“No one knows how many Germans were in those woods. I have seen the estimate placed at 1,000, but there were certainly more than that. It had been impossible to get patrols into the woods, but we knew they were full of machine guns and that the enemy had trench mortars there. We captured five of their minenwerfers later. So far as we knew, there might have been any number of men in there, but we had to attack just the same, and with but a handful. Sibley and Berry had a thousand men each, but only half of these could be used for the first rush, and as Berry’s position was problematical, it was Sibley’s stupendous task to lead his 500 through the southern end of the wood clear to the eastern border if the attack was not to be a total failure. Even to a Marine it seemed hardly men enough. “Orders had been given to begin the attack at 5 o’clock. The men knew in a general way what was expected of them and what they were up against, but I think only the officers realized the almost impossible task that lay before them. I knew, and the knowledge left me little comfort. But I had perfect confidence in the men; that never faltered. That they might break never once entered my head. They might be wiped out, I knew, but they would never break. [Illustration: © _Leslie’s Weekly._ Where the Marines Made Their Début This is the road where the Marines in the name of America served notice on the German war lords that they could not capture Paris.] “It was a clear, bright day. At that season of the year it did not get dark till about 8.30, so we had three hours of daylight ahead of us. “As soon as I received the orders I got Holcomb and Sibley together at the former’s headquarters, some 500 yards back of the line. “With map in hand, I explained the situation to them without trying to gloss over any of its difficulties, and gave them their orders. The men seemed cool, in good spirits and ready for the word to start. Some one has asked me what I said, what final word of inspiration I gave those men about to face sudden death. “I am no speech maker. If the truth must be told, I think what I said was, ‘Give ’em Hell, boys!’ It was the sort of thing the Marine understands. And that is about what they did. A BULLET THROUGH THE LUNG “Just about the time Sibley’s men struck the woods a sniper’s bullet hit me in the chest. It felt exactly as though some one had struck me heavily with a sledge. It swung me clear around and toppled me over on the ground. When I tried to get up I found that my right side was paralyzed.