Father Duffy's story : $b a tale of humor and heroism, of life and death with the Fighting Sixty-ninthDuffy, Francis Patrick
History
Father Duffy's story : $b a tale of humor and heroism, of life and death with the Fighting Sixty-ninth
Duffy, Francis Patrick
United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 165th; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, American
For two days the advance was an interesting race. The 6th Division
was coming up the road behind ours, anxious to get a chance to
relieve us and get into line before the war would come to an end.
Each night they thought that surely by morning they would catch
up; but our lads, moving freely across the open country, always
kept well in advance of troops that had to move by column; and each
day they were still further in the van. Our own Mess Sergeants and
Cooks labored night and day to get the food forward, but for two
days and more they, too, were left behind in the race. The men
in front were not left entirely hungry, as in every village from
which they drove the enemy the inhabitants drew out all of their
scanty stores and served them with coffee, vegetables and a little
bread, with unlimited supplies of bouquets and kisses. In spite of
drawbacks it was a nice war.
At 10:30 on the evening of the 6th, there came a most extraordinary
order from Corps through Division that it was imperative that Sedan
should be captured before the end of the next day; that if troops
were resting they should be immediately aroused and sent on their
way; and that the city should be taken if the last officer and man
should drop in his tracks. Luckily for the men it took some time to
get that order forward to the line, as the horses of Jack Percy,
Earl Pierce and young Underwood were fatigued by the incessant
work, in which their riders shared, of carrying messages night and
day. So the kitchens got through and the men were fed before they
started out once more.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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