Iowa
Old Press
The Semi Weekly Iowegian
Centerville, Appanoose Co., Iowa
Monday, March 18, 1918
HEROIC STORY OF COMPANY D VALOR
The following story of the heroic deeds which resulted in 25
Americans, among them three Centerville boys, being awarded
French war cross for valor is told by Henry G. Wailes,
International News Service staff correspondent, in a dispatch
from the front in France published in the Chicago American. The
exploits of the three Centerville men are specially mentioned.
Sergt. Pearl Edwards is mentioned because of signal action after
he had lost a superior officer. Just who this can refer to is not
known, but it may have been one of the men from Cedar Rapids or
Mason City, they having about 100 men in the company. He may have
only been wounded.
With the American Army in France, Mch 15.-Twenty-five more
American soldiers, including the chief of staff of a division,
have been decorated with the French war cross. The Americans
decorated belong to the same force that took over a trench in the
Lorraine sector which they had compelled the Germans to evacuate
by their concentrated and sustained artillery fire and by
frequent spirited raids.
The Americans now hold the new position, having occupied it at 4
o'clock on Wednesday morning. The enemy made a few feeble efforts
to recapture their lost ground but were repulsed by the Americans
in every attack. The Americans found the position badly battered
by shell fire, but soon reorganized it and put it in good
defensive shape.
FIRST PERMANENT ADVANCE.
This was the first permanent advance the Americans have scored
since they reached the firing line. A captured trench is nearly
two miles long and is situated upon higher ground than the former
advanced positions the Franco-American troops had held. The
captured position has been the scene of bloody encounters between
the French and the Germans in the past. The old German
entanglements separating their front lines from their second-line
positions is now being used to protect the new American line,
being enclosed with a new wire wall.
The decorations bestowed upon the honored American fighters were
presented by the French general commanding the army holding that
sector of the Lorraine front east of Luneville, where the
Americans were sent in among the French troops to learn actual
fighting conditions at first hand.
CROSSES GIVEN FOR BRAVERY.
The war crosses were given for acts of bravery in the various
sharp engagements that Americans have taken part in since they
took over first line positions. A couple of the Americans
rewarded had been killed in action and their war crosses were
spiked upon the lids of their coffins before the bodies were
interred. Duplicates will be sent to their relatives in America.
Most of the other honored men are in hospitals. Their decorations
were pinned above their cots.
Col. Douglas McArthur is the chief of staff who received a medal
for "extreme valor in participating in a French attack with
French troops in order to observe personally the methods used by
infantry and artillery for such engagements, risking his life
that the lives of soldiers in the future might be preserved, and
capturing single handed a Bavarian officer." (Col. McArthur
is chief of staff to the commander of the Rainbow division. He is
the son of the late Maj. Gen. Arthur McArthur, who won fame in
the Spanish-American war and the subsequent Philippine
insurrection.)
AID IS HONORED, TOO.
Another of the men honored was Capt. Thomas S. Handy, aid de camp
to Col. McArthur, who, in order to get a better idea of the
effect of artillery fire, followed assaulting waves of infantry
into German front line positions, exhibiting "a fine example
of coolness and bravery."
Capt. Edward Stellar of Iowa was decorated for bravery and
coolness with his troops with the enemy.
Lieut. W. Alexander Terrill of Fort Worth, Texas, another of the
honored soldiers, was seriously wounded during a bombardment.
Lieut. A. Pailette was decorated for his action in organizing his
men after an enemy attack and leading them in a counter attack
which ejected the Germans from a trench they had occupied.
The other men getting the war cross were:
Capt. Charles W. Atkins of Winterset, Iowa who installed a
platoon under heavy fire, in demolished terrain, repulsing an
enemy counter attack.
LIEUTENANT IS DECORATED.
Lieut. Bernard VanHof of Grand Rapids, Mich., who, though badly
wounded in the leg, exhibited coolness and bravery during an
attack.
Sergt. James West, who helped organize a detachment which routed
an enemy patrol, capturing some prisoners.
ENTERED ENEMY POSITION.
Sergt. Pearl Edwards of Centerville, Iowa, who organized the men
after his superior officer had been lost, counter attacking the
enemy and entering their positions.
Sergt. Warner Hall, who met an enemy party while on patrol duty,
but gave combat, bringing back prisoners to the American lines.
Corporal Holmes Britten, who, having captured a German, shot down
his prisoner, after the German tried to shoot him, Britten was
compelled to fire in self-defense.
AGAINST GREAT ODDS.
Charles Gerdon, of Centerville, Iowa, who was wounded while in
the performance of his duty, Gerdon was engaged in a counter
attack against great odds when struck.
Herbert Freeman and Amos Duke, who, while on patrol duty, met an
enemy detachment and aided materially in capturing two prisoners.
Second Lieut. Howard G. Smith, who led a counter attack and
occupied a first line German trench, which the Americans
succeeded in holding temporarily.
Corporals Marvin Dunn, of Des Moines, Ia., Lewis Simons of
Waterloo, Ia. (or El Reno, Okla.), and Russel Lewis of Red Oak,
Ia., who were wounded on March 5 while combating enemy raiders.
Private Percy Breese of Red Oak, Iowa; Charles Meffard and John
Golix of Woodbine, Iowa, who were seriously wounded in repelling
an enemy counter attack on March 5.
Medical Sergeant Thomas Peterson of Minneapolis (dead), who was
installed in an emergency dressing station in an advanced
position, where he worked under fire until wounded.
Private Lawrence Wenell of Minneapolis, who was killed while
accomplishing an important mission under heavy fire.
Second Lieut. Henry A. Peterson, who after the crew of a trench
mortar had all been killed except himself, continued working the
piece in the face of an enemy attack, until the ammunition was
exhausted, shattering the German storming columns that were
trying to advance.
IN PERFORMANCE OF DUTY.
Frank Osgood of Centerville, Iowa who was wounded in the leg
while in the performance of his duty in a valorous manner.
Stung by the activity of the Americans in the Montsec region, the
Germans are now using their five and six-inch guns more and more.
A few weeks ago the Germans confined most of their shelling to
three- inch shells, but now only about 20 per cent of the shells
that come over are of that caliber. The artillery activity
throughout Tuesday was comparatively light, both sides shelling
support lines and the areas back of the front, seeking out
battery emplacements. The Americans have been active with rifle
grenades, dislodging a German machine gun from an advanced
position and forcing snipers to evacuate their comouflaged hiding
places. The occupants of German listening posts were compelled to
flee also. The boches are using a new style of hand grenade call
a potato masher from its shape. It has a time fuse attached and
bursts a few seconds after it has landed. The night was quiet on
the American front at Toul, although there were outbreaks of
artillery fire. There was no infantry action.
[transcribers note: Sergt. Pearl Edwards is my grandfather]
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TAKEN TO HOSPITAL
(From Friday's Daily)
Mrs. Mary DeGard, of the Seymour vicinity, was taken to the
hospital at Mt. Pleasant this morning, accompanied by Sheriff
Geo. Elgin and a relative. She is an elderly lady, and was
brought to Centerville earlier in the week for possible
treatment, but her mental condition was found to be such that it
was decided she should enter the insane hospital. She has
relatives here. In addition to the mental condition she is
seriously afflicted physically, being unable to move without
assistance.
[transcribed by P.E., August 2006]