The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-08-20
of the allied armies.

the headquarters OF the tlrSL corps
had lunch with General Harbord at
Notwithstanding, where his division
was resting. He told of a marine in
his division who had captured seventy
five German prisoners single-handed.
Germans Attack Again.
Referring again to my diary:
Chaumont, Wednesday. July II,
191S-Another German attack
broke Monday. Our Forty-second,
part of the Twenty-eighth and the
Third, became engaged. The lat
ter concentrated and captured
600 prisoners. Advised FOch that
the Thirty-second and Twenty
ninth divisions are available at
once.
Five other divisions have been
placed at his disposal. Situation
yesterday more favorable for
allies. General Billiard assigned
to Third corps and General Wright
to Fifth.
The intelligence services of all the
allied armies had been exerting every
endeavor to discover the enemy's plans,
with the result that for some days 1t
appeared almost certain that his next
move would be directed toward the
southeast, on the right and left of
Rheims. On the eveI ing of July IA
French raiding party from General
Gouraud's Fourth army, then holding
xhnk 0rk 0f kha In
luckily captured prisoners who con-
frmed this belief and who gave the
exact hour fixed for the attack, which
they said was to take place the fol-
lowing morning.
Our Third division, still in line south
Of the Marine, faced the enemy be-
tween Jaulgonne and Chateau Thierry.
and the Twenty-sixth, which, as we
have seen, had relieved the Second,
held a sector between Torcy and Vaux.
Infantry elements Of the Twenty
eighth were south of the Marine, serv-
ing with the two French divisions on
either side of the Third; the entire
Forty-second occupied a support posi-
ton behind Gouraud's front; the First
division was north of Meaux, and the
Second and Fourth were in reserve
near Chateau Thierry.
Surprise for the Enemy.
The German offensive was launched
on the early morning of July Is. as
expected, but 1t was met with sur
prise barrage put down by General
Gourauds artillery half an hour before
the start. The Germans attack for
nations were thrown into confusion
and their force seriously weakened to
begin with. By evening" thanks to the
strong resistance they encountered.
the situation in that immediate sector
was not unfavorable.
Our Forty-second division became
engaged and sustained relatively heavy
losses. Its conduct on the first and
succeeding days brought high praise
from the French army commander.
Farther west the enemy crossed the
Marine, penetrating in one place as far
as five miles. He struck our Third d.
vision, which was posted along the riv-
er, in a determined attempt to force a
crossing between Mezy and Varennes,
and the fighting became intense, some
units Of the Thirtieth and Thirty
eighth regiments holding this front be-
ing forced back. The stubbornness OF
their resistance, however, broke up
the attack as whole, and the Ger
mans retired to the north bank.
Thirty-eighth Distinguishes Itself.
On this occasion single regiment
of the Third division (Col. U. G. Nc
Alexander's Thirty-eighth) wrote one
of the most brilliant pages in our mill
tary annals. 1t prevented the crossing
at certain points on its front. while on
either flank the Germans who had
gained footing pressed forward. Our
men, firing in three directions, met the
German attack with counterattacks at
critical points, and succeeded in throw
ing two German divisions into COM
plete confusion.
Men from three different enemy d.
visions were captured by the Third In
the fighting Of this day. By noon OF
the sixteenth the attacks against Its
line came to a halt.
The Germans were stopped to the
east of Rheims by Gouraud's Fourth
army with but slight gains, while to
the southwest they got across the
Marine and made some progress to-
ward Epernay. The failure Of the at
tack in Champagne and the relatively
slight gains to which the Germans
were held to the west Of Rheims on
the first day materially heartened the
allies