Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 88, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1919 — LETTERS FROM OUR SOLDIERS [ARTICLE]

LETTERS FROM OUR SOLDIERS

W. A. Potts Writes of Closing Battles. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Potts of Fair Oaks received another letter a few days ago from their son, Willie A. Potts, who is with the Rainbow Division in the army of occupation in Germany. Thi* letter was written from Luxemburg, November 28, or nearly a month beforfe the letter published from him in The Democrat last Saturday. In it he tells of some of the last battles the Rainbow boys were in, and we copy extracts. He says: We have been skipping around considerably and are now over in this country in a i mall townr called Sauel, but a few kilometers away Is a larger town named Aelous, which is very pretty and in peace time had a population of about 12,000. Those towns have never been shelled, bombed or molested in any way. At times the Germans were going out one end of a town as vye wore coming in the other. They showed no resistance whatever —were only foo glad to keep going, for the Americans had made them fear all mankind. We’ve been on practically every front here. TWe last sector we done mischief on was the Verdun front. They lined out batteries up close behind the doughboys, regiment after regiment—of all sorts, heavy and light pieces, and at a specified time all tore loose. It was a wonderful sight and the sky was lit up for miles around, but the square-heads never stopped running yet. In places In that sector it was impossible to walk for shell holes without zigzagging considerably. The trees are all dead, shot off any iwhere from the ground up; towns completely wiped off the map. In fact, everything that was there in 1914 is gone, utterly destroyed. It would be a hard matter for an animal of any sort to live in that place. We were close to Charlou on the Champalgne front when that drive started early July 15, when they started over to get us and to take the town, but it was a miserable hell, for they lost men by the thousands. This was their Ipst attempt to gain ground. In fact we advanced there and I assume this was the beginning of the end. Well, as today is Thaksglvfng we all have many things to be thankful for. Our little family of about 40 have Arranged to have plenty of good eats. We bought two pigs and are going to roast them and we also have all the other necessaries for such an occasion.

John Standish Sleeps In a Real Bed. Word comes from John Standish of the A. E. F., under date of January Ist, that he is in Grenzhausen, Germany, is well and happy and the “Dutch’’ treat them fine. “Stayed with a banker last night and he put me in a bed (the first I had seen in a year) and I could not sleep. This is fine weather, no snow. “I don’t get much mail; suppose it is because 1 am traveling. I am quite lonesome today. Cannot surprise you, mother, as I djd one year ago today. Think I will start toward the U. S. soon and will sure be glad.’’ JOIH'N STANDISH, Bat. C, 14C>th F. A., Am. E. F., Germany. Homer Fisher Writes From Germany. Homer Fisher of Kankakee township, who is with the A. E. F., writes his brother as follows: Obeicom, Luxenburg, December 24,' 1918. Dear Brother and Family.—As I haven’t yvrltien youtj for some ' :

time and am confined to quarters, will spend some of the time in writing you a few lines. We left Miliy, where we were quartered after the end, and hiked four days, covering a distance of eighty kilometers or better; usually reached our objective around 2 p. m. each day, but carrying a pack and hiking on hard stone roads for that length of time you are always ready to tpull in. The first day’s hiking put us out of the area where the fighting was at the finish, so from then on the towns were not torn up like the ones where we started from. Those that were torn up had been done at the start of the war or by aviators. The night of the third day’s hike we stayed in a large stone hotel in the cuy of Longivy. Several of the, ctjdliaue had returned and we found several stores, but they have such prices on things through here that money fairly evaporates. With a dollar you can buy about as much candy as onetenth of that amount would back there, and very poor stuff, too. A cigar costs from 20 to 4 0 cents; eggs sell at a mark (25 cents) apiece; butter $2.50 per pound. Pork is so high that you seldom see any. The stores are allowed to sell a certain amount of bread each day, and if they don’t sell up to this limit we can buy some, otherwise you would 'have to have a ticket and you can’t get hold of them.’

The hotel at Longivy had been used by the Germans as a hospital, and there was a medical odor everywhere. It mad*- a very good for us as there wai steam heat and a complete water system. All the buildings here weie very pretty and all in good condition. The road coining in ’ led around the top of a high hill and, looking down .on the town, situated in a deep valley, it was very pretty. At the end of the fourth day’s hike we were in Luxemburg. Here we stayed in a town by the name of Garnich for six days, leaving last Wednesday on account of poor billits, hiking about fifteen kilometers in a hard rain to our present location. This is a very pretty place, three small towns located together, with a steel factory. The country here is very pretty. Everything is clean and fine stone buildings, but their weather is very disagreeable, raining most of the time. It cleared up- last night and the ground was frozen this morning. The sun has been shining all a. m., sometl|ing that seldom happens here. It is "bean’,’ time, so I will close. None of our mail has been transfrred sb we haven’t had any since leaving the pamp in Southern Prance. Would like to receive it as I am getting' tired of writing and not getting any answers. Expect you will have a big time tomorrow. We got "tin Willie,’’ instead of turkey Thanksgiving and expect the same kind of turkey tomorrow. Well, its a year until another one and I hope it will be spent in the States. When you write, address as below. Give my regards to all. With love, HOMER. Pvt. Homer Fisher, Co. D* 14th M. G. Bn., A. P. O. 745, Am. E. F.