The Battle of Saint-Mihiel

Let us go gently here. Avoid those jolts if you can. What is the matter now ? We have just entered the ground that the Germans lost in the course of a great battle. What battle took place here? The battle of Saint-Mihiel, in which we took more than 15,000 prisoners, if I am not mistaken. When did the battle take place? Do you not remember that it was the 13th and 14th of September, 1918?

1 on. 2 de. 3 See Grammar Review, Section 80.

After the battle of Chateau-Thierry, the Allies under the command of General 1 Foch had decided to continue the offensive on all the battle-fronts. About the first of September, the American army had the range of all the German strongholds along this sector. The night of the 13th, our artillery directed a barrage on these strongholds. Thanks to this preparation, which lasted ten hours, our infantry could launch the attack the following morning without much trouble. I assure you that we Americans are proud of what our soldiers did.

Was this battle our first one 2 ? We 3 may consider it thus. General1 Pershing formed the plan of it and our troops made the attack. A very small number of French troops took part in it. On the other hand, the struggles which took place at Château-Thierry and at Belleau Woods are only episodes in larger operations.4

Let us stop the automobile along the road. I want to examine those barbed-wire entanglements. Yes, those near the trenches. The fire from our artillery must have torn them. The shells struck this trench, for it is crumbling away.

Look at that barbed wire. It is rusting. This ground still shows that it was under the enemy's fire. Notice how maimed those trees are 5 ! There are no longer any branches on those stumps. That is a good proof that shell splinters struck them.