Capt. Charles Dashiell Harris, At this Christmas time when the war wounded and war-weary world is rejoicing that the victory of humanity has come as a consummation of the hopes and prayers of millions of people, there are thousands of saddened homes, with empty chairs, as silent reminders of the tolls that a merciless war has exacted. However, The sustaining spirit of sacrifices for the sake of liberty and democracy, for the sake of human kindness and love, serves to alleviate as much as possible the sufferings and sorrowing of the bereaved. And to have a son, on only child, just crossed the threshold into young manhood as to age, and yet with a record of understanding and valor that had made him a commander of men, to die for his country, at the very front while leading a charge against the enemy. It is a heritage that is priceless. And such is the legacy of Gen. Peter C. Harris, Adjutant General of the United States army, whose son Captain Harris, the youngest company commander in the great American army, fell mortally wounded while at the head of his command in an especially gallant charge against the enemy, during the now memorable drive in the Argonne. Charles Dashiell Harris was graduated from the United States Military academy on August 30, 1917, a member of the class of 1918, at the age of twenty years and seven months. Although one of the youngest members of his class, his standing at graduation was number five, while for the work of the final years he stood at the head of his class. His record at the academy was the best made by any Georgian in many years. Upon graduation he was appointed captain in the regular army. He was assigned to the Sixth U. S. Engineers, stationed at Washing Barracks, D. C., and on Dec. 2, 1917, left with his company (Co. B.) for the port of embarkation, en route to France. The Sixth Engineers constituted part of the Third division, but arrived in France some months in advance of the balance of the division. The British being in need of the services of engineers in connection with the work of constructing a bridge over the Somme river, the headquarters detachment and two companies of the Sixth Engineers, including Co. B., commanded by Capt. Harris, were attached to the British army and were still so attached when the German drive of March 21st was launched. At this crisis these organizations were of great assistance to the British in laying out and constructing successive lines of trenches. Later they constructed and for several days occupied trenches in the gap between the British Fifth and Third armies, which was filled in by the picked up force of Gen., Carey, of the British Army. The trenches occupied by Capt. Harris' company were directly in front of the city of Amiens, and therefore in what at that period was the most critical part of the line. In a commendatory dispatch to the regimental commander Gen. Rawlinson, commanding the Fifth British army, states: "I fully realize that it has been largely due to your assistance that the enemy is checked." Because of the services rendered by these tow companies, the commanding officer of the Sixth Engineers was appointed to the distinguished service order by the British government, and was later made a Brigadier General in the United States army. The Sixth Engineers rejoined the Third division a short time before the second battle of the Marne, and participated in that battle and in subsequent engagements, which occurred during the advance to the Vesle River. The Third division was later transferred to the Argonne forest region, and took part in the battles of Aragonne forest and the Meuse River. The Sixth Engineers were trained for combat as well as for engineer duty, and when not engaged in the construction of bridges and in the laying out and construction of trenches and other engineering work were fighting as infantry, Capt. Harris' own company was in action against the enemy either as engineers or as infantry, almost continuously from the 21st of March until he was killed on Oct. 20th. The fact that the litter bearers who carried him to the dressing station after he was wounded were captured indicates that he was in the front rank and close to the enemy at the time he sacrificed his life. As a cadet at the military academy young Harris was, without doubt, the most popular member of his class. He was president of the Dialectic society and cheer leader, and took a prominent part in all the social and other activities of his class. The parents of one of his classmates pay him the following tribute: "No finer or truer boy ever lived. Charlie was a born leader in enterprises, serious or gay, in scholarship, athletics and friendship." He was of sunny disposition, kind to everyone with whom he came into contact, and showed the most beautiful and touching devotion to his parents. Although continuously subjected to hardships and danger during the last seven months of his life, his letters were uniformly bright and cheery. In the second battle of Marne he was wounded in the forehead by a shell fragment, and in a letter written the following day he spoke lightly of the wound, saying that he felt like the spirit of ""6""with the bandage around his head. The following extract from another letter, written a short time before the second battle of the Marne, illustrates his ever cheerful viewpoint: I am all right and in the best possible health; with interesting work to keep me busy and enough exercise and good food to keep me healthy; nothing to spend money on, so also wealthy, and lots to learn, so wise." Never was a young officer better endowed by nature for his chosen vocation than was Capt. Harris, and not one had before him a more brilliant future than he at the time he fell, facing the enemy. The captured litter bearers stated that Capt. Harris was carried to the Red Cross dressing station in or near the village of Aincreville, north of the Ardre river, where he expired ver soon afterwards. His grave, located about six hundred yards southeast of Aincreville, was marked by the Germans with a cross, inscribed as follows: "Caption Charles Dashiell Harris, American Soldier, October 20." Caption Harris was the son and only surviving child of Major General P. C. Harris, the Adjutant General of the army, and Mrs. P. C. Harris, and a nephew of Senator-elect William J. Harris. (Cedartown Standard, Thursday, January 2, 1919)

Mr. Charles Harris, The Standard last week published the sad news that in all probability Capt. Chas. Harris had lost his life in France, and we regret to say that confirmation has now come of the report. He was a son of Gen. and Mrs. P. C. Harris, and was born in Cedartown, where his brilliant career has been watched with much interest. Graduating last year from West Point, he asked for immediate overseas service, and was the youngest Captain in the United States Army. He belonged to the Engineers Corps, and was wounded in one of the early battles when the engineers threw down their tools and joined in the fight with any weapons they could get hold of. On his recovery he quickly got to the front again, and his is one of the thousands of find young lives sacrificed to the horrid Moloch of war because of the brutal ambition of the Hun. The pity of it! The young man's distinguished father, who is the Adjutant General of the United States Army and who has accomplished herculean tasks during our months of war, has now another crushing load of anxiety. His wife who has been ill, had started to Arizona for her health when the news came last week of her son's probable fate, and the message overtook her at Knoxville, Tenn., where she was obliged to give up her journey completely prostrated, and her husband was called from Washington to her bedside. They have the heartfelt sympathy of all here in Gen. Harris' boyhood home over the tragic bereavement that has shed its pall of sorrow upon them. (Cedartown Standard, Thursday, December 19, 1918)

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