Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 78, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 April 1919 — VISITS MANY BATTLEFIELDS [ARTICLE]

VISITS MANY BATTLEFIELDS

RUSSEL WARREN TELLS OF MANY TRIPS—NEAR SCENE OF PEACE CONFERANCE. Monday 10:30 P. M. ID, 1919. My dear ' ‘

I sure am one tired and sleepy boy tonight, but I am just as happy as lam tired. It seems as if everything comes to-those, that wait and so far everything? seems to be coming my way. . I wanted to, see Paris—an <T I have seen it. I wanted to see the front and I have seen that . The£ decided they would give us all a two days leave before the President returned and we would go three at a timfe. They told me Saturday morning that my leave was to start that afternoon and I could go any place I wanted to. The other two that were going with me wanted to go to Soissons, but it was impossible to get there until the next morning and on a two day leave you don’t havq any time to waste. We could get a train to Chateau Thierry though, at 5:30 p. m., so we took that and got out of Paris. Our passes said any place in France, so we were all set. We got to see a good deal of the scenery between here and Chateau Thierry and there doesn’t seem to have been much fighting between here and there. It was eight o’clock when we got into Chateau Thierry and we were taken over to the Provost Marshall where our passes were stamped. From there we went over to the Y. M. C. A., where we got a cot and three of the French blankets. I did fell kind of tired, but those darned blankets started tickling and I imagined I had everything from the cooties on down. . When I did get started in sleeping it got so blamed cold that sleep was almost out of the question. I put on my socks first then my shirt and it wasn’t long before I had on nearly everything, but my neckerchief and hat. The windows were all shot out of the building and the bullet holes were stopped up as Well as they could be. Well, anyway we had lots of fresh air and it isn’t everyone that can sleep in a hotel that) looks more like a milk strainer. I suppose I did manage to get about three hours sleep all told, but I was feeling like a million dollars when I did get up. We got up about seven and went out to see what we could of the city. It is pretty badly shot up alright and there is scarcely a building that doesn’t show some marks of the battle. There are graves in back yards and every place. In one cemetery there are about two hundred and fifty American graves side by side. We seen the big bridge across the Marne that the Americans shot away to keep the Germans from crossing the river and if it was done by artillery fire it was wondreful work, as it looked just as if it was chiseled. We came back to the Y. M. C. A. about eight o’clock and had breakfast of coffee, jelly and bread. We also had some sandwiches fixed up in case we were unable to get anything to eat in Rheims. We had to stop at the Provost Marshall and get our passes stamped again and we caught a train out of Chateau Thierry for Rheims at 9:30 a. m. It was a train made up of German coaches and it was the best train I have ridden on over here yet. Their coaches are so much more like our own and so much more comfortable than the French.

We hadto have a sign or two out of one of the coaches for a souvenier. i Between Chateau Thierry and Rheims it did look as if there had been a war. The buildings were all shot up and the fields were filled with trenches and barbed wire entanglements. There were airoplanes lying in the field and big stacks of shells that wereall ready for business. In one farmers back yard there were three airoplanes, one German and two French, the German was smashed to splinters, but the French looked to be in good shape. There were dugout in all the hills and they were certainly camouflaged up to a million. It was a most interesting ride from Chateau Thierry and lots of good scenery. It was noon when we got into Rheims and I tell you there is very little left of that city. It is just levelled. Some of the people are trying. to come back to their old homes and clear thing up enough so they can call it home anyway. How a person can have any use for a German after going through a country like that, is more than I can see. The French and American run a Red Cross there and it is about the only place where you can stay over night or get anything to eat. AU the French that come back to look for their homes have to stay there. They seem to be real optimistic about it though and seem to think they will be able to get in I pretty good shape in a year or two. In a good many places they are setting out new orchards, new vineyards, plowing around the shell holes, entanglements, etc. The first place we went was the big Cathedral. It towers way above the rest of the city and, must have been a wonderful structure in its days, but it was a good target for the Germans and they, sure: did shell it. Now it isn’t much mare than a big pile of stones, although. walls and towers- are standing in fairly good shape. Whether they will try to repair it is more, than I know. After visiting the Cathedral we started to look for thq places where all this devilment was done from. We found that the Hindenburg line was only about five kilo-' meters out and we started out toj see them. We hiked out across fields, < across trenches and barb wire entanglements. There were shell holes and shells that had failed to explode. Out in the center of a big field there was a big Germank tank like the one that was Place de la Concorde. We Went all through that but the Garr mane had certainly put it out rtf commission. They.,had taken the-pistons

out and broken the cylinder heads and everything that could.possibly be 1 of any Use. I picked me up a couple of French rifles and thought I .would aring one of them back'with me but they were such a bother in climbing barbed wire ahd going over the top that I took the bolt out of one and threw the things away. My hat sute does go off to the fellow that

had to climb through those darned things. ’ It was all I could do to waddle through them without a gun or anything. It/was no job at all to tell the German trenches from the French as they were so: much more substantial. I guess old Hindenburg must have stayed there about four years and from the way he had things fixed up he must have intended to stay forever. His trenches were dug deep and wide and he used a good deal of cement. We didn’t dare go so very far in the dugouts as they were blaek as ink and we wanted to see what we were getting into. What we did see certainly did look good. They were built in stories with big rooms and were almost like a home. In the -trenches were the hand grefiades all timed up ready to throw. The shells from the small machine gun bullets up to te nand twelve inch were there all ready for business but will probably never be used now. There were dead horses, Germans, piles* of field artillery and everything lying around and all you had to do was pick up what you wanted. The Germans had been buried all right but not very deep and the rains had washed the dirt off the bodies. We did cut the buttons and shoulder straps off the coat of one. It is not an uncommon sight to be walking along and see a foot or hand sticking through the dirt. There were sour 1 or five American soldiers over about a half mile from us shooting those hand grenades and having a good time but I don’t like to fool with things like that unless I know what I am doing. -There are thousands and thousands of those things lying around but I would just as soon pick up a rattle snake or two. There were plenty of helmets, rifles and stuff like that up there but that stuff is so bulky to carry around and I have such a long way to go that I want only such little thing as I can carry real well. I did rip a couple of French 750 apart and got the brass case, but that will pack pretty well., We were doing all of this hiking in a nice little drizzle and when we did get back to Rheims we were a sight as we were mud from head to foot and we were some tired. We got a pretty good meal at the Red Cross and seven thirty found us in bed. We. ran across one of the Admirals fellows up there and he stayed with us over night. Two of the fellows got up and caught the five thirty train out of Rheims, but I was so tired that it would have taken a team of mules to drag me out of that bed so early in the morning. I did get up about seven thirty, washed my face and hands in a horse tank got a little breakfast and went out to see a little more of the city. Believe me it sure is some shot up place and at the rate these French work they will be two hundred years in making it look like a city. They have a good many German prisoners working around the city helping to clear things up but they don’t work very hard. I think France had bettep -trade countries with Germany and call everything square, as Paris ip about the only city in France that amounts to anything. We got a train out of Rheims at 10:30 a. m. and had to change at Epernay. We got into Epernay at noon and had a real dinner. Our train didn’t leave until two forty*five so we set put to see If is a mighty pretty place and not shot up quite as much as some of these other cities. It is the home of so many of these big champagne factories and we started to go through one of them, but it would take a .month to see it all. It think we were in the largest one and the little we did see was very interesting. They claimed there was eighteen miles of cellar underneath that works and it was practically all full of champagne that is already champagne, or passing through some of the different stages. I can see now why champagne is so dear even here in France. When we came out of the factory we were up on top of a large hill? and we had a splendid view of the whole city and it is really a beautiful place.' There are very few Americans ever hit that city and we were more than a curiosity and little kids followed us around as if we were a circus parade. When it was time for the train to leave I sure was tired and was ready to sib down for awhile. The train was a fast one—that is fast for France—and got us into Paris at 5:15 p. m. Gee, but this burg did look good to me, and my room like a palace. By the time I got washed up and a bite to eat ft was time for me to go on watch.

I was impoor shape to stand a watch but’ there was nothing doing so I sat,’down and started this thing and now ever twenty-four hours later I am trying to finish it. In order that (we mould get this little leave before (the President returns it was necessary for us to stand more watches. I had the eight to one yesterday morning (March 11), the twelve to four now, and I will have the one to seven this afternoon, so you can see that I am real busy doing nothing just at present. I am just so busy that I haven’s had time to run out to headquarters and draw, my weekly check that calls for twentysix dollars this time, but I had enough left from my trip to pay my. room rent for this week, so I don’t care whether I draw it or not this time. It will make a good big check next Monday. , I was supposed to run out to headquarters yesterday afternoon and get my service and health records checked up but it was such a nice i afternoon that I couldn’t waste it I that way. I will try and get up at 110:30 this morning and run out there before lunch. Yesterday afternoon I went back to the Louvre and ran across a real American woman that has spent a good many years in Paris .and she offered to show us the most interesting things. We went over lots that-we. had covered the last time, but the woman pointed odt so many little things that had escaped ♦*' - ■ 4

us the other time and it was really much more pleasant visit than the other one. You can’t appreciate those things unless there is some one allo ng that can explain them to you. After coming out of the Louvre she took us over to the St. Gervais church that was hit by one of the shells from the big gun. There was sopie kind of a concert going on there and the building was packed and this shell killed seventy some people. The inside is all nicked up where pieces of the shell hit and you can still see the blood stains on the the ;big. gun was located 'at Soisons and that is about seventy miles from Paris. There were four of us in this ladies little party and she then took us over to see Notre Dame. I really was ashamed of myself to think I had been in Paris over four months and never seen that, famous Cathedral. It’s a massiveistnucture allrighU but I don’t see how people'would stay in there very Jong without getting the flu or something as it is cold and damp in there. It is such a large affair that it must take a good many priests to preach to everybody that would gather there. I don’t believe it is as big as the one at Rheims nor nearly as grand, but it-is a wonderful place at that. When I did finish that walk I was really tired and as hungry as a bear. I did get a fine dinner and that fixed the hungry part but I am still tired. We went up to the room, shaved and cleaned up and went down to the Theatre Albert with one of the fellows and saw Cover” in five acts. It was great and I forgot I was tired for awhile. After the show we went down to the Red Cross and got a bowl of coffee and a couple of sandwiches. I Stayed there until a quarter of twelve and then came up here on watch. lit is now two a. m. and in two more hours I should be dead to the world. This sure is a great life and the weather is just getting so we can enjoy it. There is to be a big Fair here in Paris, from April 26th to May 10th. They are putting up the buildings now and it looks as if l it were going to be some affair. We will have to see that the Peace Conference is held off long enough so we can see the Fair. We are expecting the President to.Jand in Brest tomorrow and arrive in Paris some time Friday or Saturday. Then the work will commence again and when we do stop to come up for air something definite should be known. I see the Germans refuse to turn over their merchant fleet unless they are guaranteed 2,500,000 tons of food. They should* argue with her at all. If she won’t turn them over they ought to go take them. The Germans are the best fed people over here now and that sympathy., ktuff is going to get, old before It has been nearly a week since I wrote you last butl-think I have told you nearly all the most interesting things that have happened since then. It is awfully hard to write when everything is the same day in and day out, but from now on. until I leave France I would like to be on the go m'ost of the time. ' Before leaving this side altogether I?, would like to visit Southern France, down around Nice, Genoa, Italy and. London, England then I believe I would be satisfied to leave Europe.and keep away from it forever, and ever. This sure is hard on the Peace.> Commissioners stationery, but I don’t take spells like this very often and I guess you are glad that I don’t,, but I wish you could get as .much pleasure out of reading this as I did out of seeing it. ... Just tell Hamilton that all my letters are misplaced as I don’t write for publication at aIL I- am glad people take so much interest in me though I. don’t understand it. RUSSEL L WARREN. U. S. Naval. Staff Rep. 4 Place d’ lena . Paris, France.