LETTER FROM LIEUTENANT J. C. REDINGTON '00

The MAGAZINE printed in its February number a letter from Lieutenant John C. Redington '00 of Battery C, 149th Field Artillery, A.E.F., written to a college classmate; we are glad to be able this month to print extracts from another letter by Lieutenant Redington. This letter was written on March 6 to his father, Major E. D. Redington '61, and is as follows:

"This has been a week full of new experiences and we have had a real initiation into the realities of war. The French had occupied this position before us and we have relieved them. They told us it was a tranquil sector, very quiet. For three days we believed them; then something broke loose. Perhaps the Germans knew we had arrived and wanted to see how long we could last-

"Day before yesterday, commencing at 3 a. m., we were called to deliver five barrage fires. A barrage, as you already know, is a curtain fire thrown over by the 75s just ahead of our own infantry to protect them against German attack or to protect their advance. In these cases it was against German attack on our front lines. A battery's most important function is to be able to deliver a barrage at high speed within a minute after it is signaled for by the rockets, and to deliver it so accurately that it sweeps a given line in front of the infantry in the sector. Of course, we have been working in practice in this for a long time and each man knows his job. but firing an actual barrage is far different from practice. My job is to be at the guns and I had to turn out six times night before last. Three alarms, two barrages, and one gas alarm.

"During the day and early evening we fired two more barrages and for about three hours shelled a German battery. The men came through in fine shape. No mistakes were made and I think now they have the confidence that is so necessary to quick and accurate firing; but that is nothing to what happened today. The Germans have been for three days throwing a lot of shells on the other two batteries which are situated to right and left of us, and every evening have been heavily shelling a wood 200 meters to our right. We have been wondering when we should get it.

"Last night they shelled my former battery and one of the first lieutenants, Jordan, the man who took my place, was instantly killed, saddening us all. He was from Texas and a fine fellow, and is the first man in our regiment to be killed in action. A shell struck his dugout and it caved in on him.

"This morning at 9 o'clock, or 8.23, to be exact, I was standing at the entrance of the dugout and two 105s, about a four inch shell, dropped 100 meters back of the battery. They threw twenty-two shells on the gun position, getting two direct hits, one on top of our ammunition dugout, and stopped at 9.05. No damage was done to the guns, strange to say. We went to work at once to clear up the debris, which took us two hours. Had just gotten nicely fixed when five 155s (six inch) burst in quick succession directly in front of us about 100 meters away. I blew the whistle and all the men went to their dugouts. Lieut. Patterson was away and I was in command.

"They shelled us for two hours and ten minutes and dropped 253 six inch shells in or around the battery, getting three direct hits, one on top of the dugout in which there were six men; caved it in completely and, again, strangely enough, not a man was scratched. All our telephone lines were broken and for about one hour we were out of communication. The men showed splendid spirit and are eager to retaliate. The position was in a sorry state after it was all over. Our kitchen was demolished and connecting trenches to the guns completely filled in. one dugout wrecked, and yet not a man was hurt or a gun. Ever since we have been working cleaning up and have gotten things in some kind of order. Apparently the boches have us well spotted and nobody knows when they will start in again. It has been very quiet since, but battery C got it again hard at 5.30. We have not been able to learn whether any serious damage was done to them.

"During a bombardment of this kind we have to be constantly on the alert for gas shells and carry our gas masks with us all the time.

"It is 9.30 now and I am going to turn into my bunk, six feet under the ground, and hope I shall not be awakened by the telephone. It is always bad news when the telephone rings at night.

"One day later.—At 2 this morning the lookout called for another barrage and so my sleep was not as good as it might have been. All day today we have been working at getting in ammunition, cleaning up the wreckage of yesterday, and are back in good shape again. Tonight there are to be quite big doings and this battery has its part to play. We do not know just when it is to be pulled off, but some time in the middle of the night, so there won't be much slumber. They give us certain objectives to fire on and we have to figure at the data.

"Patterson is a fine officer and we have a good battery. The men are good fighters and hard workers. We have one other officer here at the position and one back with the horses. I live in a bit of a dugout which serves as office, bedroom, and dining room. The bunks are built in the side of the walls, and if it were not for the everlasting mud and the dripping of water on everything we might be quite comfortable. The place is, of course, infested with rats, but one gets used to them.

"I have been up a number of times to our forward observing stations, which are in the front lines, but was very careful to walk bent over. It is quite a sight at night. Everywhere the star shells are going out and the flash of the big guns can be seen for many miles and there is noise all the time.

"The regiment has had two deaths in action and a few casualties.

"They tell us this is the primary school training for what will follow in a month or so. I never was enthusiastic about higher education."