A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume I, Part 89

Author: Lincoln, Allen B
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke publ. co.
Number of Pages: 930

USA > Connecticut > Windham County > A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume I > Part 89

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Shortly after noon we weighed anchor, and the "San Jack" began slowly to crawl up the River Loire. As we progressed, and the river grew narrower we gained our first clear picture of France as it really existed outside of a geog- raphy. Beautiful, green wheatfields appeared on either side, extending far into the distance, dotted here and there with groups of peasant women toiling in the heat of the sun. Others had congregated along the bank, waving their aprons at the passing boat by way of welcoming "Young America" to France. The quaint little dwellings, at first scattered here and there, soon become more numerous, and herein it was that we marked the first great difference between France and America. Nature was the same; only in the work of man was simi- larity lacking. It was with a mingled feeling of curiosity and wonder that we first viewed the queer little structures that shelter old France, so primitive and unique in form and character were they. Here at last was the true France.

By this time the harbor had become a scene of considerable activity. Tiny skiffs and motor boats were putting out from shore, skimming back and forth across the water like so many dragon flies amid a brilliant display of the tri- color and the Stars and Stripes, even the tiniest bark among them possessing at least one of each. Indeed it seemed to have developed into a regular regatta, a sort of water pageant created for the purpose of escorting us to the city. Gradually, what with the shouting, the blowing of ships' whistles, and the tooting of horns, the scene became almost uproarious, a veritable bedlam.

723

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

SOMBER DRESS, BUT BRAVE SPIRIT

Upon approaching the docks we were towed through a canal into another part of the harbor, and as considerable time was required for this operation, we had ample opportunity to look around and to try to analyze the first impres- sions created in us by this strange scene. Both sides of the canal were crowded with people who seemed quite as intent on studying these newly arrived foreign- ers and on giving us the "once-over" as we were on scrutinizing them. Then fol- lowed an ovation which was as wildly enthusiastic as it was unique, wherein the most conflicting forces sought for mastery, joy and hope on the one hand, trying earnestly to make their presence felt, sorrow and sadness on the other, much more evident. Two outstanding features of this motley gathering gave it its singular character-the almost absolute absence of the male, with the exception of a handful of aged, bent-over grandsires and numerous urchins running about wild, and the overwhelming predominance of black. Yet all seemed happy, or rather they were endeavoring bravely to appear so, although it would not have taken a particularly keen observer to detect the falsity of it all, to discover that it was merely an assumed expression of their fortitude, a cloak, so to speak, to hide their true feelings of grief and sorrow.

. Greetings were freely exchanged, though it was solely through the medium of the sign language that anything like a mutual understanding was made pos- sible. Cries of "Vive l'Amèrique, Vive la France," uttered with all the fervor of the French spirit, were met by an equally ardent display of enthusiasm on the part of the late arrivals, whose nationality was revealed quite beyond any shadow of doubt by such typical, strictly all-American salutations as "Hello, there, Froggie ; how they coming?" or "Hey there, Frenchie, got anything to drink?" Whether in this queer gathering there stood some learned scholar, up and above his neighbors, who "comprend" this query and instantly imparted it to those about him; whether they had already learned the significance of the word "drink" from some of our predecessors; whether they comprehended the movement indicating the draining of an imaginary bottle by a thirst-crazed soldier, which act someone among us, a bit more ingenious than the rest, had had the presence of mind to make; or whether it was the custom with this peo- ple to lavish upon every newcomer this French brand of grapejuice, we were never able to decide. ' At any rate, instantly and as if by magic an army of matrons and young girls came charging forward to the side of the boat, bran- dishing bottles over their heads. Followed a mad scramble, as the whole Amer- ican army tried to leap over the rail, a maneuver which caused the "San Jack" to list perceptibly. But at that moment another liquid force, answering the call, appeared on the other side. Immediately the half of the thirsty ones rushed to the other rail, whereupon the boat righted itself .. Nor was there any less eagerness on the part of those who proffered the sparkling treasure, each vying with her neighbor as to who should first give a "Yank" a taste of the wine of France. And then-beshrew those uncivil officers! who sternly forbade the taking of any "liquor"-all our wildest hopes were shattered. This was gratitude indeed, an act nobly done and one meriting high praise! The high. opinions we hoped these Frenchwomen had formed of us must have suffered a severe jolt, and indeed their faces expressed the amazement and chagrin they felt. American army discipline as propounded by the officers of the United States Army A. S. !

724

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

In spite of the apparent gaiety, an atmosphere of sorrow and mourning seemed to pervade the whole scene, which the affected good spirits of the brave French mothers could not conceal. Poverty and destitution were written large, and notwithstanding the large crowd that swarmed on the docks, the city looked deserted and seemed to bear an air of sadness. The very buildings, so totally different from those in our homeland, appeared tired and crestfallen, seeming to reflect the true sentiment of the people, imparting in all frankness what the plucky matrons and daughters would keep from us. Here and there young, ragged urchins bobbed in and out amongst the crowd, carefree and playful, the one exception to the prevailing dejection. They at least were not feigning. Tired mothers bore babies in arms whose tiny, white, pinched faces offered con- vincing proof of the suffering they had undergone, and yet so young. And most striking of all was the scarcity of young men. Hardly a youth of our age was visible save a scattered few, home on leave, who had thus far been spared. The heavy toll of war in this little town was all too evident. Everything seemed clothed in black. Not a woman existed in that vast crowd who did not wear some mark of mourning. A pall hung over all, and it was this element of sorrow mingled with the outward expression of happiness that presented such an incongruity. At one moment one would feel almost hilarious, as he caught the spirit of artificial gaiety, and at the next he would be swallowing hard as he observed the pitiful sight of an aged grandam waving her 'kerchief at us while tears filled her eyes and literally trickled down her cheeks. Though little or nothing was understood of oral expressions, yet the tense emotions written on the countenances of those French mothers as they stood before us with upturned faces was a far better conveyor of their sentiments than words in any language could have been-joy for the help that was forthcoming, sorrow for the past and its memories, perhaps called up by the sight of all these youths going to war as their own had done. Many a lad felt himself grow weak and shaky as the picture before him became less distinct, though he sought to pass it over lightly. But it was not to be. Many a rough, hardened old doughboy used to the toughest kind of a life, a true "roughneck," and priding himself on his hardness, became as meek and soft as any tearful maid. One of these, a typical "hardboiled guy" with a long record of service in the army (much of which had been spent, doubtlessly, in the guardhouse) was overheard to remark : "God, Bo, aint it sad!"

It was indeed a sober-minded, thoughtful gathering of youths that turned in that evening for the last time on the old "San Jacinto." Scarcely a man uttered a word, everyone being lost in his own thoughts. Never could that scene be forgotten to their dying day, nor could anyone look to the future now with anything of apprehension. Rather were they spurred on to do something worthwhile in the great undertaking ahead. A standard had been set for them, which every man silently resolved to live up to, the fortitude and devotion to country and to a great cause displayed by these mothers furnishing the stimulus.

THE MARNE DEFENSIVE-VILLERS-COTTERETS

During the winter and early spring months Section 585 experienced a certain degree of inactivity, which 'at times developed into an existence of well-nigh unbearable monotony, and though there occurred a few incidents of varied interest during the winter in Lorraine, which put a bit of "pep" into the game,

725

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

on the whole its career was insignificant. Accordingly it is not until the latter part of the following May that we find 585 on active duty in the war zone. For the past month we had been moving almost daily from one point to another along the front, never remaining in one place longer than eight days. The situation at that time was this: the last boche attack had been checked; then ensued a sort of lull in the fighting, a breathing space, so to speak, during which opportunity was offered the boche to gather his forces and to build up his attacking power in order to strike a still greater blow, and the Allies to strengthen their defense as best they could, considering the. available means and the uncertainty as to the time and place of the coming drive. A blow was certainly destined to arrive, and it was to be a terrific one. But the great ques- tion torturing men's minds was "where?" The policy of the Allied command seemed to be to keep shifting divisions promiscuously up and down the front, always avoiding concentration at any one point in order to escape detection by enemy aircraft as well as to deceive him as regards the actual strength of the troops opposing him, and yet having all so arranged that large forces could be thrown in at short notice at the point where the blow should finally be struck. It was indeed a trying period, when everyone was on the alert, never knowing what might happen next. The long days of anxious waiting had raised havoc with men's nerves, and the very atmosphere was fraught with a tenseness which became so acute that any prolongation of the suspense seemed impossible. It was quite inevitable that something must snap momentarily under the terrific strain. At such a critical period when the very existence of France and the hope of the Allied cause were threatened such inactivity was quite out of place, even uncanny. The fact that scarce a gun had been heard for several days portended but ill. And then the blow fell. The boche attacked on an eighty-kilometer front in the Champagne, and in twenty-four hours advanced twenty-two kilo- meters. Soissons fell. No force seemed capable of checking the fierce onslaught. Things looked black indeed, and the next few days promised to be most momen- tous ones in deciding what fate was to befall France and the cause.

It was on the night of May 29th that orders came to us encamped in a forest just behind Montdidier to follow the division which was leaving during the night, and the next morning at daybreak we started off, arriving in Compiègne shortly after noon. The trip proved uneventful, with the exception of an hour's delay in St. Just on account of the heavy shelling. Leaving our cars to take care of themselves, we took refuge in the cellars until the storm should abate. These were already filled with civilians huddled together like frightened rabbits, but there was always room for one more of these same animals. Com- piègne was quite deserted, save for three Red Cross workers in the hotel-hospital -Americans, of whom two were young women-who gave us a lunch of coffee and bread. The city was in a pitiful state. Hitherto untouched by the war, it had suffered severely during the past week from bombardment and air raids. Beautiful structures, both public buildings and private residences, were torn and shattered and hurled into the streets as shell after shell came whizzing over and performed its little mission. The squares and streets were filled with debris and stones, telegraph poles and wires, and rubbish of all kinds. We lingered here but an hour or two, as we considered the locality not particularly conducive to good health, withdrawing about the middle of the afternoon to a small village called Le Meux on the outskirts of the city. In the interim the shelling had increased in intensity, so we felt that we had departed at a most.

726

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

opportune time. And the Red Cross girls thought the same. That evening orders were issued from the "Corps d'armée" headquarters that no traffic was to pass through the city.

That night we bunked in the cars which we had parked in the woods, and in spite of the excitement, we were all soon dead to the world-for a brief time. For no sooner had it grown dark than we received our nightly visit from our boche tormentors, and on this particular evening they came over in unusually large numbers to serenade us. The heavens were literally infested with boche planes, bombing, bombing, everything everywhere. Not a village or town escaped: It seemed as if heaven and earth had come together to form the fiery region of Dante's Inferno. The whole world seemed on fire as the bombs exploded in rapid succession and shot great masses of flame into the air, turn- ing utter darkness into clear daylight. Here and there rockets were sent up, and every few moments a huge flare would burst forth in the midst of the heavens, and as it sailed slowly along, hanging from its parachute, it sent down a blinding glare which revealed everything on the ground to those above. Search- lights were playing all over the sky, criss-crossing at various angles, and every now and then we could get a fleeting glimpse of a boche as the light was reflected on one of his wings. The whole sight beat fireworks all to pieces. The noise was terrific, and the concussion was so heavy that our eardrums snapped and buzzed like bumble bees. The explosions of the "archies" sounded like so many reports of popguns in comparison to the sharp crack and deep detonation of the bombs, yet they in themselves constituted a deafening racket. Here and there little stars were moving about the heavens at a comparatively low altitude -the lights on the French planes-in their hopeless task of seeking out the boche. During all this by no means novel experience we lay crouched under the cars, shivering (although it was a warm night) and wishing devoutly that these visitors would return home. Finally, about 2 o'clock, the bombing ceased and they withdrew, leaving us to complete our interrupted slumber.

A CRITICAL SITUATION

But again, not for long. At about 3 o'clock we were awakened and ordered to prepare at once to move. The "lute" made a "cute little speech" in which he imparted to us news that was anything but cheering. But that speech made a deep impression on us-so deep, in fact, that the memory of it and of the scene is as clear and vivid as the incident itself was in reality-some thirty-five men standing there in the dark, with eyes but half opened, much more asleep than awake, listening to the words of him who had ruined our hopes of a good night's rest. What he said, however, soon brought consciousness to all; the situation was very critical; the boche had broken through again; the division had received orders to move at once with the additional injunction to stop the boche, "coûte que coûte." No more. In other words, the division was to be sacrificed along with two others in a last attempt to check the onslaught of the boche.

We were soon under way, and passing around Compiègne we set out in the direction of Soissons, though none knew our precise destination. At 6 o'clock we stopped in a village called Rebondes, breakfasted on "singe" and "pinard," and then parked our cars on the grounds of a chateau to await developments. One feature of this early-morning ride stood out strikingly-the never-to-be-

727

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

forgotten picture presented by the throng of refugees straggling along the road from Soissons. A strange feeling came over us, a kind of weakness, a melting away from the emotion aroused by this pitiful scene. Vision became indistinct, and many a "poilu" marching along the side of the road toward Soissons felt himself quiver as he brushed a dirty old hand over his eyes. The "poilu" has a heart, and it is easily touched. Such an encounter was novel to us, and it seemed strange that we should find ourselves swallowing hard and gulping. But what human with a soul could look upon that pitiful company of unfortu- nates-old men, women and children plodding along amid camions and guns, dragging through the dust and dirt their whole worldly belongings-without feeling compassion and displaying some emotion? Here an old madam and a little girl were between them trying vainly to coax a cow through all the con- fused mass of vehicles, one pulling, the other pushing. Following them came an old sire dragging a little cart after him loaded with every conceivable house- hold article, while tiny children, too young to walk, sat astride the whole to keep it in place. At intervals along the road were clustered together groups of women weeping and embracing one another and staring with utterly woe-begone expressions at the passing soldiers. The very oldest among them, withered, bent-over old men and women were squeezed in in the carts amidst furniture and live stock wherever there was a space open. All the others walked in a long, weary line. Now and then some heavily-laden mother collapsed and a little girl tried vainly to awaken her. Willing hands picked her up and room was made for her in one of the carts, either by throwing away some article of furniture, or through the sacrifice of another in a less serious condition, who relinquished his place. To see these poor, suffering souls, helpless and hopeless, forced to flee their homes to God knew what, hurrying along as best they could with all they possessed in the wide world-to see all this and to realize what constituted the cause was but to compel an avowal of eternal hatred of the boche and all his kin, to desire the extermination of the whole race. "Oui, ils vont Payer cher les boches" were the words uttered by one of the sufferers as she viewed the troops marching to meet the boche. But have they ?

The day was spent idly awaiting further orders, and along about 5 o'clock they came-with a crash. The division was still passing through the village when suddenly all movement ceased. Followed a few moments of surprise and inquiry on the part of the marchers, then the entire division literally turned in its tracks and started off in the opposite direction. Everyone was bewildered. It was known that things were bad, but this seemed incredible. This movement strangely resembled a retreat, and our doubts increased as the soldiers with- drew. The division was supposed to have taken to the lines in this sector, but now-how to account for the change. An official report soon arrived, however, which explained the action. The boche had broken through to the south of us and nothing lay between him and the direct road to Paris. Hence the counter- manding of orders and the rush of troops to the threatened point. The French- men were well-nigh crazy. Never, I think, did the morale sink to such a low ebb, for in truth the cause seemed pretty hopeless. "Finèe la guerre, à Paris" expressed their sentiments. Everyone seemed lost, yet before many hours should pass these same men who seemed despairing now were to show once again their true character as they defied the overwhelming superior numbers of the boche Then, as always, they would prove themselves invincible.

728

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

AN UNEXPECTED INCIDENT

Five-eighty-five was soon on the move again, our destination being Villers- Cotterets. As we were crossing the bridge in Retondes an incident occurred that startled us almost out of our senses, so sudden and unexpected was it, and for a few moments no one knew whether he was coming or going. Traffic being so congested at this point, owing to the narrowness of the bridge, we had come to a halt while some of the cars were still on the bridge. The first hint of any- thing unusual was imparted to us by the queer antics of a group of "poilus" standing by, who suddenly looked upwards and then scattered like rabbits seek- ing their holes, ducking into the nearest corner of refuge. Then a series of shots from a "mitrailleuse." Nothing unusual in that. Then suddenly a roar overhead, and the next moment a huge plane swept over the road scarcely above the housetops, and on the wings were two ominous-looking black crosses. A kind of paralysis seized us, and not until we detected little puffs of dust in the road did we come to our enses. Then we reiterated the seemingly unaccount- able act of the Frenchmen, nor were we any less agile in making ourselves scarce. Under the cars in double-quick time. The plane, however, was far removed by this time, so we crawled sheepishly out. So quickly had it hap- pened that everyone was quite at sea. The confusion and tumult had drowned out the sound of the motor, and it was not until the boche was directly over us that we had any inkling whatever of anything wrong. Immediately a French plane followed and tore after the boche, pouring a stream of bullets into him and forcing him to land in a nearby field. By way of testifying that he was by no means finished, however, the boche jumped from his seat and deliberately turned his machine gun on the road. This time we really had some reason to run to cover. Bullets flew around merrily, and several went through the cars, while three Frenchmen were slightly wounded and a horse was killed. At this point the convoy started to move, but we learned later that the boche was cap- tured after being wounded by a rifle bullet. A trifling incident, to be sure, yet serving as a sort of appetizer for what we might expect later on.

We soon arrived on the outskirts of Compiègne, and to save time we passed thru the city. One of the cars was hit by a piece of éclat which pierced the radiator and engine and so disabling it that we were forced to take it in tow. Then began the wild ride to Villers-Cotterets. Wild it was, too. In the first place there was no order whatsoever. Both the "lutes" were away, as was our top sergeant, the only substitutes for officers being a French sergeant and a corporal, of whom the former was so "up in the air" that he was useless as a leader, and the latter was still under the influence of "un peu trop de pinard," as he later explained his lethargy. Not a particularly capable head for con- ducting a convoy in a situation such as was presented. We continued on our way, however, under these circumstances, but as darkness set in we began to wonder how we were coming out. Villers was our goal all right, but how to arrive there we hadn't the slightest idea. Furthermore, we did not for one moment forget that every minute was bringing us nearer to the boche and that nothing separated us from him. Accordingly our speed was reduced to a minimum. The first knowledge we gained of our position came from some refugees we met on the road. Our efforts to obtain a coherent reply to our queries met with almost complete failure, for they were all crazy as loons, though finally we managed to draw from them the assurance that we were on

729

HISTORY OF WINDHAM COUNTY

the right road to Villers, To make this statement a bit more realistic, lest we should doubt the authenticity of it, they added that the boches were only four kilometers away and coming on fast. And nothing to stop them. A little further on we met another group of stragglers who disclosed to us the fact that the boches had already entered Villers. Now by this time we were more or less at our wit's end. What course to take was a problem, in view of the un- certainty connected with a further advance as well as the absence of any guiding hand. If the reports of these refugees bore any truth, then our position was indeed precarious, since our orders had directed us to go to Villers-Cotterets. Yet if the boche was really in possession of the town, it would be most absurd to place ourselves voluntarily in his hands. It became a question of expediency rather than of strict adherence to orders, or at least we chose to make it so. "Safety first" seeemd expedient enough in this case. Accordingly we de- cided to spend the night where we were and set about at once to park the cars in an old farmyard, taking particular pains to head them toward the rear so that we might make a quick get-away, if necessary, during the night. Immedi- ately this accomplished we turned in, about eleven-thirty,-dirty, hungry, and tired, having been practically seventy-two hours with practically no sleep. We dropped on stretchers without bothering to eat and were soon lost in dreams. Between midnight and one o'clock, however, Fritz came over, and the program of the preceding evening was repeated, and although we were nearly "all in," sleep was out of the question. The best we could do was to lie there shivering and let our imaginations run astray with us.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

A modern history of Windham county, Connecticut : a Windham county treasure book, Volume I, Part 89

Author: Lincoln, Allen B Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke publ. co. Number of Pages: 930

Author: Lincoln, Allen B
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Chicago : S. J. Clarke publ. co.
Number of Pages: 930