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Show Where American Doughboys Won Eternal Glory It is doubtful whether the popular imagination of the American people has ever been more greatly stirred than it was ovr the battle of Chateau-Thierry and the tremendous Marne offensive. It would be difficult to find any American who Is not to some degree conversant with this engagement en-gagement and who has not thrilled with national pride at the remarkable exploits of the doughboy here during his baptism of real fighting. It was with this same sentiment that we also went to this front, to see for ourselves our-selves what It looked like now after the years, writes Corliss Hooven Grifhs in the Fblludelphla Ledger. It seemed a little bit strange to us that we could cross the XIarne river Just as readily as any other stream. Somehow it was to us a sort of a sacred sa-cred thing, a river above any other rivar In history. The first sight of It fives an American a memorable thrill as he pictures the mighty events which have occurred on Its banks. And his heart beats even faster when he gazes across at Chateau-Thierry. It la hard to conceive, as he stands on the banks, that here Is the exact spot where America stopped the German onrush and saved the world. Qhateau-Thlerry was never so thoroughly thor-oughly devastated by shellflre as some of the other towns In the vicinity, so that It Is In fairly good shape now. The streets are crowded with busy people again and life has returned so nearly to normal It does not seem possible that the marks of machine-gun machine-gun bnllets on the walls of the houses could have been made only a few years ago. But to the American It Is the battle only which remains In his mind, nnd his associations are more of the spirit than of the Immensity of the engagement at this point. It Is unforgettable to stand by the river and look upon the very ground from which an appalled and almost despairing despair-ing world received Its first message of hope In those dreadful days of June, 101S. Brilliant Feat of Arms, Here American troops rushed Into the face of the advancing German with all of the Impetuous enthusiasm of youth, and wrested an astounding victory from what seemed certain defeat. de-feat. It was not the first engagement for the Americans, nor was It the best planned; and Chateau-Thierry certainly certain-ly was not the greatest battle, yet It ran fairly be called the most brilliant fvat of American arms. One part of this battlefield which has n peculiar bold on the American heart Is I'.elleau wood. So far as that Is concerned, It Is famous all over I'rnni-o as well. As one advances In that direction every landmark appears In some way to bo associated with the American army, especially as part of the historic battleground of the Second Sec-ond division. On the way to Holloau t passed through the ruins of Vaux and Hourgesclu's, both villages having hav-ing been ruptured by this division during the fighting of June and July. It was remarkable, however, to nie the way In which the actual scars of war are being removed from this section sec-tion of the country. The Holds for the most part have been put In such excellent shape again that one wonders won-ders how this ran have been achieved. The signs of the shelling are becoming becom-ing scarce, since the majority of the Innumerable holes have been tilled up and eliminated. (If course, the dead trees and splintered forests are still to be seen, and the ruins of walls and houses do not allow vou to mistake the region for anything else but the battlefield that It was. Neverl heless, tin? whole countryside Is nm now lorn up In iinythlrg like the same degree Unit 't Is around Verdun. At Bolloau Wood. The battle of i'.elleau wood can never be lolnniately appreciated until the place Itself has been seen. The terrain Is not only most unusual, It Is extraordinarily dimrult; thickly timbered tim-bered ami of a rugged, rocky fornla-tlon. fornla-tlon. It differs froi'u any other battleground battle-ground that wu have visited In Franco. In fact. It was over Just such ground as this that the battle of Gettysburg was fought in the Civil war. In these woods, between the great bowlder which are strewn about everywhere, occurred day after day the most savage sav-age of hand-to-hand fighting. Positions Posi-tions were taken, lost and retaken until un-til Ka the end the whole of the little forest remained in the hands of the Americans. From Belleaa wood we roamed over various parts of the battlefield, Eome-tlmes Eome-tlmes In the sector of one division and sometimes in that of another. It was difficult too difficult, In fact to follow fol-low the progress of the various divisions di-visions over the battlefield. Sufficient for us that, although we knew the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Twenty-sixth divisions were all engaged en-gaged here at the beginning and that later the Twenty-eighth, Thirty-second and Seventy-seventh divisions gallantly continued the fighting, they were all heroic Americans. |