Légionnaires (they advanced without knapsacks) so they could be
distinguished from the enemy. This precaution was taken for the reason
that in the attack on May 9th, a serious delay occurred because the
observers attached to the French 75 guns were unable to distinguish the
French from the Germans. A despatch bearer who had messages from the
officers at the front stating that the Legion had made a great advance,
and directing that the range of the guns be changed so as to pass over
the French troops, was killed and the messages undelivered. When the
soldiers of the Legion reached this line of range of their own guns,
many ran into the fire, and the others were compelled to hold back until
another messenger was despatched.
After a terrific bombardment of the German trenches for several days,
the French troops left their trenches at eight o’clock in the morning of
June 16th, for the attack.
Ladders were in the front line trenches to enable the soldiers to get
out quickly; a ladder being provided for every five men.
It will be remembered that on May 9th Battalion C led the advance,
followed by A, and then B, but on June 16th it was Battalion B,
containing these five Americans, that was first to leave in its sector.
It faced a very severe fire from machine guns, rifles and shrapnel. The
men ran forward in a line, at a distance of about a yard apart, and many
fell before the first line of German trenches were reached. These had
been destroyed by the French artillery and vacated by the enemy, and
little of the barbed wide defences remained. However, the broken ground
where those trenches had been afforded some slight shelter and advantage
was taken of it to rest and rearrange the line.
They then rushed for the second line of trenches, which were strongly
defended, having many machine guns in action; the French lost heavily
before reaching these trenches, those who did safely reach them had a
hand to hand fight with the Germans. It was here that Paul Pavelka
received a bayonet wound in his leg and Lawrence Scanlan was severely
wounded in his leg and foot by rifle fire, Russell Kelly received what a
companion described as “a clean wound in his left shoulder that did not
seem to be serious.” All trace of John Smith and Kenneth Weeks was lost
at this point. Weeks carried the supply of hand grenades for his
section.
But in spite of all resistance the French captured those trenches, and
pushed on to the next, where they had another desperate hand to hand
encounter but which they also captured.
This division of the French army then drove its way through Cabaret
Rouge, which has been frequently mentioned in the despatches. It is only
a wine shop on the road to Arras and on the southern outskirts of
Souchez.
In spite of the German artillery and machine gun fire they continued to
advance, driving the enemy before them, capturing many, and taking Hill
No. 119 to the southeast of Souchez. Pavelka and Scanlan, who lay
wounded at the second line of trenches, could plainly see their
comrades, distinguished by the pieces of white muslin on their backs,
fighting their way, step by step, up Hill 119.
The division pushed on towards Givenchy, which is about a mile east of
Souchez; but the Germans were able to attack them on their left flank,
and the German artillery established a curtain of fire and thus cut off
reënforcements. The rest of the line did not advance as fast nor as far
as the portion that included this Battalion, so before the day was over
the Germans had surrounded the men who were so advanced, and subjected
them to a most severe artillery and machine gun fire. The men so
surrounded numbered about five hundred and they held out until the
afternoon of the next day, when, with every man remaining wounded and
exhausted from thirst, they were all captured with the exception of some
few who were able to conceal themselves within the German lines, it
having been since reported that some of the men avoided capture in that
way.
Every officer in the regiment was killed.
The battle that day resulted in a net gain to the Allies of about two
miles in depth over a front of about two miles; which gain was held for
about six months, when the Germans recovered nearly one mile.
OFFICIAL WAR (night) COMMUNIQUÉ.
FRENCH
_Paris,
Thursday, June 17, 10 p. m._
Great activity along the entire front during the last two days is
reported in to-day’s despatches. The fighting to the north of Arras has
assumed an extremely violent character since yesterday. Infantry actions
have been numerous and vigorous, while the artillery duel has been
exceptionally violent and uninterrupted. We have achieved important
gains which were almost all maintained despite furious counter attacks,
which were repeated to-day with renewed vigor.
Yesterday and to-day we advanced steadily toward Souchez from the
northwest, the south-west and the west. Further to the south we have
gained a footing in the park of the Carleul Château, where the enemy had
been making use of the moat around the Château as a defensive base. We
captured the Souchez cemetery and gained some ground on the slopes to
the southeast of Souchez (Hill No. 119) following several brilliant
charges. The results achieved yesterday were extended to-day.
After our infantry had delivered some extremely vigorous attacks, which
were most efficaciously supported by the firing of almost three hundred
thousand shells by our artillery, it was compelled to face, during the
night of Wednesday, several violent counter attacks made by important
hostile forces. These attacks were repulsed along the entire front, the
only point evacuated by us being a small wood which we captured
yesterday morning south of Hill No. 119 and which the enemy’s artillery
made it impossible for us to hold.
In these engagements the Germans used eleven divisions, which all
suffered extremely heavy losses. On our side the losses were also
serious.
The morale of our troops continues to be perfect. The number of
prisoners captured by us exceeds six hundred, including more than twenty
officers.
GERMAN
_Berlin,
Thursday, June 17._
The British and French continued yesterday their attempts to break
through our lines. North of La Bassée Canal the British, overpowered by
Westphalians and Saxons, after a hand-to-hand fight, were forced to beat
a speedy retreat into their positions. South of Souchez the French
succeeded in penetrating into our positions over a width of about 600
metres, and obtained a foothold. Fighting still continues. At all other
points they were repulsed with sanguinary losses.
FRENCH
_Paris,
Saturday, June 19, 10 p. m._
In the sector to the north of Arras we have continued our action and on
several points gathered the fruits of the favorable engagements of the
last few days....
We hold the slopes of Hill 119 where our troops are maintaining
themselves, clinging to the ground beyond the last German trenches,
notwithstanding counter attacks by the enemy. To the south of these
slopes our front has been carried forward to the northeast of the
Labyrinth.
GERMAN
_Berlin,
Saturday, 3 p. m._
Several French attacks on the Lorette Hills, on both sides of Neuville
and northeast of Arras broke down. We cleared a few trench sections
which we had previously lost, of all enemies.
Account of battle from the _New York American_, August 7, 1915.
THREE AMERICANS IN LEGION CAPTURED
Orderly Describes Brilliant Charge Against Germans by Squad from U.
S. in French Ranks
_By International News Service
Paris, August 6._
It now seems certain the three Americans of the famous First Regiment of
the Foreign Legion who have been missing since the big fight north of
Arras on June 16th are prisoners in Germany. They are Kenneth Weeks,
Russell Kelly, and John Smith.
The news was brought to Paris by an orderly of the regiment’s colonel,
who, while lying in the field of battle with a shattered leg, was picked
up by the German Red Cross. His leg was amputated in a field hospital
and he was recently repatriated.
According to the orderly, Battalion B, of the Legion in which these
Americans were fighting on June 16th, broke far through the German lines
left of Cabaret Rouge. The Germans reformed on both sides, attacking in
force, and by the curtain of shells and machine-gun fire made
reinforcements or retreat impossible.
The Légionnaires dug in and throughout the night of the 16th until the
afternoon following resisted all attacks. Then, covered with wounds and
parched with thirst, the survivors surrendered.
The American squad when the first regiment moved north from the
Champagne region early in May included Kenneth Weeks, of New Bedford;
Paul Rockwell, of Atlanta; Paul Pavelka, of Madison, Conn.; Russell
Kelly, of New York; Frank Musgrave, of New Orleans; Jack Janz, of
Boston; Lawrence Scanlan, of Cedarhurst, L. I., John Smith, of Los
Angeles; Neamorin, of Calcutta, a graduate of Oxford and a frequent
visitor to America, and Madji Zennis, of Constantinople, formerly an
interpreter for a New York importing house.
The squad was led by Corporal Didier, a gigantic Moor. All were
volunteers for the war except Janz. Janz was the only American in the
entire Legion that had seen African service, having been seven years in
Morocco.
He was shot through the forehead while looking out of a trench toward
the German lines shortly after the arrival of the regiment in the north.
During the fighting around La Targette and Neuville-St. Vaast on May 9th
Janz was shot through the chest with a rifle ball. While he lay on the
battlefield a shell exploded near him and badly lacerated his hips.
Later he was carried off the field to a hospital.
ONLY 700 OF 4,000 LEFT
After the fighting on May 9th, 10th and 11th the Legion was sent to the
rear for re-organization. Only 700 of the 4,000 who had gone into action
answered the roll call.
In the attack of June 16th, which preceded by a terrific thirty-six-hour
bombardment of the German lines, the legion occupied a position near
Souchez and Cabaret Rouge.
The first line of German trenches was literally knocked to pieces by
shell fire and easily taken. The advance on the second line was met by a
stream of lead from rifles and machine guns. Whole sections of the
attacking party were mowed down. Corporal Didier fell, his left arm
literally shot off. Zennis’s lower jaw was torn away. Neamorin fell with
a ball through his abdomen.
Pavelka was the first of the American squad to reach the second line. He
just got to the edge of a trench held by Bavarians when he was stabbed
in the leg with a bayonet.
GERMANS THROW DOWN ARMS
By then the German trenches were filled with a yelling mass of
Légionnaires, zouaves and tirailleurs. Such of the Germans as could
climbed out of the trenches and threw down their arms. They ran for the
rear, the French in hot pursuit.
Pavelka took shelter in a German trench to bandage his wound. He was
joined there by Kelly, who had been hit in the shoulder, and Smith with
a ball through his leg.
After a rest Pavelka suggested to his comrades that they crawl to the
rear. Kelly and Smith were too weak. Pavelka made his way alone to a
first aid ambulance.
The only American positively known to have been killed June 16th was
Edwin Hall, of Chicago, who arrived at the front a few days before the
battle and was placed in the machine gun section. It was his first time
under fire and he exhibited great coolness and bravery. Hall’s squad
rushed up the machine guns to hold a captured position. The Germans
counter attacked and killed the entire squad.
IX
EPILOGUE
It may interest the reader to know how the six Americans in the 15th
_escouade_ or squad have since fared, so the following brief statement
is given.
Lawrence Scanlan, called Larney in the narrative, was severely wounded
in his leg and foot June 16th. It was not until the following December
that the last of the pieces of bullets were extracted from his leg. They
were forwarded to his family near New York.
The wounds were so deep that in November, 1916, he was still an invalid,
being in a hospital established by an American, Mrs. Fitzgerald, at
Passy-par-Véron, France. In the summer of 1916 he was awarded the _Croix
de Guerre_ or Military Cross, the citation stating that it was awarded
because he was a good and brave soldier and had been badly wounded. It
was attached while he stood, aided by crutches. In writing of the
ceremony he stated, “I could not help thinking as I stood there that
Russell should be standing beside me, and that we should be receiving
our decorations together.”
Paul Pavelka referred to in the letters as the “skipper,” recovered from
the bayonet wound he received June 16th, and returned to the front. He
was in many severe engagements, and early in the year 1916 was
transferred to the All-American aviation section. He rendered such brave
service in this branch of the army around Verdun that he was made
sergeant in September, 1916, and the following month was awarded the
_Croix de Guerre_ with its green and red ribbon.
Kniffin Yates Rockwell, who was in a hospital June 16th, suffering from
the wound received May 9th, recovered and rejoined the Legion at the
front. He was transferred to the All-American aviation section, and was
so daring and successful that he became known as the Ace. General
Joffre, in person, pinned upon him the _Médaille Militaire_ with its
yellow ribbon, for bringing down a Prussian two-seat aeroplane near
Hartmannsweillerkopf, in May, 1916. On September 9th, 1916, he was
officially credited with having brought down four Prussian aeroplanes.
He was promoted to a lieutenancy. He was also awarded the _Croix de
Guerre_.
On September 24th, 1916, he was shot down while defending a flotilla of
bomb-dropping aeroplanes returning to the Verdun lines from an
expedition into territories held by the Prussians. He suffered his fatal
wound while above the town of Thann, and dropped into Alsatian
territory, retaken from the Prussians. This was near the spot where he
shot down his first adversary about April, 1916. He was on his way back
to the air squadron’s base where he would have been informed that he had
been promoted from first sergeant to lieutenant. He was buried with full
military honors, a regiment of French territorials and a battalion of
Alpine chasseurs were the guard of honor.
Lieutenant Rockwell was from Atlanta, Georgia. He had been a cadet at
the Virginia Military Institute, two classes ahead of Russell Kelly.
Both were members of the Kappa Alpha fraternity.
Kenneth Weeks was reported as missing until November 25th, 1915, when
his body was found between the lines of battle. It was learned that he
had been killed June 16th, or 17th, and that his body had lain there for
five months. He was buried in the military cemetery at Pylones near Mont
St. Eloi.
He was from Boston, and had attended Harvard. He was an author of
several books and possessed unusual literary ability.
The first reference to him in the above letters is in one from Verzenay
in March, 1915, it states:
“Another American was put in our squad; he is from Boston, has been
in France five years, in the Legion five months and in the trenches
three months. He is a fine fellow.”
[Illustration: John Earl Fike]
John Earl Fike of Wooster, Ohio, enlisted under the name of his
grandfather, Captain John Smith, who had rendered distinguished services
in our civil war. He and Russell Kelly disappeared during the battle,
and have not been since heard from.
Many notices have been in the newspapers, tending to explain their
absence, all of which on investigation proved incorrect.
The only authoritative information regarding either of them was that
“Russell Kelly was seen in the second line of German trenches with a
clean wound in his left shoulder that did not seem serious.”
After some time the names of these two were placed on the official list
of “missing” and the French Minister of War notified their families that
their names would be carried on that list until a search could be made
in the internment camps of Germany.
The State Department at Washington had special inquiries made by the
American ambassador at Berlin, and on January 3d, 1916, Ambassador
Gerard sent word from Berlin that their names were not reported among
the prisoners of war in Germany.
The German War Office, the Imperial Foreign Office, the German Red
Cross, as well as the International Red Cross at Geneva, Switzerland,
reported that their names were not registered on any list in their
possession.
On January 16th the _New York Sun_ contained the following cable:
“Paris, January 15th. Official news reached the Lyon depot to-day
that Kenneth Weeks of Boston was killed on June 17th last year near
Givenchy.
“Official announcement also is made that John Earl Fike of Wooster,
Ohio, was killed the same day. The death of Henry Farnsworth,
another American in the Foreign Legion, reported on October 16th
last, is officially confirmed.”
On January 17th all the New York dailies contained the following cable:
“Paris, January 16th. Five Americans attached to the Foreign Legion,
whose names were included in the list of casualties at Givenchy on
June 17th, are now officially reported as having been killed in
action. They were Russell Kelly of New York, Harman Edwin Hall of
Chicago, John Earl Fike of Wooster, Ohio, and Kenneth Weeks and
Henry Farnsworth both of Boston.”
In view of the discrepancy between these despatches, as well as the fact
that seven months elapsed between the disappearance of Kelly and Fike
and the publication of these so-called official notices, doubt was
raised as to their authenticity, and the death of these two will not be
conceded until the facts are disclosed upon which the conclusion of
death is based. Besides, it is now known that the French War Office has
not transferred the two names to the official list of dead.
The uncertainty of his death has been increased in the case of Russell
Kelly, by information given by an English lady. She communicated with
his family, and stated that in September of 1915 she received a letter
from a relative in which he said he and two other English soldiers
together with a French soldier, had been in hiding since the middle of
the previous June, within the German lines, east of Souchez; and that
French peasants had supplied them with clothing and food. It stated that
the French soldier was an American named Kelly, and that he was badly
wounded in the head. The letter had been surreptitiously passed through
the lines.
The high character of the English lady, as well as many corroborating
circumstances, have convinced the family of Russell Kelly of the truth
of the statements; and there being no other American in the Foreign
Legion named Kelly, they believe it refers to him, and that he is still
alive.
An adjutant of the regiment sent word, in January, 1916, to Lyon, that
he had seen Russell Kelly and two other prisoners in Belgium. He
reported that Kelly had lost one of his legs and that he was careful not
to disclose his American citizenship. The circumstances connected with
this information show it to be consistent with the story of his being in
hiding the previous September.
These rumors appear to be true but they cannot be satisfactorily
verified.
It is known that the French prisoners in Belgium and northern France are
not allowed to communicate in any way with the outside world, although
prisoners in Germany are allowed to send and receive communications from
relatives and friends.
It has been learned that these six Americans after receiving the warning
of the opposition of Germany to Foreign Légionnaires who were not
citizens of a country at war with Germany, discussed plans to be
followed in the event of being taken prisoners.
They determined, if captured, to destroy all regimental marks on their
uniforms, to throw away their army-books, and to assume fictitious
names.
CHRONOLOGICAL MILITARY RECORD OF RUSSELL A. KELLY
1914
November 3, left New York on steamship _Orcadian_.
November 19, reached Pauillac, France.
November 21, Saturday, docked at Bordeaux.
November 23, applied at recruiting station.
November 24, enlisted in the Foreign Legion.
November 26, began military training at Dépôt de Lyon.
1915
February 6, left barracks for the front.
February 8, arrived at Bouzy, near the front.
March 8, left Bouzy and same day arrived at Verzenay and entered first
line trenches.
April 24, left Verzenay for region north of Arras.
April 28, reached Aubigny; again entered first line trenches.
May 9, Sunday, in the attack on La Targette and Neuville St. Vaast.
May 10, battle continued.
May 11, relieved from the captured position and returned with regiment
to rear for reorganization.
May 29, reëntered first line trenches.
June 16, in the attack on Cabaret Rouge near Souchez and at the taking
of Hill No. 119.
June 18, reported as missing.
1917
May Still missing.
Is this military record, like the record of many another Legionary,
forever closed; and does that youthful
“Heart that once beat high for praise
Now feel that pulse no more?”
X
LA LÉGION ÉTRANGÈRE
All the countries of the old world have “crack” military organizations
famous for deeds of valor, many of which came into existence long before
the time of our revolutionary war. In the United States, most large
cities have at least one regiment with a record of which the civilians
as well as the soldiers are justly proud. But all their histories and
achievements pale before the extraordinary record, ancient formation and
remarkable membership of France’s famous corps, _la Légion étrangère_.
That body is easily the most ancient, unique and widest known military
organization in the world.
Here is a Legion numbering, before this war, eight thousand men, all of
whom, except the officers, being aliens of the country for which they
give up their lives. Very few of them are able to understand the
language of the country, and very few become citizens of the country
even after enlistment in its army.
They are not requested to enlist and when they do apply for admission
they are told of the hardships to be encountered. If the applicant still
insists he must wait until the following day before his application is
considered.
Since the beginning of the present war many enlisted, no doubt, from
love of France; but it is difficult to understand how this large
membership was maintained prior to the war.
None enlisted for protection of their homes or families. Nor for glory
as scarcely any Legionary has even become a general. Not for money; the
pay is one cent a day, a wage the meanest outcast in the street would
spurn with scorn. Not for comradeship; the ranks being recruited from
the whole world are too cosmopolitan for lasting friendships.
Not for an easy life; for they were assigned, before this war, to duty
in the unhealthy waste places of Africa and Asia.
Answers to this riddle would be almost as diversified as the volunteers
are numerous.
No weakling can be accepted, for it takes a good physique to stand the
training necessary to develop a man to fight for his life and the
country. For example it is part of the routine of the Legion for each
company to march once a week, in full marching equipment, twenty-eight
miles within ten hours.
Historians cannot agree as to when this Legion was first organized, but
it is conceded that it was in existence in the time of Clovis who stands
out in history as the founder of a new France, and with whose rule
French history begins. He employed this very organization in the year
486 when he defeated the last of the Roman power in northern Gaul, at
Soissons, which city is still in existence and stands less than ten
miles from the place where their equally courageous successors gave up
their lives for that same France, but now a glorious republic, fourteen
hundred and twenty-nine years later.
In our country we consider an institution that is one hundred years old
as ancient, our government itself being in existence less than a century
and a half, yet here is an organization that when Columbus discovered
America, was a thousand years old.
Mercenaries, or troops who serve alien countries for pay, were used from
the very earliest times. Thirteen thousand Greeks fought in the year 401
B. C. under Cyrus, the Persian, against his brother Artaxerxes; and even
the all powerful Romans often availed themselves of the services of
foreign soldiers.