.33 313th .15 !%^#^^Bfe^ '^^ I '^nMs-W-^I lw>'^T ^l-^^< ,|.Hi f^ «n^^ Vw**^ ^\X \ ..^^ ^> \ ^. \ * ^ * \ Class 1"^ >h ;• -J' Book. ,:3.? ^ n ^., Copyright N"_J:1..51_ COFOsIGIfT DEPosrr. HISTORY OF 313th U. S. INFANTRY HISTORY OF 313th U. S. INFANTRY ■"Baltimore's Own" Henry C. Thorn, Jr. Formerly 1st Lieut. Sl'Mh Infantry Printed by WYNKOOP HALLENBECK CRA\YFORD COMPANY Printers (^ Binders 80 Lafayette Street, New York Price $1.75 per Copy, Postpaid Pul)lisher's Note ^ \^ This, the oflicial History of the 313th Infantry, "Baltimore's Own." is pulilished by autliority of its ((irninaiuliiif,' (ifricer. and the connnandpr of the J\lonlfaiK-on Post -No. 10, American Lef,'ion, who issued the following an- nouncements: WASHINGTON, D. C. Tlip \V v!\Koop ITallenbei K Crawfoud Company has been authorized to publish the only olliiial History of the .'Si:!th Infantry, which will contain in accurate text and pictures the achievements of the Hefjiuienl — its traininfj. its overseas service, its return lidine and deiiKjbilization. Ml nieinbers of the 313th are assured that this History will, in every way. be a worthy volume, and all are ur^ed to secure a copy of what will be a record of one of the most inlercstinj; chapters in their life's history. C. B. SWEEZEY. December 1 .■>, UH9. Farmirty ('olorirt. .'ilSlh Infiiiilry. MONTFALiCUN I'UST American Legion The official History of your 313lh Infantry, written by 1st Lieutenant H. C. Thorn, ■Ir.. is now on press. It is a book si/e aliout Kxll inches, bound in full maroon cloth. stam|icd in silver and blue, endiodvint; tlie flivisional insignia, the Lorraine Cross, with lid pajjes. 18 pholosraijhic illustrations and 2 maps — Citations of the Regt-Ceneral (jrders, etc. fiy arrangement with Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co.. the put)lishers of this official History of "Baltimore's Own." a pen cut age from the sale of each book will be turned over to Monffaucon I'ost No. 10. Aujerican Lct;i(]n, liaUimore. Every member of the Regiment, and all those «ho at one time or another were con- nected with it, should have this book. No one can all'ord to be without it. CH\S. \. LEIDLICH. Dec<-mber 26, 191'). CnninidiidiT. Tlie publishers undertook this work in \ icw of the interest and enthusiasm evinced by the officers and men of the 313th Infantry, and upon assurances of co-operation and support from them, that there would be a substantial demand from them for a book giving in text and in picture the accomplish- ments of the Regiment. It is a pleasure to acknowledge witii appreciation the co-operatinu of all those wiio have made its issuance possible, espiMialK : Cl.\ude B. Sweezey, (Uibniel. ('.(ihiukiikHikj Officer 3 1 3th Inf. Ch.\s. a. Leidlich, (Aiinwander. Mi>iilfaiic(iii Post Ao. 'lO. Anipricaii Li'ijinn. Henry C. Thorn, Jr.. IsI Lieiileiuinl. \V. Rus.SELL MuLE.'S. Finance Officer. Moiilfaucon Pfw/. VVYMvOOP HALLKNBEC.K (.RAWFOHD CO. .luniiarv 30, 1020. Copyright 1920 t)y \N'ynkoup Halleiiljeck. ('.rawruni Co. FEB 28 1920 ©C!.Ao65143 Contents Page Chapter I. Forming of Regiment — Ofiicers and Men Report — Training Starts 11 II. Changes in Personnel 14 III. Review by Secretary of War — More Training — C'olors — Parade in Baltimore 15 IV. Camp at Rifle Range 17 \'. Leaving Camp Meade — Trip Aboard Leviathan — Brest — Rail to IiitiM'ior — Champlitte — More Train- ing — Trip to the Front 18 ^ I. In the Trenehes — Raided by the Germans — Relieved — Preparations for Drive to Start 23 ^ II. Moiilfaucim and the First and Second Days ... 27 \III. Montfaucon — From Beginning Third Day Until Relieved 35 IX. Troyon Sector — March to \ erdun — Start to Relieve 26th Division \(Mth of Verdun 38 X. Cote-de-Roches— Hill 360— Death Valley .... 44 XI. Capture of Hill 378 by 2d Bat. 313th Inf.— Continuing with 1st Bat. to Claire Chene Trenches — Reville is Occupied 46 XII. Fighting until II A.M.. 11 Nov., 1918— The Vrmistice 50 XIII. Holding the Old Lines — Relieved — \ erdun .Vgain — Christmas 51 Page XIV. Wintering in Erize, La Brullee. Seigneulles, Conde, etc. March to Lafauche. Inspected by Gen. Pershing . 54 XV. Cholet and Mortagne — Board Transports at St. Nazaire 56 XVI. Homeward Bound in Paysandn and Antigone — New- port News — Baltimore — The Great Parade — Camp Meade — Demobilized and Begiment Passes into History 60 Appendix. Awards — General Orders — Station List of 2d Bat. in France 65 Story of the 79th Div. Insignia 71 List of Illustrations Page ( "nlniifl Swopzey 10 Murphy— G Co.'s Mascot 17 (Iroup of ( XViceis in ( lluiiiiplitfc 21 Liiif Diawing of Moiitfaiicon, etc 24 Soction of \ crdiiii. a Map iMonllaiiroii) 28 .)iiiiip Olf 'rrcnches 29 i\o-Man's Land 30 Montfaucoti 31 \ iinv from Mdiitfauciin 32 German Ohscrvalorv in MontfaiHM in 34 ( Icne ral Nicholson and ( )fru('rs 37 Troy. m SiMtor— The Hills 39 l^tigouts in Troyon Sector 41 Map of Hill ;578. etc 47 Standing Retreat — Cholet 56 Major l':iiiott and His OHicers aTid Sergeants 58 Headquarters Company at Cholet 58 Color-Sergeant Leidlicli witli ( (ilois and Headquarters Co. at Newport News 60 (^.ol. Sweezey Watching Debarkation 61 Parade in Baltimore .In ne It h. 101 () 62 Foreword THE following history of the 313th l\ S. Infantry was written in France by order of Colonel Sweezey pursuant to instructions received from the Commanding General of the 79th Division, being completed after returning to the 1 nited States. It is necessarily brief but records the principal events in the career of the Regiment from its inception in August of 1917 until demobilized in June 1919. It is the story of an organization and, therefore, practically no reference is made to individual exploits or achievements. Reference is only made to other units where the 313th Infantry is directly concerned, and absolutely no criticisms ai'e intended in any way. Acknowledgment is hereby made to Colonel Sweezey and the other officers and men for their heljjful suggestions and criticisms, especially to Major John Elliott, for without the aid of his diary, carefully and accurately written (often under the most adverse conditions in the field), very many important details would necessarily have been overlooked. H. C. T., Jr. « >- j*-^ Coliilii'l ChlUilr H. Siirr:rv CHAPTER I HEN the 79th Division was formed, in August, 1917, the 313th Infantry of the 157th Brigade came into being. Colonel Claude B. Sweezey, a West Pointer, with nearly thirty years' service in the Regular Army, was placed in command. Lieut. -Colonel Frederick R. Brown, also a West Pointer, was assigned to assist him in the difTicult task of organizing the Regiment out of the raw material. The Colonel, who had been the senior instructor at the first Officers" Training Camp at Fort Niagara, was practically given a free hand in the ciioosing of his officers. He selected most of them from the cavalry troop, his own branch of the service. A number of 1st Ueutenants from the 1th Company, Infantry, were also chosen. On August 29th. the officers reported. Major Benjamin Franklin Pepper, a prominent lawyer of Philadi-lphia, was given command of the 2d Battalion; Major Jesse R. Langley of Pittsburgh, the 3d Battalion. Later Major Pat M. Stevens, an officer of the Regular Army, whcj had been Brigade Adjutant, took command of the 1st Battalion. Captain, later Major, H. Nelson Jackson, of the Medical Reserve Corps, was placed in charge of the Sanitary Detachment. Captain John Elliott was appointed Regimental Adjutant. Captain John E. Hughes, long a 1st Sergeant of the 6th U. S. Cavalry, was placed in charge of the Supply Company. The great cantonment of Camp Meade had not yet been completed and none of the men of the selective draft was to report for some time. Consequently there was little for the officers to do. In order that all might keep hands in, however, close order drills, tactical walks, etc., were instituted. Finally, on September 29th. the first men from Baltimore arrived. Some men from the 3d Training Battahon had been assigned to the Regiment September 27th. These men came from Garrett and Carroll Counties, followed on October 6th by more men from Baltimore. The latter were met by the newly formed Regimental Band, which was energetically, if somewhat in need of practice, playing "Maryland, My Maryland." Mr. Louis H. Fisher, Jr., who later became its leader and eventually was commissioned a 2d Heutenant. came down to Camp as a civilian before he was certified for service. He had been an orchestra leader of note in Baltimore and was of invaluable assistance. A further draft of men from Balti- more and the counties reported was on November 5th. Things were beginning to look more military. Equipment and uniforms, as far as possible and as fast as possible, were issued and the throes of typhoid inocu- lations, vaccinations, etc., were gone through. Service and a dozen other records were started and the serious business of training began. The men, a number of 12 II I ST () in OF :U :5 th 1 . S. I \ F a N T H V whom came to Camp Meade with visions of beinj; ill-treated, nearly starved, and thrown into the Guard House for the least offence, were gradually beginning to realize that, while they had to forego some of the comforts of home, things were not so bad after all. The work was hard, but it was a great satisfaction to discover that the complex maneuver of "squads right" could be mastered after all. The spirit of rivalry was soon noticed, too, as all knew that those who seemed to be best qualified would be picked out to act as corporals and sergeants and secure their warrants eventually if they made good. The passing of the weeks showed a remarkable difference in the set-up of the men. The hard, outdoor life, with its drills and setting-up exercises, combined with good hours and wholesome, if some- what plain, food made everyone feel good. On account of the great number of men from Baltimore, the Regiment was beginning to be known as ""Baltimore's Own." and on October 25th they entrained to Baltimore to march in the Liberty Loan Parade. Although unarmed, the men marched so well that it was hard to believe that a few short weeks before, prac- tically everyone had been a civilian with no military training whatever. The Regiment made such an impression that a number of officers and non-commissioned officers were asked to undertake the task of teaching men, who would shortly be inducted, the rudim(>nts of close order drills and the manual of arms. These men saw what an advantage it would be to have some knowledge of such things and drills became weekly affairs at the ,5th Reghnent Armory in Baltimore. The operation of tlie draft law necessitated a great shifting of men to fill the various organizations of the National Guard and Regular Army to war strength. Consequently it was not long before batches were being sent to southern camps, and small detachments were later sent overseas as replacements. During this period of training new men kept coming in in small and large detachments. They were usually greeted loudly with all sorts of advice and raillery from the veterans of a few weeks or months as they marched in. It was interesting to see how quickly the average man changed his ideas from those of the civilian to those of the soldier. Everything wasn"t entirely comfortable, however, as the Regiment had its share of measles and this meant a long cjuaranline for the companies where cases were discovered, and no week-end passes to visit home and friends. One company even had the misfortune to be put in quarantine just as the men were to have started on the Christmas leave. Early in the winter, which will long be remembered for its severeness, an elaborate system of trenches was started. The men dug away with a will and the ground soon began to look like the battlefields of Europe. Practice marches were also instituted and the battaUons hiked over the surrounding country, first only with rifles, but later, when packs were issued, the troops began to get used to the load they'd soon be carrying a good part of the time. The light pack seemed heavy and uncomfortable at first, and few realized how much heavier loads they'd carry, more or less easily, before their army days were over. It was not all physical work, for every afternoon non-commissioned oflicers' school was held in each mess-hall under the supervision of a Com|iaii> Officer. H I S T ( ) H V () F :'. I :'. T H IS. I \ F \ \ T H 't i:? Here the various problems and instructions were given in nearly all things it was necessary for the corporals and sergeants to know and impai-t to the men under them. The officers also had school at night under the battalion commanders. Officers and N. C. O.'s were sent to the Division Schools under French, British and American officers. Here practical instruction in grenades, auto-rifles, gas- defense, field fortifications, etc., were given and the students later gave the benefit of their instruction to the other officers and men of their companies. Gradually blue-jeans disappeared from the drill fields, and the few Rrag rifles were eventually replaced with the new U. S. Model 1917 rifles. The men set to work getting familiar with all parts of the gun and its care, for the new target range was soon to be available for shooting. A bayonet course, with trenches, and obstacles of various kinds, had been constructed by the men of the Regiment and many strenuous hours were spent in running, climbing and stabbing the Boche hung in the frames. The bayonet, one of the principal weapons of the infantryman, was gone into extensively, for not only was it a wonderfully efficient means of tough- ening the body, but it helptnl to inculcate the fighting spirit that lies more or less dormant in every man. CHAPTER II L'RINC the entire period of training, the personnel of the Regiment kept changing from time to time, due to the drafts sent to other camps, and to the new men wlio kept arriving all the time. A great number of the original men remained and they furnished a large percentage of the non-commissioned officers. In February, a call for cavalry officers was sent out by the War Department and many company com- manders and lieutenants left to officer the National Army cavalry regiments that were to be formed. To fill the vacancies, a number of officers who had been graduated from the second Officers" Training Camp, and a large group from the :5Tth Division were attached for duty. Later a few of these were assigned to the Regiment. The same field officers that were originally assigned stayed with the Regiment, with the exception of Major Stevens, who was assigned to the Division Trains and his place filled by the assignment of Major Israel Putnam. Captain Rurgwin. of Company E, and Captain Rutterworth. of Company F, were assigned to the Regiment at the close of the fourth Officers' Training Camp at Camp Meade. Roth of these officers had been instructors at the second Niagara Camp and had been candidates at the first Niagara Camp. CHAPTER III HE training schedule was varied from time to time by ceremonies sucJi as Battalion and Regimental Parades and Reviews. On December 22d, the Secretary of \\ ar reviewed the entire Division. Shortly afterwards, the 157th Brigade was reviewed by the Serbian Mili- tary Commission. The 313th Infantry took part in both and made a very creditable showing considering the number of men who had been in the service only a matter of a few weeks. It was decided in December that, on account of the great support that Baltimore was giving the Regiment, and also owing to the fact that it was the only all Maryland Regiment in the Army, it would be a good idea for the officers as a body to express their appreciation to the people of Raltimore by giving an entertainment of some sort. Consequently a dinner dance was given at the Hotel Belvedere in Baltimore on January 16, 1918. General Nicholson, Colonel Sweezey. and practically all the officers were present. Many of their wives acted as hostesses. Music was furnished by the Regimental Band. It was a brilhant affair in every way and will long be remembered by both the officers and the people of Baltimore. Early in the winter prehminary rifle practice was held on the bayonet course; and in March the Regiment went to the big range daily for about a week. Here the real work of shooting was begun. Some surprisingly good scores were made and none doubted that, with a little more experience on the part of the men, the Germans would find it healthier to keep their heads down below their parapets. About the middle of March, the weather having moderated considerably, the Regiment packed up for a night in the field. The battalions moved out in a long column followed by the trains, machine guns, etc., and pitched shelter camp a few miles from the barracks. After supper that day, all hands gathered around an enormous camp fire and sang songs and told stories. The band gave a concert, and later in the evening General Kuhn visited the camp. Colonel Sweezey re- quested the General to say a few words to the officers and men, and the (Jeneral replied by telling a few of the things the Regiment would ex-jierience in France, and further stated his confidence in the organization. He said that he had plenty of opportunity to observe the Regiment under all conditions — due largely to the fact that the Regimental block was right near the Division Headquarters, and that he was proud to have the 313th Infantry under his command. When taps sounded all crawled into their tents: but sleeping was difficult, for the night was pretty cold. The next morning after camp had been struck, there was a Regimental drill followed by an attack problem which General Nicholson witnessed. Then came a hard hike home by a roundabout route. The sun came out very hot and the men 16 11 IS TO in OF 3 13th U.S. INFANTRY were very tired, not. a lew (irup[)iiig out. It was a great experience, however, and was a taste of what might be expected in the days that were to come. On April 3d, the citizens of Alleghany County presented the Regiment with a set of colors, which the Colonel accepted with the Regiment lined up in back of him. After the ceremony of presentation was over, the Regiment passed in review. The next day the great march of concentration for the defence of Baltimore from the "invasion of the Huns," who were assumed to be landing on the coast after having defeated our navy, commenced. That night the 313th Infantry en- camped on the hill-tops of Shipley overlooking Baltimore in the distance. Early the next morning the camp was broken and a long column of marching men entered Baltimore with bands playing and colors flying. Fnthusiastic crowds lined the sidewalks as the troops marched to the various parks where they were to encamp. The 313th Infantry proceeded to Druid Hill Park and pitched a shelter tent camp, and all that day and the next there was a swarm of visitors, all displaying great interest in everything. The kitchens seemed to especially attract the women folks. On April 6th the Regiment paraded through the streets of Baltimore as the first unit in tlie long Divisional Column and passed in review before the President of the United States, being the first unit he had ever seen of the National Army. Tlie next day the Regiment made the long march from Druid Hill Park to Camp Meade without one single man falling out en route. This was a truly remarkable feat and showed the pride that the men had in their organization, for it was hard sledding for some during the last mile or miles, especially so as many of their com- rades from the other regiments were sitting alongside the road with tags on them entitling them to be picked up by the ambulances that followed in the rear. On April 19th the fourth Officers' Training Camp turned out 53 members of the Regiment, who had ciualified as 2d lieutenants, these men having been selected from a few of the various companies of the Regiment. Later they were commissioned and assigned to the Regiment which they had joined as privates a few months before. On May 1st, the Regiment held a military field day. It was the first event of its kind in the cantonment and many guests were present. An additional interest was the ball game between the Regimental Team and the Baltimore Orioles. The soldiers showed they knew how to play ball by defeating the visiting team 10 to 1. Lieutenant Lavin. of G Company, an ex-L'niversity of Pennsylvania star, coached the team. Following the ball game there were boxing bouts and athletic events, prizes for which had been presented by the officers and several Baltimore mercliants. The Supply Company won the silver cup. Regimental Championship in team events, winning the rescue and centipede races and taking second place in the shelter tent race and third in the tug of war. Company I was second in the total number of points scored. There were also mounted events and grenade throwing contests. The Machine Gun Co. gave an exhibition of a ''going into action" inter-section competition. In the evening the guests were entertained at the different messes for supper. A dance for the enlisted men was held in the K. of C. auditorium. Dancing stopped at 9.1.5, when a special train conveyed tlie visitors back to Baltimore. CHAPTER IV ' URING the last weeks in May the Regiment marched to the Rifle Range and pitched camp for two weeks. No field officers accompanied it and Captain R. W. J. Flynn. of A Company, senior line captain, was in command at the camp. Here the men had plenty (jf opportunity to fire their rifles and from early morning until evening the firing kept up. Very few regiments could hope to get a better opportunity to practice with their cliief weapon than the 313th Infantry had. It was here, too, that the new light Rrowning rifle, with which the 79th Division had just been equipped, was given a thorough try out. No other division in the Army, either at home or abroad, had been so equipped. No history of the Regiment would be complete without mentioning '" Murphy," a small brown pup, that joined G Company on the range. This dog, called "Michael," or "Mike," in spite of being a she, was carefully fed and nursed in the kitchen and later went overseas with the Regiment with an identity disk around her neck and 313th stenciled on her sides. She grew up and was with the Regiment in all its engagements, sticking close to G Company's kitchen. She experienced shell-fire and at times had to be smothered in a blanket to avoid being gassed. The following February, in France, she gave birth to two recruits called "\ erdun" and "Montfaucon," both of whom foUowed a military career. The "Dog i/J Wur" llial uriil Overseas wi!h llie Heginieiil, teas in all its Engagements (being attached to G Co.'s Kitchen) and altlwugh once stigldly uoiinded returned with the Troops to Camp Meade CHAPTER V HILE the Regiment was still in camp at the Rifle Range, word was received that the Battalion Tonimanders and a number of officers and non-commissioned officers from the battalions were to be prepared to leave for overseas on very short notice. Naturally rumors of an early sailing soon became rife, and it was not long after the Regiment returned from the Range that the drill schedule was called oiT and everyone started def- inite preparations for leaving. These were exception- ally busy times, as new equipment throughout was issued: boxes and crates were made and packed; and all necessary paper work, such as passenger lists, prepared and gone over. Camp Meade was always filled with visitors on week-ends, but never were there such crowds as assembled there duiing the last week-ends in June. Everyone knew that the Regiment would soon be leaving, but the exact date was only known to those higher up. Large drafts of replacements were received from Camp Ifpton — men with only a few weeks' training — and the Regiment brought up to war strength. On June 2ath the advance school detachment left and at 6 P. M. on Friday, July 5th. Colonel Sweezey and his stall and the 1st Battalion entrained at Admiral, arriving in Jersey City the next morning. The balance of the Regiment, under Lieut.-Colonel Brown, left Camp Meade at the same hour the next evening. From the railroad terminal at Jersey City the troops were loaded on ferry-boats and then taken up the North River to the ex-German piers. Cpon disembarking, they were niarch(>d to the pier where the huge Naval Transport. Leriathan was loading. On the pier the Red Cross furnished all with sandwiches and buns and then each ofllcer and man was carefully checked as he boarded the vessel. Once aboard there was no going on to the pier again for any reason. R averaged about 18 minutes per company to embark. a..d with the great number of gangways, the huge task of checking in over 12,000 men was quickly accomplished. It was not known exactly when the ship would sail, but from the amount of cargo and baggage alongside it looked as if it would be a week. However, every- thing was loaded Monday afternoon and one by one the lines were cast oil and shortly after 6 P. M. the ship was pidled into the stream and headed down the bay. Under a new order from the War Department, the troops were allowed on deck and the bands to jilay. Great shouts went up as the ferry-boats full of commuters passed close to the ship. Altogether it was a pretty good send-oll. Great interest was exhibited in the city and harbor as the Leviathan stood out to sea, and esijecially in the camouflaged destioyer that picked up the ship outside the harbor. As darkness fell the decks were cleared of all but the crew, certain of the Army who were doing guard duty, and submarine lookout. By this time the permanent details for policing and mess and kitchen police had been arranged. The guard, consisting of more than 100 men and officers, was HISTORY Of^ :M:5th 1 .S. INFANTRY 19 furnished by the 1st Battalion. Colonel Sweezey was commander of the guard. The problem of feeding so many men was splendidly worked out, and by estab- lishing lines from the troop compartments, through the serving stations and standing-up mess hall, and returning via the upper deck, the entire ship's company, excepting the crew, were fed in short order. About 6 A. M., Monday, the destroyer left and the Leviathan was left to her own resources. From her speed and the naval guns she mounted, she appeared to be well able to defend herself. The men all wore life-preservers at all times and abandon ship drills were held several times a day. Although the greatest number of men ever carried in one ship was aboard, after several days' practice the time of getting all men on deck was getting close to the record. On Friday the former record of fourteen minutes went by the board, and a new one of eleven minutes was established. The ship's captain wrote General Nicholson a letter congratulating him on the performance. On Sunday morning, about 8:00 A. !\I., after an uneventful voyage, the ship was met by a convoy of five destroyers which escorted her for the remainder of the trip. Early on the afternoon of Monday, July l.Sth, the coast of France was sighted and at .3:00 P. M. the Leviathan anchored in the harbor of Brest. All that afternoon and late into the night, lighters were ferrying the troops ashore. As soon as the landing was made, all were marched through the outskirts of Brest to the Pontanezen Barracks, where about thirty thousand troops were fdready quartered. This necessitated the Regiment pitching shelter camp about one and one-half miles out. This was no easy job, as tentage, wood, stores, supplies, etc., had to be carried by hand through deep mud. The next morn- ing, the 1st Battalion, which had stayed on the ship overnight, arrived in camp. The advance detachment, which had come in a slower vessel in a convoy and had only landed a few days previously, came out and paid a visit. As some one expressed it, "the place was a rest camp because you remembered it for the rest of your life." It was without the least regret that orders arrived suddenly on Wednesday evening, July 17th, that the Regiment would entrain for the interior next morning. No rest was obtained that night and at 5:32 A. M., July 18th, the first of the long trains pulled out. The trains consisted of an enormous number of old, dilapidated baggage cars, marked mostly with the following legend, "Hommes 40, Chevaux 8," showing that it was better, as far as space went, to be a horse. The sardine industry, which has flourished for so many years in France, made them expert in all things connected with packing, and it wasn't long before all hands were stowed away. The next three days and nights were most interesting, if somewhat dirty and uncomfortable, for some beautiful country was covered. Stops were made en route for coffee and occasional washes at pumps at sidings and stations. The trains appeared to be running on an extemporaneous time table; but this was due to the great congestion caused by the activities at the front. The first train arrived at Laignes at 3:00 A. M., Sunday. July 21st. It was misthig heavily and it was necessary to wait for daylight. All that day the Regi- 20 HISTORY OF 31 :5th T.S. INFANTRY ment was busy unloading baggage and locating billets. Regimental Headquarters, Headquarters Company and R Company were located in Laignes; A and D at Bissey la Pierre; C Company at Balot: K and F Companies at Marcenay; G and H, Larrey; I and Supply Companies at Poincon; K and L at Rouix; M and Machine dun at Cerilly. All the towns were situated within a few kilometers of each other. The business of cleaning up the streets and fixing up the barns to sleep in was a great novelty. Little did anyone realize how much fertilizer would eventually be moved from one place to another and how many billets would be fixed up during the Regiment's service in France. Of all companies, H Company, at Larrey, had the most picturesque billet. Nearly 20(1 men and ofTicers were ciuartered in the medieval chateau reputed to have been the home of Henry I\ at one time. The lady who resided there could not do enough for the Americans and was most hospitable to all. About the time everyone was getting accustomed to life in the strange sur- roundings, a lieutenant appeared at Laignes with 21 trucks and orders to leave at once. Thirty-three trucks had been sent for C, A and D Companies. Things were immediately packed and the truck train moved out. After a ride through beautiful country and quaint towns and villages the train arrived in Champlitte (Haute Saone) at 3:00 A. M. The Zone Major was awakened, and by sleeping some men in the trucks and some in the mess shacks, the hours of darkness were passed. At dawn, billets were located and the business of getting settled was again in full swing. For the next few days, truck trains were busy bringing up the remainder of the Regiment. On Monday, July 29th. all the troops had arrived with the exception of K Company which came the next day. Owing to the fact that Champlitte was not large enough to billet all the troops, it was necessary to quarter L Company in Margilley and I and K Companies in Neuvelle, both towns being close at hand. Just as soon as the quarters were made habitable, the business of intensive training for the day the Regiment would go into action against the enemy was commenced. Rifle ranges were selected, gas masks, steel helmets, trench knives, etc., were issued and long drills in the hot sun with gas masks carried and helmets worn became daily occurrences. At times gas masks were worn for long periods and everyone became accustomed to them. Close and extended order drills were carried on, varied by problems in attacks executed by units from platoons up to and including the entire Regiment. Divisional Terrain exercises were held. While at Champlitte, Captain Rrondelle and Lieutenant Comoy, of the French Army, were attacheil to Regimental Headquarters and were to stay with the Regiment during its entire time of training and, after that, accompany it in action. As these officers were able to speak English fluently and naturally were familiar with the French methods and the country, they were of great assistance on many occasions. ( )ii August 4th, the Regimental and Rattalion Intelligence Sections left for a school established at St. Broingt-le-Bois. where all the Intelligence personnel of the Division were given a two weeks' training in scouting, observing, etc. 7:',---i2--:^~.M^y.*- ■vjt ' 2:: HISTORY OF :U:5th I. S. INFANTRY (,)n August 10th. Colunel Brown, who had been made a full colont-l, \\a> at- tached to the Regiment. Lieut. -Colonel Stevens, at one time in command of the 1st Battalion as major, was assigned. Later, both of these officers left for other duties and Major Pepper was recommended for promotion to lieutenant-colonel to fdl the vacancy. A number of lieutenants were promoted during the period of training at Champlitte. About the latter part of August the advance school detachment rejoined the Regiment. While in Champlitte retreat was held by the Regiment as a unit in front of the picturesque Hotel de ^ ille. The civiUan population all turned out each after- noon to watch the ceremony and listen to the band, while nearly every evening in the square the band gave concerts, which were thoroughly enjoyed by the soldiers and civilians alike. The days at Champlitte will be remembered as busy and pleasant ones. On September 7th rumors were current that the Division had orders to move and they materialized that night. Oyrieres was designated as the railhead. It was about two and one-half hours' march from Champlitte. At 11:00 A.M., Sunday morning. September 8th, the 1st Battalion started to entrain, k (".ompany did all the loading for the entire Regiment and by Monday all troops had entrained. The trains proceeded via Langres and Chaumont. At 2:00 P. M., Monday, September 9th, the train with Regimental Headquarters arrived at Revigny, where orders to proceed to Longeville, about 5 kilometers east of Bcir-le-Duc, were received. About an hour later the train arrived at Longeville. where the 1st Battalion was already billeted. C Company was to do all the unloading for the Regiment at tWs point. The 2d Battalion arrived at 12:30 A. M., Tuesday and bivouacked till daylight. The 3d Battalion arrived about 9:00 A. M. and marched to Savon- nieres, about 3 kilometers in the direction of Bar-le-Duc. General Nicholson called on Colonel Sweezey shortly after noon the same day, Tuesday, September 10th, with secret orders that the Division was to take over a sector within a few days. That night the Colonel went to Division Headquarters, secured more information, stopped at Savonnieres on his way back, and woke up the Battalion, Company and Platoon Commanders, for, in the morning, a recon- naissance party from all battalions was to go up to the trenches and look over the sector. It was late in the night of Wednesday, September 11th, before the recon- naissance party returned. On Thursday, September 12th, Field Order No. 2 — 79th Division was received and at 6:30 P. M. the battalions formed and took positions along the north side of the Bar-le-Duc road, the column being headed west or toward Bar-le-Duc. About 8:00 P. M. a French captain arrived, followed shortly after by 240 French trucks, driven by Anamites or men from French Indo-China. The trucks passed on so that the tail of the truck column rested at the same point the head of the infantry column did. No argument could persuade the French officer to change this disposition, so that the column marched about a mile farther and, when the head of the truck train was reached, all hands were loaded and the trucks started. The many months of drilling and training at home and abroad were now at an end and the 313th Infantry was on its last lap of the long journey to the trenches. CHAPTER VI LL nifiht long the trucks ran in total darkness while fioni the eastern horizon, illumined with intermittent Hashes, lame the roar of distant guns; for over to the right the great St. Mihiel jiush was in progress. At seven oelock the next morning. September 13th. the trucks discharged their passengers and the Regiment, less the 1st Rattalion. marched to Camp Pommieres. the 1st Rattalion proceeding to Camp des Fouchelles. During the day the troops rested in the woods, being careful to keep under cover from hostile aircraft. The regiment occupying the trenches was the 371st \ . S. Infantry (colored), which was attached to the French Army. In American uniforms and equipped with French helmets, gas masks, rifles, etc.. they made a strange appearance. At the Regimental lleadciuarters of the 37 1st Infantry were two rattiers (rat hounds) which had been issued to them by the French. In the afternoon, Colonel Sweezey and his statf had a conference with Colonel Miles, of the regiment to be relieved at \ errieres, where the dug-outs of the Regi- mental P. C. (post of command) were located. That evening, Friday, the 13th of September, at six o'clock, guides met the battalions and the relief commenced, each company moving in column of half platoons with .50 yards' distance. The sector covered considerable ground, the frontage being more than two kilometers and the depth extending for about three kilometers. It was not until 2:40 A. ]\1. the next day that word reached the Regimental P. C. that the relief had been completed and all units established in their proper positions. The troops on the right f)f the Regiment were the 31,5th L . S. Infantry and on the left, the 346th French Infantry. The 2d Rattalion held the left of the Regimental Sector with Company H in the outpost position. On the right, the 3d Rattalion had Company K in the out- post. These outposts were in old trenches which ran. in the open, parallel to the woods where the enemy's trenches were located. FZach battalion had two com- panies in the main line of resistance which was at the edge of the woods, about two kilometers from and parallel with the Roche. The remaining company of each battalion was encamped in shelters and dug-outs farther back in the woods. Observation Posts were manned by both Rattalion and Regimental Intelligence Sections. A system of runners was established and liaison established within the Regiment and with units on the right and left. These details having been com- pleted, the Regiment settled down to the business of war and of becoming accus- tomed to the new conditions. It did not seem at all terrible. Rut for the men in the outpost positions, which spread like a net across the entire front, and for the necessary jiatrols that visited and connected these small outpost groups, things were rather exciting at first, to say the least. The Roche was quiet, however, and ex- 24 H I S T O 1\ Y OF 31 3 T H li . S . INFANTRY Ndnlillo s MONTXAAiCON Bolsj« Moitfaoton 1 1 1 ChitMW 1 1 AvocooRT ; ; Avocourt ■ /^aUncourt 1 Boii ^« Ddnntvowx 1 ' ( \'ifw tif Munlfiiucun from Seclor .'iO'j. TheSl.'illi Infantry Allackedon Scplcmlicr ?6lh. 19 tS. starling several Kihimeters In the Right of Arocourt — Itie Town in the Foreground. Passin;/ tltrough the W'ouils Stiiiien nl llie Rigid en-route to the Hearity Fortilied lleiiihts of Montfaneon itself rept for the flares sent up at night, it was hard to reahze that a deadly enemy was lurking in the shoU-scarred woods. With the exception of some artillery and greater aerial activity, the sector had been very quiet. No gas nor raids had been put over. This order was not destined to last long, however, as subsequent events proved. In the foreground of the 2d Battalion sector were the ruins of Avocourt, while above the tree-tops to the north, or directly in front, rose the Heights of JMont- faucon, soon to be famous in American history. The ruined town could be plainly seen, and through powerful glasses one could occasionally distinguish a man in its streets, api3rf)\iniately six kilometers away. It was from this vantage point that the Crown Prince had watched his armies make their terrible but futile attacks on Verdun in l'»16. It was indeed historic ground on which the 313th U. S. Infantry received its baptism of fire. While in the line the companies in each battalion were shifted about so as to give relief to the outpost companies, the duty of constant vigilance demanding a tremendous tax. Sleep was almost impossible, especially during the hours of darkness when there was need of great watchfulness. The 2d Battalion held the left sub-sector for the entire time the Regiment was in the line. The right sub- sector, which was held by the 3d Battalion at first, was manned by the 1st Battalion on Wednesday night, September 18th, the 3d Battalion being withdrawn to Camp Bretagne in the woods back of the lines. A number of gas alarms were sounded but apparently they were false. During one relief a German plane flew over the lines and dropped a few bombs. HISTORY OF 313th U.S. INFANTRY 25 The French, on the left, had sent over a large raiding party without success, but still, things were very quiet in front of the Regiment until 1:15 A. M., Fri- day, September 20th, when a raid was put over by the Roche on the extreme left of E Company in the outpost position. The raiders were driven off after shots were exchanged, but they returned again in about an hour and were again repulsed. On neither occasion had they penetrated the lines and only two Americans were wounded. After daylight the body of a 2d heutenant of the 1st Division Prussian Foot Guards was found outside the parapet. He was identified by his papers as the son of a major-general and the information gained from his papers showed that one of the best regiments of the Prussian ( iuards had come into the sector. At exactly 5:30 A. M., Sunday morning, September 22d, a heavy barrage was laid down by the enemy in back of the forward position. This gradually moved toward the line of resistance. The intense fire did lots of damage to the trenches and placed a barrier between the outpost and main line of resistance. The barrage kept up for an hour and thirty-five minutes and. under its cover, a strong raiding party of Germans came over. They attacked the 1st Platoon of E Company, who were holding in and around the village of Avocourt. During the fighting the platoon leader of E Company, Lieutenant Geis. was slightly wounded and three of his men also. One man was killed and one captured. The Germans suf- fered more heavily, as they left nine dead, including an officer, and carried off eight of their own, either dead or wounded. The right sub-sector was raided at the same time by a large force. A German corporal, who was captured, said that three companies took part in the raid. A Company, who were holding the outpost, finally drove the enemy out and caused them considerable losses. A Company had three men killed and one officer and six men wounded. One man was captured by the raiders. This man was eventually released after the armistice, returned to the States on February 4th, and died the next day. On Saturday night, September 21st, at 11:45 P. M., with the exception of A and E Companies, the Regiment was relieved by units of the 146th. 118th and 129th U. S. Infantry. The 129th U. S. Infantry took over the outpost or fine of observation. The purpose of this was to make it appear to the enemy, in case they secured prisoners, that one regiment was covering the entire front, and thus conceal the concentration of troops that was in progress. A and E Companies were refieved Sunday morning, September 22d. While the Regiment had been in the line, great preparations for the attack that was to begin soon were being made. Guns, tractors, ammunition and sup- plies were hauled into the woods and gun emplacements constructed. Roth French and American artillerymen, field and heavy, and even French sailors, were busily engaged. The weather was hazy but the Roche was getting more active in the air, all the time trying to see what was going on. Cannon of various calibers were literally packed in with only enough space between them to man the guns. Great care was taken to camouflage the work. After all units were relieved, the Regiment was assembled in a shelter camp in the Rois de Lambechamp and Camp Rretagne. Here the men managed to relax 26 IIIS'IOH^ OF ?,\:\th I . S. INFArsTU^ after their spell in the trenches and j^ood food was served in large quantities. The weather was bad and everything was wet and soggy, but there was excitement in the air. It was apparent to all that som<'thing big was to come ofT. That was easy enough to guess, but just when it was to be was not known. Ammunition and pyrotechnics were drawn and all excess baggage was salvaged. The paper work was increasing. The office at Regim(>ntal Headquarters consisted of a type- writer on a box, placed in front of the pup-tent occupied by the Adjutant and Intelligence Officer. The Colonel's quarters consisted of another shelter tent nearby. CHAPTER MI IS Wednesday afternoon, September 25th, following a meeting of the Division. Brigade and Regimental Com- manders, at which General Pershing was present. Colonel Sweezey assembled all the officers and ser- geants and told them of the task before them. The attack was to start the next day and the .313th Infantry was to have the honor position of the drive, as the heavily fortified heights of Montfaucon were in the Regimental sector. The Regiment was to be in the front line and on the left of the Division sector. On the left of the Regiment the 37th Division were to attack and on the right of the 313th Infantry the 31 1th Infantry were to be in the front line. The 2d Battalion was to be on the left of the front fine with the 3d Battalion on the right. C Com- pany was to function as "moppers-up" and G Company as Regimental Reserve. A, B and D Companies of the 1st Battalion were to be the Brigade Reserve. At 7:00 P. M., or shortly after the orders had been handed to the Battalion Commanders, the Reginicnit left the Bois de Lambechamp and started through paths, which had been prepared through the woods, to jump-off trenches facing the Bois de Malancourt. It took nearly all night before the last troops had reported that they were in position. Finally, at 4:10 A. M., everything was set. The artillery started firing at 11 :30 P. M. on the 25th. and the sky was literally ablaze with flashes. At 2 :30 A.M., on the 26th, the real bombardment commenced, for it was at this hour that the Coast Artillery and heavy guns of different types opened up. It is believed that this concentration of artillery was the greatest in the world's history. There was an average of one gun to less than eight meters of front. To the men waiting in the trenches, the rush of shells through the air sounded like a succession of express trains passing oveihead. From far in the German lines came dull thuds as the projectiles landed and bashed in the dug-outs, trenches, shelters, etc. The noise along the entire front was terrific. To add to the uproar, the Boche bombarded the American front line in return. During the night word was sent out that the "H" hour was to be 5:30 A. M. Just before this the 75's were to bombard the German fire trenches and then follow it up with a rolling barrage. Bayonets were fixed, the screen of smoke was sent out by the troops of the gas and flame regiment who were attached, and promptly at 5:30 the first assaulting waves went over the top. The battalions were attacking in column of companies, H on the left and K on the right, each company maintaining an interval of 10 to 15 meters between men. with a total frontage of about 800 meters. The bom- bardment of the heavies had ceased and the troops walked across "No Man's Land" hugging the barrage. It was difficult going, as the "No Man's Land" of VERDUN A '' Monlfaucon" Slim , TIRAGE DU a A9UT 19i8 J»-M<« 7 ~<» ^-'« ^ /=i5 ■^f^ ^\r 'v.v^ ^m'' .r^^lu- V (ireally reduced plmloijmiili of tin iieliidl Imltle map it.ied by .'ll.'llh lufanlry in utlackiruj Maitlfdiicun. In /(iirrr riijhl hand earner Ihe "jump-off" Irenehes are shown HISTORY OF 31 :5 th I. S. 1 N F A .\ T H V 29 Secliun uf Froril Line and "No-Man's Land." Pari of llie SL'llli "Juiupcil off" from l/iis Point on September '^6th. I!>IS four years was literally pockmarked with shell holes and obstructed with number- less bands of tangled, twisted barbed wiie that had to be cut. The front trenches were soon passed by the first lines and, altliough men were dropping from the German artillery fire, no resistance, excepting some machine-gun fire, was met at first. Well into the Malancourt woods, however, a withering fire of hidden machine guns and snipers was met. The thick woods made it difficult to maintain the line intact, but the battalions kept pressing forward. Enemy machine gunners and snipers were taking their toll and a number of them were soon captured and others met with a worse fate. The fire was still intense, but the attack had to proceed and the line could not halt to search out all snipers and machine-gun nests. Although the fiie was bad enough in the woods, it got very much worse as the troops passed out into the open space between the Bois de Malancourt and Bois de Montfaucon. Major Langley, commanding the .3d Battalion, was shot through both legs and Major Pepper received a mortal wound in the head. The latter's Adjutant, Lieutenant Patterson, lay dead in the woods to the rear. In the mean- time. Lieutenant Steinman of E Company, had his platoon practically wiped out trying to maintain liaison with the 37th Division on the left. A temporary halt had to be made and an organized attack was started against the machine guns that were blocking the way. Only a few of these were in the 30 HISTORY OF 3 13th U.S. INFANTRY immcdiatP vicinity, as the woods and trenches on all sides were hiding places for the machine gunners and snipers. The Colonel, who had come forward rapidly, was bending over a map with Lieutenant Schaudler, of the Regimental Intelligence Section, when a sniper got the latter in the hip. Captain Ingersoll, of H Company, had been wounded several times in the attack that was organized to clean out the snipers and was taken to the rear, where he later died. The troops following were having hard sledding, as the woods were literally swept with rifle and machine-gun fire, to which was added H. ?]. (high explosive) and shrapnel. The Regiment was reorganized and the heavy bands of iron-staked wire passed. About 2:00 P. M. the attack on the Bois de Cuisy started. Small French tanks were coming up by now and the woods were penetrated and captured. Before 4:00 P. M., practically all troops had reached the northern edge of the woods. Some patrols and smaller groups were already there. The day's casualties had been heavy, the men very tired and a great many were out of water. Regimental Headquarters were now in telephone communi- cation with Brigade and the Corps ordered an immediate attack on Montfaucon, which loomed up several kilometers to the north across the open, roUing country. In the meantime the 1st Battalion came up and joined the Regiment and at dusk the attack started with five small tanks ahead. The fine advanced silently for a few hundred yards, when a fusillade of machine guns opened up. Major Scctiuii of " l\u-ijian':i Land" in Front uf llic Buis df Malancourl HISTORY OF :5i:?TH S . I \ I-' \ \ T W Y 31 Putnam, commanding the 1st Battalion, was shot tlirough the head and killed. Some troops penetrated almost to thi> town of JMontfaucon and one company reached the outskirts. The majority of the troops stayed out in the open all that night, some of the rear elements retiring to just inside the woods. Outposts were established and preparations made to repel any counter-attacks, but none materialized. Thus the first day ended. Colonel Sweezey was the only field officer left. Captain Flynn, of A Company, was now in command of the 1st Battalion, Captain Burgwin. of Company E, of the second, and Captain Lloyd, of L Company, had the 3d Battalion. At 7:30 A. INI., the second day, Friday, September 27th, the attack on Mont- faucon was resumed with the 2d Battalion on the left, 1st Battalion on the right and the 3d Battalion in support. It was not long before a heavy machine-gun fire was met. Snipers were also busy. In the meantime, the tanks had come up and the attack progressed in spite of the rain of machine-gun bullets. Finally, at 11 :00 A. M., the Regiment entered Montfaucon. the 2d Battalion through the outskirts of the town to the left or western side and 1st and 3d Battalions through the streets and eastern edge. At 11:45 A. M., the capture of the town was reported to Division by pigeon. The Regimental P. C. was advanced to the eastern slope of the hill near the ceme- tery at 12:50. The snipers were still active and the sheUing very heavy. Request for artillery fire on the Bois de Beuge to the north was made. A battalion of the Munljaucon — Photo liikcii from litilf a mile away 32 HISTORY OF 313th U.S. INFANTRY - ^j^■^•^■*^MB ffjiS^ , r*?":'*-'--- ■•«S View Jrom (Uriiuiii (MhtcrmUun Post on l/ic IJfinlils of Moiilfaiicoii ShowiiKj Ihe Open Country wliicli the 313th Infantry Passed Over Under Ifeary Artillery and Machine Gun Fire. Note Ihe Ercellent Observation the Enemy had of Praelirallv the Entire Ground 3I6th was also requested to take up a position (ni the north edge of the town, where a gap appeared, while the 313th was being organized for a further advance. The advance was resumed at 3:30 P. ]\I. The 37th Division had run into heavy machine-gun fire and was forced to withdraw slightly. The 311th was suffering very heavy shell-fire over to the right. The Regimental P. C. had been moved forward as the advance proceeded and was located in a shell-hole on the top of the hill, where a wonderful view of the country to the north was obtained. About midway in the valley, between IVIonlfaucon and Bois de Beuge, the line ran into cxtrcmf'ly heavy machine-gun and 11. K. and shrapnel fire. One H. E. landed within a few feet of the Regimental P. C. and wounded the Ad- jutant slightly in the neck. It became necessary to move the P. C. back to the former location near the cemetery. As darkness approached, it was decided to hold for the night along the northern edge f)f the hill and the Regiment held in that jiosition with the exception of some troops who were further out as the advance line of observation, and some had even penetrated to the Bois de Beuge. The second day ended, but there was no rest forthcoming, as the town and hill espet'ially were heavily shelled and gassed most of the night. 1 1 I S T () H ^ OK :! 1 :W H IS. I \ F \ \ IMl Y Captain Hughes, the Regimental Supply Officer, came up with the trains, but was shelled out of his position in the orchard. He later got up ammiuiition. The troops were suflering from lack of water, especially the woundinl. but fortunately some was secured from a well in town. It had been impossible to get rations and the food carried in the packs had been consumed bef(»re this; and. together w ith the lack of food and rest, the troops were in a pretty exhausted state. During the night the artillery were called on for a harassing fire on the Bois de Beuge. The Regiment was now practically without artillery support, as the ad- vance had been so rapid that the guns could not keep up over the shell-torn ground and roads. The engineers were frantically endeavoring to build and repair the roads to enable the traffic to advance. During the day, in clearing the town, the Crown Prince's observation post was discovered. A house had been reinforced with steel girders and concrete, with a thick concrete tower running through it. It was nearly shell-proof, except from a direct hit by a heavy gun, and a wonderful field of view in all directions was obtained from it. CHAPTER VIII T 2:00 A. M. Saturday, September 28th. a battalion commander of the 316th Infantry arrived with orders to relieve the 313th Infantry. Shortly afterward. Colonel Charles, of the 31()th Infantry, arrived and at 7:00 A. M. the relief was completed and the attack again started. The 316th had proceeded about one thousand yards when a terrific artillery lire was put down on the 313th at the northern edge of Mont- faucon. Captain Drayton, at the Regimental P. C. was struck in the leg and was carried to the rear by four Boche prisoners. Colonel Sweezey gave the order to advance and the Reg- iment followed the 316th to the Cierges-Nantillois road north of the Bois de Beuge, where they were held up by machine-gun and artillery lire. In the mean- time the French supporting tanks had withdrawn. It was finally decided to take up a defensive position on the Bois de Beuge ridge. The 37th Division, on the left, had dug in in the meantime and were holding for the night. That night the P. C. was established in the open on a railroad embankment close to the woods, and the officers and men lay down in the mud and rain trying to get some much-needed rest. About 11:00 P. M., the Supply Company got the rolling kitchens, water carts and wagons up and some warm coffee, beans and other food distributed. Some of the men were too exhausted to even go for their share. It was the first food anyone had had outside of the reserve rations since Wednesday afternoon. Sunday morning, at 2:00 A. M.. an orderly arrived fnjm Brigade Headquarters with orders to attack at 7:00. the 313lh to support the 316th at 800 meters. The Regiment again moved out, this time with the 3d Battalion, under command of Captain Morris of K Company, Captain Lloyd having been wounded. Regimental P. C. was moved to the eastern edge of the Bois de Beuge. The whole area was under heavy H. E. and gas, both phosgene and mustard being shelled in constantly. Many casualties were occurring and it could be seen that the 37th Division, over to the west, were having a hard time of it, too. General Nicholson was on the field and was in consultation with Colonel Sweezey. At about 11:00 A. M., the Brigade on the left of the Begiment was seen to fall back from the crest of the hill they had reached. The regiment on the right was also driven back off the ridge by heavy shell fire. At this time, the 316th Infantry in front of the Regiment was seen to be withdrawing and came back through the lines of the 313th Infantry to the position of the Regimental P. C. The 313th held its position, but the ranks were seen to be looking to the rear as if questioning what to do and why they were the only ones standing fast. At this instant the Brigade Commander gave the Regimental Commander orders to proceed and take command of the front line, leaving the two regiments in the positions they were now occupying. The General, upon arriving, had been informed that the 313th Infantry was actually in front. 36 iiisioin OK ;n:?TH U.S. infantry '■ Can you advance with themP " the General asked of the Regimental Commander, to which he received an immediate response in the affirmative. The Regiment then took up tlie advance with tlic troops disposed in tiie (jriginal formations. Upon approaching the woods, very heavy machine-gun fire was encountered, and upon reaching the woods they were found to be heavily gassed. Roche planes immetliatcK signaled the location to their artillery and the Regiment soon found itself under a cross-fire of artillery from both flanks and front, which together with machine guns and snipers, made it hot. The Roche had good obser\ ation all along from a balloon olV to the right on the heights of the Meuse. Furtheiniore, they had managed to conceal snipers and observers in the lear of Montfaucon and it was a long time before they were all put out. Across th(> clearing and north of the I5ois de Rcuge lay another woods and the heavih foi tilled Madeleine Farm, a full five kilometers north of Montfaucon. The Regiment pressed forward despite the teriific opposition which the Roche were putting up. and penetrated into the Madeleine Farm. The casualties were heavy indeed. Lieutenants Rujip of (i Company and Watters, of R Company, were both instantly killed while leading their platoons into this stronghold. Without more artillery the situation appeared hopeless, the casualties increasing all the time. The Boche had only vacated recently, as a mess of fresh vegetables, wine bottles, etc., on the table gave mute testimony. Soniew hat after I :()() P. M . w( ird w as passed that a counter-attack was expected from the left, and orders from the Brigade were received to prepare a defensive position along the northern edge of the Bois de Reuge. The withdrawal was neces- sitated by the fact that a barrage was to be laid down on the line 82, being north of the edge of the Bois de Beuge, which was away in the rear of where the front line was. The withdrawal was effected slowly but the casualties were extremely heavy. Captains Bupp and Riley, of C and D Companies, respectively, were killed within a few feet of each other. Captain Du Rarry, Regimental Intelligence Ofiicer, suf- fered a bad wound in the leg. Major ,Ia<'kson. who had contimially been going from one man to another on the field giving first aid, was badly wounded by a shell shortly after going back to his aid station. That night the Regiment dug in, as did thi' 37th Division on the left and the 31 1th Infantry on the right. The positions were shelled all that night and everyone was hoping for a relief. The human body would stand only so much, and besides, the Regiment was greatly depleted in numbers. The next day, Monday, September 30th, was spent with the lines holding where they were the night before, as the Regiment was to be relieved. During the afternoon, the Tth Infantry of the 3d Division came up and took over the sector. While coming in they suffered heavily from shell fire that was continually sweeping the area. Ry evening the relief was completed and what remained of the Regi- ment marched to Malancourt, where the trains were waiting and. after som<> hot food, the troops bivouacked in a cold rain on the hillside to wail fur daylight. Montfaucon had been won, but the price paid had been heavy. The Regiment lost 1,5 officers, of whom 12 were killed outright or died of their wounds, and some 1,200 of the men were killed, wounded or missing. V CHAPTER IX ARLY Tuesday morning, October 1st, the Regiment formed and marched via Esnes and Hill W\, a scene of utter desolation, to the Bois d'Esnes. The going was difficult as the men were footsore from having had wet feet for days, and had to leave the roads many times to let the unending stream of guns, ammunition, ambulances and vehicles of ail kinds pass. I pon arriving at the edge of the woods an artillery regiment undertook feeding the whole Regiment, for which all were extremely grateful. In the afternoon shelter camp was pitched in the woods. The band played, which did a great deal to cheer up the troops. The rest was not for long, however, for on Thursday, October 3d, orders were received to march to the Bois de Nixeville. The Regiment moved out at 6:00 P. M., the first elements arriving at the destination at 3 :00 A. INI . on October 4th. It was nearly daylight when the last ones were in. Ml hands bivouacked in a drizzling rain. About 2:00 P. M. the march was resumed and the troops arrived that evening at tienicourt and went into billets, part of the 1st Battalion going to Camp Brancarville, and the Machine Gun Com- pany into tiie Adrian Barracks nearby. The troops were pretty well fagged by now; but on October 5th orders were received for a reconnoitering party to leave the next day for the Troyon Sector where the American lines had held after the drive stopped in the St. Mihiel Salient. Colonel Sweezey called the otficcrs and the sergeants together and told them ot the sector to be taken over, and at 6:00 P. M., October 6th, the Regiment marched to Rupt. arriving about 1 1 :00 P. M. Here a very muddy camp was occupied until the next night. Beginning the next morning small detachments started for the trenches where troops of the 26th Division were holding the main lines and French troops the outposts. During the night, the main body marched out and started the relief, with the exception of the outposts. The Begiment again went into the front line with the 3d Battalion on the left (center of resistance Providence) and the 2d on the right (C. B. Augusta). The 1st Battahon was disposed in the rear with two companies, B and D, on the left, and A and C on the right. The relief took a long time, as the sector was very large. It was completed before daylight. Begimental Headquarters were established in the woods at P. C. Marengo, and after the battle out of which the troops had just come, the sector seemed quiet. The Boche shelled the position freely at night, however, and a number of gas casualties occurred. Mustard gas was laid in thickly in the ravines. A number of men, who had taken sick after the exposure during the battle, had to be evacuated. An officer from each company was required to go to the 2d Corps School, and with the sadly depleted personnel, it was fortunate that a replacement of fifteen 2d Lieutenants and one Captain was received. 40 HISTom OF ■^\■^^H U.S. INFAN1H1 In this sector the line of resistance ran along a series of hills overlooking the vast plains of the VNuevre. The recently captured German trenches and dugouts were occupied. Below on the plains and I'ar out toward the (ierman lines. Fiench Iroops were in (iut|)ost positions in the trenches in and around Fresnes, Tresauvaux. ('.ham])lon and Saulx. ("onnnunication could oidy be maintained and supplies cairied out to the French after dark. The work was hard for the troops in the line of resistance, as the food had to be cooked in the rear and carried up to the lines at night to the companies along the ridge, for the Boche had excellent observation during tlie day. Also day and night details were required for the engineers to build roads and trenches for the entire time the Begiment was in. Shortly after daylight of the day the 2d Battalion got into position a horrible accident occurred at the 2d Battalion P. C. The hill on which the P. C. was located was honeycombed with mine galleries, many of which liad been used by the Boche for storing amnninition and supplies. Captain Barber of tlie Medical Corps and Captain Augenstein of the Dental Corps were reconnoitering the mouth of a dark gallery entrance trying to locate a place for the Battalion Aid Station when the former dropped a match accidentally. This set lire to a large quantity of Boche flares and other pyrotechnics and the officers were so badly burned that they both died within a day or so after reaching the hospital in the rear. Both of these officers had come through the heavy fire at Montfaucon without a scratch. Shortly after the Begiment took over the sector, A and C Companies relieved the French outposts in Saulx and Chamiilon. and B and D relieved the French in and around Fresnes. During the night of October 13th-llth, A and C were relieved by Companies of the 2d Battalion. The 3d Battalion had already reUeved B and D at Fresnes on the 12th. The sector was now entirely garrisoned by the 3i3tii Infantry with the 2d and 3d Battalions in front and 1st Battalion in support. Excepting for the usual patrols and the working parties, there was little activity. The artillery of both sides did considerable firing, but only a few casualties occurred in the Begiment. Sickness was taking its toll, and on Saturday, October 12th. Colonel Sweezey, who had been very ill ever since Montfaucon, was evacuated with very high fever. Lieut. -Colonel De Lamater, formerly of the 27th Division, being temporarily attached to the Begiment, took command. He later became G-1 of the Division and was replaced by Lieut. -Colonel C. B. Moore on October L5th. That same da> Captain Morris, who took command of the 3d Battalion w hen Captain Lloyd was wounded during the Montfaucon drive, was evacuated on account of pneumonia: and Captain Norris, who had joined the Begiment on October 11th. succeeded him in command of the battalion. On October 20th. Captain Gibbons of B Companx was placed in command of the 1st Battalion. Captain F'lynn of A Company was also evacuated on account of sickness. The Division was now in the 2d Army. During the night of October 16th-17th, a prisoner, evidently a deserter, was taken in F^resnes. He was from the 82d Begiment Landwehr. 13th Division. On October 21st, at 7 A. M., a German soldier was found in the hnes and taken prisoner. From information gained it was thought that a raid might be expected. .\11 troops 42 IIISTom OF :M:5th l.S. INFANTRY were on the alert all night and the battle positions taken up. It did not materialize, however, although a barrage was laid down in the front of Fresnes at 11 P. M. On Tuesday, October 22d, a heavy barrage was put down by the Germans on the I37th Infantry over on the left. It started at 4.30 A. M. and lasted for about one hour. On Wednesday, October 23d, Boche planes flew over the lines dropping prop- aganda printed in Fnglish and entitled "What Are We Fighting For.''" They eventually found out. During the day reconnoitering parties from the 130th U. S. Infantry. 33d Division, arrived from the sector north of \ erdun, and the following day the 2d Battalion, 313th V. S. Infantry, was relieved. The next night the 3d Battalion was also relieved. Just before this, a Boche mail carrier of the 365th Regiment Musketeers, having lost his way, entered the line by mistake, and was taken prisoner. On October 26th Regimental Headquarters left the P. C. Marengo, and the various units of the Regiment were assembled in the woods near Rupt-en- Woevre. Here Colonel William C. Rogers of the Division Military Police and Trains was waiting with orders and took command of the Regiment, relieving Lieut. -Colonel Moore, who went to Headquarters 1st Army. While in camp the troops were rested. There were some French showers in the town and details were marched down to take baths. New equipment and under clothes were issued. A large number of replacement troops with varying degrees of experience and training were assigned to the Regiment and materially increased the depleted ranks. Meantime a immber of promotions of officers came through. Captains Elliott and Morris, and some 1st and 2d lieutenants were advanced one grade. Major Iiilliott remained temporarily with Regimental Headquarters. Lieut. Bradlee, for- merly of B Company and for a short time Regimental Intelligence and Operations Officer, now acting as Regimental Adjutant, was later promoted to Captain. Lieut. Clark, who was now the Intelligence and Operations Officer, having been trans- ferred from his duties as 3d Battalion Adjutant, was also promoted to Captain. Lieut. Kirk of K Company, later Captain, was appointed Personnel Adjutant. The original field and stalT officers in nearly every case had to be replaced owing to casualties and sickness. On Sunday, October 27th, the 1st Battalion had orders to move to Genicourt and the remainder of the Regiment to Les Monthairons on the Meuse. The troops arrived late that night and were just being billeted when orders were received to push on to \ erdun. It was a bit discouraging to find that what was thought to be the end of a night march was only a half-way halt. But the column moved out over the congested roads and slowly made its way northward, reaching Verdun about 3:00 A. M. on Monday. The Headquarters Company was billeted in the jail; the rest of the Regiment, minus the 1st Battalion, were put in the citadel, the 1st Battalion moving on to the Jardin Fontaine, part of the enormous system of permanent barracks outside the city walls. The city and citadel were under long-range shell fire and a few casualties occurred. The city was extremely interesting and small groups of men were allowed to do some sight-seeing. The city was full of American and French soldiers. While HISTORY OF 3 13th U.S. INFANTRY 43 it had been subject to years of shell fire, the great barrier of hills surrounding the city gave certain parts of it protection from the longest-range guns. It was not as badly wrecked as one might have thought. On Tuesday, 29th October, word came that the Regiment would again reheve part of the 26th Division who were holding a sector north of ^'erdun and east of the River Meuse, and after dark the troops moved a short way outside the city and occupied French camps in three different woods. All the next day while the troops stayed in the woods, reconnoitering parties went up to the Cote-de-Roches to arrange for a camping place for the Regiment pending the taking over of the sector assigned. These parties came back with the cheering news that it was the worst sector the 26th Division had ever occupied. The 26th was the second Division of the American forces to arrive in France and had been in action since February in different parts of the front. That night the battalions and separate units made a march that will not be easily forgotten. At times the roads were under a heavy fire, and searchlights swept the heavens when the hum of Roche planes came from out the darkness above. CHAPTER X RRIVIXr. at Cote-de-Rochfs about midnight, the 1st Battalion bivouacived in sliell holes in the rocky sides of the hill and within a few hundred feet of the mouths of a battery of 155"s of the 2Tth Division. The rest of the Regiment arrived during the night and lay down in the open with the 1st Battalion, the guns firing directly over the bodies of the slee[)ing men. The night was cold, but the troops, tired from the long maifh, slept well. In the morning the kitchens were busy serving hot meals along the banks of the Meuse Canal, wiiicli was dry along this section. The next day the 1st Battalion received orders to relieve part of the 104th Infantry, 26th Division, on Hill 360 and the battalion moved out to the east through '" i^cath Valley" and effected the relief by 11:00 1\ M. It was extremely hard going, for the least noise drew fire. The lines were only eighty yards apart at some points and the climb up the hill had to be made very cautiously: but in spite of all i)r'ecautions a lunnber of casualties occurred. C. and D Companies went into the frt)nt line with B Company in support and A Company in reserve in the Bois d'Ormont. Major Stuart S. Janney, who had joined the Regiment while at Rupt, was now in command of the 3d Battalion, which moved up into position in the Bois de Brabant in support of the 1st Bat- talion. The Regimental P. C. was moved into a dugout near the Ormont Farm, and as the entire vicinity was under shell fire at all hours of the day and night, it was not easy to maintain communication. The 2d Battalion was still at Cote-de- Boches in Division reserve. Life for the troops in the line and in support was hard. All food had to be cooked back on the banks of the canal, several kilometers away, and taken up in wagon trains over heavily shelled roads at night by the Supply Company. The annnunition dump of the Regiment along this road was blown up one night, as were several dumps of artillery ammunition. The food for the Colonel and Slafl' and personnel had to be hauled over this same road, as nothing could be cooked at either Battalion or Begimental Headtpiarters. On November 2d, Major Klliott was placed in commantl of the 2d Battalion, but the next day he was transferred to the 3d 15attalion, as Major Janney had been promoted to Lieut.-Colonel and gone to Begimental Head(|uarters. Things were quiet enough for the 2d Battalion in the Cote-de-Boches, but the shelling was bad at times (>ven here, and a dozen or more casualties occurred. The 3d Battalion, which was in support, was also having casualties from shell fire and gas; but for the 1st Battalion and the Machine Cum Company up on Hill 360 things were bad indeed. The trenches of both sides ran through shell-scarred woods on top of the hill and were deep with mud and water and obstructed with fallen trees and other debris. Repair work was impossible. Even at night the least sound would draw HISTORY OK :! I :5 [ H r . S . I N F A N T IM 15 machine-gun fire from the Boche gunners only a few yards off, and the enemy were sheUing the position with direct fire. One gun was later found below the crest of the hill on the (!erman side where it could sweep the American lines at will. It was impossible to move about during daylight. The ground between the lines was thick with the bodies of the troops who had previously held the sector, French Colonials, Americans and ( iermans. Some had Iain there for months. The hard conditions made an early relief advisable; so on November 6th, the 1st Battalion moved back to the Bois de Brabant, in support, the Ikl Battalion going into the front line, where they only stayed a few days, as the general situation along the whole front had greatly changed. A couple of days later, the 26th Divi- sion again took over the hill. The .^d Battalion moved out of the position with only a few casualties to the Cote-de-Roches, and later to Molleville Farm as Division reserve. The 2d Battalion had in the meantime been sent to reinforce the 158th Brigade over to the left, followed shortly afterwards by the 1st Battalion. The following chapter will give an account of their activities on the left of the Division sector. While in reserve the 3d Battalion was visited by Secretary of War Keppel and the appearance of a civilian in such surroundings aroused considerable curios- ity. On November II th. the .'5d Battalion was ordered back to Ormont Farm. CHAPTER XI L^RINd the iiifiht of November 4th word came to the 2d Battalion to be prepared to move in the morning to support the l.')!ilh Infantry Brigade, who were engaged with the enemy on the left of the Division Sector. Later, delinit(> orders were received, and at 7:00 A. M. the Battalion moved northward along the canal and proceeded via the ruined town of Brabant to the southern edge of the Bois de Consenvoye. Captain Burgwin had received orders from the Com- manding (ieneral of the 158th Brigade to re])ort to the Colonel of the :516th Infantry. After this was done the Battalion again moved forward to the northern edge of the woods in position to repel any counter-attack the (iermans mighl attempt. Ahead of the Battalion lay a stretch of open, hilly country. l)are of all vege- tation and covered with shell-holes and trenches. Over to the right, a road ran approximately north and south along the edge of a thick woods, just inside of which the German and American lines faced each other, about lifty yards apart. Troops of the 158th Brigade were holding a line, which ran east and west, in the open along the southern slope of Hill 1578. then turned at right angles in the woods, and ran south. The 158th Brigade had gained a foothold on the hill several times, but had been unable to hold it and had sulfered very heavy losses. They were in an exhausted state and many of the wounded could not be brought in nor food carried up, the artillery and machine-gun fire being st) intense. Before dawn on November 6th, H Company, of the 31.3th Infantry, who had been established in the woods facing east, were moved over to the west and the line in the woods on the right of the sector maintained by thin outpost lines. The 2d Battalion was getting into position in the northern edge of the Bois de Consen- voye facing the open country to the north. These woods were heavily gassed and were under shell lire when the American barrage started, followed at 7:30 A. M. by the Battalion attacking to the north to attempt to gain Hill 378. The enemy fire and gas were Sf) bad that the Battalion became somewhat disorganized and lost the barrage. (J Company and one platoon of E Company, nevertheless, gained the hill and hung on to their new position tenaciously. It was impossible to attempt getting all the troops up over the open ground, which was constantly swept by machine-gun and artillery fire from both Hanks and front. The Boche had perfect observation. At 3:00 P. M.. the Battalion was ordered to effect a relief of the 316th Infantry on the southern slope of Hill 378. A battali(Mi of the 315th was to be in support. The relief was elfected about dusk, but a number of casual- ties occurred in spite of the fact that, as far as possible, the troops were moved up along the edge of the woods. A large number, necessarily, had to be kept in the open so no part of the sector would be unprotected. o o 03 fe.s •i -3 ^ 5 48 HISTORY OF 313th I . S . I A F A N T R \ Tlie 310tli were willi(lravvii and tlif 2d l'>altali(iri waited iVir morning lor llie final assault that would push the Bochc oil' Hill 378 lor good. There was now but one oHicer each to E and F Companies, while (i and H Companies had hut one olficer, Captain Luckie, of (i Company. The Boohe lire kept up during the night and the snipers were firing almost point blank from the woods at the right. During the night a heavy fog came up and ev(>n after dawn it was impossible to see seventy-live yards ahead. Shortly after daylight, under cover of the fog, the Battalion again attacked and jumped the hill and woods before the Boche could defend it. The lines had been so close during the night that some prisoners were taken within the Ameritan lines, where they had wandered by mistake. The morning's attack caught them unprepared and the lines had hardly started forward when a number of Boche weie captured in the Borne-du-Cornouiller. The attack was pressed and tlie Battalion moved on northward to the Sillon Fontaine Farm. Here it was decided to reorganize, and in the afternoon a further advance was made to the Claire-des-Chenes trenches on Hill 329. These were taken about 7:00 P. M. and the lines established for the night. The Boche were holding in the woods across from the trenches and were protected by heavy bands of barbed wire en- tanglements in the gully. From their screened position they kept pouring a mur- derous machine-gun lire along the line held by th(! troops and especially along the road at the edge of the woods, which furnished the only means of communication with the rear where the aid stations, telephones, etc., were located. In the meantime, the 1st Battalion of the 313th Infantry had marched over from the right of the Division sector and came into the Bois de Consenvoye under a terrific shell fire, (^.ompany B alone suffered over twenty casualties coming up. The 1st Battalion moved up northward and took up a position which faced the Boche fine, running north and south, in the woods to the rear of the 2d Battalion. The next day, November 8th, the positions were straightened out, and with B Company attached to the 2d Battalion, a provisional regiment was formed by having one battalion of the 315th in support. The lines here faced north. Another provisional regiment was formed of the 1st Battalion (less B Company), who were still holding the w Is facing east, with a battalion of the .31,5th in support. Shortly after noon both provisional regiments moved out, the 2d Battalion and the Battalion of the 315th supporting it. swinging aroimd to the right so that it was facing east in a prolongation and to the left of the 1st Battalion line. The Boche had withdrawn all along the line, having had enough in that particular sector, and furthermore, a great push in an easterly direction was now going on further north. On thi' left of the 2d Battalion were some troops of a French t 'olonial Corps. The entire line kept advancing through the thick woods and underbrush, but no resistance was met. It was hard going, for every foot of the hills, ravines, roads and elaborate system of defenses, dugouts, etc., had to be examined for any lurking enemy. A couple of machine gunners were taken. They had deseited from their outfits and were waiting to give themselves up. Shortly bi'fore dusk the town of Beville was occupied by the 2d Battalion patrols and the main body took up a position on the hills facing the vast plains to HISTORY OF :5 13 th U.S. I N P^ A N T H Y 49 the east. The French held over to the left and the 1st BattaUon were along the woods and hills to the right toward Etraye. Patrols were sent out a kilometer or more into the lowlands toward the retreating enemy, who were busily engaged in destroying ammunition stores in the distauice. During the night, which was quiet, orders were received by both battalions to report the next morning to the Com- manding Officer at Wavrille, over to the right in a southeasterly direction. Shortly after daylight, November 9th, the movement began, and just in time, too, for the Boche started shelling the hills with considerable accuracy. The short march was made with good fortune, but soon after arriving at Wavrille, the town was heavily shelled and a number of casualties occurred. The troops were moved back into an ex-Boche camp in the ravines and stayed there until about 4:00 P. \I., when both battalions started moving southward again to "Death \ alley" or Bois de Brabant, where they arrived about dusk and bivouacked for the night. Early on the morning of the 10th, orders were received to march to the woods near the Ormont Farm. The Regimental P. C. was established in a shelter, which had been occupied by the Boche a few days before. The ground showed the terrific fighting that had been going on here, and many dead Boche were lying with their full equip- ment on. They had been unable to get through the artillery fire that had been pounding them. All day long the two battalions lay in the woods at the edge of a clearing. The rolling kitchens came up and the troops were able to get some much-needed rest and hot food. They had been going for a number of days and been exposed to the wet and cold. Rumors of an armistice were in the air. but, as someone remarked. "The dove of peace must have gone A. W. 0. L." During the night the Boche put a few shells into the woods and sent considerable gas down into a gully, but fortunately very little harm was done. That night Major Gibbons received orders for the 1st Battalion to attack in the morning. The 2d Battalion was ordered to remain in the same position ready to support the 1st Battalion. CHAPTER XII N the iiu.niing of November Uth, at 6:00 A. M., the 1st liJattalion moved out of the position in which they had been since tiie preceding morning, with orders to make a demonstration or flani\ attack against the left flank of the enemy, who were holding the ( '.ote-de-Romagne, a high hill rising out of the swampy plains to the east. The Battalion moved out in the direction of Crepion, jiassed through the town and tocA up a position for the jump-off. The left flank of the Battalion was at tlie village of (^.haumont-devant-Damvillers, and the right flank at \ ille-devant-t"haumont. The Boche fire was very heavy and no sooner had the troops come into view than a barrage was put down. The Battalion kept pressing forward, the order being to "mop-up" any of the enemy who might remain in the villages or elsewhere. The soft, marshy ground was all that saved the Battalion from appalling casualties, as the shells sunk very deep upon impact, with the result that there was little dispersion of flying fragments. The bursts seemed to throw mud, water and iron straight up into the air. At sixteen minutes to eleven a runner fiom Regimental Headquarters caught up with the Battalion Commander with orders to cease firing at 1 1 :00 A. .M.. French time, hold the lines at the spot, and neither advance nor give way to the rear. The Armistice had been signed and fighting was to stop. The Battalion still pressed the attack vigorously and kept gaining ground, the artillery of both sides were firing rapidly, and the Ik)che were inflicting casualties with machine guns that were placed in depth along their front. At one minute to eleven, Private Cunther of A Company was killed while at tempting to rush a Boche machine gun. Promptly at eleven the firing ceased and all was quiet along the front. Somewhat dazed by the suddenness, troops rested on their arms in wonder. In the meantime, at 9:15 A. M., the 2d Battalion, back in the woods, had received orders to advance and vigorously attack the village of Ville-devant-Chau- mont, and to cease firing and dig in at 11 :00 A. M. The Battalion moved out over the roads that the 1st Battalion had gone down earlier in the morning. The shelling was heavy to the east and just ahead when eleven o'clock came. The head of the column had just reached the village of Crepion. and the troops were assembled there. It was hard to believe it was over and the (Jerman armies and nation crushed. CHAPTER XIII HE balance of November 11th seemed to impress differ- ent people in different ways. At first it seemed strange to be able to expose one's self without drawintr fire. The Boche was inclined to be friendly, but the men all obeyed strictly the order against fraternizing and did not pay any attention to the enemy, except that there was no relaxing of vigilance. Boche would always bear watching and everyone realized it. When night fell, the bright camp fires burning on both sides jiroduced a strange yet welcome sight. Later the Boche started sending up great quantities of rockets and flares by way of celebration. None who witnessed it will ever forget it. The best Fourth of July celebration seen in the past sunk into insignificance. After spending several days in the ruins of Crepion the 2d Battalidn went forwai'd and relieved part of the 315th Infantry who were holding the lines in front of Gibercy. In the mean- time, the 1st Battalion was holding the lines where the halt was made when the firing ceased on November 11th. The 3d Battalion was still in the vicinity of Ormont Farm, in Divisional reserve. During the next few days, a number of released prisoners, mostly Italians, came through the lines and the troops were busy feeding and escorting them in groups to a central point designated by the Division. The work of policing the area and collecting salvage was begun and then the 1st and 2d Battalions were withdrawn from the front fine and established in German camps in the gullies between the hills in the vicinity of Moirey and Wavrille. On Sunday, November 17th, Colonel Sweezey rejoined the Regiment and resumed command. Colonel Rogers was assigned to other duties. On November 20th. the Regiment started moving southward. The Regimental Headquarters had been established in the Citadel of Verdun. The 1st and 2d Battalions and the Machine (nm Company marched to a point on the east bank of the Meuse Canal, north of Thierville, and there were liilleted in dugouts that had been constructed and used by the French Army. The 3d Battalion was scattered over a large area — L Company to Abaucort to establish examining posts at Dieppe, Morainville and Abaucort, to collect repatriated civilians and ex-prisoners of war and ship them under guard to Caserne Neil, where M Company and Battalion Headquarters were located: K Company was located at Pave and I Company at Dugny, the latter to guard bridges between Dieue and Verdun and to forward the prisoners to con- centration points. Large numbers of prisoners were coming in and it kept all hands pretty busy. They were mostly Russians, some Serbians, Rumanians and Italians. All were more or less dilapidated and fatigued, for, in addition to any hard treat- ment they may have received while in the hands of the Germans, they had all been marching for many days. 52 iiisToin OF :u:5th r. s. infantry After spoiuliiif; two days in the dugouts alony; tlu' Canal the 2cl Battalion niarrhcd to Dicuc and Les Monlharions, south of \ erdun, and look over a number of bridfjes to guard. ( i Company moved into the French stone barracks in \ erdun and established guards at the various gates and regulated trafTu' in the city. In fact, they practically functioned as Military Police. In the meantime, the 1st Battalion moved into the quarters vacated by the 2d. On December 2d the three companies of the 2d iialtalion moved north again to \ erdun and were billeted in wrecked houses practically all on one street. These were patched up and made very comfortable. Nearly every room iiad a fireplace of some sort. On December 2Ist the 1st Battalion moved into similar billets in the city, with the exception of A Company, which was at Caserne Neil guarding Russians. Major (iibbons, who had been evacuated the latter part of November, rejoined the Regiment and later resumed command of the 1st Battalion, which had been under the command of Major Monninger for several weeks, the latter having been attached to the Regiment. On December 2d. I Company moved from Dugny to Faubourg Pave near K Company. l^arly in December training schedules were published and, with the exception of companies on special duty, such as guarding bridges and prisoners, etc., close and extended order drills were the oicler of the day. Practice marches were made and soon battalion and company problems were inaugurated. Rifle ranges were selected and target practice at short ranges was begun. Later Corps Terrain exer- cises were held and an attack was made over practically the identical ground that had been captured from the Cermans the month before. This refers to Bois-de-la- Cirande \bintagne, etc. The training and |>robl('ms were to continue for the bal- ance of the winter. The stay in Verdun was very comfortable and the facilities for bathing were very good and everyone was able to get thoroughly clean. A great slaughter of cooties was made with the aid of the delousers. Y. M. C. A. canteen was estab- lished and cigarettes and cakes and some reading matter were obtained. There was also a Salvation Army canteen and the nearness to Bar-le-Duc made it fairly easy to obtain supplies. Things were indeed looking up and great preparations were made for (^.hristnias. Trucks were sent to Bar-le-Duc and Nancy for supplies and one to Paris for turkeys. Owing to a breakdown the latter did not get back in time for Christmas, but the birds were greatly enjoyed New Year's Day. Leave trains were taking away details from every company for a welcome change to Aix-les-Bains, and later leaves were granted to ofTicers. The lighting was over for good and schedules were worked out so that all men and oflicers would get away eventually. Later some trains went to Nice and other areas assigned to the American Army. On December 21st, A Company relieved M Company at Caserne Neil and the head(|uarters of the 3(1 Battalion and M C.onii)any were moved to Belleray. (Orders had been receixed to prepare a battalion to march in review before Presitlent Wilson at Montfaucon. The 3d BattaUon was selected and a provisional regiment, under the command of Colonel Sweezey, was organized to n^present the 79th Division. (Quarters were fixed up in the basement of the College Marguerite to accommodate HISTORY OF :n :'. T II is. I \ F \ \ T R Y 53 the Presidential party, as it was understood tliat the President was to spend Christmas Eve in \erdiin. It was, therefore, disappointing to everyone when word came that the President's duties would not permit of his visit. The city of Verdun was interesting at all times and the sight of many visitors passing through made a pleasant change after the months spent in the field. The city was pretty thoroughly e\-plored by the troops and the wonderfully intricate system of galleries and underground chambers in the citadel was a never-ceasing source of wonder. Verdun and its surrounding forts form one of the most heavily fortified places on earth and to have had such ample opportunities to see and get to know the ground where the greatest battle of all times was fought will be even more appreciated by the members of the 313th Infantry as time goes on. Services were held Christmas morning in the great Cathedral which naturally had suffered considerable damage from the years of shelling. The chimes were rung for the first Christmas celebration since the war was started. Regimental band played in the squaie, near the market-place, where the rolling kitchens were preparing for the feast. Altogether, it was a most memorable day. It was not without regret that the news that all but the 1st Battalion were to leave Verdun and the vicinity was received. CHAPTER XIV HRISTMAS found all hands busy preparing lor the luaicli to the Souiliy area. On December 26th the Hegiinent, minus the 1st Battalion, which remained in \ erdun doing guard duty, marched to Souiliy, where the troops were billeted in the old hospital barracks, which were later occupied by Division Headciuarters. Next day the march was resumed and, in spite of rain and snow, everyone was exceptionally cheerful, as it was beginning to look like a step toward home. Regi- mental Headquarters, Supply Company, Machine (iun and Headquarters Company and the 3d Rattalion arrived at Seigneulles and the 2d Battalion at Erize-la-Brulee on Decemlier 27th. After the towns were policed and billets fixed up the training schedule was again |Hit into effect, and drills, maneuvers, schools, etc., were carried on until about January 17th, when the Regiment moved to Coiide-en-Rarrois and the vicinity. Here Major Morris, who had returned from hospital, assumed command of the 2d Battalion, (^onde proved to be much the best town the Regiment had been in since leaving Champlitte. Two companies of the 3d Battalion were quar- tered in Cienicourt-sous-Conde; the Battalion Headquarters and the remaining companies, as well as the Machine Gun Company, were in Hargeville nearby. On February 3d the 1st Battalion left ^ Crdim and marched for two days, stopping at Souiliy overnight, aiul were finally billeted in new barracks. Camp Eslriennes, out- side of Rembercourt. The Regiment was practically assembled again for the first time in months. Training schedules were in effect again and an elaborate rifle range was constructed. About the middle of March, information was received that tlie whole Division would move shortly to the fourth training area between Neufchateau and Chau- mont. This involved a five-day hike, and on March 28th the Regiment moved out on the first lap of its long journey. That night all but the 1st Battalion were billeted in Longeville, where the Regiment had made its last stop in September befort^ going into the trenches. The 1st Battalion was quartered in Nai^ es and Rosieres. The next night Headquarters and most of the troops were at Stainvill(\ The weather all along had been cold and a good deal of snow and rain fell, adding much to the discomforts of the march. The following night the Headquarters were in Pancey and the companies were spread out in half a dozen small villages. The next day's march was a gruelUng one and part of the troops covered forty-two kilometers over roads heavy with mud and slush. It was a pretty exhausted crowd that lay down in hospital barracks at Rimaucomt that night. The 1st Battalion was bil- leted in Roches-sur-Rognon, several kilometers out of Rimaucourt. The spirit of HISTORY OF .n:5Tn I. S. INFANTRY the men was good, as they all felt each step was carrying them nearer home. The last day's march of about fifteen kilometers, from Rimaucourt to Lafauche, was made in the morning. Here Regimental Headquarters were established in the Chateau and all of the troops, excepting the Machine (iun Company, were quartered in the buildings of the U. S. Base Hospital No. 117. The Machine Ciun Company occupied the French Barracks, about one kilometer distant. The balance of the week was spent in fixing up the camp, building bunks, etc. On April lOth the Division passed out of the Second Army and came under the S. 0. S. Preparations were made for an early move toward the coast and on Sunday, April the 13th, the work of turning in excess equipment, transportation, etc., was begun. The first week at Lafauche was not the only one spent in polishing up, for shortly after arriving in the new area, word came that General Pershing would soon inspect and review the Division. Great quantities of shoe polish, brushes and pressing irons were bought, and never was so much elbow grease used in such a few days before. Company and battalion inspections and reviews, with and without the band, were almost hourly occurrences. Finally, after an all night's rain, Saturday, April 12th, dawned. All hands were up and about by 5:30 A. M., and 7:00 o'clock the column moved out. It poured all day and slickers had to be worn, which was disappointing, to say the least, as everyone was dressed in his very best and felt that no other organization could put up a better showing. In spite of inclement weather it was a great spectacle and the Commander-in- Chief expressed himself as pleased with the appearance of the men and seemed well satisfied with the information gained in answer to his numerous questions asked while inspecting the ranks. After the Commander-in-Chief completed liis inspection, he personally pinned the Distinguished Service Cross on the breasts of those who had won them, and then fastened the streamers, enumerating the actions in which the Regiment had participated, to the pike of the Regimental colors. At the close of the review. General Pershing addressed the assembled officers and thanked the Division for its work in the line, and impressed upon all the importance of America's part in the great conflict. chapte:r XV N Monday, April 21st. the 1st Battalion and Head- quarters Company marched to Rimaucourt and entrained for the area near Nantes wiiere most of the Division was to remain until final sailing orders were received. The 2d Battalion Supply and Machine Gun Companies marched to Rimaucourt on Thursday, April 21th. and were followed the next day by the 1st Battalion. The entire Regiment was moved in three trains on different days to the new area, the trips averaging about forty-eight hours, but were far more comfortable than the long crowded trip of the previous summer, for the cars were not filled to capacity and all could easily lie down at the same time. The entire Regiment, less the 3d Battalion, was ordered to Cholet. a city of about 2.'},000 inhabitants, and the 3d Battalion went to Mortagne-sur-Sevre, a good-sized town situated about 10 kilometers away. The troops were comfortably quartered in both places, especially the 2d Battalion, which was assigned to the f: The 313th Jnfanln — Less 3(1 Batlalion— Standing Retreat in Cholel, May, l!tlU 11 I S r () R ^ OF :5 1 :W H I . S . l \ F A N T R Y "S^^*' Major John EltiotI and Officers and Scrijeanls of llir Thin! BallaUon Caserne of the 77th French Infantry, a large stone building called the "Friedland Barracks," one of three in the post. Headquarters Company were in a permanent hospital at the other end of tlie city. Regimental Headquarters were established in an empty house on the main business street, and after the long winter in the muddy Meuse villages the dry stone pavements, hotels, cafes and theaters of Cholet seemed the acme of metropolitan luxury. The town of Cholet was in the Vendee or RoyaUst section of Fiance and was located about 40 kilometers south and east of Nantes. It was from this district some of the very best of Napoleon's men came, and in the Creat War the district furnished two of the crack corps of the French Army. The people were most hospitable and said the 313th Infantry was the first American comliat unit to be billeted there. Retreat was held each afternoon in the public square and the band also gave several concerts in the beautiful municipal park. A wonderful show- that would have done credit to the Keith circuit was given by the men in the municipal theater. The F'rench inhabitants fairly filled the house. Over at Mortagne things were going equally well and together with the fact that some real sunny, warm spring weather arrived things were looking up indeed. All was not play by a long shot, however, as the many details of preparing the paper work and securing and issuing new clothing preparatory for the required inspection before orders to proceed to St. Nazaire would be received, made plenty of work. 58 H I S I' () IM OF :', 1 :5 T H U.S. INFANTRY (Jn Sunday, Ma\ 4th. the Rcjrimcnt was inspected by S. O. S. ofliiials. but they refused to pass it for transportation home on account of minor deficiencies in equipment. Lack of toilet articles seemed to be the principal complaint, but on Sunday. May 11th, when the next inspection was held not one man was shy so much as a piece of shaving soap. In the meantime, the 2d Battalion had been moved to Trementines, as the French required the Caserne. On Tuesday, May 13th, the Headquarters and 1st Battalion loft Cholet by train for St. Nazaire; the ."id Battalion entrained at Mortagne the same day. On Wednesday, the I4th, the 2d Battalion entrained at Trementines and picked up A Company at Cholet, the latter having been left behind to polish up. Here also the Supply Company and all others left behind on detail were entrained. Finally on the evening of Wednesday, May 1 Ith. the entire Regiment was quartered in the various camps that go to make up the great embarkation center of the Americans just outside of St. Nazaire. Here things were humming and together with paper work, delousing, physical examination, etc., the best part of the day and night was passed. There were plenty of rumors as to just when and in what vessel or vessels the Regiment would sail, but it was not until Thursday, the 1.5th. that orders from the Embarkation Service were received, that part of the Regiment would go by the Paysaiidti on the same afternoon. iNIajor Elliott, who was designated as Commanding Officer of troops, went aboard and also all of I Company, who were to furnish the necessary details lli'nil Brest ^. July 15. 1918 IMarcenay " " 21, 1918 Chainplitte " 29, 1918 CyritTos September 9, 1918 Loiifjeville ; " 10, 1918 Verrier Sector (:U) I) ' " 13, 1918 Foret-de-Hesse " 22, 1918 Montfaucon " 26, 1918 Foret-(le-He.sse October 1, 1918 Ni\e\ille " 1,1918 Cenicourl-sur-Meiise " I, 1918 Mouilly " 6. 1918 Troyon .Sector " 7,1918 lUipt-i-nW ocsre " 23, 1918 Verdun " 28. 1918 Foret-de-Chana " 29. 1918 Cote-de-Roche " 30. 1918 Grande Monlat,'ne November .">. 1918 Fort-de-Helle\ ille " 21, 1918 Dieue-sur-Meuse " 23, 1918 Vertlun Decemlier 2, 1918 .Souilly " 26, 1918 Erize-la-Rrulee " 27, 1918 Conde-en-Barrois January 17, 1919 Lonftevillc March 28, 1919 Stainsville " 29, 1919 Ellincourt " 30, 1919 Rimaucourt " 31, 1919 l.afauche April 1, 1919 Himaucourt " 21, 1919 Cholet " 26, 1919 Trementines ' May 10, 1919 St. Nazaire " 14,1919 Dkp. VRTEI) July 18, 1918 " 29. 1918 Septembe r 8. 1918 " 9, 1918 " 12. 1918 u 22. 1918 U 2.5, 1918 a 30, 1918 October 3, 1918 u I, 1918 " 6, 1918 " 7, 1918 " 23, 1918 " 27, 1918 tl 29, 1918 (( 30, 1918 November .5, 1918 " 21, 1918 " 22, 1918 December 2, 1918 " 26, 1918 " 27, 1918 January 17. 1919 March 28, 1919 " 29, 1919 H 30, 1919 U 31, 1919 April 1, 1919 " 24, 1919 ti 21. 1919 May 10. 1919 " 14, 1919 u 1.5, 1919 The Lorraine Cross Story of the 79th Division Insignia The Gross of Lorraine Its Origin and Significance Written from Data Furnished by E. F. HENRI VJARD B. A. Paris University f.ate London Correspondent of " Le Journal ' Some/irne Teehnieal Translalor to tlie Ordnanee Department, A. E. F. The Lorraine Cross, ojjicial emblem of the Serenly-nintb Divi- sion, United Slates Army, was adopted shortly after the armistice was signed. In all its war operations, the Serenly-ninth Dirision faced the enemy in Lorraine, the province which the Inited States was pledged to win Ixick for Fraiwe. Victory, in the face of stubtiorn opposition, crowned the efforts of the Seventy-ninth Division. It was only appropriate, therefore, that the division should select as its emhkm the ancient .'^ymhol of vich)ry, the Lorraine Cross. The Cross of Lorraine ^^,,A,_r-H-.^^_, A ^^?gg;.^oaaas. NATIONAL emblem of the independent Duchy of Lor- raine for centm-ies, and even now a distinctive cogni- zance of the Border Province of France, the double traverse cross, known as the Cross of Lorraine, forms part of the armorial bearings of no less than 163 noble families. And several military units engaged in the war just ended adopted the cross as an emblem. These units include, besides the Lorraine Detachment of the French Army, the Seventy-ninth Division. Before its adoption as an emblem by the reigning house of Lorraine, the double traverse cross, now known as the Lorraine Cross, had a long and interesting history. Important in the history of the develop- ment of the shape of the cross with its two beams, the design being Byzantine and emblematic of the triumph of Christ over Death, are ancient double traverse crosses, each containing fragments of the Real Cross of the Crucifixion. They are preserved in different sections of France. The double tra\ erse of the Cross of Lorraine comes from the substitution, for the Titulus, or inscription originally used to mark the Cross upon which Christ was crucified, of a plain horizontal arm. The origin of the double traverse cross is Eastein, and. students of the subject point out. it undoubtedly represents the Jerusalem Cross — the True Cross — with its main horizontal Ijeam and the Titulus, represented by a plain beam in the Cross of Lorraine. Reli(iuaries containing parts of the Real Cross upon which the Savior was crucitieti. including the reli(iuaries in Poitiers and Limoges, are double traverse in form. On an enameled plate in the Treasury of Graz Cathedral, Hungary, the figure of Saint Helena, credited with the recovery of the True Cross, is repre- sented draped in a dress which is emblazonetl with a double traverse cross. The double traverse cross is found on seals of the Kingdom of Hungary and the emblem, in its form, has been called the Cross of Hungary. Monsignor Danke, a Canon of (iraz Cathedral, states that the double traverse cross on the seals of the Kingdom of Hungary dates from Andrew II, who was the father of Saint Elizabeth, and adfis that it is emblematic of the apostolic dignity of the Hun- garian kings. The double traverse cross came to have its association with Lorraine in 1477 after Rene II. reigning head of the Duchy of Lorraine, had defeated Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, at the Battle of Nancy. Rene was of the house of Anjou and the emblem had been known as the Cross of Anjou to earher members of the house. Succession to the Duchy of Lorraine came to Rene II thru the female Une. His mother was Yolande of Anjou. daughter of Rene 1. riuii his father, Fcrri HISTORY OF 313th U.S. INFANTRY 75 of \ audemont, Rene claimed descent from the ancient dynasty of the Dulses of Lorraine, who traced their history to Gerard of Alsace, and who had ruled the Duchy uninterruptedly for almost four centuries. At the time of the accession of Rene II, the neighboring Duchy of Burgundy was ruled by Charles the Bold, who had made a reputation as a general and war- rior. In the forwarding of his ambition for greater territory and more widespread authority, he had roused the enmity of Lorrainers. In 1476, following the acces- sion of Rene II, the Duke of Burgundy laid siege to Nancy and took the city. Rene went abroad to hire troops, and, returning in the early days of 1477 with considerable forces, especially Italian and Swiss mercenaries, gave battle to Charles witliin sight of Nancy, whose soldier citizens sallied forth to his help. Despite their assistance, Rene might have lost the fight had it not been for Canipo Basso, an Italian condettiere in the service of Charles the Bold, who, having some grudge against the latter and being Ijribed by the other side, went over to the Lorrainers at the critical moment. The Burgundians were cut to pieces. Charles the Bold, in trying to break away, was slain by a Lorraine officer who did not recognize him and who com- mitted suicide when, the body of the famous Duke having been identified a couple of days later from an old scar behind the ear. he realized that it was he who had kiUed " so great a Prince." It might seem strange that the body of the Duke of Bur- gundy should have remained unidentified for any time. The explanation is that the Swiss and Italian mercenaries and, indeed, the Lorrainers, were out for booty. The Duke's rich accoutrements were a tempting loot. The Battle of Nancy was not only the greatest event in the history of Lorraine, but one of the most momentous in the history of France and even of Flurope, although, perhaps, the whole scope of its effects has not been brought out ade- (luately by liistorians. If Burgundy alone was defeated, three parties benefited by the victory, namely, Switzerland, for whom it meant final acciinsition of independence; the King of France, and the Duke of Lorraine. The disappearance of Charles the Bold ensured at one stroke the Unity of France, which it rid of the last ever-powerful vassal, and the independence of Lorraine. No doubt Louis XI would rather have been the only profiteer by the death of his rival. No doubt, also, he meant to get hold of Lorraine and, as the event proved, laid hands shortly afterwards on the Duchy of Bar and tried to prevent Rene II from coming into this comparatively small portion of Rene Anjou's inheritance. But his wily plans were foiled by the very fact that, whatever his motives, he had made a show of fostering and supporting the Lorrainer against the Burgundian. Had Lorraine become a part of Charles the Bold's dominions, even the Mighty House of Austria would have been unable to keep it independent from France; Henry II's efforts would have been exerted against Lorraine, and Lorraine it is that France would have occupied at the same time as the three bishoprics, Toul, Mctz, and ^'erdun, and before Alsace. France's influence made itself felt in the Duchy as early as 1552. but annexation was put off until 1766. Not only did Rene H's reign ensure the independence of Lorraine, but it secured the adjunction of Barrois, for there can be no doubt that the Duchy of 76 1 1 I S I" ( ) II Y () F :5 I :5 T u IS. IN F A N T 1^ 'i Bar would have been annexed to France right away had not Charles \ 111 found it politic to give back the territory confiscated by his father Louis XI as an induce- ment to Duke Rene II not to press his claims regarding such parts of Rene of Anjou's inheritance as Anjou and Provence which F'rance wanted and secured out of the deal. Considering the importance of the l:)attle of Nancy in the eyes of Lorrainers, the historical value of the badge worn by their victorious ancestors at that famous fight is easily understood. That badge was a double traverse cross. We have Duke Rene H's own word for it. In the account of operation and conduct of the battle of Nancy, dictated by the Duke himself to his secretary Joannes Lud, we read: "And I had on my harness a robe of gold cloth, and the armour of my horse was also covered with gold cloth trappings and on the said robe and trappings were three white double traverse crosses." The reason why Rene II adopted the badge is apparent from what has been said in previous pages. The Burgundian badge was the St. Andrew Cross. To dilfcrcntiate his men from their opponents, Rene 11 naturally thought of the conspicuously distinct double traverse cross his grandfather Rene I hatl brought over from Anjou and made so much of. In another account of the Ijattle, to be found in the Chronicle of Lorraine, written at very nearly the same time, the following passage occurs relating to the period of the fight when Campo Basso and his mercenaries went over from the Burgundian to the Lorrainer side. "They all tore oif their St. Andrew crosses and put on the .Jerusalem one, which Duke Rene was wearing." The Jerusalem Crt>ss obviously is a misnomer, as proven by the context, the very next sentence of which reads: "And many of the Nanceans, sallying from their city to take part in the pillage of the Bold One's Camp, were in great danger of being slaughtered by the Swiss and by their own Countrymen because they had not the double traverse cross on them." Again in several other passages the cross is specifically described as a double traverse cross. Curiously enough, the misnomer has not been made out by many of the writers and artists who have described or depicted the battle wliere Charles the Bold met his fate. In Mr. Pfister's exhaustive history of Nancy, for instance, a plate is reproduced from the Nanceid, an epic on the subject of the great fight, and on tliat plate Bene II is portrayed wearing a nundjer of Jerusalem crosses on his robes and horse trappings. The two above-cpioted documents, the Duke's own statment and the iterative mention in the Chronicle of Lorraine put it beyond question that the crosses worn b\ Bene 1 1 and his men were the double traverse cross he had got from his grand- father. Jaiuiary .5, 1177, was the birthday of the Cross of Lorraine. F'roin that day ceasing to be merely reminiscent of \ujiiu. the double traverse cross became the Lorraine National Emblem. Joan of \i\\ the " (Jood Lorrainer," as Mllon calls her, is commonly represented \^ith the Loiraine Cross emblazoned on hei- brcaslpjate. P)ut the Maid of Orleans ?1 1 STORY OF 3 1:5 Til r.S. INFANTRY 77 lived from 1 U2 to 1131, and the Anjou double traverse cross was brought to Lorraine by Rene I only in 1435. It never was a Lorraine badge until 1 177, when Rene II originated it as such at the battle of Nancy. For the sake of accuracy it may be mentioned here that it has been contended that Joan of Arc was not a Lorrainer, her birthplace belonging to Champagne at the time. Even as early as \ illon, however, as shown by quotations, she was held to be a Lorrainer, and a Lorrainer she will remain in popular imagination to the end of time. Since the war in 1870-71, which resulted in the annexation of part of Lorraine to Germany, a significant use has been made of the old cross. Shortly after the signature of the Treaty of Frankfurt, a meeting of the inhabitants of Metz was held on Sion Hill, which Academician Barres calls, in one of his books, " Inspiration Hill." As a result of the meeting, a marble monument was erected, having carved on it a broken Lorraine Cross. An inscription in local dialect was added reading "C'name po tojo" (""Twill not be forever"). Some of these days, now that the whole of Lorraine is French again, another immense meeting probably will be held on Sion Hill to celebrate the fact that the prophecy has come true. And the American soldiers who have helped in making it come true, especially members of the Seventy-ninth Division, will, when they hear of the celebration across the water, look at the old badge they have been privileged to wear and think of the memories associated with it. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 020 915 422 5