Page:History of the Sixth Regiment, United States Marines.djvu/27

22 22 History of Sixth Regiment, U. S. Marines. Conditions were bad throughout the regiment. It was practically impossible tc send out water details and canteens were empty. The men dug in as well as possible, but digging was dangerous and the enemy fire increased the casualties rapidly. The 1st Battalion lost in killed Captain Kearns, 95th Company, Lieut. Burr of the battalion Headquarters, and Lieul. Redford, and in wounded Captain Turner, Battalion adjutant, and seven lieutenants. The 2nd Battalion losses were heavy. Onl> three company officers remained in that battalion when the regiment was relieved. Of ihe other officers Lieuts. John W. Overton and Charles V. Roy were killed while advancing at the head of their platoons. Ihe 3rd Battalion lost 39% ol its othcers. The regiment had entered the battle with an approximate strength of twenty- eight hundred men, three hundred and filty of these not being engaged. Of the twenty-four hundred and fifty men actually engaged there were thirteen hundred killed and wounded. The regiment was relieved about midnight of July 19th by Algerians and withdrew, remaining in reserve resting. While in bivouac near Translor Farm, July 20th, the regiment suffered .-. eve rai casualties from falling limbs of trees. The forest had been subjected to intense shell lire and branches and trunks of trees had been partly severed, and the breeze which sprang up caused many of them to fall. During the night the troops were also subjected to intermittent long range shelling from Austrian 1 30 s. Coming after the strenuous fighting, the shelling, ihe downpour of rain and the falling branches added greatly to the menial and physical exhaustion of the troops. The Quartermasters department issued some new ciothes while the regiment was resting in the back area. On July 31st the regiment marched to Nanteuil-le-Haudonin, where i t er.lrained for the Toul Sector. The regiment detrained August 1st at Nancy and from August 2nd to August 6th Regimental Headquarters was al Chaiigny. During this time the regiment was reorganized, cleaned up and rested. More clothing was issued, replacements joined and many casuals, men who had been evacuated to hospitals, returned. A number of enlisted men were commissioned and several of them sent to Army School at Langres. Augut 5th the regiment moved to Liverdun and on August 7th Regi- mental Headquarters was established at Dieulouard. The 2nd Bat- talion relieved the 340th French regiment in the trenches at Pont-a - Mousson, with the 1st and 3rd Battalions in reserve. The sector was a very quiet ore. On the night of August 8th-9th the enemy put down a box barrage on the right of the position held by the 2nd Bat- talion and everything pointed to a raid by them, but they did not penetrate the lines. Only two men were slightly wounded. Effective work at reconnaissance was carried out and patrolling was successful, but the ambuscades of this regiment met with no success. Apparently the enemy was content to rest with their own wire. There were no infantry