Show I HAlOS HAlO'S RETREAT IS VI PICTURED Storm of Shell Fire Described by Illinois Officer HUN SLAUGHTER WAS GREAT First Lieutenant Pettit of Ot awa In Letter to His Father Gives Details of Battle In Which British Fought at Great Odds The thrilling story of the Halg Haig retreat retreat retreat re re- treat In the terrific battle In Is most Interestingly detailed by First Lieutenant Roswell T T. Pettit M. M 0 OR O- O R R. C C. of Ottawa HI m. In a letter to his father r Dr J J. J W W. Pettit of the Ottawa tuberculosis colony and published Inthe in inthe inthe the Chicago Tribune For nine days the American officer was In is th the thickest thickest thickest thick thick- est of the fighting lg and during the retreat retreat retreat re re- treat of the British Fifth army from before St St. Quentin His account of the battle thrills with the stress of the herculean conflict as It was detailed Immediately after he had passed through the terrible experience and he- he fore his Impressions had been dulled by bT time His lett letter r Lieutenant Pettits Pettit's Letter March 30 SO Dear Father Now that the show Is over for me for the time being and I have time to breathe and sleep and eat and d write Ill I'll try and tell you about the tte battle Before you receive this you will have had the whole story from th the papers but I I know you will fj be Interested In knowing what I did In the thea a Of course the things I saw were but butan butan butan an infinitesimal part of a a gigantic whole and It would be Impossible for form forme forme m me to give a corr correct corret lt description of the battle And as I write this I do It with no knowledge whatever of what has has' been going on even a few miles mUes from me I have not seen a paper in eight days I have received no mall mail and the only 4 Information formation we have received has been by word of mouth and most of what we hear must be wild rumors r rumors mors For example example example ex ex- ex- ex ample The French French have advanced 20 miles at Verdun the Americans Americans Americans Ameri Ameri- cans cans have taken Ostend and are on their way to Zeebrugge and a great naval battle has been fought In the North sea All I know Is that on this part of the front th the Germans attacked us In overwhelming overwhelming over over- whelming whelming over num numbers ers In places t ten n dial dial- divisions divi lions to our one that they suffered terrible losses but finally broke through our lines of defense one after another and fighting for forthe the most part a rear guard action we have retired about 15 miles In a straight line For a week before the battle started started we had been expecting it we were ready to move on 30 minutes' minutes no no- tire tice I had been out with combatant as well as medical officers on tours of reconnaissance definite methods of evacuation of ot the wounded had been worked out and our r plans of ot counterattack counterattack counterattack counter counter- attack been made After four or five days of waiting the storm finally broke The Boche opened up on us at 5 a a. a m m. March 21 with the heaviest barrage I I have ever ever heard Stand to was sounded w we we turned out dressed and had all our equipment packed in 30 minutes Then w sat down and waited for orders to to move The barrage barrage bar bar- rage kept Up continuously sometimes heavier and then of less intensity sometimes it seemed to be to the north of us and then suddenly It switched to I Ithe the south Our balloons were up as soon as asit it was light and the airplanes were buzzing buzzing buzzing buz buz- zing over our heads The ground mist gradually cleared and the Germans put a hall hail of shrapnel on our camp and we all took cover but three men were hit Why it Is a fellow ahn always ys feels safer with a roof over his head even If It he knows bullets and shrapnel and pieces of shell will go through boards and corrugated Iron just like Uke paper Ordered to Move Our orders to to move finally came and we marched off oft to the brigade assembly assembly assembly assem assem- bly point several miles away This Thi assembly assembly assembly as as- point was in a little bunch of trees about the size of Allen park and behind and separated from a larger wood in front In the larger wood there was a battery of heavy artillery and shells shells vere were dropping In there two or or ar three three toa IxTa a minute and It was heavy stuff stutT too Sometimes they overshot the big bigwood bigwood bigwood wood and shells were landing in the open around the little wood where my brigade had Its assembly point As we approached our little copse We e could make all this out from some dIstance distance distance dis dIs- tance away and It wasn't a plea pleasent sensation t to feel teel that we were marchIng marchIng marching march- march Ing straight Into it All the battalions arrived and In that little copse there must have been at least two thousand men What a n chance If If the Ger Germans ans only knew knew kne I But Hut I the shells continued to drop In front front ofus of ofus us and on either side but none landed among us and after waiting there ie for three hours expecting to be brown blown to bits any second we finally moved for for- ward Just as we left the copse from b behind us up over a ridge Idge came a stream of galloping horses Its the cavalry someone shouted but soon I made out limbers and field guns They galloped past us going like mad took up a position to our right swung Into position unlimbered and andIn andIn andin In two minutes were blazing away It was a thrilling sight Torn by Shells In going forward we went around the end of the larger wood In front of ofus ofus ofus us over ground that was torn to bits by the heavy shell fire that had Just preceded over another edge across a valley and under the cr crest st of a hill And here we found the tanks going over the top of the hill to take up their position At this point we were still about a mile from the front line At this place I opened up an aid post under the crest of ot the hill to take care of or what wounded wounded came In while we we were getting into position I looked back across the valley we had just traversed Shrapnel was bursting In the air shells were whizzing overhead and our guns behind me were belching forth the fire The noise was deafening A railroad ran ran through the valley and an engine pulling a couple of fiat flat flatcars cars was going by A couple of ot soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers were sitting on the rear truck swinging their feet A shell burst on the track and only missed the last car about fifteen yards Neither man was hit and the train went blithely on By this time it was getting along toward evening the sun was sinking In the west and finally went down a great ball of fire At the time I remember remember remember re re- re- re member I noticed Its color It was blood red and had a sinister look Was It my Imagination or might It have been a premonition At any rate I Ishall Ishall Ishall shall never forg forget t the color of the sun as it set that night at the end of th the first day of probably one of the grea greatest greatest great great- test t- t est battles In history It certainly didn't look good to me me The drumming of or the guns continued continued contin contin- I twilight ry deepened Into night the signalers stopped their wigwagging wigwagging wig wig- wagging and took up their flash signals signals signals sig sig- nals a fog dropped down on us and put the lights out of business and when we left to go forward under the cover of darkness they were were busy putting putting putting put put- ting out their telephone lines signal lines signal signalers ers ers ers' and arid runn runners rs- rs have dont d don't dont nt hav have an n easy time Shell Dump Goes Up Behind us us' a shell landed In an ammunition ammunition ammunition am am- dump and It went up with a roar then the the rifle ammunition started going off like a great bunch of firecrackers firecrackers firecrackers fire fire- crackers and great tongues tongues of flame lit up the sky It is reported that the Germans had broken broken through our our line lIrie and we were to counter counter attack counter attack attack In the morning We got into positions positions' without a single casualty I 1 opened an an aid post in an anold anold anold old dugout and settled down to sleep until morning morning- You may think It funny funny funny fun fun- ny that one could sleep under such conditions but I had been up since 5 30 had tramped about six or seven miles had had a rather trying day and was dog tired So I settled down on the rough plank floor and was was' soon asleep I must have been asleep a couple of hours when a runner came from headquarters and arid told us we we were to move off Immediately I looked at my watch and it was 1 30 a. a m m m. on the second day We went back to the railroad followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed It around to a q position some six miles to the north of us landing there thereabout thereabout about 4 In the morning and flopped down flown on the floor of ot some abandoned huts to wait walt further orders Our orders orders or or- ders Tiers came ame along about 9 We marched up across the open prairie the sun shining and it was really hot Just like some of the warm days w we get the last of March at home Fn rn going forward forward it was necessary for us to march s seventy five yards in front of ot three batteries of field guns bruns There are six guns to a battery They shoot an eighteen pound eighteen pound shell and while we were were there each gun n was shooting twice to the minute You Youcan Youcan Youcan can Imagine the racket when I tell you that the discharge of one gun can be heard about four miles In addition addition addition addi addi- tion the Boche was trying to knock knockout knockout knockout out this battery and he was dropping his six inch shells a n little too close for comfort Nearly In a Trap Then I I. I made a lovely mistake I Iwas Iwas Iwas was to establish an aid post near ear battalion battalion bat bat- headquarters and went went blithely on when I met a company commander and asked him where to goBack goBack goBack go Back there about a q quarter of ot a amile amile mile mile he replied This Is the front center company company If It you It keep p on In Inthe Inthe inthe the direction you are going you are going up over that ridge and Fritz Fritz wl will willbe willbe l be waiting for you wIth with a n machine gun TSo So my sergeant and orderly and my myself elf didn't waste any time In clear- clear Ing On the way back I found a gallon can full of water got into a corrugated Iran Iran- Ir n shelter and had a wash rated and a certainly felt good 1 I dont don't believe I 1 had wash washed d for thirty-six thirty i hours It it was warm and bright 1 i could lo look lookout k out of my shelter and see see our support lIn lines s digging themselves In several hundred yards away The cannon fire ceased the machine guns k settled down to an occasional fitful burst and It was midday of a beautiful spring day t tA A couple of partridge flew over me What did they know or care about all alt this noise and racket and men getting up in line and killing each other Along ab about ut three oclo o'clock k things began began began be be- gan to liven up again In the meantime meantime meantime mean mean- time headquarters had been established establish establish- ed In a sunken road with banks about a fifteen feet high on either side later this cut was half filled with dead My aid post was in a dugout near by t and gradually things got hotter and hotter Our men had du dug due themselves In tn Inand r rand and were pO popping away with their their rifles The field batteries behind us were putting up tip a barrage airplanes were circling Both ours and the Germans' Germans The Germans put up a n. n counter counter barrage barrage the machine guns were vere going like mad I was standing with the colonel on a little tittle rise of ot r ground above the sunken road when the Germans broke through about a amile amile mile to the north of us They could be plainly seen pouring over the ridge In close formation Tanks Get Into Action Then Ihen the tanks came up and you should have seen them run I 1 Just like rabbits I 1 The tanks retired the i Boches reformed and came at It again They tell me that at certain places our men withstood fifteen successive successive suc sue attacks and that the Germans went down In thousands One Welshman Welshman Welshman Welsh Welsh- man told me that his gun accounted for 75 In three minutes during one wave Machine-gun Machine bullets were nipping around me the shell fire was getting a hotter and even though It was a wonderful wonderful won won- sight to watch I decided discretion dis was the better part of valor or something like that and got down downIn In my du dugout out I I was sitting there smoking a cigarette cigarette cig cig- V arette when my orderly came down and said I was being relieved and wa was to go back and work with the lance Fifteen hours later the man mans t. t t ii that relieved me was captured But ButI cI f c I am getting ahead of my story r I went back to the advanced dressIng dress- dress I r Ing lag station through the hottest shell shellfire I 1 f. f fire J J. ever experienced ced More than r M i once I went weilt down on my face when a ashell ashell 0 I shell burst and the pieces went whizzing whizzing whizzing whiz whiz- zing over my head I spent the night t J JIn in a mined village where the advanced dressing station was located and all night they shelled It to blazes It was remarkable how few casualties we had fi About eleven o'clock the morning of ot the third day a shell blew In the side J of our post but luckily no one was 5 hurt We stuck to It until about four In the afternoon when we saw our men retiring over overa ver a ridge In front of ofus us keeping up up a continuous machine r I gun and rifle fire ants we beat It ft back to another village and opened another t er post I j J The Lord Begrimed About ten o'clock on the morning of 1 the fourth day Lord Thyme my colonel colonel col col- onel when I was with the battalion t tonel stumbled Into the shack where I was fir It sitting He looKed looted like a ghost He had lost his hat his face was covered aj t with a 1 four days' days beard the sweat J had traced tracks In the dust from his it forehead to his chin His sleeve was f fi torn and bloody and he had hada gash gashin in j his arm where he had been struck by bya I a piece of flying shell case r y My God doc doe ar are you here he 41 said You got out Just In ii 1 time The Tha t battalion Is all gone The sunken road rs i Is filled filled- with dead mostly dead mostly Huns damn em em The line broke on the right we were surrounded and at atthe the last we were fighting back and back Only thirty of us got away So we knew the Boche had broken through to our right and our left and It was a question of how long it would be before we too were surrounded t 11 but we ve wanted to stick sack It out as long longas as we could But not more than an hour later a i medical officer rushed in from one of ot P the battalions and and between gasps for fori i j breath told us the Germans Germans' were on the edge of ot the village had shot him I through the sleeve with a a machine rf i r gun bullet luckily that was all and Q t. t for us to beat it tk i y j The ninth day sitting around the fire In our mess after the best dinner we had had In days the commanding e officer handed me some papers and said Here Is something that will interest interest interest in in- terest you Pettit I want to say we wa shall be sorry to lose you you j And this Is what t It was Roswell T T. Pettit M M. R. R C. C Is relieved from duty with the British army and will proceed to th the A A. A E E. E F. F where he will report for |