Smsishing Through **The World War" WITH Rghting Battery C > 7 Q Class Book C0P)Tig}ltj\°___jCL 3'^-^ COEsKIGHT DEPOSIT. -"3 ^T" u C=^ ^^l<---r>^^^( <^- SMASHING THROUGH "THE WORLD WAR" With fighting battery C. 102nd F. A. "Yankee Division" 1917—1918—1919 m BY LIEUT. EDWARD D. SIROIS AND CORP. WILLIAM McGINNIS REVISED BV LIEUT. JOHN HOGAN COPYRIGHT 1919 THE MEEK PRESS. SALEM. MAES. utu "5 1919 .S5 ©CI.A559:^26 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER TITLE PAGE Title page I Table of contents Ill List of Illustrations IV Introduction V Dedication VI In Flanders Fields (Poem) VII Gen'l. Clarence R. Edward's letter of appreciation VIII Gen'l. John H. Sherburne's letter of recommendation IX Skeleton Hist, of Battery C before the present war X Col. John F. J. Herbert's letter of endorsement .... XII 1 "The Call to Arms" 1 2 "Mobilization" 3 3 "Off to France" 16 4 "The Training Period" 25 5 "Soissons — B'ucy-le-Long — Chemin-des-Dames" 30 6 "Off to Lorraine" 42 7 "Toul Sector — Seichprey — Xivray — 'Dead Man's Curve' " 47 8 "Off for a Rest Camp (?)" 60 9 "The Chateau-Thierry Drive or the Second Battle of the Marne" 65 10 "The Return from the Drive — Our Third Theoretical Rest Camp" 90 11 "The Battle of the St. Mihiel Salient^Massing for the Drive — Reducing of the Salient" 98 12 "A So-Called Rest— The Troyon or New England Sector — Marcheville and Riaville" 108 13 "Verdun — Meuse — Argonne — Armistice" 112 14 "U. S. Army Service and Training Schools in France" 118 15 "Wounded— A Peep Behind the Veil" 126 16 "Awaiting Orders for Home" 132 17 "Headed for Home" 141 18 "God's Country" 146 19 "Demobilization" 158 20 "Back to Civies" 162 General Statistics 166 The American Legion 175 III UST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Majoi' Gen'l. Clarence R. Edwards addressing Lawrence Soldiers — Troyon Sector opposite page VIII Col. J. F. J. Herbert — photographic reproduction opposite page XII ^ Capt. William F. Howe Jr.— "The Fighting Skipper."— photog- raphic reproduction opposite page 1 Remains of a '75 Caisson — 1st. Section Battery C, — Picking up remains of comrades — 4th. Section Battery C opposite page 16 Special detail on reconnaissance — The Mongolia — Grave of Everett Roy Kenney — Special detail resting — "Are we hap- py"? "You bet we are." opposite page 29 / Lt. Edward D. Sirois — Sgt. William I. Hart — Ruins of house Bucy-le-Long — Mail day, ruins of church opposite page 36 / All set for a mustard gas attack — Officers figuring firing data — Cpl. William McGinnis — Mus. Arthur Morin shooting Boche Planes opposite page 55 Corp. Charles Connors and Norman Barteaux — Washing Cais- sons — On the March to Lorraine — Optical station opposite page 70 Jaulgonne-Fere-en-Tardenois Highway — '77 bursting — No Man's Land, Vaux barbed wire entanglements — Two 210 milimeter shells bursting opposite page 85 A 210 milimeter shell bursting — 4th. Section Battery C — No Man's Land Chateau-Thierry — No Man's Land Troyon Sector — A 308 milimeter shell hole opposite page 96 Frank Hayes and Corp. Chs. Connors — All ready for a box car trip — Telephone crew and dugout — Sgt. Frank Killilea — Ben and Harry Poole — Ed. D. Sirois and 210 dud opposite page 112 Lawrence men listening to Gen'l. Edwards* talk. . . .opposite page 128 Corp. Wm. McGinnis and Pvt. Joseph Lonergan — Kloby in train- ing in France — Grave of Pvt. Arthur Dyer — Sgt. John J. McCarthy and Corp. Ed. D. Sirois — A cootie hunt — Sgt. John G. Sheehan and Corp. James Dick opposite page 144 ^ Mongolia mid-ocean, "On the way home" — One of our so-called rest camps opposite page 160 IV INTRODUCTION The Authors in the following pages have attempted to give the friends of Battery C. 102d Field Artillery, a clear and concise record of our achievements during the world war. A brief outline of the early history is included, showing how the organization came into existence at the close of the Civil War. No history would be complete without mention of the "Yankee Division," of which Battery C, was a unit. Under the leadership of our gallant Commander, Major General Clarence R. Edwards, the Division was cited time and again by high officials of the French Army, During the Second Bat- tle of the Marne, the civil population of the devastated regions surrounding Paris conferred the title *' Saviours of Paris" up- on the "Yankee Division." All the information contained in this book (except citations and orders) is compiled from dia- ries kept by the Authors during the whole course of the War. All photographs used in this book are actual photographs taken in Action by the Authors except those to wlhom credit is given. At this time we desire to thank the citizens of Lawrence particularly Armorer John P. Ryan and the Elementary Teachers Association of Lawrence and the friends of Battery C, for the many kind expressions of friendship tended during the dark days of 1918, while the Battery was in action. It gave us encouragement to continue the fight. Lt. Edward D. Sirois Corp. William McGinnis The Authors are especially grateful to Lieut John J. Hogan of the teaching staff of the Lawrence High School for assistance rendered in the revision of manuscript. DEDICATION This history of Battery C, 102d Field Artillery, of the Yankee Division, from Lawrence, Massachusetts, is dedicated to our comrades of the Battery who were killed in action on the Western Front or who died of disease contracted while fighting for the Flag. They gave their lives in the true "YANKEE DIVISION" spirit, a spirit that never admitted defeat. May their noble sacrifice be an inspiration to the future members of Battery C and to the citizens of Lawrence. The memory of these heroes will always be cherished by Battery C: Corporal August Mathison — Killed in action at Chateau Thierry. Private Phillips — ^Balled in action at Chateau Thierry. Private Self — ^Killed in action at Chateau Thierry. Private Jean Chenard — Killed in action Verdun. Private Everett Roy Kenney — Died at Camp Coetquidan. Private Charbonneau — Died at Aix-la-Bains. Private Arthur Dyer — Killed at La Ferte Haute Marne. Private George Scanlon — Died in the United States. THEY DIED THAT DEMOCRACY MIGHT TRIUMPH OVER AUTOCRACY MAY THEIR MEMORY AND DEEDS BE EVER PRESERVED VI IN FLANDERS' FIELDS In Flanders' fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place, while in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead: Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders' fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe, To you from failing hands we throw The Torch — ^be yours to bear it high! If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders' Fields. By Lieut. Colonel John McCrea, Canadian Army. vn HEADQUARTERS NORTHEASTERN DEPARTMENT 99 CHAUNCY STREET BOSTON, MASS. June 16, 1919. Lieut. Edward D. Sirois, 102nd Field Artillery, Lawrence, Mass. My dear Lieutenant Sirois: I remember your statement to me some two weeks ago that you purposed to write a history of Battery C, 102nd. Field Artillery, and your request that I should write a note relative to the Battery to go with that of the colonel of the regiment. I shall not attempt to "paint the lily" after your colonel and yourself write the details about the gallant work of this fine organiza- tion. Suffice it for me to state that the record was fine, typical of the regiment, in an artillery brigade of which there was no peer, as far as I have knowledge, in France. The liaison between the artillery and the infantry especially delighted me. The artillery swore by their infantry and the infantry swore by their artillery. Confidence of this kind means shock troops. I am inclined to believe that the fine protective work of the artillery, automatically functioning in protection of the infantry, was largely responsible for our comparatively light losses, considering the prob- lems we have met. I recall your excellent battery commanders, Daniels and Howe, as well as the rest of your personnel, with much pleasure. Sincerely yours. Major General, U. S. Army. VIII O So H « 5 ^ o :S O W H fa W -« w < ^ C W tM pc; fa o -< . ^ ^ "^ 01 3 ^ o fa o « fa fa O S < 53 State St., Boston July 14tli, 1919. Lieut. Edward D. Sirois, Lawrence Telegram, Lawrence, Mass. Dear Sirois: I am very glad to hear that Corp. McGinnis and yourself are preparing to publish the history of Battery C. I think no one outside of Lawrence has known better Bat- tery C for a longer time than myself, and no one could value more the achievements of the Battery both in the years prep- aratory to the War and in the War itself. The record of the Battery is one of which Lawrence may well be proud in future years and I am glad that you are making the record a permanent historical document. Yours very truly. Brig. Gen'l. Commanding 51st. F. A. Brigade. IX SKELETON HISTORY OF BATTERY C BEFORE THE WORLD WAR The present organization known as Battery C 102nd. F. A. 26th. Division of Lawrence, Massachusetts, did not always have this designation. The organization sprung into existence just after the Civil War. Edgar J. Sherman was the principal in the founding of this unit and was its first commanding officer. The outfit was organized in 1864 and became known as Co. K, 6th. regt. of Inf. M. V. M. Capt. Sherman had a distinguished career in civil and public life and was one of the best known and most popular men in Lawrence at that time. He served as District Attorney, Attorney General of Massachusetts and finally as judge of the Superior Court of Massachusetts. Fourteen years after its beginning, in 1878, the organiza- tion was transfered as a whole from the 6th. regt. Inf. M, V. M. to the 8th. regt. Inf. M. V. M. becoming Co. M. L. N. Duchesney who had a brilliant military record in- cluding notable service in the Civil War, now assumed com- mand of the organization which became known as, ''THE SHERMAN CADETS." On May, 10th. 1886, the organization ceased its career as an Infantry unit, being transferred and designated as Battery C, 1st. regt. F. A. M. V. M. and was equipped with American 3-inch field pieces (Light Field Artillery) Capt. Duchesney re- mained in command of the organization when it was changed over, which then became known as "THE SHERMAN LIGHT ARTILLERY." The battery performed very noteworthy service during its existence, both to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Federal Government. During the Spanish American War in 1898, the battery was called into Federal Service and was stationed at Gloucester, Mass., where it performed duty as Coast Artillery with an old Parrot gun. In 1912 during the great textile strike in Lawrence the battery was called into service and did remarkable work maintaining law and order in this city. On June 25th. 1916, the command was mobilized with the other batteries of the regiment at Framingham, Mass. and soon after was transported to the Mexican Border where it saw distinguished service from July 2, 1916 to Oct. 12 1916. The battery was stationed at Camp Pershing, Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas while on the Border. It made an enviable record during this tour of duty and ranked amongst the best militia batteries in the country. While on the Border the militia automatically changed to National Guard holding the same battery and regimental designations as before. In April 1917 a second regiment of artillery was formed in the Commonwealth and Battery C was transferred as a nu- cleus for this new regiment, becoming known as Battery C, 2nd. Kegt. F, A. M. N. G. The battery answered the call of the President for service in the World War and mobilized at Camp Curtis Guild, Box- ford, Mass., on July 25th. 1917. August 5th. 1917, the entire unit was discharged from the National Guard and drafted into the Federal service. In the latter part of August 1917, the outfit became known as Battery C, 102nd. F. A. 26th. Division. During the past ten or fifteen years the battery has spent two weeks in camp each year, for the most part within the State, although several trips were made to other states. Following is a list of former Commanders of Battery C : Capt. Edgar J. Sherman assumed command just after the Civil War and remained until 1886. Capt. L. N. Duchesney 1886-1893 Capt. W. L. Stedman 1893-1900 Capt. C. F. Sargent 1900-1907 Capt. Urban W. Marshall 1907-1910 Capt. Louis S. Cox 1910-1913 Capt. Thorndike D. Howe 1913-1915 Capt. Watkins W. Roberts 1915-1917 Capt. Robert E. Goodwin 1917 (6 weeks) Capt. Roy A. Daniels 1917-1918 Capt. William F. Howe Jr. now commanding. XI Worcester, Massachusetts. June 3, 1919. Lieutenant Edward D. Sirois, Lawrence Telegram, Lawrence, Massachusetts. My dear Lieutenant: I heartily endorse the movement to publish a history of Battery C, 102 F. A. and commend you and Corporal McGinnis for under- taking the writing and publishing of what must be to all those who served with your Battery and with the regiment and to the friends and relatives of the Lawrence boys in the 102nd F. A. an interesting and instructive story of the operations of Lawrence's "Crack Battery." Battery C was one of the two batteries upon which the 102nd F. A. was built. Witli the men of the other battery more was ex- pected from the Lawrence artillerymen than from others in the reg- iment. They were, as we viewed it at the time of organization, vet- eran soldiers, having been for so long associated with the National Guard of Massachusetts and having had the experience of several months work on the Mexican border, so it was they who had to set the example and establish the morale for the boys who had just en- tered upon the work of a soldier. How well the Lawrence boys did their work, and how good was their example is attested by the splendid record of which we are all proud that has made the 102nd F. A. The Battery was fortunate in tiie caliber, character and the ability of its commanding officers and his associates but, capable as they were, efficient as they proved themselves at all times, their work was made the easier because of the willingness, cheerfulness and the co-operating spirit at all times shown by the boys who were in Battery C. It is pleasant to know that the associations and friendships that were welded by experiences in war will be refreshed and continued by the publication of a battery history. I hope that I may be honored to receive a copy of the book when it has come from the publishers. Col. 102nd. F. A. XII COL. J. F. J. HERBERT Commanding 102nd F, A. CAPT. WILLIAM F. HOWE, Jr. "Our Fighting Skipper." CHAPTER I "The Call To Arms" From the moment War was declared among the European Powers, the United States maintained a spirit of strict neutral- ity. This was not to last long, however, for the reason that the German war machine, violating all the accepted rules of International Warfare, soon conducted the War in such a man- ner that the neutral nations began to protest, but without avail. It is not our purpose to give a detailed account of the causes leading up to the entrance of the United States into the War. However, a few of the outstanding features will help the reader to understand Avhy we declared war on Ger- many. The United States has always been considered the Home of true Democracy. The stricken populations of Belgium and France turned their eyes to the United States when the Ger- man Hordes, violating the sanctity of a Treaty Avith Belgium, began their invasion of the little country which was unable to protect itself. The story of Belgium's heroic struggle against tremendous odds will live in the pages of history for- ever. Our sympathies turned to the Belgian Nation and the people of Northern France. They appealed to this country to stand by the starving men, women and children who were non-combatants. The response was magnificent. Ship after ship was despatched with food and clothing to the stricken people, many of them never reaching port. The Hun pirates of the sea were in waiting; a torpedo — a resounding crash — and food that would have saved thousands of people from starvation sank to the bottom of the ocean. The survivors were cast adrift in cold freezing weather hundreds of miles from land, only to be picked up by some passing steamer, many of them long after they Avere dead. The next step was the sinking of the ill-fated LUSITANTA, May 7, 1915, in which 1,134 souls were lost. The American public by this time began to take a stand. The country was divided in opinion. Many favored our entrance SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" into the War, owing to the fact that American lives had been sacrificed. Others insisted that we remain neutral. Gradually were we getting into the war. Bomb plots were being hatched and carried out by German spies and agents all over the United States and hundreds of American citizens lost their lives in these outrages. The climax was reached when President Wilson expelled Count Bernstoff, the German Ambassador to the United States, on Feb. 3, 1917. The situation took on a graver aspect when President Wilson appeared before the Senate on April 2, 1917 and urged the recognition of a State of AVar with Germany. On April the 4th, 1917, by a vote of 32 to 6 in the Senate, in the House, April the 6th, 1917, 373 to 50, the following resolution was passed: "Whereas, The Imperial German Government has com- mitted repeated acts of War against the Government and people of the United States of America; Therefore be it "Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of The United States of America in Congress assembled. That the State of war between the United States and the Imperial German Government which has thus been thrust upon the United States is hereby formerly declared ; and that the Pres- ident be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial German Government and to bring the conflict to a successful termination, all the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States." — (Joint resolution of Congress, approved by the President Ap- ril 6, 1917.) The country was now at war. The Government made preparations to place the Army and Navy on a war footing. The Industrial and Commercial resources of the Nation were placed at the disposal of the Government. Labor and Capital pledged their forces to the country. War was the only topic discussed at work, on the street, and in the home. Prepara- tions were under way to conduct the war according to Ameri- can methods. WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C CHAPTER II "Mobilization" The days that followed the resolution of Congress — that a state of war existed with Germany — were days of action, excitement and vigor. Army, Navy and Marine Corps officials sent out calls for volunteers. Huge, glaring, many colored, picturesque posters Avere placed in prominent spaces all over the country. Recruiting stations were established in Parks, on Commons, in Postoffices and in every conceivable place. Thousands of men hastened to enlist. Congress, under Presi- dent Wilson's suggestion, passed the selective draft act May 18, 1917, under which 10,000,000 men registered on June 5, 191T. It was at this time that the military authorities of Massa- chusetts decided to form a second regiment of Field Artillery in the Commonwealth. Accordingly, preparations were made to this end and Lt. Col, Thorndike D. Howe of Lawrence was appointed to undertake this enormous task. Col. Howe was well qualified to undertake this duty, having been the princi- pal in organizing the second battalion of the First Mass. F. A. N. G. two years before in Salem. The first step in the organi- zation of the neAv regiment of Field Artillery was the trans- ferring of Battery B of Worcester and Battery C of Lawrence, from the first regiment of F. A. Mass. N. G. as a nucleus for the second regiment. Then, two new Batteries were recruited in Boston, to fill the vacancies in the first regiment and four new Batteries were organized in Haverhill, New Bedford, Worcester and Lowell and named Batteries A, D, E, and F respectively to complete the second regiment. The head- quarters and supply Companies of the new regiment were re- cruited in Lawrence and Lawrence was used as the headquar- ters of the regiment. The new regiment became known as the 2nd. Mass. F. A. N. G. was formerly recognized by the War Department. Battery C at this time was fully equipped with American 3-inch field guns, harness, pistols and other equipment, in- eluding 32 horses. SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" Up to this time Capt. Watkins W. Roberts was in com- mand of the Battery, but resigned his command about April and was furloughed to the Reserve Corps as a major. The men of the Battery then set about to elect a new Captain and Lt, Roy A. Daniels, then First Lieutenant in the Battery, was the unanimous choice of the men in the organization and ac- cordingly, Lt. Daniels was elected about the middle of May at the Methuen armory. Lt. Daniels then went to Boston to take the examinations for Captain and successfully passed all the tests, with the one exception that he was nine pounds un- der the regulation weight. Regardless of the fact that Lt. Daniels was also under weight when he took the examination for First Lieutenant, and at that time was passed, the board refused to pass him on this occasion. Lt. Daniels then called a meeting of the Battery members and explained the circum- stances to them. He said that it was a clear case of his not being wanted in this position by the officers higher up, but the Battery boys were firm in their choice and would not change. Lt. Col. Thorndike D. Howe then proposed ex-Mayor John P. Kane as a candidate for the Captaincy of the Battery, but al- though the battery knew that Mr. Kane was an ex-officer of Co. F and that he was a very efficient and capable officer, and meaning no discourtesy to Mr. Kane, they remained solid for Lt. Daniels. Col. Howe then proposed Capt. Robert E. Good- win of Boston, Regimental Adjutant of the First Mass. F. A. for the leadership of the Battery and Col. John H. Sherburne, (General now). Colonel of the First Field Artillery regiment also favored Capt. Goodwin to command the Lawrence Bat- tery. Both Col. Howe and Col. Sherburne spoke to the men of the Battery in the Lawrence Armory and urged them to elect Capt. Goodwin to command the Battery, but although Capt. Goodwin was a very efficient, capable and painstaking officer, the Battery, fearing that something "was being put over on them" and that officers were trying to be thrust upon them for some reason or other and that the officers whom they wanted were being held back, refused to consent to Capt. Goodwin assuming the command of the Battery. Then Col. Sherburne spoke to the men and told them that if they would accept Capt. Goodwin as Battery Commander for six weeks he would promise that Capt. Goodwin would be relieved of WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C his command of the battery within that time. The men of the battery did not like to accede to this proposition and after much debating decided to let Lt. Daniels make the decision, they promising to stand by whatever he deemed best. Lt. Daniels did not like to give in to this arrangement either, but it seemed the only plausible way out of the difficulty, because were the Battery to be mustered into the Federal Service with- out a Captain, their privilege of electing their own officers would cease. Once in the Federal Service, the officers higher up and the Government could appoint whomsoever they pleas- ed, so Lt. Daniels decided in favor of Capt. Goodwin and re- lied on Col. Sherburne keeping his word. The battery took Lt. Daniels' advice, as they had pledged themselves to do, and Capt. Robert E. Goodwin was elected Captain of Battery C, in the Methuen Armory and assumed command immediate- ly. Col. Sherburne kept his word and within five weeks Capt. Goodwin was advanced to the rank of Major and given com- mand of the First Battalion of the 2nd. Mass. F. A. 'J^his would make it appear as though the officers in command wanted to make Capt. Goodwin a Major and that they simply used Bat- tery as a stepping stone to attain this object. Lt. Daniels was appointed Captain and given command of the battery when Capt. Goodwin attained the rank of Major. Although the enlisted personnel of the Battery did not approve of Capt. Goodwin coming to the organization the fact must be acknowledged, however, that he made a "ripping good skipper." The battery was facing a crisis at the time that Capt. Goodwin assumed command. They were sick of being told that if they did not do this or they did not do that, just as someone wanted them to, they would suffer in some way or another. It does not take a great deal of this sort of thing to bring the morale of an organization down and such w^as the state of affairs when Capt. Goodwin assumed command of the Bat- tery. Although only a small man in stature he was full of life and energy, and when he turned the battery over to Capt. Daniels it was once again back to its **01d time spirit." At the time that Lt. Daniels was first elected captain, there were also vacancies for one First Lieutenant and two Second Lieutenants. William F. Howe, Jr., Second Lieutenant SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" in Battery A of Haverhill, was elected to fill the vacancy of First Lieutenant in Battery C, and Corp. Robert J. Hancock and Sergeant Bernard J. Lynch were elected Second Lieu- tenants. These young men went to Boston. Lt. Howe passed the examinations and was assigned to Battery C, Corp. Han- cock and Sgt. Lynch were less fortunate, receiving word some- time later that they had failed. Both thought they could have easily passed the required examinations on their ability and merits, but that did not count for a great deal. Sgt. Lynch did not seek another examination as was his privilege, but im- mediately re-enlisted in the Battery. Corp. Hancock, how- ever, did go to Boston, took the examinations again and passed. He v/as then assigned to Battery C. Sgt. Joseph McCarthy was now elected to fill the vacancy existing and successfully passed all the requirements. Both Lt. Hancock's and Lt. Mc- Carthy's careers were short-lived however. On the 27th. of July, 1917, as the battery was boarding the electric cars to leave the Methuen Armory Lt. Hancock was handed his dis- charge and Lt. McCarthy received his about two weeks later at Boxford, Mass. When Capt. Goodwin assumed command of the battery there were about 130 men in the organization. Due to the fact that the enlistment period of quite a number of the men expired at this time and also due to orders received from the War Dept., that all married men, and men with dependents must be immediately discharged, the ranks of the battery be- came greatly thinned. Capt. Goodwin appointed 1st Lt. William B. Higgins as recruiting officer for the Battery. Lt. Higgins opened re- cruiting stations at both the Lawrence and Methuen Armories and commenced a vigorous campaign for recruits, not in Law- rence alone, but also in the suburbs. This campaign was very successful and the battery secured many fine men such as Charles L. Lannigan, who became a Second Lieutenant at C'nmp Coetquidan, France and later again promoted to First Lieutenant while at the front ; also Joseph M. Mulhare, Police Inspector, who was one of the battery's "Old Timers," and who later became first Sergeant of the Battery in France. Another man was John M. Laing, circulation manager of the Lawrence Telegram, who worked his way to Radio Sergeant WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C in the 102nd F. A. Headquarters Company, Clarence L. Young of the Essex Company who came home as Regimental Sergeant Major of the 102nd F. A. was another man who enlisted in the battery as a private. These young men and many more like them were secured through the untiring efforts of Lt. Hig- gins. His work had been done so satisfactorily that when the battery was ready to leave Lawrence it required but few men to complete its full War strength quota. Orders were issued to the Battery to report at the Me- thuen Armory at 4.00 o'clock, July 24, 1917, where a check roll-call was held, and all the members of the Battery found present. A special courier was despatched to the State House, Boston. He waited there all night and when the Adjutant General's Office opened on July 25th, Battery C was one of the first units of the Massachusetts National Guard reported present and awaiting orders. In the meantime, the Battery was busy pitching tents on the spacious drill field behind the Armory and getting everything in readiness for the order to move. The following day at 1.30 p. m. guns, caissons and horses moved over the road to Boxford, Mass. The rest of the battery were transported in touring cars supplied by the bus- iness men of Lawrence. Here the two Massachusetts Field Artillery Regiments and a third regiment composed of State Troops from the other New England States combined were mobilized, later becoming the 51st Artillery Brigade of the 26th Division. OFFICERS OF BATTERY C AT TIME OF DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE CAPTAIN Roy A. Daniels FIRST LIEUTENANTS William B. Higgins William F. Howe, Jr. SECOND LIEUTENANTS Andrew W. Thompson Prentiss French SMASHING THROUGH THE "WOULD WAR' ROSTER OF BATTERY C AT THE TIME OF THEIR DEPAR- TURE FROM LAWRENCE First Sergeant William F. Halloran, Lawrence Stable Sergeant Daniel J. Lorden, 751 Essex St., Lawrence Mess Sergeant Joseph M. Rinehart, 269 South Broadway, Lawrence Supply Sergeant Frank Conway, 5 Chestnut St., Winchendon SERGEANTS John J. McCarthy, 12 Cypress St., Lawrence Clarence S. Davis, 563 Haverhill St., Lawrence Mark W. Wyman, 43 Falmouth St., Lawrence Leo Lacasse, 297 High St., Lawrence Hartley L. Calvert, 30 Crescent St., Lawrence William F. Weinhold, 17 Dewey St., Lawrence Eric E Borton, 34 Loring St., Lawrence Bernard J. Lynch, 135 Bowdoin St., Lawrence Joseph A. Pageau, 52 Railroad St., Lawrence John G. Sheehan, 285 High St., Lawrence CORPORALS Joseph M Cote, 241 Salem St., Lawrence Frank J. Killilea, 89 Stearns Ave., Lawrence Daniel Danahy, 223 Hampshire St., Lawrence James Dick, 3 Cuba Ct., Andover Wilfred Cote, 241 Salem St., Lawrence Charles Hanley, 146 Willow St., Lawrence William I. Hart, 10 Phillips St., Lawrence Edward D. Sirois, 44 Oak St., Lawrence Ralph Rossi, 119 Elm St., Lawrence Edgar Blancliette, 41 Tyler St., Lawrence Thomas Lacey, 82 Holly St., Lawrence Bernard Coia, 75 Oak St., Lawrence William McGinnis, 247 Broadway, Lawrence George Rainville, 82 Farley, Lawrence Charles E. Connors, 68 Texas Ave., Lawrence Herman T. Gage, 232 Bradford St., No. Andover 8 AVITH FIGHTING BATTERY C Charles L. Lannigan, 239 Andover St., Lawrence Harry W. Law, 132 Oakland Ave., Methuen Daniel Neal, 4 Ck)nduit St., Lawrence Edward F. O'Leary, 175 Haverhill St., Lawrence David 0. Yule, 173 Broadway, Lawrence CHIEF MECHANICIAN Ralph E. Strout, R. F. D. 5, Belfast, Me. MECHANICIANS George R. Belisle, 282 West St., Lawrence William G. Martin, 107 Nesmith St., Lawrence SADDLER Camille Dion, 161 West St., Lawrence HORSESHOER Alexander Dube, 36 Morton St., Lawrence COOKS Arthur M. Ellis, 10 Warren St., Lawrence George A. Grey, 282 Broadway, Lawrence Frank J. Lorden, 751 Essex St., Lawrence PRIVATES (First Class) Fred A. Gleason, 102 Walnut St., Lawrence Peter Mich, 17 Currier St., Lawrence PRIVATES Samuel Adams, 62 Phillip St., Lawrence Leslie Anderson, 125 Osgood St., Lawrence Edward Bachand, 40 Manchester St., Lawrence Jol-in Barmby, 200 Tyler St., Methuen John W. Barrow, 4 Osborn St., Fall River Timothy J. Barry, 102 Sarotoga St,, Lawrence Frank Beanland, 68 Camden St., Lawrence Peter Beaudoin, 15 Tremont St., Lawrence Rosario J. Beaulieu, 44 Tremont St., Lawrence Albert Belanger, 36 Dracut St., Lawrence Michael A. Belawsky, 25 Harvard St., Lawrence Andrew Beletsky, 87 Valley St., Lawrence Patrick Berube, 603 Andover St., Lawrence William H. Bevington, 36 Manchester St., Lawrence Earl H. Bitler, 176 Abbott St., Lawrence Andrew J. Boisonneau, 159 Weare St., Lawrence Bernard T. Bowden SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" James W. Bradley, 9 Byron Ave., Lawrence Edward Broohu, 10 Hobson St., Methuen Timothy Carroll, 310 Salem St., Lawrence Frank Carroll, 92 Berkeley St., Lawrence Leo L. Carney, 46 Morton St., Lawrence William E. Carney, 86 Arlington St., Lawrence Ernest E. Carter, 16 Madison St., Methuen Joseph Charbonneau, 1 Acton St., Lawrence Jean B. Ohenard, 52 Railroad St., Lawrence Joseph Coakley, 167 Salem St., Lawrence Arthur J. Collins, 415 Andover St., Lawrence Frank Collins, 16 Turner St., Lawrence Thomas Corcoran, 507 Essex St., Lawrence Edward J. Coughlin, 42 Crosby St., Lawrence Irvin Cravin, 168 Tenney, Methuen Percival S. Crawford, 332 Pelham St., Methuen Warren G. Curtin, 32 Avon St., Lawrence Louis E. Daigneault, 40 Water St., Lawrence Thomas Davies, 4 Buxton St., Methuen Walter W. Demers, 258 Essex St., Lawrence Pierre Desbiens, 447 Haverhill St., Lawrence James J. Devine, 149 Foster St., Lawrence William D. Donovan, 98 Auburn St., Lawrence Francis D. Dowd, 99 Abbott St., Lawrence Arthur Dube, 337 So. Broadway, Lawrence James J. Dugan, R. F. D., Highland Road, No. Andover Rene E. Faucher, 17 Daisy St., Lawrence George H. Fegerus, 5 Lund St., Worcester John L. Ferguson, 153 Prospect St., Lawrence Harold A. Fitzgerald, 460 Water St., Lawrence John A. Fortin, 12 Perkins Ct., Lawrence Charles Frazier, 19 Rowell St., Lawrence Wilfred Gagnon, 33 Crosby St., Lawrence Harold A, Gardner, 73 Essex St., Lawrence Harry Green, Y. M. C. A., Lawrence Joseph A. Greene, 386 Park St., Lawrence Augustine Hadden, 71 Crescent St., Lawrence George M. Hajjar, 262 Hampshire St., Lawrence Raymond W. Hamel, 114 Butler St., Lawrence Heni-y Hartman, 98 East Haverhill St., Lawrence 10 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C Francis P. Hayes, 83 Easton St., Lawrence William J. Hayes, 83 Easton St., Lawrence William Heffernan, 76 Bunker Hill St., Lawrence Frank P. Hennessey, 30 Manchester St., Lawrence Otto A. Hoffman, 47 Storrow St., Lawrence Benjamin Hollins, 24 V/illow St., Lawrence Melvin H. Hubbard, 107 Ashland Ave., Methuen Josiah H. Hull, 317 Lawrence St., Lawrence Fred D. Hurrell, 70 Oakland Ave., Lawrence Albert D. Hutton, 37 Eutaw St., Lawrence James Ingle, 9 Chelmsford St., Lawrence James Innis, 67 Warren St., Lav/rence Alfred Jean, 108 Concord St., Lawrence William E. Jordan, 101 So. Broadway, Lawrence Joseph Joyce, 374^/^ Common St., Lav/rence Henry B. Judge, 110 Ames St., Lawrence James J. Kane, 630 Broadway, Lawrence John Kavanah, 194 Walnut St., Lawrence Roy Kenney, 70 Dorchester St., Lawrence John M. Laing, 57 Center St., Methuen George H. Langford, 2 Concord St., Lawrence Aime Latulippe, 30 Ohio Ave., Lawrence Robert E. Laycock, 32 Melrose St., Lawrence Cyril Lemay, 41 Orchard St., Lawrence Harry F. Leslie, 69 Fern St., Lawrence Matthew J. Linehan, 220 Salem St., Lawrence Joseph D. Lonergan, 365 Oak St., Lawrence John F. Manion, 3 Bunker Hill St., Lawrence Francis Manning, 141 Arlington St., Lawrence Louis 0. Mai-tin, 4 Westland Ave., Lawrence Laurence J. Matthews August Mathison, 16 Clayton Ave., Methuen William H. McClellan, 475 Essex St., Lawrence Harold McDonald, 15 Crawford St., Lowell William E. McDonough, 64 Oregon Ave., Lawrence Raymond E. McGeoch, 405 Water St., Lawrence John McNamee, 46 Margin St., Lawrence William Menzie, 440 Haverhill St., Lawrence Theophile Mercier, 27 River View St., Beverly Arthur M. Miller, Au. Sable Forks, New York 11 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" Arthur Morin, 48 Railroad St., Lawrence Daniel F. Moynihan, 14 Trenton St., Lawrence Michael F. Murphy, 121 Haverhill St., Lawrence Albert Noble, 42 Texas Ave., Lawrence John F. O'Brien, 22 Bromfield St., Lawrence James O'Brien, 395 Park St., Lawrence John J. O'Neil, 98^/^ Tremont St., Lawrence Dominick Palesky, 1 Cantillon St., Lawrence Frank R. Payson, 15 Washington St., Lawrence Thomas H. Peel, 149 Tenney, Methuen Benjamin Poole, 58 Tenney St., Lawrence Charles Poole, 86 Park St., Lawrence Harry Poole, 58 Tenney St., Lawrence Alcide J. Poudrier, 286 Broadway, Lawrence John Provencher, 2 Blanohard St., Lawrence Michael J. Rahilly, 311 Ham.pshire St., Lawrence Leon N. Randall, 130 Cross St., Lawi-ence John J. Regan, 55 So. Broadway, Lawrence William H. Ruediger, 31 Lippold St., Lawrence Phillip J. Riley, 235 Salem St., Lawrence Frank Rourke, 2 Hall Place, Lowell Patrick Ryan, 12 Atkinson St., Lawrence George E. Scanlon, 396 So. Broadway, Lawrence Bruno Sedar, 109 Newbury St., Lawrence Albert Seguin, 72 Margin St., Lawrence Herbert Slattery, 12 Elizabeth St., Lawrence Edward C. Sullivan, 31 Bromfield St., Lawrence Charles F. Sweeny, 38 Cedar St., Lawrence Eugene Topping, 30 Nesmith St., Lawrence Henry Topping, 30 Nesmith St., Lawrence Ricliard E. Tordoff, Y. M. C. A., Lawrence Patrick H. Webb, 127 Bennington St., Lawrence Horace White, 48 Shattuck St., Lawrence William L. Wilkinson, 35 Mass. Ave., No. Andover Clarence L. Young, 375 Lowell St., Methuen Henry Thibault, 32 Crosby St., Lawreiic2 Omer St. Pierre, 305 Broadway, Lawrence Joseph Mulhare, 359 Haverhill, Lawrence 12 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C Life at Boxford was one round of pleasure. Nearby cities and towns could be easily reached and the camp was crowded with visitors at all times. We were under the impression that our next move would be to Charlotte, N. C. The troops Avere rapidly adapting themselves to military discipline. Owing to the efficiency of the New England State Troops, the War De- partment was prevailed upon to despatch the troops to France. AVinter clothing and equipment were issued and Aug. 5, 1917, the National Guard units were drafted into the United States Army by a special act of Congress. . Shortly after this the 26th Division, which General Ed- wards and his staff had been working on for such a length of time became a reality. All the New England National Guard had been grouped together into the different regiments and now all that was necessary was to change their names. Accordingly, the three regiments of Artillery at Camp Curtis Guild became the 101, 102 and 103 Field Artillery regiments of the United States Army, forming the 51st Field Artillery Brigade. The Infantry and other branches of the service were named and grouped into Brigades in a similar manner. Bat- tery C was now a unit of the 102nd Field Artillery. It is now worthy of mention that all the material, horses and ordnance equipment had been turned in. We were now a "'Christian Science" Artillery Brigade. Of everything that took place at Boxford, there is one thing that stands out much more prominently than anything else and that was the inocu- lation against typhoid. All the new men had to take five in- oculations, while the older "vets" who had been in the organ- ization for some time and who had received an inoculation while on the Mexican Border, only had to take three at this time. Without this precaution the troops in France never would have been able to stand the grind. Just before the battery was called into service William Hollaran, who was farrier in the battery, with the rank of corporal was appointed 1st. sergeant, when 1st. sergeant Harry Smith was discharged on account of having dependents. Bill Hollaran who was known to the boys as "Father," was top sergeant when the battery went to Boxford. He was one of the best 1st. sergeants that the battery ever had and was very popular and well liked by the entire personnel of the organiza- 13 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" tion. Bill knew men, he knew how to handle men and how to get the best discipline without tyrannizing the men under him. First sergeant is one of the toughest jobs in the army, as a ]st. sergeant is the middleman between the officers and the enlisted men. A first sergeant very seldom makes any friends, but on the contrary makes a lot of enemies. Bill Hollaran was the exception to this rule. There was hardly a man in the battery who had anything but the deepest respect and admira- tion for him. However, Bill, "Our Father," was in the hands of Fate. One day the boys were astonished to hear that he had been reduced to a duty sergeant and transferred to Battery A. It was one of the biggest mistakes that Battery C ever made to lose Bill Hollaran. As stable sergeant of Battery A of Haverhill he performed excellent service and later on when the regiment got to the front he had the best set of horses in the Brigade. The battery boys never officially learned why Bill Hollaran was reduced and transferred and Bill was too much of a man to explain himself. He bore his exile like a soldier and when asked about it he would say, "It can't be helped now, let's forget it." Nevertheless Ave had a right to think, that is if we didn't think out loud, and to this day the battery boys still believe that Bill Hollaran was the victim of Military Politics. His parting words to the battery, "I would rather be a prvate in this battery, than top sergeant in any other outfit," serves to shoAv in Avhat regard he held Battery C. He tried to secure a reduction to a private and be transferred back to Battery C but was unsuccessful. PAY DAY Oh, it's early in the morning. The mules begin to squeal, You hear the cooks a banging pans To get the morning meal ; The Bugler sort o' toodlin' Outside the Colonel's tent, And you kind o' feel downhearted, 'Cause your last two bits is spent. 14 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C With a leggin' string you're fussin' When the band begins to play, And you listen and stop cussin' — What is that the Bugles say? Oh, it's PAY-DAY, PAY-DAY, PAY-DAY, And the drums begin to roll, And they sure do carry music To the busted Johnnie's soul. Some think about the girls they'll get, And some, about the beer; Some say they'll send their money home, And all begin to cheer. The games Avill soon be goin' Snap your fingers at the dice ; With canteen spigots flowin', 'Til the barkeeps out of ice. For it's PAY-DAY, PAY-DAY, PAY-DAY; Can't you hear the bugles call? The privates and the Non-coms, The officers and all Have been waitin', and waitin', waitin', 'Til they're broke or badly bent For the coins staked up on blankets And table in a tent. Fifteen dollars in the mornin' By the evein' in the hole; And ''Private Jones is absent. Sir," When the sergeant calls the roll; The officers are lookin' up The ''Articles of War." There's sixteen in the guard-house, And the Provost has some more. Author Unknown. 15 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" CHAPTER m Off To France When the organization of the division was completed, there was no time lost in getting ready for France. It was intended that the Division should go to Charlotte, N. C, for a period of training, previous to embarking for France. Ac- cording to all the magazines and newspapers of the day, it was the intention of the War Department to first send to France the 42nd "Rainbow" Division, which was made up from the National Guard of about 27 states, but the "Yankee" Division beat them to it. Giving to the zeal and spirit with which the New England troops entered into the game, a high state of efficiency was soon attained. The 26tli was ready to go to France before the Rainbow Division was completely or- ganized and realized what was going on. Everything was being done with the greatest of secrecy. None of the men and few of the officers knew exactly what was going on. But "Old Dame Rumor," started things going and sure stirred up trouble for a time. The signs were too pronounced to be mistaken. We began to pack all surplus equipment and mark the boxes, trunks and baggage with the overseas insignia. Then, all knew what was in the air. It was France for us without a doubt. All were in the best of spirits for, at last, we were going to avenge the insult heaped upon our Flag and Country by the German Government. At the retreat formation of the battery, 5.30 o'clock, the night of Wednesday, Sept. 19, 1917, Capt. Daniels issued or- ders that every man would be allowed on pass all night, until reveille, 6.30 A. M., the next morning. The captain informed the battery that it would in all probability be the last oppor- tunity to go home, but also impressing upon them the import- ance of being back by 6.30 A. M. the following morning, the penalty for non-appearance being a court-martial. Battery A of Haverhill and Battery F of Lowell also had the right to take advantage of this privilege but the Commanders of these two Batteries did not allow the men to go, fearing that they 16 .-»aifeitt».i rfftw t JMl& i li l w iiiiil l Si WrlB^ ii i ■» Top : — Remains of a '75 and caisson, blown off by a defective shell, Camp Coetquidan, France; Center left: — 1st. Section Bat- tery C, Sgt. Bernard J. Lynch in charge, at firing practice, Camp Coetquidan, France; Center right: — Same gun as above, men pick- ing remains of 5 comrades who were killed and blown to pieces, when piece exploded; Bottom: — 4th. Section, Battery C, Sgt. Charles Hanley in charge, at firing practice. Camp Coetquidan, France, left to right — Joseph Greene, Henry Hartman, John Provencher, and Louis Daigneault (Note the gun in this picture in extreme recoil.) Pictures taken by the authors. WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C would not be back in time. At the 6.30 roll-call Thursday, September 20, every man in Battery C answered present to his name. The organization received a flattering compliment from Col. Morris E. Locke, who was now the Regimental Com- mander of the 102nd F. A. for their promptness and perfect soldierly conduct. Friday, September 21, 1917, was our last day at Camp Cur- tis Guild, Boxford, Mass. The morning wsls spent in making rolls, packing equipment and tearing down all construction work that we had erected. At 1.30 P. M. "General," was blown and every tent in the regiment came dow^n simultane- ously. In a race that followed to see who would have all equipment packed first, Battery C v^'on out. At 10.15 that night we boarded the train at the Boxford depot on the first leg of our journey to France, after 58 days of Army life spent at this camp. Little did we realize on this calm, peaceful September evening Avith everyone in the best of spirits, that we had seen our relatives, friends and sweet- hearts, for the last time for many a long day. The thought that some of us would never see them again never even entered our minds. Little did v>^e know of battlefields, poisonous gas, dugouts, trenches, of cooties and almost a year at the front without a rest and here the fact must be acknowledged little did we care, for the soldier lives for today — let tomorrow bring what it will. Previous to the departure of the train, orders were issued that all curtains must be pulled down, no one was to talk or hold conversation with people outside. If asked who we were, where we came from, or where we were bound, we were to say that we did not knoAv. We were to be absolutely dumb. We were not given a glorious send-off, with brass bands playing, people cheering and flags waving — we just "sneaked off in the middle of the night, ' ' and to a certain extent that was just the way we preferred to leave. The American people were sending us to represent them in the greatest war of all time. We had a grim and gigantic task before us. We were on our way to avenge the wrongs done by the most ruthless, heartless and most despised nation in the world, to the most patient, peace- loving people who formed the greatest nation on the globe — a people who had patiently listened to the slanderous lies of a 17 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" barbarian nation for three long years, but who were now aroused and ready to make every sacrifice to bring the Prus- sian rule to an end. We were representatives of the most just and glorious cause that ever man fought for — the Vanguard of the American Army, 2,500,000 strong. And well did we know that the time for brass bands and cheers would come when we accomplished the task before us. THE NATIONAL GUARD Didn't know much, but knew something, Learned while the other men played, Didn't delay for commissions; Went while the other men stayed. Took no degrees up at Plattsburg, Needed too soon for the game, Ready at hand to be asked for, Orders said "Come" — and they came. Didn't get bars on their shoulders, Or three months to see if they could; Didn't get classed with the reg'lars. Or told they were equally as good. Just got a job and got busy. Awkward they were but intent. Filing no claim for exemption. Orders said "Go" — and they went. Didn't get farewell processions. Didn't get newspaper praise. Didn't escape the injunction. To mend, in extent, their ways. Work-bench and counter and roll-top, Dug in and minding their chance, Orders said "First line of trenches;" They're holding them — somewhere in France. Author Unknown 18 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C T'was a hard bloAv, however, Avhen our train passed through South Lawrence — our own home town and actually- stopped. The platform was lined with fully a thousand peo- ple, mothers, fathers, wives, sisters, brothers and sweethearts of the boys, but we had already learned the first essential of a good soldier — obedience to orders — and the curtains re- mained down. Bitter as the pill was the swallow, there was not a fellow in that train whose eyes were not wet when he left the station for — God only knew where. At 12.26 noon on September 22, 1917, we arrived in New York city and immediately detrained. The march to the wharf was very short. The ferry-boat Sumner carried us to Hoboken where we boarded the U. S. S. Transport Finland at 5.00 P. M. The entire regiment was put on this ship. Two Major Generals and two Brigadier Generals also traveled with us. Early on the morning of September 23rd. we pulled out into the harbor, w^here we anchored all day. As the sun was set- ting this wonderful Sunday afternoon, we caught our last glimpse of the statue of Liberty and the buildings of New York's waterfront, in fact, our last glimpse of the good old U. S. A. for nineteen, long, weary months, for exactly at 10.17 P. M. Sept. 23, 1917, the propellers of the Finland started to re- volve and at last we were on our way to France. What a beauti- ful picture the lights of New York presented, as they gradually grew dimmer, and dimmer, and finally faded from our vision ! Never shall we forget it. As we glanced around the waterfront our thoughts wan- dered back to Lawrence and the events of the past forty-eight hours, we gazed out towards the ocean. We knew the trip was fraught with danger but we were ready and anxious to get over where' things were being done. Standing on the deck of the transport we were soon made to realize that the atmos- phere of war was in evidence everywhere, all the docks were flooded with lights, armed sentries were on hand everywhere, their bayonets glistening in the moonlight, police officers were helping the military authorities, we were wishing the trip was under way. 19 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR' We were soon made aware of the fact that the voyage v/as not to be one of blissful idleness as many had anticipated, be- cause a submarine Avatch was organized that night. This guard was posted at regular intervals at vantage points all over the ship. The duty of this guard was to maintain a con- stant lookout for not only periscopes and submarines, but to report all vessels coming into sight. In our convoy there were three transports, the Antilles, Henderson and the one on which we sailed, the Finland. Our escort, consisted of the Armed Cruiser San Diego and two de- stroyers Nos. 22 and 24. On their return trip both the Fin- land and the Antilles were torpedoed, but both were success- ful in reaching Le Havre safely. The San Diego was less fortunate than these two. This cruiser ran on the rocks off the coast of New York and became a total wreck. The "Prison Ship, Finland," was the name that we gave to our ship and surely it Avas most appropriately named. "No smoking" below decks at any time for fear of fire and "no smoking" on deck after dusk for fear that the glow would at- tract any U-boats Avhich might be lurking near. After dark there was not a single light showing anywhere on that ship. The Finland was a fairly large boat, its beam 85 feet, length 690 feet and it has done fine work in the transport service. She carried at this time four 4-inch guns, tAvo fore and two aft and she also carried a machine gun. The gun-crew who manned the guns certainly attended to business. We used to like to sit down and Vv^atch them drill. When a strange vessel was sighted, the crew would train the guns on it and keep them there until it was out of sight. Every vessel was chal- lenged. The bunks and quarters of the men were all below deck. The bunks consisted of a wooden frame, across which canvas was stretched. These bunks were three tiers high and there were bunks on five decks. The ventilation was terrible. It was almost impossible to get a breath of air on the second deck let alone the fifth, and because of this and the poor qual- ity of the food many of the men, who otherwise would have escaped, were made subject to seasickness. Most of the men were seasick the second day out and remained so during the entire voyage. Giving to the general feeling and disposition of the men most of us did not care a great deal whether we 20 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C were torpedoed or not. It was a crime to issue to anybody the food that was served on this boat and the man responsible should have been held accountable. The food given us was horrible. It lacked quality and quantity. It was not that there was not sufficient on board because we were able to steal our VA^ay down into the galley after dark and there buy pastry made from flour intended to be used for the troops, from an unscrupulous English steward. Pies made from this flour averaged one dollar and a half each. The boys "settled his hash," one night, however, and he spent the remainder of the trip in the ship's hospital. One of the most popular officers in our regiment made himself the most despised man on the ship because he carried his duties as Mess Officer too far. There was also a canteen on board but the prices were so exorbitant that it was far be« yond our means to purchase anything. We were compelled to pay fifteen cents for an ordinary five-cent bar of chocolate and twenty cents for a ham sandwich in which it Avas some job to find the ham. Oranges sold for twenty-five and fifty cents each. A great part of the goods that were being sold by the crew was supposed to be issued to us. The boat was not op- erated by naval officers and crew, but by a private concern. The boat and the sea had many interesting sights for us, in that they were ncAv. Our only source of entertainment was the band which played considerably. There was also a large collection of magazines aboard which were donated by the Araerican Red Cross. The boat drills every day were very unpopular, but at the same time helped to lessen the monotony of the voyage. Sept. 25, 1917, was our first real day of excitement. An incident occurred which we consider worthy of mention here. About the maddle of the afternoon, the engine slowed down, rnd the boat suddenly stopped. The officers ordered the crew to make ready and lower the emergency boat. Running to the port side we saw the cause of the trouble. A sailor had fallen overboard from the Battle-Cruiser, San Diego, and another f-ailor, seeing his plight, dived overboard to save him which he did after a great deal of swimming. We learned later on, that this man was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He certainly deserved it. 21 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR' Necessity compelled us to adopt several methods of se- curing food. Every night about twelve o'clock three or four •of the boys would proceed to the galley with canteens, under the pretense of securing water. While there, one man would stay on guard and the others would raid the pantry where the freshly baked bread was stored. In these raids we averaged ;a dozen loaves of bread every night. There was a certain cor- poral in the battery who was a leader in all the raids. Ninety- two loaves was his record for the trip. We would then open some of our reserve rations of "corned willy," and with the bread, would have a feast. Many of the officers knew that this was going on, but they also knew of the predicament that the men were in on the food question, and, as they were pow- erless to interfere, they simply closed their eyes. This only goes to prove once again the old saying, "that a good soldier will never go hungry." There are many who would consider this a crime but to those who think this way let me ask one question, "have you ever in your life been really hungry and knew that there was food around, but you couldn't get it by asking?" I wonder what you'd do in a case like this? The latter part of the trip Avas very interesting. Little excitement prevailed, however, and we almost prayed for a submarine to show itself to liven up things a little bit. On October 1, at 2 P. M. we entered the war or danger zone. From then on until the completion of the voyage all life boats were swung from the davits ready for any emergency. Every man on board was compelled to wear his life belt. We even had to sleep in them. On October 3rd, early in the morning, our convoy was increased by five American destroyers. It was an inspiring sight to see these little ocean guards come sud- denly upon us as if from nowhere with "Old Glory" flying to the breeze. The last two days of the trip were exciting to a de- gree. We w^ere compelled to rise early in the morning and stand to the life boats, so that we would be ready in case a U-boat had followed us during the night. The favorite hour for torpedoing vessels by these Hun pirates was just before daybreak. But we did not fear them because we really did not think anything would happen. We placed our utmost confidence and faith in the United States Naval officers and crew. October 4, 1917, at 3.11 the lighthouse on Belle-Isle, a small island off the coast of 22 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C France, just north of St. Nazaire, was sighted. On October 5th, at 3.16 A. M. we sighted the mainland and it was no more of a welcome sight to Columbus when he sighted America than the sight of France was to the troops on that ship. More naval craft and two seaplanes now came out to meet us and escorted us to the Harbor of St. Nazaire. We docked at 5.00 P. M. at the mouth of the Loire River. The people of this ancient seaport certainly gave us a wonderful reception and we swore then and there that through no fault of our own, would they ever have reason to regret that welcome. The sight that impressed us most was the no- ticeable absence of young men on the docks and the almost un- iversal wearing of black and mourning. Many of the women, were so glad to see us that they wept for joy and hailed us as the "Saviours of France." It was an impression that will never be effaced from our memories. On the afternoon of October 6th, we paraded through the streets of St. Nazaire, then back to the ship again. At 8.30 A. M. October 7th, with full packs and equipment we disembarked and proceeded to the camp where we stayed for the next ten days. During our stay at St. Nazaire nothing of real significance took place. It rained incessantly all the time. The mud was almost knee deep. The food situation here was not much better than on the boat. We were quartered in Adrian Huts, long, narrow, wooden buildings of very poor material, covered on the out- side with tar paper. Inside there was no flooring and we were compelled to sleep on the damp ground. In some cases the men had to pitch pup-tents, because the roofs leaked so badly. There was a foot of water in one of the huts assigned to Bat- tery C. Most of our time at this camp was spent in foot drill. The rest of the time was spent constructing a reservoir for the city of St. Nazaire, as the water supply for the city was fur- nished by a small reservoir built by Napoleon and it was en- tirely inadequate. Amusements were scarce, but the Y. M. C. A. furnished movies and boxing bouts and passes were issued every night to go into the city. Getting used to the French money system was the cause of many amusing scenes and en- deavoring to understand the language caused a great deal of fun. 23 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" There were several Y. M. C. A. canteens at the camp, but the greater part of the men were "broke" and could buy- nothing. The tobacco situation was fierce, but owing to the generosity of the citizens of Lawrence we were able to draw on the Battery fund. Capt. Daniels appointed Corporal Sirois to look into the matter of buying cigarettes and tobacco for the boys, at the U. S. Commissary. He purchased $250.00 worth of tobacco and cigarettes which were issued to the Battery. The amount Avas deducted from each man's pay. On October 17, 1917, at 3.15 P. M. we entered the rail- road station of St. Nazaire to start for our training camp. Hundreds of horse cars were in the freight yard, but no sign of passenger coaches. We were surprised, indeed, that all our traveling over the railroads from now on was to be in these horse cars. It was a very strange experience to enter these cars with a neatly painted sign outside stating that the car held 40 Hommes, Chevaux 8, in other words 40 men or 8 horses. In a short while the train was on its way and as usual we had no idea where we were going. AVe v/ere satisfied to be in France and would just as soon have started for the front right away. 24 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C CHAPTER IV The Training Period We arrived at Guer, our destination, in a downpour of rain. Huge French Army trucks were waiting for us and each one took on a load of men and started for the camp. Most of the truck drivers had served their apprenticeship driving over shell holes at the front, at least we surmised this, from the v/ay they manipulated the trucks. We were quartered that night in Avooden shacks. The following day Ave learned a little local history. This camp had been used by Napoleon. It Avas nick- named "Death Valley," OAving to the number of men who died there. The camp was some thirty kilometers distant from Rcnnes, the ancient Capital of Brittany, a very beautiful city Avith magnifieent public buildings. The city OAvned a large art gallery, public garden and an electric tramway system. One of the largest French military hospitals Avas situated in the heart of the city. Here we received our first impression of the horrors of Avar. Thousands of French soldiers, most of them maimed and crippled for life, Avere in this hospital. It Avas a pitiful sight to see the blind soldiers being led by Avounded comrades through the city. One of the most interesting spec- tacles Avas the number of foreign soldiers to be seen here, Rus- sians, Algerians, Arabs, Sengalese, French-Indo, Chinese, Por- tugese, in fact every nationality under the sun, the most cos- mopolitan population AA^e had every seen. Each nationality Avore the picturesque costumes of their respective countries. Most of these people worked in the ammunition factories op- erated by the French Government. The citizens of Rennes Avere very hospitable to the American troops stationed at the nearb3^ camp. Thousands of German prisoners were at Camp Coetqui- dan, building roads, stables and Avooden huts to accomodate the American troops Avho Avere to do their training at the camp. German prisoners of war refused to believe that Ave AA'ere Americans, feeling quite sure that their submarine Avar- fare prevented any American troops from getting over. They soon learned differently, hoAvever. 25 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" On Oct 20, 1917, our real training began. Armed with picks, shovels and crowbars, we proceeded to the nearby- woods and commenced to learn the art of digging trenches, building dugouts and gun emplacements. During this time guns, horses and equipment were arriving every day from the French Arsenals. We were to use the famous French "75." All were eager and anxious to master the intricacies of the gun and our French Instructors stated that the U. S. troops were very apt pupils. After a certain period of drilling, the day arrived for us to go to the huge range leased by the U. S. Government. The people were all ordered from their homes which were left standing as targets. The batteries would then fire on them just as if they were occupied by German troops. Later on we began firing at night, also with the aid of aero- planes and observation balloons. It was the most realistic gun practice we ever heard of. We could see huge shells blow- ing roads, bridges and buildings into the air. In the mean- time the telephone detail Avere busy learning the art of estab- lishing communication, digging trenches for the protection of the wires, as the telephone was considered the most important factor of communication during the war. The battery constructed an exact reproduction of what we would do when we went into our first sector. We laid miles upon miles of telephone wires, erected radio stations, dug machine gun emplacements, etc. Most of this Avork was per- formed during the bitter winter with snow in evidence every- where. After our day's work was finished we used to hike to the nearby villages of Guer and St. Malo, where we could pur- chase meals at a reasonable price. The Government issue of food at this time was terrible, breakfast — rice and molasses, coffee with no milk or sugar, dinner and supper — most any- thing. The gun crews during this time never had a minute to themselves — up before daybreak and back to bed after dark. Horses, guns, caissons, wagons, were everywhere. It was out on the range every morning firing at targets over on the near- by hills. It was a wonderful sight to see, with the aid of field glasses, a big shell land on the top of a roof and when the smoke cleared away to see a gaping hole in the side of the building. We anxiously looked forward to the day when we would be dropping shells on the German lines with the same 26 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C effect. Thanksgiving day arrived and the battery held a ban- quet in one of the wooden shacks. The decorations consisted of holly and evergreen. The program follows : EXACT COPY OF THE PROGRAMS ISSUED AT OUR THANKSGIVING DINNER AND CONCERT WITH THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES Camp Coetquidan — France THANKSGIVING DINNER AND CONCERT November 29, 1917 BATTERY C, 102d F. A. COMMISSIONED OFFICERS PRESENT Major Robert E. Goodwin, 102d F. A. Captain Roy A. Daniels, Battery C, 102d F. A. Lieut. William B. Higgins, H'dqs. 102d F. A. Lieut. William F. Howe, Jr., Battery C, 102d F. A. Chaplain Murray W. Stackpole, 102d F. A. Lieut. Herman Lephron, 149th F, A., 42d Div. Lieut. Thomas P. Atkinson, 149th F. A., 42d Div. Lieut. Andrew W. Thompson, Battery C, 102d F. A. Lieut. Prentiss French, Battery C, 102d F. A. Lieut. Nathan Kroll, Battery C, 102d F. A. Chaplain WiUiam F. Farrell, 103d F. A. NOTE— Two of the officers above from the 149th F. A. are old Battery C men. Lieut. Lephron was formerly the Battery's Sergeant Instructor and Lieut. Atkinson was a former Sergeant in the Battery. Both were acting as Sergeant Instructors in the regular army and when war was declared were commissioned. MENU TURKEY DRESSING MASHED POTATOES BOILED ONIONS SQUASH DOUGHNUTS CELERY APPLE PIE COFFEE NUTS DATES ORANGES SMOKES 27 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" PROGRAM 1 Quartette — Medley mixed choruses 2 Song — Sunshine of Your Smile PvT. Ben Poole 3 Recitation — Modern Version of the House that Jack Built Corp. William McGinnis 4 Song — He Never Came Back Corp. T. J. Barry 5 Song — La Belle Marie Sgt. Joseph Pageau 6 Recitation — Gramaphone of Fond du Lac PvT. Charles Miles 7 Duet — (a) Larboard Watch {'b)All the World Will be Jealous of Me PvTs. Harry and Ben Poolr S Song — Someone More Lonesome Than You Ccoic Wr.i. Carney 9 Recitation — A Soldier's Nightmare (by Pvt. Haiold Gardner) PvT. James Bradley 10 Recitation — Dangerous Dan McGrew PvT. (Kloby) Thomas Corcoran 11 Song — Mag Murphy's Chow CooK Phillip Riley 12 Songs— (a) / Don't Want to Go to War (b) Little Grey Home in the West Pvt. Joseph Lonegan 13 Recitation — (a) The Cremation of Sam McGee (b) Just in Fun (c) Those Rumors Corp. Edward D. Sirois 14 Songs — (a) Tm-n Back the Universe (b) Black Sheep (c) Lonesome Battery Quartette 15 Parodies — On Modem Songs Pvt. Charles Bishop 16 Song — Battery C (by Sgt. Louis P. Berwick, reserver) Entire Battery Battery Quartette — Pvt. Charles Poole, Pvt. Harry Poole, Pvt. Ben Poole, Cook William Carney. Violinists — Pvt. John Fortin, Pvt. Charles Miles. Christmas passed vi^ithoiit much notice. We were expect- ing to move to the front any day so no preparations v.'ere made for a celebration. "Corned Willy" was the principal item on the menu card for that day. We were away from home and in strange country just long enough to realize what letters from home really meant. 28 ^^ :^s o p S 3 ?o 3 ^ rti rt> "^ E. ?" 2. §2 b3 2. 93 O t- - O ^ Hh p 3 o 3 3 ^ ^" ►-i P c+ P sa 3 <) o c "■ f^ &. 2 < £. « ■ 2 5^ ^ cfq' S: 51 £-5^W3 rt> 3 3 (B !?'§ 3 2 S- '^ "^3 ' (D _^ a- |j 3 r 9= 5 ra WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C Mail day was far more important than pay-day. Unfortunate, indeed, was the man who did not receive mail while he looked around and saw his comrades, sitting on their bunks devouring every line in the letters and then reading them over and over again. Next to the letters were the parcels and home papers. When one member of a certain crowd would receive a parcel or box, the whole "gang" would gather around and if he suc- ceeded in getting anything himself he was lucky, and he in turn would pull the same stunt on some other member of the crowd v/hen his package would arrive. New Year's eve arrived and the boys decided to welcome the New Year in. Just after midnight, some members of our regimental band marched up and down the road through the camp with their instruments, playing any and every tune they happened to think of. Other men from the batteries secured pistols and ammunition and a stranger would have had the impression that he was back in the wild and woolly west. Later that day our first real tragedy occurred. Private Everett Roy Kenney, one of the boys in the battery and a member of the special detail, succumbed to an attack of Spinal meningitis. He was the first boy in the Battery and the first Lawrence man to lose his life in the War. He v/as buried the following day with full military honors and wdth Father Far- rell officiating. A tiner little soldier never lived and he was greatly missed by his comrades with whom he sailed for France. Extraordinary precautions were taken to prevent an epidemic. Our battery was segregated from the rest of the regiment and three times a day we were marched to the medi- cal station to have our throat sprayed with an antiseptic. No other case was reported. The rest of the time until February 3, 1917, was spent in intensive drilling and preparing for the journey to the front. We knew that a tough time was ahead of us, but all felt that the firing line was much more acceptable than this life in the training camp. We wanted to show the Boche and our friends away back in Lawrence, what we were capable of do- ing. February 3, 1917, at 8.30 A. M. saw the first battery of the regiment pulling out. At 5.00 P. M. the same evening the 102nd F, A, was on its way to the Western Front. 29 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" CHAPTER V SOISSONS — BUCY-LE-LONG — CHEMIN-DES-DaMES Our destination was a mystery; rumors were rife; when they were counted up, we were on our way to every sector from the English Channel to the Swiss Border, but not one of them came from a reliable source. The one stating that we were on our way to Toul had more supporters than all the others. This, later on, turned out to be false. On this trip we traveled in our special (palace) horse cars only forty men to a car. If the authorities had tried harder, they would have been able to find room for one more man. We were so crowded we had hardly room enough to stand up and lying down was entirely out of the question. Many of the boys sought the flat cars on which our guns, caissons and other wheeled material was being transported and there made their bunks under the wagons. The food on this trip was just as bad as ever with this exception, a pound can of jam went to every fifteen men. Very little which is worthy of note took place on this trip. We made two fairly long stops, the first at Lagle, to water horses, the second at Mantes, where French soldiers supplied us with hot coffee (French style). Here we got a chance to wash ourselves. We were following the route on a map and at one time were heading straight for Paris. Ex- citement ran high through the entire Battery. We looked for- ward to passing through the great city, but here again our hopes soon received another severe jolt, because we turned off the main line to Paris within three kilometers of the city itself. The country through which we passed was very beautiful and picturesque. One outstanding feature that attracted our at- tention was the fact that almost every foot of ground was cul- tivated and all the work on the farms and in the fields was being performed by French peasant Avomen. February 4, 1917, about 5.30 P. M. three aeroplanes form- ed an escort and traveled with us as a protection against air raids. We were nearing the front at last. The Western Battle Front of Europe. Oh! how much we had read, dreamed, and 30 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C heard of this front! How we had looked forward to this night ! As soon as it became dark, we noticed another pecu- liarity; everything was in darkness; the roofs of the houses were silhouetted against the skyline ; no lights were allowed on the train ; the striking of matches was absolutely forbid- den. As we peered through the door of the train very little was to be seen in the immediate vicinity. This was necessary to protect us from Boche aviators dropping bombs on the train. The motto of the Boche aviator was, "Where there's light, there's life." That night at seven-thirty our train pulled into the freight- yard of the historic city of Soissons. By eight P. M. we were unloaded, harnessed and ready to move. We were in the war zone and the distant thunder of big guns could be easily heard. A small group of Foil us standing nearby, informed us that the front was about twenty-five kilometers distant. As we moved out of the freight yard on our way to billets we noticed that the once beautiful railroad station was a mass of wreckage. The streets through which we passed were filled with debris ; no solid roofs were to be seen on the houses. In the darkness, the true horror of the situation did not strike us. A little later we pulled into a field well dotted with small trees, which furnished excellent camouflage and here parked all our carriages and guns. The horses were then billeted in some French army stables nearby. Carrying all our equipment, we hiked about a kilometer to the once beautiful, magnificent cathedral of Soisson, where we were to sleep for the night. It was now a mass of ruins, with not a single window left un- broken, half the steeple shot away, gaping holes in the roof and the interior stripped of everything considered valuable by the advocates of German Kultur. It Avas 1.30 A. M. before things quieted down and despite the excitement caused by be- ing so near the front, the distant rumble of guns, the danger of air raids, in fact although there were a hundred and one rea- sons for not going to sleep, most of the men were immediately embraced in the arms of Morpheus, simply through sheer ex- haustion. The same morning Capt. Daniels, Sgt. John J. McCarthy and Private John L. Ferguson, left the Battery at 5.00 A. M. to reconnoiter the road and to determine the next place 31 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''AYORLD Wx\R" at which we would stop. The remainder of the battery was up at 7.00 A. M. and immediately made preparations to move. Regardless of the fact that we had been vrorking very hard for the past week, with very little sleep and very poor food, the battery was in the highest of spirits. At 8.00 A. M. we were on our way. Our route led directly through the heart of the rained city of Soissons. Here v\^e noticed that although the business section was gone it was not hard to realize what it had been in former days. The residential section was shell torn, wrecked and battered beyond recognition. The stumps of trees that once lined the handsome driveways stood out as mute witnesses of what German Kultur v^^as doing for civiliza- tion. Blood rushed to our eyes; we were filled with indigna- tion and horror at the sacking of this city, which held no mil- itary value to either side. The city was constantly under the fire of the German Artillery and subject to air-raids almost every night, but the faithful French population — at least a number of them — still clung to the homes of their birth and hailed us with shouts and cheers as we passed on our way to the front. Sergeant John J. McCarthy, who had gone ahead and who had been over the route we were to follow, met us on the outskirts of the city and guided us to our next stopping place. New and interesting sights greeted us as we trudged along. On all sides were signs of war, destruc- tion and devastation. Huge ammunition depots with thous- ands of rounds of munitions, concealed under camouflage, and supply depots of every description were to be seen along the route. Trenches, barbed wire entanglements and dugouts were very prominent. A great many arbries with signs over the doors stating that they held a certain number of people and were to be used in case of air raids were also everywhere. Gaping shell holes stared us in the face. One particular sign that greeted us v/as a large inscription on a building, formerly a factory, GOTT STRAFFE ENGLAND— 1914-1916. Many other evidences of Hun occupation were noticed on this hike. They told the story only too well of the early fighting at the beginning of the war. In the fields on both sides of the road small mounds of earth with rude Avooden crosses marked the last resting place of friend and foe alike. February fifth, about noon, after a hike of over eight kil- 32 WITH FIGI-ITING BATTERY C ometers, we arrived in the tovm of Biicy-le-long and if we thonght Soissons was in ruins we quickly changed our rninds when we arrived here. Not a single house was standing in the entire town. There were a great many French soldiers here and they lived in caves and dugouts built under the ruins of the buildings. The entire first battalion of our regiment was sta- tioned in this town and each was assigned to a certain sec- tion of the town. Battery C, was billeted on the grounds of an old monastery, which had been totally destroyed. A big wall about twenty feet high surrounded the entire estate and after four years of neglect there M-^ere traces of the once beau- tiful gardens, lawais and trees. At one time it must have been a magnificent place of beauty. The guns and carriages were camouflaged under trees and the horses placed in stables hid- den under trees and shrubbery. The men were billeted in v/ooden shacks which were also camouflaged. We were for- bidden to use lights at night. The remainder of this day and all of the next was spent in cleaning the grounds, shacks, grooming horses, cleaning harnesses and guns. After this was completed we made an attempt to clean ourselves and were p-artially successful. February 7th, at 10.00 P. M., one of the darkest nights we had ever experienced, with a cold raw wind bloAving and a drizzling rain falling, the battery began the march which would bring them to the front positions. Absolute silence pre- vailed. Just enough men to man the guns, including the tele- phone detail, went up that night. The boys who were not so fortunate wished us all God-speed. In a short while the col- umn was wending its way to the hills surrounding the city. Silently, gravely and cautiously the battery moved over the BLOODY ROAD TO VAILLY, immortalized by Robert W. Service. Not a man spoke, the gloom of the darkness seemed to take hold of our four-legged pals as well. The only sound Avhich broke the monotony of this silent night was the dull thud of the horses hoofs on the soft road and the clinking of the traces as the chains struck each other. Everything has its funny side no matter how grave the situation may be. One such incident occurred at this time. Matthew Linehan had a horse which insisted on neighing and Matty patiently put up with it for awhile, but finally, being annoyed by the constant SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" neighing of the beast, addressed himself to the horse in this manner, ''Shut up, you damn fool, do you want the Huns to know we're comin'." We had traveled about three kilometers and the road led us to the summit of a hill and the sight which met our gaze sent a thrill through us. In the distance, on all sides, flashes of guns were observed, both large and small. It was no longer a distant rumble, but a distinct crack. We were there at last. Star shells would shoot up at different points and illuminate the surrounding country. Even though the night was terribly dark, when one of these star shells or flares went up, the last man in the battery could plainly see the "skipper" at the head. While the flare was burning, machine gun fire was dis- tinctly heard. There was no mistaking the rat-tat-tat rat-tat- tat of these machines of death. Time and again we thought that we had been discovered, but the thing that tried our nerve the most was when one of the big shells would come shrieking, whizzing and land on the road just ahead or just behind us and burst with a terrific explosion, the splinters and fragments, scattering through space. We were receiving our baptism of fire but not a man quailed under the ordeal. In due time we came to a place Avhere another guide Avas aAvaiting us ; here we turned off the main road through a field, literally filled Avith shell holes. There was not a foot of this field that had not been raked with shell-fire. It was a tough pull, but our faithful horses, our best pals at the front, pulled us through without mishap. About a hundred meters from the road was our position. Here, quickly and silently, we un- loaded the fourgons (French army Avagons), rations, uncoupled the guns and other equipment. The limbers and empty AA'ag- ons then started back over the same route Avhich Ave had taken for the Echelon. The men at the position Avorked hard for tAA'o long hours in the dark, putting the guns into position and get- ting ammunition ready. Our Avork Avas completed about 2.00 A. M. Each section Avas then assigned to the dugout in AA'hich their homes Avere to be for the time being. A discussion noAV took place in each dougout of the trip up and things in gen- eral. It certainly Avas a great experience, the most AA'onderful and fascinating in all of our lives up to that time. Later on 34 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C when we were fully baptized to enemy shell-fire we used to laugh and joke at our uneasy feelings on this night and when we compare it to some of our later exploits it certainly was tame, but at the same time it must be remembered that a sin- gle false step or miscalculation would have brought us to grief. Our officers had performed a wonderful feat at the start and it was for this reason that the men placed the utmost confidence in them. Consequently a high state of discipline and morale prevailed from the outset and without this the "Yankee Division" never would have accomplished what it did. A successful army must place the greatest confidence in its officers and our men had confidence in our officers and the officers in turn had the co-operation of the men ; that in brief is the secret of the wonderful record made by the "Yankee Division." It ain't the guns nor armament nor funds that they can pay, But the close co-operation that makes them win the day. It ain't the individual nor the army as a whole, But the everlastin' teamwork of every bloomin' soul. Rudyard Kipling February the eighth, was our first day at the front. "We slept rather late making up for some of the sleep we had lost. The day was very misty and owing to this fact, it was impos- sible to conduct observation, and consequently no firing was attempted. Most of the time was spent in cleaning the dug- outs, as they had not been used since the Germans were driven out the previous November. The gun crews set the guns on the enemy lines and the telephone detail began the gigantic task of laying the telephone lines and setting up a central. This position was situated about half way up a hill, on the forward slope. About three hundred meters north was what in pre-war days was known as the village of Allemant, now a mass of wreckage. About two hundred and fifty meters 35 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" directly in rear of us vras a French battery with whom vre be- came the best of pals. To our right was a deep valley which ran at right angles to the front and extended back into our lines for about three kilometers and Avhich was under direct observation of the Boclie at all times. On the hill south of the valley, Batteries A and B of our regiment were in position. In the village of AUemant there was one battery of the 103d F. A. (155 howitzers, 6-inch) and two French batteries with ninety milimeter guns. Our battalion P. C. (Post of Com- mand) was in a big cave about three kilometers in the rear. This at one time was a quarry which supplied most of the stone for the public buildings in Paris. It was undermined with galleries after the style of a coal mine and was capable of holding about forty thousand men. One could walk in these galleries for 21 kilometers without traversing the same ground twice. V7hen the French recaptured this sector from the Boche in November the prisoners taken amounted to close on to 17,000 right in this quarry. While in this sector we worked under and in conjunction with the French army. Most of these Poilus had seen four years of service in the war and were well posted and trained in the fundamental as well as the advanced principles of mod- ern warfare. Even though it was exceedingly hard for us to understand their language and as we did not altogether agree with their customs and manners, we often felt that we would have liked to tell them how we considered modern warfare should be conducted. We got along fine with them and made rapid progress under their excellent teaching. They after- wards said that we were very good pupils. French officers, non-commissioned officers and privates instructed us patiently day and night and to them is due, in a large measure, our later successes. At 10.41 A. M. February 9, 1918, Battery C, fired their first shot in our fight for freedom and well the Germans may rue that day. That very shot was even heard away back here in Lawrence for that same night pencils and paper were flying at top speed and the next day the officers threw up their hands in dismay at the deluge of letters thrust upon them for censorship. Capt. Roy A. Daniels conducted the fire from a forward observation post. Lt. Andrew Thompson was the 36 Top: Lt. Ed. D. Sirois then Corp., just back at Echelon from front with message, Chemin-des-Dames Sector; Center Left: Sgt. Wm. I. Hart receiving firing data over telephone, Chemin-des- Dames Sector; Center Right: Ruins of house, Bucy-le-Long, Chemin-des-Dames Sector. This is typical of all buildings close to the front; Bottom: Ruins of catholic church, Bucy-le-Long, Chemin-des-Dames Sector. Battery C's Echelon was in this church. The men in the pictures all of Battery C, are reading letters just in from the States, they are: Left to Right, top row: Pvts. Irving Craven, Tommy (Kloby) Corcoran; Mus. Arthur Morin, Pvt, Bernard Coia; Extreme Left: Pvt. Frank Hayes; Bottom Row: Pvts. John A. Kavanah; Thomas Lacey; Herbert Slattery; Edward Coughlin and Corp. Wilfred Cote. Photos by authors. WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C executive officer and pulled the lanyard. Sergeant Edward O 'Leary was chief of the gun section. The empty shell case was preserved and sent to Armorer John P. Ryan to be placed in the Lawrence Armory as a last- ing memorial. It required twenty-one rounds to register the gun. The other three guns were then laid parallel. The first shell fired by the Boche to land on our position was a German 77, exploding within one meter of the fourth piece at about 2.45 P. M. Feb. 9, 1918. Sgt. Charles Haiiley and Corp. William Menzie who were in the gun pit at the time were knocked down by the concussion, but sustained no injury. Sunday, Feb. 10, the Boche paid their respects to us hand- somely and at some cost. At 4.15 P. M., while we were all seated in gun-pits or dugouts eating supper, a Boche bat- tery opened up on our position with 77 's. We were receiving our first baptism under steady, concentrated fire. The projec- tiles came so fast and landing right in the position and were so scattered — the Germans using the sweeping fire method — that to say we were startled would be useless. But soon we Avere having a lot of fun at the expense of the Hun, for, after the first wave of excitement was over, the boys stood in the doorw^ays of the dugouts and smilingly passed such remarks as, ''drop us another card, Bill." This concentrated fire lasted three-quarters of an hour and in all about two hundred rounds were dropped, tAventy-two of which were duds (defective). The next new thing introduced to us was codes. Every message, every unit, station, central, name of everything and in fact every word sent over the telephone had to be sent in code. Codes were arranged and changed every so often and from this time on until the Armistice was signed, every word sent over the phone was in cipher. Just about this time v/e were also introduced to another feature of modern warfare, an enemy to sleep, comfort and peace, and no man was con- sidered a soldier until he could place his hand down his neck and pull out any size cootie a comrade demanded. The Boche were without a doubt m^asters of the air in this particular sector and their aviators were very active. Boche planes came over day and night and did a great deal of damage, besides taking a great many photographs. For this reason perfect camouflage Avas an absolute necessity. Owing 37 SMASHING THROUGiH THE "WORLD AVAR" to their supremacy of the air, movements of troops had to be concealed and there were days at a time when it was impos- sible to perform w^ork of any kind while the day was clear. The battery machine gun crew consisting of Corp. Albert Noble, Harold Gardner, William Ruediger and Robert Lay- 2U PHbCS<^HJ« 3 5 ^'Sos - ^ (U o3 ^j ^ ° .2 ^ rt HH .,_, I— c ^03 Oj C-l -^ 4J Pj4J> =« <: .ti >. g S CS . u ^e'^1^ j::)o a 03 S >, tj ■t— 1 ■" en erf .. S b K w o K .£ f WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C to our left it extended back for about two kilometers. This put us 111 a small salient. A German observation balloon was up when we pulled into this position and our movements must have been observed, for at 8.00 A. M. a Boche battery that was m the section jutting into our line, opened up on our position and we received a bad straffing. Our first impression was that -the French in our rear were falling short, but after a careful inspection we found that the shells dropping on us were Ger- man 77 's. This fact was reported to our Battalion Commander by runner, all telephone lines having been wrecked by the ene- my shell fire. We immediately jumped to the conclusion that we_ were trapped and had walked into an ambush. It looked as if we had been flanked by the Huns and that they were now between us and the rest of the allied troops, because the shells appeared to be coming directly from the rear. Therefore we immediately prepared to defend the guns to the last man' It was a critical situation. Each man thought for himself that the Battery was lost. It was a case of defending the guns with pis- tols and the order was given to load them and stand by for any emergency. At this time none of our infantry were in sight so we thought we were without support. A hurried call was sent out and a platoon of A Co., 101st Inf., was sent up to help us Two shells landed in the middle of them and twelve men fell wounded. A group of the battery boys ran to their assist- ance and Corp. Sirois with a number of men aided the wounded doughboys to a first aid station in a nearby farmhouse. Seven o± them died before medical assistance reached them. At this time Capt. Howe immediately prepared to give the expected Boche a roya welcome if they tried to take our guns. He was not the least bit excited but on the other hand was cooler than we had ever noticed him before. His coolness and levelheaded- ness soon put every man at his ease. His first move was to Z^J'T l^'nn™^'"' ^^^ P'^^^ ^""'^ S'^"^^ o^t into an open field about 200 meters to the right and turn them to the rear The gun crews took their posts with orders to open direct fire ii^ .^'^^^ ^^^"^^"^ themselves and to use pistols if necessary Ihe other two gun crews remained where they were Avith the same orders, provided any attack was delivered from the front Ihe two battery machine guns were stationed at different eorl ners of the woods, one to the front, the other to the rear, ^^rith. 71 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR' orders to open up at sight. Linemen of the telephone crew- were sent out to patch up the broken lines and establish com- munication. The other telephone men got out semaphore flags and established signaling stations, holding themselves in readi- ness to communicate by this means if the telephone lines could n .1 be repaired. Capt. How^e placed the remainder of the in- fantry and the other members of the battery in important places in the woods, up in the trees with loaded rifles and around the position with fixed bayonets, pistols and chau-chau (automatic rifles). The Battery boys, being armed with Ger- man rifles, bayonets and ammunition which they had collected, waited for the Boche to appear. It must be remembered that all this was quickly executed, a terrific bombardment being put down on us all the while. Not a man quailed, not a man w^as ''yellow," but then, who could be with Bill Howe for a skipper? At this stage of the game Company B of the 103d Inf. arrived to help us. They fixed bayonets and in skirmish order foi'med three waves in front of our guns. They were ordered to go out and meet the advancing Huns. Several of the boys in the Battery saw the chance to go over the top with the doughboys. It looked like a chance to get a Hun. A fellow from Battery B, called Torchy McCann, came over armed with a Boche rifle and bayonet and seeing Corp. McGinnis said "Let's go, Mack." McGinnis secured a rifle and bayonet from Corp. Charles Poole and over they went wdth the third wave, so McCann and McGinnis w^ere the only two who got away. Most of the fellows in Battery C, never saw McGinnis again until the Battery arrived in Brest, seven months later, on their way home, because he was only back about ten minutes some four hours later w'hen he was wounded and sent to the hospital. After about an hour's patient waiting the fire gradually shifted. The news came over the phone from the P. C. that the enemy had been silenced by our heavy artillery. Capt. Howe was not the only one who felt a sense of regret that the Huns did not show up for every man there said that they would have liked the chance to get a crack at the Boche. It was really too bad that they did not come and rather mean of them after our planning such a nice welcoming party for their especial bene- fit. Our only casualty in the drive had been Pvt. Swanson who- 72 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C had been gassed on July 18th, but we had a feAv checked up against us in this position. About ten o'clock after the excite- ment just related was over, Sgt. Clarence Davis and Corp. Ed- ward Sirois, their work for the present being done, lay down to get a little sleep and rest. They were lying beside each other on the ground using the same blanket for a pillow when they were joined by Corp. McGinnis aTjout 11.15, who had just returned from the infantry. At this time Eddie Sirois was well in the running for honors as champion food consumer of the battery because although only a small man in stature, he certainly could tuck away the eats. He later on dropped to fourth place, hoAvever, Corp. John L. Ferguson taking the lead- ing place, Sgt. Frank Killelea second place and Pvt. William Donovan going to third. About 11.30 Eddie was notified by the "inner man" that he was neglecting him and so leaving his couch on mother earth, Eddie went scouting around for Phil Riley and his kitchen, which never had anything to eat around it anyway. Corp. William I. Hart figuring that Eddie's place looked rather good lay down between Ted Davis and Bill McGinnis and was soon far away (probably back in Lawrence). A few minutes after this a Hun battery opened up on the posi- tion, one of the projectiles landing within ten feet of this trio and causing all three to receive wounds. Steve Langmaid and Norman Barteaux, the first aid men attached to the Battery grabbed Hart and Davis and Capt. Howe caught hold of McGinnis. Their wounds were dressed and stretcher bearei^s carried them to a dressing station where they were met by Father Farrell who supplied them with cigarettes and tried to console them until the ambulance arrived and took them to the rear. We continued to fire all day and all night in this position. We were constantly under fire and to make matters worse they coasted gas shells in, the gas hovering around the trees. Every man in the battery received a good dose of gas at this place, although not enough to seriously injure them. They had to wear gas masks almost the entire day and night, but they had to carry on. The only serious gas case Avas Harold Gardner one of our machine gunners and he was evacuated to the hospi- tal. Late that afternoon, while firing a barrage James O'Rourke was seriously wounded in the left forearm. He came running 73 SMASPIING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR' out of the woods yelling that John Fortin was hit, forgetting his own injuries. Barteaux dressed his wounds and along wdtli Corp. Sirois, carried him on a stretcher to the first aid station, while Langraaid dressed Fortin who had a terrible wound in the back. Langmaid and Sgt. Frank Killelea carried him to the first aid station. There was no sleep or rest this night as we were firing all the time and the telephone lines would just be fixed when they would go out again. Our line had now been advanced as far as Epieds and Trugny Wood, but the Boche were putting up a stiff resistance here and with the aid of their reserves managed to stop us for the time being. Their entire rear-guard con- sisted of machine guns and they were everywhere, in the trees, behind stone walls, inside stocks of wheat, in houses of the towns and in every conceivable place. There were nests of them in places where our boys would think there was no one and they took an enormous toll. Things in general were disagreeable enough but the ever- present rain, which had kindly stayed away for the past two days commenced and the mud made things all the more inter- esting. We continued to fire steadily until noon-time of July 23d when we received orders to change positions. The new posi- tion was on the top of a hill commanding Epieds and the Trugny Wood, the possession of which we were striving to gain at this time. We relieved a French Battery in this new position. Before we could occupy it we were forced to climb a very steep hill. The Captain of the French battery which we Avere relieving told Captain Howe that it took him twenty (20) hours to get his Battery up this hill. Captain Howe replied by saying that it would take us no twenty (20) hours to make it and we commenced the task. Our horses had been working steadily day and night, pulling ammunition, supplies and doing a hundred and one other tasks and on account of the inclement weather and hard steady work with very little sleep and small ration of food, which was all canned and which had practically no nourishment in it, getting very little water and that not fit to drink, both man and beast were well nigh exhausted, but still there was no complaining or grumbling. As we looked around and, saw the grim silent figures lying here and there, 74 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C we thought how much worse off we could be and became all the more determined. As the horses were unable to pull the car- riages up this hill, the boys put their shoulders to the wheel and inside of four (4) hours we were in position, with tele- phone communication established and firing away, a task ac- complished which no one, most of all our French friends, thought we could accomplish in two (2) days. The hill, the rain and mud, were not the only things with which we had to contend in going to this new position. A German battery using whizz-bangs (Austrian 88 milimeter guns) so named on account of the speed with which the shells travel, kept up a continuous sweeping fire on the road, which rather hindered us in our work. Several French soldiers were killed. All our carriages except one caisson had been brought up the hill and Coporal August Mathison, who was in charge of the caisson was waiting on his horse at the foot of the hill, for the men to come back and push his caisson up and with him were two cannoneers, Self and Phillips. Just at the moment that the rest of the boys started down the hill to bring this last carriage up, one of the shells bursts on the road, not fifteen feet from this trio. All three were riddled with the shell splinters, and Mathison 's horse was killed on the spot. Capt. Howe seeing them go down, galloped down the hill at break-neck speed, leaped from his horse and grabbed Mathison in his arms and started with him to a first aid station, five hundred meters distant but he was dead before he went ten feet. Self and Phillips also died im- mediately. It was one of the saddest incidents that took place during our entire career on the front. All three of these boys were well liked by the battery and Mathison had seen more service in it than almost any other man, with one or two exceptions. They died true heroes, per- forming their full duty to the last moment. What more glori- ous death could a soldier wish! Their memory will always be dearly cherished by every man in the Battery. This was another busy night and we received but little rest. We received orders on this night that we would attack on the 24th and that all objectives must be gained regardless of the cost. The Boche were stubbornly contesting every foot of ground and our Infantry was sustaining terrible losses. Early on the morning of July 24th all the Artillery concentrated on. 75 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" Epieds and Triigny AVoods. Following these extensive Artillery preparations, our Infantry went over, drove the Huns out of Epieds and the Trugny Wood and onee again we had them on the run. At noon we received orders to prepare to advance once more, and at 2.00 P. ]\I. moved on to the road and proceeded to Epieds. Just before we entered the village, we came upon a big German 210 milimeter gun, w^hich had slid into the mud at the side of the road and had to be abandoned. This gun is in Boston at the present time. Just as we passed through Epieds, at 4.35 P. M., a German sacrifice piece began to fire into the village. It did no material damage, however, and no casualties were sustained. All along the line of march, the same sights which had been confronting us for the past weelv were visible. On all sides were those silent forms, both friend and foe alike. Every one of our boys had fallen with his face turned toward the enemy. There were great quantities of am- munition and supplies of every kind. Evidently the Boche had intended to remain in this salient for some time, judging from the extensive preparations which he had made. Towards the end of our march on this day, when we were hiking along a road on the outskirts of the Fere Woods, we happened upon Co. F, of the 101st Infantry from Lawrence, which was marching in single file in the field adjoining the road to the left with Captain Francis M. Leahy, the Lawrence hero, acting as a Battalion Commander and marching at the head of the column. The Battery and company boys from Law- rence were exchanging greetings when a German Battery of Austrian 88 's opened fire on the road. We continued along, not even this stopping the doughboys and Artillerymen from jollying and wishing each other the "best o' luck." We were used to such shelling as this by this time and it was to us all a part of the day's work. We had seen pals drop here and there ; we had seen them carried away dead and wounded; we had seen our best buddies and bunkies. hori-ibly torn to pieces by shell and sutfering the tortures of Hell itself, from gas and shell shock, the two most dreaded evils of the front, so that such sights and misfortunes were now an every day occurrence and we took them as a matter of course. To say that we were becoming hardened would be an injustice. Every man there 76 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C had sworn to do his duty to the best of his ability, even unto death. We saw our pals and buddies go one by one, not know- ing whether we would be the next or not and we may add we had long since ceased to worry about such things. We were in the hands of Fate and what mortal man, may I ask, can guide those hands? We asked ourselves, ''what good will it do me to worry or ponder over such matters?" The answer would come, "no good, but a great deal of harm," for it meant a breakdown, sooner or later. We fully realized the danger we were in and were as prudent and careful as possible under the circumstances, but our work had carried us into dangerous and hazardous places and no man could or would shirk. We placed ourselves under the care of Almighty God, knowing that "His Will would be done, " despite anything WE might do. If it Avaa God's Will, that our worldly career should end here, then we were happy in the thought that we had done our duty and had done it as well as we knew how. Captain FrancisM. Leahy was a wonderful example of this feeling. As he hiked along smiling and jollying despite the bursting shells, a very small splinter from one of the shells hit him in the breast, close to the heart and he fell. Immediately aid was summoned, but no earthly hand could help him. Knowing that he was about to die, he still remembered his duty to God, country and man and that fighting "Yankee Spirit" was there with his last breath. Calling for Lt. Hanson, the next officer in command, he turned over the Battalion to him. uttering those immortal words, that will live in the pages of history forever as the last words of a Great Hero : "Hanson, the Command is Forward ; see the boys throug-h." What a wonderful example of a true American patriot, fighter and man ! What a wonderful example to set for the "Yankee Division," and for the American Army to fol- low! This spirit and many other like examples fled through the American Expeditionary Forces, like wild-fire and ulti- mately ended in glorious victory. What chance did the Ger- mans have with 2,500,000 men like our hero, Captain Francis M. Leahy. 77 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" A Tribute to Captain Francis M. Leahy We, true Americans, all honor your memory and deeds. You, who have proved yourself by your every action and deed, even to your dying moment, to be a true American Patriot. You, who have now the greatest of honors, the right to be called an American Hero. Let all true Americans follow your supreme example — let all those among us to-day who live and enjoy the rights and privileges of true American citizenship, all those who partake of the freedom of our glorious country, but Avho do not like the way our country is managed, the slackers, who, having taken out first papers or no papers at all, who Avhen called for service hung to the plea that they were not citizens and refused to become citizens, because they would have to fight for their bread and butter, but who at the same time became rich, ^^'hile all true Americans were fighting their battles for them, all the cowards and yellow streaks v,'ho hid behind the despiea])le name of "Conscientious Objector," all the so-called "Bolsheviki," murderers and bomb plotters, all the ignorant professors and backers of the "Red Flag" of an- archy, for there is room for but one flag in the "land of the free and the home of the brave," and that is "Old Glory, the glorious red, white and blue," let all such swine as these l3e de- ported from our country, never to return for we have no room here for such as these, ignorant, unsatisfied, despoilers of law and order. The firing on the road was the result of our column having been discovered by a Boche "one-eyed Riley" (observation balloon). Our aviators soon attacked and brought this balloon down in flames and we all broke into cheers. Luckily for the Battery, none of our men were among the 15 or 20 men wound- ed or killed, by this straffing. We pulled into the woods and halted on the side of the road, awaiting darkness to go into po- sition. We had a wait of about two hours and were subjected to a continuous bombardment, but fortunately for us the Boche were poor artillerymen and only a few of the shells intended for the road, hit their objective. A drenching rain set in, which, of course, made things very much more pleasant. About 8.00 P. M. we pulled into position, about 200 meters west of the Joulgonne-Fere-en-Tardenois highway and 500 meters 78 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C from the Saacrie Farm. Although it rained all night and the Huns persisted in dropping 210 's all around us and despite the fact that we got very little sleep, everyone was in the highest of spirits, for Captain Howe informed us that the next day, July 25th, we would be relieved by another American Division and go back for a rest. However, once again we were doomed to be disappointed on the rest question. On July 25th the In- fantry was relieved, but the Artillery, Signal Corps, Engineers and ammunition trains remained in to continue the fight for a time. This was on account of the scarcity of Artillery. It rained hard all day and the 42nd Division Infantry came in and we ''carried on." The Division as a whole recaptured 17.5 kilometers of ter- ritory, liberated many towns and villages, captured scores of machine guns, and many pieces of both light and heavy field guns. Also to the 26th went credit for great stores of supplies and ammunition. We received many citations for our wonderful work in this offensive from both American and French headquarters. It is impossible to publish all these, but the following will aid to show what the 26th Division accomplished in this drive. After the Offensive our gallant and courageous command- er, Major General Clarence R. Edwards, issued the following order to the Division : *'0n July 18th you entered, as part of the allied drive against the enemy, upon the offensive, and continued the of- fensive combat until the major portion of the command was relieved on July 25th. On the assumption of the offensive your position in the line demanded an important and difficult ma- noeuvre. Your success in this was immediate and great, and the way in which you executed it elicited high praise from the French Army Commander. "The eight days from July 18th to 25th marking the first great advance against the enemy in M^hich American troops bore proportionately a considerable share, are of historical im- portance. Your part therein can never be forgotten. "In those eight days you carried your line as far as any part of the advance was carried. Torcy, Belleau, Gievres, the Bouresehes Woods, Rochet Woods, Hill 190, overlooking Cha- teau Thierry, Etrepilly, Epieds, Trugny and finally La Fere 79 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" Woods and the objective, the Joulgonne-Fere-eii-Tardenois road belong to your arms. "You are the recipients of praise, thanks and congratula- tions of our Commander in Chief, You went unafraid into the face of the enemy's fire; you forced him to withdraw before you or to accept the alternative of hand to hand combat, in which you proved yourselves, morally and physically his su- perior; you gave freely and gave much of your strength, and of your blood and your lives, until pushed beyond mere physi- cal endurance, fighting night and day, you still forced your- selves forward, sustained almost by spirit alone. ''These things are now a part of your own consciousness. Nothing can detract from them, nothing that I can say can add to them ; but I can testify in this way to my pride in command- ing such troops, so capable of achieving success in every under- taking; and this testimony I give to each of you, gladly and with deep gratitude." For the work performed by the "Yankee Division," in this great struggle, General Edwards and the Division received the thanks of the Mayors of the Arrondisement of the Meaux and General Degoutte, French Commander, wrote General Ed- wards as follows : — ' ' The operations carried out by the 26th American Division from July 25tli, demonstrated the fine soldierly qualities of this unit and of its leader. Gen. Edwards. "Co-operating in the attack north of the Marne, the 26th Division fought brilliantly on the line Torcy-Belleau, at Mon- thiers, Epieds and Trugny and in the forest of Fere, advancing more than 15 kilometers in depth in spite of the desperate re- sistance of the enemy. "I take great pleasure in communicating to Gen. Edwards and his valiant division this expression of my great esteem, together with my heartiest congratulations for the manner in which they have served the common cause. I could not have done better in similar occasion with my best troops." The only criticism made by Gen. Degoutte on the work of the Division was "that they were too ambitious and went ahead too fast." The following article appeared in the Paris edition of the New York Herald about the end of July, 1918. At that time 80 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C eensoi'ship regulations prevented the names of Divisions being used, but tlie following story is a summary of the work of the 26th in the Aisne-Marne Offensive or The Second Battle of the Marne. RELATES GLORIOUS EXPLOITS OF AMEX MEN IN BIG BATTLE French Report Describes Twelve-Mile Advance North of Mame Against Immense Odds. The story of the gloi'ious part taken by the American troops in the great counter-offensive which has forced the ene- my to retreat from the Marne is told in a French official report issued yesterday, which says : — At daybreak on July 18 the order was given to capture the enemy's first positions. The American division, whose exploits are to be described in the report, held the Belleau Wood, whicli was the pivot of General Degoutte's army. At the outset the Americans had to be held back, for in their dash and enthusiasm they would willingly have gone past their objectives. Closely following the barrage, they liad reached the Torcy-Belleau-Givry line and the railway as far as Bouresches in the first dash forward and encouraged by this success Ave re straining to push on. Meanwhile the French were fighting hard on the Ameri- can's left and in order to relieve the pressure on them the men in khaki, with amazing boldness, made an enveloping movement which was completely successful and General Degoutte, ex- pressing his admiration, said "I could not have done better in the same circumstances with my best troops." How Foe Retreat Started As a result of this move the Germans' position at Mon- thiers was so critical that they began their retirement. Epieds was entered on July 22nd by an American com- pany. Terrible hand-to-hand fighting took place here, followed by an intense barrage from the enemy's heavy artillery. The shattered village afforded no cover and to cross it would have meant fearful losses. Rather than make useless sacrifices the 81 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" Americans were withdrawn and another enveloping movement was begun on July 23d. The plan of operations was to get through Trugny wood, south of Epieds. The Germans put up a furious opposition, but they only found out to their cost, the meaning of American ten- acity. At first the khaki warriors were stopped, but on July 24th they went forward straight into the wood and fought their way ahead with such determination that by three o 'clock in the afternoon they were on the outskirts of Fere Forest and a few hours later they had reached the road from Jaulgonne to Fere-en-Tardenois. Thus in six days this American division advanced at some points as much as seventeen kilometers, fighting day and night without a break, displaying the finest military qualities." When the entire division was finally relieved and we con- centrated in an area around La Ferte-sur-Marne, about 30 kilo- meters East of Paris, they hailed us with cheers and conferred the title, "Saviours of Paris," upon the ''Yankee Division." Nothing was too good for us. When we went to Paris, we owned the city as far as the civilian population went. Our firing was almost continuous on the day and night of the 25th and the day of the 26th and so was the rain. On the night of the 26th the Infantry made a silent attack, and re- quested no Artillery fire, so we received somewhat of a rest. On the morning of July 27th the Infantry advanced as far as the Croix-Rouge farm. Here they encountered a machine gun nest but the Artillery concentrated on it and soon drove the Boche out. The Germans once more, finding their heels, began a rapid retreat. At 3.30 P. M. we hauled the guns out of po- sition and once more took up the advance. This advance over shell-torn roads, subjected at all times to Artillery bombard- ment, was very similar to the others already described. At 1.00 P. M., July 28th we pulled into our new position which was in a neck of the Fere-Forest about one and one-half kilometers East of the Croix-Rouge farm. Our Infantry had advanced as far as Sergy and the Ourcq river and the French on our left after terrible opposition, took one of the most im- portant points in the salient, the city of Fere-en-Tardenois, Avhich was a railroad center and the supply base for the salient. We now expected the Boche to put up a strong opposition, in 82 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C order that they might remove as much as possible of their sup- plies, ammunition and material out of the salient, having now- given up all hope of holding it, and they did not disappoint us. We worked until daylight, getting the guns into position and communication established. Sgt. John J. McCarthy left about noon-time to attend a course of training at the Saumur Artil- lery Officers Training School. We remained in this position for six days, until August 2nd, during which time we were firing almost continually day and night, but Capt. Howe arranged a system of reliefs and we got considerable rest, that is, w^hen the cooties would behave. The food was also better, and we got some fairly good water. Up to this time we had been eating about once a day or once every tAvo or three days. Here, we managed to get something such as it was twice every day. As there had been hardly any water to drink, washing also was entirely out of the question and we had washed but seldom in the past three weeks and then in only a handful of rain water out of a shell-hole. Shav- ing and hair cuts were things of another world and we were by this time, in army talk, a fine bunch of half-starved, funny look- ing birds. Our particular target here w- as the Planchetta Woods just to the right of Sergy, where the Boche kept massing forces and we kept it under fire day and night. Sergy itself also claimed a great deal of attention. Every day and night, during our six days here, we were subjected to heavy shelling, gas and aerial bombardments. About July 31st, the 28th division Infantry relieved the 42nd Division Infantry and still we ''carried on," with no relief in sight. Sgt. David "Darby" Yule and Corp. John L. Ferguson, who had been to a training school returned to the Battery on this afternoon. The fighting at this point Avas terrific. Sergy had changed hands nine times. But on Aug. 1st Sergy, Seringes, Nesle and the Planchetta Woods w^ere taken and held. The following article appeared in the Paris edition of the Chicago Tribune about August 1st, 1918 and Avill serve to show how severe the fighting Avas at this time and hoAV gallantly we Avere fighting. 83 SMASHING THROUGH THE "AYOELD AVAR" AMERICAN TROOPS FIGHT AND BEAT THE PRUSSIAN GUARDS Sergy, Near the Ourcq, Changes Hands Nine Times, and Fam- ous Enemy Regiment Melts Away Before the Shooting and Ardour of the Men From the U. S. United States Official. Beyond the Ouvcq, heavy counter- attacks made by fresh forces of the enemy have resulted in severe fighting. Sergy taken by our troops yesterday, after having changed hands nine times, remains in our possession. From Herbert Bailey With The American Army Fighting on the Sergy-Seringes front, where the Ameri- cans are in line, has continued throughout the day with marked severity. The 4th Prussian Guard, which has again and again attacked the Americans has sutfered heavily and to-night it has been foi'ced back beyond Sergy over the heights. For some time today the Germans held a dominating posi- tion. They w^ere on the heights beyond Sergy. with the Ameri- cans in the valley and it Avas here that the fighting of this after- noon was most intense. The Americans were without any sem- blance of cover from machine gun or Artillery fire and they had to lie in the gutters of the streets for shelter. But with the bayonet, the rifle and machine gun they stormed the heights and succeeded in forcing the Germans over to the other side. Sergy has now changed hands during the recent fighting no fewer than nine times, but to-night it rests in the hands of the Americans , How bitter has been the fighting may be gaug- ed from the fact that the Americans have only taken a few prisoners to-day. There is naturally much exaltation among the men at their success in defeating so severely a Guards divi- sion that was so fresh and in such excellent trim. In Sergy when the Americans re-entered, they found that their wounded had been bayoneted. They also discovered that the Germans had placed machine guns in the church, and after the artillery had demolished the edifice the Americans went forward and captured what was left. It was also discovered that in a Red Cross building in 84 ^Ss "■ 5 i-*> Wg:3 2 p !2 g^ -Ei •• Orq ^ 11, en ° r-t- f ^ ^ M • (T> O O p ^ 3 p ,, S-o «> > 5 ?? »= 3 rr ♦^3 s a> >« ' en 1^ . 00^3 ►-S - H^ <-r <-r O ^. ^t» 2,3' :-n tXl3 O J sJ" to O en fD ^ £l 5- 6 O 3" 'n o ^ ? 3 >^ rti "CJ r; ^ J_, ,3-P= f-s H U; O) rt) '"^ _^ i-ti c+ g' n> 2 m 3'crq 2 j;+3-0_ o \^ "• 3- 3 3- c+ E^ S ° 3-p 3'g- a o ft ^ P "^ C MXi 2 => "^S "'■ 3 3- < c*- E. rt) crq cd3:< a' 3'rti 3^ O ^ «> 5 '^ fo p 3 o m '-' o o 3 Htj Mj p i-H Y c cq2 I o -< j^-ff- ?S ^.W2 g:3-'^ o S" < ^ 3 S crq o a-h-ia-r+ en El.™ ^ 2 ^ »5 CT. 3 rt) i-j 3^ rs O (6 (jq ►^ ft rtl ft O 73 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C Sei'gy, the Germans had coneealed a number of machine guns. The Americans participated in some very severe fighting throughout yestei'day aftei'noon and last night. They crossed the Ourcq in the region of Sergy early yestei'day morning, the Germans at one point giving such detei-mined resistance by machine-gun fire that it was necessary for the Americans who had waded the i-ivei- to retire, and then, after the American artillery had rained shells upon the machine-gun nests, to ei-oss again and mount the river heights. They then pressed on to Sergy on the one side and Seringes on the other. Both these places were taken after intermittent fighting with machine-gun nests and under heavy shell fire. The French meanwhile had taken Fere-en-Tardenois when the Germans be- gan the first of a series of violent counter attacks. The 4th Prussian Guard, which has been resting for sometime and which is one of the best in the service of Germany, was flung against the Americans yesterday afternoon, on its first day of arrival. NO HEADWAY FOR ENEMY The Americans seized the piivilege with an ardor that must have astonished the foe. At various points the Americans, under the pressure of the attack and the severe artillery fire, were forced to surrender a farm or a field. Sergy itself changed hands many times during the day and night and an almost similar fate befell Seringes, but the Germans, despite four at- tacks, could make no real headway against the Americans who, with machine guns and rifles, backed by powerful and intense artillery fire, saw the finely built men of the Guard melt away before their shooting. At daw^n this morning the enemy had made no appreciable gains, but the fight was still proceeding. All along tliis front artillery of almost every possible cali- ber is in action. The tremendous noise seems strange after the last few days, when one contemplated an advance without even the sound of a gun, with curiosity and even amazement. Various opinions are held here as to what this counter-attack means. It may be, as has been suggested, merely in order to preserve the morale of the German troops, who have so often been promised a much needed rest. 85 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR' ! BATTLING FOR TIME The most probable reason, however, is that the Allied ad- vance is too rapid for the retreating Germans, and that it has ■even necessitated the desperate expedient of bringing the Guards into action to win the time needed for continuation of an orderly retreat. It is well known, for instance, that in the J^^orest of Nesles the Germans still have considerable supplies of ammunition and other stores, and that many guns of a very large calibre were firing from it a few days ago. Then, again, the enemy is fighting for time in which to prepare defences and to select a point for a decisive stand, and it is possibly a combination of these reasons which has brought such a heavy counter-attack. Meanwhile the Americans are piling up the corpses and taking prisoners Avhen it is possible. Few men, however, are coming out of the fight as prisoners. The struggle is so severe that it is a fight to the death. Naturally iletails are very meagre, but that the Americans are fighting extraordinarily well is evident on every hand. The following article appeared in the Paris Edition of the New York Herald about August 1, 1918 : PRUSSIANS AND BAVARIANS UNABLE TO STOP AMER- ICANS; FRENCH ADVANCE THEIR LINE. Picked G-erman Troops Fighting Foot by Foot as They Slowly Retreat — ^Meurcy Farm Scene of Fierce Conflicts Over Possession of Machine Guns Special Telegram to the Herald. By Don Martin, With the American Armies. Tuesday. The Prussians and Bavarians who were rushed to the front in the region of Sergy to expend their full force in checking the advance of the American troops at all costs, and to try to force the enemy back were fighting all of Monday night and today, and were themselves gradually falling back under the determined assaults of the young men from across the sea. It will be of interest to the Germans to learn some time that a fair percentage of the American troops who have been wresting the laurels from the picked German soldiers are of German ancestry. 86 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C The Americans occupied Sergy last evening. It was the ninth shift in ownership of the village. The Americans still hold it. They have advanced up the slopes back of the village. They also have taken and held Seringes-et-Nesles. The unit which has done such brilliant fighting in this region, especially for the last three days, enjoyed a splendid record before it was used as a shock division for the Allied cause. It cannot be identified because of the censorship rules, but some day, when the full story of its gallant performance near Sergy is given to the public, the Americans everywhere will tip their hats to the boys. A HUMILIATING REVERSE Indications multiply that the Boche has suffered the most humiliating reverse he has known and that it has left him in a much weakened and terrified state, though not so impoverished, it should be understood, that he is not capable of making an- other offensive and of interposing the stoutest resistance to any subsequent offensive of the Allies. To the Americans the fact stands out that the Boche who was treating the Americans as a poor deluded boy in knee breeches, who knew nothing about the mighty art of war as Germany knew and perfected it, is giving the said Boche twice as much as the Boche sends and is giving brilliant proof every day that the German shock troops are no better, man for man, than the youngsters who make up the "contemptible" army. Boche airplanes were busy over the lines yesterday. They were especially bold, flying as low as 500 feet in some places, to fire machine-guns at the line or to take observations. German artillery also was active. It is impossible to state how far back the Hun intends to go before establishing a definite line. If the Germans are able to hold in the Soissons region, it is probable and likely, it is said by men who know things about armies, that they will go no farther than Fismes. August 2nd 1918, we once more took up the advance and left the position which we had occupied for the past six days at 9.30 A. M. The advance this time was not very long, only about four kilometers. We crossed the Ourcq river proceeded 87 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" through Sergy and look up our 6th position of the offensive in the noi-thern neck of the Planchetta Woods. Never wall we forget the sight that we saw here. The town of Sergy, like all the others, was a total ruin: hardly a tree standing in the Planchetta Woods, our former objective, but that which im- pre sed us most was the dead. There were thousands of Americans and Boche, piled on top of each other here. This sec- tion was literally strewn Avith all kinds of equipment of both armies. It was a horrible mess and beyond description. There were no rations for supper this night. We had about half a dozen cans of Peaches, donated by the Red Cross and Cook Phil. Riley, divided these amongst the boys. Each man got about 1/4 of a peach, Capt. Howe going without. We were now supporting the 4th Division Infantry. We did not remain long in this position however and fired but little during the night. The next day August 3rd. at 10.15 A. M. we once more took up our loads and departed for parts unknown. We passed through Nesles at 1.00 o'clock noon. The sun was shining for about the second time in the past month. This was a hard hike as the roads were in a terri- ble condition having all been blown up by the retreating Huns. Late on the same night the battery went into their seventh and last position of the drive, near Chery, about five kilometers west of Fismes and the Vesle River, the final objective of the drive. All night and all the next day we fired on Fismes. On August 4th, at 9.00 P. M. we were relieved by the 4th Division. Oh ! how good this order did seem. It seemed al- most impossible that at last we were going to get some sleep, food, water and clothes, but it was a fact nevertheless. What a job we had completed, how we ever stayed up is more than we could tell. The entire Brigade received many citations and congratulations, for the wonderful feat that it had performed. From July 18th, to August 4th, 1918, it had waged continuous offensive warfare, getting very little food, sleep or water. It made a total advance of 41 kilometers against great opposition, the largest sins'le advance ever made by any similar unit in the entire American Ai'my. It supported besides its own, the infantry of three other divisions (42nd, 28th, 4th) Even though exhausted, hungry, tired, they carried on and the morale was of highest calibre at all times. Not a single man 88 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C grumbled or shirked his duties in any way. It was firing on J'^smes and the Vesle Valley, the last objectives of the drive, when relieved. J'^ol lowing is an order issued by Genei-al EdAvards, at the time of his departure for the United States, to the 51st Field Artillery Brigade, of the 26th .Division, of which Battery C, was a unit. "To the artillery of the 26th is due my expression of admiration for its efficiency and aggressive fighting qualities and for its indefatigable support of our fine infantry. Artillery can desire no higher tribute than the conscious fact that it has gained the confidence, re- liance and thanks of the infantry. "During more than eight months of fighting service the spirit of loyalty displayed by every officer and man of the 51st Artillery Brigade, towards his duty, toward the Yankee Division and toward the division Commander has been fine. "The record of the 51st Artillery Brigade in the Second Battle of the ]\rarne, is glorious. It went with supported and protected the infantry in its advance of I8I/2 kilometers by Chateau-Thierry, and after in suc- cession three other divisions in the advance from the Marne to the Vesle for a period of eighteen days, be- tween July 18th and August 4th with a gain of over 40 kilometers. It is a record of which the entire division and our country justly may be proud. "I congratulate and thank the Artillery Brigade of the Yankee Division." 89 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR' CHAPTER X The Keturn From The Drive — Our Third Theoretical Rest Camp A fine looking lot of warriors we were, when we left the fighting front at 9.00 P. M. August 4th and if the folks who greeted us when we got home with the words, "Oh, how fine you look," could have seen us then, I wonder what they woul-d have said. We had been just six months to a day, February 4th to August 4th on the front, without a rest with the one ex- f-eption of about twenty days, consumed in forced marching from one sector to another. Now that the excitement and thrill of battle was over for the time being, a reaction set in. We had not washed or shaved for the past three weeks; we had been drinking all kinds of bad water and what little food we did get, was canned and contained but little nourishment. We had been working like slaves, catching only a wink of sleep now and then and this, usually in the pelting rain and knee deep mud, for it rained three quarters of the time. We had not changed a stitch of clothes, in fact, did not even remove our vshoes or socks in all this time. We had been wet through time and again and our clothes dryed on us only to be soaked again. And I do not think that I need add that our old friend the cootie, inhabited our clothes in abundance. Oiothes and shoes were very dirty and almost in rags and many of the men were almost barefooted. The results of this were that almost every man had a cough, sore feet, dysentery, rheumatism, trench or three day fever and about every tther ailment that could exist. The thing that worried us the most, however, was the lack of tobacco and cigarettes. It was wonderful what new life a pipe- ful of tobacco or a cigarette would put into a man in those days, but let me tell you that they were mighty scarce. Not one of us, I feel safe in saying, will ever forget the first night of our march rearward. Two trucks were supplied to each battery, to carry the unmounted men and surplus equipment. These trucks followed along with the rest of the column. Despite the condition that they were in, the boys 90 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C perched on the top, in the seats, on the mud guards, in fact, in every conceivable place on the trucks and burst forth into song. Were we happy? well I'll say that we were. Every song that we knew was sung over and over again and then different ones were called upon to sing solos. The road was shelled sev- eral times but little it worried us and the singing went on * til daylight. We passed through a valley and on the hills in the distance could plainly be seen the flashes of the guns, rockets and star shells which were shooting up. Huge fires told us that the Boche were burning more ammunition and supplies in their retreat. What a wonderful sight it all was ! It seemed all the more wonderful to us, now that we were leaving it all behind for the time being. At 4.30 P. M. August 5th we passed through Fere-en-Tardenois which had been leveled to the ground. We w^ere spell-bound at the sight of the enormous supplies of all kinds left behind by the Boche. They cer- tainly did not expect to lose this salient. At 7.00 A. M. we pulled into the Fere Woods after a twenty-eight kilometer hike. Here we first looked after our tired, exhausted horses and then sought our own comfort. The first thing on the pro- gram was breakfast and then followed sleep, the two most es- sential factors of erery soldier's make-up. We rested in these woods all day and at 9.00 o'clock in the evening we were once again on the road. This time the march was only twenty kilo- meters long and took us through Chateau-Thierry at 6.00 A. M. August 6th. We halted just outside the city, on the banks of the Marne river and once more we had an all day rest. There were two reasons why we were hiking at night at this time. The first and foremost was, that we did not want the Boche to know that any troops were leaving the line, which they would surely find out if their planes came over and discovered troops on the road heading for the rear. The second reason was that at this season of the year it was very hot during the day, but at night much cooler and so it made it very much more com- fortable for both man and horse to hike during the hours of darkness. Almost every man took advantage of the excellent opportunity for a wash and a swim in the Marne. Oh, how good that Avater did feel and the joy of getting our clothes off and splashing around in the water was unexcelled. The only thing to spoil our joy was the fact that we did not have any 91 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" clean clothes to put on and it seemed a shame to spoil a good bath by putting on dirty clothes once again. All the boys took a trip into C'hateau-Thierry after they were rested and if we were enraged at the destruction and devastation of the Hun before, we were furious now, when we looked about this once beautiful city. The houses and buildings were not destroyed as one would be led to believe. To be sure they were destroyed to some extent, but not in keeping with the other cities and towns along the battle-front. The reason for this is very ap- parent, because, when the Boche drove through this section and came within shelling distance of the city, the French, knowing only too well from experience that they would des- troy it quickly retreated and let the Germans come in. While the Huns held the city, the French would not fire on it and would not let us fire on it, because there was too much that they valued in there. Again, Avhen the Germans evacuated the city under our pressure they were driven so far back at the outset that before they could get their guns into action again they were far out of range. However, the city might just as well have been destroyed as left in the condition in Avhich it was. All works of art, pictures, statuary, paintings, books and the like of which there was an abundance had been stolen by these creatures of German Kultur. All that they could not carry away with them had been destroyed. The once magnificent cathedral of Chateau-Thierry had been torn to pieces and stripped of everything valuable by these swine. At 9.15 P. M. August 6th, we once again took to the road for another all night hike and at 6.00 A. M. August 7th arrived at Saacy, between Nanteuil and La P^erte-sur-Marne about thirty kilometers from Paris, after a hike of twenty-seven kilo- meters. Billets here were very poor and we only remained three days in this town. On August 10th we removed to a small town about three kilometers away which v^&s nothing more than a group of farm houses, but a nice quiet place. While in this area we had very little work to do. Of course the regular routine duty, such as guard, the care of horses and material had to be performed, but in general, ve did nothing but rest. The food was much better, but we still figurpd that there was plenty of room for improvement. We were paid while in this town and were able to buy butter, milk, cheese, 92 AVITH FIGHTING BATTERY C eggs and bread from the French peasants. A group of the boys would get together and give an order to a French lady and she would make up a "feed" for them with all the foregoing ar- ticles and rabbit and chicken or both and french fried potatoes to boot. Hence while the money lasted, we didn't care much M-hether the kitchen ever got any rations or not. While here, every man always had a canteen full of milk around with him. We were supposed to get new clothes, shoes etc. while in this area, but never saw any of them. The divisional de-lousing machine came around and we put our clothes through this and were able to take a swim and bath in the JMarne and this helped a great deal. We made prepara- tions while here for extensive training in open warfare meth- ods. This was too good to last, however, and on August 13th, Ave were once again on the move. At 1.30 P. M. we were on the road and hiked twenty-seven kilometers to Chateau-Thier- ry, the loading point. We arrived there at 6.30 P. M. and waited until 11.30 P. M. to load. At 12.30 mid-night we were all loaded and started for we knew not where. We all thought at this time that we were going back to the front, to hold a sector of the new line along the Vesle River, once again they tricked us. At 5.30 P. M. August 14th we arrived at Poicon a railroad head about six kilometers south of Chatillon-sur-Seine. At 6.30 P. M. we commenced a hike of twenty kilometers and at 11.30 P. M. arrived in the village of Obtree in the Chatillon Training Area. After the horses were taken care of and the carriages parked, we were assigned to billets, but most of the men either slept under the carriages or pitched pup-tents for the first night. The billets here were very poor, simply old barns and sheds, but one of the duties of a good soldier is to make the best out of nothing and call that place wherever he hangs his hat his home. Accordingly we fixed these billets up and succeeded in making them fairly comfortable. Some of the boys who could talk French were lucky and secured rooms in the homes of the civilians, which was allowable provided the men answer- ed all calls and the French people were very glad indeed to take us in, because it seems our reputation had preceded us here. The boys paid these people the sum of one franc per day for 93 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" this luxury but only ate occasionally with the inhabitants. We did not know whether we would be here a day or a month. We had been on the move so much that it did not seem natural for us to stay in one place for a very long time. It got to be that if we stayed long in one place we grew impatient and wanted to move again. If we stayed a whole week in one place you'd hear such yells going around as, ''Well where do we go from here, Let's go, no excitement in this burg," etc. After Avhat we had gone through you might call our stay at the Chatillon Training Area a rest, but it was far from our idea of such. After the first two or three days a regular drill schedule came out and from then on there were drills and schools from reveille to retreat. Our hardest task was in get- ting acquainted with bugle calls once more. Bugles were not used at the front, and it was about six months since we had heard a bugle until w^e reached this camp. The course of training here was in the latest open- warfare methods for the reason that now we had the Boche in the open we were going to keep him there. Clothes were issued while in this area and almost every man was fitted out anew. There was plenty of opportunity to bathe in the Seine River and although the water was very cold, the chance was welcomed and almost every man took advantage of it. Thus for the time being we almost became respectable human beings. One thing which was a God-send, was the fact that we could get good fresh water to drink. The food also was much better than any we had received in France, but still it was nothing to boast about. I recall one incident that happened, while here, in the food line. Phil. Riley, thinking of making a hit with the boys, stole a bag of bran from our esteem.ed stable Sergeant Daniel J. Lorden and worked hard all day, mixing and baking bran cakes. The cakes were served at sup- per, but evidently the boys did not appreciate Phil's ability as a cook, for when they tasted the bran cakes, there was mur- der. Everybody, with their two bran cakes in their hands, sur- rounded the kitchen and calling Phil out, apparently to_ con- gratulate him on the fine job he had done, at a given signal from Paddy Collins, started a barrage and not a single one of those cakes missed Phil's red head. The next day the kitchen 94 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C and in fact the entire town was covered with bran and needless to say no more bran cakes were made from this time on. The work of the telephone detail here, consisted mostly in signal practice, observation, the picking of battery positions and the problems confronted in this task and work with the goniometer, scissors instrument and plotting board. Telephones for the time being were entirely forgotten and from early morn until late at night one would find the boys of the detail signal- ing by semaphore and wig-wag, from the top of one hill to another, three or four kilometers distant and reading with the aid of field glasses. Furloughs were promised us here and the battery was even divided into sections and each section notified when they should go on the coveted furlough, but once again this privilege Avas not to be for us. According to regulations every man in the A. E. F. was to receive a seven days furlough once every four months. At this time we had been in France almost a year and three furloughs were now due us, but not a man in the battery had yet received one and I doubt if there was a man even in the division who had been so fortunate. There was no grumbling, however and our motto was, "Let's finish the job, then we'll get a furlough for life, out of this man's army." On August 17th Sgt. Bernard Lynch, left the battery to re- turn to the United States to act as an instructor for a new divi- sion just being formed. There was very little doing in the entertainment line. Once a moving picture eame into the town and anticipating an en- joyable evening we all gathered in the square to witness one for the first time in France but the inevitable rain commenced about the middle of the second reel and although we sat in the rain watching another reel, it then came down so hard that they had to call the show off. The different batteries in the regiment organized baseball teams and a series was begun w^hich was never completed owing to our sudden departure. This sport furnished good fun, however, while it lasted and the ri- valry between the batteries was very keen. As was previously mentioned there was plenty of opportunity for swimming in the Seine River and this was enjoyed more than anything else. Capt Howe Avas also a lover of this sport and was to be found splashing in the river at every opportunity. 95 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" We were only about eight kilometers from the big city of Chatillon-sur-Seine and passes to this town were issued fre- quently. Moving pictures were shown there and the many band concerts also afforded good entertainment. There Avas a good ball game scheduled about once a Aveek and Ave ne\'er missed an opportunity to see these games. Many dainties and necessities could be purchased in Chatillon at the Huts of the dit¥erent Avelfare societies, the Red Cross. K. of C, Salvation Army, Y. M. C. A. and JcAvish Welfare Board. All had canteen and rest rooms in the city Avhieh Avere A^ery largely patronized by the khaki warriors with a sweet tooth and I guess Ave all had SAA^eet teeth. A good "feed" could be purchased for a reason- able price at the ciA'ilian establishments and a long line Avould always be seen in front of the "Mairie." waiting to secure bread tickets Avhich Avere issued by the Mayor upon request. Permits to eat also had to be secured and the A. P. M. (Am- ei'ican Provost JMarshall) Avas the man Avhose tender mercies had to be prcA^ ailed upon to secure one of these coveted passes. About August 25th, rumors Avere rife that a big All-Amer- ican Offensive Avas coming in the near future. They Avere more than rumors; they were almost facts. About the middle of August there Avere enough American troops in France to form an Army. Hence, the first American Army Avas organized and the "Yankee Division," Avas one of the chief divisions in this Army. The 1st Army Avas composed of the veteran DiA'isions Avho had been on the front for somcdime and had taken a part in the Second Battle of the Marne. General Pershing, Com- mander-in-chief of the American Expeditionary Forces, person- ally assumed command of the 1st Army. American, French, British, Belgian. Italian and German military authointies and ncAvspapers noAv began to speculate as to AA-here the first Am- erican Army Avould operate, AA'hat their first moA^e Avonld be and principally hoA\' it Avould turn out. The individual Amer- ican fighting man had proA-en to the Avorld that he Avas as good and better than any fighting man of any country in the Avorld. The junior and line officers had also proA'^en that there Avere none better. Noav the big question came. What Avould the Am- erican staff and genci'al officerrs do? AVould they make a rec- ord in keeping Avith the individual American soldier's record? 96 O - "S be o « a s c3 m -^ c .2 § -a (73 O CO -r hJ c bo v;3 M 1/3 be 3<:S WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C Would they also prove that they didn't make them any better? These questions will all be answered in the next chapter when we carry them through their tests. Thus our becoming a part of the 1st Army, which certain- ly would do something soon, put us on the alert and every man quietly made his own little preparations for a return to the front. August twenty-seventh, gas masks were tested by Corp. Albert Noble, Gas Officer for the Battery. This was the cli- max ; we knew now that our stay here was to be very short. On August 29th, at 3.30 P. M. we left Obtree after four- teen days' extensive open warfare training. We hiked to Pol- con, the entraining point, where fifteen days before we had de» trained upon our arrival in this section. We camped in a field alongside the road all night. Early the next morning, August 30th, one of our guides informed us that Battery B of our regi- ment had loaded in tAventy-eight minutes. Capt Howe later had this confirmed by Major Minot. He then said to the boys of C Battery, "Well boys, B Battery loaded in twenty-eight minutes, its mighty good time, but I've a hunch we can beat them." A general yell of, "Let's go," went up. And we were off, timed by Major Minot. We loaded in just exactly tAventy- five and one-half minutes. That was the record for our Bri- gade and it never was beaten. I dare say that it was the record of the entire A. E. F. and that no other battery ever loaded in a like time, before or since. In all our travels we never found anyone Avho claimed that they had equalled or beaten that time and I don't believe that it has ever been done outside of Bat- tery C. At 9.15 A. M. August 30th, we were on our way and as usu- al, did not know where we were going. One thing, however, we did knoAv and that was, Ave Avere going to some front for an- other drive and as in the jMarne Drive, Avhen Ave operated Avith the 1st American Corps Avhich Avas the first to operate at the front under a single Corps Commander, so noAv Ave Avere go- ing to operate at the front AAdth the next larger unit, the Army, the 1st American Army, Avhich for the first time Avas going to operate at the front under a single Army Commander. 97 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" CHARTER XI The Battle Of The St. Mihiel Salient — Massing For The Drive — Reducing Of The Salient According to the rumors Avhich were prevalent, we were on the way to Toiil, the Vesle and the Somme. It might be in- teresting to note that our real destination was not even di'eam- ed of. This will serve to show how very secret all such inform- ation was kept. At 10.00 P. ]\I. August 30th our troop train pulled into the freight-yard of a small village knov%ai as Longe- ville about five kilometers from Bar-le-Duc and stopped. De- training orders were issued at once and the job of unloading began. At 11.45 we were harnessed and hitched and ready to move. At this stage of the game the horses were in a very poor condition, although they had picked up wonderfully during the past three v>'eeks. The main trouble, now, was that horses were very scarce and we only had about one-half the author- ized quota. It was a big problem. All the non-commissioned officers and even a great many of the commissioned officers had been dismounted and their mounts put into draft. According- ly everyone except the drivers traveled from this time on. on '"'Shank's Mare." About 4.30 A. M. Saturday, August 31st after a thirty-six kilometer hike, the column pulled into a woods and halted for the day. We were now near the front once more. We did not knov/ exactly what sector, but sign posts along the roads informed us that the immortal city of Verdun, was only thirty kilometers distant. Another thing that was clear to us was that the 1st American Army, noAv in its infancy, was concentrating for a Drive and Ave were all anx- ious to get into this first Ail-American Offensive, planned and conducted by American oi^cers and men alone. Everyone was in the best of spirits and the morale was of the highest calibre. During this day there was no Avork to perform but routine duty. At nightfall we were ordered to hold ourselves in readiness for a move. A heavy mist fell over the Avoods Avhich made CA-ery- thing very Avet and damp. AVe did not pitch pup-tents, hoAV- ever, because Ave Avanted to be ready to jump at a minute's 98 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C notice. Most of the boys slept under the carriages, but many- slept out in the open. This was no new experience for us and despite the dampness, everyone got in a good night's "pound- ing." By 6.00 A. M. Sept. 1st, we were on the road once more. The hike this time was but a short one of eleven kilometers. At 10.30 A. M. the battery halted in the town of Issoncourt and waited here until dark, Avhen once again we moved about two kilometers outside the town, into a woods above Isson- court. Here we worked until midnight, cutting bushes for camouflage and putting them around the carriages. We then made our bunks under the guns and wagons amid a pelting- rain. With daylight on SeiDtember 2nd, came the delinquent, smiling sun. As our duties were not very numerous this day, many of the boys paid a visit to a cemetery outside of Isson- court, where eight thousand brave Frenchmen lay, who had given up their lives for the great cause for which we were fighting, in the Battle of Verdun in 1914. AVe remained in these woods for four days. Every night during this period, Artillery of all calibres came up and camou- flaged themselves in the Avoods. Hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, including all calibres from 75 's to 520 's, were piled here and there and everywhere and every night more and more were brought up. September 4th Capt. Howe, Leo Carney and Charles Miles, went up forward to reconnoiter our next hom.e and on September 5th at 6.30 P. M. we once more began to hike. At 6.00 A. M. September 6th we passed through the tovrn of Rupt-en-Woevre, and an hour later halted in the Rupt Woods, about five kilometers behind the front lines and made preparations to wait here until the big day. Every- thing was camouflaged perfectly, as secrecy was now the by- word because this drive vv^as to be if possible, a complete surprise to our mutual enemy the *'Heinnies." Every night the roads were crowded -with supply trains, ammunition trains, artillery of every calibre and Infantry, all of them melting away in the woods. During the day there was no sign of movement whatsoever. As this was to be a surprise attack on the Boche, it was absolutely essential that all work be done at night, so that Hun planes and observation balloons, 99 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" M'hich were up frequently might not catch even a slight inti- mation that there was something afoot. It rained most of the time and although this was a hindrance to our work in a way and caused many difficulties in transportation, we welcomed it for once and it was at this time one of the most valuable of as- sets, because it made observation impossible and kept the Ger- man aeroplanes and balloons down. The work went on, each unit bent on getting their particular job done first. Our posi- tions had been assigned and during the long hours of the night, the boys worked diligently, constructing gun platforms and trail holes, laying telephone lines and establishing communi- cation, bringing up ammunition and supplies; in general, get- ting everything in readiness for the opening day. Always, as daybreak peeped through the clouds, all work would be con- cealed and all men would return again into the Avoods, awaiting darkness to go on with their labor. In some cases there were trees which obstructed the field of fire. These were sawed half way through, low enough so that the projectiles would clear them and left with just enough strength to keep them from breaking, so that when Zero day came it would only take a blow to break them off. The guns were taken up on the night of September 8th and camouflaged on the side of a road about one hundred metei's from the position. On the night of September 10th, the guns were hauled into position, by hand, placed on the platforms, put into position and all final preparations made for the open- ing of fire. By this time every place one went, there were guns and guns and guns. There seemed to be no end of them. We never before had seen so many guns of such different calibres iind styles and never dreamed even that there was so much ammunition in the world as there was around here. During all this time the Infantry patiently waited in the woods for the order to go in. Our position was on the top of a hill, overlooking the town of Mouilly, and just outside this village itself, about one-hun- dred meters in from the road. There were batteries in back, on both sides and in front of us. There certainly was going to be some fun when we all opened up. The 26th Division once again held a place of honor, having one of the hardest sectors on the salient assigned to it. We were placed on the left flank, 100 WITH FIGPITING BATTERY C about ten kilometers south of Verdun and northeast of St. Mihiel, at the point where the salient met the straight part of the line. The troops on our left were the 2nd French Coloniahs, the Yankee Division holding the extreme left of the American troops. It was to be our duty to attack with the 1st Amer- ican Division, which held the right flank, in the region of Toul and drive in a southeasterly direction in an attempt to flank the Boche, break in his flanks, close up the mouth of the pocket and shut all the Huns up in the salient. All along the salient the other divisions of the 1st Army were massing and preparing in a similar manner. Owing to the fact that September 11th, was a dark day and it was raining hard, there ^vas nothing to be feared from aeroplanes or balloons, so the gun crews and telephone men left the Echelon in the woods, about noontime, for the position. The time went along very slowly as we waited for zero hour to come. About 9.00 P. I\I. the telephone detail was ordered to consolidajte with the A and B battery details and lay a line from the Battalion P. C. to a shell hole, in No Man's Land, where Lt. George, the Battalion observing Officer would ob- serve the results of our fire. They were ordered to have the line in by twelve o'clock mid-night. It was a tremendous task and only three hours to complete it in. Besides, no one was exactly sure of the location of this shell hole. The night was terribly dark and it was raining hard, with the mud knee deep. The suicide squad had to go through woods where there were no paths, scramble over barbed wire entanglements and through swamps. Several times they were halted at the point of a bayonet or the muzzle of a machine gun as they passed some infantry post. It certainly was a nerve racking experi- ence, but the detail put the line through 0. K, and a sorry looking lot they were when they came straggling back to the position. At 1.00 A. M. that historic morning of September 12, 1918, every gun in the St. Mihiel salient opened up simultaneously and the first All-American Offensive was under way. Up to this time the sector had been very quiet, as it had been for the greater part of four years, but from this time on, it was as if all HELL itself had been let loose. My God! What a sight! What a thundering noise! What a picture it all presented! 101 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" What a scare it must have put into the unsuspecting Germans ! Oh! What wouldn't we have given to have been there and to have seen the look on their faces as that deluge came pouring •dov/n upon them. It was raining in torrents, but what cared the American Army for rain, when they ^vere driving against the barbarians of civilization. If one paused for a moment in 'his toils to glance around, he would have seen fla.shes, heard a shell shoot out and whistle for the German lines from behind every tree and bush. A.11 this firing was merely the preliminary Artillery prep- aration. It lasted until eight A. M. There was not a single meter of the German front that had not been raked throughly. It was one of the most intense preparations ever laid down in the history of the war. Everything seemed to be playing in our favor at this time. The past two weeks, while we were con- centrating and massing and welcoming the rain and wanting it, because it prevented the Boehe from getting a line on what was going on, it had fallen in torrents. Now, when the drive was on and we were attacking and wanted good weather, it came. For, with daybreak the rain ceased and the sun shone brightly and soon had all the mud dried up. It seemed as though even the elements were out to beat the Hun. At 8.00 A. M. September 12th, we commenced our normal barrage. This was kept up until 9.00 A. M. when we started a rolling or creeping barrage and the Infantry went over the top. The work of the Infantry was comparatively light as our preparation had driven the Boche, either to the rear or into the dugouts. The mopping up wave took them out of the dugouts by the dozen, while the first wave advanced behind our bar- rage, fast gaining all the required objectives. The Huns, en- tirely surprised and unprepared, soon began a wholesale re- treat, abandoning guns, ammunition, clothing, equipment, sup- plies, stoi'es and in fact, everything that kept them from run- ning and running fast. An hour after the Infantry had gone over, prisoners began to flock to the rear in droves. There were a great many Austrians among them. About five o'clock in the morning, while the artillery prep- aration was still in progress, a German sacrifice battery opened up and began to shell the town of Mouilly, all the shorts (shells dropping short of their intended mark) landing on our posi- 102 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C tion. One of these burst in front of some empty ammunition boxes, behind which Capt. Howe was figuring firing data. The switchboard and telephone were also behind these boxes and Sgt. Edward O'Leary, then acting as 1st Sgt. was at the battery position talking to Capt. HoAve and Sgt. William I. Hart who was on duty at the switchboard at the time, was also there, sit- ting on one of these empty boxes. The boxes were riddled with the splinters from the shell ; the head of the shell crashed through the box on which Bill Hart was sitting, whistled be- tween his legs and finally stopped when it hit Ed. O'Leary in the right arm, inflicting a terrible wound. His wound was dressed by Norraan Barteaux and Ed. certainly was game, for he walked all the way into Mouilly to the first aid station, from which he Avas later evacuated. Bill Hart Avas dumbfound- ed. He had just returned to the battery from the hospital, having just recovered from wounds received at Chateau-Thier- ry. He simply said, ''Well I suppose they'll get me good one of these days. ' ' About noon, September ]2th, the Infantry had gained all the required objectives for the day. The Artillery was now out of range and ceased firing. We immediately prepared to advance. Because of the fact that we were on the flank, our advance M'ould be but a short one. The troops in the center, would have the longest advance to make, but on the other hand they would meet with little opposition. The guns were hauled off the platforms and the limbers summoned, but the roads were in such a condition that it was impossible to transport artillery over them. Before the roads were even securely held, the 101st Engineers, were on the job with picks and shovels and the work that they did here was marvelous, but it was an impos- sibility to have the highways repaired this day, so Ave remained where we Avere all night, Avith guns, limbers and all other equip- ment ready to moA^e at a moment's notice. The Infantry, after gaining all their required objectiA^es, received orders to folloAA^ up the attack in the direction of Hat- tonchatel and stop when they got there. The 1st DiAdsion driv- ing from the south, in the Mont-Sec region and the troops in the center, Avere also ordered to drive for Hattonchatel. Hat- tonchatel Avas on the edge of the Woerve Plain and about equal- ly distant from both flanks and the center ; hence, if a meeting 103 SMASHING THROUGPI THE ''WORLD WAR' of all three elements could be brought about at Hattonchatel, the reducing of the salient would be completed. On the morn- ing of September 13th, the Infantry of the 26th Division en- tered Hattonchatel ; a short time later, the advance patrols of the 1st Division entered the city, closely followed by detach- ments driving from the center of the salient. Hence, Victory was assured. At 4 :10 P. M. September 13th, Battery C left the position near Mouilly and after an advance of about ten kilometers went into a ncAv position, just outside the town of St. Maurice. All day the day of the thirteenth, great numbers of prison- ers kept pouring in. On all sides it was very evident that the Offensive had been a complete surprise to the Germans. They had abandoned a great many field pieces. Many of these had been destroyed before they retreated, but on the other hand there were a great many that they did not take the time to destroy. There were large stores of munitions of all kinds: supplies, clothing, foodstuffs, tools, small arms, rifles, machine guns and other equipment in abundance. One of the things that impressed us the most, however, was the cemeteries. There were a great number of German cemeteries all through here and the graves were marked with large, costly, magnificent headstones and monuments. The 26th Division had liberated over a dozen French towns, and thousands of French citizens who had been held prisoners for four long years. When the Infantry went through these toA\ais, the civilians did not know what to make of them, as they had never seen the Americans before and did not know that we were in the war as the German authorities kept all this from them. When we told them that we were Americans and that we were in it 2.500,000 strong, they were overcome. The girls threw their arms around our boys, the older people re- joiced and civilians and soldiers together celebrated. Every- thing that we wanted was ours for the asking. They invited us into their homes and nothing was too good for us. One of the best captures to many of the tired thirsty Americans was a German Brev.^ery near St. Maurice that was well supplied Avith good German beer. There was also a large amount of cigars taken here and almost every man in the division smoked for the next Aveek on the Boche. A supply house Avas taken 104 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C that had enough German sweaters to equip half our division and we paraded around in these until the Officers, acting under orders, confiscated them. The division had taken over 2800 prisoners, a great many field pieces of all calibres and huge quantities of rifles, machine guns, munitions, railroad material and rolling stock. The first ALL-MIERICAN OFFENSIVE planned and car- ried out solely by American officers and men had been a won- derful success. The American staff and general officers had set a record, in keeping with that already made by the indiv- idual American soldier. The entire American Army, from the lowest, "Buck," private to the Commander-in-chief had proven to the world that there were none better. In two days the 1st American Army, in their first drive, had made a wonderful record and won a glorious victory. For four long years the St. Mihiel salient had jutted into the Allied lines and been a great menace. Several times the French had tried to reduce this salient and straighten out the line, but had failed. In less than two days the Americans had completed an enormous task, that no one thought possible. Our casualties were very light ; we inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy and had taken 15,000 prisoners, a larger number than had ever been taken before in a similar length of time. The following AMERICAN COMMUNIQUE, issued on September 15, 1918, sums up the spoils of the American Victory at St. Mihiel. 15 Sept., 1918. 4 o'clock Communique. AMERICAN OFFICIAL In the St. Mihiel sector, our advance units have maintained touch with the enemy's forces and have repulsed counter- attacks attempted by them in the region of Jaulney. We are now able to estimate the success obtained during the two pre- vious days. The dash and vigor of our troops and of the valient French divisions which fought shoulder to shoulder with them is shown by the fact that the forces attacking on both faces of the salient affected a junction and secured the results desired 105 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR' within 27 hours. Besides liberating more than 150 square miles of territory and taking 15,000 prisoners, "\ve have captured a mass of material ; more than 100 guns of all calibres and hun- dreds of machine guns and trench mortars have been taken. In spite of the fact that the enemy during his retreat burned large stores a partial examination of the battle-field shows that great quantities of ammunition, telegraph material, railroad material, rolling stock, clothing and equipment have been aban- doned. Further evidence of the haste with which the enemy retreated, is found in the uninjured bridges, which he left be- hind. French pursuit, bombing and reconnaissance units divid- ed with our own air service the eontrol of the air and contribut- ed materially to the success of the operation. EIFFEL TOWER The foUoAving tribute was sent by a Catholic priest in the village of Rupt-en-Woerve, to General Edwards, after the divi- sion had driven the Germans back onto the Woerver Plain. It will help to show the light in which the French regarded the Americans, especially the 26th Division. **Sir, your gallant 26th American division has just set us free. Since Sept. 1914, the barbarians have held the heights of the ^leuse, have murdered three hostages from Mouilly, have shelled Rupt, and on July 23rd 1915, forced its inhabitants to scatter to the four corners of France. I, who remain at my lit- tle listening post upon the advice of my Bishop, feel certain, sir, that I do but speak for Monseigneur Ginisty, Lord Bishop of Verdun, my parishioners of Rupt, Mouilly and Genicourt and the people of this vicinity in conveying to you and your associates, the heartful and unforgetable gratitude of all. "Several of your comrades lie at rest in our truly Christian and French soil. Their ashes shall be cared for as if they were our own. We shall cover their graves with flowers and shall kneel by them as their own families would do, with a prayer to God to reward with eternal glory these heroes fallen on the field of honor and to bless the 26th Division and generous Americans. 106 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C "Be pleased, sir, to accept the expression of ray profound respect. ' ' A. Leclerc. General Bland! at, commander of the 2nd Colonial Army Corps, French, who operated on our left, during the St. Mihiel Offensive said in General orders : **The spirit of sacrifice and magnificent courage displayed by the troops of the 26tli United States Division on this occa- sion were certainly not in vain : they seem to me worthy of re- compense and praise ; therefore, I direct the General comman- ing this division to address propositions to me on this subject." A DUD On out-post guard while ''over there," A shell came screaming thru the air; And yet before I could retreat, It landed there just at my feet ; I closed my eyes and thru my mind The things I'd done in years behind Rushed madly thru. My good intent Seemed ruthless in the years I'd spent. I groaned aloud in inward strife. And wished I'd lived a better life. My folks at home I seemed to see, How saddened by my death Avould be. Then yet again perhaps this shell Might only wound, who then could tell? I saw myself without a leg; Would I have crutches or a peg? Suppose that I should lose an arm, Colcl drops of sweat formed on my brow ; Would it explode? Oh, when and hoAv? I cast my eves down at the mud ; There laid the shell. IT WAS ONLY A DUD. By Regt. Sgt. Maj. S. SPARKS. A. E. F. France. 107 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR' CHAPTER XII A So-Called Rest — The Troyon Or New England Sector — Marcheville And Riaville After the St. Mihiel Offensive, a new line was organized on the heights overlooking the Woerve Plain. The Germans or- ganized their new line some 7 or 8 kilometers out on the plain. Although our main line ran along the heights on the Western edge of the plain, we had outposts, for some distance out on tlie flats, in the towns of Wodonville, Hanonville, Fresne-en- Woerve, Ancemont, Billy, Soulx and Herbeuville. We also had several Batteries out on the plain. About noon Sept. 14th, Battery C once more pulled out of position, and left the position on the outskirts of St. ]\Iaurice and moved about 2 kilometers more, forward, taking up a place in an old German position in a thick woods about one kilometer north of Dommartin. Two guns, 88 's had been abandoned by the Boche and remained in this location. We were now only in reserve, supposedly for a rest. It was somewhat of a rest, at that, for the reason that we did very little firing ourselves, but the Huns kept us on the jump by constant high explosive, gas and aerial bombardments. Most of this supposed rest was spent in moving to new posi- tions. We left the woods North of Dommartin at 7 :00 P. M. Sept. 15th. We went through St. Remy and Dommartin and took up a new position on top of a hill looking out over the Woerve plain, in another old German battery location about 2 kilo- meters East of St. Remy. This was different from the last four positions in that, there were dugouts here. The only firing which we did from this place, was one normal barrage, at 5.05 A. M. Sept 16th, which repulsed a local counter-attack of the enemy on our front lines. At 7:30 P. ]\I. Sept 36th, we once more harnessed and hitched, resigning our positions here to the 101st F. A. After a hike of 5 kilometers, through St. Remy and Les-Eparges, we took up another position in the Les-Eparges Valley, about 100 meters in rear of Les-Eparges. 108 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C We remained here about a week, during which time we did but little firing. Every night we were subjected to lengthy bombardment. The food all this time was very poor indeed. The inevitable rain set in once again and made things very miserable. We were living in pup-tents and the result was that we had a wet bunk every night, but such a small matter as this could hardly phase us now. While in this position, we prepar- ed no less than six times to move, only to be halted just as we were ready to pull out of the position. On Sept. 23d, we left the position in rear of Les-Eparges and moved 2 kilometers forward, to a place, in a small woods, on the side of a steep hill, on the very edge of the Woerve plain, about 3 kilometers directly West of Fresne-en- Woerve. The only na.tural concealment from the plain, at this position, was a small clump of trees, in front of the guns. We relieved a French Battery here and after a week of duty in reserve, our Christian Science — rest was at an end and we Avere once more actively taking a part in things. The French called this the Troyon Sector, but the Yanks of the 26th named it the New England Sector. This new position was the best of any that we had oc- cupied on this sector as far as dugouts and personal comforts went. The dugouts, were in the side of a hill and fairly shell proof. There was also a running spring nearby where we could get good drinking and washing water. The approaches to the position were terrible, however. There were no roads, simply a pajth, and the rain and constant traveling over this, had made it a mud path, with the mud two feet deep for a stretch of 500 meters. The horses Avere unable to pull the guns in here, so each carriage had to be taken in by hand. We commenced at 9 :00 o'clock at night to bring the guns in here and at daylight next morning we were hardly ready to open fire. Difficulties were also experienced in bringing in supplies and ammunition as they had to be carried by hand almost half a kilometer. Sgt. Killelea who was now acting 1st Sgt. at the Battery position, had charge of this work and notwithstanding the immense difficulties, he did a fine job and is entitled to much credit for the manner in which he handled things. _ Up to the time that the St. Mihiel Drive commenced, this entire front had been very quiet. Now it was one of the most 109 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR' active on the whole Western theatre of war. AVe were at all times subjected to heavy and extended bombardments of H. E. and gas and our guns were barking out day and night. We had two casualties in this sector, Pvt. Percy Crawford was slightly wounded in the head and Pvt. Harry Brown was more seriously vrounded, being badly cut up. Every incident, no matter how grave, always has its humorous side and such was the case in this. Percy Crawford was outside of his dug- out, Avith his helmet off, when a shell burst, a considerable distance away. One of the splinters which had almost spent its velocity, bounced off Percy's head, inflicting a very slight wound. Percy felt a little sting and cried out, "Well vv'hat do yer know about that, a splinter bounced right off my head and didn't hurt me." A moment later, however, a stream of blood told him that it did cut him a little and as a result Percy went around for a couple of weeks with his head bandaged up. If he had had his helmet on, he never would have received even a slight injury and this only went to show what more serious effects might oc- cur. At this time the boys had grown rather slack in regard to the wearing of helmets and carrying gas masks in the alert position. Orders were now issued and rigidly carried out that any man, who was caught outside of his dugout without a hel- met on and a gas mask in the alert position, would be court- martialed. Observation posts were established on the tops of hills and when the weather was clear, excellent observations of the Hun lines were afforded. AVe could look out over the AVoerve plain, 22 kilometers wide and with the aid of field glasses and scis- sors instruments, see the heights on the other side. The big manufactui'ing cities of Etain and Conflans, 20 kilometers away, could easily be seen and the smoke rising from the chim- neys told us that the Germans were working the factories for all they were worth. Almost every movement of the Germans, on the plain, could be seen and they were carefully watched. Our observation post alone, recorded the location of 11 German batteries and 3 balloon centers. AVe had a decided advantage over the Boche, owing to the fact that we held the heights and they were out on the plain below. Their only observation was by balloons and aeroplanes. The German aviators were very 110 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C active and bombing planes came over our lines, dropping their deadly missiles every night. During the day our aviation ser- vice was kept busy, chasing and battling with the enemy re- connaissance planes. As was previously mentioned this sector was now very active after almost four y&ars of comparative quietness. Al- most every day we carried out a local operation or repulsed an enemy attack. Enemy artillery was very active at all times. The biggest operation launched by us, commenced about 4 :00 A. i\I. Sept 2Gth. It was what is termed as a diversion. As the hold on the new line after the St. Mihiel Offensive became secure, American divisions began to concentrate in the Ar- gonne Forest, near Verdun, to launch another offensive against the Boche. Nov/ that Ave had them on the run, Ave were going to give them no rest. Our positions, at this time Avere about 10 kilometers South of Verdun. The American-Meuse-Argomie Drive Avas not to extend doAA-n as far as our sector, but the idea of the diversion Avas to make the enemy believe that it Avas to extend all along the front. This Avas planned in order that they Avould not send the troops opposite, Avho Avere some of the bCvSt Prussians DiA'isions, up to Avliere the real drive Avas coming off, to stem the tide and attempt to break up our advance. Con- sequently, at the same moment that the Meuse-Argonne Offen- siA'e, in Avhich Ave Avere later to take such an important part, commenced, Ave also laid doAvn a heavy artillery bombardment principally on the toAv^ls of Marche\dlle and Riaville and the Infantry a fcAv hours later, just at daybreak, under cover of a dense fog, sallied forth onto the plain and entered the Adllage of j\IarcheAdlle and then proceeded to RiaA'ille. Their orders Avere to take the tOAA'ns, hold them all day and capture prison- ers. The operation Avas entirely successful and accomplished every objective, although at the cost of large casualties on our side. The tAvo toAAais Avere held against several concentrated, counter-attacks of the enemy and despite the fact that the Boche, kept a continual, artillery fire on the toAvns all day, the doughboys stuck to their job. According to program, the tAvo villages Avere evacuated at dark and our troops AAdthdrcAV to the former line. On Oct. 11th, 1918, Ave once again pulled out guns out of position, shouldered packs and began a long march, AA-hich AA^as ultimately to end at the front, once more, this time for our last crack at the Boche, in the Meuse-Argonne Offen- sive. Ill SMASHING THROUGH THE "AYORLD WAR" CHAPTER Xni Verdun — Meuse — Argonne — Armistice When the Battery learned they were to enter Verdun, ex- citement Avas at its highest point and there was more interest shown in going to Verdun than in going to Paris. We wanted to see the ** Holiest Ground," of France where lay thousands of her heroic dead ; where that boasting idiot, the Crown Prince, found that the French were prepared to steep the valley with mangled bodies and that no sacrifice was too great for the sons of France ; and in that great meeting place of the dead, the Sons of America met their French comrades and showed that they, too, were willing to Carry On, and if need be drench the valley with their blood. The Poilu declared to the world, ' ' THEY SHALL NOT PASS, ' ' and they never did. Yanks and Poilu lie side by side in Verdun and thousands more of Amer- ica's Sons were there to see that they did not pass." The battered and ruined city, was in the same condition as Yi3res, Louvain and Rheims, standing as mute testimony of what Boche Kultur had done for the world. As pictures of these ruined cities pass before the mind's eye, one wonders what is the meaning of the attitude of the Hun Delegates, to the Peace Conference, whining that this and that clause is too severe. If the question of the Armistice had been submitted to the Allies troops, holding the line, on that memorable Novem- ber 11th, — even with all their hardships and sufferings, we think the answer would have been, ''Carry On." October 11th 1918, Battery C was relieved by the 113th IT. S. Field Artillery. The same method of travelling at night Avas adopted. The roads, torn by mines, shells and bombs, were being repaired by engineers, with rocks and logs of Avood, so that the Artillery could travel over them. After a month's separation, the guns and crcAvs being at the front Avhile the horses were at the Echelon, the battery was again reunited, at Rupt-en-AVoerve. No rest Avas given here for they started on a thirty-five kilometer hike AA^hich ended in the Sartelle Woods. The men and horses during this period 112 Upper Left: Mec. Frank Hayes and Cpl Charles Connors, Toul Sector ; Upper Right : All ready for a trip in a box car ; Center Left : Special detail or telephone dugout, Chemin-des-Dames Sector; Center Right, Sgt. Frank J. Killilea at switchboard in telephone dugout, Toul Sector; Lower Left: Ben Poole and Harry Poole, off on permission, 2nd class coach; Ed. D. Sirois, during ga.- attack Toul Sector, note 210 dud. (Photos by Authors.) WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C suffered the worst privations of the whole war. Horses died by the seoi-e, due to the strain they were under and the men were exhausted, but with that indomitable spirit of the "YANKEE DIVISION," they kept going. On October 13th the Battery relieved a French Battery in the ^voods north of The city of Verdun. Preparations were being made for us to take our part in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. The German artillery were very active, at this time, and the American artillery were subjected to heavy shell fire. Oc- tober 20th the battery was compelled to move to a new position further north, but still the incoming fire was unabated, "Heinie" Avas off on his range, however, and secured but few direct hits, although he tried hard to neutralize the American Artillery. It was at this position that John Kavanah was severely wounded. He was struck in the left shoulder by a shell fragment that tore a big piece out of that part of his body. He was immediately evacuated. Sunday, November 3, the battery moved again, two kilo- meters further doAvn the road, as it was believed that our posi- tion had been located, from the intense fire received at this point. It M-as during the stay in this position that one of the boys of the Battery, Bill Ruediger, lost his foot from a fragment of a shell and several other Battery boys were wounded. Severe fighting continued, from that time on, until Saturday, November 9th, when the battery advanced about five kilo- meters. Sunday, November 10th, in the afternoon, rumors were rife that an Armistice was going to be declared. Few believed it however, thinking that some "Wise Guy," was raving; others thought that it was German propaganda. ToAvards evening, the Officers began to talk of the rumor and all agreed that this was a HELL of a time to sign an Armistice Avhen things were coming our way. The men on guard that night, were doubly careful, never for a moment relaxing and ready to pull the lanyard on the guns, at the sight of the proper rock- et from the Infantry. November 11th arrived and at 7.30 A. M. our doughboys called for a barrage and we sure gave them one and it cer- tainly did not look like peace in that sector, for a while at least. About 10.30 A. M. definite word was received that hostilities Avould cease at 11.00 o'clock. Then began a series of confer- 113 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" enees among the members of the various gun crews. They gath- ered in small groups discussing which section Avould lire the last shot. Each section wanted to be the last; every trick was to be resorted to. A few minutes before the fateful hour, or- ders were given to suspend fire. The orders to load were then given to the four guns and promptly at 11.00 o'clock Capt. Howe raised his arm over his head and gave the command fire ; not a shell left the gun ; this was repeated the second time with the same result; the third time the guns flashed and amid the roar, four shells flew through space on their way to the German lines — the last shots fired by Battery C in the world war. Shortly after, Captain Howe, Sgts. Eric Borton, David (Darby) Yule and Private Eddie Lavin were on their way to explore the German lines. This little adventure almost ended in disaster as will be shown later. About twelve o'clock, the party was five kilometers behind the German lines, Avalking along a road when about forty German soldiers, in charge of a German Captain appeared on their way to perform some task. Other German soldiers were standing outside dugouts along the roadside, when some of their number started to throw mud and dirt at our party of explorers. Captain Howe was for fight right on the spot and he told the German Captain so. The German officer resented this and as he approached the party, it was easily seen that he was under the influence of drink. In his party was a corporal, who spoke a little English and he tried to act as interpreter. Through him they learned that his reason for being fiery was that our party of Americans Avere armed, each member of the party still having his pistol around his waist. The German officer insisted that they be made prisoners but Sgt. Borton then saved the day. He could speak German fluently and when the German officer heard this he changed his attitude and the party returned to their own lines. Any person dropping into the battery position would never have known that the Armistice was in effect because the boys sat around the guns just as usual, waiting for the commands that were never issued. Besides Bill Paiediger's misfortune in losing his foot and several other lighter casualties, Jean Chenard, who although detached from the battery and attached to Headquarters Com- 114 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C pany, 102nd F. A. during most of the campaign, at the front, was always looked upon as a battery C boy, he having served many years in the organization, including six months on the Mexican Border, in 1916, was killed in action while perform- ing his duties as reel-cart driver. It was sad news to all his pais and buddies in the battery, even more so that he should be called upon to make the supreme sacrifice, at the 11th hour, just as the fighting was about to terminate. That night was the one night of the Avhole war that will be remembered forever by the Battery, in fact by every man AA^ho was on the Western Front. It was a cold damp night and the boys gathered stray pieces of Avood and started bonfires as soon as it was dark. The strangest sight for any person to be- hold Avas the Western Front after dark on November 11th. What happened in our sector Avas typical of the entire front ; all the rockets, star shells and flares Avere collected, both on our side and the German and shot into the sky. A fcAv short hours ago, these same rockets would have been the call for the artillery to spread death and destruction in the German lines and the German's signals Avould haA'e meant the same thing to our men; noAv all this Avas changed; they Avere meaningless; these men, Avho for months, some of them years, had been denied the privilege of heat and light, Avere standing around huge bonfires, right on the firing line, Avatching the heaA'ens become illuminated AAdth the thousands of colored rockets. The Avar Avas over, but the true realization of AA^hat had taken place, during the past tAventy-four hours ncA'er entered any man's mind that night. They Avere filled Avith mixed feelings of joy and sorroAA^ Joy, that the horrible thing Avas OA^er, sorroAV, at the thought that Avhen Ave had the Huns licked to a stand-still that thoy could not carry on and finish the job, by planting ''Old Glory" on the top of Potsdam's Palace. It Avas strange that the YANKEE DIVISION should see the closing days of the Avar in this sector AA^hich had seen the bloodiest battles of the Avhole war, THE DEFENSE OF VER- DUN. These Ncav England troops Avhose homes Avere the scenes of many bloody struggles in our early fight for recogni- tion and against a tyrant Avho had tried to enforce his ideas of Liberty and Justice upon a Liberty loving people caused more than one American soldier that night to think of the aid 115 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" given us by France, in our effort to Avork out our o^vn destiny. The war Avas at an end; our division had been in the line almost ten months, with very little, oh, so very little rest. The men had seen their Buddies killed alongside of them, others torn and shattered; they had seen the stretchers going to the rear, with their precious burdens of blood and bandages ; they had seen their idol, General Edwards taken away from them at a critical moment, from which blow they never recovered and which they will never forget. No Divisional Commander holds more respect from his men than General Edwards, the GRAND OLD MAN OF THE YANKEE DIVISION and if the time ever comes when the former members of the 26th Division, now civi- lians get the opportunity to show their beloved Commander how much he is thought of, all he has to do is to speak and the Old Fighting 26th will answer to a man. The night of Noveni- ber 11th will be long remembered. Most of the Yankee Divi- sion proceeded to the city of Verdun where a parade was held. It was a strange sight to see Poilu and Yank, Algerian and other French colored troops, from all parts of the world, marching through the streets. Several of the regimental bands furnished music for band concerts. The civil population, from near and far gathered to celebrate the event. There, amid Avild cheering and shouting the YANKEE DIVISION celebrated the last day of the war. They had seen more fighting service than any other division of the A. E. F. Two days later the Battery left the front, left the scenes of so many exciting and dangerous events and despite all the praise given by French and American Generals, the fact that our Infantry had complete confidence in our ability to support them was the greatest cause for joy. Many a doughboy has •said that with our artillery supporting them they would go through HELL itself. Our thoughts were now centered on a rest and then home. We had accomplished what Ave had \'0l- unteered to do; noAv that the job Avas finished Ave Avanted to return to GOD'S COUNTRY; Ave wanted to go HOIME. The folloAving letter congratulating the 26th DiAdsion Avas sent to General EdAvards by General Claudel, commanding the 17th French Army Corps, Avith Avhom the Yankee Division, op- erated, at Verdun. General EdAvards received this letter the day he Avas relieved of command of the Division. 116 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C "General — The reputation of your division preceded it here far ahead. "To all its titles of glory gained in fierce struggles, and only recently at the signal of Hattonchatel, it has added on the 23rd of October a page which perhaps is more modest, but still does it great honor. "In a few hours, as at a maneuver, it has gained all the objectives assigned to it in the difficult sector of the Woods of Houppy, Etrayes and Sellea. This operation is evfdence indeed of superior instruction, mobility and will. "I do not know how to thank you sufficiently for your as- sistance, dear General, and it is my great desire to express to you all our grateful admiration for your splendid division, which thus has added its name to all of those who have fought to hurl the enemy back from the outskirts of Verdun." Gen'l Claudel. 117 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" CHAPTER XIV U. S. Army Service and Training School IN France While this is primarily a history of Battery C, we feel that a great majority of the civil population would like to know a little something of the hospitals and the Service schools, oper- ated by the American Army in France. Corp. McGinnis, who Avas wounded in July, 1918, during the Second Battle of the Marne, spent about six months in the hospitals, recovering from his wounds. During this time he was in no less than six hospi- tals. Therefore he is very competent to write a chapter on the first aid, evacuation service, hospital trains and hospitals, in France. While Corp. McGinnis is writing his chapter, I feel as though I should do something also, rather than remain idle. Accordingly, I will endeavor, to the best of my ability, to give the reader an insight on the Army Service and Training Schools in France. I feel as though I know something about these schools, four months of my time in France being spent in them, one month at a training school for non-commissioned officers and three months at a school, where enlisted men were trained and made officers, provided upon the completion of the course they could pass the required examinations. The principal duties of the firvSt American troops who land- ed in France, about June, 1917, Avere to learn the intricacies of French material, munitions and the rather complicated methods of modern trench Avarfare, so that they later on, could impart their knowledge to the troops which would arrive in the future. For instructors they had only the French officers and men and this at first caused a great deal of confusion, owing to the fact that all the Americans could not speak French and all the Frenchmen could not speak English. This difficulty, hoAvever, Avas soon remedied, by employing the use of interpreters. These first troops received their first training in the rear areas, then went to the front and received the real thing, on the spot, in action. 118 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C As a result of this, when the 26th Division arrived in Prance there were a number of American instructors, sent to the different units of the division, to tell us what they knew. Each group of American instructors Avere, however, under a French officer, who supervised the training carried on by his American assistants. Building's were erected in the training camps, furnished with all the material and equipment necessary for the particu- lar course, which would be taught there. Classes were organ- ized composed of a certain number of men from each organiza- tion and a schedule of hours of attendance posted. These men would then report at the assigned hours to receive the instruc- tion. These types of schools were knoAvn as Service schools. There were schools for each branch of the service and each sub- division of that branch. For example — there were schools for the Artillery and seperate classes in telephone, signaling and in- strument work for detail men, gunnery and material for gun •crews and mechanics, driving and care of horses for the drivers, firing and map work for the officers, gas, gas mask instruction building of gun pits, dugouts, trenches and camouflaging for ^11. When a division received a certain amount of this train- ing in the training areas they would then be sent to a quiet sec- tor, where they would receive extensive training under actual conditions. When a division left the training area for the front, the best qualified men in the different units would be kept behind to instruct the new troops, just arriving from the U. S. In this way, the corps of instructors increased, as the de- mand for them increased with the arrival of more and more Americans troops in France. It was soon found out that the demand for officers became greater than the supply. Men were graduating from schools in this country and receiving commissions, but in most eases all of these officers had to take a further course of training at French or English schools before they were considered capable of commanding or handling troops. The problem then con- fronted G. H. Q. (American Headquarters in France) of estab- lishing a source of supply of officers who could be quickly trained and fitted to operate with troops in a short time. Con- sequently, officers' training schools were established for all 119 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" branches of the service. The Artillery Officers' Training School was organized and established in the old French Caval- ry School at Saumur, France. It is about this school that the basis of my remarks will be, it being the only officers' school that I attended, but if the routine and organization of this par- ticular school is understood, it will serve as an example be- cause the schools of all the other branches of the service were conducted in a similar manner. When it was found necessary to establish an Officers* Training School, the French authorities removed the personnel of their famous Cavalry School elsewhere and turned the en- tire school, buildings and equipment over to the Americans for use as an Artillery School. About twelve hundred (1200) fine French cavalry horses and saddle equipment which had been used at the school for cavalry instruction were also turned over. The school was situated about one kilometer from the heart of Saumur, which is a quaint and beautiful old French city of historical interest on the banks of the Loire River. The school proper consisted of one large building, facing lengthways to- wards the street with a large ell on each end and two extra large annexes. The grounds of the school were all enclosed by a twenty foot, spiked iron fence. Directly West, to the immed- iate left of the Main building, situated amid flowers, green trees and surrounded by beautiful lawns, was the school hospi- tal. The inside of the Main school building was not in keeping- vvith the beauty and splendor outside. Contrary to expecta- tions it was very rude, plain and rather dull inside. The en- tire building was made of cement, stones and marble. The first floor was given up to Officers, where the admin- istration of the school was conducted, telegraph and telephone exchanges, post office, saddler's and tailor's shop, quartermaster- warehouses, etc. In the center of the second, third and fourth floors were large lecture halls; the remainder of these floors being given up to school rooms and dormitories. In front of the school was a large open space, covered with sand, with beautiful flowering bushes in the corners. Here the different student units formed for reveille, retreat and other formations. In rear of the building was another larger space, well shaded by tall stately poplars and elms. Barracks and mess. 120 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C halls were built here to accommodate the overflow from the building sleeping quarters; all students had their meals served to them in these mess halls. Directly across the street from the school was a big sanded park, called the Chardonnois, by the French, around which ran a race track. This sand covered park was used for drilling and reviewing purposes. Barracks were also built along the west- ern edge of the Chardonnois which were used when the num- ber of students increased to such an extent that the main building and the barracks in the rear were filled up. The northern half of this huge drill ground was partitioned off from the rest by a high picket fence. Inside this inclosure were built more barracks for class rooms, material and property sheds where instructions were given, also two mina- ture ranges where the students learned the principles of artil- lery firing before they went out for real practice with the guns on the big range, ten miles out in the country; and a park for enemy artillery used for instruction purposes and also one for American and French artillery. On three sides of the Chardonnois were monstrous stables and riding halls. Here the twelve hundred horses were kept. The riding halls were the joy of the good rider and the dread of the rookie. The equitation lessons given here were won- derful and no man could help but becoming a good rider, no matter how poor he might have been when he first went there. Many a tumble the good riders received as Avell as the rookie when the hurdling without stirrups began. There was more fun at equitation than at any other class. In order that the men attending the schools might have all the time possible for studying, French ladies were employed, as Femmes-des-Chambres. Their duties were to look after the wants of the men, clean the barracks, make up the bunks and in general do everything that the men themselves would other- wise have to do around the quarters. Likewise, the mess halls were furnished with dishes, it not being necessary to use mess- kits and the tables Avere waited on by girls who were Belgian refugees. In this way the men had every possible moment to attend to their studies. Once a month, four men who had qualified to a certain ex- tent and had showed aptitude in artillery work and handling of 121 SMASHING THROUGH TIffi "WORLD WAR" men were picked by the regimental commanders of each artillery regiment in the A. E. F. and sent to this school. The men to attend the schools for the other branches of the service were picked in the same manner. When the school first started about November, 1917, there were only about three hundred students in the school. Sgt. Leo Lacasse of Battery C Avas a member of the first class. However, as more and more troops arrived overseas and the number of artillery regiments increased, the number of soldiers at the school increased, pro- portionately, until the school finally closed on February 1, 1919, when there were twenty-two hundred enlisted soldiers on its rolls as candidates for commissions. The policy of sending four men a month, from a regiment was continued throughout. In the early days of this school as well as all other Ameri- can schools of its kind, the instructors were entirely French, the Americans at that time not being in a position to spare American officers for this work. The organization of the student body Avas as follows: — the entire body was divided into divisions of about two hun- dred men and named Div. A. B., etc. At the head of each of these divisions was a French Captain, Avho was in charge of the instruction and an American Captain whose duties were to take charge of the administration. By roster, each day, one man was chosen from the men composing the division and he served as divisional officer of the day. One of the officers in charge of a section acted each day as in.specting and disciplinary officer for the division that day. This officer also had charge of the mess for his division. Each division was again sub-divided into tAvo parts of about one hundred men each and called sub-division Al, Bl, CI and Sub-division A2, B2, C2, etc. These sub-divisions Avere in charge of an American or a French 1st Lieutenant. The sub-diAdsions Avere again divided into smaller parts called sections of about 20 men each, making five sections to a sub-division and ten sec- tions to a diAdsion. At first, a French Second Lieutenant Avas put in charge of each section, but later on the section instruc- tors became all American Second Lieutenants. Tavo men chos- en by roster, from the section, AA-ere section chiefs and section officers for one Aveek, at the end of Avhich time tAvo more men would be chosen. It Avas the duty of these tAvo men to assem- 122 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C ble the section, call rolls, report the absence of all men from classes and formations, march the section to and from class, in general, the discipline and supervision of the section came di- rectly under these men and they were held responsible for all breaches. The sections were known by numbers, which ran consecutively through from the first section of the first division to the last section of the last division. For example the first section Division A was section 1 the second section 2, the third section 3, the first section Division B Avas section 11, the second section Division B, Avas section 12, etc. and so on through the entire body. At all formations the sections fell in Avith their OAvn divisions ; the divisions forming as a unit. The course of instruction Avas of three months duration. After the first three months in the life of the school, a class graduated CA^ery month and a ncAV class entered every month. In the fall of 1918, seven hundred men Avere graduating and being commissioned every month. It Avas necessary to obtain a general average of 70 to pass and not less than TO in every subject, in order to pass the course successfully. Men Avho re- ceived a grade of over eighty-five per cent Avere kept at the school to act as instructors for future classes. Hence, in about six or eight months after the school had opened, the greater part of the French section instructors had been replaced by American officers. Many American Officers also assumed charge of sub-divisions. Not until December 31, 1918, hoAvever, did American officers assume charge of everything, even the posi- tions of Divisional Instructors and on that date all French offi- cers Avere relieved. The greater part of the students AA'ere non-commissioned officers, but a fcAv privates Avere also admitted. Every student was on the same footing regardless of rank. Many officers, some of very high rank including tAvo Colonels, three Ma.jors, one Lt. Colonel and seven Captains in my division, took the course, but they AA^ere considered to be no better than a Pri- vate so far as instruction and discipline Avere concerned. All men, not officers. AA'ere called "Candidates" and this Avas the only title that they ever reeeiA^ed. The course Avas a very hard and difficult one and the dis- cipline Avas extremely rigid. What really should have been a six or eight months' training Avas croAvded into three months 123 SMASHING THROUGH THE '* WORLD WAR' and one, in order to pass the course successfully, was forced to plug and study hard at all times. The first six weeks, it was absolutely necessary to sit up every night until the "wee" hours of the morning or one would be so swamped with work that he never would catch up. Almost every man who attended these schools was anxious to pass for several reasons. They had been picked out of the men in their organizations and rec- ommended as men who would be fit and capable of holding commissions with a little schooling. Accordingly, it would be kind of a disgrace to fail and then be sent back to their former organization, because although it was really no disgrace for anybody to fail to pass at the same time, one would have to stand a great deal of joshing from the boys. Another reason was that many wanted to make good for the sake of the folks at home. For these reasons and many more everyone worked hard and conscientiously lived up to the rules and regulations of the schools and when a man graduated from this or any other officers' training school in France you may be sure of it that he knew his business and that he was a sol- dier in every sense of the word. Because of the fact that al- most every one was very anxious to pass, things ran along smoothly and everyone kept the rules and there were no delin- quencies. As a result very few men fell down in the course. It was not that these few did not try, that they fell down, but simply because the course was too stiff. A man had to watch his every move, because demerits were given for even moving a finger while standing at attention. If you missed a formation you Avere given ten demerits and five for failing to salute an officer. Every time you turned you Avere given a de- merit for something or another and it only took twenty demerits to be expelled from the school, and if a man was not constantly on the alert, he could get that number in as many minutes. The French who are considered blasters of Ai'tillery, said that this school was the best artillery school in the world. The following is the list of courses given at the Saumur Artillery School : — ]\Iaterial, Drill and Drill regulations Battery Commander's Course Field Service 124 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C Preparation and execution of fire Aptitude for Command Deportment and conduct Topography Telephone — radio — telegraph Dispersion and ballistics Artillery Ammunition — shells — poAvder Equitation and Ilippology There Avere three branches of artillery instruction taught at Saumur, light artillery such as 75 's, heavy artillery, 155 hov/itzers, and G. P. F. 's or 155 long rifles or railroad artillery. When there Avere enough American divisions in France to constitute an Army Corps, the first American Army Corps was organized and along with this, a system of schools, known as the 1st Corps Schools. These schools like the others were for all branches of the Service and were situated at Gondre- court. They were principally for intensive training of non- commissioned officers and commissioned officers but other ranks also attended them. The instructors were mostly Americans but a few French Officers assisted in the supervising of the work. The course was of five weeks' duration and all subjects in connection with the different branches of the Service were taken up. This course was hard and the subjects deep and the discipline was very rigid. Like in the officers' school a candi- date in order to pass had to study hard at all times. Men who graduated from these schools with high marks were recom- mended for officers' school. As the American Divisions arriving in France increased, more Corps Avere formed and new Corps schools sprung up everywhere. The School system of the A. E. F. was complete in every detail. The instructors Avere of the best and all things were done on a very systematic basis. All necessary equipment was provided for and the men attending received the very best training. Those in charge are to be highly complimented on the fine manner in which they handled this enormous problem. Without this system of schools the A. E. F. Avould never have accomplished Avhat it did. 125 SMASHING THROUGH TIffi "WORLD WAR" CHAPTER XV Wounded — A Peep Behind the Veil By AVilliam McGinnis At the request of many of my friends I have decided to include a chapter describing how it feels to get wounded and the sensation you experience on getting a peep behind the Veil of Death; also the care you receive in the hospitals of the A. E. F. My memory is not so clear today as it v/as almost a year ago when I started on a trip which almost resulted in my pushing up daisies or as our Indian friends would say, starting off to my Happy Hunting Grounds. I will state clearly what I do remember. July 23, 1918 at 10.45 A. M. I returned to the Battery from a little trip with the Infantry. I had been aAvay almost four hours, but gas, fired by the Huns and machine gun fire prevented me from attaining the object I sought or the ol)- ject the platoon of Infantry to which I had attached myself were seeking. Out of seventy-five men in the third wave going in, seventeen were killed outright by machine gun fire and sev- eral were Avounded. Gas (Chlorine) brought the casualties up to fifty-three men. When I reached the battery I decided to have a rest. My eyes were burnt and my throat was parched No amount of water seemed to quench my thirst; still I did not think that I was gassed badly enough to report to the dress- ing station for treatment. I was asleep about fifteen minutes along with Sgt. Clarence Davis, Corp. Eddie Sirois and Corp. William Hart when suddenly without the least warning I heard a terrific explosion. I was dazed for a moment and did not know what to do but as my vision became clearer I observed the branches of the trees overhead trembling and the leaves falling to the ground. The odor of burned powder seemed to choke me ; I seemed to be floating in space ; everything was turning red ; I was losing control of myself. I made an effort to stand up, but my legs refused to support me and I fell flat on the ground. I did not know that I was hit. I was con- scious of something having happened, but what it was I could 126 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C not tell. I wanted to talk, but somehow my tongue was cleaved to the roof of my mouth. Peculiar sounds were running in my head. Soon, I felt a burning sensation in my chest, near my throat and in my left shoulder. My left arm was lying stiff across my chest and my head refused to move from right to left. I realized that something was wrong. I pulled myself to- gether again, but found I could not stand erect. However, I started off. I had no idea where I was going, but I felt this was no place for me. I wanted to speak to somebody, to_ learn what was the matter. I was afraid that I had gone insane from the concussion of the exploding shell. Someone in the Battery ran out and grabbed me. Sgt. Davis and Corp Hart were lying on the ground having their wounds dressed. When I saw the bandage being placed on them, the thought came to me in a flash that I was hit. This was the first time my mind had worked clear. Capt. Howe held me while Norman Bar- teaux, our first aid man, cut my shirt off so that he could place a bandage on. As the shirt lay on the ground there was no doubt in my mind that I had been bumped because the color of the shirt de- cided that question. A good drink of cool water was worth more than anything that I possessed in the world at that time, but water could not be found here. Someone gave me a cigar- ette and as I began to smoke all my worries came to an end. In the meanwhile, the doctor arrived and made out my field service tag, which was tied onto me, describing the nature of the wound. It was marked G. S. W. (gun shot wound) left chest and left shoulder. I also received an injection of anti- tetanus to prevent lock-jaw. I was placed on a stretcher and carried about three hundred meters to the rear, to a dressing station where Father Farrell and Chaplain Stackpole were at- tending to the wants of the bunch who had been wounded. The station was situated on the edge of a Avood and there was a continual stream coming out of these woods to this point, awaiting ambulances. My Buddie, Eddie Sirois, stayed with me until I was placed in the ambulance. We had been bunkies from the start and he Avas there to see me off. We were placed in the ambulance and started off, four in each car. One of the boys in the lower tier who was from the Infantry and who had a fragment enter his stomach died in the ambulance before 127 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" we reached the clearing station. This place was in an old church in a small village about eight kilometers from the front. Several operating tables were set up and surgeons with aprons covered with blood were attending to the worst cases, mostly amputations. Here I v/as tagged for evacuation to a hospital. There were several hundred stretcher cases laid out on the floor. The yard surrounding the church was also full of men, with bandaged heads, arms and legs. The groans of the severely wounded were terrible to listen to and above the cries of agony could be heard the everlasting cry for water and cigarettes. Two American aeroplanes circled over this house of misery to prevent Hun aviators from coming over and drop- ping bombs on the station, a popular sport indulged in by the average Hun flyer. Here and there you would hear an unearth- ly yell from a stretcher ; the medical corps men would run over, look at the case, shake their heads and cover the still form with a blanket and they would instruct the bearers to put that stretcher over against the wall. This corner was well filled; no sound came from here and no movement of the blankets was noticed; they were perfectly still and silent; this corner was reserved for the dead. Every so often a couple of stretch- er bearers would proceed to that corner and lay their silent burden, with the others; it was a horrible sensation. I was getting weaker, owing to the fact that I was bleeding quite freely. I distinctly remember a peculiar buzzing sound in my ears; everything seemed to change color; I took one hasty glance at that corner and made one supreme effort to pull my- self together, but failed and lapsed into unconsciousness. The following morning at 4.00 A. M. I heard voices at my head. I opened my eyes and saw strange forms running from one place to another. As I gradually regained my senses I saw the form of a woman all in white near me. She was moistening my lips with a piece of gauze dipped in Avater and placing wet towels on my forehead. I asked for a drink and then she spoke for the first time. She was speaking English; she told me to keep quiet, but in my semi-delirium, I could not understand why I should, so she left me. I saw that I was in a bed with white sheets and that there were other beds in this place. I sat up to see v.-hat was u-oing on. I could not understand it. Where was I? What had liap- 128 o H O Xfl o o w o ^ o ^ l-H O WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C pened? Why was it so quiet? Why had the guns stopped fir- ing? I saw myself in bandages, then I remembered that I was hungry; I had not eaten anything for over forty-eight hours. The nurse returned in a short while and making me lie down again rolled up my right sleeve and shot some liquid into my arm from a small syringe. She told me that I was going on the operating table and that she had given me morphine. I Avas soon back in the land of dreams again. Thirty-two hours later, I came out of the ether. OAving to my weakened condition it had taken me over twenty-seven hours to recover from the time ether had been administered. The next two days were critical days for me. I had the opportunity to just peep behind the veil, which separates life from death, but with good care and treatment I pulled through. I discovered that I Avas in Evacu- ation Hospital, Number Six, and that we were in the town of Meaux. As soon as I was allowed to talk to the fellow in the next bed, he told me how I had acted under the influence of the ether. As the other patients glanced towards my bed they were all smiles; I wondered Avhy; so he told me that in my delirium I had informed all and sundry that I alone knew how to over- come submarine warfare. I explained a new invention that was capable of wiping out the entire German Army and that I could not understand Avhy the Government would not accept my invention. I could only smile, but I felt embarrassed. He advised me to stay awake because while I was sleeping they had brought two new cases in from the operating room. They soon began to rave. I realized then what a good time the other fel- lows had had in listening to me. They were fighting their bat- tles over again, shouting for ammunition and ducking enemy shell fire. This was our only source of entertainment here, listening to the ravings of the other poor victims. The next day the doctor arrived to take out my stitches, four in the chest and seven in my shoulder. A few days later, I was evacuated to Evacuation Hospital No. 8, to await shipment to some other part of France. No praise is too great for the American nurses in Evacuation Hospital No. 6 Avhich was so close to the front. They Avorked day and night amid the most horrible surround- ings and may God bless them. I stayed in Hospital No. 8 two days, then Avas sent to the tOAvn of Dammartin Avhere our Bat- tery had unloaded three AA'eeks before. Here a British hospital 129 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR' train from the Somme Front manned by British nurses and or- derlies, wei-e waiting for us. We loaded up and started for Bordeaux, nine hundred and sixty bed cases on the train. This was a wonderful trip. At all the big stations, French girls decorated the train Avith evergreens and flowers and cheered us. It was a wonderful reception. Two days later, we arrived in the beautiful city of Bordeaux and Avere taken in ambulances to Base Plospital No. 6, which was in a girls' sem- inary Avhich had been turned over to the United States Govern- ment for a hospital. It was a large set of buildings accommo- dating five thousand patients. Many shows and entertainments were provided for us here. After my wounds were healed, I was transferred to Base Hospital No. 22. This Avas a Mihvaukee- Wisconsin unit and a finer set of officers and nurses I never met in my life. A Avonderful spirit prevailed among all the members of this unit. The nurses Avere conscientious Avorkers and the doctors adopted the professional attitude as exists be- tween doctor and patient in civil life. JMilitary rank held no place in the ward. I saAv only one exception to this during my .stay in this hospital. A certain Captain, a pompous indiAddual, Avas in the habit of making a morning inspection accompanied by a little snipe of a first class medical corps sergeant who used to precede him and shout "attention." The Captain Avould pass through the Avard AA'ith more dignity than President AVilson. After he had departed the patients Avould roar, laugh- ing at the apparent satisfaction he expressed of the manner in AA'hich his inspection had been conducted. The American Red Cross did some fine Avork here. Later on I Avas considered fit to go on light duty. I Avas called before the disability board and classified CI. I was sent TO the Casual Camp for Avoundcd and sick troops at Blois. This camp Avas a Avonderful example of efficiency and common sense combined. We Avere alloAved out of the concern (bar- racks) every day from 1.30 until 9.00 P. M., no passes being issued. Each man Avas placed on his honor. This Avas a A^ery interesting city. Victor Hugo had Avritten one of his popular Avorks, "Autumn Leaves," in this city. Daniel Papin, co-dis- coA^erer of the expansion of steam AA^th Stevenson, Avas born here and conducted many of his experiments in his old home, Avhich is still standing and occupied. A remarkable fine castle, 130 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C the Chateaii-de-Blois, in which Catherine-de-Mediei poisoned her victims, is right in the heart of the city, on a steep hill. There is a stairway in this castle that tourists from all parts of the world travel to and admire. Late in November, I was call- ed before the disability board again and reclassified. I was still ordered to light duty. I was sent to Brest and from there to the ancient capital of Brittany, Eennes, later on to Brest again where I rejoined my battery after close on to eight months' separation. VM SMASinXG THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR' CHAPTER XVI Awaiting Orders For Home Tlie period immediately folloAving the Armistice was the dullest and least eventful of our existence in "Sunny" (?) France. After the Armistice was signed and hostilities had ceased, we remained in the vicinity of the front for three days and then began our march to the rear. When the divisions were named for the Army of Occupa- tion to take their stand on the Rhine, until peace should be agreed upon and signed, the 26th division was ordered to be- gin at once the march over the territory being fast evacuated by the enemy, to the German frontier, but after eleven months of continuous fighting, on the front, as a shock division and after having been used in every conflict, without a rest, the division was, as a soldier would express it, "all shot to pieces." Man and beast were utterly exhausted and it was impossible for the division to take a part in this last operation of the American Army in France. If we had had the necessary amount of horses, we might have been able to accept this honor, but many of the units had only about one-third the number absolutely necessary for a move like this and these few animals were entirely worn out. Accordingly, the divisional command- er advised G. H. Q. of the prevailing conditions and asked that the 26th be relieved of this duty, at least for the time being. The request Avas granted. Thursday, November M, 1918, the Battery pulled up stakes m\d instead of heading for the Vaterland. we struck out for the rear, and after a hike of thirty-five kilometers, the outfit arrived at Beauzee. The stay here Avas only a short one as November 15th saw the whole regiment on the move once more. After hiking fifteen kilometers, we reached the village of Ville- avant-Belrain, which was the billeting place for the night. No- vember 16th another hike took place to Erize-la-Brullee. At this point a rest Avas called, which lasted four days in this village, at which time all material and horses Avere turned over. 132 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C For the first time in fourteen montlis Ave were without horses and guns. We were not sorry to lose all this equipment as it made our work much easier. We would have liked to have brought our guns home with us, but this would entail a great deal of work and a gi'eat amount of shipping space, which could not be spared at this time. November 20th, 1918, the hiking was once again resumed and after a short distance a halt was called in the village of Salmagne. Of all the places we had been in France, this was the worst. The billets were very poor indeed, and it rained most of the time while there. Another feature which it had seldom been our unlucky lot to contend with was the inhospitable disposition of the peasants, in this village to- wards us. They were cold and hostile to all Americans, for some reason or other and we were very thankful that the stay was a short one. While in the town of Salmagne several of the men in the battery received the coveted, long-looked for and much talked of, furloughs. They went off for a seven days' good time to Aix-la-Bains, one of France's famous Avatering places, but it proved to be otherAvise. Several of the boys Avere sick Avith Spanish influenza and Joseph Charbonneaux after a short ill- ness, died in the hospital. With the ending of the Avar, the authorities Avere troubled as to hoAv they could make the men feel contented. Athletic events Avere ahvays popular in the army and they came into prominence at this time. Football, basketball and other events were arranged. We had little Avork to do, but it is true that this Avas the toughest battle of them all. There Avas very little to occupy our minds and time hung heaA^ily on our hands, ex- cept Avhen Ave Avere doing foot di'ill, calisthenics and long hikes, which usually took up the morning, the afternoon being de- voted to athletics. At Salmagne, football teams Avere organ- ized betAveen the six Batteries of the Regiment and a tourna- ment began, in Avhich Battery C proved to be the champions. Thursday, December 19th, Salmagne Avas a thing of mem- ory and after a shoi-t hike, Ave reached the toAvn of Ligny, Avhere Ave AA^ere immediately hustled into the familiar old horse cars, for a trip nearer to the Atlantic coast. The folloAving day, the train pulled into La Ferte-sur-Amance and here all de- trained. The entire 26th Division Avas noAv in the Chaumont ]33 SMASHING THEOUGII THE "WORLD WAR" Area. The city of Chaimiont, where General Pershing had his headquarters, was situated about fifty kilometers away from here. The following day we hiked thirty-five kilometers to Pouilly-Haute-Marne, which was to be our home for the next tAvo months. There was very little of note during our stay at Pouilly. AVe were now preparing for home. The chief duties were to get rid of the cooties, take care of our colds and sicl\np«sos contracted and build up our broken health as much as possible before going home. There Avas no work to perform, except guard and keeping the quarters clean. Everyone had the op- portunity to secure as much rest as needed. The football teams Avere again organized and the rivalry Avas keen. Battery B of Worcester Avas stationed in Pouilly Avith us. There Avas keen competition betAveen the battery teams. Boxing bouts were also arranged. Captain HoAve and Captain Page ar- ranged a fight betAveen Thomas Corcoran (Young Kloby) and Mulvey of Battery F. They began to train for a twelve round bout Avhich Avas fought about tAvo months later resulting in a Adctory for the LaAvrence boy. ShoAver baths Avere built in the main square in Pouilly and every day a certain section would have the privilege of using them. A delousing machine came to the toAvn and all equipment, blankets and clothing Avere put through it. This aided materially in ridding ourselves of these unAvelcome pests. We also i-eceiA^ed a considerable amount of new clothes here. One ncAV idea introduced to us at this time Avas the Infantry method of carrying a pack Avhich became A^ery unpopular. Noav that Ave had no horses, we Avere com- pelled, like the doughboy, to march in squad formation. At this time of the year it Avas A-ery cold. Some of the billets Avere furnished A\'ith stoves and they helped some, but the government issued just about enough Avood to keep the fire going one day each Aveek and there Avas a strict order against stealing or just merely taking the Avood, Avhich be- longed to the French inhabitants; consequently Ave had to buy the wood from them and pay a large price for it. The people in this tOAvn Avere very hospitable and soon made friends Avith us. Many, in fact most of them, had spare rooms, Avith great big French beds and many of the boys hired these rooms, for the small sum of one franc (about tAA^enty cents). They took 134 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C us in as one of the family and all the privileges of their little homes were graciously extended to us. When we ate with the battery it became necessary to eat out in the cold and rain, as mess halls were a luxury unknown to us, but it was not often that we would eat outside, for we were almost always invited by the peasants to eat in their homes. They often requested us to partake of their meals, but we seldom accepted this privilege because it would be too much of an imposition on their good nature as food was very scarce in Prance and very dear. Quite often, however, we would have one of the grand old French Madames kill a chicken or a rabbit, cook up some "French fries" and set a supper for us, for which we always paid them liberally. There was one cafe in Pouilly, which had a large room in the rear, with tables, benches, stove and kerosene lamps. This Avas donated to the Battery as a club-room while we Avere anx- iously awaiting the order that Mould start us for the only country in the world. Christmas Day, 1918, our second Christmas in France, President Wilson visited the Yankee Division and ate his Christmas dinner with the officers and men, representing every organization in the division, at Montigny-le-roi, where division- al headquarters wei'e located. This was a great honor and we all realized the significance of it, for everyone believed, when they heard that the President had stated that it Avas his wish to eat Christmas dinner Avith the division Avhich had seen the most service in France, that he Avould have been escorted to one of our regular army diAdsions for the Christmas repast. This Avould have been entirely in keeping AA'ith other like events. This Avould not haA^e surprised us at all. On the con- trary, AA'^e Avere rather surprised to hear that he Avould be brought to a mere National Guard Division, to bestoAV on us this honor, on the greatest day of the year. The President received a Avorthy reception Avhen he arriv- ed at Montigny-le-roi and Avas received by a committee of offi- cers and enlisted men. As it Avas impossible to have a revieAV of the entire diAnsion OAving to the lack of a reviewing ground, capable of holding a full division, small detachments, repre- senting eA^ery organization in the division, were revieAA-ed by him. After the rcA'ieAv, he inspected the billets, at Montigny- 135 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" le-roi, where the equipment was laid out for inspection. A number of stories are told in regard to the happenings at this, inspection. One of them will serve as an example. Upon com- ing to a bunk with all the equipment laid out upon it, General Pershing picked up a tent pole, used for supporting pup-tents. He then demonstrated to the President how the pole worked and the uses of it. Finishing with it, he tossed it upon the bunk. The President then said, "General, place that pole back the way you found it, that man's bunk is supposed to be laid out for inspection and he will be called for having that pole out of place." The great General merely stooped and placed the pole back into its proper place. After the inspection^ Christmas dinner or as it was to us just plain mess, was served in one of the billets, and seated with Generals and Buck Pri- vates, President Wilson ate his 1918 Christmas dinner of "Army Slum." About the first of January, 1919, our long looked for bar- rack bags were brought into Pouilly from Sauereourt, where they had been stored for over a year. We had turned in our bar- rack bags about the middle of January, 1918, just before w& went to the front and had not seen them since. We had heard all kinds of rumors about them being pilfered and looted and we expected to find but very few, if any, of the valuables M^hich •we had put in these bags and we were not disappointed in this expectation. We were lucky to get the empty bags. A great many did not even get these. The stay in this area might be appropriately termed, the rumor period. Never before or since have so many different rumors been circulated. We were going home every day. It must have been almost as bad back in Lawrence, for every newspaper Ave received had glaring headlines, telling about our starting for home. It was not until two months after this that Ave received any orders in regard to sailing and Avere placed on the priority list. Another thing AA^hich Avas brought to our attention Avhile Ave Avere in this rest area, Avas the speech made by Congressman GalliA^an and his fight for the Yankee DiAdsion in Congress. At the time that Congressman Gallivan brought forth his; charges, in Congress, the entire diA^sion Avas boiling mad, on just these same matters Avhich the Congressman gave utter- 136 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C anee to. The fact of the ease was that things were in just ex- actly the same color in which he painted them. He did not exaggerate at all because these injustices could not be exag- gerated. The Paris Edition of the New York Herald, the Chi- cago Tribune and the London edition of the Daily Mail, were full of this talk in view of Gallivan's address. It pleased us very much to see that the people back home were beginning to see a little might of the "raw deals" that we were getting and we got many of them at the hands of our "would be" regular army friends. We had read with pleasure, also, the columns of the home papers that found their way into our midst, of the arrival in the U. S. of our gallant Commander, Major General Clarence R. Edwards, the only man whom we ever recognized as Com- mander of the Yankee Division (even though we had two oth- ers. Brig. Gen. Bamford and Major Gen. Harry C. Hale) the "ONLY FRIEND THE NATIONAL GUARD HAD OVER THERE." We were overjoyed at the reception that our own New England gave our "Grand Old Man." He deserved it all ; it would be impossible to applaud him too much. On Jan. 21, we started on what we called the "first legs of the journey home." We left Pouilly about 8.00 A. M. and once again hiked over the road 35 kilometers to La Ferte-Sur- Amance, where about one month before we arrived from Sal- liiagne. We billeted in La Ferte for the night and the follow- ing day. This day was a sad one in our record. When Ave left Pouilly the day before, all men who were not able to walk Avere alloAved to ride on the trucks Avhich were carrying the extra equipment. Arthur Dyer, one of the most popular of the Battery boys, had just returned from a rather hard siege of illness in the hospital and was riding on a truck. The brakes on the truck on which Dyer Avas riding Avere very poor and on going doAvn a hill the brakes would not hold. The result Avas that this truck crashed into the one ahead and both skidded into the side of a building. All the men were thf^^vn off. Dyer Avas pinned under one of the trucks and crushed to death. No help could aid him. Cook William Carney broke his ankle and all the others received a bad shaking up and minor in- juries. Dyer Avas buried AAdth full military honors in the grave- yard of the little Catholic church in La Ferte-sur-Amance. A 137 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" single white cross marked the grave. That evening at 8.00 P. M. we hiked eight kilometers to a railroad. We M^ere supposed to entrain that night but the trains were late. The night was very cold and there was nothing to do but wait in the cold for the trains to pull in. Captain HoAve, as usual, Avas not idle. There Avas a barrack nearby in Avhich our barrack bags had been stored and he secured this for us to rest in. This Avas a great relief from the cold. We remained in this barrack all night getting no sleep and little rest, because it Avas so cold and it Avas impossible to open packs, OAving to the fact that Ave did not knoAv at Avhat moment aa^c Avould be hustled out. At day-break, everyone Avas on the job; the cooks opened cans, made coffee and Avarmed up tomatoes and beans. Breakfast consisted of black coffee, to- matoes, beans and hard tack and AA^as served about seven A. M. Our train pulled into the freight yard about 8.15 A. M. and Ave immediately began to load onto it. All the kitchen utensils and other supplies Avere loaded onto the flat cars and the men Avere loaded into the horse cars. Our entire regiment Avas for the first time traveling on the same train. This Avas made pos- sible OAving to the fact that Ave noAv had no horses or material. These French horse cars are supposed to hold forty men or eight horses as the sign painted on the outside informs the ob- server. NcA^er before had Ave ever squeezed forty men into one of these cars and Ave did not believe that it Avas possible to do so, but AA'ithout exaggerating one iota, by actual count, there Avere anyAvhere from fifty to fifty-nine men packed into these cars for this trip and even in vicAV of squeezing this outrageous number of men into these little boxes, there Avas about one- third of the regiment still on the platform Avith no place to ride. Both officers and men Avere at their Avits end to solve the prob- lem as to where these men Avould be put. Possibly there Avas room on the roofs or the brake beams. HoAve\'er. these men, veterans of the Avorld Avar, soldiers of the greatest division cA^er formed in the United States Army, did not stop to think or argue; surely this Avas peaches and cream compared Avith the past eleven months on the front. So AAdthout a Avord, not even asking permission, buddies and bunkies got together here and there, stole up and carried off a bale of hay or straAA', despite orders to the contrary. Lt, Charlie Lannigan aa'Iio Avas in i;j8 AVITII FIGHTING BATTERY C charge of this hay and straw of course had his back turned, apparently knowing nothing about what was going on only three yards behind him. The boys carried these bales to the fiat cars and spread out the hay and straw, making bunks. Packs were then opened, blankets taken out and the bunks com- pleted. Everybody was happy. Why not ? ^ Were we not on our way to an embarkation area and Avas this not the first lap of the Homeward Bound trip? About 9.15 the train pulled out. The trip was of two days and two nights duration. It was a trip that not one of the men Avho made it will forget in a hurry. The men who were in the horse cars were so crowded that sleep was entirely out of the question. The trip for those on the flat cars was an ordeal not easy to cope with. Dear reader, may I be so bold as to ask you to take a little trip with me? It will last only two days and two nights. We'll start in the dead of winter, about the last of January, with the mercury hovering around the zero mark. We 're going to travel on flat cars, that have no sides or protection of any kind. We'll get nothing hot to eat or drink, but poor water, hard tack, corned willy, canned tomatoes and canned beans. No, wait a moment. I'll take a little of that back; we'll make two stops, where, through no fault of the army, we will fare pretty well. Our trip will be from La- Ferte-sur-Amance to Mayet, France. One of the stops Avill be on the second day about noon time, at the city of Bourges, Avhere the American Red Cross, on the job as they always are, Avill give us a sandwich and a cup of good, grand, delicious American coffee with milk and sugar in it and some magazines, which we were too cold to read. The other stop will be about 11.30 o'clock on the second night at Tours where once again the Red Cross will eonie to the rescue with hot coffee. That is the substance of our trip from the Chaumont area to the Le Mans embarkation area, a trip you may be sure will live in the memories of the men who made it as long as their memory lasts. About January 26th we arrived at Mayet in the Le Mans Embarkation Area, amid a flurry of falling snow. In half an hour we had completed the task of unloading and Avere on our way to billets in the toAvn. Mayet Avas rather a large toAvn, in fact the largest that 139 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" we had ever billeted in and we began to doubt whether they would keep us there or move us out to some smaller village, but for once luck was with us and we remained here. Up to this time Ave had received no definite orders in re- gard to leaving France for Home. Rumors were thick just as they always were. We heard stories of other divisions leaving for home. The fact that we Avere in an embarkation center told us, hoAvever, that Ave Avere soon to knoAV something definite. If it Avas the intention to keep us in France for a long time or assign some other duty to us Ave AAould not have been sent to this area so Ave all Avaited patiently. 140 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C CHAPTER XVII Headed For Home The stay in Mayet was a rather long one and what was said about Pouilly, might also be said about IMayet. There was very little work to perform and our chief duties were to rid ourselves of the unwelcome cootie and get everything in readi- ness for home. Everywhere you went there was delousing equipment of some kind. Fire places Avere built and over these huge boilers put up, each section would then put their clothes through this steam process in turn. Flat irons were also pro- vided and after clothes were dried, from the steaming, they Avere sprinkled with creosote and then ironed. In this way, we soon compelled the unwelcome visitors to depart. The chief factor in the drilling line was hiking, which usually took the greater part of the morning. Rifles were is- sued, however, and we made a poor attempt to acquaint our- selves with the doughboys' art. The afternoons Avere gi\'en up to athletics. We had some AA^onderful inter-regiment foot- ball, baseball, soccer, and basketball games. There Avas considerable doing in the entertainment line. Several times moA^ng pictures Avere shoAA'u in the main square. The Y. D. and other diAdsional shoAvs and the entertainments under the auspices of the K. of C. and Y. M. C. A. Avere put on in the hall of the "Mairie," at Mayet. Band concerts AA-ere also frequent. Boxing was one of the chief sports. A huge platform Avas put up in the square at Mayet, by the mechanics of Battery C, and here about once a AA'eek some good fights Avere staged. One thing that AA-as noticeable in all these bouts, Avas the fact that Battery C Avas almost alAA^ays against all the rest of the Brigade. In almost every bout a Battery C man opposed a man from another regiment or battery. As Captain IToAve once said, "I've got them all AA'eights and sizes, put up your man and AA^e'll match him." Some of the battery's clever boxers Avere, Tommy (Kloby) Corcoran, Wilfred Cote, Oscar Cote, Al- bert Noble, Kid LeAvis, Walter Demers, W^illiam (Speck-Hun- 141 S.AI ASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR' gry) Donovan, John (Gummy) Manion, W^illiam (General) McClelland and othei-s too numerous to mention. It Avas here that Ivloby, our own Tommy, who is putting the old K. 0. on the best of them now, fought Mulvey of Bat- tery F, an ex-pugilist. The fight was to go ten rounds, but Kloby landed that old right cross of his on Mulvey's jav/ in the sixth and Mulvey hit the mat, in a manner similar to that in which Phinney Boyle and Charlie Parker hit it. Battery C had bet their entire payroll against Battery F's payroll and this Avith the money the officers had put up amounted close on to 65,000 francs or approximately $12,000 (dollars). You see we always backed the old boy to the limit and we're still Avith him, as the fight Avith Parker, in Boston, on June 16, 1919, proved. A short time after this, the AA'hole battery accompanied Tommy to Ecommoy, eight kilometers from Mayet, AAdiere he fought Stafford of DiA'isional headquarters five rounds. The decision Avas decided by tAA'o judges, Avho sat outside the ring. The man in the ring did not act as a referee, he simply broke the clinches. Kloby had the better of the fighting all the Avay through and even Stofford's supporters agreed that it was Kloby 's fight, but the judges called it a draAv. Kloby then asked that it go another round for a decision and it Avas agreed upon. This round Avas easily Kloby 's. Stofford didn't have a chance, but the judges gaA'e Stofford the decision. It Avas one of the raAvest decisions ever given out and it nearly ended in a mob fight. Kloby then got up into the ring and said *'I AA-ish to announce that I'll fight Stafford any time, any place, for love, money or the glory of it and give him the best piece of change he CA^er saAA^ in his life if he stays ten rounds Avith me." But Stafford did not accept the challenge. About tAvo Aveeks after this battle Kloby met Lajoie of tlie 103d F. A. at Mayet and defeated him in 10 rounds. Try as he might Kloby could not knock out the hard-hitting Lajoie, but he did best him on points. Kloby then offered to fi-ght any number of rounds Avith Stafford after just finishing ten of the hardest rounds he ever fought and settle matters over their fight tAvo Aveeks' previous. Stafford Avas in the croAvd, but he did not accept the challenge. About the first of IVIarch Ave Avere put on the priority list for home. There Avere all kinds of rumors afloat as to AA-hen 142 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C fve should leave, but most of them were mere heresay. Every- thing was put into readiness for the departure. Passenger lists were made out, service records looked up, supplementary rec- ords being made out to replace those which had been lost, final indorsements made, in fact all the paper work was cleaned up. There was no end of paper Avork and the clerks worked night and day for almost a month. It had been an easy matter to get into the army and to France, but it certainly was a tough job to get home and get out of the army. About the middle of March, the Division was canvassed to get volunteers to stay six or eight months longer in France, in the M. P.'s, Army of Occupation and other branches. About 2000 Yankees remained behind. No one in Battery C stayed, however. While in this area, quite a few of the boys received fur- loughs and enjoyed a vacation at some of the famous A. E. F. leave areas. After 18 months in France we were just getting the long promised and long-sought furloughs. But at this time most of the boys were pietty well disgusted with the army and the only furlough they wanted was to get home and get a dis- charge, which would be a furlough for life. Just prior to leaving the Le Mans Embarkation Area, the entire division concentrated on a huge rifle range, just outside the town of Eccommoy, for a Divisional review. This was the first time in the history of the Yankee Division that the entire division assembled together for a review of all units. Previous to this time the 26th Division had no time for reviews and parades, we were too busy battling with the Huns, for this sort of thing. The day set for the review, all units, began to concentrate at the assembling point. The further away the units were from the reviewing ground the earlier the start had to be. The 1st. Battalion, 102d F. A., of which Batterj'- C was a unit, com- menced the hike about 7.00 A. M. and as usual a light rain was falling. The battery had a hike of nine and one-half kilometers to make. This would have been nothing, if the rain factor had not entered into it. We had to hike over cow paths and through fields, where the mud and water was often over ankle deep. We arrived at the rifle range about 10.00 A. M. and were immediately assigned to our place of formation. We were 143 SMASHING THROUGH THE *' WORLD WAR" standing on low, grassy, marshy ground and the water was ankle deep. The rain let up about noon, but there was no re- lief from the water and mud. We ate dinner, a jam sandwich and a drink from our canteen of water and waited until 2 P. M. for General Pershing to arrive, five hours in this mud, but the worst was yet to come. The review began, and General Per- shing personally inspected every platoon in the Division, this taking up about three hours. About 5.15 P. M. everything was all set for the passing of the division in review. The different organizations had been formed in such a manner that at a sin- gle bugle call, every unit, every man in the Division moved off at exactly the same moment. It Avas the first time that close on to 40,000 men had moved as one by a single bugle call. The review was magnificent, despite the fact that everyone was wet through, cold and hungry. We had been in this condition be- fore ; it was no new experience to us and we knew how to carry on despite conditions, of this kind. The entire review went off without a hitch and had it been anyone else but General Per- shing inspecting we certainly would have been highly compli- mented. We arrived back to our billets about 9.00 P. jM. that same evening, after we had a good feed and a change of clothes we were ourselves once more. About the 25th of March, we left the Le Mans area and struck out for Brest. For the first time we traveled in Ameri- can box cars instead of French horse cars. The trip was of one day and one night duration. We detrained in Brest amid a pelting rain and after a hike of about six kilometers arrived at the camp. We were quartered in pyramidal tents. This was the first time Ave had used tents in France. The system at Brest was fine ; they had everything down to perfection and there was no confusion. Corp. McGinnis was in a hospital here and after a great deal of trouble on his part and influence on the part of Captain Howe, Bill joined the Battery once more. The second day in Brest was a fine one and the sun shone brightly. It Avas the first time the sun had shone in four months. It must have been because the Yankee Division Avas there. We remained in Brest but tAvo days. The authorities at Brest said that AA'e AA'ent through there quicker than any other troops ever did. 144 Upper Left: Corp. William McGinnis and Pvt. Joseph Lonergan, Toul Sector; Upper Right: (Kloby) in training Mayet, France, Left to Right: Wm. Donovan, John Manion, Patrick Collins and (Kloby) Thomas Corcoran; Center Left: Grave of Pvt. Arthur Dyer, La- Ferte, Haute Mavne, France; Center Right: Cpl. Ed. D. Sirois and Sgt. John J. McCarthy, in a French, (Palace) car (?); Lower Left: A cootie hunt upside do\vn. Left to Right: Cook Wm. Carney, Corp. Wm. McGinnis, Pvt. Joseph Lonergan and Mus. Arthur Morin; Lower Right: Echelon at Toul Sector: 1st. Sgt. John G. Sheehan and Cpl. James Dick in foreground. (Photos by Authors). WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C On March 31, 1919, at about 10.00 A. M. we were loaded on a ferry and later carried out into the Harbor, where the U. S. S. Mongolia was awaiting us. At 5.00 P. M. this same day the propellers of the Mongolia commenced to revolve and we were on our way home at last. There was very little of note that took place on the way home. The first night out we sat and watched the light houses of France grow more and more distant, until they were out of sight altogether. Conditions were remarkably good on the Mon- golia. Two meals were served each day and the food was fairly good. The quarters were 100 p. c. better than on the Finland, 19 months before, and the ventilation was excellent. Band con- certs were given by our own band, the 103d F. A. band and the ship's band. Moving pictures were shown and boxing bouts were staged. One thing that was a Godsend was a canteen on board, where luxuries could be purchased at a reasonable price. We were allowed all the lights that we wanted at night and smoking was allowed on the deck at all times. The weather was wonderful and there was very little seasickness. Every day the speed of the boat, number of miles traveled and the number of miles yet to travel were posted and every- one watched these bulletins with immense interest. The boat did not go half fast enough to suit that cargo of battle-scarred veterans. The last night, April 10, almost everyone sat up all night so as to be the first one to catch the first glimpse of dear old Boston, which we had not seen for nineteen months and which we thought many times that we should never see again. Fish- ing-smacks, sail-boats and many other small craft and sea-gulls had warned us all day that the desired haven was not a million miles away. We were without any doubt fast approaching "God's Country," the ''Promised Land." 145 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD' WAR" CHAPTER XVni God's Country In the early hours of the morning, long before daylight, the myriads of lights flickering along the shore, gave us our first intimation that land was near. Just as dawn was breaking the pilot came alongside, boarded the transport and in a short while we were on our way up the harbor. Long before this, all the points of vantage were taken. Even the rigging was full of soldiers waiting for a glimpse of the city. A number of small boats came out and on board one of them was the one person whom every man on the ship wanted to see, Major General Edwards, the man whom we considered the real Com- mander of our division, whether he was relieved or not. We always spoke of him as the Divisional Commander of the "Fighting 26th." His first act after paying his compliments to the ship's Commander and other high officers on board was to get down on the lower decks Avith the enlisted men. To say that he was happy would be defining his expression of joy mildly. We, in turn, did not know just how to express our joy at seeing him and the shores of God's Country, now plainly visible in the distance. A large number of small water craft, ploAving through the water with great speed and in a regular formation were approaching the transport. As they drew near- er they sounded their sirens and the men cheered in return. Standing on the decks of the submarine chasers were many yeowomen from the navy yard, whom Ave had never seen be- fore and a lot of good natured jollying took place, as the girls tried to throw fruit and doughnuts aboard. In the meantime, several larger boats came alongside, with relatives, sweethearts and friends from every New England state, with banners flying and bands playing, shouting the name of someone whom they expected would be on board. Orders were passed to these boats to take up their positions as escorts. A gun on one of the forts fired and at the sound of the report, wild cheers were given. This Avas the sunrise gun. Once more Ave started off amid scenes of Avdld enthusiasm, that Ave Avill never forget. 146 •HAY/ W[IBH)^mGIfflHlfGHBH(F2EffY0eiHaAMg %i|^./?$kFr5g§^e/fe]tV'^tffJi'gfoitites0'i We/ ii|id Aeeitfa* off itbeofortwa^ derful reception, aeek^rded«i®odp*.vaMiriMJiignm (N^5¥n¥apk, but our reception excelled them all. We did not wish to go to New York, when Boston was quite capable of receiving us. Besides, we wanted the people of New England to welcome us in one of their own seaports. As we came alongside the pier, a veritable barrage of doughnuts was throAvn aboard. The pier was thronged with people who Avere being handled rather roughly by a number of M. P's. A hoAvl of derision went up from the ship as the boys saw these big huskies, using strong arm meth- ods to force the women back. Such remarks as, "What kept yer," and continual booing and cat calls greeted them. Gang- planks were run up and officers came aboard. Arrangements were made for men to go ashore whose relatives were waiting for them. Then, began a wild scramble for packs and equip- ment, while below deck, men were striving to push their heads through port holes to get a nearer view of some relative or friend on the dock. Just before noon the troops started ashore. Before boarding the trains we received free gifts from the Salvation Army, K. of C, Y. M. C. A. and Jewish Welfare Board and hot coffee and sandwiches were also served by the ever faithful Red Cross. The first Lawrence men to greet us were Armorer John Ryan, John Ahearn from the Eagle- Tribune, Byron T. Butler from the Lawrence Telegram, Andrew Minahan, from the Lawrence Sun-American and Willis McNulty also a representative of the Eagle-Tribune. Trains were in waiting for us, — passenger coaches — what a difference from what we had been accustomed to, travelling hundreds of miles, in rackety old horse ears with the ever present stench which never left the cars once they had been used for horses and cattle. The strangest thing of all was to see so many civ- ilians and hear them talking to us in our oAvn language. The hustle and bustle of American life was very noticeable, compared with the easy going French methods of transacting business. The train pulled out on its way to Camp Devens. The trip through the large and small towns, which the train 147 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" passed through, will always remain as one of our brightest and most pleasant memories. Thousands of men, women and chil- dren, lined the route with cakes and fruit. The little children cheered and waved flags and seemed the happiest of all ; it was wonderful. The camp was reached in the early afternoon. We were assigned to tents until we had gone through the delousing plant, after which we were assigned to regular barracks. That night passes were issued to a limited number of men, most of whom proceeded to Lawrence in machines, with friends and relatives, who had been waiting for them. During the after- noon, relatives and friends of the boys were streaming into the camp; mothers were clasped in the arms of their sons^ weep- ing with joy; sweethearts embraced each other; friends were shaking hands ; all were so happy. The following day, many of the boys were on the streets, trying to get accustomed to the street cars, real sidewalks and rushing into the stores. From that time on, passes were issued so that all the men could get to Lawrence, but that fact, — the passes, — did not bother the Battery C, boys, passes or no passes they went to Lawrence just the same. The barracks in Devens were the finest we had ever seen, steam heat, hot and cold showers, the mess hall with tables, plenty of good wholesome food, clubhouses of every description — soldiering in camp Devens was certainly far different from soldiering on the other side. April 22nd we were tendered a reception by the citizens of Lawrence. At first a parade was contemplated, but the War Dept. prevented this, stating that no parades could be held, until the big Boston parade was over. This was a big disap- pointment, as preparations had already been made. The author- ities compromised and we attended a reception instead. Bat- tery C, Company F, many men from overseas divisions other troops, Company L, men from the navy, marine corps, and army nurses, in fact every branch of the service was repre- sented. All along the route people were shouting themselves hoarse. We returned to the armory, where the Red Cross and St. Claire League provided us with refreshments and dancing followed. April 27th our last divisional review was held at Camp Devens, where our colors were decorated and when forty-five 148 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C men were also decorated with the Croix de Guerre and Distin- guished Service Cross. All the Governors of the New England States were present at this review which was very impressive. The massed bands of the divisions furnished the music, this huge band being in charge of Lieut. Russell, bandmaster of the 102nd. F. A. band. This was the last official military appear- ance of the famous FIGHTING YANKEE DIVISION. The troops were reviewed by Major General Harry C. Hale and Major General Clarence R. Edwards. The men turned out with steel helmets and packs and it was a magnificent sight to see column after column pass by the reviewing stand, with colors flying and steel bayonets, glistening in the sunlight. Each man felt a certain amount of pride in the work and accomplish- ments of the 26th which was composed of men in all walks in life. They were soon going to return to their offices, work- shops and farms, proud in the thought, that the division to which they belonged had written one of the brightest pages in the military history of the Army of the United States. Each of the New England States, which had contributed their men to the YANKEE DIVISION, could point with pride to them, those men who fought with the division in France. WELCOME HOME BY GENERAL EDWARDS Welcome, you stout hearted lads. There is not a day since I returned that I have not beei^ telling of your splendid deeds. I have told your mothers that you returned clean and clear physically, morally and mentally, that you have been nearer your God in those desperate ten months than since you left your mothers' knee. I have told everybody that you have seen others' countries and many things — that it has taught us all the benefit of our institutions — that you have seen Boche propaganda and will be the quickest to recognize the same stuff here in the guise of the I. W. W. Bolsheviki literature as used to be dropped in our lines called the "Ardennes Gazette" — that you can't be fooled, and that I hope you will take charge of this country. Signed C. R. EDWARDS. —Boston Post, April 20, 1919. 149 SMASHm(5f5aaHniamjii^^€^SiS'rWMX)OMM)BB@M©iMiESS^€lE n-jra biipA-^n'A freY. sdj io a-ioivisvoij ^di IIA ..-kO-i'J ^yjlvii>'<^. b Jiinh/ii .9 AigaaiqfD© tbe^t)^C6abi£iHdvMkBoi:itbet26thjIMsdsiioa7/ gststt^. «if{J ,oi«x/fa ddt b'^tly.hvnii ^.noh.i'/ib sdl lo ^.bi:U'i L-i^Hsru sdT &di iM'a^feaf^hiTS&tts.iext^mds. .to>ybuotliem^riii£at;TOeilfemef. oiShfe -feiMavJd'lOf' ^yout' kihievem-eats as-yon cetlirnliii lai uAitritbiifQlligh iiAim Hfhdy^mi^ eiitettaflrtheL«ervvift4..irKon:>afiii) Iroittffjddimsff^dfefls ^l^v^^afiSed ft^w>3MSte!r^itoi^;thevglt)tri©nas He'ear!clI«f.;^ta3sacimseits. iTfeb^*i(ib%^df 1001% iwiritteji rni'tW \^gei rof f AfiffeBitenilfisfcopy-ii ; ^.ett hare ■ fecLtkel la taeavi ^M- -i*jrciQitlv6Wi i^iife Hsftvag-j^idone ybiii>is fetsymbol ofiwiiiat'we; shaH ^hb^1;'(y ill 6^ (JU¥ bbysF-^wii^: have- served ihei^tStatd land -€^10^101- -ti'yj'^o,;^Mo»tieb% (Ulidfiwitk OK^iation •fckaiiwilbBj^fer.daii. ot noi^ivib 9fft J/Jiit ,tri«iJon't srit ni S%n€[d,^..r'ii;"J: bif-i Hqoda ni 89«fiq Jt>,9tr[2rrcf 9f{t io 9no rretthvCi^LiMI'J^rfiiftOI^HCrBviffY/ fiiW^festdatp-0fet^9A|trJl '20r, liSl^riA 9iit io v-iot>.rr{ Y-iiitf?ii;r 9i[t ot rf9xn liedi bsTuoi'itrroo had d.-tid.u .wMaf'^. bn-jbnlT v/oZ grfr io QBoOtRJ^BIflMGyfiB©! "fiH-E iSS^^li IDilr¥l^@IS^Ea(I[IMDM>.TByf{t .9SiEe;I0F rrWaiflb BAtKER^ JfI§noi orfvr ffsai Ne8f!^%fl(EisI1feHi^ >lQii!a;f£fliH!dd)«i)if)i-3^^^ of the 26th Division which it fifn>is.he^d to, the American Expedition- arvrferees. Diiri^iaits a'c^^iVe^'s^iWc'^ 'irl^j'aMS fi'omrhlb^ 1918 tiMh TJ<^?6W ha'd:befn' finally aVTiTl^T^a: ' it ^(^AfHInitVd yyWi ^^^/QfsW'UnA*''(^ls'tirt^ fo tlie 'finaT ttml '^IbvibiiM-i^siTl't^'^ '^f)nriSHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR' SERGEANTS Borton, Eric B., 34 Loring St., Lawrence, Mass. Yule, David D., 223 Main St., Andover, Mass. Blanchette, Edgar, 41 Tyler St., Lawrence, Mass. Fegerus, George H., 66 Ysaka St., Worcester, Mass. Pageau, Joseph A., 52 Railroad St., Lawrence, Mass. Lorden, Daniel A., 52 Railroad St., Lawrence, Mass. Hart, William L, 10 Phillips St., Lawrence, Mass. Calvert, Hartley L., R. F. D. 1, Salem, N. H. Menzie, William, 440 Haverhill St., Lawrence, Mass. Carson, Robert G., R. F. D. 1, Ellington, Conn. Rinehart, Joseph M., 296 Broadway, Lawrence, Mass. Lynch, Edward J., 136 Bowdoin St., Lawrence, Mass. Hamel, Rajrmond W., 14 Butler St., Lawrence, Mass. Churchill, John A., 194 Front St., Exeter, N. H. CORPORALS Fergfuson, John L., 153 Prospect St., Lawrence, Mass- Perkins, John Calvin, Route 2, Mansfield, Texas. Topping, Henry, 30 Nesmith St., Lawi-ence, Mass. Innis, James, 67 Warren St., Lawrence, Mass. Poole, Charles, 35 Park St., Lawrence, Mass. Noble, Albert, 42 Texas Ave., Lawrence, Mass. Jordan, William E., 155 Salem St., Lawrence, Mass. Lacey, Thomas F., 192^/^ Park St., Lawrence, Mass. Hadden, Augustine L., 71 Crescent St., Lawrence, Mass. McDonald, Harold J., 15 Crawford St., Lowell, Mass. Manion, John F., 3 Bunkerhill St., Lawrence, Mass. Brochu, Edward, 10 Hobson St., Methuen, Mass. Barry, Timothy J., 102 Saratoga St., Lawrence, Mass. Rahilly, Michael J., 311 Hampshire St., Lawrence, Mass. Connors, Charles N., 66 Texas Ave., Lawrence, Mass. McDonough, William E., 64 Oregon Ave., Lawrence, Mass. Cote, Wilfred, 57 Cross St., Lawrence, Mass. Dick, James, 3 Cuba St., Andover, Mass. Demers, Walter W., 30 Orchard St., Dover, N. H. Wyman, Mark W., 43 Falmouth St., Lawrence, Mass. Poole, Harry, 58 Trenton St., Lawrence, Mass. Faucher, Rene E., 17 Daisey St., Lawrence, Mass. McGinnis, William, 115 Spruce St., Lawrence, Mass. 152 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C CHIEF MECHANICIAN Strout Ralph E., R. F. D. 5, Belfast, Me. MECHANICIANS Hayes, William J., 83 Easton St., Lawrence, Mass. Martin, William G., 107 Nesmith St., Lawrence, Mass. Belisle, George R., 477 Essex St., Lawrence, Mass. SADDLER Dion, Camille, 161 West St., Lawrence, Mass. HORSESHOERS Regan, John J., 85 So. Broadway, Lawrence, Mass. Murphy, Michael, 1 Bennington St., Lawrence, Mass. Desbiens, Pierre, 447 Bunkerhill, Lawrence, Mass. WAGONER Neal, Daniel, 5 Prospect St., Methuen, Mass. COOKS Rossi, Ralph, 119 Elm St., Lawrence, Mass. Beaumier, Anthony, 218 Abbott St., Lawrence, Mass. Vallone, Joseph, 803 North St., Boston, Mass. Sequin, Albert, 72 Margin St., Lawrence, Mass. BUGLERS McGeoch, Raymond R., 17 Bond St., Gloucester, Mass. Morin, Arthur, 48 Railroad St., Lawrence, Mass. McCrellias, Wm. H., 1010 22nd. St., Rock Island, IlL PRIVATES (First Class) Coakley, Joseph, 167 Salem St., Lawrence, Mass. Anderson, Andrew G., R. F, D. Box 72, Biwabik, Minn. Bowden, Bernard J., Castine, Maine Thibault, Henry, 31 Crosby St., Lawrence, Mass. Bjorlin, Wm., Anoka, Minn. 153 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR' McCarthy, James, 157 Duep St., No. Plainfield, N. J. Green, Harry, R. F. D. L, No. Adams, Mass. Corcoran, Thomas F., Contoocook, N. H. Fitzgerald, Harold A., 460 Water St., Lawrence, Mass. Hubbard, Melvin H., R. F. D., Minty, Me. Laycock, Robert E., 32 Melrose St., Lawrence, Mass. Miller, Arthur M., Ausable Forks, New York. Peel, Thomas H., 149 Tenney St., Methuen, Mass. Leslie, Harry F., 69 Fern St., Lawrence, Mass. Theroux, Lee, Red Lake City, Minn. Miles, Charles E., 26 Main St., Worcester, Mass. Ingle, James, 9 Chelmsford St., Methuen, Mass. Hayes, Francis P., 83 Eaton St., Lawi-ence, Mass. Rourke, Frank, 55 Ames St., Chicopee, Mass. Hoffman, Otto A., 47 Storrow St., Lawrence, Mass. Knight, Roland P., R. F. D. 1, No. Hampton, Mass. Coughlin, Edward, 42 Crosby St., Lawrence, Mass. Collins, Fred J., 16 Turner St., Lawrence, Mass. Gardner, Harold A., 34 Essex St., Lawrence, Mass. Donovan, William D., 104 Jackson St., Lawrence, Mass. Bachand, Edward, 40 Norton St., Lawrence, Mass. Hajjar, George M., 17 Pine St., Lawrence, Masa. Poole, Ben, 58 Tenney St., Methuen, Mass. Anderson, Arnold S., Anola, Minn. Provencher, John, 2 Blanchard St., Lawrence, Mass. Beatty, Arthur E., 923 Lake Ave., South Duluth, Minn. Mercier, Throphile, 27 Riverside Ave., Beverly, Mass. Frazier, Charles, 19 Rowell St., Madison, Me. Polito, Vincent, 124 Federal St., Providence, R. I. Dowd, Francis, 99 Abbott St., Lawrence, Mass. Carney, Leo L., 156 Margin St., Lawrence, Mass. Dugan, James J., Highland Road, Andover, Mass. Hull, Josiah, 317 Lawrence St., Lawrence, Mass. Alquist, Bert, Luinnesec, Michigan. Carroll, Timothy, 310 Salem St., Lawrence, Mass. Tordoff, Richard E., 137 Phillips St., Methuen, Mass. Beaulieu, Rosario J., 44 Tremont St., Lawrence, Mass. Devine, James J., 149 Foster St., Lawrence, Mass. Kavanah, John A., 81 Arnold St., Lawrence, Mass. McCelland, Wm. H., 465 Essex St., Lawrence, Mass. 154 .856M ,90fT91V/-BJ P.ISMi^l^EJS ^^l ,V Bitl§^^a?J^W.ri^6-^BStf-^'^., -Law^rice, Mass. Alkire, E>Mil€ •^.f^'^ix^ood^, '^'^St^ ^frgJnia. Sedar, •HftIho;^^3r-^i^speet St.v E^4^riyice,^Mass. O'Brien, John F^ 22B¥6mii^d-'Sf.(LaWferi^, Mass. m^Mta?'¥r«M, ^3f8'^Gfte&%MfoY4, 'M4tKueft^' Mass. Lewis, Wm. J., -i^^PKbe'^? ^n'T^Hftgisco, Cal. Robberts, LtftM^'^§/"''^.r'^8fi«e-^§ S'«)tSboi-&,-Alabama Arftf^nr^bi^, •iMAe^iT'^^^/Caftetio'n, Minn. Botten, Gm^rt/WtrTi^drAGnt-Av^, tkAut^, Minn. Bakken, •:^c^,^l''1Ea%PSiith-%tr;'I>Slvi^tSf, Mmn. Lavin,-^ Pati-ix>^,- 121- ^alu^n^ -'S^, '^ost<^,' "Mass. Brown, Johii^'^5^15'mse^lfr^§t.[''W'es? ikilMh, Minn. Silbio, Rocc&';-^^fc<^a;^K^fJ^5-'^ -2 -^ Tf -^^ ,. Blomquist, Charles, Box -S^i^'^^Set*^,- jfenfl^/" '«: Hutton, Albert D., 45 ForM-'m/ lia^^ncfe, 'Mass. Sweene^iMiaM^J^ ^(^ed^? Sl^i'^a4^¥nce, Mass. Johnson, Ch^Mei^'E{;%83te-^- Y6f^f^gbMsk-^> ' Conway,^F?ai^,-8i'''g^Ti'^(^'St?,''WTfttH«tionS fes. Schwarzeft!^l4 '^(^rftr^ 1^'?6 mi6pRty^,-^dl^eland, Ohio. Martin, LtMfe%.r35W^lani ^^X l^^thueftr'TMass. Collins, A¥t3Mr<|3,^M«^i4nxil^e?^g^ MwreVice-,- Mass. R. I. Parent, Alfred- 1.,-^ E^t^'h-'iVd.^'^oi4hkmpto'6, N. H. Harding,-^lb'^l-?,^<#aF'E^l^-Wfe^rgfnTa.-^ Lowry, John N{^,^%a?,'^W^ia.? ^-^ ^ - -I -'I .'"9 Webb;^f^viia?-T??r1^ g^fflnftai ^flf la^rel^c^I'Mass. Cuvti^^-^^rnfi^-^'/M •^roPSf.-;-F^^ertce,''l\f^s§. ' ^■ Kothe, ri^%?:'mr'&kaV^i?rm§slJ0HO^nm0fWaMlW WAR" CHAPTER XIX Demobilization About April 20th the real work of demobilization began. Almost all the troops had been allowed liberty until this date. Now began the toughest battle we'd ever fought. The Battle of Paperwork. The details in battery, company and regimental offices, were doubled and then tripled in strength. Sleep was out of the question, it Avas work all night, to clean up all the intri- cate work demanded by the discharging officers. It reminded one of the front once more. Runners were running here and there with papers of all kinds inquiring for someone that could not be found, everyone was active. All kinds of "trick or- ders," Avere issued which no one understood. Final statements and payrolls had to be made out, final endorsements had to be put on the Service records, records of service etc, looked up, discharges made out, back pay figured out, for men who through some mistake or misunderstanding had not been paid for sometime, mistakes of which there Avere countless numbers, in allotments and War Risk Insurance had to be corrected, rating cards had to be revised, men who lived in other parts of the country, outside of Ncav England and had come to the division as replacements, had to be transferred to the camps nearest their homes, for discharge, ration returns figured out, property accounted for and to the sorroAV of every Battery and Company Commander the unit funds audited and all the accounts straightened out, in fact a hundred and one things had to be done. The amount of Avork that discharge en- tailed is almost unbelievable and if the Avar had not turned the officers gray, this came very near to it and almost made them nervous Avrecks to boot. It seemed as if this endless job Avould never be completed, but Avhen the time came everything Avas done satisfactorily to the letter, as the Yankee Division ahvays did everything. During this period, photographers flocked to Camp Devens and the boys had their pictures taken, singly, in groups and as units. 158 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C On April 24 the Infantry half of the division went to Bos- ton and stayed that day and night, in preparation for the big parade the next day. They were alloAved liberty on the night of the 24th and journeyed back to Devens immediately after the parade. The other half, including the Artillery left the Camp on the morning of April 25th. Upon arriving in Boston they immediately took up their post of formation on the banks of the Charles River and awaited the order to move. It was a raw cold day, Avith a stiff, cold wind blowing. We were nearly frozen to death waiting four hours for the parade to start as we did not wear overcoats, the dress for the parade being blouses and light skeleton packs. The civilians around the formation points have our heartfelt thanks for the manner in which they treated us. We Avere invited into their homes to get Avarm and not satisfied with doing this alone, they treated us to good hot coffee and sandAviches. The K. of C, Salvation Army, Red Cross and Y. M. C. A. Avere also on the job, and passed out hot coffee, sandAviches, doughnuts, tobacco, cigar- ettes and other SAveets and luxuries, on the streets. At the appointed time, 1.00 P. M., the parade commenced with past Commander Major General Clarence R. EdAvards and the present Commander Major General Harry C. Hale, leading. Our OAvn General, our "Grand Old Man," was mounted on a white charger and he Avas shown once again that the people of NcAv England practically AA^orshipped him, "The Man Who Had Led NcAv England's Oaa^u to Victory." The parade Avas one of the greatest that Boston had ever seen. Despite the unsuitable Aveather, one of the largest croAvds Boston had ever held, Avas on hand from every corner of NcAv England. NcArer before had the "Old Hub" seen such a gala day. Never before Avas she decorated as she Avas on this occasion and neA^er before Avere true heroes Avelcomed in a more fitting and glorious manner than the Yankees Avere received on this sacred day. April 25th, 1919. A day that Avill never be forgotten by either the returned "vets" who paraded or the joyous multitude of mothers, Avives, fathers, sisters, brothers, and sAveetheai'ts, Avho looked on and shouted themselves hoarse. Immediately folloAving the parade the Infantry of the Di- vision returned to Camp Devens. The Artillery remained over the night of April 25th. The 102nd F. A. Avith Battery C 159 SMASHING THEOUGH THE "WORLD WAR" marched to the Newton Street or East Armory, where they were to billet for the night. Very few remained at the Armory, however. Equipment was thrown off and every one given lib- erty until 9 A. M. Saturday morning. It is sufficient to say that Boston was thrown ^\dde open to us and that we'll never forget that night. Saturday morning, April 26th, we entrained and arrived about noon at Camp Devens. Monday, April 28th, the Infantry of the Division was dis- charged. Tuesday, April 29th, the rest of the Division, includ- ing the Artillery, threw off the shackles of war and became civilians once more. Trucks furnished by the business men of Lawrence, under the personal direction of Mayor John J. Hurley, met the battery boys immediately after they were discharged and carried them and their equipment to our own dear old home town, Law- rence. GENERAL SHERBURNE'S ORDER HEADQUARTERS 51ST FIELD ARTILLERY BRIGADE Camp Devens, Mass. April 25, 1919. GENERAL ORDER NO 4 1. Upon the eve of the release of the 51st Field Artillery Brigade from Federal Service, it is fitting that there be on rec- ord in the files of the organization a tribute to the magnificent accomplishments of the officers and men who contributed so gloriously to its success. This Brigade was the first New England unit to fire against the enemy in the Great World War : this Brigade was the first National Guard unit to fire against the enemy; this Brigade made the greatest single and continuous advance into enemy territory of any unit in the United States Army ; this Brigade served continuously in the line, in the line of support "en route," with the exception of twelve days, from Feb. 1, 1918 to November 11th, 1918, a total of 284 days, a record unparalleled 160 S p o ;?M-i TO CO be: ■ •- o ^ i« > c f ^ § ed out and given their places to the younger generation — the men who had kept alive the traditions of the old Battery and made it famous in the old days — the men who had answered the call in '98 and the men who had answered the call in '17 and had proved that the old spirit born and instilled in this Battery by these older men was still alive — the men who had written a new page in the history of this great National Guard Organization. The reception was held in the city hall. Judge Louis S, Cox, a former Captain of the battery was toastmaster of the evening, and many prominent men in public life were among the guests present, including Lt. Gov. Channing Cox, Brig. 162 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C Gen'l. John H. Sherburne, commander of the 51st. F. A. Bri- gade, the Artillery of the Yankee Division, Col, John F. J. Herbert, commander of the 102nd F. A. of which battery C was a part and also State Chairman of the American Legion and Mayor John J. Hurley. The banquet was a great success and the Veteran 's Association deserve great credit for the man- ner in which the affair was conducted, but then, this Associa- tion has always made a wonderful success of every affair of this kind that it has ever run, as the present members of the battery may well testify. Each man in the battery received an application to fill out in regard to joining the Veterans Association with all dues paid up to January 1st, 1920. This was very thoughtful of our Vets and typical of that fine organ- ization and the Battery boys greatly appreciated their com- radeship. During the course of the evening the Battery boys had an opportunity to show Capt. Howe, our fighting skipper, in what esteem he was held by his boys. Corp. William McGin- nis, in behalf of the men, presented him with a gold watch and chain. Capt. Howe commanded the respect of not only the men under him, but also that of his superior officers. He was first of all a man, secondly an officer. Just about the time that the Yankee Division Avas released from service, the fifth Victory Liberty Loan was under way. Many of the local soldiers who had taken off the uniform and had sworn that they would never put it on again because they had seen enough of the army, now showed their true spirit and donned the 0. D. once again and helped to put this loan over the top. They spoke on the streets, from tanks and on the corners and it did not even phase these battle scared warriors to get up in the crowded theatres and speak for this last great Drive. When the chance came along to repay in a very small mea,sure the good done for us by our good and faithful friends, the Salvation Army, the soldiers responded magnificently. Lt. Charles Lannigan was chairman of the committee and the ladies of Lawrence and the different Ladies' societies gave willingly of their services, time and money, for this great cause. Memorial Day 1919, will be long remembered. On this day of National mourning, veterans of three great wars, marched through our streets gathered at the cemeteries and paid hom- 163 SMASHING THROUGH THE ''WORLD WAR" age to the veterans and heroes that had answered the last great call on the field of battle. Battery C made a remarkable record in the World War. We have done our best to try to give you just a little insight into it. We realize now, as we did when we commenced this tremendous task, that it is a job too great for us to tackle; we cannot do justice to this organization and to the Yankee Divi- sion, it has been impossible for us to find words to express our thoughts, feelings and experiences. We trust, dear reader, that you will at least get a faint idea of what Battery C and the Yankee Division went through in the world war and that it will help you to see what crimes, atrocities, sufferings and hardships go hand in hand with the cruel scourge of WAR. May the record of this organization always prove an in- spiration to the young men of our City, State and Country and may they always stand up for the rights of America as these boys have done. Remember— '-'MY COUNTRY— MAY IT ALWAYS BE RIGHT BUT RIGHT OR WRONG— MY COUNTRY." NOTHING GOES, BUT 100 PER CENT AMERICANISM —SEE THAT YOU YOURSELF ARE 100 PER CENT AND THEN DEMAND THAT THE NEXT MAN TO YOU BE ONE ALSO. In writing of the closing hours of the 26tli Division, it is both fitting and proper, to recall to the reader's mind, the fact that thousands of our comrades have paid the supreme sacrifice and are buried in the soil of France, to which they consecrated their lives. These are the true heroes of DEMOC- RACY; they gave their lives cheerfully with the YANKEE DIVISION SPIRIT, and fell wdth their faces toward the en- emy's lines. May we hope and pray that the CAUSE for which they gave the most valuable and cherished of God's gifts — LIFE — may result in that dream — a world in which every man, woman and child may lead the life which is the inherited right of all, born into this world — may it soon be realized. There are others, the shattered and battered wrecks of humanity, returned from the war, who were the flower of 164 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C AMERICAN MANHOOD. We ask that you use your influence and we ask you to see that these boys secure a SQUARE DEAL. They do not wish charity, they deserve something more. It was through their sacrifices that the Hun barbarians were pre- vented from perpetrating the same deeds of dishonor and causing the destruction and devastation, to our own city State and country, which has brought tears to the eyes of the Amer- ican Soldier in his travels up and down the WESTERN BAT- TLE FRONT. The American people have a lot to be thankful for which may be summed up in these few words. They were fortunate to have at least a FEW VOLUNTEER DIVISIONS IN FRANCE TO HOLD THE ENEMY UNTIL AMERICA'S GREAT ARMY WAS TRAINED AND READY TO STAND SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH OUR BRAVE ALLIES WHO SUFFERED SO MUCH, DURING THE PREVIOUS YEARS OF THE WAR. The parents, relatives, sweethearts and friends of the boys in Battery C, may always hold their heads erect. When the call came they answered to a man. America need have no fear of invasion, by a foreign foe as long as the spirit that carried all the Yankee Division units through the hard struggle to final victory, survives. "I honor any man who in the conscious discharge of his duty dares to stand alone; the world, with ignorant, intolerant judgment, may condemn ; the countenances of relatives may be averted, and the hearts of friends grow cold ; but the sense of duty shall be sweeter than the applause of the world, the countenances of relatives, or the hearts of friends." CHARLES SUMNER. 165 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" GENERAL STATISTICS The rumor has been more or less prevalent as regards the treatment, that the Yankee Division received in France, at the hands of the High Conmiand. To be sure, those on the outside, did not know what was going on, in the inside. But this we do know for certain, that the Yankees were slighted time and again. It seemed as though someone took an especial delight in antagonizing our Division and our gallant officers. Everytime that we operated with the French, we always received high praise, compliments and many citations and dec- orations. Why was it that our own American High Command, always slighted us? We never could dope it out. General Persh- ing, to the best of our knowledge, never singly cited or praised the 26th. When an operation was carried out, in which a num- ber of Divisions had been employed, he would simply mention the fact, in the order issued, that the 26th took part in it. It is a strange contrast to view our citations by French generals and those by our own. It will be noticed that all the citations published in this book are those received from the French. Whenever a list of men to be decorated was sent to G. H. Q. that list was always horribly, cut to pieces and men who deserved to be decorated came home without them. We recall several instances where two men in the battery whom we have in mind were cited twice one after the other and all these two fel- lows ever received was a little sheet of paper issued by General Edwards, called a citation, in view of the fact that the High Com- mand thrcAv them down. Such occurrences were not the ex- ception, but the rule. Of all the generals that were in France, General Edwards was the only one who was not decorated. Why was this? The most gallant General that ever commanded any troops, the only man that we ever recognized as our divisional command- er. A man with not a single enemy out of 40,000 men. A soldier, with the interests of his men at heart, who was al- ways right up on the line when big things were going on, to encourage the men. Is it any wonder that the Yankee Division was the best division in France? 166 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C A certain person most certainly made a terrible mistake when he relieved General Edwards and the other gallant 26th Division officers of their command. He must have thought that he could do such a thing and that, that would be the last of it, but he forget that he had the Yankees of Yankees to deal with and he also found out that the folks away back here in New England were ready to pick up our troubles and carry them on for us. The Yankee Division owes many thanks to Congressman Gallivan, Senator Walsh and all the others to- gether with the people of New England for the wonderful man- ner in which they supported us here at home. After the crown- ing injustice, General Edwards losing his command coupled with the removal of Col. Logan and the other atrocities com- mitted in our division it was the best thing that General Persh- ing could do, to keep away from the Yankee division, he was none too popular with the boys from New England. The Yankee Division was the first of the National Guard and draft divisions ready for France. The Yankee Division was the first of the National Guard and draft divisions to arrive in France. The Yankee Division was the first fully equipped and completely organized division of the entire American Army to land in France. The Yankee Division was beaten to France, by only the 1st. American Division, but this division was not complete when the Yankee Division arrived in France. The Yankee Division was the first full division on the front. The Yankee Division was the first full division to take over and occupy a complete divisional sector as a complete division. The Yankee division was the first division to capture a German. The Yankee Division was in the first battle that American troops participated in, in France. The Battle of Seichprey, on the Toul sector. The battle of Cantigny that the 1st division took part in did not occur until almost a month after the bat- tle of Seichprey. 167 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" The Yankee Division won the first American victory at Seichprey. Cantigny was the second American victory and was won by the 1st American Division. The Yankee Division was a unit of the first American Army Corps formed in the World War, the 1st American Army Corps. The Yankee Division was a unit of the first American army formed in the World War, the 1st. American Army. The following statistics were issued by Divisional head- quarters in a general order and were posted on the bulletin boards of the different units, about the middle of January, 1919. The figures relating to the casualties, prisoners captured and material captured are only approximately correct, owing to the fact that complete reports were not be had at the time that the order was issued. The total casualties as given here are only 11,955, while the latest War Department orders bring the total up to over 14,000. About August, 1917, Major General Clarence R. Edwards, then commanding the Northeastern Department, U. S. A., was commissioned by the War Department to undertake the organi- zation and movement overseas of the new, to be formed 26th division. The 26th Division was organized August 22, 1917, at Bos- ton, Mass., from units of National Guard troops of the New England States and a small quota of National Army troops, from Camp Devens, Mass. While in the United States the division trained at the fol- lowing places: — Divisional Headquarters Boston Headquarters troop Boston 101st Signal Battalion Boston Headquarters 51st Inf. Brigade .... Pramingham 101st Infantry Framingham 168 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C 102d Infantry New Haven, Conn. 102(1 Machine Gun Bn Framingham. Headquarters 52d Inf. Brigade Westfield 103d Infantry Westfield 104th Infantry Westfield 103d Machine Gun Bn Quonset, Pt. R. I. 101st Machine Gun Bn Niantic, Conn. 51st F. A. Brigade Hdqs Boxford 101st Field Artillery Boxford 102d Field Artillery Boxford 103d Field Artillery Boxford The general officers commanding the division while in the United States were as follows: — Divisional Comander — Major General Clarence R. Edwards 51st Inf. Brigade — Brig. General Peter E. Traub. 52d Inf. Brigade — Brig. General Charles H. Cole. 51st F. A. Brigade — Brig. General William L. Lassiter. The General officers commanding the division while in France were as folloAvs: — Divisional Commanders: — Major General Clarence R. Edwards until Oct. 25, 1918. Brigadier General Frank E. Bamford. Major General Harry O. Hale, commanding at demobiliza- tion. 51st Infantry Brigade : — Brigadier General Peter E. Traub. Brigadier General L. L. Durfee. Brigadier General George H. Sheldon, commanding at de- mobilization. 52d Infantry Brigade : — Brigadier General Charles H. Cole, commanding at de- mobilization. Brigadier General George H. Sheldon. 51st Field Artillery Brigade : — 169 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" Brigadier General William L. Lassiter Brigadier General Dwight L. Altman. Brigadier General Pelham D. Glassford. Brigadier General John H. Sherburne commanding at de- mobilization. The first troops sailed from Hoboken, N. J., Sept. 7, 1917, and landed at St. Nazaire, France, Sept. 21, 1917. The division remained in the training area with headquar- ters at Neufchateau for about four months, during which time details of troops were engaged constructing hospitals, build- ings, telephone lines, acting as labor detachments, assisting in organizing sections of the S. 0. S. and otherwise making prepa- rations for the army which began to arrive after Jan. 1, 1918. Successive periods in line on the Western Front : SUCCESSIVE PERIODS IN LINE ON THE WESTERN FRONT Date of Entry Place Sector Date of Departure Feb. 6, 1918 North of SoissonsChemin-des- Mar. 21, 1918 Brigaded with Dames the French April, 3, 1918 North of Toul La Reine and June, 28, 1918 Boucq or Toul Battle of Seichprey and Battle of Xivray-Marvoioon July, 10, 1918 Chateau-ThierryPas Fini Inf. July, 25, 1918 Second Battle Art. Aug. 4, 1918 of the Marne Sept. 8, 1918 St. Mihiel Rupt and Oct. 8, 1918 Troy on — Battle of the St. Mihiel Salient 170 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C Oct, 18, 1918 North of VerdunNeptune Nov. 14, 1918 Meuse- Argonne Offensive Aggregate time in the line — seven months or 210 days. NOTE — The date of entry and date withdrawn as used above are the dates on which the command passed to or from the 26th division. This table does not in reality show the exact time which all units of the division served on the line. There were many instances where regiments and Brigades entered the lines several days in advance or remained several days after the passing of the command of the sector. Also during the nine months' service in the Zone of Advance from Feb. 6, 1918, to Nov. 14, 1918, the division spent only ten days in a rest area, just prior to the St. Mihiel Offensive. The balance of the time not actually spent in the line was consumed in moving from one sector to another or in support positions awaiting entry into the line. Prisoners captured by the 26th division in battle : — Officers 61 Other ranks 3087 Total 3148 NOTE this total is only approximately correct. The actual figures are not available at this time. Among German material captured by the Yankee Division were the following: — Field Artillery Pieces 31 Trench Artillery Pieces 23 Light and Heavy Machine Guns 163 Rifles 830 Total 1047 171 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" The following casualty list of the 26th Division in Battle is not entirely correct. The total casualties of the 26th Division now numbers over 14,000. Officers Men Totals Killed 78 1652 1730 Wounded Severely ... 100 3524 3624 Wounded Slightly .... Ill 2708 2819 Gassed 113 3250 3363 Missing 10 273 283 Taken Prisoner 9 127 136 Totals 421 11,534 11,955 Grand Total 11,955. ENEMY TERRITORY TAKEN IN BATTLE Offensive Date Depth Aisne-Marne or the Second Battle of the July 18-25, 1918 17.5 kilometers Marne St. Mihiel Sept. 12-13, 1918 14 kilometers Meuse-Argonne Oct. 18 to Nov. 5.5 kilometers 11, 1918 Total depth of advance, 37 kilometers. The 51st Field Artillery Brigade of the 26th Division, composed of the 101st F. A., 102d F. A. and the 103d F. A. and the Divisional Artillery operated with the division during all activities. Following the relief of the division in the Aisne-Marne or Chateau-Thierry Offensive on July 25, 1918, the 51st Bri- gade kept on operating with the Infantry of the 29th, 42d and 4th divisions until relieved on August 4, 1918. 172 WITH FIGHTING BATTERY C The 51st F. A. Brigade made a total advance of 41 kilo- meters in the Chateau-Thierry Drive. This is by far the larg- est advance ever made by any similar unit of the American Army. The total depth of advance of the 51st Field Artillery Brigade is 60.5 kilometers. Important features of the land in the different sectors held by the Yankee division : €hemin-des-Dames sector — (a) The Chemin-des-Dames (b) Fort Malmaison (c) Chavignon Valley (d) Laffoux Valley (e) Finon Woods (f) Cheval Mont Hill (g) Aisne River (h) Rouge Maison (cave) (i) Rochepont (cave) La Reine and Bouc or Toul Sector — (a) Montsec (b) Bois Brule (Apremont Woods) (c) Seichprey (Remieries Woods and Jury Woods) (d) Xivray-Marvoison (e) Dead Man's Curve (f) Hell's Half Acre Aisne-Marne or Chateau Thierry Offensive — (a) Belleau Woods (b) Hill 190 (c) Hill 204 (d) Vaux (e) Bouresches railroad station (f) Trugny Woods (g) Epieds (h) Vesle River 173 SMASHING THROUGH THE "WORLD WAR" (i) Croix Rouge Farm (j) St. Marie Farm (k) Fere Woods (1) Jaulgonne Fere-en-Tardonois Highway (m) Sergy (n) Nesles (o) Fismes St. Mihiel Offensive — (a) Rupt-en-Woerve (b) Rupt Woods (c) Nouilly (d) Les Eparge (e) Vigneulles (f) Hattonehatel (g) Dommarlin (h) Bois-de-St. Remy (i) St. Remy Meuse-Argonne Offensive — (a) Marcheville (b) Bois Belles (e) Hill 360 (d) Bois d'Haumont (e) Bois d'Etrayes (f) Les Houppy Bois (g) La Wavrille (h) Bois de Ville derant Chaumont (i) Cote de Tolon The 104th Infantry of the 26th Division, formerly the. old 2d, 6th and 8th Mass. Infantry, M. V. M., after the battle in the Bois-Brule at Apremont, was cited in G. 0. No. 737-A hq. 32d Army Corps (French) on April 29, 1918 and had its colors decorated with the Croix-de-Guerre by General Passaga of the French Army. At this time the 104th was the only American regiment in the entire American Army to have its colors decorated by a foreign Government. 174 THE AMERICAN LEGION An outgrowth of the World War was a veteran associa- tion open to ex-soldiers, sailors, marines, army and navy nurses in fact all who can show an honorable discharge from the naval or military forces of the country, who took part in the great war, it gives all the opportunity to meet on a common ground, to weld the friendships formed during the war and it also gives a protecting agency for those who gave their service to the country, when it was in danger. The American Legion was born in Paris. The first cau- cus was held in Paris March 15 to 17, 1919 and was attended by nearly a thousand delegates of all ranks, from privates to Generals. They represented every combat division and every branch of the S. 0. S., in fact every organization of the A. E. F. was represented. This delegation founded the American Legion. They started the wheels in motion. Brig. General John H. Sherburne of the 51st F. A. Brigade, was one of principal founders of the Legion and to him is due much credit for its prosi)erity. The next step in the organization of this great body was the St. Louis Convention on May 8, 9, and 10, 1919, when the work of organizing the Legion was really begun. Col. John F. J. Herbert of the 102d F. A. was named tem- porary State Chairman of Massachusetts, a better man could not have been found for this gigantic task. Colonel Herbert started out immediately to organize the Legion in Massachu- setts and his work thus far has been a brilliant success. The local Post, No. 15, received its charter in June, 1919. The Post has been making rapid strides and promises to be one of the strongest and most active Posts in Massachusetts. The American Legion promises to be one of the greatest organizations for good in the community. State and country that the United States has ever known. Politics are abso- 175 THE AMERICAN LEGION lutely barred from the organization. Vigorous resolutions have been adopted. It has pledged itself to take an active part in all civic questions, promote and champion all things that are of benefit to the people and rigidly oppose all those that will be of harm and that are not just. It stands for 100 percent Americanism and nothing less. Following is the preamble of the constitution of the Amer- ican Legion: "For God and Country we associate ourselves together for the following purposes : — "To uphold and defend the constitution of the United States of America; to maintain law and order; to foster and perpetuate a one hundred per cent Americanism ; to preserve the memories and incidents of our association in the Great War; to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the com- munity, State and nation ; to combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses ; to make right the master of might ; to promote peace and good will on earth ; to safeguard and trans- mit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democ- racy; to consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our de- votion to mutual helpfulness." FINIS 176 Deacidified using the Bookkeeper proces Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide Treatment Date: j^av onn< Preservationlechnologie! A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATIO 111 Thomson Partt Drive