white crosses all
around, the poppies scarlet along the
roadside, it made me think of the thou
sands of folks at home, for after all
it is those left who suffer. AS l go
battlefield-Huns, Romans, Austrians,
French and others have fought over
every acre of it. Woodrow Wilson
had a vision of n world peace, and
however much men may differ from
him politically, they should acknowl-
cage mat MS Ideals are the only ones
Whicl can save us from continually
destroying ourselves.
81. Mlhlel was q town of 1900 be-
fore the war. 1t is still in ruins, only
partly rebuilt-lots of civilians are
living in the dugouts made by the
Germans along the limestone cliffs at
the cage OF the MeuSc. 1t VIII never
DC i town again, Tor as the frontier
mas moved II mas loSl It's strategic I'M
pof'ancc. l noticed big Russian
cannon alongside inc road-thc Ger
mans mad captured 1t from the Rus
'laiis' moved IL over to the west front
and lost 1t to the Americans. You can
nave IT l am sure, II you want ii, as
well as Il lot OF other junk. The river
ptlusc IS sun down. put there Is
WOODEN bridge below. the dugouts up
the slope Il couple OF miles from town,
which many OF the boys will remcm-
pcr, are IN good shape. l went in one
Whlcn the Germans used for field
| hospital. IL was well built OF concrete
| an hn rf hs,1 Il