Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-02-21
CHAPTER Nv.
THEN years Is long time. So much
has happened since the stirring
Autumn of 1918 that 1t Is not
i easy for most of us to remem-

has happened since the stirring
Autumn Of 1918 that 1t Is not
i easy for most of us to remem-
Der the things that thrilled us
WhittleSey and his Lost Battalion"
On Octo:er ?. 1918. the German line
in the Argonne Forest was still fight
ing grimly for every foot of ground.
Machine guns sent their kissing lances
of death from concealed nests behind
the tangled barbed wire interlaccd
through the natural jungle of trees.
brush and rocks. The tortuous tangle
of the Argonne gave little opportunity
| for strategy; progress was matter OF
soldiers rather than of commanders.
Each point of vantage had to be taker
by the men Immediately in front Of it
and the going was hard.
The nth Division of the A. E. F. had
had seven days of this and to them the
emergency Of this particular day was
just one more attack one more struggle
to get enough men through the tangle
to kill the German machine gunnerS.
They had become hardened to the dam
ger Of death and wounds. They had
learned the soldiers lesson that losses
are the price Of victory,
The divisions job was to break
through. There was no opening on
either flank-<iirect frontal attack into
the teeth of the German resistance was
the only course. At 10 minutes to / in
the afternoon the first wave of the nth
moved forward. supported by storm Of
shellfire from their artillery and a SINH
lar advance by the French troops on
their left. Each unit was given its. OBJ
jective.
On most of the line the sheer physical
| impoSSibility Of forcing human bodies
| through an impenetrable jungle held up
the advance. but at one place the Ger
man defense cracked for few minutes
and few hundred Yanks found hole
in the line. There were parts Of two
battalions of the 308th Infantry and
Companies c and d of the 309th Ma
chine Gun Battalion in the little force
| tlesey. which found itself advancing up
a ravine through the German lines.
Their orders were to advance TO Charlie
vaux Mills and hold that position until
supporters came up.
Every battalion in the attack had
orders assigning an objective. The DIFF
ference was that Whittlesey's men
reached theirs and none OF the others
did. The major sent two companies to
hold the west side Of the ravine and
slowly fought his way north along the
Charlevaux Mills was taken. 30 men Of
the little force having fallen during the
advance. Then they found that both
their TANKS were up In the air" and
the troops on each side Of them had
failed to advance with them.
That night a single company fought
its way through from the rear and
Joined Whittlesey. The other relieving
troops were held back by the German
resistance. That night the Germans
closed the gap in their lines and cut the
Lost Battalion of from the rest Of
the American Army.
Then for five days followed one OF
those stark fights which are sprinkled
SO thickly through American history. a
fight reminiscent of the Alamo. All at
tempts to send back word of the loca-
ton and plight of the Lost Battalion"
failed except one. and that. unfortu-
nately. did not state their location ac-
curately. The men had no food. no
blankets and only the scanty supply OF
ammunition they had carried into the
fight Surrounded by the German
army. surrender seemed the only logical
solution.
Prom the second day of the Lost
Battalion's" development the Air Serv-
| ice tried consistently to make contact
with them. Food, ammunition ana
medical supplies were dropped from air.
planes on the spot In the dense forest
where the beleaguered Americans were
supposed to be. Not having accurate
information OF the exact position Of the
men they were trying to reach. the air.
men unknowingly dropped most Of thei!
packages inside the German lines. A
very few packages did fall within sight
Of whittleseys men, and one OF these
packages Was the center Of the most
dramatic incident OF the battle OF the
| Argonne.
| An aviator dropped a package be-
tween the lines Of the little force OF
| Americans and those OF the Germans
| who surrounded them. It lay there In
plain sight for several hours. neither
side being able to reach It, After night
| fell nine Yanks crawled out TO salvage
thu package. but the Germans had the
same idea and reached the prize FIRST
with more men. When the Yanks ar
rived they were greeted with storm OF
bullets which killed i've OF their num-
wounded men were forced to surrender
| Among their number was Pvt. Croweu
r. Hollingshead
The next morning the blindfolded
| figure OF Pvt. Hollingshead was seen
approaching the Whittlesey position
When he had been dragged into shelter
and the bandage torn from hts eyes he
handed note TO Maj. Whittlesey. II
read:
ITO the Commanding oficer. I'd Bat
talon. 30sth Infantry. nth American
| Division:
Sir: The bearer OF this present. Pvt
Croweu r. Hollingshead. has been taken
prisoner by U.s. He refused to give the
German intelligence officer any answer
TO his questions and is quite an honor.
able fellow, doing honor TO his father
land in the s:rictest sense Of the word
He has been charged against his will
believing he Is doing wrong TO his coun.
try O carry forward this present letter
70 the oificer in charge OF the I'd Bat.
talon. 30sth Infantry OF the 77th Di.
vision. with the purpose 10 recommeno
this commander 10 surrender with hii
forces. as 1t would be useless 10 resis,
any more In view OF the present con-
ditions.
The suffering o! your wounded men
can be heard over here In the German
lines and we are appealing 70 your
human sentiments.
A white flag shown by one OF your
men will tell us that you agree with
these conditions.
please trea. private Hoilineshead "a
an honorable man. He Is quite . SOL
der. We envy You.
The German Commanding Ofiicer.
Mai Whitties@y read the note and
HANDED II around the scanty circle OF
his surviving oi1icers The last man
handed IL back without Il word. A
glance of understanding passed around
the little group ~ leaders and Mai
| Whittlesey nodded Turning 10 the
fyDint from which tie demand for sur
| render had come. he made his answer
in three words:
Go O hell" he shouted
That Was the fourth day Of the siege
The day saw two determined attacks
by tks Germans Against the diminish
ing defenders. but both were beaten