Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 October 1918 — LETTERS FROM OUR SOLDIERS [ARTICLE]

LETTERS FROM OUR SOLDIERS

Get Three Letters In One Day From Their Son. Mr. and Mr*. J. C. Beckman received three more letters Tuesday from their son, James, who is in France, dated September 10, 12 and 17, respectively. In the first he says, among other things: “The good news here is true and hope to be back much sooner than I first expected to. I do not have time to be lonesome. I don’t have time to do all I must and want to do. Have written you of my transfer here. I was promoted to ser-geant-major, so you will address me Sgt.-Maj. J, W. Beckman, Headquarters Troop, 2nd Corps, Am. E, F.”

In the next letter he says that he Is ‘"working jointly with the chief clerk in 3-2 (intelligence-in-formation section, i The war will soon end and whether I get a commission or not doesn’t matter much. I will have valuable information for after the war in this work, and I will get a commission here as readily as elsewhere. I have had many interesting experiences and after they are over I would not part with them. I have slept and eaten under a variety of conditions. I have slept on board and bridge floors and on the ground, with sometimes only two thickness of blanket under me and sometimes a shelter half boarded over, but I never got sick nor have I been hurt. The best way the Americans can end this quickly is to back up the biggest and best army in the least possible time.” In his letter of September 17 he says: "‘Three of your good letters from August 11 to August 17 came today and yesterday. I was indeed glad to have them. Pa’s letter came in one of the two received today. Tell him I d arrange a meeting between him and the Kaiser only I want to see the latter first. <His jig is up and now "they are squealing, hoping to get off, just like the cowards and bullies they are. They must be made to pay a%d left with no more power in Belgium or Denmark. I hope to be able to return and make a trip to see you and then go to work profitably, as I think I can in New York. In my new work here I am getting information that will be of value to me there.’’

Iler Walker Writes, From “Over There.’’ Mr. and Mrs. D. E. Walker received the following letter from their son, Iler, a few days ago: France, October 3, 1918. . Dear Mother and All:—How are Nou all tonight? I am feeling fine only a slight headache. Hope it is all gone by tomorrow for I think we will have some big days’ work. The other clothing unit is going to de’part so we are going to take over the warehouse they are leaving: That means we have to move all of our stock to the other place. It is only a few blocks but it will have to be put on trucks to got it over there. I don’t know how many fellows 'Ue will have to help i|s, but hope” a plenty. Was out watching the boys fire at an airplane, but as, it was so far away all we could see was the bursting shells which made a little cloud of smoke when they broke. It has been very quiet here for some time in the air as it has been too stormy for them to go up. When it is clear we sea them every day. So far I have never air battle but I have seen them chasing “thqm” with shells. Today was pay-dhy, and I have more “soap wrappers” than I can carry. We get five francs for each dollar, which makes quite a stack when $25 is changed into French money. I have a U. S. $1 which I am saving as a souvenir. The way the papers read I have hopes of getting to spend it in another year on U. S. soil. If that is all the longer I am over here. I’ll be quite lusky. We are staying in our warehouse but there are no fires of any" kind. At present I am in a nice warm office that belongs to a lumbdy company here. < The old gent is ;a fine old chap; he gave me 'key to the joint and went horned rThat is some real hospitality, what? I mean,. we have a good >laee to write but I never fast enough to keep &een giving out a large winter clothing the last few The hospital corps just now two hundred blankets id stock and there is only four of us sleeping here, so you see we have a plenty to go around.

I like it better over here than in the other place. We can throw “cig” stubs any direction and they will hit the ground. We are sure getting some swell eats now. I had pumpkin pie for dinner and hot rolls for supper, which is a rare thing in the army. What they had for breakfast none of us know, for we didn’t get up until 7 a. m., which was too late to eat. We are all heavy sleepers and none of us have any desire to get up in the cold. Well, mother, I’ll bring this to a close and “beat it for the hay.” So, hoping this finds you all well and happy, as it leaves me, will “ring off.” Lovingly, ILER. 306 Clothing Unit, A. E. F., A. P. O. 791, via. New York.

Winamac Doctor Writes of His Part In Big Drive. Medaryville Journal: Written during a brief rest in the midst of the intense British drive now in progress in northern

France the attached letter from Lieut, George H. Reddick gives a vivid impression of modern warfare and of Hun treachery. A,s a member of the U. S. medical reserve the young man is attached to the British army, and all of his numerous old home friends hereabout will doubtless be %s much interested in the letter as the two friends to wnom it was addressed, Messrs. E. W. and L. A. Smith: In the Field, September, 1918. The recent British offensive is flow history and all of you have it in the papers. My very minute ■part in it may be of interest. The regiment was miles behind the lines, resting. Suddenly the order came to move to X by night. We moved by night, a march of fifteen miles. X was a wrecked village and we remained in it all day under cover. That night at 10 o’clock we moved to Y, and stood there until the bombardment opened. At ‘‘zero hour” all hell broke loose. I had received full instructions from the colonel. The barrage was to start at ‘‘zero.’’ The division ahead of us would advance to a certain point by "zero” plus so many minutes. We would advance from that point to our objective of the division ahead of us —six kilometers from where we stood at night. I had forty stretcher bearers with me—some from the ambulance company. So as soon as we had established our aid post they were to carry the first stretcher case back and get in touch with ambulance headquarters. I was to proceed behind the battery. Every little detail was figured out to a nicety, so how could the boche do anything except run? The barrage started and so did we, everyone knowing just what to do. Tanks proceeded us to take care of the machine gunners, who attempted to impede progress. I carried a map and located all roads and wire trenches as we moved forward. Well, it was a very misty morning and we had put down a smoke barrage, so after- a time the two combined made it impossible for .us to, see anywhere. I knew what our objective was and our little group imade for it, walking by guess and by Joe, we got there and established the advanced aid post, and cleared a great many wounded. The position was heavily shelled, and my Red Cross flag is full of shrapnel holes. But we won!

Many things of interest occurred during our walk to the objective in dense smoke and mist. German shells would burst near us, and we would pick our way about large shell holes and crawl through strands of barbed wire. There is enough barbed wire, jn France to make a cattle tight fence around every farm in Pulaski county. But the greatest surprise, was when thirty boche surrendered to my little party—threw up their hands and handed out that “kamerad” stuff to me. And none of us armed! They seemed to juimp from the very bowels of the earth like some mystic things. We were right near their trenches. In fact, -we reached the boche line ahead of the tanks. Can you beat it? ' At the same moment boche machine guns were working on our party from the right and left. One stretcher bearer was killed and two were wounded. I put the men in shell holes, and about that time a tank ca/me Up behind us; also a ualf-platoon of men with an officer. I told the tank officer about the machine gun on the left. He took care of that by running over the entire outfit. The officer with the riflemen’' handled the gun crew with rapidity and dispatched by bayoneting the entire gang. I placed my wounded 'bearers on stretchers and made the boche prisoners carry them under a guard from the platoon of riflemen baek to the ajnbulance. We buried the unfortunate man who was killed while we were waiting ’ for the tanks and) riflemen to get ahead of us again.

We then proceeded forward and got out of the area of smoke, wire, Germans and everything connected with them. They had fallen back onto our objective and attempted to hold it but they failed. I saw cavalry, tanks, aeroplanes dropping ammunition to the infantry, sixhorse guns coming forward, and all the other implements of modern warfare to date. We established our aid post in an abandoned" boche aid post. He had' gone in a hurry, leaving dressing, bandages, splints, stretchers and all manner of things useful to me. I worked very hard the remainder of the day getting the wounded out. It was difficult on account of the (Hun gunfire and trench mortals. The next imorning at 3 o’clock another division attacked the boche, at 9 o’clock and still another at 11 o’clock, each one moving forward through the other. Very soon I was far behind the line then I went souvenir hunting. I found them—three types of pistols, Prussian helmets, Prussian spurs, daggers, three pairs of field glasses, money, messages signed by the kaiser and Ludendorf, and other articles too numerous to mention as they say in sale bills. Our regiment captured 100 machine guns and five field guns, also three anti-tank guns which look like an elongated single barrel shot gun, firing an armor-piercing bullet. We camped on our dearlywon ground for a few days, then moved back to rest. We were suddenly called again at night to take a village the next morning. The aid post was established as near to the line as practical considering the safety of tne wounded. The regiment went “over” in the morning. The regiment on the right did not advance, and thus a gap was left between them and us through vzhich the boche came in. Well, it wai a

hell of a fight all day but we finally killed or> captured all the boche—and if I should say killed I think I would be more to the point. I believe the only good boche is a dead one. The cursed machine gunners will fire at troops moving towards them until they see they are about to be captured, then throw up their hands and shout ‘‘kamerad,” I say kill them, and believe une that is what Tommy does. The next morning another division passed through us, and soon the line was far ahead of us again —and here we aTe now. This is the way this drive has been moving forward. It is impossible for the boche to stop. We have casualties certainly. It is appalling. I have seen enough of war that I don’t want our country to be drawn into another. But I want to see this one: fought until the entire German nation is trod into the dust and made to shout '‘kamerad, kamerad; I was all wrong,” until he is hoarse. It is the only way to handle the Hun. It is the only handling he understands. So let him have it. 1 trust all the lads from Winamac and vicinity are O. K. I am still as fit as a fiddle. Truly yours,

GEO. H. REDDICK.