Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 January 1919 — LETTER FROM GEORGE WOLFE [ARTICLE]

LETTER FROM GEORGE WOLFE

Somewhere in France, November 28, 1918. Dear Parent; Received your kind and loving letter the other day and was sure glad to receive it. Well, mamma, as the censorship has been partly raised I can tell you where we have been and what we have ibeen doing in the last eleven months. We started in on the Bacarrat sector, which was a very quiet one at that time. We did not do very much firing ail the time we were in that position. From there we went about sixty miles west near Luneville, where we fired on a German battery which was completely destroyed, and from there is where our great excitement started. We went overland about 90 miles and were on the train for about 20 hours. That landed us in the Champaigne sector, which was about as hot a place as we ever have been. We landed there on the Bth of July. Our position was right out in an open field with nothing but a flat top to conceal our guns, and (believe me, we were not in there very long until they found us, and then it was h—l to pay, for they just rained the shells into us. That was .where poor old Jimmie O’Connor got his. There was a piece of shell went through his stomach almost as large as a duck egg. That was our first casualty, and the feeling among the boys wasn’t in favor of the dutch, believe me. We were all in bed on the night of the 14th ad about 11:30n came the “cannoniers to the guns.” We all jumped out, it, didn’t -take us long to dress "for weaH slept in what we

call heavy marching order that (includes pants, shoes, hat# gas mask and everything. We all Went to the guns, waiting anxiously like the Americans always are for the word to load. That order came down at one minute till 12, and we sure did send them over. Maybe you think that wasn’t a tired bunch. After the< long barrage was over we only fired at a five minute interval'. The iboys were so tired and sleepy that during the minutes between firing they would be asleep standing up. That was our first battle, and it was there we made such a big hit with the French. There were eleven German divisions against two French divisions and the Rainbow division. We were the only Americans in that drive. The German prisoners claimed they couldn’t understand Why we didn’t run when they started shooting. They were used to the French running for a dugout when they started shooting, but when they started shooting at us our officers gave the command to stay to the guns no matter what happened. We stayed with them, but we sure did have some dose calls. The pieces flew all over every place. I was taking a horse to water and I got about half way to the water hole and, Lord, there was a big 210 bursted about 20 yards from me. Two or three pieces hit me on the tin hat but it didn’t hurt, so I went on and just as I got to the tank they put another one right at the trough, so I stopped and took out my watch and timed their shells. They were putting three in every five minutes, so I rode a little doser and waited for three to burst. T hurried in and watered my horse and beat it. I hadn’t ibeen mistaken, for I wasn’t out of there more than two minutes till here they came. They sure had a bunch of airplanes too. One.- morning about 9 o’clock there was a drove of about thirty came circling over our position, but I guess they didn’t siee anyone but they spied our light artillery. And heavens, it was a pitiful sight to see those planes fly around and pour the bullets from their machine guns into those poor boys, who were firing at the time and couldn’t leave the guns It sure took nerve to stay under the circumstances, but that old Minnesota and Illinois can’t be beat, and they think the same about us. We lost a lot of our iboys in the infantry in that battle. The Dutch drove the French, who were holding our front line trench, back about a mile to Where our infantry was in the third line trench. But when they got to where our doughboys were they came out of their trenches and met the Dutch in the middle of No Man’s Land in a hand to hand fight. The officers in our infantry, couldn’t hold them back. They drove the Dutch back bo their old

trenches and then back four miles more. I don’t know how many prisoners we took but there was a lot of them. You wouldn’t believe it, but there were Dutch and stacked, up in places three high. It was surely an awful sight. We were only in that position 16 days and from there we went to Chateau Thierry, and there we saw a little h—l again, it is too much of a job to write about ailil the positions on that front for we went so fast I couldn’t keep track of them, but that front was the biggest "wreck of any we were ever on The villages were ail knocked flat. Dead Germans, French and Americans all over everywhere. I remember on 6 night in particular we pulled in a heavy woods. It was raining and as dark as the dickens, so I made my bed at the foot of a big tree. The next morning I' woke up dll wet, but the funny part of it was there were three dead Germans lying on the other side of the tree... I sure have had some awful feeJiefes since I lef t home. From there we went td the Toul Sector. We pulled off a drive there in which we gained 22 miles. From there we went to the Verdun sector. We had a big battle there, but didn't advance our lines very -much there. We went from there to the Argonne woods We didn’t; do so very much there, but the best of all of them I wiffl save until my next letter, as I am awfully short of paper. I expect- there i* same high old

times in Itihe States since the war is ■over. There is sure a lot of talk about who is going to go home first, but I don’t care much just so I get there, but I wouldn’t the first to get back There are plenty of others just as anxious to get back ■als me i Well, dear mamma, I will have to I close for this time, hoping this letter finds you all in- good—spirits and health Tell papa I am '<on my way and to save me a job Tell' all the folks and friends I send my love. Good-bye. GEORGE.