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Show E0I1S PRAISES YANKEE DIVIS1QI! TO f ME FOLKS BOSTON, Nov. 26. Major General Clarence R. Edwards, who trained and led the 26th division through some of the hardest battles of the war, tonight to-night gave an accounting of his leadership lead-ership to a vast crowd of the home , folks. The Boston arena was Jammed with men and women, many of them grny-haired and many wearing the black arm band of mourning for those who have Tallen in battle. With tears I In lus eyes the leader of the "Yankee division" said:' "I wish to God that the stout-hearted boys themselves were here to get this reception, which rightly belongs to them " The Yankee division, he said, had one of tho cleanest records of any troops that went overseas. "They fought for nine months with only ten days rest," he went on, "they never lost a fight, they were never obliged to give one inch of ground without Its being immediately regained, regain-ed, they won every objective they wore I sent after and frequently overran and j held their objectives. Never by the slightest indication did any word come I to me that there was a cold foot in the whole division. We had only one. deserter. And those Yankee boys gained more ground than any other American command." After describing the Yankees' baptism bap-tism of fire at Cliemin des Dames, General Edwards said: "1 followed a detachment of our poor gassed men to the hospital. Although Al-though they were suffering horribly thoy were still game to the core. I asked them 'What is your opinion of this fighting?" They answered 'We pray Ave can get well quick and give those Bodies the medicine they need.' I never heard one squeal. "Even during our brief rest period, when seenty per cent of tho whole division was afflicted with bronchitiB or pneumonia, not one complaint came from those Yankee lads." He told of the desperate fighting at Seicheprey adding: "The 104th regiment was decorated with tho Croix de Guerre, the only American regiment, to the best of my knowledge to be so honored." At the battle of Chateau Thierry, the division lost -J.tOO men, General Edwards Ed-wards said. |