OUR INVINCIBLES
Twenty years to make a soldier! Well, that depends upon the kind of a
soldier you want. There were two kinds in the Argonne Forest from the
latter part of September to November in that last year of the great
war.
Four long dreadful years the Forest had been the impregnable
stronghold of the Kaiser's minions. The last word in the perfection of
trench warfare had been spoken by them. The most elaborate
preparations for the housing of their men and officers had been made;
dugouts of every description, from the temporary "hole in the ground"
with a wooden door and a "cootie" bunk to the palatial suite sixty
feet underground with cement stairs and floors, and with bathrooms,
officers and lounging quarters, all electrically lighted and well
heated.
[Illustration: MEMORY SKETCH OF A SECTOR OF THE BATTLE
FIELD 1918]
Machine gun nests had been planted in every conceivable point of
vantage from a camouflaged bush on the hillside to the concealed
"lookout" in the tallest treetop. Cannon of every caliber had been
placed throughout the woods and under the lea of each protecting hill
or cliff. A system of narrow-gauge railroads sent its spurs into every
part of the Forest, delivering ammunition to the guns and supplies to
the men, even connecting by tunnel with some of the largest dugouts.
The Boche had not held this stronghold undisturbed. The traditions of
the battlefield, passed from lip to lip, told of numerous and costly
offensives by the French and English, but always the same story of
failure to take or hold the Forest.
When the American offensive was ready to be launched the French were
eager to gamble, first, that our dough-boys could not take the
"untakable," and second, that if by any miraculous procedure they
succeeded in breaking the German line, they could not _hold_ what they
had taken. This did not mean that they doubted the courage or the
ability of our men, but that they did have knowledge of the
impregnable nature of the German stronghold.
On that eventful morning near the end of September, the rainy season
having started and the mud of the Argonne vying with the mud of
Flanders, our guns began to cough and roar. For three terrific hours
they spoke the language of the bottomless pit and caused the very
foundations of the earth itself to quiver. Germans taken prisoner by
our men afterward acknowledged that they had never heard anything so
terrifying in their lives.
Having sent over their letter of introduction, our boys followed in
person with a shout and a dash. Over the top and through the wire
entanglements of No Man's Land they fairly leaped their way. Hundreds
of tons of barbed wire had been woven and interwoven between posts
driven into the ground. These posts were in rows and usually stood
about three feet out of the ground. The rows were four feet apart.
Then through the trenches of the German front line they swept, and out
across the open country which lay between them and the Forest. The
marks of the four years' conflict were everywhere visible: the
blackened and splintered remains of trees, the grass-covered
shell-holes, the ruined towns and the wooden crosses, silent markers
of the tombs of the dead. Besides these were the fresh holes in the
fields and on the hillside where our guns had literally blasted the
whole face of the ground.
The shell-holes ranged from the washtub size made by the 75's to the
great fissure-torn holes made by the big naval guns, and which would
make an ample cellar for an ordinary dwelling house. I have seen
horses which had fallen into these great holes shot and covered over
because they could not be gotten out without a derrick.
In the Forest proper our boys encountered machine-gun nests, artillery
pieces of every caliber, and the Boche with whom the woods were
infested. Besides the opposition of an active enemy, were the natural
barriers of deep ravines, stony ridges and cliffs, and in many places
an almost impassable barrier of dense underbrush and fallen limbs and
trees.
Through all of this, however, our boys pushed that first great day,
ignoring every danger which they were not compelled to conquer in
their rapid advance. When they emerged from the Forest they swept down
the hillside, through the gas-filled valley, and stormed the ridges
beyond. On the crest of one of these ridges was Montfâucon, a strongly
fortified position, said to have been one of the observation towers
of the Crown Prince during the four years of the war. Having
surrounded and taken this stronghold, they swept on through the next
valley and having reached their objective ahead of schedule, dug
themselves in while the fire of German guns pierced and depleted their
ranks.
Whatever military critics may say, our hearts thrill with pride for
these heroes, who being given an objective took it with an impetuosity
which caused them to even outrun their own barrage. And having taken
it, to hold on for days at whatever cost until the heavy artillery
could be brought up to support their line and make a new gain
possible.
When the first surprise shock was over and the enemy realized that the
Americans were really taking their impregnable fortifications, and
opening the door for the defeat and bottling up of the whole German
army, their resistance stiffened to desperation, and our boys had to
literally hew their way to victory.
In reciting my experiences with the 37th Ohio N.G., Major General C.S.
Farnsworth, commanding, I am but echoing those of every other division
engaged in that wonderful Argonne battle.
The tragedies of the Argonne will never be fully written or told. Men
who have witnessed the butcheries of war are liable to be silent about
the worst they have seen. It is the unspeakable.
"Sergeant O'Connor!"
"Here, sir," coming to salute with a snap.
"There is a machine-gun nest in the top of a big tree a mile from here
on the left of the road leading over the hill. Silence it."
"Yes, sir!" again coming to salute and turning to carry out the order
of his captain. He knew the danger, but executed the order.
When this tree was pointed out to us we understood how difficult had
been the task. The limbs had been shot off, but the great trunk was
unhurt. About forty feet from the ground the limbs branched and there
a nest had been built for the machine gun, which commanded the forest
trail and the surrounding country.
On the morning of the third day of the "big push" five "Y" men started
with heavy packs of supplies to find our brave lads of the 37th who
were somewhere in the line. We were given as guides two privates who
were returning to the front for more prisoners. They had brought in
many prisoners that morning. I was interested and drew one of them
into conversation.
"How many prisoners did you have?"
"A bunch of fifty. We captured so many that first day it was hard to
get them all back quickly to the retention camps."
"I suppose they were all disarmed."
"O yes, all weapons were taken from them and they were searched for
secret messages or information which would be valuable to our army."
"Were they allowed to keep any of their belongings?"
"Only the clothes they wore and their caps. Sometimes they would also
keep their gas masks and canteens."
We were on a forest trail. The mud from recent rains covered our
leggings and our heavy hobnail shoes. We came to a crossroads in the
heart of the Forest. Our wounded on stretchers were everywhere. I can
see now the bandaged eyes of the gassed patients, the armless sleeve
or the bared breast with the bloody dressings. I can see the silent
forms of those who would never fight again.
But my heart thrills as the white armband with its red cross comes out
sharp and distinct in the picture. Our doctors and surgeons were the
miracle-workers of that awful field of slaughter. And the ambulance
men were the angels of mercy to thousands whose life blood was wasting
fast away.
The "Y" man with his pack always received a sincere welcome. There was
a smile of gratitude as a piece of chocolate was placed in the mouth
of one whose hands were useless, or a cigarette and a light given to
another whose whole frame was aquiver from the shock of battle. There
were the eager requests of the Red-Cross men for extra supplies for
the boys whom they would see when Mr. Y-Man was not with them.
"A dead Hun is the only good Hun"--this was a war definition, and true
at least while the battle was on. Everywhere through the Forest were
Boche made "good" by American bullets. Near a dead German officer was
a group of our boys looking over the "treasures" which his pockets
held. There was also a photo of a French officer. Evidently, the Hun
had earlier in the war killed the Frenchman and taken his picture for
a souvenir. Was it poetic justice that the Hun should fall victim to a
Yank bullet, and that the photo of his captive, together with his own,
should be taken by his American slayer and given as souvenirs to a
Y.M.C.A. secretary?
I was one of a score of "Y" men who followed Farnsworth's division
into action, establishing hot chocolate stations and carrying on our
backs great packs of chocolate, cigarettes, and tobacco which we gave
away to the boys on the battlefield. There we met the wounded who,
having received first aid, were being carried on stretchers back to
the field dressing stations, where the army surgeons were working
feverishly under trees or in protected valleys. From here continuous
lines of stretcher-bearers with their precious burdens moved back to
the field hospitals.
On the edge of the Forest near Montfâucon and about three miles back
of the line was the nearest field hospital in an elaborate system
of German dugouts. The location was well concealed on a hill thickly
covered by forest trees and a dense tangle of underbrush. Much time
had been spent by the Boche soldiers in making it not only secure but
attractive. Rustic fences protected the wooden walks leading to the
main entrance. A maze of paths as in a garden, connected the various
entrances (doorways). Long flights of wooden steps led down fifteen,
twenty, and even thirty feet underground. The deepest cave was
connected by a tunnel with the railway system that had branches
everywhere through the Forest.
[Illustration: FRENCH OFFICER]
[Illustration: GERMAN OFFICER]
When we found the head surgeon we told him we had chocolate for his
patients. He took us to one of the wards where thirty men were crowded
into four small rooms. The odor of death was in the air. The labored
breathing of unconscious men cast a gloom that was hard to shake off.
"How do you stay here and keep sane?" I asked the doctor in charge.
For five days and nights he had scarcely slept, and all he had to eat
was what he prepared for himself on a little stove in the six-by-ten
room that served for office and living quarters of himself and his
assistant. "The boys are wonderful," he said, "and one forgets himself
in trying to save them."
As we went from cot to cot with a piece of chocolate for each,
gripping the hands of some and looking into the eyes of others too far
gone even to speak, we knew he had spoken the truth. No complaint
escaped their lips. The light of a great new dawn kindled in the eyes
of many, and their smile of gratitude for the kindness done them made
the small service rendered a sacrament sacred on the field of battle.
Returning one evening after a wonderful but terrible day with the boys
on the front, we worked our way along a ridge where our 75's were
belching fire into the ranks of the enemy. We were giving out the
last of our supplies to the crews who were manning these guns. I
stopped to speak to an infantry major who was directing the movements
of his men by telephone and messenger from a former German dugout
where he had taken up temporary headquarters. When I came up he was
standing by a gun looking out over the battlefield and watching the
stretcher bearers returning from the "line." He had tried in vain to
get more artillery sent forward to support his men who were being
mowed down by the merciless fire from the Boche machine guns and
cannon. At first his voice choked with emotion, and then revenge took
possession of him as he cursed the Hun for bringing upon the world
such slaughter. It seemed as if his great heart would burst as he
realized the suffering and the sacrifice of _his boys_ whom he had
ordered to _hold_ at any cost. His voice choked as he cried, "My God,
but they are punishing my boys."
As we walked on in a driving rainstorm and through mud and underbrush
and wormed our way amid wire entanglements, we came upon a field
kitchen and were invited to supper. We gladly accepted and sat down in
the rain to potatoes and meat, bread, butter, and coffee, with a
dessert of pancakes and syrup. It was a meal fit for a king, and no
food ever tasted quite so sweet. It was about fifteen miles to our
hut, and darkness had overtaken us. While we were eating, an empty
ammunition cart drawn by four horses came along, and the sergeant in
charge offered us a ride. The offer was gladly accepted because we had
no guide, and for two hours we bumped over the rough forest trail.
On the way we overtook many of our wounded, who after receiving first
aid had attempted to walk back to the camps in the rear. Wherever we
found them we gave them a lift to the nearest rest camp or ambulance
station. Some whom we were privileged to help seemed completely
exhausted and unable to drag any farther.
When at last the forest trail opened into the highway the going was
faster. When within three miles of Avoncourt we were stopped by a
tieup in traffic. After a few minutes' wait, seeing that there was no
sign of advancing, we decided to walk on. For two solid miles the road
was blocked, the rains having made the roads almost impassable. We
worked our way in and out past ammunition wagons, Red Cross
ambulances, officers' cars, and army trucks. Just before midnight we
reached our huts at Avoncourt, where hot chocolate was being served to
never-ending lines of tin-helmeted, khaki-clad wearers of the gas
mask.
Through this town, now leveled to the ground by four years of
intermittent bombardment, we groped our way to a temporary "Y" supply
hut, where we hoped to spend the night. Upon opening the door we
discovered that every available foot of space on the bare ground
floor was occupied by "Y" men rolled up in their blankets. They were
so exhausted from their long hikes to the front, or their continuous
serving at the chocolate canteen, that they could sleep anywhere. We
quickly decided to continue our tramp another eight miles to the base
headquarters, which we reached at three in the morning drenched and
exhausted and literally covered with mud. After three hours of good
refreshing sleep we were up again and ready to serve our boys--the
invincibles.