Vj ' Class. Book.__ J- Q fc- 1:' Copyiiglitl^*- •^ ^ CDEffilGHT DEPOSm "C" BATTERY BOOK 306th F. A, 77th DIV. 1917-1919 Copyright, 1920 BY JOHN FOSTER DEC 24 1920 0)CU605113 / CONTRIBUTORS Robert Valverde Chief Historian J. V. L. Morris FafJier of History Schuyler King Society Editor John Foster Impressionist Leonard Hanower Counsellor Rozel Peter Stenographer Wilson and Hazelette, Inc Crimijial Reporters FOREWORD SOME day this little memo is g'oing to look old fashioned. But to us boys of C Battery it will be the gateway into the year of 1918, that year in France, with its flashing train of events crowned by suc- cess to the cause of Democracy, the cause for which we sacrificed so much. A memory of those start and stop night marches when we looked for the first signs of dawn to put an end to the continuous urging of tired horses, our laying down in the road where we stood, pack and all, till the endless line of cannon, limber and fourgon would once more take up the lumbering march. A memory of the carefully built Boche dugouts to which our advance often brought us. And a recollec- tion of the always present "grin and bear it" natures and happy-go-lucky disregard for the mudholes, rain, often lack of mess, and general cussedness of the West- ern Front. But now it is all over and done with, the job com- pleted, Jerry fini, along with du lait, desoeufs, cognac and other luxuries of the Front ; with memories of the World War softened by time, we can browse through these notes with the pleasure of knowing we brought back something besides ourselves — Jerry's scalp. Capf. Theodore Cran y TO THE MEN OF "C" BATTERY THERE is very little I can say to you that you do not already know. The days we have spent together are even now a part of the past. They are one of the greatest pages in the history of our country and whatever life may hold in store for us will always he a period upon which we will look back wuth pride and satisfaction. On every occasion you have done not only that which your duty required but have acted with bravery and initiative consistent with the highest standards of the American Army and true to the oldest traditions of our country. IMy only regret is that I am not able to be with you during- these last days of your service, but my thoughts will follow you back to America and my greatest pleasure in future will be to meet the old members of my battery. I wish you all the best things that life may hold for each and every one. Theodore Crane. CArx., 306TH F. A. vu VIU • IX Lt. Philip J\v! Salfza Lt. Donald Hxdc. Capi. I fade ll'UIcford, Lf. Jraltcr KU\- XI /./. Jitnn /•i,i,-h-iiir(i U. J. S. Scott xui Chrisiuuas, I'uiick. WU.uni. F. P.. Spinner, Brckcrnian, Kinii, S., Moore. Wilvcrdc r< ^' iti XIV X Romano, JJ'ilsou. C. B., Doivncy, Anderson, Foster, Lech, Springer, IJ'ardzi'ell, Woodz^'orlli, Klein, Kinnev A KINCri tiff MftNfrs^ ^ VPS AND A sfH6f/>NTS- | \\^:j /V#W ZNROUTETOHIS -AFTfRNOOM 5Ga This familiar photo zvas caught i II D a II c c I' i r. Tea roo ms abounded in this Arcadia, and our old colU'iic chum, Paul Kcllchcr, is here seen immedi- ^J-^'^i^ ately after "retreat" leading his boon companions tozvard the y. M. C. A. on Rue des Etats L'nis. This cheerful smile on Paul's face is due to the fact that he has transacted a gentle- man's a(ireeinent ■lelierebv Ser- geant Immergut xeill personally escort the Road Detail and Corporal Rutkozcsky zeill be Corporal of the Guard. Alberts, Kreuger, Steeneck, Ryan, J. E., McDonagh, Pfirrman, Sazvickas, Mulkeen, Dillon, Grunezvald ^oseeei^" cJAKt ii^niROui up Sgt. Jake Immcriiut , snapped as he stepped out in the lead of A'o. 4 Creiv during the Baecarat "offensive." The sight of the Sergeant riding buoyantly forzi'ard on his spirited .steed n'as a eonstant inspiration to his nieji. The horse, noted for his ereaiiiy eolor z^'as a gift from (jenc/al Du Lait, of the 1st French Army Corps. Talley, MeCool, O'Rourke, Jl 'inkier, Heege, .Spinacola, Daly, Tetley, Arterberry, hnmergut, Hanegan, Bracaites, Mclncrny XXI XXll O'Conncl, Oddo, Marino, Costa, Lapriore, Taylor, Fcddoi. Merritt, Rickcit, Hciz, Stickle, ItnjuUi, Mereurio, Dcutsch, Grieg Sullivan, D. F., Hicks, King, M. L., Hacsslcr, Spencer, Hark, Schnackenberg, Monte, Sullivan, J. T., Clarkin, Patterson Leister, Aiierf. Livingstone, Spicer, Orlando, Taggart, K(ipple>nan, Paulsen, Barrett, Shopi^'ell, Fitzpatrick, Morgan, Mealy, Rosenberg XXIV Scrra, V a da la. Drakias, Moraii, Hay lies, Dorgan, Kellc, Ryan, J. S., Casey, Steffen Rein, Mode, McVey, Tier It ey La Pointe Sctlcis, Clark. Giiffaitti. McGrath, I' 0)1 Ordcii. Bickinait, Fly It It , Bccinan, McLean. Magarit, Mayer, U'ciitbcrg, Baiter. Amo, Pack Lcgcr, Sweeney, Hahekost, Finn, Kolosok, Flett, Dcutsch, Chase, Weymouth, Schmidt, J. C, Sodcr, Hcnson, Morril, Vilecc '▼^55^^PPf^WPI(i*W|tf Will >ii«vtMiM'**'**f»r»| Ch/sei" xxvin WALTLJ^ flOUDLtTTC Spillanc, Flicgcl, Prion, Houdlctte, Scott, Robinson, Gricinc. U'cincr, Vogcl, Hciz xxix XXX ll'hcltoii. Rothchild, Strommc, Pappas, Daiiii, Ganctcs, Casli)naii, D., Di Saivo, Shirk, Joyce, Pack XXXI BATTERY ORGANIZATION OFFICERS Capt. T. Crane Capt. W. H. H. Willeford 1st Lt. P. W. Van Saltza K. O'Brien D. R. Hyde 2d Lt. G. F. Hunter W. H. Klee ist Sgt. J. W. Blackford 2d Lt. J. S. Scott BUGLERS Bugler C. Rothschild Pvt. M. Schiell Pvt. i/c. J. A. Ricken INSTRUMENT DETAIL Sgt. J. I. Beckerman Pvt. i/c. Valverde Cpl. S. King Pvt. I/c. J. V. L. Morris BATTERY AGENT Cpl. E. C. Funck 'C" BATTERY HISTORY TELEPHONE DETAIL Sgt. F. Klein Cpl. T. Romano J. P. Downey E. \'an Orden Pvt. i/c. A. Anderson J. Foster H. H. Kinney Pvt. i/c. J. Springer N. L. Wardwell F. M. Woodworth Pvt. F. Leeb O. G. Macher G. B. Wilson MACHINE-GUN DETAIL Sgt. J. J. iMcCaffery Cpl. A. Rutkovsky Pvt. i/c. A. Berger E. Cathcart Pvt. i/c. M. Dwyer L. R. Hanower Pvt. C. A. Hazelette H. Volks Cpl. J. F. Moore C. G. Christunas Pvt. i/c. H. Stambaugh SCOUTS Pvt. i/c. M. A. King C. Talley GUN SECTION NO. i Sgt. P. N. Bergen Cpl. F. J. Grnnew^ald J. J. Canavan M. Pastore Pvt. i/c. M. J. Dillon L. Dunn H. G. Gallagher T. Imhof Pvt. i/c. A. McCarthy T. Mnlkeen M. Malanowski R. Peter T. W. Roche Pvt. R. H. Lamb W. Pfirrman E. Yellin GUN NO. 2824 Fired last round at 7.15, Pylone, Nov. 2, 1918. 'C" BxVTTERY HISTORY GUN SECTION NO. 2 Sgt. J. B. Sheehan Cpl. AI. Segal H. Wolf Pvt. i/c. J. Alberts D. Bilt P. Danow F. Halperon T. McDonagh H. A. Monyhan Pvt. i/c. A. Sawickas A. E. Schmidt Pvt. E. O. Kreuger R. P. McSolla E. Phillis M. Schiell J. J. Steeneck M. J. Trant GUN NO. 2825 Maximum rounds in 24 hours 309 rounds; Sept. 14, 1918 during $1,000,000 barrage. GUN SECTION NO. 3 Sgt. S. C. Hark Cpl. H. J. Schnackenberg T. K. Schmidi Pvt. i/c. M. L. King A. T. Patterson A. C. Spencer S. Weinberg Pvt. E. J. Clarkin P. Haessler F. Hicks L. E. Lane G. Monte D. F. Sullivan J. T. Sullivan P. Weinberg GUN NO. 2826 Fired maximum rounds, 2784: equals 40 tons of ammunition. "C" BATTERY HISTORY GUN SECTION NO. 4 Sgt. T. Immergut C. P. Heege Cpl. A. Daly T. Alartin M. Mclnerny P- F- ^^iH* E. Tetley J- I- McCool Pvt. i/c. W. J. Brazaites C. L. Onyan A. Ettinger O. O'Rourk J. E. Ryan J- Spiiiazola Pvt. L. E. Arterberry H. Stinipfl J. E. Hanegan E. Winkler GUN NO. 2S27 Stal:)le Sgt. J. Kelleher Pvt. i/c. W. D. Grieg "C. McKeever J. Rosenberg W. W. Dorgan Pvt. A. Mayer Cpl. M. Morgan DRR'ER SECTION NO. i Sgt. H. Soder E. J. Auert Pvt. i/c. N. Livingston J. F. Mealy E. Kehoe E. Orlando Pvt. W. Dunn J- P- Paulsen DRIVER SECTION NO. 2 Cpl. J. Serra A. Leger Pvt. i/c. G. Mode J- Sweeny Pvt. W. P. Drakias C. J. Taylor A. E. Leangos T- N. Zarogianis y 'C" BATTERY HISTORY DRIVER SECTION NO. 3 Cpl. T. P. Flynn A. C. Kelle Pvt. i/c. H. S. Weymouth A. A. Steffen Pvt. J. L. Fitzpatrick J. J. Taggart W. E. Haynes R. E. Unralh DRIVER SECTION NO. 4 Cpl. E. N. Bickerman Pvt. i/c. M. Tierney Pvt. i/c. C. Flett, Jr. Pvt. G. L. Fedden R. M. Leister P. J. Moran R. M. O'Connell J. T. Rein AMMUNITION DETAIL Sgt. C. Stickle Pvt. T. Kolosok Pvt. i/c. M. Heiz J. Kopleman J. R. Spicer ]. McCarthy \V. J. Whelton A. N. Morril Pvt. T. Casey J. ^IcVey J. Finn I. Vadala H. Johannessen MECHANICS Chief ]\Iech. H. J. Robinson Saddler L. Weiner ]\Iech. C. J. Fleigel Horseshoer C. C. Grieme W. Houdlette C. F. Priem R. Scott E. A. Vogel T. Spillane GAS-GUARD Sgt. P. J. Foran R. Lapoint Pvt. W. S. Amo P. P. Lapriore J. J. Clark ^I. R. Magaril I. Deutsch G. Mercurio N. De Felice H. P. Serk F. Hamilton H. Shopwell J. Hensen "C" BATTERY HISTORY KITCHEN Mess Sgt. H. VV. Dann Cpl. J. P. Cashman Cook M. J. Bodkins V. Ganetes D. Gufifanti S. Pack Pvt. I c. W. Bauer G. C. Joyce Pvt. S. Di Salvo N. N. Shirk L. Stromme P. M. Williams WATER-WWGON Bugler C. Rothschild Mech. C. J- Fliegel ECHELON Supply Sgt. D. O'Brien Tailor S. Setleis Mail Orderly J. Ricken Cpl. C. W. Ingulli Pvt. E. Ailed L. M. iVuger E. Barrett A. M. Beeman C. E. Chase G. Costa S. Levy Barber C. Marino \\\ I. :\IcCaffery J. A. Pappas J. S. Ryan J. G. Schmidt P. J. Shawarey T. Vilece H. G. Weber B. N. White R. Zartman BATTERY CLERKS Cpl. F. P. Wilson Pvt. i/c. H. F. Spinner ORDERLIES Pvt. i/c. C. F. Habekost J. M. McLean J. A. Merritt Pvt. E. Oddo E. F. McGrath 'C" BATTERY HISTORY //^/^/V^ ~ "-■'> ..— --..| Me^''^^'''^ >« ^ 5 frx^ 1 * Chapter I UPTON BATTERY C of the 306th F. A. began its ex- istence on September 16, 191 7, in Barracks P 58, in the new cantonment of Camp Upton, N. Y. Captain Crane, assisted by Lieuts. Green, Klee, Von Saltza and Kelley, were there ready to receive the first recruits, thirteen in number, among whom were the fol- lowing men still with the battery. Sup. Sergt. O'Brien,. Sgt. Hark, Cpl. Pastore, Cook Guffanti and Pvts. i/c Marino and Patterson. September 24 brought forty-eight more raw recruits and the battery moved to Barracks J 43, which for the time being remained the battery headquarters. Train- ing was started over the rough ground from which the brush but not the stumps had been removed. Gradually more recruits came into the battery and each day saw the vain attempts to execute "Squads 10 "C" BATTERY HISTORY East and West" without telescoping the squads. The first attempt to march in battery front looked like a service stripe. Then came the glad tidings that the boys were to remove the stumps, and how happily was that news received. On October 6th Blackford was promoted to Sergeant and then a^jpointed First Sergeant. Later he proved that the selection was well made and here is the place to give credit where credit is due. Sgt. Blackford was a man through and through; he showed exceptional ability and always had a heli)ing hand for the men. Do you reniember the first time you recited your general orders to Sgt. Blackford for a pass to New York? Did you get it? Do you remember those orders now? Shortly after we moved to our permanent quarters on 1 6th Street, and started on our career as Hun Killers. Not all the members of the battery were enthusiastic soldiers. In some cases they had been in the United States for only a short time and so considered com- pulsory service for a country, for which as yet, they had little loyalty, an unwarranted infringement upon their personal rights. Several others made a stab at exemption. The most notorious of these was Private Gaber. An opportunity to escape service seemed to offer itself through his being hurt in an accident at the station at Camp Upton. After Gaber's discharge from the hospital he claimed that his shoulder was so stifi: he •could not carry a rifle, and so refused to drill. There followed a long series of wordy battles, furnishing much amusement for the boys, and finally ended in his ■disappearance with a charge of desertion against him. "C" BATTERY HISTORY 11 One of the most popular of winter evening pastimes was scrubbing the mess hall. There never was a call for volunteers, but anyone could get the job by putting dust on his rifle, cutting a button off his coat, moving his head when at attention, etc. How we all enjoyed it, and as we looked up at the disappointed spectators who weren't allowed to help, we, who were in soft (soap) felt lofty and superior. DID WE NOT? Shortly afterward the first of the "Transfers South" took place on November gth, the first bunch went and at irregular intervals thereafter men were sent South. You could scare any man in the battery by telling him he was on the transfer list. How good all the boys suddenly became. Then came our conscientious objector Campbell. He certainly furnished amusement for the boys. At last he was sent out in the woods to live and had to prepare his own meals. Finally he eluded the guard and his name was erased from the battery roster. C Battery drew regimental guard, consisting of one post at regimental headquarters. Cpl. Immergut was posting his relief and passed Capt. Xelson during the night. Jake on the alert observed the captain and shouted: "Guard attention! Present arms!" and kept on going. Nearly lost his stripes but he meant well. In December, Capt. Crane left to attend the School of Fire and Lt. Green acted as battery commander. As a martinet we all agree he had no superior. Our drills at Camp Upton w^ere many and varied, once the foot drill was mastered. Bayonet exercise, "by the numbers," we would advance and ferociously thrust, butt, and recover till our arms creaked. Many a time we about decided to lav dowm on Lt. Davidson fifteen 12 ^-C" BATTERY HISTORY minutes before the drill finished, but somehow Pastore was still emitting blood curdling grunts at the close of the hour. Aiming exercise, under Lt. Kelly, was a pleasant and painstaking pastime. Lying on our stomachs in the middle of the dusty road off Fifth Ave., making the autos steer around us as we drew road maps on a compass board. Luke Dunn was strong for that. And panoramic sketches! Very important; in fact one of the reasons we won the war. To that end it was a common sight on a bleak, windy day to see a figure, Anderson, Wardwell or maybe Wilson, G. B., muffled up on a rock, a tiny piece of pencil sticking out of a huge glove as the sufferer drew in everything in sight, trees, rocks, latrines, houses and roads. Met one cursing feebly as he rubbed at the sketch with his thumb. A watery eye had caused him to sketch in a "barrel" about 30 yds. away. The "barrel" had thereupon walked off trying to light a butt. Standardizing your pace. This was where Kinney got his exercise, but learnt no new steps. And that Instrument Detail when Lt. Klee would take Funck, Wilson and V^alverde, loaded down with range finder, scissors and telescope, up on the hill off 5th Ave. and there they would look for the parallax of the aiming point; with the range finder I guess. Buzzer practice up in the Annex, after which the cots looked like you just got up. And then those semaphore flags, relaying from corner to corner such important "info" as "Enemy outpost sighted to our right." All these things helped prepare us for that vague thing "the War Over There." We also dug some elaborate gun positions deep in the woods beyond 5th Ave. while the snow was still on "C" BATTERY HISTORY i;> the ground. After going down three feet through frozen ground we passed the frost hne — and the rest was easier. Capt. Thibaut, the French artillery in- structor, looked over the Brigade's efforts and declared our positions the best. Mind I didn't say the position w^as even good. Merely we made a few vital mistakes less. When it came to building the dugout 20 feet deep the sandy soil made shoring necessary. So the expert shoremen, Kelleher, Pastore, Sheehan, ]\h)de, Scott, Marino, Patterson and Dunn, used to fall out every morning along with "Skalicky and Spadotto fall out," and under Lt. Van Saltza would right shoulder pickjs and march off. Lt. A^an Saltza used to be quite fond of designing cozy bungalows on a hill. This was the first of future "bungalows" whose most important part was to be the cellar. The acting ist Sgt. during Blackford's absence started in to show the battery couldn't ])ut anything over on him. Reveille was usually held in tlie darkness of those winter mornings. Some of the fellows couldn't or wouldn't hurry so they reveilled with- out leggings. The Sgt. got wise. He bought a flashhglit and the unmilitary soldiers scrubbed the mess hall in a military manner. Early in March rumors became rife that we were about to sail over the seas. Every man in the battery was by that time weary of Upton and anxious to get a crack at the Boche. The first part of A|)ril saw many transfers to the infantry, as we had learned that part of the division was to depart before us. We all regret the loss of many old friends from the battery, some of whom paid the supreme sacrifice and now lie in the devastated regions of France. Then came the large con- 14 '^C" BATTERY HISTORY tingents from Camp Devens to fill our battery to war strength, bringing us the famous and renowned privates^ Beeman, Zartman and White. A Camp Devens Rookie's Impressions of Battery C : Capt. Crane. — Nuts on inspection. Lt. Hyde. — hifantry Drill Regulations. Lt. Klee. — "Double time!" O'Brien. — A gate. About this time the O. T. S. at the camp was dis- banded and Sgts. Blackford and O'Donnell and Cpls. Lowengard and Gillespie were returned to the battery. SOME SAYINGS WE ALL REMEMBER Capt. Crane. — It's not military. Lt. Green. — It's you, you I mean !!! Take that bird's name! Sgt. O'Brien. — Out cha go, take the gate ! Sgt. Dann. — As for dinner — If he had pitched a curve — Sgt. Dorgan. — Now men — Sgt. McKeever. — When I was on the border — Bugler Rothchild. — The proper way to build an incinerator — Alberts and Pfirrman. (chorus) — The mill's the only place. Early Monday mornmg after ( ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ j^.p, returnmg from pass. ) Sunday the 21st of April was a rainy day. Many men had their relatives down. All through the barracks ran a spirit of sorrow. Some of the women were in tears but the boys cheered them up with a show of bravado. There were constant roll calls, inspections, check-ups and all such throughout the day. Finally the folks left to get back home and a gloom settled over the barracks. They seemed bare and each one of us 'T" BATTERY HISTORY 15 was tired and weary. Again in the dark we were formed, this time to be assigned to a permanent squad. Then we marched inside and drew our rifle ammunition and travel rations. 'Twas nearly midnight before we had a chance to fall asleep on the hard floor, our bunks having all been piled up in a corner. About 3 a. m. we were called and finally slung the packs on weary shoulders and took our last look at the building that had been our home for so long and then plodded through the rain and mud to the station and France. By the way, we thought Upton the original mudhole, but how about the Western Front? Chapter II LEVIATHAN EMBARKATION was very slow. After our sleepless ride from Upton we boarded a ferry at Long Island City and sailed round the Battery to Hoboken. Here we were kept lined up on the pier for several hours with our packs on. We had our first look at the largest ship in the world, which we had heard was to carry us to France. Having had no break- fast or dinner, when the Red Cross women gave us cocoa and cakes, we hungrily claimed seconds and thirds. At last the line moved up the gang plank where we received our l)unk ticket, and on to the boat. What a maze of stairways and corridors. At last we found our compartment and laid our packs on the bunks. The quarters seemed narrow and cramped. The ship was one maze of bimks, three and four stories high and fill- ing every corner. When w^e matched those bunk tickets to their proper bunks we found ourselves in the best part of the ship, on "E" deck, the highest for the soldiers, and in front of the grand stairway leading from this balcony down to the huge mirrored ballroom, now serving as the mess hall, a tiled steam kitchen ex- "("' BATTERY HISTORY tendini;- back under the stairs, steam heated serving sta- tions on either side of the stairs and rows of tables. ^^'e stood while w^e ate. No loitering". W^e figured we were in soft on the eating proposition. Someone passed the word that we would get chow shortly. With a rattling of mess kits and cups we all lined up only to be told we were to get on the end of the line. Then we hung over the railing and looked down at the tables and hungrily watched the other fellows push the food down. Our time came at last and we had our first meal aboard. We got plenty and it was good. That evening we wandered about the monster ship, and early the next day w^e received our instructions as to our conduct aboard. Everything seemed very strict to us. On the morning of the 24th the whistles blew and we sailed. All the way across we were blessed with good weather and there were but few isolated cases of mal de mer, although there was a record passenger list on board; around 14,500. Our days aboard seemed singularly alike. At reveille we arose, straightened up our bunks and hung around for breakfast, which was served at 8 a. m. Although we were cjuartered at the head of the stairs leading to the mess hall w^e had to wait almost two hours and get on the end of the line. The food was good and we usually had eggs with our breakfast and also fruit each day. The rest of the day w^ould be taken up by formations for medical inspection, physical drill or some such thing. What time we had off we spent on deck gazing longingly at the W^est and thinking of the dear ones left farther behind each hour. •T" BATTERY HISTORY 19 Then came our dinner about two o'clock and just as we would be eating the word would come to clear the mess hall for abandon ship drill. A race up two flights of steps and through the corridors. Adjusting our life preserver belt and canteen of water, and a blanket roll, not forgetting the gloves ; then waiting for the shrill signal which never failed to give us a start. None of us could ever figure out why it was necessary to have that blanket and lOO rounds of ammunition with us if the time ever came when we had to swim for our lives. Perhaps we should have taken our rifles along to try a potshot at the subs. We marched up to one of the upper decks and there received oitr daily instructions. We were to shove a pile of rafts over the side, then jump and swim out from the side with the rafts before the next pile was shoved over. Pleasant idea! If the subs didn't get us and we didn't drown we might get whacked on the head by a pile of rafts. That ordeal over, we went back to the bunks to get rid of our junk, then to the deck again until dusk. Each evening in the large mess hall movies were shown. "Casey at the Bat" be- came famous over night, in fact, that was the only picture we saw. They used to vary the program by giving the second part first. After we crept into our bunks came the nightly warning in a deep septilchral V'oice, "Beware! Keep away from the port holes! Any- one caught opening a port hole wdll l)e shot down like a dog and the guard will be exonerated!" There were plenty of shower baths aboard but salt water only. Sgt. Kelleher was the proprietor. Before you could take a bath a ticket had to be procured from 20 "C" BATTERY HISTORY him. l^sually tlie words on the ticket were, "Achnit one dirty bum" or "Clean u]) this 1)um." One day as we were watchini;- the men in the mess hall a large stack of i)ies was ptit out. Dinner was delayed an hour, and fmally the i)ies were taken back. Someone had passed the word that there was glass in the pies. Tough luck again. The third day out saw the military guard established. Discipline was exceedingly strict. On this gitard de- pended the safety of the shij). Every doorway to the decks, every stairway and water tight door was heavily guarded. After nightfall no one was allowed to be on deck under any circitmstances. No smoking was allowed below^ and many a time a good cigar was lighted just before going below — and ditched. One night otn^ guard slept in the Ritz dining room up on "A" deck. C\M-tain posts were very desirable; the doorways near the canteens, posts No. 7 and No. 8 and also, I think. No. 12 and No. 13, which were sup- plied with chairs and had a doorway handy where the monotony of standing post could be varied l)y views of the deep blue and trying to dope out those disjointed patches of crazy c^uilt into a trim destroyer. There was another O. K. post which some of us will recall. To my mind it lay somewhere in the track of the ration con- voys on the way to the Ritz dining room. Censored re- ports have it that many a convoy was fired upon l)v our submarines posted in ambush. Many of the boys procured i)asses which the kitchen detail had been given in order to pass through the vari- ous guards. Finally someone got wise and the passes were called in. "Friend" Alberts got stuck on "B" deck "C" BATTERY HISTORY 21 and after the guard had taken his pass away he couldn't get down. However he must have taken his "I'll tell you how it is, friend -" to some soft-hearted guy and gotten away with it. At last we entered the danger zone. Our ship, which had been zigzagging across the ocean, now went this way and that, in fact we all became dizzy from the con- stant twistings. Then our convoy appeared, five long, lean, wicked-looking destroyers. To us they appeared to be for the most part under water. The gun crews now became active. The guns were uncovered and gun drill every day keyed up the crews ready to do their part should a periscope be sighted. None showed up and finally emerging from a thick fog we saw land which proved to be France. We were soon inside the beautiful har1x)r of Brest. Our pilot came out in a little rowboat and was nearly drowned by the rush of water from the side of the ship. At 7.15 a. m.^ May 2nd, we dropped anchor, thus deciding O'Brien's famous 24-hour pool in favor of our versatile friend, Kinney. The harbor was interesting with its surrounding green hills and white walls of the distant city. Scows came alongside and we amused ourselves by throwing small coins to the French longshoremen. We were taken off in the afternoon in a tug and then came a stiff march up hill to the rest camp, Pon- tanezen Barracks, built by Napoleon. Several days were spent there. Hikes and a few drills kept us in good condition. Daily details went to the citv to help with the unloading. 2^2 •'C" BATTERY HISTORY 23 But not luni;- were we to lie arcnind, for on the morn- ini;- of the 7th we were up before daybreak and started oft' for our training- camp. Arriving at the station we had our first look at the "Hommes 40, Chevaux 8," which was to mean so much to us during our stav in France. Then and there we were told that it was to be a bone dry trip, but we know of several old timers from Broadway whose knowledge of the game l)rought them si)iritual joy from unlabeled bottles. And the joke was they found it on the platform of a milk depot. Most of the tri]) was a nightmare. Crowded to- gether in small cars between the low benches which took up a great deal of room and then to have all our equip- ment stuck in with us also. But there was an oppor- tunity to gaze at the scenery through the windows, and for the greater part of the day the boys occupied them- selves that way. Then night came on and there was no way to stretch out to sleep. Some had to stand up all the way and some were seated in the most uncom- fortable positions. The rations consisted of bread, canned willy, a few cans of jam, tomatoes and beans. This was a new experience to us, eating iron rations, and we never grew to like them. Finally, at midnight of the second night out, we came to the end of the journey. Tired, stift*, and sleepy we tumbled out of the cars and hiked through the dark- ness to what was to be our training camp. W^e soon came to the gates and passed down a long avenue lined with trees. We could see the dim outlines of long bar- racks. We stopped and entered the ones assigned to us and threw oft" our packs. In one corner was a stack of bimks and soon we were stretched out snoring at a 24. "C" BATTERY HISTORY great rate only to be awakened at six o'clock for reveille. There was nothing to eat at that time, so we raided a few pushcarts which had entered the camp. Oranges, eggs, chocolates and crackers were all that w^as to be had, but we soon bought the peddlers out. K wi4.^^^^ii-:i ^' 'i" ji:_-»' M- J it'sa-i *'-•"' ■-'"^ Chapter III SOUGE OUR first few days at the camp were spent in lounging around and fixing up the quarters. The weather was quite warm and we wandered about the camp making ourselves acquainted. There were two Y. M. buildings and a commissary. As usual, the Y never had much and the commissary line was too long to get on. Then came the drills with the regular routine of inspections. At the park where we drilled some of the boys amused themselves by teasing the coolies. Some- one tried to steal one of the pet squirrels and there nearly was a riot. Doing squads "east and west" under the hot sun did not improve the temper of the boys. We all thought that stuff had been buried when we left Upton. After hours we could go out the gates to a small settlement of booths and cafes. Vin Blanc and Rouge were the favorites. Chocolate, crackers, fruits, nuts and also souvenirs were for sale. Our money dwindled away and the boys anxiously awaited the first pay-day. ^2() ■(•" ]^\TTKKV HISTORY Soon the Scliools opened up for the Telephone, Ivculio and Machine L;"un details and they were lucky, for they only had a few hours' work each day and did not drill. Our horses came and the drivers were picked out and began their grind. Finally the howitzers came and we saw visions of the hring line. Passes had been given out to Bordeaux. Some of the boys nuist have turned the city inside out, for an order came suspending the passes. And then they were granted again. No doubt some funny things happened, but the boys kept nuim about them. So shall we. On June 3d, we received our first jolt in the ac- cidental death of I'rivate John J. Wallace. He was a l^'ood soldier and a better comrade. He was buried with full military honors. A firing s(|uad of his friends fired the last salute. Target practice 1)egan, and under the hot sun we were lugging heavy ammunition and firing the prob- Incidentally a few fires broke out in the brush, 3MTLIN6, and the whole camp had to turn out to extin- guish the fast spreading flames. We had great fun practicing w i t h g a s masks, especially Chisel Robinson and Deutch, neither of whom had teeth enough to hold the mask on. 'Twas here that Battling White earned his title and reputation by knocking out all comers in a battery box- ing contest. lems. BE N ;■ 'C" BATTERY HISTORY At times bread was short and jam was always an unknown quantity, but there were a few in the battery who partook in the parties o-iven by the Mess Serjeant in his barracks where l)eaucoup l)read and jam were in evidence. We were paraded in Bordeaux on July 4lh, and then we heard that we were to .^'o to the front. Prepara- tions were made and on the ni,L;ht of the 12th, we started to roll packs and clean up the barracks. \\ e were up at 3 a.m.. and went to the kitchen to !.;et bread and coffee into which Gulianti had spilled kerosene as suci'ar was scarce. Under way at last, and boarded the cars about noon the next day. This time we were more comfortable as only 20 men were in each car and we had our bed- sacks to sleep on. A ride of two days took us to Bac- carat in the Lorraine Sector, where we detrained in the darkness. C-tiLIf +^OUJ)LtTT A^EASUi^IKO T-HE BOY^ f OR HQf^^^S 28 "C" BATTERY HISTORY POSITIONS AT THE FRONT Lorraine (Les Carrieres) — July 15- Aug. i. \'esle (Chery-Chartreuve) — Aug. 14-Sept. 4. Aisne (Vauxcere) — Sept. 5- Sept. 14. Aleuse-Argonne (Florentj — Sept. 25-27. (La Harazee) — Sept. 28-Oct. i. (Morolager) — Oct. 2-Oct. 10. (Grand Ham) — Oct. 12-Oct. 17. ("Pylone" near Chatel Chehery) — Oct. 30-Nov. 2. (Raucourt) — Nov. 9-Nov. 12. Chapter IV LORRAINE y4 FTER a short hike in the darkness (hiring which /-\ we ah w^ere afraid the Boches would hear us, ^ -^ we hahed at the edge of a woods upon a hih. In the distance we could see gun flashes and rockets going up. How it thrilled us to think w^e were at last in the fight. We worked like heavers to get the guns, caissons and wagons under cover and then got an op- portunity to sleep just as day w-as breaking. The sun shining through the trees awoke some of us and we walked to the edge of the woods to see the Germans. Imagine our surprise at seeing only a long stretch of country, hilly and covered with clumps of trees or bush and rolling fields. Why, where were the lines? A. ; 30 "C" BATTERY HISTORY We proceeded to make oiir caiiip and ate a meal which could be called either breakfast, dinner or supi)er. That niL;ht our ,i;uns were taken u]) to a ])osition near Les Carrieres. The i^un position was on the side of a stee]) hill and our amnuniition came u]) at nij^ht. C'arryini;" tlie heavy shells was no cinch, for the path led down a hill across a railway and a small bridi^e, then up a slippery hill to the position. Many of the men who were detailed to carry ducked in the darkness, and there was always a row. AltoL^ether we had luL^i^ed about a thousand shells includini;' i^as and hii^h explosives up to the i^uns. We were all prepared for a big- party which was never pulled off, much to our disappointment. It was so quiet at this place that we could hardly realize that this was the front. But each nig'ht we were awakened several times by false gas alarms. We had to carry our rifles and belts, gas masks and helmets wherever we went, even on the mess line. There was a great rejoicing when the news of the Chateau-Thierry drive was received. Then canie the news of our moving to another front. A French bat- tery relieved us here. In this i)ositi()n our lirst shot was fired by Gun No. I, Sgt. Kelleher in charge, on July 22 at 2 v.m. The crew consisted of Gun Cpls. Canavan and Grunewald, Cpl. Fastore, No. i; Gallagher, No. i; Tnhof, No. 2; Alulkeen, No. 2; Feter, No. 3; Ffirman, No. 3; Dunn, L., No. 4; McGrath, No. 4; Roche, No. 5; Yellin, No. 5; AlcCarthy, A. and Dillon, No. 6; Lamb and Alalanowski, No. 7. "C" BATTERY HISTORY 31 August I St we moved, and at dark we were on our way carrying full packs. After this night the packs which had been full of personal belongings became lighter and lighter until there hardly was a pack left. After two nights of weary walking, tired out, footsore and disgruntled, we landed at Loromontzey woods wdiere we remained five days during which we had rain every day. We rested up as best we could in the deep mud, and on the 8th, after a hike of about five kilos,, we boarded the "Hommes 40, Chevaux 8" again at Bayon. This was a short ride, somewhat less than one day. Wq detrained at La Ferte Gauchere and resumed the weary hike again. After two night marches which ran about 12 to 16 hours each, we stopped at the banks of the historic Marne. It was a sunny day and most of the boys took advantage of the opportunity to get a swim. Some of us entirely forget our surroundings and imagined it was the good old Hudson. But at 9 p.m. we were ofif again, this time passing through Chateau-Thierry, the Waterloo of the Kaiser. Here we were able to see the havoc and damage done by the American Artillery. Shell-torn villages with hardly a wall standing, ruined roads. Equipment was strewn all around, countless graves, and frequently unburied bodies of friend or foe and horses were passed. On the morning of the 13th we made our camp in the Nestle Woods, w^hich was to be the echelon for the time being. After a brief reconnaissance a position was picked out, and on the night of the 15th two guns were placed in position near Chery Chartreuve, followed the next night by the other two guns relieving the 4th Artillery Brigade. V«9»«S? had just got settled and were dozing when Romano said : "Hey, Val, light a match, there is something live fell in here beside me." The lighted match disclosed a huge slimy toad staring up into Romano's face as it squatted beside him. Noth- ing would do. but Val should throw it out. However, Val objected most decidedly and the discussion woke King. Finally realizing he had the choice of throwing it out or having it hop over him the rest of the night got his nerve up and out went the toad. At ().30 the shelling began. Dorgan, Ganetes and the rest of the fellows who were lying out in the open said the bursts were all around and Jerry was combing the road we 50 "C"' BATTERY HISTORY had left. Next morning' what a sight! Fortunately, we had our raincoats on for we were covered with lime, our holsters and even the pistols smeared with the stuff. And on inspecting our surroundings we found we had camped iifty feet from perfect comfort, for the cliff was honeycombed with caves elaborately furnished with all the conveniences, beds, chairs, 1)ureaus, wash-stands, china and the Inmdred and one things stolen from the nearby town of Longueval. We were too busy to stop, but made a note of it. After a hurried mess we found a trail down the hill while the cars took the road around. About half a kilometer down the ravine we came to the proposed position, an abandoned German gun position at that, and facing- in the wrong direction. One look at it and King pronounced it a soup bowl. A semi- circular amphitheater with heavy wood on three sides and a precipitate ravine cutting in on the west. Jerry's guns, evidently howitzers, had l)een laid along this ravine. Each gun position was heavily walled on both sides w'ith elephant iron and twelve-inch logs. The walls served as one side of an ammunition pit and telephone station. The entrance to the dugout was back of the plione station and led into the face of the hill. These dugouts were made from standard size boards fitting in like square frames, about four feet wide and six feet high like a tunnel. In about fifteen feet the tunnel bent off at right angles for six feet. W'q spent the morning making ourselves "Safe for Democracy," Ganetes and Bauer setting up the kitchen on edge of clearing. The captain was testing out gun positions for eleva- tion and sweep with that small though useful instru- ment, the goniometer. In selecting a position several 'T" BATTERY HISTORY 51 conditions must be met — a way to get the gun up, sec- ondly, counterslope not too steep to allow the gun to fire over the crest, and surroundings that make it pos- sible to hide the gun from enemy observation and con- sequent S. O. S. That little goniometer was all there when it came to determining these things. The telephone men had been ranging over the neighborhood locating an infantry or signal corps line in the effort to get in touch with Canton White One, our battalion headquarters. That had to be accom- plished at the first opportunity. They located a deep cave on the east side of the "Soup Bowl." A reserve battalion of the 306th Machine-gunners were comfort- ably located there, a huge bonfire in the rear of the cave roaring up a natural chimney to the plateau above. It looked good to us. Here they managed to get a connection through infantry wires with our battalion command post. Headquarters was advised we were running short of grub and to expect a guide to show them the wav out. The next thing was to cut in temporarily on their switchboard. This till we could lay our own line out from Vauxcere. But that evening talking it over with G. B. and Tully, it came out that they were having their troubles in making that signal corps operator see it their way. Diplomacy is one of the main assets of a successful telephone detail. Our Hello j\len were diplomats and — everything. So I knew the hold up was going to be temporary. Omitted to mention it was pouring during mess. The omission like the rain was natural and to be ex- pected. We had a sunshiny day once, but this phe- nomenon deserves a special article. It was pouring 52 "C" BATTERY HISTORY harder than usual. W'e stood around the kitchen under the trees. Had our hehiiets on (very hue umbrehas by the way), a cu}) of coffee in one hand and a mess-kit with Karo syruj) and bread in the other. Nothing un- usual about that, only my coft'ee. Each drink left the cup as full as ever. And it was impossible to finish the Karo. I finally broke away from this absorbing task to look out from under the helmet. Sheets of rain coniing down. Gradually I focused my eyes on the edge of my tin derby. A column of water as thick as your wrist was pouring oft" the edge and diluting every- thing it struck. Now if they had only provided those helmets with a gutter and rainpipe — l)ut you cannot improve the army in a day. Besides we were lucky to have that mess to eat. Our rations were none too plenti- ftil. Ah)ore and King, AI. A., had gone back as guides with the captain for niore. That night we slept in the shelters we had fixed up around the Boche gun positions in the ravine. At Q.30 on the dot the concert began. The introduction was a gas attack. A series of complaining whistles lapping one over the other followed by those weak bursts as they smack into the caves we had so fortunately de- serted. We must have been si)otted as we pulled in that morning and Jerry, who lacks imagination, took it for granted we would not pass up the comfortal)le quarters we had left so recently. Then the heavy stuff came over. The attack was general now, and the sounds of the bursts ranged from the hard crack of the light calibers to the grisly gr-u-u-mp of the big babies. To get the sensation of being run down by an express train you need only be underneath when a large caliber high 'C" BATTERY HISTORY 53 velocity shell passes overhead to land far in the rear. The last part "far in the rear" is a very important part of the sensation. Their registration on the road around the edge of our Soup-bowl was poor because we got more than an occasional short. But the ravine was very steep, too steep for any but high trajectory shells to reach the bottom. Morning dawned clear and quiet. The day before the place had been partly cleared of refuse, stray logs and corrugated iron piled up for further use, and dug- out cleaned out; a job requiring care and caution. Lt. Hyde was now in charge. He sent Cpl. King up to the machine-gun outfit to get their captain's permis- sion to let us dry out at their fire. Fire for heating was a luxury and was subject to the usual "luxury tax." For nothing at the front drew fire like fire. But this cave had natural protection. It faced to the flank and was thirty feet or more above the valley. Fairly safe from both shell and gas. Their captain was anxious to know had anyone been hurt during the night. Shortly after with nobody feeling any the worse the digging detail split up and each crew went to it with pick and shovel to level off and lay out a gun position at the previously chosen spots. While this was being done we bethought ourselves of that Looey Cans furniture which was going to waste over in the caves. So with a mental picture of our future flat to temper our enthusiasm we made use of a spare moment to salvage a few necessities. We followed the wheel ruts down the valley past that mudhole with the crushed wine keg in it, and at last found the short-cut 54 'T" BATTERY HISTORY trail up the hillside. The morning before we had nego- tiated this muddy shoot-the-chutes with pack and rille. Our ideas were pretty definite as to what we needed ; three stools and a table. All we had to do was take our pick of the furniture. And sternly repress the desire to include a few extras like a spring-bed, wash-bowls, hat-rack, bureau — or maybe another bed. But by this time we were used to sleeping on a hard floor : and be- sides it's so much healthier, don't you know. A short time later with a few nails to hold things together, that damp hole in the hillside was raised to the dignity of a P. C. The flesh is weak, for Romano and Wilson had in- evitably gotten on the soft side of that operator and were busy cutting in on the infantry panel and running the extension down to our position. The instrument- men assisted by our newly discovered rodman. Ryan, J. S., set out with Lt. Hyde for a known point from which to lay our guns. Of the few possible reference points from which we proposed wc^rking, this was the nearest to the guns. But we were due for a diflicult traverse over rough ground and must check against all errors that were bound to creep in. It might interest the cannoneers to know how and why we lay the guns. Our 155 mm. Schneider Howitzers were marvels of accuracy. All we needed was to know where you were standing, on the maj), and you would soon rate that "six feet of earth to which we all fall heir." The position of the gun and target known on the map, it is a simple matter to work up the firing- data for the gunner; running in the old familiar way: "C" BATTERY HISTORY Gun No. I. B. D R428 Sh F. A. Fu I. A. L. Ch No. I Si. -3 El 671 20 rds. per hour from 2.15 a.im. to 5.30 a.m. Having set the data out on the sight dials, it is nec- essary in order to point the g'un to swing it around some known point on the ground. Unfortunately use- ful landmarks are rare. So we pick a cross-roads, church spire, pylon or bridge or anything else in the neighborhood which we can find on the map. Then with the goniometer and compass, or else Three Point Resection Method locate ourselves accurately on the map. From this known point on the ground we work back to the guns, establishing one known point after the other till we reach the battery position. And hav- ing set up an aiming post upon which the gunners train with their gun-sights, the guns are optically connected to the ground. Going into further detail is apt to be dry, but that is the general scheme. W^orking back to the guns takes one through some queer places ; under bridges, over clifit's, across yards of barbed wire — no, not past infantry kitchens. xA.nd why not go around these obstructions? Because a straight line is the shortest distance between two points and we have to use straight lines. And so with Lt. Hyde shoot- ing the goniometer w^e made our way from the infantry trenches at the cross-road on the plateau down the hill and over the cliff into our soup bowl position. And having" set up an aiming- stake which would be visible from all the gunsights, called it a day's work and closed up shop. Going over to the P. C. we found the lines laid to the dugout and Tully ready to hang the 'phone. Now we never had hung the 'phone in the absolutely best place yet. The ideal place to hang the 'phone is where you can reach it from any position withotit having to turn around, move all the furniture and chase out a couple of occupants first to make room. In order to make this momentous decision it was necessary to imagine just how things were going to be laid out. That included ourselves, for we lived on the convertible apartment plan. Sleep and work in the same room. Since you cannot sleep and work at the same time you can use only one room at a time. So why have two rooms? And we didn't. Our blankets here at the rear end. Equipment hung beside them. Further along to- ward the entrance a narrow table against the wall with firing tables, log books, and so forth, ready to hand. Covering the wall on the other side, chosen because it would be smooth and right where we could pick off a range or deflection by just leaning over, would be our large scale map of the sector. And so naturally the 'phone to the right of the little table, where it could be quickly reached from where you sat or from the en- trance. About three meters of slack wire to allow mov- ing the 'phone to the rear or outside the P. C. Every- thing placed just so, the same care taken wath the rest of the battery, all for just one purpose — to drop that hundred pounds of steel and high explosive sudden and where it wdll do the most good. However, this time the P. C. was outfitted mostly in our imagination, but in the same way wdth the guns, the kitchen, the shelters, everything possible was being prepared so the battery could move in and fire immedi- ately. But our kitchen was also rapidly becoming a thing of the imagination. For no scout had yet shown up with the promised grub. In fact, the picture of all those healthy appetites going to waste was so impressive that Arterberry and his pal went out around the coun- tryside to find what they could see. Evidently they got an eyeful for they soon returned with the cart loaded. Bags of flour and sugar, cans of bacon, corned beef and milk, bread and a sack of Java. Asked where they got it they replied : "At a food dump." "And with whose permission; were there no guards there?" "Well, not exactly when w^e were there." Unguarded property was common property at the front. So this was per- fectly good salvage. That night the enemy paid us no particular atten- tion. Far from feeling neglected we turned in early and fell asleep with the evening hate just beginning on 58 "C" BATTERY HISTORY the distant cc^niinunications and cross-roads. And only the guard was left walking- his lonely post. Next morning after a hearty breakfast, as the mists blew out of the valley, one saw everything going in full swing; positions being comi)leted, saplings cut ready to support the camouflage, and the thousand and one things done to "put the house in order." The Germans left a load of odds and ends lying about; everything from Consul cigarette boxes to tubes of serum; from fuse covers to observation paper. And then the scouts arrived with food for the detail. They were a sight to behold. They had reached the battery O. K., but coming back had been shelled all the way out. The horse, a wise ■creature, would look ahead, and if any shelling was g-oing on down the road it held back in all the ways known to a horse. It was late afternoon when they reached the old mill. Taking cover in a deep trench from a salvo a captain wanted to know what they were doing. They were advised to get the horse and rations under cover quickly and take cover themselves for that salvo was only a forerunner of a heavy strafing which was due. So Moore and Christunas finally jumped into the trench tired and hungry as the hate began. It was deep in mud l)Ut a duckboard walk let them sink only just so far. Finding no place to sit they stood all night listening to the bombardment. Christunas dozed ofif and fell flat on his face in the mud. Finally dawn broke so calling it another day they got out to look for their ration cart. It was still there, even the horse. The latter was so glad to get moving out of that spot that it pulled the cart unaided into camp. "C" BATTERY HISTORY o9 So now that we had plenty of suppHes we found ourselves ready to move soon. In fact, the work on the postion was the only thing holding- us up. That was soon completed and after mess we immediately started preparations for our departure. The telephone detail at first was to stay behind and take care of the position But their visions of unlimited jam, flour and other sup- plies were soon over when it was decided to stake the position with signs : RESERVED FOR C BAT. 306 F. A. SEPT. 13, 1918 and report back together. That evening everything was put on the carts excei)t our packs. We stuck to the packs, or rather the packs stuck to us. The U. S. army pack was never meant by nature to be carried on the back. For wherever you go one notices that the pack is always attracted by anything on wheels. A battery starts out in the morning and in less than an hour half the packs have vanished. But diligent search always locates them on a cart of some sort. However, the only carts having gone on ahead to take the longer road up the ravine we fell in and called roll. Chomsyk and Robinson absent. Search revealed them rolling their packs. We will never know what kept them at this job for the next twenty minutes. Wliether some souvenir German crowbar proved too heavy to carry and they had to unroll, or what, Ijut this I do know, that we were allowing ourselves an hour to get out to the roads on the hilltop where we came in. And that was none too much time, as we were 60 "C" BATTERY HISTORY bound to get stuck at least once. So you who now stand waiting for the car will long remember what real impatience means as you stood in column of twos watch- ing the precious minutes fly while waiting for that pre- cious pair to get through tying ribbons on their packs. As soon as they api)eared we were on our way and going some. Taking our old trail up past the caves we set a pace that put us on the plateau in no time and expecting to see the carts. But no such luck, so we pre- pared to go down and pull 'em (jut when they came creaking around the bush an'ing their way will agree that if it were up to them, they would choose the shells for they seem mild in com])arison to the hor- rible din caused by exploding bombs. A great feeling of relief came to us when we heard the steady stream of machine-gun bullets coming from our planes as they entered the battle and successfully drove the Huns back from our area. Then lights again appeared and all one could hear was that constant "C" BATTERY HISTORY 81 rumble of wheels still going along on the main road, through the town toward the front. Still no sign of halt in the stupendous retreat. SOMMAUTHE. The battery was in the advance of the general on- rush of artillery which was coming up in the wake of the Germans. From that crest of the hill the little town of Vaux could be seen nestling in the valley. This had been a base hospital for the Germans while they had occupied this territory. The road now wound down a gradual slope into Sommauthe which we passed through just behind our infantry only to be held up on the other side of the town. Our advance had been rapid to suit the strate- gical positions. So we were held here pending further orders. We camped at Sommauthe among the willows on very wet ground just below the town. It rained con- tinually all the time we were in this i)()siti()n and the mud became ankle deep. But by this time we were used to this French incumbrance and often wondered what it would feel like to step on solid ground. Released French refugees trooi)ed by us on their way to the rear. Some old women the age of our grandmothers trudged by with all their household be- longings on their backs, bending under the weight of an old clock, kitchen pots or some old family relic they had been able to save from German pillage. Girls at the age of sixteen were leading small children. These i)itiable "C" BATTERY HISTORY illustrations of German Kultur were assisted along by our soldiers who sometimes pushed their wheelbarrows or carried large bundles done up in Gypsy fashion. All these sights embittered us toward our enemy. One little fellow had lost his father during the invasion by the Germans and now his mother had been killed by one of our own shells as we bombarded the Germans. He was now a little orphan — only another added to the long list. Along toward evening of the first day we were shivering in our wet blankets when the report of a gun was heard a short distance ahead of us. The shells screeched over our heads, exploding in the town near our head(|uarters. This continued at regular intervals and all knew we had a (lerman sniping gun to contend with. This was repeated the next night only they changed their programme by sending them closer to our position, but this gun met its doom by being captured by our infantry who surrounded it in the dense l)rush which hid the piece. Then on past La Besace and into position near Rau- court where our guns could reach Fritz near Sedan on the East 1)ank of the Meuse. 'Twas here that the battery unanimously awarded Cpl. Abie Rutkovsky a leather medal for his expert shooting of the machine gun. Abie s|)otted a Ihm '])lane making iov an observation balloon and immediately called his crew to parade rest. He didn't want to fire until the plane was away from the observers, so as the Hun Hew away Abie opened tire. Hun disaj:)pears but Abie continues to hre imtil the balloon falls in flames. No, he did not bring down the balloon, but the incident brought him fame. "C" BATTERY HISTORY 83 The cold became intense and each morning the ground was covered with frost. Those brave ones wdio Hke Sgt. Sheehan took their shoes off on going to bed had some experience hke this: Top Kick. "What are you doing in that tent, Sheehan, when I tell you to report? Come out of there." Sheehan. "J C !!! How the h am I going to report when these shoes are frozen stifif." One genius even built a fire in his hikers. Finally word came that the armistice had l)een siened. At eleven o'clock on the nth silence reigned. There was very little rejoicing. Most of us had very little faith in the rumor. It was a little too much to believe. Some were thinking of home. Any- how we were allowed to build fires at night and this was a great comfort to us after the long days of mud, rain and cold. The first few days everybody was strangely agitated. The unending silence, never the sound of shot or shell, not even a call for the gun crews. Plainly peace was a strange thing. No excitement or noise or thrills. CHAPTER VII HOMEWARD BOUND? WE move back a short distance taking- billets in an abandoned Hun Barracks near La Besace. Here we sent our horses to another division and prepared for home. Some bets were offered that we would be home by Christmas but nobody said what year. On the 20th we started for Marcq ; all our stuff was taken in motor trucks, so we were traveling light. Stopped one night in Verpel and on the next day arrived at Alarcq where we found O'Brien's circus billeted very comfortably. After policing the area as usual we set- tled down to drilling. Thanksgiving was celebrated by a royal dinner of camoufake Canned Willy and Hard- tack. At night we had Lemon Extract a la Vin Blanc. However, the fine speech of Colonel A\ inn and the Mayors of Alarcq and St. Juvain furnished us with some enjoyment and tended to keep up our spirits. 86 'C" BATTERY HISTORY C" BAlTe*^Y GtT5 AW CAJ^FoLL OP TYPHOID November 30th found us on our way to Autry where we slept over night, boarchng l)iL;" American box cars in the morning-. After a twenty-four-hour ride we got off at Latrecey, staying over night and marching for Dancevoir early next morning. Dancevoir is a pretty village settled in l)etween the hills on the bank of the Aube river. Tlie river was mostly all over the village. After a few days of clean- ing up we started the eternal grind of drilling and learn- ing how to be soldiers. Oh, it was wonderful, the mere thought of it, "learn how to be a soldier." * B*BA7T. COMINO DOWN TO OR»tR AR«»>S _ Fot< ^K£f_H 88 "C" BATTERY HISTORY ciii. The Dancevcjir Street Cleaning Dept. was organ- ized and the fearless Hun Killers reveled in the streets filled with mud and gooey. Then there were the Road Tailors. \\^e mended roads by the yard. It was a very dry job. Several of the tailors had to eo down the road to get some tools. Around mess time that night they showed up very happy. In Upton they always predicted we would be motor- ized. They were correct. Three months after the Armistice we were Motorized. We were issued a roar- ing, crashing collection of machinery called Holt Mili- tary Tractors. Followed by a most jolting rumor — 77th Div. Army of Occui)ation. But as there is an end to most things, so our time came. The guns, tractors and other material were to be turned in. Everybody on the job, clean up the junk and off to Latrecy. We must have done good work for the Chief In- spector of Artillery complimented the regiment saying that, in seventeen years of his experience as chief in- spector, he had never seen turned in material in as good condition as ours was. A compliment, I should sav. 'QO •C" BATTERY HISTORY Enterlaininent was sometimes provided l)y the Y. M. But not eiiou.^'li. so a Re.^imental Stock Company was developed from the promisiiii;" material we had. C Bat. furnished a good share of the talent. Such entertainers as Spencer, Gallai^her, Kinney and Ward- well helped make it a success. Soon the show was travelini^" around the divisional area. THE PE AVERS OF BATTERY "C" Aside from the splendid record made while at the front, nothing did more to make the 306th F. A. known throughout the A. E. I*", than did tlie work of our talented actors. It is alniQst impossible to conceive how these fine textured mortals with the temperament of the true artist, these men wdio have struggled behind the footlights rather than behind the "C" BATTERY HISTORY 91 K»KNCr ^ve^oc^ WAf^pWeit (mlVav!!! shovel, are the same men who higged and greased the shells which rammed Kultnr hack down the German throat. There are those who argue that conditions at the Front with regard to rations were a distinct advantage to these gentlemen of the Rialto ; hut this is hut a mean reflection hased on that foolish old idea that an actor don't eat. Unlike other artists of the A. K. F. these talented boys of C flattery refused to leave the f.orraine Front when a call was sent out for professional entertainers. When interxiewed at that time hy representatives of the Y. AI. C. A. our boys told them in i)lain and unmistakable terms that "Our guns are laid and we are prepared to stand' behind them. . . . When the last German takes his foot off French soil we will consider ourselves free to discuss the stage." In these few words innocently spoken, yet full of determination can be found the sentiment and fighting spirit of every man in Battery G. When the Armistice was signed our Thespians were in- formed that having fulfilled their obligation as fighting men they were now free to follow the stage. But the mere signing of the Armistice was not sufficient. We quote their reply (at that time censored) : "The signing of the Armistice is not without significance, however, not until the papers are signed, sealed and 92 "C" BATTERY HISTORY delivered will be accept S]jecial Duty." And they didn't. That the German secret service was not entirely disrupted was evi- dencd bv the haste with which the Armistice was sealed and delivered. At Dancevoir Spencer, Kinney, ( lallagher and Wardwell gave a parting look down the bore of their rifles and, with tears streaming down their cheeks, turned their most useful weapon over to Sgt. OT)rien. The war was over. We were not over ; but to hel]) fight homesickness the boys of the A. E. F. were now to be enter- tained. And they most certainly were. When the show reached the S. O. S. they were taken in hand by the Y. 'M. C. A. and most lavishly equipped with properties and costumes. Our chorus girls wore simple little Paris frocks, but the latter were not sold by weight. That sterling comedian, Bert Spencer, will long be remem- bered for his Irish wit at the expense of the officers. .Vnd who can forget Harry Gallagher not only for his singing with the Liberty Players but for the many hard march made lighter by a song for the tuneful 1 larry. Hubert Kinney, whose inter- pretive dancing was a revelation made more startling by his excellent female impersonations. Kinney in skirts was some |)each. Ask anv officer f'rinstance. And Nelson Wardwell, who proved himself a tuneful and charming chorus girl, will linger in our memor\'. The initial jierformance of the 30* ^th F. A. Show or Liberty Plavers as thev came to be Ijetter known was given at Dance- voir in the chai'ming month of January. .V committee, or let us sav delegation. (»f dramatic critics was named by the Battery to attend the occasion and report their hndings to the Top Kick. The findings were as follows : "A success — full of spice." — Ralpli Zarftiian. "One glorious and stupendous display of beauty." — Bcujauiin IV kite. 'A^ery risque, full of pep and ginger." — Adclhcrt Beciiiaii. "C" BATTERY HISTORY 93 LIBERTY PLAYERS ATTRACT PACKED HOUSES AT TOURS Present Big Time Burlesque Which Keeps Audi- ences IN Continual Uproar (From Tlic Herald's Correspondent) TOURS, Thitrsday. — "From Whizz Bang to Footlights," featuring "The Liberty Players" of the 306th Field Artillery, 77th Division, is playing to packed houses this week, despite the fact that the great S. O. S. Championship Boxing Tournament is taking place also this week in Tours. It is big-time burlesque from start to finish. The Jew comedian is taken by George Rosenberg and the Irish laughmaker by Bert Spencer. They keep their audiences in continual uproar. The hobo tenor sing- ing for a drink is there with two good songs. The show is divided into three "elevations," the first scene taking place on the roof-garden of the Biltmore Hotel, New York. Sam Mitchell, producer, sings a really clever parody ragtime on the "Sextette from Lucia" as the opening number. Without a doubt the real feature of the show is the dancing of Hubert Kinney, billed as "Mile. Combien, a Whizz Bang." This lad from Alabama has studied under the best masters from both America and Europe. His act is being lengthened in response to popular demand. Spencer and Rosenberg demonstrate that they are old-timers in the way they dance their various eccentric numbers. They took a good-natured crack at a party of Congressmen, who were guests of honor, by saying that the latter had come to France to get a drink since the country had about gone dry. Rosenberg, in the song of "The Kaiser," gets a big hand as does Spencer in the song, "Everything is Peaches Down in Georgia." The old friend who recites stirring and pathetic poetry is also there in the shape of Peter IMcElroy. This is the first time that the show has gotten out of the Man's area, and judging from the reception it is getting from the Tours audience it will go all over the A. E. F. Circuit. 9^ "C" BATTERY HISTORY The first week in February found us deep in reviews, inspections and all that. Then came the day that Gen. jMcClosky left us for the Army of Occupation. After a short speech he read to us his general order as fol- lows : HEADQUARTERS 152D BRIGADE EIELD ARTILLERY AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES 5th February, 1919. Gkni:ral C)rder N(3. i. In relin(|uishing command of the I52d Field Artillery Brigade, the Brigade Commander desires to publish in orders his appre- ciation of the work done by its members. Entering the service at Camp Upton, drilling for weeks without guns, caissons or horses, you applied yourself with a determination to do well which boded ill for the Boche. At Camp de Souge, your work won the merited praise of your French instructors. In the (juiet of the Baccarat sector you learned the whistle of hostile shell. But it was in the Vesle that you received your baptism of tire and your reply showed the Boche that here was a foe to be reckoned with. In that long march from the Vesle to the Argonne, with sleepless nights and long distance, you acted like veterans and won the praise of French and Americans who saw you. On September 24th you entered the great Argonne forest wdiicli for four years had belonged to the Boche. And here, regardless of privations and discomforts, unmindful of ])ers()nal danger, you manned your guns and gave the death blow to the Kaiser's ambitions. Erom August 2d, when yciu left the Baccarat sector, until November nth, when the Armistice was effective, you marched overland 340 kilometers, gained 71 kilometers from the enemy in battle and had only five days of so-called rest. "C" BATTERY HISTORY 95^ This is, indeed, a record to be proud of. But to it, there must be added the praise which Brigade, Division, Corps and Army Commanders have given you. No matter where the In- fantry was, you always had guns in position to fire in front of them and there was always plenty of ammunition close at hand. The accuracy of your fire and cleverness in moving your guns were visible to all, but behind this your Brigade Com- mander saw the hardships, the difficulties and the sources of worry which confronted you. All these, however, you overcame because you were determined to win. With a full appreciation of this, your Brigade Commander congratulates you on your glorious accomplishment and your magnificent spirit. To have commanded you through this vic- torious career is, indeed, an honor and a privilege. Manus McCloskev, Brigadier General, U. S. A., Commanding. '•('•* RATTKKY HISTORY 97 Ut. THE TRACTORS As brilliantly as the achievements of our battery had shone forth at the front, Battery C really came to its own on the arrival of the tractors. These giant, clatter- ing iron horses came to us late in December while we were still taking the celebrated mud baths at Dancevoir. Shortly after our coming to this mud center, a call was sent by our battery commander for all men who could prove that they had had some previous experience as operators of mechanical contrivances. Thirty-six tried and true men instantly responded to the call. Their qualifications were as follows : Motormen, i. Deck-hands on a tug-boat, i. Tinkers, i. Mechanician on Ingersoll watches, i. Umbrella menders, i. 98 ''C BATTERY HISTORY Scissor sharpener, 2 (one good with knitting- needle). Cornet player, i (also good with the flageolet). Pots and Pans for old clothes man, i. Deep-sea-diver, i. Six vin-blankers from Marcq. Tight-rope w^alker, i (from either end). Engineer on merry-go-round, i. Ventriloquist, i. Hat-check boy in a Synagogue, i. Chinese laundryman, i. Piano and base-drum player, i (carries own in- struments). Bartenders, 2 (carry own samples). Man who once saw a picture of a tractor, i. This carload of science w^as immediately put under the care and attention of Corporal Soder and sent post haste to the coast for our tractors. Picture our feelings of mingled pride and joy as we stood in wonder and awe, and witnessed the return of our chauffeurs with the tractors as they came lunging down the road, plowing through the mud, with their flaming exhausts flaming and exhausting as only flani- ing exhausts can flame and exhaust when urged on by exhausted drivers. Confidence returned to us as we now saw that we would be able to cope with the great battles now to be fought in the S. O. S. After some more or less (mostly less) important maneuvers and chamois battles our tractors were dusted "C" BATTERY HISTORY 99 off and sent back to the Paris Aluseuni where tourists can now see them hob-nobbing with such masterpieces as the Duchess of Queensboro, the statue of Heinze's Pickle by Hugo Catsup and the bas-rehef in putty show- ing a pickled herring in a death grapple with a Tom and Jerry by Bell Nrinkley. Exhausted, THAT PIG ROAST Here it is just as we got it from Rosenberg. Rosie thinks unfair discrimination was used in keeping him orthodox. At Dancevoir outside food was becoming so scarce that the French were taking their poultry to bed so as to be sure to have them in the morning. All neighboring villages were being combed for the wherewithal for a "pomme de terre" feed. With these conditions in mind imagine Rosenberg's surprise to see the Three Musketeers, Wolf, Halperon and Alberts, pussy- footing up the road behind Morris Segal, the latter tightly clasp- ing a squeaHng porker in his arms. Rosenberg after recovering his speech hurried over and inquired the chances of entering the syndicate. To Rosie's chagrin the Board of Directors was full, for he received the amiable reply, 'AVhere do you get that stuff? This pig only has four ribs." Feb. /. — Yes, we left Dancevoir. Been there two months. Just sixty-six days too much. Knew we were eoine to move. For it started to rain, hail and S. O. S. right after we received our traveling orders. And those packs ! Oh ! boy, we never knew, we never knew. After a couple of practice hikes with "full" packs figured we might possibly make it. You know before each hike the barracks were looked over and all extra e(|uipment burnt up. But there was no extra stuff' left there. Most 100 "C" BATTERY HISTORY of our wasli was down at ^largaret's ; and the nioniiiif;' before the hike we saw a strini;- of visitors to Madams Dulait, Deswoofs and Alonsoor Coniak's to leave vari- ous lumpy packaii'es for a few moments. This sort of explains the balloon-sha])e(l packs the morning;' we left. Heavy! My sainted aunt! Thoui^ht I was doin.^- Can- noneer's Post and with an (). A. on my hump. The first thirty kilometers was the hardest and after we passed the two-mile post we were bowlein"i;ed. Reached Latrecy with DiSalvo's and Rein's packs on Lt. Hyde's and Scott's backs, but the rest showed themselves g'ood losers in this little joke and stuck it out. Little DiSalvo went to the hospital car. The rest (^f tis couche in the hay. Before leaving", visited the V. M. C. A. at the station and came away minus five francs as usual. Fortunately we had beaucoup hay. Xo steam heat in hommes and cheveaux. Had a summer car next to us with "lace a-a-awnings and lace curtains to keep off the sun" as Chisel Robinson said. Oh yes, the Chief had it all doped out. If we were to l)e thirty days at Le Mans he was going- to march right up to the Dental Infirmary and have the rest of his m-o-o-lars yanked out. That first night was a kuku. \\'onder we didn't all freeze. Probably we wotild have in second class. But only the French travel second class. We travel "fourth." However, we smoked cigarettes and bet which w^ay the train was going" next, backward or for- ward. Chisel was laying" on Cashman's and Bauer's feet and about four pairs of other feet distributed up his spine. He was too far up in the air. Feared his tin particulars would freeze. So he stood guard at the door the rest of the night. ''C" BATTERY HISTORY 101 Feb. 8. — Had an ari^ument as to where we were. Passed sig'n said Monteley. Saw a freight car side- tracked near a station. No houses. Still it must be a town. Looked up map. Found jNIontviller, Moreil, Monte the Monk, Monte Carlo, but no Monteley. De- cided that town did not subscribe to the road map people. Later on passed Clamecy. Well that was something like. So we are going west? To LeMANS? Isn't that nice! Probably get home before 1920 after all. What, the Leviathan left last week? Then if we stay two weeks at Le Alans and at St. Nazaire a week we will — let me see — eight days to go over; take a week to unload and load and eight days back. Why, boy, we are right in line to go back on the Leviathan. And he is off in day dreams, the cold and cramped position forgotten. Sitting packed in the hay, our packs just out of reach over our heads. Dorgan digs out some jam and bread from the pile in reach. Do we get up to i)ull out our messkits? Far be it from us to go to such huge exertions. Beckerman digs out a knife and opens the jam. Canavan is slicing a twelve-inch loaf with a two- inch knife and getting expected results. And so the jam sandwiches are l)orn only to perish down empty stomachs. Ganetes down at the other end of the car suddenly remembers he has not played poker for twenty- four hours, so tries to inveigle Joyce and Danti Guf- fanti into a game of "two and one." Nothing doing. That farewell dinner of pommes de terres frites and "God help us" was a heavy drain on those Dollar-a-Day men. So gathering up Kehoe on the way he clambers down to our ({uiet sector witli a pack clenched between 102 "C" BATTERY HISTORY his teeth to start a i;ame with those five Rushers Becker- man and Canavan. A l)lanket for a table and Spinner's gas mask for a jackpot hokler. Dijon and St. Dizier fifty centime notes going out of favor. No good in St. Nazaire, say we. Game called on account of mess. Opened beans this time. Boy. they were cold. Chisel finds a piece of ice in them. Back we go to jam and corned beef. Stopped at Xderzon. Quite a station. Swell Jane in fur coat and to(|ue makes an impression. 1die iur coat and toque, not the Jane. Whiskers was with her. The Front lost a lot of barbed wire when he left. Three chaps joined oiu' car. Were ])Ut out ot the held clerks' car l)y the su1)stitute regimental sgt. major. Quite good at substitution. Big American car, l)Ut he com- plained that with the field desks it was too crowded and they had a lot of work to do. ?^light have moved the desks. In fact the)- did as soon as possible. Sorry the S. O. S. could not sujjply them with bunks. Traveling' v>ith troops is such a bother, you know. The hospital car was becoming pretty well crowded, so those best able rejoined their sections. Serra was the next arrival. Heard \^adala had a case of frost bite the night l)efore. Took one of our many stops in a freight yard a little later. Several h^rogs with suspicioits bags and litmpy coat pockets talking to the fellows wdth one eye on Maj. Fitz up at the head of the train. Can't put anything over on the Major. Oh, no. Cottrt martial, dishonorable discharge and all that sort of thing. So they walk i)ast him and down the other side of the train. Don't know what they did when they got there, but they did it. "C" BATTERY HISTORY 103 On our way once more. Time to coucher for the night. The kitchen force goes about it in the usual way, to wit: Pack, Ganetes and Joyce lay out. Jerry and Bauer are fussing with that precious blanket. They finally compromise and stretch out poking their feet into the Chief. Follows a five-minute speech by the Chief while the precious pair worm their feet under his protesting back. Bauer leans back and makes con- nections with the rifles stacked in the corner. Bauer wants to put one rifle alongside of Chief Robinson but has no luck. Finally gets up to replace one of their private stock of jam wdiich has fallen oft" the packs. Thereupon the whole line moves over to loosen up a bit; Joyce being in difliculties between Pack and Ganetes. Bauer tries to lie down again and finds that it's all wrong, Jerry, it's all wrong. \\>11, is it any wonder we never got to sleep at night? Feb. 9. — Rumors we passed through Tours during the night. Look up the map. That is on the way to St. Nazaire. Yes, we are way south of Le ^lans. Begin to feel sorry we may have to go to St. Nazaire and embark before the Leviathan gets back. Country looks green and fresh though there is some ice in the pools. Begins to look like "Sunny France" again. Passed through Samur, the home of our big Artillery School, and on into Angers where we stopped. Right under LeMans on the map. And then we turned north toward Le Mans. Yes, it was too good to be true. Luckily we pulled into Noyen well before dark, where we disembarked with quite some relief and set to fur- bishing up our packs so they would make a good im- pression when we get that review on our wav through 104 "C" BATTERY HISTORY the town. First impressions would count a i^reat way toward divisional priority in going' home. Someone flashed hy on a motorcycle. A young looking chap, but he had a silver star on his sleeve. An odd com- bination for a review. But a review it was, and the only one we got. A hike of about two kilos brought us well out into the country and finally we found ourselves divided into two sections and going in opposite directions. Shortly a mass of buildings loomed up and we were greeted by the watch-dogs. After pouring a liberal amount of sign-language French on the sleepy farmer he escorted us to the Alaison Animal. Upon in(|uiring as to whether we were not dei)riving his animals of these lodgings he replied, "By no means, messieurs; eet ees too cold for them here, so I ships zem south in the winter." He had the right idea, for those stalls were chilly. At once rumors began to circulate as to the probable length of our stay. And during the rest of our time there, those rumors materialized as — rumors. The most memorable thing that occurred was the strike of the "Historian Detail." Headed by John Morris these illustrious gentlemen droi)ped the pen in favor of the pick, and for a time it looked as if the deeds of Battery C were to remain unsung. However, the wet drill grounds soon brought the historians to mediate, and thus a nasty situation was cleared up. Xoyen will always be rememl)ered for the shower of disciplinary orders we received. Foremost being the "Royal Order of the Shoe Dub." "Dubbing" is the army shoe polish in the field; a gummy amber water- 'T" BATTERY HISTORY 105 proofing that sticks where it is put, no matter where. So it must needs be conspicuotis at that ceremonious formation called "Retreat." The problem immediately arose how to cover that half mile from McCaffery's and Mark's billets over to the Chateau without getting- the mud all sticky with shoe-dubbing. This was solved by taking the mud along on our shoes and while wait- ing for retreat to sound, to carefully manicure the "dogs of war" with our bayonets; the latter being the only thing not inspected at retreat. No sooner were we settled than a liberal supply of utensils and grub from the O. M. started the cooks fighting among themselves once more. Only this time they fought to see which billet had the best kitchen and could put up the best feed. Our ancient battery-fund was still hale and hearty, though its days were num- bered. The argument was soon settled by the number of details that began to find themselves stranded in No. 2 Billet arotmd mess time. The subtirbs of Noyen will long remain a subject for intimate discussion. AMiile the btmgalows we oc- cupied were not elaborate in their appointments they had an atmosphere of distinction which our previous humble dwellings lacked. Especially the atmosphere. However, after repeated housecleanings, and we were some little housecleaners, the pig-pens, cow-barns, dog- hotises and chicken coops retained only their useful features, and w-e finally had less than a thousand rea- sons for boiling oiu" shimmies. The busy town of Noyen was a daily and nightly source of entertainment. Varying the monotony of army chow by going down to the Cafe de Botille or Cafe 106 "C" BATTERY HISTORY de la Place for a dinner of milk soup, fried sausages, ■eggs and vin. Of course stopping first at Marguerite's for an appetizer or so, and then on the way hack re- peating the appetizers — prohahly for the hreakfast next morning. Our own 306th Show and visiting regi- mental shows kept our minds off the Statue of Liherty waiting for us three thousand miles away. OUfl \30GK£Y6"L£AV£ fOf^ ST. NAZAIiee. OUR TOCKEVS LEA\'E FOR ST. NAZAIRE While chronicling the social events of the day during Bat- tery C's sojourn at Noyen it would be a case of gross negligence, bordering on the criminal, on the part of the Historian Detail if they failed to record the expedition of our Jockeys to the turf events at Montfort. Picture the happiness and enthusiasm of the followers of the chase as they arise on the bright, clear morning of the hunt, filled with the anticipation of a gala day of sport across field and stream; picture their feelings of rare satisfaction told by the twnnkle of the eye and the brisk rul)bing of the hands as they "C" BATTERY HISTORY lOT view with keen delight the sight of the beagle hounds, who, anxiously awaiting the pursuit are already eagerly romping and sniffing about the barn yard. Picture this scene and you have the feelings of our Jockeys as they stepped forth from our paddock on the morning of April 2d to attend the Grand Sweep- stakes at Mont fort. Without the tooting of horns, without the waving of flags, without the hokus-pokus usually attending such functions as related in the columns of society notes, these gay troubadors of the turf, these gentlemen of the whip and sjnir, our jockeys, strode forth with a spirit that yielded nothing to that of the biue- blooded gentry of Bar Harl)or or Palm Beach on the day of a meet. Up with the bugle, a hastily though well jirepared breakfast, a carefully creased blanket carried smartly under the left arm, a riding crop held jauntily in the right hand, a cigarette sus- pended nonchalantly from the lips, and our jockeys were off. The accompanying picture was snapped just as the boys stepped out. Ralph Zartman can be seen picking up in the rear, closely behind Walter Amo. Both of these riders hail from the New England States and each has brought many a thoroughbred across the line ( picket ) in a stirring finish. Both sit well up in the saddle. It was indeed an envious group that cheerlessly saw our jockeys oft' and how we did wish that we too were born in the saddle that we also might be on our way to such a glorious and stupendous social event. It was rumored that the boys would go to Le Mans and there meet their steeds which they would subsequently escort to St. Nazaire and thence home. This would have had our jockeys home toot sweet. But then the ways of the world are cruel. After tramping twenty-two kilometers to Montfort the boys each grabbed oft" a handful of horses and dragged them to Le Mans. In a few days the boys were again back in our own little barn-yard; and once more the pitchforks were humming mer- rily. When interviewed the boys made the following comments on the trip : 108 "C" i?ai"ii:rv history "it was a gorgeous trij).'" — Zartinaii. "The zenith of entertainment." — Hamilton. "A gala occasion." — Ailed. "Wouldn't have missed it for the world." — Beeman. "Not to be surpassed even at Clayton." — Aiiio. "A great social event." — White. "( )ne s])asm of jov." — Clark. "An excursion never to he forgotten." — fiiui. "Everything ran to form." — Casey. "A great dispeller of tlie Ijlues." — Dunn. IV. "One of mv hap])iest moments." — Havnes. "A bacchanalian siesta." — Arterberry. "Great for an artistic temperament." — Auger. "Beyond all expectations." — Rosenberg. "The season's triumph." — Kolosok. "Couldn't have imagined such splendor." — Shazvarey. "The horses worked in true form." — Leangos. "A delirium of events." — Drakias. "So enchanting." — Mo ran. "Greatest of all turf dis])lays." — Henson. "A blue ribbon for all concerned." — Sfeffen. "A great trilnite to ^lontfort." — Sliof^zvell. "Society succeeds at last." — Merettrio. "The ponies acted splendidly." — Costa. "Can you imagine it?" — Kopleuiau. Sbe Pd^ddocl^*.^^ "C" BATTKRV HISTORY 109 March 17. — We were in that state of cahn that means the utter loss of hope. It was so utter that even the most infectious riunor became nonpathogenic and died e'er it left the lips of the bearer. In other words if anyone came breezing in with some "inside dope" he would soon be told to "lay down/' and "where dya git dat stuff." Darling I am coming back — Silver threads among the black ; Now that peace in Europe nears I'll be back in forty years. I'll drop in on you some night With my whiskers long and white ; Yes, the war is over, Dear, And we're coming back, I hear — Back at home with you once more — Say by nineteen twenty- four. Once I thought by now I'd be Sailing back across the sea, Back to where you sit and pine, But I'm stuck here midst the wine. You can hear the gang all curse, War is hell but peace is worse. When the next war comes around, In the front ranks I'll be found, I'll rush in again pell mell, Yes, I will: "I will like Hell." First the 27th, then the 82d, the 30th, the 28th and finally the 42nd Divisions passed through and out be- fore us. But when the Supply Co. began calling in condi- ment cans only to issue them again, hope was reborn. Always before a move as at Marccj and Dancevoir in te- "C" BATTERY HISTORY 111 the past, there come wave after wave of kit-inspections, issues and recalls of reserve rations, reading the articles of war, shirt reading, s a inspections, bunk inspections, bunker inspections, inspections, inspec- tions And then came two short and snappy jolts to our innocent selves — paratyphoid inoculation and the pas- senger list. Both were knockouts. To see our brawny shell-tossers, men who used to coolly judge an oncom- ing shell whether it was worth wdiile flopping to avoid it, I repeat, to see that excited line going pale as they bared their arm and faltered into the presence of that hypodermic needle which looked more like a grease- gun. Well, it was enough to make one weep (with laughter) and wonder "Wlien is bravery." And that passenger list! Thirteen copies to make up, all CAPITAL LETTERS, and one battle-scarred typewriter long since shot to pieces, with which to ac- complish this tremendously important task. How^ever, Cpls. Wilson and Spinner, our demon clerks, tore into- the job in old-time form, went t(j bed in Equipment C and otherwise wasted no time in the busy days to follow. March 17th saw us out on the drill field for the last time, pig-pens, stables and mud-holes left behind. There we lined up according to the passenger list five hours before train time. But part of that time was spent in a rattling game of baseball. "Sling packs"— "Fall in," "Count off," "Right by squads — march," "Column left," and w^e were on our way, the cooks in front to give class to the formation. That was a clever idea of Capt. Willeford's, for if that limber-riding, non-pack-toting kitchen could make it» 1U2 •'(•• BATTKUV HISTORY there was no earthly excuse Icjr the rest of the battery not keepint;" closed up. Passint^" throUL^h Xoyen for the last time we bid good-by to our h^rench friends, and iivoided payini;" for that pancake j^riddle we borrowed from the hardware store near the corner. Arrived at the station a short spell before train time and stacked packs for a rest. Several of the German howitzers were parked aloni;- the station. The division had cai)tured them at the \'esle and beyond. That noon after a lii;ht lunch of jelly sandwiches and cocoa from the Y. M. C. A. £;irls, we were counted off into cars and soon on our way. During the business of hanging- uj) packs and rifles on the rings and nails we did not notice there was no straw bedding around anywhere. However, we made ourselves a soldier's bed of over- coats and fell to discussing the clever feeding system. It was our first experience on this style of train. Right after the engine came the kitchen car presided over by a staff of darky cooks. When mess time came the non-com in charge of each car had a brass tag. This drew rations for a car. The first meal the train stopped and blew mess-call ■on the whistle. Cannot describe what mess call sounds like on a whistle, and certainly none of us heard it before, but here is the point, nobody failed to under- stand it. I know^ we were at the kitchen door right after, but already a line had formed. The darky took the check, shouted something into the depths of the car and two marmites of chow appeared. Next a marmite of coft'ee and then a sack of buns. But let us not digress. The lack of straw continued and that night some of us made up a hobo's bed while "C" BATTERY HISTORY 113 the rest of us sat in circles around a gas mask or a box and played jackpot poker through the night. A fairly straight and continuous trip brought us to Brest after nearly a year's absence. The first sight of the port and those guys who always have the inside dope on the army, knew and could point out just which ship in the harbor we were going to take. Of course, with visions of our previous trip in mind it had to be the largest and best looking shij) in the harbor, so we were ready to Listen Lester. Saturday afternoon we detrained near the water's edge and with mixed emotions contemplated that famous clifif-like road leading up to Camp Pontanezen. Before hiking to camp we were marched to a long railroad shed about a quarter of a mile away and after waiting around an hour marched out the further end of the station, around and back all the w^ay to the mess hall of many kitchens, where we wasted no time, at least those of us who preferred other things than beans. Then back to our packs at the shed where fruit and souvenir vendors made the last desperate national effort not to have us go home without a Souvenir de France. We shouldered packs and took the hill up to camp with the usual delays which would never have occurred were we less anxious to get there. Our feelings now were, the quicker we get anywhere the quicker we get home. And we were not disappointed, for no sooner we reached what was once a few dilapidated stone huts and now^ a huge city of tents and barracks, than we were ordered to lay out our entire equipment for inspection. It was close to midnight and we were footsore and half asleep after reaching the tent city at the further 114 "C" BATTERY HISTORY end of camp. But as I said before, we were home- ward l)()imd and so in a mood to tolerate any fool thing at this unearthly though quite military hour. The in- spection over with, the final check stood — one shoe-lace, one can of dul)bing, and a couple of umbrella-handles missing. We retired — dog tired. However, let us not fail to note that l)efore we retired the battery was formed and skirmishers sent out in every direction under th,e guidance of the sui)ply-sergcant to procure and replace the missing articles. Suffice to say they were obtained and the equipment of the Beemen, Zart- man and Wdiite was again complete. This enterprise, which has always been characteristic of Battery C, again brought the division back into the good graces of the embarkation ofiicials and once more we were on the sailing list. Sunday monung saw us up early and preparing for another final inspection before the final. Here let us stop a moment to record those features of Camp Pontanezen which stood out so strongly in contrast to the conditions that prevailed here before the doughboys called Uncle Sam's attention to them. \\> struck the mess line for breakfast and found ourselves one of six batteries passing through as many kitchens. The Knickerbocker, Harvey House, Waldorf, Biltmore and Vanderbilt were the names of these tempting entrances, while the main thoroughfare leading to these kitchens was called Broadway. Could anything be better? So much for a kick properly placed. Passing through we emerged with generous and well cooked portions into the mess-hall where we set down our mess kits on cor- rugated iron tablecloths. The only exit was past "C" BATTERY HISTORY 115 caldrons of boiling water where those mess-kits were washed clean. To our mess-hounds, at last, this must be paratlise. Beaucoup second was a standing invitation to those who had the patience to go through this model chow-mill again. Later we went down to the "wringer." Here we stripped and washed by the whistle. Here we were oiled, boiled, washed, rubbed, scrubbed and wrung out — - by the whistle. We returned to our tents only to be blown out by another whistle. This time to go down with full equipment, including shoe-dubbing, to receive the most thorough and by far the most important in- spection of our stay in the army. We all know how we snapped to it on the inspection floor because we did not know what was coming next. They had us sure scared that time. As for the elaborate inspection — ah, well, we walked in and walked out, that's all. With the fatal exception of Sheehan's canteen which being concave on one side for some reason which no one knew, not even Sheehan himself, the battery ''as a hole" was O. K. We returned to our tents only to be called out and fall in for another inspection of curry-combs, tooth- brushes and rifle salutes. Next morning our remaining francs were changed for good old greenbacks and jitneys. Most of us got our change in one piece. We were now prepared to leave this famous camp and we shall always remember it as an example of what could be done by Uncle Sam when the authorities were on the job. As we stood there in the sun, all packed and only waiting the command to leave, with our eyes fixed in the direction of the ship and visions of home running IK) "C" BATTERY HISTORY tlir()ULj;"h our minds, one of the most harrowing" of things occurred. A doctor came down the hue with a beaker of chnical thermometers which he started put- ting one in each mouth. He was looking for tempera- tures. A high temperature and you stay behind and no dotibt go through the whole heartbreaking mill again. When 1 had the flu I had a temperature for the first time. This was the second time. The thought was awful. In that hot sun it was enough to give you a high fever. But by leaving our mouths ()])en, blowing on the bulb, and other first aid we came through with- out casualties. The epic hike to the boat was now in order and off we went, 128 to the minute, at 128 in the shade. We can never forget that hike. Once at the pier we soon took the lighters to em- bark on the palatial S. S. Agamemnon and bid a fond farewell to sunny France. We left the 21st of April, K)I(), and arrived in Hoboken on the morning of the 2()th, over a year from the day we left the U. S. Our trip over was unevent- ful except for the daily watch on the mess-line fol- lowed l)y "over the top" in the mess-hall. Entertain- ment was supplied throughout the trip by ])and concerts and our 306th Show. The sailors rigged up a billowy stage at the foot of the poop-deck where our actors gave their now famous performance of the 306th Jail and the Vamp on the Biltmore Roof. Needless to say our beauty chorus went strong with the gobs. They wondered at first where we got such wild Red Cross girls. It was along about here when a readjustment of ofiicers for the homecoming promoted Capt. Wille- "C" BATTERY HISTORY 11' ford to the Battalion Staff and gave ns Captain Ken- neth O'Brien. Capt. O'Brien was really an old friend of ours, having- been with us through all of our cam- paigns as an officer in our l^rother Battery D. Our arrival in the lower bay was timed for the morning. It found the Brigade lined up akmg the deck rails in battery fronts eagerly pointing out familiar landmarks and speculating whether we would pass the Statue of Liberty on our side or the other side of the boat. Oh, lady, lady, many a time since the armistice six long months ago we had planned for the event when we would have another look at you. And now a dream was about to l^e realized. Suddenly a fleet of tugboats, ferry boats and launches loomed up, crowded shrieking liumanity wav- ing banners and posters. Mere words cannot properly express our feelings as we stood there with lumps in our throats watching for the dear familiar faces among the crowd of delirious well wishers clinging to all parts of the ])oats. One man was standing in a life-boat waving his arms on all sides. It suddenly became ap- parent that he was semaphoring B-E-R-G-E-N over and over again. Others chose a more direct means of com- municating, most familiar (^f which was the name of the soldier printed in block letters on a strip of cloth. The boat had come to a full stop in this part of the l)ay where traffic was light so as to receive the recep- tion committees. It now steamed up and drew away toward Hoboken. And we passed the Statue of Liberty on our side of the boat. AMiat a royal reception the old girl received as we passed. One soldier noting how o-reen the statue had become remarked: "How strange 118 "C" BATTERY HISTORY the old i;"irl looks. She has grown mokly waiting for the 77th Div. to come home." Our arrival at Hoboken was marked by such out- ward signs as the blowing of whistles and the throwing of showers of paper clippings from the high buildings; by such inboard signs as the mobbing of the sailor who after we tied up at the dock tried to slip past us with American apple pie and ice cream under his jacket. Relatives were near the dock to nieet us. And the Red Cross to give us a very tasty buffet lunch as we filed down one of the lower i)iers to the ferry-boat. W bile at every entrance, exit and opportunity along the whole Iri]) to Camp Mills we received chocolate, chewing gum, cake and cigarettes. Dowm the Hudson and up the East River was a re])etition of our arrival on the steamer. hLvery boat we passed blew its whistle and the passengers got ex- cited. New Yorkers get excited on occasions, (ioing under the Brooklyn Bridge a passing bridge train l)lew its siren all the way across; and an old fellow up in the stonework of the tower danced around waving his arms at the risk of a two-hundred-foot drop to the water below. Some diving operations were going on from a raft moored in the channel. The operators busy pumping air and attending the diver below, s])ie(l us. All work stopped and the workers leaving the diver to his fate began prancing about and waving their hands. A man stacking oxygen cylinders on the wharf stopped with the big idea of banging the cylinders together. Things were as quiet as possible under the circumstances on our ferry when the cook on a passing tug almost caused a riot when he brought out a case of Ehret's and "C" BATTERY HISTORY 119 wanted to throw the bottles on board. So altogether the effect was beaucoup noise, but noise means no discom- fort in the life of an artilleryman. Landing at the Long Island station we were greeted by a huge throng of relatives and friends who took full advantage of the opportunity of embracing the boys as they marched down the gang-plank. It was a pleasant change from the cattle-cars of France to step on the commodious cars of the old L. I. R.R. (please note the phrase), and to be taken without a stop to Camp Mills. Upon arriving at Camj) ALUs we were at once sub- jected to an oration regarding the importance of re- maining on the battery street. It was a dark night and the camp was a veritable city of tents — a step or two taken off the battery street and one would find himself positively bewildered in an attempt to orient the land- scape. The result was he would soon be wandering aimlessly about, hopelessly lost, and later find himself a vagrant in the big city of New York. Many of otir men had this unfortunate experience. Others took to the highways because the authorities failed to come through with the promised bath. At this stage there could be little excuse for the system at the shirt read- ing plant in this camp. Two days later the men l)egan to find their way back and the making up of the morn- ing report in the office was a scene more resembling a wild morning in an oil broker's office, as one arrival after the other rushed in to have his name marked present on the roster. After delousing things proceeded in a more military manner. Far be it from the editors to do justice to the parade in New York. That is history. It was good 120 "C" BATTERY HISTORY enough to make most of us reverse our opinions made in France about a parade over here. And that is say- ing something. Forming at A\'ashington Square we marched up Fifth Avenue with rifles and fixed bayonets, and hehnet held snappily on the left shoulder. As we came among the first in the parade and with fixed bayonets, it caused us no little amusement to hear the ci'owd remark: "Look, here come the doughboys, ain't they grand." At iioth Street we took special subway trains 1)ack to the old 69th Regiment Armory where our packs were. Weather was cool, the crowd warm- hearted, the line of march in perfect order and we made the hike in the short time of forty-five minutes. The morning after we shouldered our equipment and went down to Camp Upton. Same old place in the main, but paved streets and a few new names and other things showed we had been away a long time. We went back to our former section around i6th Street and Fourth Avenue, and found ourselves in what used to be F Battery's barracks. That evening saw many of us up at the Hostess House once more kidding the i)retty cashier and consuming pie and ice cream as of yore. A large part of the out-of-town men had been left at Mills. After the smoke of battle had cleared somewhat at J\lills we fondly imagined there were only thirty-five A. \\\ O. L.s unaccounted for. They were to be de- tained as guests of the government for an indefinite period. There was nothing decided about this and we had hopes of leniency for them under the circumstances. Friday morning we heard the worst when the roster came into the orderly room. Checking up the list showed a total of fiftv-two names as absent without "C" BATTERY HISTORY 121 leave. Capt. O'Brien had done all in his power to have the entire battery discharged at once. His efforts were appreciated by the men, but in spite of all the boys with the wanderlust were subsequently escorted to the Depot Brigade. What gloom floated over the bunch of us at this unsportsmanlike deal. And when the one or two of us who were left saw that perfect battery front "fall in" and "squads west" away, a feeling of lone-* someness came over us as if we were the ones left be- hind. They were mustered out the 17th of May. R. I. P. After our arrival at Upton there followed two sleepless nights on bare cots, for with all equipment turned in except gas-mask, helmet and the clothes on our back we hourlv awaited the order to uo thrcjuirh that linal mill, the physical inspection. At i a.m. Satur- day we fell in and marched down to the mill. Here w^e made out employment blanks, dashed over to the next barracks, stripped down to our dog tags, and with a card in each hand went dashing in review through a maze of medicos who poked us, tattoed us with blue pencils and then blandly asked if we were wounded — yet. A wild session around a table upon which were three Bolsheviki shouting out names; and then we got the gate. That morning saw us down to the station where we were paid oft", $60 bonus and 10 days' pay for May. And talk about speed — as we advanced toward the pay- master's table in single file, by elaborate signs and shouted instructions we were instructed what to do. As my name was called I jumped to the table and with- out saluting leaned over and shoved out both hands in 122 "C*" BATTERY HISTORY a "i^iinme muh cheild" manner. The amount called, the hills were slapi)e(l into one hand and the change into the other hy the two paymasters. Then out you go. They i)aid off 15,000 a day. Then down to the station entrance where on Alay lOth, i()i(), C'apt. ()'Brien had the privilege of per- forming that most popular ceremony — presenting us with our DISCHARCiE PAPERS, and Chaplain Thomas, as we crossed the line, hid us "God speed, Air. Civilian." And for once we were not A. \V. 0. L. w < I- o (L M ? o M- > < -J v) . J .d "SOCIETY NOTES" AND "ITEMS OF INTEREST" THE BATTERY AS IT IS By Friend Alberts Capt. Crane The Skiijper. Lt. \ on Saltza The Alan of Wisdom. Hyde i'he Alan of the J lour. Klee 1 lie Athletic Wizard. Scott Butts Manual. Hunter ( )fficer of the Day. Sgt. Dorgan The Seeker : Close up, A Ten. O'Brien ( iate lUiilder. Dann \ccordiny to the wind. Hark Ihe nightinqale. AlcCaiTrey Well, I'll tell you Ce(jrge Kelleher \\ez xous Cognac ? Beckerman The Conscientif)us man. Klein Always on the job. Service night and day. Immergut The gun doctor. Sheehan The Boy Farmer. Bergen Ouick Thinker. Foran Soup Smeller. Stickle Ammunition Connoisseur AIcKeever Regular Army — hut drafted. Sgt. McXaught The only good cop in New York. Cpl. Rutkovsky Balloon Hunter. Fiinck Interpreter. Wilson l'a[)er Alan. Romano llie Tango Lizard. Segal He never lost an argument where shouting counted. Downey I'.eau Urummel. Schnackenberg On the job. Grunewald Always hungry. Schmidt, T. K Huh ! What ? Huh ! Soder Mighty Mechanic. Christunas He always begins with 'T." Canavan Booster. Mclnerney Soccer King. Bickman Assistant Soup Smeller. Pastore Too many numbers on the sight. Serra Drives out ! Cashman I should worry; Cashman first. Daly Looking (jut for himself. King Lightning calculator. Morgan Horse Doctor. Flynn A peaceful man. Wolf Fortune hunter. Moore Takes it as it comes, good or bad. Ligulli S. O. S. Mech. Robinson Toothless Chisel. Fleigel On the water wagon. Houdlett I (lid, I did— Banjo. Spillane 1 [ammer. Sdlr. Wiener S](nv but sure. 126 "C" BATTERY HISTORY Cook liodkins Talks on any subject. Ganetes Who shot Cock Robin ? ( iuffanti No Seconds. Pack Bacon Counter. Horseshoer ( irieme Any seconds .'' I'rieni 1 luugry Baby. Vogel Completes the Hungry Trio. Bglr. Rollaschild . Bulgaria Quits. Pvt. i/c. Alberts Friend, you're faded. Anderson 'It "im with a 'iker. Bauer 1 would if I could, but Berger Silence is goUlen. liilt Desiderate Dan, never missed a sick call. Brazaitys lie's gcjt the gimmies. Cathcart Rides caissons bareback. Danow Tough guy from Hester Street. Dillon Ireland for its size. Dunn, L Pigeon toes. Dwyer Winged Feet. Ettinger 1 le's a poet but doesn't know it. Flett Carload Charlie. Foster Klein is locjking for you. Gallagher M. P. Caruso. Grieg Tractor Killer. Habekost (iallo])ing C)rderly. Halperon Merchant of X'enice. Flanower Anything but the rifle. Heiz Orderly to ( General Stickle. Imhof Quiet Joe. Joyce Chief of the l)ell hops. Kehoe Always arguing. Kinney I^)allet Dancer. Krueger Fie sold Cognac for four years. Leister Motorboat soldier. Livingstone Joyce's secretary. McCarthy, A Flow is your little heart? "C" BATTERY HISTORY 12T McDonagh Where's my shoes ? McLean The Skipper's favorite. Malanovvski He discovered the "Liberator of Poland." Marino Carmileo. LU fix you up to- morrow. Merritt (iot a chaw tabac ? Mode He loves horses. Morris Stop I LLLI m-m-m-ean it. Mulkeen Stop arguing, Dillon. O'Connell Ask me— Lll tell you. Paterson The breech block kid. Peter . Like a mason on the square. Ricken Learning the bugle. Roche Did they report me absent? Rosenberg They made me first class. Ryan, J. E .\11 around player. Sawickas Xot a Bolshevik. Schmidt, A. E Outside of himself and Caruso,. no more good singers. Setleis Lll fix it at cost price. Spencer Jolly Bert, never missed a come- back. Spicer Dark horse. Spinner Carries a typewriter in his ])ocket. Springer Don't call me Ettinger. Tetley Muscatel ? No — Yes — Oui. Valverde Firing data expert. Van Orden The Hunts Ball Fountain Pen. Wardwell The Chorus lady. Weinberg Con Merchant. Weymouth When I was top kick Whelton Hey, PaLl-sen ! Woodworth The Greenpoint kid. Pvt. Ailed The Asthma Kid. Amo Stand pat. 128 "C" BATTERY HISTORY Arterberry The guy that stuck is on Alberts. Auert liiddap ! Auger Beware of the Madamoiselles. Barrett The midget pack carrier. Beeman The methcine man. Casey Chicago Jack's iKirtner. Chase Where's the 1) e a d e d bag, Clarence ? Chomzyk Lenine and Trotzky. Clark Is he going or coming? Clarkin A friend of Harks. Costa Sunday details. Deutch My new sign will be, "The Ar- gonne Tailor." Di Salvo Shake 'em up, Megiga. Drakias Me kept the guns on the road. Dunn, \\' \'in Rouge — No — But Fedden 1 le eats hay and oats. Finn Chicago Jack. Fitzpatrick The Lightweight. Hamilton The baker poet. Hanegan The Bank. Haynes Xever kicks. Hazelette Sherlock Flolmes in disguise. Gironde ! Heege Rubber-band Charlie. Henson Change that step ! Hicks Papa, where did you get that ambulance ? Johannesen b'rom cook to mule skinner. Kelle Throw him out at second, Gus. King, M. L By Heck, Joe. Kolosok Play 'em Tight. Kopleman A'ell, nobody w^ants to die. Lamb Man of many uniforms. Lane He had the army by the throat. Langford Too many razors. •'('" BATTERY HISTORY 129 LaPoint AlcCaffery's interpreter. Leangos Legging King. Leeb Kitchen Detective. Leger Afraid of the demoiselles. Lapriore The noodle without a link. McCarthy, J I'll be the referee. McCool I'm from Boston. McGrath Where's my mirror? McSolla S. O. L. Prohibition 1919. Mc Vey Is that '00 Hickey ? Macher Klein gets the credit. Magaril Exemption Yes, No. Mayer f >. R. T. Fountain Pens. A'lealy When I was in Boston. Mercurio Our only five-striper. Monte \'ery-pistol performer. Moran Plenty chew tobacco. Morrill Compri mess-kit. Oddo My Oddo. Orlando Landscape artist on tin hats. O'Rourk Oh, my sthomick. Pappacostapoulus Top-kick's galloping orderly. Paulsen If I could see my friend in the ammunition train. Plirrman Scratch, Dutch, Scratch. Phillis n he only foot we couldn't fit. Rein He whistled "Homeward Bound" the day we went to the front. Ryan, J. S A fighting man but O. K. if mar- ried to the right girl. Schiell Souvenir de Dancevoir. Schmidt, J. G Zero. Scott Why is a chief mechanic ? Serk I'd sooner clothe than feed him. Shawarey When I was with the infantry. Shirk Y-a-a-s. Shopwell The first ten years is the hardest. 130 "C" BATTERY HISTORY Smith Were you drafted that way? Spinazohi Never had a chance ? Steeneck Tractor Killer. Steffen Where's my harness ? Stromme Nothing but chevaux. Sullivan, D. F Six inches deeper. Sullivan, J. T I'm out of my head ; dizzy. Sweeney Small but good. Taggart Take the camoutiage off your nose. Talley I'll say so. Taylor Cannot be pleased. Unrath Motor versus artillery goat. \'adala Spaghetti actor. Vilece Hey Volks, have a drink. Volks Sure, got the price ? Weber ( )nly one of his kind. White His mitts are insured for 1,234,- 567 centimes. Williams .Ciod Save the King. Wilson, G. B Introduced civil life into the army. Winkler . It thought he wouldn't fight. Yellin .1 should live so. Zarogianis King of K. Zartman Woodman s]:)are that tree — and he did. "C" BATTERY HISTORY 131 SERGEANT KLEIX— AS I KNOW HIM By A Friend IT is with considerable reluctance that I drop the sword and take up the pen to assume the role of biographer. I have yielded to the temptation, feeling that it is my duty in view of the fact that there is a universal demand for a brief, if not a complete and comprehensive work entitled, "Sergeant Klein — As I Know Him." In most cases a biography is a rather difficult, not to say, disagreeable operation. To begin with a biograi)her is not sui)i)()sed to know anything about his subject that would not sound good in writing. This makes it extremely difficult as in most cases the man is no good, never was any good, and never will be any good. These are circumstances which force the biogra])her to resort to a rather ingenious method, for example: the biograi)her, finding it impossible to write anything good about the man, simply substitutes himself. Holding the mirror thus, the biograi)her is face to face with a man of noble character, keen intellect and generous impulses; a man interested in the well being of his fellowmen, a philanthropist, a benefactor and a public-spirited man who is respected and loved by all who know him. With this flood of the finest qualities that mortal man could possess revealed to him, the biographer sets to work and applies them to his subject. This rarely fails to bring the biograi)her the money. 132 "C" BATTERY HISTORY The results of this operation are usually successful. The man will either be flattered and believe what is said about him, or he will disbelieve it and possibly at- tempt to emulate the life of the worthy character pic- tured in his biography. However, it is said, through tradition or fable, that once a famous man while sitting for his portrait said to the painter: "Paint me as I am! If you leave off a single mole or scar, I shall not pay you a sou." This proves that there are those men who wish the truth and nothing but the truth ; men who wish to see themselves as others see them. And just such a man I believe Sergeant Klein to be. I first met the Sergeant in the Spring of 191 8 at Camp Upton. At that time he sported two stripes, the insignia of the Corporal. However, I instantly recog- nized that this man possessed qualities that stamped him as a man of affairs and a man who would some day rise to the rank of sergeant. And I was not wrong in my opinion, for in less than seven months before the Armistice was signed, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant, and three minutes later w^as busily engaged in ii matter of importance with Pvt. Setleis. At Camp Upton, if my memory serves me correctly. Sergeant Klein had not as yet raised a mustache. This adornment, or patch of shrubbery, which on so many people is a hideous affair, gives an added eft'ect of character and importance to the Sergeant, and on the whole gives him an appearance which is far from in- sipid. The natty manner in which the Sergeant wore his canvas leggings was a thing that did not escape the notice of the officers and it was rumored that this had 'T" BATTERY HISTORY 133 something' to do with his rapid rise from the ranks of the privates. Again the Sergeant was at the head of the hst for promotion and this came upon our arrival at Camp de Souge. Here we received our first spiral leggings and again the Sergeant effected a most snappy way of bandaging his legs. And again the attention of the officers was attracted. This resulted in his promotion to sergeantcy and Chief of Stafif of the telephone de- partment. There are some who at that time insinuated that the choice of Sergeant Klein as telephone sergeant w^as due to the fact that he possessed some knowledge of electricity and had hidden this fact from the men in the battery ; but these men were prejudiced and did not know the Sergeant; for to know him is to love him. We now come to the beginning of our training period. The situation of the Allied armies was critical. Hindenburg was bending the line, but little did he realize that the future boded ill for the Hun. No man scrutinized the daily reports more carefully or antici- pated the plans of the foe with greater accuracy than did Sergeant Klein. The work of organizing a reliable and efficient tele- phone staff must begin immediately. That the success of a great leader depends entirely upon the men he surrounds himself with was the principle recognized and followed by the sergeant when he selected the fol- lowing fighting men to compose his staff:": Cpl. Stickle, Cpl. Schnackenberg, Cpl. Romano, Cpl. G. B. \\'ilson, Pvts. 1st CI. Anderson, Springer, Roughsedge, Ward- well, Woodworth. Alacher, Leeb, A^an Orden and Foster, 134> "C" BATTERY HISTORY The previous experience of these men was a factor that determined their selection. Yet it was not this alone; in fact, three additional essentials were consid- ered, viz., g-eneral intellii^'ence, including ability to speak English; absolute ignorance of electricity, and ability to wrap leggings very snappily. Sergeant Klein reported his detail regularly to the telephone college at Camp de Souge and the military manner in which he marched the detail to and from the school was commented upon l)y many officers. Intensive training was the order of the day. Aluch was to be learned before leaving for the front. The Sergeant had the confidence of his men who applied themselves with great diligence to their various studies and the Ser- geant took great pride in the fact that after each ex- amination of the entire regiment. Battery "C" received the highest ])ercentage. The Sergeant was never back- ward in rewarding his men for their efforts for at a recei)tion given to his men after each examination he presented each and every man with a brown derby. It is with pleasure that the men of the Telephone Staff recall the days of intensive training at Camp de Souge under Sergeant Klein. Always a strict discipli- narian who believed in carrying out a soldier's duty in a military manner, he, nevertheless, believed that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. No man was com- pelled to pour over his text-book or solve some intricate electrical problem in the class-room of the University if he felt indisposed. In such a case the Sergeant would dismiss the soldier for the afternoon. This did not mean that the man w^ould dismiss from his mind all thought of his studies; in all probability he would go "C" BATTERY HISTORY 135 to the trenches adjacent to the school and there become accustomed to the atmosphere of the hfe he would soon be leading. It was not a rare occurrence to see many of the men spending- a morning or an afternoon in the trenches in preference to the class-room. It is difficult for one who has not gone through our experience at Camp de Souge to realize the knowledge that was to be acquired before one can qualify for ser- vice at the front, and the fact that the men of Battery "C graduated with such high honors was due to the qualifications upon which Sergeant Klein based their appointment to the Tele])h(we Staff. Not only was it necessary for the men to become familiar with American appliances, but also with the French, and were it not for the assistance rendered by Sergeant Klein, the men would have found it much less difficult to master the problem of manipulating the French telephones and switchboards. The Sergeant, who speaks French fluently, could very easily converse through a French telephone; this gave the telephone bad habits and it would often stall when it heard the voice of a man who had less command of the French language than did the Sergeant. The day arrived when our course was completed and the pride of the Sergeant knew no bounds when the men of his Staff received the highest percentage at the graduation exercises. In appreciation of the efforts put forth by his men Sergeant Klein presented each man with a handsome china shaving mug on the outside of which was a beautiful hand painting of the French and American flags on one side, and on the other an exact 136 "C" BATTERY HISTORY reproduction of the Sergeant himself. This was the work of a noted French painter of St. Medard. Sergeant Klein's opportunity to demonstrate his ability on the battle-front was not far off. On the 15th of July at Baccarat in the Lorraine sector, the Sergeant with a detail of six men led the way through a maze of brush and cactus plants in the dead of the night and laid the first line of communication for Battery "C." From this time on it was one brilliant feat of strategy after another by Sergeant Klein which gave perfect communication to our battery; made it possible for our battery to make an enviable record, and made for the Sergeant a name that will live long in Dancevoir. It is needless to dwell at length on the achievements of Sergeant Klein at Chery-Chartreuve. Had the war ended here the Sergeant would have already endeared himself to the people of the South Sea Islands and his name would have been a byword in the wine parlors of the Boobanians. At Vauxcere it was another case of the Sergeant executing one l^rilliant stroke after another in such rapid succession that not only was the foe completely baffled but the entire personnel of the battery was ut- terly dazzled, dumbfounded and bamboozled. In short, the battery to a man was knocked for a goal by the lightning strokes of the Sergeant. Officers and men could be noticed walking around niumbling to them- selves. Some appeared to be waving their arms about their heads as if in imminent danger of attack from above; some continually grasped about them as if they were catching flies, while others would repeat running in and out of their dugouts at the same time emitting "C" BATTERY HISTORY 13T a weird cry something like that of the Peruvian moun- tain goat. Reahzing the danger of the situation, the officers, when they came to, cautioned the Sergeant to allow a slight interval between each of his strategical executions. This would permit the men to come up for air and in that way permit the battery to remain normal and fit for action. For a man of the Sergeant's temperament this was difficult yet he promised to do so. The very fact that his Staff was by this time com- pletely dizzy compelled the Sergeant to control himself. Yet there would be moments, as in the case of all great strategists, when the Sergeant would break loose. I might cite such an incident which took place at V^aux- cere when the Sergeant, knowing that all the lines of communication were perfect, called Foster and Van Orden from their headquarters where they were rest- ing after a hard night in pursuit of a break on the line which they finally captured near a kitchen, to clean a pair of giant monkey wrenches which the Germans had left behind. The Argonne woods, that historic sector held so long by the Germans and considered well nigh impreg- nable, was the next position for our guns to occupy and incidentally a position, regardless of the perplexing problems it presented, that proved a pipe for Sergeant Klein. It was in the Argonne woods that the Sergeant committed many feats of daring which bewildered the men on his Staff'. One such feat was the capture of a German caviar sandwich which he strangled while under observation of the battery cooks. From now on until the Armistice was signed the Sergeant did not give the Boche a moment's rest. Even after the rumor 138 "C" BATTERY HISTORY of the Armistice was verified he insisted on continuing the pursuit and it required the combined efforts of six men each armed with a blackjack to hold him back. The Sergeant finally agreed to turn back and upon ■our arrival at Dancevoir he became chief connoisseur of cuisine supplies and Chairman of our Battery Wel- fare Committee. In all Sergeant Klein is a man whom I am proud to have fought and bled with. A man whom every member of Battery "C" will often recall in times to come as a good sailor, and a man whose name will live long in the annals of American History. Finis le Guerre. 'C" BATTERY HISTORY 1539 A PEN PICTURE By James Henson W[{1\\ did I feel most keenly the sensations of war? Well, it was when I was most close to costing the government money. The guns had been drawn up on the liill back of the railroad cut and I was carting ammunition from those large recaptured French ammunition dumps back near the Vesle. This day I started out with twelve of us drivers, six horses to a w^agon. We were out to get seven hundred F. A. shells up to the guns. Being a recaptured dump, Jerry knew exactly where it was and no matter where else he shot during tlie day or night lie always started and hnished with that dump. The other natural target was the road up the valley wdiich led past the dump and fed the guns scattered along the numerous ravines opening into this valley. Naturally we had not the slightest desire to have any- thing to do with these targets. Hut we were there to keep our guns supplied with shells and ])owder no matter how we did it. So we did it. And felt the worst was over. Jerry had been combing the road all the way up but the shorts and overs were frequent and that heli)ed a lot. We were on our way back to the picket line when a harassing fire started sweeping u]) and down covering about a mile of road. I was just thinking the Boche had improved his fire considerably and holding down my team when it came screaming past my shoulder to burst almost immediately on the edge of the road. The splinters came hum- ming back like Imzz-saws and with a meaty smack caught niy near horse in the neck, killing him instantly. As he fell with me my foot caught in the stirrup, and being the leading team the other five horses were soon tangled up in the harness. The shells were now exploding all around us and seeing that even swearing could not (|uiet the horses enough to straighten the harness, Jim Sweeny and Mode, wdio were on the other two teams, threw themselves off their mounts and flat in the road. Though it seemed an eternity the shells gradually burst further 1^0 "C" BATTERY HISTORY and further up the road and CpL Flynn, who was in charge of the detail, helped straighten out the tangle and cut the dead horse loose. I am under the impression 1 lived very fast during those lew minutes, and now that it is over I am thankful 1 am still James Henson of Ijrooklyn. ATHLETICS While our husiness of dropping H. E. shells where it would do the most good kept up strictly to business at the Front, athletics was well represented in our battery both before and after. It was due to such runners as Dwyer, McCarthy and Mc\'ey ; in baseball Dann, Grunew aid and Moore ; in soccer Funck and Dillon and in other held sports Mclnerny, Mc- Donagh and Canaxan that made "C" Battery known in Army Sports. At Upton where there were camp and city meets galore, an account of the races and ball games and tield events won, would look like a E. E Time Table. Those who especially distinguished themselves in bringing home the bacon in those early days were as follows : C)ur baseljall line-up was thus : Dann, c. Victory, p. Glum. ilj. Moore, 2b. Cashman. 3b. Grunewald, ss. Bickman, If. Gedicks, cf. Romano, rf. The team played five games, defeating "A" Battery twice, "D" Battery twice and "F" Battery once. Headquarters once and lost one game to Fleadquarters. When the Regimental Team was formed "C" Battery was there with Dann, c. Victory, p., ]\Ioore, 2b., and Grunewald, ss. On December 15, 1917, Dwyer won the 5j2-uiile cross- "C" BATTERY HISTORY 141 country race held at Camp Upton in 27.10, breaking the former record of 27.58 held by Sidney Jackson. Over 200 started in this race. We were not long at Souge before they had a 306, F. A. meet to break the monotony of drilling on the crushed rock of the Gun Park. It was June 16, 1918. "C" Battery won the meet by a large margin, scoring 38 points. The try-outs for the Bordeaux meet on July 4th put Dwyer first on the team of five men to represent the camp. On July 4th Dwyer won the 880-yard race by 40 yards pulling the team from fifth place into second place. An interval now elapses during which the cannoneers lugged 100-pound shells, the cooks cooked, the telephone men tele- phoned, the instrument detail figured, the gas guards sniffed and we all ducked shrapnel, mud, hard words, and details. On December 21, at Dancevoir (by the way, remember Dancevoir), McCarthy ran in the I52d Artillery three-mile run and finished second about ten yards behind the winner. March ist found us in the A. E. C, home in sight, and feeling the irk of inaction. It was due to things like the fol- lowing that we did not all die of mental depression. The start of the whole thing was the 2d Ijattalion Meet of March ist. The one-mile event saw Dwyer first, McCarthy second and White third. Yes, Battling White was with the winners. Good runner he is and uses his head only he is a little bashful. In the one-half-mile race McCarthy was first, Dwyer second, Lt. Klee third; 440 yards, Dorgan first, Mc\'ey second ; 220 yards, Romano first, Dunn, L., second, Pfirrman third; 100 yards, Amo second. McDonagh won the broad jump, Mclnerny second and Canavan third. The Hop-step-jump went to McDonagh, Alclnerny making second. The Regimental IMeet at Xoyen on ]\Iarch 5th resulted as follows : 100 yards, Amo third ; 220 yards, Romano first, Cash- man second, Dunn, L., third ; 440 yards, Dorgan second, McVey third ; 880 yards, Dwyer first, McCarthy second ; i mile, Dwyer 142 ^'C" BATTERY HISTORY first, McCarthy second; high jump, Alclnerney, third; broad jump, Mclnerney first; hop-skip-jump, Mclnerney first; stand- ing broad jump, Canavan third. At the Brigade Meet, March 19th, the resuhs were as fol- lows : 880 yards, Dwyer hrst, r^IcCarthy fourth ; i mile, Dwyer first, McCarthy fourth ; medley relay, Romano 220, McVey 440, Ives 880, Dwyer i mile ; 880 relay, 306th F. A. third, Romano and Cashman; hop-skip-jump, Mclnerney second. The Divisional Meet at I'arce, March 15th, resulted as fol- lows: 880 yards, Dwyer hrst; medley relay, Romano 220, McCarthy ^2 mile, Dwyer 1 mile ; hop-skip-jump, Mclnerney fourth. The Le Mans Area ]\leet, March 27-29, was as follows: y2 mile, Dwyer second ; i mile, Dwyer second, McCarthy third ; medley rela}' ( i mile), Dwyer hrst; 8 mile, Dwyer hrst (43 min. 6 sec), ^McCarthy second. The final day of the !Meet was full of pej). C)ur closest com- petitor had passed us twice in the scoring and the score stood : 77th Division, iii ])oints ; Lemans, 106 points (the 28th and 355th Divisions were out of the running). The last event, the eight-mile Marathon still out. The excitement was at its height when someone sna])ped the lirsl runner cduiing down the road. It was Dwyer followed a few minutes later bv McCarthy. And close on McCarthy's heels was another 77th Division man and the meet was sewed uj) tight with the 77th on toj) to the tune of 120 points. Our baseljall team at Xo\en changed a bit since Camp Upton days, and now the line-u|) is as follows: Dann, p. Kelle, c. McNaught, lb. ]\loore, 2b. Cashman, 3b. Grunewald, ss. Pastore, If. Bickman, cf. Ryan, rf. "C" BATTERY HISTORY 143 Athletics in "C" Battery would not be complete without men- tioning our tiring executive Lt. Klee. Whenever the opportunity presented itself he would relieve the monotony of drill by getting up races and games. His constant enthusiasm in matters athletic gave the added stimulus that helped make "C" Battery "all there." Can You Imagine It? Kopleman. Sergeant, I wanda new ])eck-kerrier. Sup. Sgt. O'Brien (soothingly). Well, what's the matter with it? Kopleman (exhibiting a tiny hole in the pack-carrier). See, there's a hole in it. Sergeant. Is that all ? Kopleman (with tears in his eyes ho])efully turns the pack- carrier over and finding the same hole points at it). No, no, see, Sergeant, here is another hole. 'C" BATTERY HISTORY 145 THE COOKS AND THE KITCHEN OF BATTERY "C" NO department or body of men of our battery is more worthy of mention in this book than our cooks. It is true that our Captain Crane was at all times greatly interested in the welfare of the men, particularly as regarded their food, yet, were it not for the natural ability of our cooks, together with the great interest they displayed in their work, it would have been impossible for our battery to boast of the best kitchen in the regiment. The kitchen staff as ap- pointed by Captain Crane continued in their respective capacities throughout our activities at the front; in fact, until the very day that we were mustered out of the army. No men were ever more carefully examined for their respective positions in the battery than the men who graced our kitchen. (There may possibly be one exception, that is the case of Bugler Rothschild. This man underwent a terrific and gruelling ordeal be- fore proving his qualifications as a bugler.) The selection of Harold Waldorf Dann as mess Sergeant was one which met with the approval of the entire baseball team. Sgt. Dann was probal^ly better known as the captain of the Battery "C" ball team, yet the men knew him well as our Aless Sergeant. It might be said of our entire kitchen staff that although their position in the army permitted them to hold them- selves aloof from the average man in the ranks, the 146 "C" BATTERY HISTORY men also knew them well and it was not a rare occur- rence to see a cook talking;- to a private who shouldered a gun. Ofttimes this intimacy between the cooks and the men would lead to an exchani;e of affectionate greetings and tender (opinions. Such a demonstration would usually be started by the men immediately as the breakfast w^as being served and returned by the cooks while it was being eaten. The reception given to the cooks in the morning by the men would be more vociferous and enthusiastic than the greetings at noon- time and evening; but the cooks never felt i)ut out al)out this. They merely considered it a peculiar trait of eccentricity of the average soldier to find it hard to restrain his enthusiasm ui)()n arising in the morning and discovering the oatmeal burned or slightly touched as the cooks would call it and the coft'ee flavored with a plug of chewing tobacco which dropped off the shelf. Men of ability as cooks who proved their qualifica- tions to the battery commander are as follows : Viccilius Ganates, Michael Bodkins, Dante Guffanti, Samuel Pack, William Bauer, George Joyce. From our start as soldiers at Camp Upton work and responsibility was the burden of the cooks. The moment a man becomes a cook he becomes a hero, for he has taken his life in his own hands and there is no clause in his life insurance policy wherein he receives any special inducements. The best weapon that a cook can have for his self- defense is a good education — this enables him to talk back when he is l)eing fired upon by the battery. A man wdio has sturdilv defended himself while handing out 'C" BATTERY HISTORY 147 the soup and thereby proved himself a soldier and a fighting man is Dante Guffanti. Gufifanti never fails to give each and every man a lecture as he passes the lunch counter. It runs something like this : "Aw, what are you kicking about? What do you want a guy to do when he ain't got no sugar and no flour and no onions and no Bull Durham? Why don't you tell it to the mess sergeant? Don't tell me. Anyway how can you prove that you fed any better in civil life.^" GENERAL ORDERS FOR MESS LINE 1. To take charge of all "SPUDS" and gravy in view. 2. To watch my plate in a niihtary manner, keeping always on the alert. 3. To report to mess Sergeant all bread sliced too thinly. 4. To repeat all calls for seconds. 5. To quit the table only when satisfied that there is nothing left. 6. To receive, but not to pass on to the next man, any meat, cabbage, or beans left by non-coms, buck-privates or K. P's. 7. To talk to no one who asks for onions. 8. In case of fire to grab all eatables left by others in their escape. 9. Any case not covered by instructions, to call the company clerk or the K. P's. 10. To allow no one to steal anything in the line of grub. 11. To salute all chickens, beef steak, pork chops, ham and eggs, or liver. 12. To be especially watchful at the table and during the time of eating, to challenge anyone who gets more prunes than I do. 148 "C" BATTERY HISTORY BATTERY C NOTES Now that passes are being granted, seems that Paris, Mar- seille and Bordeaux are favorites. Someone must have the demoiselles' addresses. Our renowned historian, Morris, is now in Paris at the University. He will proceed to startle the world with his re- citals of the bravery of the 3cy)th. Sgt. McCaffery's cootie ward has been trying in vain to beat Hark's empornmi at baseball. Three days' rations as prize. Looks as if the cooties will go hungry and starve. ( )ur fleet-footed Mercurys, Dwver, McCarthy and Roman are still knocking 'em dead up at Parce. Keep it up boys, we're behind you. That painted hussv Kinnev is dancing his way to fame and fortune in the regimental show. Mxpects to do the split in Paris soon. Charlie Mett, better known in "Bawston" as Union Charlie for liis ability to sell unions by the carload, inflicts his selling talk each evening on the bo\'s in his billet. They don't mind for it puts them to slee]). Will someone tell us whether it is underwear or o\eralls? Charley lUcti iakiiuj the coiiiil on his return to l^oslon 'C" BATTERY HISTORY 149 The "Brains of the Battery," Cpl. Wilson and staff, are get- ting gray wondering when the embarkation hsts are to be made out. Since the officers and chef Ganetes has started cooking for the boys Harold Waldorf thinks he is running Delmonico's. Pies or cakes at each meal. The boys don't want to go home now. Shirt reading is quite a popular pastime nowadays. Very few get past the first chapter. We wanna go home with the Division. Our M. P. volunteers want to get assigned to Noyen duty. They threaten to arrest all our non-coms on sight. Stripes keep away from Noyen. Morrill thought the Inspectors didn't know the dift'erence be- tween talcum and tooth [jowder. Poor Al. Our old friend Jack Finn in his boudoir at the Chateau dcs Chc2'Ciiu.v, Dancc:'oir Here's to You, Oh Latrine Gossip whence all our rumors came, Gossip wild and gossip tame ; Remember }ou I always will, Famous spot upon the hill. Our Supply Sergeant A dugout ? Fie ! "Twas not for him ! Enemy's shells? Boche? No fear! Courageously he walked about Ten kilos in our rear. 150 'C" BATTERY HISTORY To Our Balloon Killer Abie saw him coming, Abie heard him humming, Abie jumped hke a loon. Abie tired the gun, Abie missed the Hun, Abie shot his own balloon. Ettinger. Portrait by the (listiiiuiiisluul artist, )iicss-srr(icaiit. luill-f^layu^r ami Iniritoiic. Harold Waldorf C)\d habits like poor relations are hard to get rid of. Hence in civilian life we can imagine the following: Sgt. McCatTery. — "My dear, we sleej) head to foot to-night with a shelter half between us."' Sgt. Klein (an advocate of twin beds). — "Yes, dear, I'll detail Leeb to string a line from my Ijed to yours (the 1*. C)." Sgt. Immergut (coming home at 4 a.m., ducking an ( ). A. hreay Ridge Ave., Brooklyn, X\ Y. Alherts, J 1 158 ( ireene Ave., Brooklyn, X\ Y. Anderson, A jocx) Ridge Blvd., Ih'ooklyn, X. Y. Bauer, W -'8 King, M. A 508 W. 158th St., New York City. Kinney, H. H 2913 Highland Ave., Birmingham, Ala. Kreuger, E ji Xorman Ave., Buffalo, N. Y. Leister, R 1241 Willoughby Ave., B'klyn, N. Y. Livingston, N 40 Warren St., Revere, Mass. McCarthy, A 309 W. 1 17th St., New York City. McDonagh, 200 Silver St., S. Boston, Mass. McLean, J. M 242 \\'. 14th St., New York City. Malanowski, M 76 S. 3rd St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Marino, C 4 Bleeker St., New York City. Merritt, J 557 Pine St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Mode, G 2363 Arthur Ave., New York City. Moynihan, H. A (x) Neptune Road, E. Boston, Mass. Mulkeen, T 38 E. 98th St., New York City. O'Connel, R 506 Summer St., Boston, Mass. Patterson, A. T 755 E. i68th St., New York City. Peter, R 938 St. Nicholas Ave., New York City. Ricken, J. A 29 Van Courtland Ave., Glendale, Brooklyn, N. Y. Roche, T. W 14 Pleasant PI, Lawrence, Mass. Rosenberg, J 941 Stebbens Ave., New York City. Roughsedge, T 528 W. 1 59th St., New York City. Ryan, Jos 26 Greenwood St., Dorchester, Mass. Sawickas, A 194 Arhens St., Boston, Mass. Schmidt, A. E 561 Gates Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. Setleis, S 336 Ellery St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Spencer, A. C 2839 C St., Philadelphia, Pa. Spicer, J. R Bellefont, Pa. Spinner, H. F 1525 Q St., N.W., Washington, D. C. Springer, J 650 Jackson Ave., Bronx, N. Y. Talley. C 1700 3rd St., N.E., Washington, D. C. Tetley, E 2226 Sullivan Ave., St. Louis, I\Io. Tierney, M 827 loth Ave., New York City. Valverde, R 202 W. 74th St., New York City. Van Orden, E High St., Butler, N. J. Wardwell, N 510 W. 124th St., New York City. Weinberg, S 1^2^ .Market St., New York City. 160 "C" BATTERY HISTORY Weymouth, H Maplewood, Me. Whelton, W. J 52 ^Monument Av., Charlestown, Mass. Woodworth, F 82 E. i8th St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Ailed, E. M 59a Park St., Attleboro, Mass. Amo, W. S Clayton, N. Y. Arterberry, L. E Maquoketa, la. Auert, E. J Whitesboro, N. Y. Auger, L. M 230 Church St., Putnam, Conn. Barrett, E Oi juniper St., Lawrence, Mass. Beeman, A. M 7 Watkins St., Whitesboro, Mass. Casey, T 2702 8th Ave., Xew York City. Chase, C. E 15 Walden St., N. Adams, Mass. Clark, J. J 601 W. 127th St., New York City. Clarkin, E. J 41a \>rnon Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. Deutsch, 1 1705 I St Ave., New York City. Di Salvo, S 230 E. io8th St., New York City. Drakias, W. P 250 2nd Ave., S. Minneapolis, Minn. Dunn, W. F 1 154 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. Fedden, C. L 496 Hancock St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Finn, J 8855 Buffalo Ave., S. Chicago, 111. Fitzpatrick, J. L 152 F St., S. Boston, Mass. Hamilton, P Rugby, N. D. Hanegan, J. E l ila(ll)rook, la. Haynes, W. E 2^,7 Dorchester St., Boston, Mass. Hazelette, C ^K) I lancock St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Heege, C. P 5(11 * iates Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. Hensen. J 355 12th St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Hicks, F 2-jj Central Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y. Kelle, A. C 2h>> I'rinceton St., E. Boston, Mass. Haesler, P 22 Leonard St., Brooklyn, N. Y. King, M. L 22 Dana St., Somerville, Mass. Kopleman, J 76 N'illage St., Boston, Mass. Lamb, R. pf 335 1^:. 83rd St., New York City. Lane, L. E 143 Manhattan St., Ashley, Pa. Lapoint, R Three Rivers, Mass. Leangos, E 12 Kneeland St., Boston, Mass. Leeb, F., Jr 134 Linden St., Brooklyn, N. Y. T" BATTERY HISTORY 161 Leger, A /i Harbor St., Salem, Mass. Lopriore, P 34 Adams St., Worcester, Mass. I^lcCarthy, I i^ Bailey St., Lawrence, Mass. McCool, J. L ^S Pearl St., Cambridge, Mass. McGrat'h, E. F 442 Bay Ridge Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. McSolla, R. P ^^^7 ^nd St., S. Boston, Mass. McVey, J 34^5 Broadway, N. Y. C. Macher, C. G 303 W. 126th St., New York City. Mao-aril, M. R 19 Moore St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Mayer, A 38 ^lelrose St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Meeley, J. F 191 W. 4th St., S. Boston, Mass. Mercurio, G 6 Wall St., New Bedford, Mass. Monte, G 146 8th St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Moran, P. j 26 Garden St., Westerly, R. I. Morril, A. N 24 Bolton St., S. Boston, Mass. Qdjo, C 192 Bay 19th St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Orlando. ¥ 165 E. 1 12th St., New York City. O'Rourk, O 8S5 E. 4th St., S. Boston, Mass. Pappacostopoulos, J. A 282 Columbus Ave., Boston, Mass. Paulsen, j. P 48 Groshon Ave., Yonkers, N. Y. Ptirrman, W 1^)5 16th St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Pliilli^^ \l 67 Chandler St., Boston, Mass. Rein ]. T Madelia, Minn. Rvan.'j. S 21 14 8th Ave., New York City. Schiell, M 45 Menahan St., Brooklyn, N. Y. Schmidt, J. G 28 Onderdonk Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. Scott, R 483 Warwick St.. Brooklyn, N. Y. Serk. 11. P Davenport, la. Shawarey, P. 1 1128 S. loth St.. Philadeli)hia, Pa. Shirk, N. N Richfield, Pa. Sho])well, H Newville, Pa. Steeneck, ]. 1 415 F. 82nd St., New York City. Stefi:'en, A. A 699 Bailey Ave., Buffalo, N. Y. Spinazola, 1 CS Frankfort St., E. Boston, Mass. Stromme, L Viking, Minn. Sullivan, D. F 500 Henderson Ave., West New Brighton, N. Y. 1()2 "C" BATTERY HISTORY Sullivan, J. T 7 L^ayette St., J!oston, Mass. Sweeney, J 302 W. I52ncl St., New York City. Taggart, J. J 2541 Waterloo St., Philadelphia. Pa. Taylor, C. J 240 . 87th St., New York City. Unrath, R. E Care of Klein, F. Vadaka, I y^ Cottage St., E. Boston, Mass. \'ilece, — 24 Pedford St., .S()mer\il]e, Mass. W'eher, H. G Accident, .Md. White, B. N., jr 54 Soley St., Charlestown, Mass. Williams, P. M 150 Essex St., I lolyoke, Mass. Wilson, G. B 28 McDonough St., Ih'ooklyn, N. Y. Winkler, E 404 Audul)()n Ave., New York City. ^>llin, \i 17 ( )nidia .St., Boston, Mass. Zarogianis, J 147 Court .St., Boston, Mass. Zartnian, R 4 Xewland St., Boston, Mass. Crane, T Orchard I Hll I\-irm, Dover Plains, X. j. Willefcjrd, W Sumter, S. C. I lyde, D. R Yale Cluh, Xew York City. Klee, W. 11 312 W. i;8th St., New York City. Scott, J. S 222 1 larrison Ave., \i. Roanoke, \ a. Hunter, G. ¥ Oo Summer .St., k>oston, Mass. Duell, H. S 19 W. 44th St., Xew ^'<)rk City. \'an Saltza, P .()gun([uit. Me. Kelley, S. (i i W. 3<.ih St., .Xew \'(.rk City. ()T)rien, K ^2^) Park .Ave., New ^'ork City.