The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, October 23, 1918, Image 9
VOLUMil XXXIV. LAURB~ENS, SOUTh CAROLINA, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1918- NUMBE~R 14
GRAPHIC DESCRIF
FIGHTING I
FOREST
He Was Himself Gassed z
ficers and Soldiers F
.Mirs. WV. 1. Hitey, Jr., Is in rece'ilt
>f the letter below froi her husband,
Japt. itichey, of the 3i1st Infantry,
which took part inl tlle capture of tihe
Argonn le lorest, ole of the stragetic
itrongliolds of the Germans inl t tie
haJliPaigne sector. As is al readCy
Cnow n Ilie 37 1st regi ment is composed
)f negro soldiers mostly from this
state, soinc of tlhem being from tiis
.-ouinty. The regilenit Is comillandeff
iby white ollleers-. amlong whoml are(
lutmberedl Capl. livy, Ulltt. T. 1).
ILake and Llet. .illies C. Todl, of this
Aty. (apit. Itichey tIvls inl this lelter
if the Ifall of Liett. Lake, whlo was
eadllng his men against a heavy ma
,hine gun and artillery fire whein ie
wfas killed. In all probability he would
1n e given the namies of any of Ills
noln fron (Ills coniiiy If they had heen
cilled. Leaving out the lit roduction
Ind other lines of i personal nature,
.he letter' was as follows:
As protnised yotu last night, I am go
ng to try and give you an accurate
tccount of the big battle I was in and
vhich began on Sept.. 25, and Is still
n progress, and which battle, I think,
mill end the war.
We were Just behind the front lines
ibout 2 1-3 miles when at 11:30 ti the
11ght of Sept. 25th, the preliminary
omibardment began. Of course we all
(inew it was coming but did not know
he exact hour. T was at the tline
:rylng to catch a little miuch-needed
'TION OF
N ARGONNE
BY CAPT. RICHEY
nd Unfitted for Duty. Of
ought Like Veterans
Sle(p, bit after t(e big gulns starte
roariing there was no chalice for. sleep.
i'lis boinhardment colitinil du ring
the ent ire Iight, and wilh the excep
lioll of a few lintermitten pause-; it. has
coiitined incessant since, or until
t(e time I passed out of hearing dis
taniCe oil ily Way to tile hospital.
On tie aft ernoon of Sepl. 2tih weI re
e(ive( orierS to move forward. \\'e
sIlpt. that night inl a Frinch iieli I )oyow
I comiinl iliting trench) in tle ec1
fronit lines. I say siept, bit there was
nto sleep, its It was rainlinig ald tle
iise from the gins would not let one
sieep. The French had gole over ihe
to) and wvere pursuiilg the s11111s. h'll
night or afternooi of tile 271h we weit
ilito the figiting zone, anmd our regi
ment relieved a French reginent, to
continie tithe pursuit. lirst hattalion
vent iI ll rst, niorning of 2Sth, and
ilet stout resistance. The vouinlded
passed its all day going haek to the
dressing station, some with bilii ll ts
through their arras, legs, shoulders.
some with arms an(1 legs cut off by
high explosives. etc. Inl the m1eanlt ine
oi hattalion, laying In support, had
beeii discovered by the eneiy obsevv
ers, and shlells commenced to drop
o1 us anew. The enemy had thrown
shells on us the whole of the night be
fore. Two of the shells fell in a
slel hole that Teer knd myself wero
in but failed to expl e. If they had
exploded both woul(l l'ave been blown
to atoiis. Of course We Moved our
poSition. In t he night of the 28th.
while oilr brigade was relieving lie
filrst,. tIe valley we were in was tilldci
withIi gas and I wvas gassed at this tini.
I did nlot thinlk mulich of it and did not
evei go to lthe (octor. 'reston got a
dos': at the salin tilne. hilt went to tile
doctor. Onl SCiliday uorn ing, Sept.
2!1th. iy.- corip ny w%-(teit over the hill;
the 1 hIattalion had been reilevied by
I and K coluipallis, and Were vaiting
in another valley for .\Maj. C. and iiy
collipaly to come up1) before going to
tihe attack. We arrived at the posi
lion the attack was to sta'rt fron at
about 7::0, after having had a deadly
artillery harrage oil uls over the hill.
At, 10 o'clock Su inday morning we were
ordered to advance uip a valley, hbut in
the mleantfimei an enemliy planle flew
down lowv, discoveredl our1 posit ion, and
signaled his artillery, Which opeled u1)p
on us and eveiry nu11111110t seemlled to be
tle last one. Ilowever, by rifle lire we
brought the phlnu down. killing the
iloit and ollserver, bu11t not lintil he had
g'iven Iis giuinlers our location. Th is
shelling conlinlied until tle time for
our. advancle at. W o'clock, and hvlen
ve got started it grew in Intensity un
til by the tlile we had advanced fifty
yards. it was a reuilar harrage. About
two hundred yards upl) the valley We
eane undor the direCIt tilr of the ('110
ily's vithering machine guni and ifle
fire, and by tlis; tiue. flve enely pilnes
wr flying over lus shooting roulind af
fer round1(1 froni tlicir machine gln s on
us. Of course we were in aln unshel
tered valley, vltli nothing to hide uts
from Ohe eneiy ajn( presented a clean,
clear and open Iarget. Men were fall
Ing all around me, but tile company
never once faltered. They marched
right on Into the jaws of death. Shells
Were dropping, it looked to ic like
every second, making holes big enough
to set a good sized harn into. The
nearer the i 'eneiy we got, the more (f
fective his itunhine gun atid rifle fire
got. lIemueil)er' now, tlie eiiy was
Id bohirul bushes, (Irees anld houlses" inl
a liith' village we were advancing oi,
atnd we had absolutely no larglto tI
shoot at. l.ong before we rachel (the
village, w (ould se the (owards rn
ninlg tup a sie'p hill beyond, le-avin
lots of mawchinev guns.,- to stick; out, andl
belie-ve 11w, when w\e( did revach our. oh
jI ive4 amd roundeod thle-m1achirulon.
ntrs,. tIl nutr(oes Itade <quick work of
IlIeti. Thevy all hel11ti p their hands,
hut no kaittartad for the Ilen, they
killed Ihe( i hs i in ly, andiui I did
not try to stp theml. Thll lowil was
(oil :tri d and about (ho ie w\e
all thouwght till, viiory was won ai
we could tl (1 a few iinutes of rest, be
fol' going il. II artillery beganl on
its againi. and I Saw one1 shell kill two
(if lly m1enl and seriously wound tree
othe's, who wr h'Sittig ielind a rock
Pile. Tlwn1,1 we discovered that we w're
lank'i1 on lthr sides yI ('achine g n
nsts. In other words e\t were trapped.
W collh( not stick otr head sup. evor
wh.Io hiul heen wounded by a1 piece of
!4lvl bef"orev wVe slarled, camev up1 about
this Wine wvhile as a ghost, amd I hold
him11 to go back. Preston, who joineod
us., before \V( started, also had to leave
at ithis point. in the meant Iv inw Parker
had ht t shot through the lheshy palt
of his foot and Vinton throughi th'
hand. I was all in, could hardly get
mlly breath, but I had to stay. Parker
and VintIon also stayed. .ilm Todhd was
not tottelled. We knew we had to go
on, and soml0e of us who had been
wounded, i(lained, whil1 Prest on
went in. I have svenI Teer here In this
hospital. Ie was operated on today.
The st had burled iln his shoulder,
and hie really Is in bad shape.
We rentained at4his railroad station
all night In the rain, and flanked on
three sides by machinte gun nests.
Lt. Itausen o' I company was killed
here and Tom Lake, whose conpany
had ill tle meantine coll 111t into the
valley, was killed by high eXplosive
shellI. That nlight (1aily)th enily
ewv lartge inlbers of g.Is shells into
t he pllace .we were in,. and I was,
again g:tssd. The tet 1lornIin1g
.\onday), witli half ily (ottIIpan1y
onle, tulost of thnil wottndled, however',
0* -) orders to ruove up the railroad
rack aliad. We wet right inito le
lnchille gunl lests, the operators (
whei,. wheti they saw our detertininta
lion, ieft their gulns atnl tan, anl we
hadI lots of fint piching tIlInI off. The
f11n1 did not la.t long thoulph, hecause
a S oonl 1, I what If*(w\ (irinans who
were eft, got 01ut of reach, h(re (Coine
anlolher artillery barve or-Se than11
1he ono before, and as soon as we got
in the openl (the mlachinev guns opened
Il againi. I boillve (very mil in the
( rillal arilly carrils a machille gin.
We wentl allead though and captured 1;
la Grmnan guns (arlillery). WVe
reneild the crest of allother hill atl
verle tIhere ield ulp. I had to crawl
oil lly stonach for :1o yards. just like
a snake. Eivery time I iisel my body
to make a iove, zip. zip wentl the Ima
chile gut bullets. When we ieachil
0th! hill, things divod down a little( anld
I was by this Iitlie completely exhaust
cld. Oilr hattalion wis being relieved
and four of my men Carried me i. I n
all, during thle two day", Sunday anld
Molonday, 0111 battalion advanced about
live miles, withottt tle aid of a single
friendly artillery sh(ot or any othier
Ielp. We killed lots of G ermiatns, cap
tured lots of theml ( and captured any
u111n111tity of mliaterial and six big guns.
I left, Jim Todd inl command of the
collipally with Parker and Vinton. Jin
was all right when I left and I believe
he got back safe, as we were to be
relieved about the time I left. I am
II'otud of all my ollieers and of all my
tlen. The whole regiment, fouight like
veterais and with a fierceness eqiual to
anly white regitnent. This was the
first tine anly of them hab11 len. r
they Stool it like lm(oss-(ovrd Id
tina-r ts. Th1ey ntever flincht14i (r w
(.d lt' least si.n of fe: :. All thi ,t
Ie(essary, uns It vll the m 11n
Ii (y (X44 I? , " \'t %% diI'd
'mil iled, hl II, l oig do%t nl
hiis l y a,,; h i a\ b. . -K
W W c'rf. Hi bl:' i :: .i !:i :I 4. 4 .11g . il
rand. Tom44 lath wil ied in a
vaI l y neart1 I 'i)p le tow of Ariij
val 1 ey nearth.iit I i o\ll of Arde .
Foret.l anId : oulth o) \. - ' Iho 1,
.\4 1 1r n1 iy e lf . I w \e t
-f h lid 5ow I (;,1111.t il i e
Or courlso I don't know whate~
thle gas is goil: to have on Ie(. 'n't
kn1tow whetier I will verVe he 0. r to
go back into line or not. Am e .ry
short of breath, and41 my chest' aIInI
throat feel riglht r-aw. I 111n very omr
tortably located. 'hle ho.pital -iM
to b a good on4e. It is anl oliver .- hits
lital. alnd is full, ne arly all lIl i pa
lilents being 1fro) oir regimenit.
I believei this offeunsi e will ri I he
(etrian 4 (ef orFrance and Iliat ine
war will lbe over pretf4ty soon. t;od
knows I lome so. for it certain y s e
on1 arilt . if Ilie is such a Ilng.
Wit Ii all t h arIIsh i Is I have :en
writ ini! youJ abou1t, all of the 14I omtil
hined (annot eqiual One houlir of 111
lasi. For four days and nights I wat
under d(eadly fir. and did 110not Aer
Iwo houirs diuirintg- the entire ttm, aned
it raining iearly all the tilme.
You can coittilue to write ile in the
sain way. lven if I am given som'
thing else, or other work t.) (o, P will
have to go t back to the regiment to set
tie up1t things, and44 besiden I have told
themlt to send mty mail here.
Grove's Tasteless chill Tonic
rcstores vitality antd energy by purifyinit ant e
riching the blood. You can soon feel its Strength
-ning, Invhgoruting Effect Price G0e.
COAL COAL COAL COAL
We now have a supply of good coal for all of our customers. On account
of the limited supply of labor we are forced to make the following rules:
We will only sell coal for cash--we have no one to send out with bill.
This is no reflection on your wil ingness to pay our bills, but is a necessity at
this time.
Either call at our office and pay for what coal you want or telephoneus
that you will pay the drivers.
We will be able to haul coal only in a limited way for a while and if
you can get yours hauled we will allow you a reduction of 50c per ton from
the government's price.
Laurens GiPhn No 2
Phone No. 229