Word: backed
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Dates: during 1910-1919
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...Americans--whole blocks, of houses are laid flat, with no stone on top of another--unless perchance the under stone may sometimes be above. And in those towns, in shells of houses, windows and often whole walls missing, roofs gone or rent and torn, the civilians were coming back. I saw stores being reopened, houses being set up, debris cleared away. I saw a meat market starting again, the people passing in and out through a hole in the wall, the whole corner of the building having been sheared off. I saw a clothing store again in operation--in what...
...present front on the Vesle, is a mighty interesting trip. I've been over that twice now, both times by daylight, so I had a good chance to observe. In many of the towns things are being cleared up by the returning civilian and French engineer units, roads put back in shape, bridges being rebuilt, etc., so that they are less depressing in appearance than a town is when first taken back--after German habitation and allied bombardment. The country roads, too, are now in good shape, but everywhere there are signs of recent battle...
...most "impossible to be ignored" manner. The roads are lined with dumps of material--shells, grenades, rifle and machine gun amunition, discarded rifles, helmets--everything, in fact, one sees along those roads, though of course it is being rapidly collected by the salvage departments, sorted and sent back to salvage depot for repair, renovation, and reissue--for a use is found for almost everything, no matter how badly smashed and broken...
...often still harnessed to the wagons or caissons they were drawing away, and, worse yet, men, too, sometimes lie unburied for several days. But there is no time, often, for any other course. One fights until he is weary beyond words. He digs trenches and mans them; he carries back the wounded; he breathes poisoned gas and utters more poisonous oaths; he sleeps on and in the ground like a beast; eats what and when he can (and often he eats not at all); and always he watches and works and fights. But this is the war of movement--semi...
...some pretty severe losses--and I believe they're the smallest of any regiment in the division. Yet, as a regiment, we've done ourselves proud--received the Croix de Guerre; slaughtered huge numbers of Boche; stopped their attack across the Marne on the river bank, and only fell back to our second line after 14 1-2 hours fighting, and when surrounded on three sides, due to retirement of troops to our flanks: held our positions from July 15 to 20, then retook what we'd lost, as far as the Marne which we crossed on the 22nd, pushing...