TRANSCRIBED FROM THE SENTINEL RECORD JANUARY 2, 1919 P. 10
I got my first baptism of “Hun shells” at Chateau Thierry on July 18, and except for possibly a week or 10 days I was in the lines all the time. They would take us out for a couple of days and let us rest and get replacements, and then we would get shot right back up again. I have been in three big battles at Chateau Thierry from July 18th to 25th. One from August 1st to 21st. Then we pulled out of there and went to a “rest camp.” I believe that I would rather stay up at the front than to stay in one of those “rest camps.” Instead of letting a fellow rest they just work the living misterchief out of him.
We went from there on the 6th of September to a point above Nancy, we stayed there until September 9th. From there to St. Michiel, and on the morning of Sept 12th 3 a.m. we went ‘over the top.’ This was the second battle I was in.
On the 17th of September we pulled out and went back to the town above Nancy on the Mossue river. This town had been captured by the Germans early in the war. They held it for four days then were driven out. Since then only trench raids had been the chief kind of warfare in that Lorraine country.
When we got in the town on the 18th the Germans shelled us night and day. We timed the shells, and they were exactly four minutes apart. For some reason the Germans disliked the 11th Inf., for it was us who captured 700 of their prisoners, and to take their spite out on us they shelled us with a long range six inch gun.
The first night they shelled us they only dropped four shells. The first shell was fired about 9:30. I was just about half asleep. We were only 8 kilometers from the front line trenches (5 miles) This gun wasn’t an artillery gun; it was a Naval 6 inch gun, and when it hit the town it sounded just like it burst in front of my billet although it had hit the railroad yards, about 200 yards from us. Each man knew exactly where he had to go as we were shown our dugouts. Believe me we sure got hot in those dugouts. We decided that Fritz was through for that night and we all started back for the billet, and about 11:30 the second shot was fired. It made us mad as hell to chase back to that hot hole. Everything went well then, and at 2 the third shell dropped on the railroad yard, and at 4:30 the last shell was fired.
The following day it was dangerous to be out on the streets so we were told to stay around our dugouts. I think our captain made a wise move and about 9 o’clock the morning of September 22 the Germans began to shell us. As I stated we timed the shells and they were exactly 1 minute apart. When we wanted to eat our meals we were only allowed to go eight at a time, and get right back, and then the next eight would go. And so on, until all were fed. This was the way we lived from September 22nd to October 6th.
The we got orders to leave so on the night of October 6 we started to hiking, and it was cold that night and in order to keep warm we hiked 33 kilometers (20 miles). Anything to keep out of those whizzing bangs. On the night of the 27th we hiked about 20 more miles. We got on motor trucks at Toul and we road from Toul to a point 17 kilometers west of the city of Verdun. We stayed there until the 11th of October. Then we started out for the front.
It was a case of life or death, for upon this front Fritz was not as peaceful as he was at St. Michael. He shelled the roads at all times, day and night. And on the morning of October 14th we went over the top again, not far from Mont Falcon (which had just been captured from Fritz). He held the town ever since the war started. When the Germans started their drive for Verdun in February 1916, the kaiser and crown prince stood in a chapel in this town to watch the progress of their troops. We had gone about 4 kilometers and captured a town called Cunel. The boches countered and attacked us, and we were told to dig in.
I bet I got out more dirt there in that hole in 15 minutes than I could have done in three hours otherwise. On the 13th a peace of shrapnel hit me in the left knee. While I was wounded, and in this condition, I was gassed by mustard gas, and the days following I was just in a dizzy condition until I reached the hospital.
I couldn’t remember anything. They would ask me the most simple questions that I could not answer, but I was a dumbfounded as a statue. I was told this by a fellow who came down on the train with me, and he and I were nearly always with one another. Arriving here on October 25, I have been here since.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Charles Beaty of Hot Springs, Arkansas. He had previously worked as a carrier for the Sentinel-Record.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON
I got my first baptism of “Hun shells” at Chateau Thierry on July 18, and except for possibly a week or 10 days I was in the lines all the time. They would take us out for a couple of days and let us rest and get replacements, and then we would get shot right back up again. I have been in three big battles at Chateau Thierry from July 18th to 25th. One from August 1st to 21st. Then we pulled out of there and went to a “rest camp.” I believe that I would rather stay up at the front than to stay in one of those “rest camps.” Instead of letting a fellow rest they just work the living misterchief out of him.
We went from there on the 6th of September to a point above Nancy, we stayed there until September 9th. From there to St. Michiel, and on the morning of Sept 12th 3 a.m. we went ‘over the top.’ This was the second battle I was in.
On the 17th of September we pulled out and went back to the town above Nancy on the Mossue river. This town had been captured by the Germans early in the war. They held it for four days then were driven out. Since then only trench raids had been the chief kind of warfare in that Lorraine country.
When we got in the town on the 18th the Germans shelled us night and day. We timed the shells, and they were exactly four minutes apart. For some reason the Germans disliked the 11th Inf., for it was us who captured 700 of their prisoners, and to take their spite out on us they shelled us with a long range six inch gun.
The first night they shelled us they only dropped four shells. The first shell was fired about 9:30. I was just about half asleep. We were only 8 kilometers from the front line trenches (5 miles) This gun wasn’t an artillery gun; it was a Naval 6 inch gun, and when it hit the town it sounded just like it burst in front of my billet although it had hit the railroad yards, about 200 yards from us. Each man knew exactly where he had to go as we were shown our dugouts. Believe me we sure got hot in those dugouts. We decided that Fritz was through for that night and we all started back for the billet, and about 11:30 the second shot was fired. It made us mad as hell to chase back to that hot hole. Everything went well then, and at 2 the third shell dropped on the railroad yard, and at 4:30 the last shell was fired.
The following day it was dangerous to be out on the streets so we were told to stay around our dugouts. I think our captain made a wise move and about 9 o’clock the morning of September 22 the Germans began to shell us. As I stated we timed the shells and they were exactly 1 minute apart. When we wanted to eat our meals we were only allowed to go eight at a time, and get right back, and then the next eight would go. And so on, until all were fed. This was the way we lived from September 22nd to October 6th.
The we got orders to leave so on the night of October 6 we started to hiking, and it was cold that night and in order to keep warm we hiked 33 kilometers (20 miles). Anything to keep out of those whizzing bangs. On the night of the 27th we hiked about 20 more miles. We got on motor trucks at Toul and we road from Toul to a point 17 kilometers west of the city of Verdun. We stayed there until the 11th of October. Then we started out for the front.
It was a case of life or death, for upon this front Fritz was not as peaceful as he was at St. Michael. He shelled the roads at all times, day and night. And on the morning of October 14th we went over the top again, not far from Mont Falcon (which had just been captured from Fritz). He held the town ever since the war started. When the Germans started their drive for Verdun in February 1916, the kaiser and crown prince stood in a chapel in this town to watch the progress of their troops. We had gone about 4 kilometers and captured a town called Cunel. The boches countered and attacked us, and we were told to dig in.
I bet I got out more dirt there in that hole in 15 minutes than I could have done in three hours otherwise. On the 13th a peace of shrapnel hit me in the left knee. While I was wounded, and in this condition, I was gassed by mustard gas, and the days following I was just in a dizzy condition until I reached the hospital.
I couldn’t remember anything. They would ask me the most simple questions that I could not answer, but I was a dumbfounded as a statue. I was told this by a fellow who came down on the train with me, and he and I were nearly always with one another. Arriving here on October 25, I have been here since.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Charles Beaty of Hot Springs, Arkansas. He had previously worked as a carrier for the Sentinel-Record.
TRANSCRIBED BY MIKE POLSTON