Evening star., 1924-09-28
Tribute, Won by Unsurpassed

TT was a magnificent achievement by
these first sons of America, an
imperishable record in the annals of
| victories whose balance is on the side
of civilization. The casualties of the
1st Division mounted above 1000 in
that week of terrific fighting tGrant
lost 1000 in an hour at Cold Harbor
in the Wilderness campaign), but
their valor had turned the tide of
war and the end was not far off.
They had served at Cantisny and
Picardy not in vain: they were vet
Grams in spite of their youth.
Soissons--it had meant mud and
rain, mud up to their waists. tor
rental rains, lack of food and water
and sleep, and a deadly shower of
bullets as they stumbled over she'll
| broken roads and dead comrades;
but in the end. against the horrors
of Missy-auX-Bois Ravine of Breuil
and of the Plateau of Buzancy, and
in spite of battalions being led by
Sergeants because all officers were
either killed or wounded, or of bat
talions being almost annihilated,
magnificent victory was wrested from
the foe. who stubbornly resisted every
step of the allied advance.
The laurels won by the 1st Division
at Scissors are imperishable. and
| scissors ends the epic-making list of
decisive battles. begun at Marathon
by the Athenians, who went singing
into battle against a lesser civiliZa-
tion than their own. Noble 1st Di-
vision, with what splendor is its very
name emblazoned in the halls of re-
membrance!
| A few days Of rest were granted
these exhausted heroes, then they
were ordered to the quiet but dan
gerously situated Saizerais sector. A
replacement of 1000 troops was made
and the new men soon imbibed the
spirit OF the veterans among whom
they were allocated. The division
was known from this time on as a
shock DIVISION" and at the end of
a month it was withdrawn from
that uneventful sector and establish
ed at Vaucouleurs for special train
ing before entering the battle of st.
| Mihiel.
The little immortal town of DOM
remy, with its ageless flame of pa
triotism burning in memory of Joan
of Arc, lay in this area of Vaucou-
| leurS, and the men of the 1st Di-
| vision, as they walked its unpreten-
tious streets, dreamed again her
| dreams and saw again her visions
the freedom of her loved France from
the invasion of the enemy.
After 10 days of training in that
area. especially in the skiIlful cut
ting of wire entanglements, they
moved on to their new field of en-
deavor, whose guns had Numbered in
their ears in their first training camp
at Gondrecourt. These boys were to
undergo fiery trial in the battle of
St. Mihiel.
The Germans held a pocket-like
salient between the Meuse and the
Moselle Rivers that gave them great
advantage over the allies. IT was de-
cided that this projecting pocket
must be captured and the line
Strengthened out. The plan included
a double attack, the union of the at
tacking forces cutting off the salient
and Strengthening the line A stiff
resistance was expected by the allies
but SO well co-ordinated was the plan
for attack that the juncture was ac-
| complished with Il loss of less than
600 men
To the great surprise of the weary
soldiers. perfectly equipped rest
! camp was found in the captured sali-
ent and the captors took advantage
| of the recreations it offered.
The Germans were surprised ap-
parently in the rapidity of the at
| tack and they were rendered largely
helpless by the continuous heavy
bombardment from the. attacking
guns. The eagerness of the Infantry
| gave birth to their slogan of Lets
go.' for that animated phrase was
| heard all along the lines while the
guns and hoWitZers deluged the en-
emy's posts with gas and metal.
1t was a mastery plan, executed
| with a perfection that was greatly
disturbing to the German mind. The
psychology of Americas participation
in the struggle was beginning to be
most definitely felt.
the st. Mihiel sector drive warranted
| further successes. The German lines
must not be permitted to stabilize for
another Winter.
4 = x !.
THE most strategic section in that
- area was the Meuse- -Argonne,
| held by the Germans as an indis-
pensable protection to their line of
communication from Metz to the
west. II that line could be destroyed
the German forces would be in pre-
carious position. necessitating re-
| treat. The section assigned to the
American Army was most formidable,
made up of ravines and matted for
ests and the Meuse River. The 1st
Division was to be held in reserve
until called upon to serve.
/ The Germans resisted 50 vigorously
that veterans were needed, and the
ISL WAS set IN 1nOtlOn. n
marvellous esprit de corps marked the
division, which functioned as one man.
a staff officer passing a column on
the march asked the men what corps
the division belonged to. From the
men in the lines came the reply: I'VE
don't belong to any corpS-we go to
the corps that needs us most" Only
incarnated valor could have spoken
like that.
Sf iy-Ic %
join the 1st Corps and move to Neu-
lily. Only veterans could have kept
their courage in such a war-devas-
tated area over which the spirit of
destruction brooded malignly. All
was waste under the deadening roar
of never-silent guns. and amid it all
lifted the mute white crosses of friend
and foe. Only veterans could move
! grinnly forward through waste like
that and keep their courage, for
silent propheSies of their own fate
lay all about them.
| The courage of the men of the 1st
Division received crucial test in
their seven days of fighting in the
battle of the Meuse-Argonne The
special mission of the division was to
drive wedge into the enemy's lines.
compelling him to surrender his hold
| on the Argonne forest that stood like
an unconquerable barrier in an effort
J to move the line forward
For three days these grim veterans
dug themselves into holes, whose in
cludinS area the enemy inundated
with gas and she'll while they waited
for orders to move forward. 1t was a
terrible strain on men whose slogan
was Let's go!" for since the work
must be done. the sooner they were
at 1t the better in their estimation.