WOUNDED
IN THE ARGONNE
82nd Division Patch
|
Uncle Sep Moseley
Home in Alabama, Forty Years After his Wound
I had two Uncles who served in the AEF. One uncle, Septimus Vaughn Moseley, fought in several actions and was wounded in the Argonne Forest in Oct 1918, We have two accounts from Sep about his service.. The first is of a patrol gone bad.
Sep used to say that one day his officer wanted two volunteers to go up across the wire to see where the Germans were. My Uncle says "What'll you give?" The officer responded "A three-day pass". So my Uncle and a buddy go up.
He said that the Germans must have had that wire connected to an alarm; as soon as they cut it, the Germans started dropping all the artillery in the world on that spot. My Uncle and his buddy found a shell-hole and stayed in it all the rest of that night and all the next day, and managed to get back the next night. They could not find their outfit till two days later.
Injured 82nd Division Doughboys Being Evacuated
At the Same Time & in the Same Sector as Sep's Wound
He later found that officer and reported, "The Germans were up there." The officer said yes, they were and that the regiment had had to move out because the artillery fire was so terrific. My Uncle then asked "How about those 3-day passes?" The officer said "You just had them!!!".
Later, Uncle Sep was wounded in the Argonne Forest. While recuperating, he wrote home and told a somewhat sanitized account of the action.. His message, however, was so moving that it was eventually published in our local newspaper. This incident took place October 8, 1918, the day his outfit, the 82nd "All American" Division was trying to rescue the famous Lost Battalion.. Sergeant York was another member of the 82nd and his feat was performed this day as well.
....
Sources and Thanks: James Boatwright provided all the text and images for her article. Sep's letter originally appeared in the Selma-Times. Journal. of Selma, Alabama.
. |
