Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 103, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1916 — REWARDED FOR GOOD WORK IN FIRST BATTLE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

REWARDED FOR GOOD WORK IN FIRST BATTLE

Commander Writes Mother of His ' Timidity and Concern for His Men. THROUGH A TERRIFIC ORDEAL French Subaltern Is Twice Mentioned for Bravery and Then is Killed In Battle After Two* Weeks in Hospital With Frozen Feet —Was Only Twenty-One

New York.—-Veritably a letter from the dead is the communication sent to his mother by Lieutenant B of the Alpine Chasseurs, which tells of his first battle, of his timidity, of his concern for his other men. He passed through the terrific ordeal only to be killed recently in Alsace after having been mentioned twice in the orders of the division and the army for his bravery. His letter has just been sent to Frederic R. Coudert of this city, among many others that have been received from the French front. Lieutenant B —— was only twenty-one years old when he was killed. His letter reads: “My Very Dear Mother: You must have been much surprised latterly to have had so little news of me. Now that the storm is over I can tell you that I spent five days within thirty meters of Mm. les Boches, and that this proximity prevented my sending you any news. Here is what happened: On the 16th we found ourselves in the trenches of the third line, 800 meters from the Boches. The major assembled the company commanders; Lieutenant M returned and took me by the arm, led me up a little slope, indicated a wooded ridge about 400 meters away, and said to me: “ ‘The battalion is ordered to take that ridge; the Third and Fourth companies will attack. The affair Is for tomorrow afternoon.’ Chilled and Heart Troubled. “At that moment I had a chill and all day my heart was troubled. 1 prayed as I had never prayed before in my life, and In the evening my courage had come back. I slept all night. The next morning we were to be in the trench ready to move at half-past eleven. We ate rapidly, and at five minutes before eleven I started to assemble my company. “All the men were together and we were about to start when directly over our heads an enormous bomb exploded, then a second and a third. The Boches had found our point of assembly and were giving us a heavy bombardment The men showing some nervousness, I brought them back under shelter, then, turning about, I found M deadly pale, and he said to me: “‘I am wounded in the leg. Take the company to the point for the attack and report to the major.’ “I can assure you that at this moment I did not feel very heroic. Outside the bombs were exploding with a horrible noise and the moment of attack was approaching. I marched my men along and halted them in a place

of shelter. I then went to find the major and reported to him. He said: “ ‘You are in luck to find yourself at the very outset the commander of a company; to be acting captain at your age is splendid.’ “I answered: ‘Major, lam not<#ufflciently experienced. I beg you give me a company commander.’ “He replied: ‘Come, come; a little courage, you will see it is not difficult. The signal for the attack will be given to you by Lieutenant S .’ “I could but obey. I advanced the men as far as possible in- the trench and passed the word that I was taking command of the company. , Covered With Artillery Fire. “The French artillery was firing on the ridge which we were to attack. It was a fantastic sight. The ‘22o’s’ went ihg over the Boche trenches within a hundred meters of us, making a horrible noise and thick black smoke. At half-past one the ‘7s’a’ begap to Are. Two thousand were thrown against the .Boche position. It was

an infernal din. Uprooted saplings were carried a hundred meters away and thick black smoke covered everything. “Our machine guns began to take part. Suddenly the voice of Lieutenant s called: ‘Ready! Third company, forward!’ “Without a moment’s pause I sprang out of the trench, shouting: ‘ “‘Come on, boys; forward!’ “The ‘7s’s’ had then increased their range. All the men followed me and, shouting, we scrambled forward at double time toward the Boche trench. I had my revolver in my hand. In the heat of the attack I had distanced all my comrades and found myself thirty meters ahead of them. Suddenly I saw a mound. It was the Boche trench, and at the same moment a bullet whistled by my ear. I leaped forward. I found a Boche, his gun still smoking in his hand, with the Red Cross brassard on his arm. He dropped on his knees, crying: “ ‘Pardon, kamerad.’ "Showing his brassard, he says: “ ‘Sanitat. Sanltat’ (hospital corps). "I went on with my men. We passed over the ridge and we stopped at two hundred meters from the crest, as I had been ordered to do. The Boches were bolting on every side. Our artillery fire had so demoralized them that they had abandoned everything. We occupied the Boche positions, picking up quantities of material, guns, machine guns, tools. Here and there dead Boches dotted the landscape. Dig Themselves Into Trench. “But it was no timeto jest. 1 get my men together and tell them: “ ‘Go to work and build. a trench there.’ “I was astonished to find myself so calm. In front of us 50 chasseurs guarded the construction of our trench. Up to that moment I had had one man killed and 20 wounded. Suddenly, right in front of us a violent fusillade began. Bullets whistled on all sides and I saw the man ahead of me return, calling: “ ‘Lieutenant, they are coming.’ “It was the counter-attack. We jumped into the trench scarcely yet outlined, and’ I commanded the men to fire. Two hundred meters in front of me I saw the Boches coming in masses, shouting. I even heard the cry: ‘Vorwarts, vorwarts!’ All my men began to fire. The fusillade resounded. The Boches, throwing themselves on the ground, returned our fire. Thousands of bullets whistled by our ears, but I paid no attention. Suddenly the Boches arose and continued to advance. We continued to fire. The Boches, in panic, ran away at full speed, leaving behind them quantities of the dead and wounded. “My men continued to work at the trench. I had them place in front of the trench a barricade of barbed wire taken from the Boches, and we passed the first night there. Note that I had with me only a sergeant. I did not feel very big. The major had sent me a note in which he warmly congratulated me and expressly forbade me to give up the position. I think that all my life I shall remember that night. The Boches were constantly firing on us, while digging their own trench 60 meters from us. My men were on edge and I had a hard time to keep them from firing. In the night the Boches came again, but again, were quickly repulsed. What a night! Frightfully damp, a flurry of snow and terrible cold, and overhead the sounds of the whistling bullets mingled with the strokes of the spades and picks of the Boches. The whole thing was impressive. Fusillade With the Daylight “Daylight came, and with it a frightful fusillade from the Boches. One of my men was killed, another wounded. I had in all ten killed and some thirty wounded. We kept on working at our trench and connected it with the trench of the neighboring company. During 5 the morning someone came through a connecting trench and told me the major wished to speak to me. I arrived at his headquarters. He shook my hand, saying: ‘“My boy, I am going to see what I can do for you. But I promise you, mentioned, in. the, orders for the day, which will give you a right to the Croix de Guerre. All the officers of the battalion admired the way that you conducted yotirself during the attack, and 1 am happy to congratulate you.’ ,

"You can Imagine if I was excited! I assure you that it is easy to do one’s duty, and I was not at all expecting to be congratulated. All the officers came to shake my hand. I felt covered with confusion. “We spent the next four nights in the trench, and this morning I had my feet swollen and hurting terribly. I went to the relief station, where they found that my left foot was frozen and my right frost bitten. They sent meto the rear to a village, three kilometers away. I shall be here, it seems, for eight days. "You see, dear mamma, everything went well. It was surely your thoughts and your prayers that watched over me and kept the bullets away. You can say that your son did his duty as best he could, and if I am happy to be mentioned in the Ordre du Jour it is principally because of the pleasure that you, as well as papa, will feet” In two weeks the young lieutenant was out of the hospital. Two months later he had been transferred to Alsace, and there was killed in battle.

Mortar Hidden by Underbrush.