Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1919 — LETTER FROM CORP. RALPH SPARKS [ARTICLE]

LETTER FROM CORP. RALPH SPARKS

The following letter is from Ralph Sparks, who a year or such a matter ago was the teacher at, the Lewiston school in Barkley township. Ralph was a young fellow full-of life and made a remark which caused some to misunderstand him and question his patriotism. He has since proven his metal and his genuine worth and virile patriotism. Wc publish with pleasure his letter: Honinngen on the Rhine, Germany, January 23, 1919. Editor Rensselaer Republican, Rensselaer, Indiana. Dear Mr. Hamilton: — Below is a special cable to the New York Times, dated Nov. 10, from their correspondent, Edwin L. James: ■ . “One may imagine that m a few days the Americans will be asking which of its divisions played the biggest role in beating Germany. Far be it from me to undertake the onerous task of nominating our best division, but it may be set forth that one -which France will long remember with the deepest love and respect is the 2nd. My personal notebook reflecting the story of operations in which the Americans-have 'been engaged indicates the 2nd nas done the most fighting of any of our divisions. The Ist, 42nd and 26 divisions, it may be stated, will not agree with this verdict. In fairness to the Ist division it should be said that it was the first in the trenches and in every battle it has * most excellent account of itself. Ine 2nd division is composed of the btn and 6th Marines, the 9th and 23rd regular infantry, all possessing fame, and the 12th, 15th and 17th artillery regiments. In the early autumn of 1917, when the American uniform s un ]r no wn on the western front, there came to France two divisions of American soldiers hastily gathered together and sent over in response to the demand for early representation from the new nation which had joined the allies. These were the Ist and 2nd divisions. While the Ist division went most quickly into training, the 2nd was used that winter for all sorts of work, building railroads, landing coal, and other prosaic tasks, between times getting military training Its officers were mostly experienced men and the skeleton regiments was composed of old army men In M-arch, 1918, the 2nd division left the training area in the vicinity, of Bourmont and went in with the French for a six week training period in the trenches on the heights of the Meuse southeast of Verdun. After that it was sent to a division sector of its own in the region of Les Eparges, where it held the line about tJo months. When the .Germans started the “victory” drive-in_MaTCh it will be remembered, General Pershing offered General Foch anything the Americans had m France that could be of use in stopping the enemy. The Ist division was taken from the Toul sector and sent to the Montdidier region. The 2nd drv V*ion was taken out of the lines for a short period of intensive training and then taken to the Somme region. The Ist division had n Gantigny ana the 2nd was about to go into the lines when the Germans changed our .plans by driving southward from the Chemin des Dames and reaching Chateau Thierry in the early days of June. The 2nd division was put into camions and rushed into the battle here, where the Germans threatened Paris as they had not threatened the French capital before since the dark days of .the f eau Thierry, on June Ist, -the Zntt was thrown into the line across the Paris-Metz highway, where the Germans were nearest Pans. There in the Bellau Wood the sth and 6th Marines won undying fame when they stopped the Boche rush. On the first day they had no artillery, because the guns had not been able to get up. They had no food except emergency rations, and their ammunition was not all it might have been. But they stopped the Germans at Bois Belleau and fought eleven days against repeated German attacks to drive them back. The 2nd division held the barrier against the German advance all through June, and on the last day of that month, the 9th and 23rd won glory by capturing Vaux and gaining with the Marines a hue which greatly bettered allied prospects. The 2nd was then taken out for a well-earned rest. Nothing was heard of it until the morning of July 18 when Marchal Foch electrified the world by. his brilliant blow. at the Chateau Thierry salient, which history will record at the turning point in the war. The most important blow, indeed the vital blow, m this offensive, was hit just south of Soissons and by the Ist and with the famed French Moroccoan division between them. It was an advance of eight kilometres on the first i day by this trio of divisions which made possible the eventual reduction lof the salient menacing Pans. Ihe I 2nd division had suffered very heavy ' casualties and had to have many replacements to retain its power, It was withdrawn from the battle area and book up the task of traimhg the thousands of raw replacements. When General Pershing started his drive for.&he reduction of the bt. Mihiel salient on September 12, the 2nd division had its place m the hardest fighting along the southern side of the salient, where the heaviest German resistance was expected. Again it made good, through in record time. After the St Mihiel battle the« now famed shock troops of the 2nd division disappeared from the battle line to reappear on October 2, where least expected—over in the Champagne with General Gouraud’s Fourth French arnjy, which drove Jnorth to free Rheims and.break the Boche hold on that region. On the first day m the region of Somme-Py, the 2nd broke through the German line for a gain of six kilometres, leading every other division in the attack. In the succeeding days the 2nd pressed fbr-

ward, and greatly aided General Gouraud’s army in breaking the German hold on the hills of . Champagne anddliberating the martyred city of Rheims, for which the Kaiser’s heart had bled so freely. When General Perching jstarted his drive on Novemgreat sweep to Sedan, the 2nd division was in the linfi in front of St. Georges and Landres-et-St. Georges against a position which had held the Americans at a standstill for two weeks. It broke through for five kilometres the first day, and, leading all other divisions, was responsible for the German communique first statement during the war that the line had been broken. As advance became a general pursuit the 2nd division kept .up its pace and in seven days gained forty kilometres. Such is a brief sketch of the performance of the 2nd division, which helped save Paris, helped reduce the St. Mihiel salient, and helped reach Sedan. Some think it is the best division in any army in France.” Thinking that the people of Rensselaer and Jasper county would enjoy this aceeunt of an American line division, I am sending it to you with a request to publish it. And you may say that I have participated in every engament of the division and came through it all in fine condition. I am now on the Rhine, having arrived here Dec. 9. With best wishes to all, I am, . Most sincerely yours, CORP. RALPH P. SPARKS, - 73 Co., 6 Reg., U. S. Marines.