“July fifteenth started off with a good bang.
“The Boches began drivin’ from Rheims to where we were. The good old Rainbow boys from the Forty-second Division was near Rheims, so we didn’t worry much ’bout the Boches breakin’ through on the right flank. When the drive started toward us through Chateau-Thierry the Boches laid their last egg, I’m thinking. They gained a few yards the first day. Slowed right up the second. On the third we stopped ’em dead still in their tracks.
“The big thing happened before we had time to know it was comin’ off. Some bird—Foch most likely—pushed a button and the whole damn French and American lines jumped up and busted the Boches right on the nose and in the eyes.
“Say, O. D., we better cushay before I get talkin’ ’bout them mad days from Torcy up to Sergy Plateau. I could keep you awake all night listenin’ to that Chateau-Thierry stuff,” said Jimmy. His blue eyes were shooting fire and his face showed the excitement that just the mention of Chateau-Thierry caused.
“If you stop now, Jimmy, I won’t ask Mary to write to you,” warned O. D.
“You win, toot sweet,” answered McGee, quickly.
“Encore, then. If that’s the way you say it in French,” begged the brother of Mary.
“My outfit was stuck up on the top of a little ant-hill with the old howitzers pointed slam-bang at the Germans who was on a small mountain right across the way, when our drive got under way. The Yankee doughboys was down on the side of the ant-hill, hangin’ on the roots and different kind of bushes to keep from slidin’ down to the bottom and boggin’ up to their necks in mud. The Boches had all the high places.
“The doughboys started over. We had to grab a place called Torcy. Now you must remember that country had seen beaucoup battlin’ and was all shot up—so much so it was mighty hard traveling. There was so much rubbish and ruins. All that was left of some towns was names. As I said, the infantry jumped at ’em. The Boches was sure caught nappin’—didn’t have an idea that we would come back so quick and hard. Toot sweet they began givin’ us hell with their damn machine-guns. Course that was while they was makin’ a stab at gettin’ their yellow doughboys over the big scare that we threw into ’em. But our boys had got such a start that machine-gun fire, even as hellish as what they pumped into us, couldn’t stop ’em. They was out for the Kaiser’s scalp.
“We took Torcy on the short end of bayonets and barrage. The old artillery banged the Boches into a lot of sausage meat. The bodies used to trip us up, and how some of the guys cussed them dead Germans. Toot sweet after we started the drive a drove of prisoners began comin’ in—privates, non-coms., loots, majors, and even colonels. We called ’em all Heinie and Fritz, you know, and some of the Boche officers got mad as the devil and wanted to be treated as officers. The Yanks prodded ’em with stiff bayonets when they pulled that stuff.
“From the first minute of the drive there was no let-up in battlin’. None of that trench-line fightin’. Open warfare, buddy. Open as a doorless barn, I mean. The noise never stopped like it did at Seicheprey, a few hours after it started. No, O. D., it was just one continual roarin’, bangin’, crashin’, swearin’, moanin’, and prayin’. That’s all. Gosh! there was so many kinds of different things that could kill a man, goin’ at the same time that it’s a wonder anybody was left to tell ’bout the Second Battle of the Marne.
“Time we took Torcy they said to get Hill 190. Maybe you know that’s right ’bove Chateau-Thierry itself. You can imagine that the Boches made some stand to hang on to that place. They sure did. We had beaucoup boys put out of business gettin’ up to Hill 190, believe me.
“After strugglin’ up the sides of the hill—through barbed wire almost five feet high—and gettin’ a smashin’ artillery barrage shot at us—the Boches had got their big guns back and in position by that time—we ran into the worst machine-gun fire that ever was. The dirty Germans had camouflaged a few hundred machine-guns in a big wheat-field on top of the hill. You couldn’t see nothin’ but the wheat wavin’ in the breeze when we started across it.
“Rat-ta-ta-tat! went the machine-guns. The boys began droppin’ like rain. Wiped out companies at times. Our own machine-gunners said, ‘To hell with waitin’ on horses and mules.’ They dragged their little babies right up to that wheat-field and gave the Boches some of their own medicine. Will you believe me that lots of the Boche gunners was found chained to their guns? Yep. It’s a fact. The Boche morale had got so low till they had to chain their men to posts.
“The old cheveaux that used to drag our pieces ’round was half dead, anyway, when the drivin’ started, and we had one hell of a time tryin’ to keep up with the doughboys. Everybody had to get on the wheels and push and cuss at the same time. I tell you, man, the damn chevaux was dyin’ in the traces. We managed to keep within range, but had to get some trucks to help us move.
“The Boches was thrown so hard from the top of Hill 190 that you could hear their necks breakin’ when they landed down in the valley. I never saw such a gory-looking hill in all the days of drivin’. There was men piled waist high. Mostly Germans. Nobody had time to stop and bury dead people at a time like that. There wasn’t time for nothin’ but fightin’ and movin’.
“Takin’ 190 meant gettin’ into Chateau-Thierry. We found beaucoup Boches down there. They put up a scrap because there was a pile of stuff in the town that they wanted to try and save. Down in some parts of the joint, even after most of the Germans had started sprintin’ for the Fatherland, there was some terrible battlin’.
“The main rues and boulevards was all chock-ablock with breastworks. They had pianos, tables, beds, big lookin’-glasses, sofas, bags stuffed with rotten smellin’ rags and rubbish, piled up—well, Lord knows what wasn’t used to stop us. Behind these things was the Boche machine-guns. They was just like a bunch of hose and played as wicked a stream of lead as you can think of. Americans and Frogs both forced these works and fineed the machine-gun fire.
“After that there ain’t no way to describe the fightin’. It got all over the place. Like scrambled eggs in a fryin’-pan. The Yanks used rifles for clubs and waded into the Boches like a bunch of good cops. Bayonets and trench dirks came in with a noise like finee for the Germans—chased ’em up alleyways, dug ’em out of cellars, laid ’em cold—that’s all there was to it.
“Long, black shadows were camouflagin’ what was left of Chateau-Thierry as we rumbled through it. I ain’t much at tellin’ how things look, any more. But Chateau-Thierry looked like a plowed-up graveyard and then some. The moonlight got turned on and made everythin’ seem ten times worse, as the effect was kinda weird. Houses looked like a bunch of crumblin’ skeletons. Troops was movin’ over every street. Supply-trains and ammunition trucks rattled up and down. Ambulances crawled by so slow till we could hear the groans of the poor guys in them.
“Time we got opposite the bridge that had been knocked into the river by American artillery we got treated to a warm bombardment. Mashed up some of the lads pretty badly. That bombardment wasn’t a trifle compared to the smell that came from unburied men. Whew! I hadn’t got a chance to monjay all day and my belly was pretty weak ’bout that time. It sure was an awful stink.
“There was dead Americans, dead Frenchmen, and heaps of stark Boche corpses linin’ the route—just like so many yard stones. Couldn’t help but feel good when we would pass a big bunch of them swollen-up Germans, all blue in the face from dyin’ like they did.
“Our column was halted in Chateau-Thierry for ’bout three hours. We had to wait for some trucks to encore the drive with. Poor old chevaux were down for the count.
“I had already lost beaucoup stuff. Thought I’d hunt ’round some of the near-by houses, or what was left of houses. Needed some underclothes pretty bad. In one place I found a closet full of mademoiselle’s underclothes. You know that kind of stuff all full of holes and ribbons. I was up against it for underwear. As it was, I didn’t have on any drawers. I grabbed two suits and gave two to George Neil. Damn stuff nearly choked me to death after I got it on. The girl who wore it was smaller than me in a good many places. Four days after I got the stuff Neil and I hit a little stream and thought we’d try to take a bath. Funny as a crutch, the way we looked gettin’ out o’ the mademoiselle’s riggin’s. Neil got one arm caught in some lace and got a cramp before he could get loose again.
“Just before daybreak we got orders to move ahead. Most of the hikin’ was right down alongside the Marne—river looked like a big red, open sewer. Never hope to see so much filthy water in my life again. Bodies, wreckage of all kinds, clothes, empty ammunition cases. A hundred things else, I guess. All floatin’ down the stream. The tide washed lots of bodies to shore. Most of them you couldn’t recognize, as the water and fishes had eaten their faces and hands off. Only way we could tell what army they belonged to was by parts of equipment and uniforms. Water had faded most of the uniforms, though.
“The woods and river sent up an awful smell. When we came to a windin’ road that looked like a brown snake crawlin’ up a hill the column turned up it and pretty soon we was in position with the old pieces boomin’ away at the flyin’ Boches.
“Boche prisoners was pourin’ in like smoke pours out of a factory smoke-stack. Some of ’em tried to be friendly. There was damn few smiles they got from us, I can tell you. We were darn tired of their ways of yellin’ ‘Kamerad!’ and then throwin’ them hand grenades at a man.
“The boys was all full o’ fun at that. Most of ’em had got hold of high hats, derbies, colored parasols, and a lot of other fool things in Chateau-Thierry, and the next mornin’ they was drivin’ along wearin’ silk hats, carryin’ green umbrellas and Lord knows what else. I had a high hat on myself. The Frenchmen thought we was nuts sure enough, goin’ to war rigged up like that. But we told ’em ‘Say la guerre.’ O. D., the guys in this man’s army ain’t lettin’ no guerre get their nannies. I guess most of ’em was brought up just to get in this guerre and wallop the Heinies.
“’Bout twelve bells we started firin’. Just in time to let dinner get cold. Hadn’t put over eight rounds before the old coal barges—that’s the big shells that Fritz throws at us—began sailin’ right in. Third shell struck a shallow dug-out ’bout twenty feet from where our piece was. There was four boys tryin’ to cushay in that dug-out. They was all in a row, accordin’ to the way I heard it. First one nearest us got smashed up ’round the lungs. Olsmo, second lad, got killed outright. He was mashed to pulp in places. Ripped the stomach out of Papan, next to him, and tore Pap’s knees clean out of socket. The fourth guy, Thayer, sleepin’ jam up to Pap, didn’t get a scratch—not a thing. Course he got all bloody from the others. But that wasn’t nothin’.
“When we dug ’em out we found Silvia, the first lad, dyin’. He fineed toot sweet. Just a gasp or so ended him. Olsmo, of course, was stone cold—gashed into tit-bits from head to foot. O. D., he was twisted inside out and then all ground up like hash. Them shells can sure ruin a man. Poor Pap, he got it worse than all. ’Cause it didn’t kill him. His legs dangled from threads of flesh. You couldn’t see his face on account of the blood that spurted from his chest—covered his face with red. Pap was in some agony, boy, but he had guts. Looked like his pain gave him strength. But guess it was the madness that made him act strong and not the hurtin’. He went insane for a few minutes—then he would quiet down.
“‘Olsmo,’ he shouted, grittin’ his teeth so till it gave me cold shivers. Then he shook cold Olsmo with his blood-drippin’ hand. ‘Snap into it,’ yelled Pap. ‘Christ Almighty, man, we can’t stay here. It’s killin’ me. Move! Get that horse out of my way. Cannoneers on the wheels.’ He raved until he got so weak he just couldn’t whisper. The way Pap stared at us out of them sunken eyes of his was enough to scare a man to death. But when your pals are dyin’, sufferin’, cussin’, prayin’, beggin’ for water and cigarettes, a man ain’t got no business to be scared, O. D. That’s what kept lots of us goin’, I suppose. Pap wanted cigarettes. Had to smoke, he said. Course we gave ’em to him. But as fast as he got one in his mouth he’d throw it away and holler for another.
“The shellin’ was goin’ on merrily durin’ all that time. Our piece was out of action, of course, till we got Pap in the ambulance. Heard later that he didn’t pass out for ten hours. Docs claim he was the grittiest man they’d seen in some time. Wasn’t time to bury the other lads then. We wrapped ’em in shelter-halves, dug holes and put ’em all in the same grave that night before we pulled to another place.
“We got orders to move three kilos that night and go in another position. Hitched and hooked in ’round five. That gave us time enough to down some ‘corn-willy’ and black coffee. First we’d had to monjay since mornin’. Soon as it was dark we got out on the main road and started. That road was just like Broadway with traffic. Only they don’t have so many ambulances goin’ up and down Broadway. It was all a man could do to skin himself and horse, or whatever his cheval was hooked on to, by the stuff that was floodin’ down from the first lines. There wasn’t no trenches in that war. Just lines, and half the time we didn’t know just where in hell the first lines was, ’cause after them doughboys would make three or four kilometers they would be scattered all over creation.
“Column halted near a little village that was all knocked into a cocked hat. There was a few thousand replacements waitin’ to go in. All infantry. On one side of the road was a battery of 155 longs. Them things make a noise like a mine explosion and raise a man off his feet when they go off. The horses got scared, naturally, and part of the column got smeared all over the road.
“Just ’bout that time General Edwards comes bowlin’ along in his big limousine. He was ridin’ on the seat with the driver. The back of the machine was full of sandwiches. Course he couldn’t get by on account of the jam-up. Boy, he climbed down and got hold of a first loot who was in the command of the outfit whose horses was raisin’ all the hell. Gosh! you ought to heard hi............