The men
know that he loves them or he would not go into the trenches with them,
for he does not have to go. You can tell the world for me that he is a
real man!"
One of the fellows said of him he had seen him take off his shoes and
bring away pieces of flesh from the awful blisters got from much tramping.
The men soon learned to love their gray haired Salvation Army comrade.
When an enemy attack was to be met with cold steel he was the first to
follow the company officers "over the top," to cheer and encourage the
onrushing Americans in the anxious semi-calm which follows the lifting of
a barrage. A non-combatant, unarmed and fifty-three years of age, he was
always in the van of the fierce onslaught with which our men repulsed the
enemy, ready to pray with the dying or help bring in the wounded, and
always fearless no matter what the conditions. By his unfearing heroism as
well as his willingness to share the hardships and dangers of the men, he
so won their confidence that it was frequently said that they would not go
into battle except the Major was with them. The men would crouch around
him with an almost fantastic confidence that where he was no harm could
come. Knowing that many earnest Christian people were praying for his
safety and having seen how safely he and those with him had come through
dangers, they thought his very presence was a protection.
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