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St8s he wn Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. A charge is made on all overdue books. U. of I. Library 14685-S _ Digitized by the Internet Archive ca ‘i Ne in 2021 with funding from ie University of Illinois Urbana- -Champaic ween Pent) ) iis yet INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS VOLUME X INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS VOLUME III For all personal views set forth in this diary, or for errors of fact, the author alone is responsible. CopyRiaut, 1922 BY INDIANA HistorRIcAL CoMMISSION INDIANAPOLIS: WM. B. BURFORD, CONTRACTOR FOR STATE PRINTING AND BINDING 1923 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS Volume III A Sergeant’s Diary In The World War The Diary of an Enlisted Member of the 150th Field Artillery (Forty-Second [Rainbow] Division) October 27, 1917 to August 7, 1919 By ELMER FRANK STRAUB s+ UF ‘LLINOIS LIGRARY cere SEP 28 1923 Published by the INDIANA HIsTORICAL COMMISSION Indianapolis 1923 INDIANA HISTORICAL COMMISSION GOV. WARREN T. McCray, President SAMUEL M. FOSTER, Vice-President HARLOW LINDLEY, Secretary JAMES A. WOODBURN CHARLES W. MOORES MATTHEW J. WALSH LEW M. O’BANNON Mrs. JOHN N. CAREY KATE MILNER RABB JOHN W. OLIVER, Ph. D., Director Lucy M. ELLIOTT, Assistant Director (4) eS QUA » | } EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION Volume three of Indiana in the World War consists of a War Diary, kept by an Indiana man who served with the One Hundred and Fiftieth Field Artillery, a unit of the famous Forty-second (Rainbow) Division. Numerous diaries kept by Indiana soldiers and sailors have been filed with the Indiana Historical Commission, and it seems fitting to include one of these interesting sketches in our World War Records. The diary selected for this volume gives a vivid description, day by day, of the experiences of a man who served in the ranks. Mr. Straub saw twenty-two months of active serv- ice, was a member of the Battery Commander’s detail (obser- vation), scout detail, and was responsible for the sector sketch work on the fronts occupied by the One Hundred and Fiftieth Field Artillery. He was a special student in Glasgow University following the signing of the Armistice, and by rea- son of these various assignments had many unusual experi- ences. A diary such as this which records the daily happenings of a soldier in the ranks—typical of tens of thou- sands of others, comprises one of the fundamental sources of study in World War History. October 25, 1922 State House, Indianapolis. JOHN W. OLIVER, Director Indiana Historical Commission 52R313 To My Mother and Father who, like thousands of parents, waited and bore the absence of a son with more love and of stronger heart than could openly be seen, I dedi- cate this diary. (6) APOLOGIES In recopying this diary I have tried to keep throughout the whole work, just what was in the original. Consequently there are many changes of tense, probably in one day. This is explained by the fact that I had no special set time each day when I could sit down and write what was going on. I wrote during every hour of the day and sometimes under very trying con- ditions, when it took all I had to keep from throwing it away. That there are many mis- takes in spelling, especially in the names of in- dividuals and in geographical terms, I admit, but I sincerely hope that they will be overlooked. ELMER F.. STRAUB September, 1922 (7) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introductions i ee oe 2 5 Chapter I. From the University to the Army.................... it Chapter TT? France eet Fe Pe gee 14 Chapter... TI. ‘The Lorraine Hront) 22. 39 Chapters. LV. .cAvTramme Sector eee eee i Sa Chapter V.. Up With*the Gunster eee 78 Chapter.” -Vi, «The Champagne front 22. ee 109 Chapter VII. The Chateau Thierry Front 2.2.00. 130 Chapter VIII. oA Rest: Camp) a ee ee ee 157 Chapter. IX. The St. Mihbiel Sector: 22 ee 171 Chapter X. The Meuse-Argonne Front.................0....2002.--.-- 191 Chapter. XI. (Germany Bound..22 ee 221 Chapter XII. My Last Two Months In Europe................. 250 Chapter UXTiTi «In Iingland:2 <2 ae ee 276 Chapter :X1V... Scotland272c. 2 ee ee 290 Chapter’ “XV. “Travel Over-the isles..0.22 Sia Chapter =X VI. Homeward Bound 2.22. 2 22 327 Chapter XVIT. «= Home Again’ @ 33 2 ee 341 Official Station List: 2.7 ee a 344 A List of Abbreviations and Expressions and their Meanings 346 (3) isn span uae a alg ILLUSTRATIONS RSI, Ba MG 8 6205 vy 07 re ce Se RR a <2 cod RRR 49 APS UPSET TATED RTD ip] Coie Se SO Mar COR aR OMe eon 5 eo cm 82 epnesBic: Four suc. o ECA. 1 tes as a ee are, PERU de ee 139 fun-Poaition in the Row of-Poplars...35 ne 145 er eer eo rr a 313 OLSEN EN GEDA SE SIE a els et A 318 CHAPTER I FROM THE UNIVERSITY TO THE ARMY After leaving Indiana University in the early part of June 1917, I was looking to be called at any time to the Second Of- ficers’ Training Camp at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. In the meantime I went to work for the city of Indianapolis and thought that I would make a few extra pennies until the time came. The time did not come however, and by July 20th I was ready to do something. I had not given the proposition serious thought even at this time, but on Wednesday noon of July 24th, I decided that since many of my friends were going out to Fort Benjamin Harrison, I would go also. I had Bat- tery A in mind and when I found it I immediately looked up Lieut. Vernon Gasper and he trotted me over to the Bat- tery orderly room. IJ signed my name, and all was done. “Report to the Battery not later than Saturday and be ready to stay awhile’, was the answer I got to several inquiries that Imade. I then came home and told the folks about it. Satur- day noon found me in soldier clothes as a private in Battery A. Ihad no cot to sleep on, so Saturday evening I got a pass to town and bought an army cot which I took out to the Fort that evening when I returned. The next few weeks found me washing three inch pieces and doing regular ‘flunky’ work. Finally a little Sergeant by the name of Richard M. Bosson thought I would do for the Bat- tery Commander’s detail, and I started to learn semaphore. A few days at this and I had enough, but I did not like it, although some of the boys told me that it was a good detail. I didn’t even know what the detail was for, so back I went to a gun section. Finally the whole regiment moved from what was known as the Ohio Camp to the Indiana Camp and from that time on I began to realize that I was really in the army. I stood a few guards, served on K.P. (kitchen police) washing pots and pans, went on a hundred other different battery and regi- mental details, and then I was taken in hand by Sgt. Wilbur B. Morgan of the Instrument Detail. During that time I had several passes to the city, some for over Saturday night and (11) 12 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS some for Sunday only. I had also been made a private, First Class. Instrument detail work was real work and I enjoyed it very much. The regular army routine kept me very busy though and I did not get to know many of the fellows very well. One month passed, and September found us all ready and looking any minute to leave for Camp Mills at Mineola, Long Island. I had been home a dozen times to say good-bye and it finally became somewhat of a joke. The time was near however, and we visited our homes for the last time. On September 7th [1917] about 10:00 A.M. I called up the folks and they came out to the Fort. At 1:00 P.M. we all boarded a train and bed time that evening found us rolling along toward Long Island. We arrived at Camp Mills, Long Island, about 6:00 P.M. September 11th, and we immediately started to put up our tents and make a regular camp, after- wards called by the boys ‘The Model Camp’. Inspections came daily and the boys certainly learned to hate them. Every day would find the battery, except the detail, doing ‘doughboy’ drill and walking regimental reviews over the rough fields of the camp. At this time I found out that the detail was the ~ place, for we always went out for semaphore, wigwag and telephone practice and did not have to ‘doughboy’. We did however, get many passes; Hempstead, L. I. and New York City got the bulk of all the soldiers from the camp. New clothes were issued, new shoes, new equipment of all kinds, not excepting a new order on the average of every hour. The time finally came though when we were to go to France. Not a fellow made a cry, they were all anxious to go as they were tired of the camp life, inspections, drills, conflicting or- ders, etc. By that time I knew quite a few more fellows in the battery and felt as though all of them were my friends. I was promoted to a corporal on September 26th and felt as big as any General with my two new stripes. Our detail was proficient in the art of signaling under the tutoring of Lieut. Victor M. Hasselman. The rest of the battery had ‘doughboyed’ themselves about ten pounds lighter to the man under the orders of Lieut. Aloys Knaff. Lieut. Clarence E. Trotter had just come to the battery from either Supply or Headquarters company before we left and Capt. Sidney S. Miller was in command of the battery. On October 18, 1917 we left Camp Mills and boarded the U.S.S. transport A SERGEANT’S DIARY 13 President Lincoln. We were shown to our compartments, fed and told to stay down below and make no noise, but as luck would have it Perry W. Lesh, [Clarence E.] Pete Clift, [Rich- ard M.] Dick Bosson and a few others, including myself, got to the very top deck where we stayed until we had pulled all the way out of the harbor. About 9:00 P.M. we pulled away from the pier at Hoboken and it seemed like we slid down the Hudson, with no lights, no noise or no adieu, past the Statue of Liberty, out into the open sea. The trip across was most miserable. Sanitary conditions were very, very bad and the boat was crowded so that one could hardly turn around. All this in addition to all of the conflicting orders we were required to carry out took all the spirit out of the men. They were always keeping us in the hold of the boat and as a result, in the want of something to do I started the following diary. CHAPTER II FRANCE Beginning October 27, 1917, while three days off the French coast I decided to start a diary. We arrived at Saint Nazaire October 31, 1917, at 4:50 P.M. We were on board the U.S.S. transport President Lincoln, at that time the largest freight boat in the world. We were kept on board waiting for dock- ing space until November 5th, at about 10:30 A.M. Sgt. John M. Skidmore! and myself were the first noncommissioned men to step off the boat. I was on dock with an unloading detail the nights of No- vember 4th and 5th, taking charge of Battery A property. From the boat we marched to Camp No. 1, Saint Nazaire. On the way to the camp we marched along the beautiful Saint Nazaire water front. We were put in quarters in wooden cantonments, dirt floors and it was very uncomfortable. Dur- ing the last week we took several hikes through the country. Oxen, thatched roofs, and wooden shoes were common sights. We have had very much rainy weather during this past week. The Camp overlooked Saint Nazaire harbor. The country is very rolling and the grass seems to stay green the year around. The houses are very quaint and are built close to the streets. Many French soldiers were home from the front and many German prisoners were at work in the fields about Saint Nazaire. The trees are nearly all evergreen trees. The main roads are very good but the connecting roads are poor. The streets of Saint Nazaire are very narrow. Wines and drinks are cheap but real meals are rather costly. The Y.M.C.A. is the most comfortable place around the Camp. November 11, 1917:—No mail has reached us from the U.S. While on one of our recent hikes we had a glimpse of some French coast defense guns and they sure are big ones. Our meals at the camp are only fair considering what we have been having and the fellows are certainly on the war path about it. ‘Corned Willie’ was the chief factor in our meals. 1. John M. Skidmore gave his life for his country, August $1, 1918. He died from wounds received in action in battle of Chateau Thierry. See Indiana Gold Star Honor Roll, p. 421. (14) A SERGEANT’S DIARY 15 We had no cots, only the hard ground to sleep on. Writing was rather a hard problem because it was rather cold. We heard practically no English language used by the French people. Part of the Battery A property was left on dock waiting for our permanent camp. This necessitated a dock guard. The battery took a hike this morning. November 13, 1917:—The battery took a hike this morning along the Saint Nazaire harbor. We saw much beautiful scenery. We hiked from 9:15 to 11:45 under arms. We have reveille at 5:30 A.M. at which time it is still dark. During the forepart of the afternoon we were at the Y.M.C.A. Two American women are in charge of this Y.M.C.A. Later in the afternoon we had some detail signal work in the canton- ment. I spent the evening writing at the Y.M.C.A. November 14, 1917:—Today the battery supplied the engi- neering detail. I went to Saint Nazaire with Lieut. [Victor M.] Hasselman to buy some supplies. German prisoners had been put to work in the large army warehouses. The battery boys played the officers a game of baseball in the afternoon. We have the ‘snow’ that we are to leave tomorrow. We do not know where. I spent the evening at the Y.M.C.A. November 15, 1917 :—The battery was again out on an engi- neering detail. The battery detail went out along the cliffs to have some signal work in the afternoon. I went to Base Hospital No. 101, and had a slight operation performed on my right nostril. I was N.C.O. [non-commissioned officer] in charge of camp during the rest of the day. Nothing out of the usual happened. I spent the evening at the Y.M.C.A. writ- ing letters and smoking. November 16, 1917:—At nine o’clock I reported to Base Hospital No. 101 and was put to bed with much pain from the operation of yesterday. [The days from November 17th to November 19th, inclusive, were spent in the hospital. The diary for these days contained informa- tion of only routine nature; of little historical value. ] November 20, 1917:—Pain was still lighter today but it seems to hang on longer. The doctor gave me permission 16 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS to get up today. I have been on full diet continually. I was out of bed about an hour today. I had a long talk with the medical officer this afternoon, and he complimented Battery A 150th F.A. November 21, 1917:—I got up very early this morning and was up all day. I have come in contact with some very fine fellows since being in the hospital. Capt. [Sidney S.] Miller told me the day that he stopped in that the battery was leaving November 19th. I don’t know where. I was up all day smoking, reading and washing dishes. November 22, 1917:—The pain is very much less today. I was admitted to the general mess hall today. I spent most of the time smoking and getting up ‘pep’. November 23, 1917:—I was up all day. I took a long walk out of doors this afternoon. I had a slight headache all day. French Infantry marched by this afternoon singing; going to the front. I spent my time as usual adding a little soli- taire to my pastime. It is very amusing to watch the negroes who are preparing to go to the operating room. November 24, 1917:—I took another long walk out of doors this afternoon. I had my nose worked on this evening and they told me that if it was no better by Monday they would have to operate on it. They are still irrigating it every day. We get the New York Herald every evening. It is printed in Paris. November 25, 1917:—Today being Sunday I had nothing to do. There is no severe pain in my head or eye today, but I have a general headache. November 26, 1917:—I had a dull headache all day long. I had a long talk with the doctor this evening and he decided that I would have my nose operated on tomorrow. Nothing out of the usual happened during the rest of the day. November 27, 1917:—I was up all during the morning but directly after my noon meal I was compelled to go to bed. At two o’clock I walked over to the operating room and the cut- ting began. I was in the operating room until 5:40 and was brought back to my bed in an arm chair. The rest of the day was a blur to me. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 17 [The days from November 28th to December 1st inclusive, were spent in the hospital fol- lowing an operation on my nose. Although a daily diary was kept there was little of his- torical value.] December 2, 1917:—American Red Cross nurses are sta- tioned in this hospital. I have received no mail from the U.S. since I arrived. I suppose there is some at the camp. The battery is some place near the Swiss Border, at least that is the supposition. The building in which the Base Hospital is situated was once an old French College. It is entirely mili- tary, very large and lies at the edge of the city of Saint Nazaire. The death rate among soldiers since I have been here is about ten a week. I am in a ward containing twenty- nine beds. It seems to be very clean and a very efficient place. Many cases of measles have broken out in our ward and many operations are performed here. I have been up all day, the pain is gradually leaving my nose and head, conse- quently am feeling much better. On every Sunday we have church services here. [From December 3rd to December 12th inclu- sive I was confined to the hospital where I re- ceived treatment for the operation on my nose. | December 13, 1917:—I spent most of my time in the canteen today. Many.of the patients were sent to another hospital at Savenay today. This morning I was ‘bawled out’ by one of the nurses because I did not have my bed made properly. I can notice that the weather is getting colder. I imagine that the patients will not be very comfortable traveling to Savenay which is about eighteen miles from here. December 14, 1917:—I was discharged from the hospital and pronounced ‘cured’ as they call it here, at about 10:00 this morning. We are supposed to be in bed by nine o’clock but having nothing to do it is generally about seven. December 15, 1917:—1 had a wonderful warm shower bath today. They also gave me all my clothes which they had taken away from me when I first came. They are moving all of the patients out of the hospital. I am supposed to go either to my organization or to another Base Hospital. 2—22902 18 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS December 16, 1917 :—It may be well to note that Base Hos- pital No. 101 is not an organized unit. We got up at the usual time this morning ready to leave. At 7:00 we were loaded into motor trucks and taken to the railroad station. There we were put into a hospital train which pulled out of the sta- tion about 8:00. We passed through Savenay about 11:40 and Chantenay about 12:00. The country is very rolling and very beautiful. It has been raining all day. We came into Nantes at 1:05 where we made a fifteen minute stop. We passed through Ouden at 3:00, and at 4:40 we pulled into the depot at Angers. There we waited for an ambulance to take us to the hospital. The train we came up here in was a com- plete hospital train making its first trip. We passed through some very rocky country and I must say that the scenery can not be beaten. We arrived at the U.S. hospital at about 8:00 P.M. They took all of my clothes away again and put me to bed. CAN YOU BEAT THAT? I am now in a ward con- taining sixty-four beds. The nurses and doctors here are very much pleasanter than those I came in contact with at St. Nazaire. Conditions are much better, the food is excellent and the hospital is very much larger than the one at St. Nazaire. It is Base Hospital No. 27, an organized unit from Philadelphia. | December 17, 1917:—At 10:30 this morning the doctor came through and gave orders that I could have my clothes and be assigned to duty. There is a victrola in this ward and it certainly can make one feel blue, especially when records from home are played. When we woke up this morning the ground was covered with snow, the air was full of snow but by noon the sun was shining again. I had a very good noon meal and about two o’clock I received my clothes. I went down to the mess hall for my evening meal. This hospital was formerly an old French monastery, later it was used as a German prison hospital. I went to bed about 8:30. December 18, 1917:—I got up very early this morning and took all of my meals in the general mess hall. Time passes very slowly. Iam feeling very fine now and am waiting pa- tiently to be sent back to my battery. During the day I did a little reading and helped the ward master a little while just to pass the time. I was in bed by nine o’clock. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 19 December 19, 1917:—When I got up this morning the sun was shining very bright. The whole day passed very slowly as I had nothing to do. I didn’t even need a shave but I took . one just to make the time pass. My chart went down to the office today and the doctor said that I would probably leave for my outfit tomorrow. I was in bed by 7:00 P.M. December 20, 1917:—I got up very early this morning hop- ing and expecting to leave today. Have a slight headache. From what I can find out the battery is in camp at Guer about one hundred and twenty-five miles from here. In this hospi- tal there are a great many cases of ear trouble; many men come in hurt in accidents and there are a great many minor operations performed. We left the hospital at 12:45, the sun was shining bright. We received our transportation at the Angers depot and boarded the train at 1:30. I had charge of the seven men going to our camp; all of them belonged to our regiment. We arrived at LeMans at 3:19 where a French army officer met us and asked us all of the military informa- tion concerning ourselves. He then put us on the train for Rennes which left at 4:19. We arrived in Rennes at 9:10, put our baggage down on the platform and went out to get some information as to how we could reach camp. After we had gotten our information, having gone out of the station we tried to get back in to our baggage but the French station ~ master would not let us through the gates without a ticket. Finally after much trouble, not being able to make the old boy understand us, we ran past the ticket man to our baggage. Naturally he followed us but we did not care, we simply took our baggage and carried it out of the station. We could not find the U.S. motor trucks that were supposed to take us to camp so we asked a cab driver where the Hotel Moderne was. I had been told of this hotel by one of my friends while in the hospital. While trying to find the hotel we ran into some M.P.’s who took us to some old French barracks where we stayed all night; sleeping on beds of straw but they felt very good because we were very tired. We went to the small tram- way depot in the morning at 7:00 to get the train for Camp Coctquidan. December 21, 1917:—We were on the small tramway car and the conductor came along to look at our tickets. They 20 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS were really tickets for the government trains so he did not hesitate to tell us that our tickets were no good. Not one of us had any money so we got off the train and went back to the barracks and the M.P’s. There was a U.S. motor truck leaving for camp but it was loaded with iron; camp is thirty- eight miles from here and it is pretty cold so we are going to wait for the 4 o’clock tram. We waited at the hotel Moderne until time to catch the 4 o’clock tram. A French woman from the Hotel Moderne went along on the train with us. She could speak fair English and she showed us where to get off the train and told us which way to go. We arrived at the camp about 8:00 P.M. and of course I went out to see all of the fellows. I found that most of my mail had been forwarded to the hospital and I do not know when I will get it. I went to bed very happy. December 22, 1917 :—This morning I went out to help estab- lish our gun positions. This afternoon I heard our new six and three inch guns for the first time. I also went to the observation post and watched the officers direct the fire of several problems. Our camp is up on a hill and we fire across a valley on to the next ridge. The first time I watched the actual projectile travel through the air I was very surprised but one can really see this shell go. I also saw.several holes that the three and six inch shells had made in the ground. The burst of a six inch shell surely kicks up the dirt when it explodes. JI am feeling very well. I read my letters over and went to bed very tired and surprised at my new idea of war but happy that I was back with my organization once again. December 23, 1917:—We get up at 5 o’clock in the morn- ing. There is nothing to do on Sunday. The mess shack is all decorated with pine, fir, holly, and mistletoe for Christ- mas. I stayed around camp all day because there is a great deal of mail coming in (Christmas mail) but there seems to be none for me. We are in wooden cantonments, dirt floors, about fifty beds and three small stoves. During the evening the boys sit around the stoves smoking and talking. There are about 1,000 German prisoners at work in this camp. The. ranges and observation posts are rather far out. The camp is a very large one and there are about 14,000 Americans A SERGEANT’S DIARY 21 and 500 French here. We have iron cots to sleep on, plenty of blankets and are comparatively comfortable. It is a very good place for one to get a sore throat or some kind of sick- nass because it is so very damp. December 24, 1917:—This morning I went out with Set. [Wilbur B.] Morgan and recorded deflections as the battery fired. It was pretty cold but the work was very interesting. We fired about 150 rounds. We did nothing this afternoon. This evening we had quite an entertainment in the mess hall given by the boys from the battery. It lasted until 9 o’clock ~ after which the Christmas boxes that had come by mail were passed out. I received two boxes. We then came to our can- tonment, ate some of the food we had received from home and had a general good time. Every fellow opened his boxes and we were all happy. December 25, 1917:—Christmas Day! I got up about eight o’clock, we had only an ordinary breakfast. During the morn- ing we went out into a fir forest and cut fir boughs from which we made a bench around our stove, in our end of the canton- ment. We then went to our Christmas dinner. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, biscuits, butter, jam, sugar, coffee, cream, pie, dates, cake, fruit salad, nuts and cigars, Just about all we could eat. During the afternoon we were all in misery and we did nothing but lie around. In the evening we serenaded the officers and the other camps and then came back to the cantonment and ate some more. We then sat around the stove until late and went to bed about 2 o'clock. Happy! December 26, 1917:—We are now having reveille at 6:00 and retreat at 4:00. This morning I went to a wireless school, and this afternoon we sat around the fire in the cantonment. There was not much to do so we wrote some letters, smoked and went to bed early. December 27, 1917:—It is quite cold. We worked in the cantonment during the forenoon. In the afternoon Sgt. [Wilbur B.] Morgan, Cpl. [William H.] Bruning and I went out with the aiming circle. During the evening we sat around the stove smoking. December 28, 1917 -—_We fired this morning. (Practice.) 22 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS I kept record of the deflections. It was very cold. The after- noon was spent studying in the cantonment. At three o’clock the Captain Sidney S. Miller took us to his quarters and gave us a lecture on firing data. We are getting very good food. The evening was spent around the stove. December 29, 1917:—We had an inspection under arms in the cantonment this morning. The rest of the day we sat around the stove, trying to keep warm. I went to bed about 5:30 because I was not feeling well. December 30, 1917:—We stood a regimental inspection this morning. The rest of the day we sat around, wrote let- ters and smoked. Went to bed early. December 31, 1917:—We were mustered for pay this morn- ing. We had nothing much to do the rest of the day. We did stay up very late, Bryant Gillespie, Edwin H. Bassett, Bill Bruning, [Wilbur] Bud Morgan, [Rogers H.] ‘Pug’ George and I put all the food that we had together, had a little lunch and at one o’clock we went out and marched with the band. January 1, 1918:—-We had no reveille this morning, we slept very late. We stayed around the fire all day long and had no retreat. Am feeling very well, went to bed early and had a good sleep. January 2, 1918:—This morning the battery was paid. I received no pay because I had signed only the October pay roll. The rest of the morning we sat around the fire. We had noon mess early and then went out to the gun positions where the battery fired during the afternoon. I went out mounted. I kept deflections until about three o’clock when they suspended fire on account of haze. We then came in and sat around the fire until about eight and went to bed. January 3, 1918:—I was inside all day long working on firing data. ‘Today is Battery A day for the bath house. The bath house is an old kitchen and one bathes in great large sinks. During the evening we had school with Capt. [Sidney S.] Miller on firing data. (Non-commissioned school.) January 4, 1918:—Today I memorized the two numeral code. I went down to the end of the road for a meal tonight A SERGEANT’S DIARY 23 with [William H.] Bruning. We then came back and went to firing data school. January 5, 1918:—This morning we stayed in the canton- ment. This afternoon we fired and I recorded firing data. We went out to the range mounted and now I am quite stiff. | Today I had a pain over my left eye and it worried me very much because it was a pain similar to the one I had while I was in the hospital. Bruning went down to the end of the road this evening, bought me some sandwiches and we went to bed early. January 6, 1918:—We had an inspection of quarters this morning and this afternoon I did some washing. We were also forbidden to speak or give anything to any of the German prisoners here. These prisoners even take things out of the garbage cans around here. We went to one of the small French towns for our evening meal. The meal was ‘bum’. After we got back we sat around the fire for awhile and then went to bed. January 7, 1918:—We got up very early this morning and prepared to go out and fire but it was raining so hard that we could not fire. My left eye is hurting again this morning. I also have a pretty bad cold. We stayed inside all day but in the evening we went to a firing data school. Late in the evening it started to snow very hard. January 8, 1918:—This morning we all went to stables. We were there all morning and had a class on the care of horses. It has been snowing continually since last night. This afternoon we stayed inside and worked on the buzzer and the code. It is very miserable out doors. During the evening we had a school with Capt. Miller. January 9, 1918:—We got up early this morning and went out to fire. We were out until about 11:45. This afternoon we went out with the Captain and had some work on plotting. Also some work on locating positions. We then worked a little on the instrument. During the evening we had another class on firing data. The weather is very cold. January 10, 1918:—This morning we went to stables where we stayed until about 10:00. We then went to the gun park 24 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS where we had gun drill learning all of the different parts of the guns. This afternoon we stayed inside and had a class in firing data. The problems were on direct firing. During the evening we again had school with Capt. [Sidney S.] Miller. January 11, 1918:—This morning we fired, using as a prob- lem the data we had figured out during the firing on last Wednesday. We came in about 11:00 and during the after- noon had problems in firing data. During the evening we again had a class with the Captain. We get all the bread we can eat at our meals and what we have left over we take to the cantonment and toast. We always go down to the end of the road to buy jam of which there is plenty, and then before we go to bed we always have something to eat. The weather is very warm now, wet and muddy, but it has been very cold. I have had wet feet for three days now, but when we come in late in the evening we always change to dry clothes. I have a very bad cold in my chest and it is very annoying, I certainly hope it will be gone soon. Bud [Wilbur B.] Morgan and I have agreed to stop smoking for one week. Classes in firing data are taking all of our time. Our horses have been here for about three days. January 12, 1918:—We went to stables this morning. I groomed horses, carried hay and worked around the stables until noon. We came in for mess and went out to stables again at 1:30. We had equitation until about 3:00, then watered the horses and fed them. It has been raining all day and I was wet through. It is very wet and muddy. When I came in [Vernon] Kniptash, [Wilbur B.] Morgan, [Harold K.] Roberts and [William H.] Bruning were ready to do down to the end of the road so I went along. We had a pretty fair meal at a small cafe and then Roberts, Kniptash, and I, came back to camp. Bud Morgan and Bill Bruning came in about 1200%2 72, : January 13, 1918:—This morning [William H.] Bruning, [Wilbur B.] Morgan and I went down to stables to get single mounts as we were going with the Captain to plot some gun positions, but I did not go as all of the single mounts had been taken. We had an inspection this morning and we also received Red Cross bags. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 25 January 14, 1918:—During the morning we stayed in the cantonment and studied firing data. We ate mess at 10:30 and then went to the stables, got single mounts and went out to the gun position. We fired until 4:45 and then came in and put our horses away. I then ate mess, went to the can- tonment where I sat around until about 8:00 and then went to bed. January 15, 1918:—We prepared for an inspection this morning, to be made by officers from General Pershing’s staff. We hung around the cantonment all day long and they did not come, you can imagine our thoughts. During the afternoon I slipped out and stole some coal so that we could start a fire in our stove. During the latter part of the afternoon we went to a firing data school with the Captain. I did not go to mess because the weather was so miserable. It is very cold, rainy and muddy. Yesterday was one of the prettiest days I have seen since I have been over here. January 16, 1918:—This morning we stayed inside. It was very rainy and we thought that we were not going to get to fire. At noon it cleared up and we went out to the range mounted. We fired until 4:45 and then came in. During the evening we worked on some firing data the Captain had given us. We also received some mail this morning. I received my second letter from home today. I toasted some bread about 8:00, ate it, and went to bed about 9:00. | January 17, 1918:—I stayed in this morning and worked on firing data problems. This afternoon we went out to our new gun positions which are about five miles to the southwest of camp. We went out mounted. Bud Morgan and I shot in a traverse from an old mill and established our position. We got in about 5 P.M., ate mess and then went to a firing school. After school we plotted our gun position on a plotting board. I then came back to the cantonment and wrote let- ters until 12:00. January 18, 1918:—I stayed in the cantonment all day long. During the afternoon Bill Bruning and I worked on some problems (transporting fire). Today we drew from the Quartermaster saddle bags, bridle, spurs and feed bags. I went down to the stable after some flash lights I had left down 26 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS there. Wrote letters during the latter part of the afternoon, and went to bed rather early because we have to get up at 4 P.M. to go out to fire. January 19, 1918:—We got up at 3 A.M. instead of 4 A.M., ate mess, got the aiming circle stakes and our packs and were ready to leave for the gun positions at 5:00. [Harold K.] Roberts, [Wilbur B.] Morgan and I took a sack of bread and jam along for our noon meal. At 5:00 the telephone detail, Set. [Wilbur R.] Morgan, Sgt. [Richard M.] Bosson, [Harold K.] Roberts and I started for the range in the fourgon (our wagon for material). About-ten fellows rode with us. We proceeded through Guer to the gun position which is about six miles by this road. Our fourgon was drawn by four mules. [Edwin H.] Bassett rode the near lead mule and I rode the off mule. It was very dark and we were not allowed to have a light. It was sure a wild ride. We did all of the work we could do before the battery came, and then the tele- phone detail established communication to the observation post. Communication was very good. We observed from observation C which was hidden in the weeds. We fired at a range of 8,500 or 9,000 meters. As the battery came up we identified the positions for the different guns. [Bryant W.] Gillespie seemed to have a great many spectators and he got excited and rode his single mount into a briar bush. I can only remember seeing him fly into the air and light head first in the weeds. His horse was running, balking, kicking and snorting. We finally started firing and got the guns ad- justed after which we kept up a barrage fire. We fired until about 2:00 and then reeled in all of our wire and put all of our material on the fourgon. Noon food was brought out to the men by our cook wagon. We started back to camp about 4:00 and got back to camp about 5:30. I rode an off mule all the way back. I am certainly stiff now. We put our material away and went to bed at 7 P.M. very tired. January 20, 1918:—I stayed inside all morning. We had an. inspection after which I wrote some letters. I also re- ceived a little back mail today. After noon mess I straight- ened up my belongings as best I could. In the afternoon we went to stables. Several of us went to the end of the road and had a pretty fair meal at the cafe Belle Vue. The weather A SERGEANT’S DIARY 27 has been warm and very pleasant all day. I went to bed about 8:20. January 21, 1918:—I got up early this morning, built a fire and then went down to stables, as we always feed the horses before we have our breakfast. Directly after breakfast we again went down to stables and did not come back in until nearly 11:30. We have no tables, but there are great wide shelves built along the wall upon which we can place our plates, or rather mess pans. At 12:00 the whole regiment started on a hike. The detail men started out riding in the fourgon but later we had to walk. We started toward Guer but turned off and went through Plelan. At Plelan they turned and started back. When we got back we had to go to stables, and finally we got in to the kitchen and got our mess. The battery then went to the bath house as it was our bath day. The hike was a very interesting one, the country is very quaint yet very beautiful. Nearly every tree that one sees has been cut off, the branches being used for fire wood and brooms. Fences are all grown of hedge or holly, the houses are very dilapidated. It is certainly disgusting to see these French people living in the same house or barn, one can hardly tell which it is, with their cattle, chickens, etc. Small crosses and shrines can be seen along the roads. We also passed a French school house and all the small French chil- dren came out to see us pass, they gave us apples and all kinds of fruit. January 22, 1918:—We ate mess very early this morning and then Sgt. [Wilbur B.] Morgan, Cpl. [William H.] Brun- ing, Lieut. —————- Vallandingham and I went out mounted to locate a gun position. The battery came out about 9:30 and went into position. They fired until 11:45 and then ceased until 1:00. They then put up a barrage and I am still recording deflections. The horses were taken in to the camp for water and on the way in my horse became lame, conse- quently I rode back to camp on the fourgon. We got back in time for retreat at 4:30 and then Cpl. Bruning and I went down to the end of the road for a meal. Down there we met Set. [Richard M.] Bosson, Cpl. [John U.] Bosson, Cpl. [Leslie H.] Coleman, and we all had a good meal together. We all came back to the barracks at about 8:00 and went to bed pretty tired. 28 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS January 23, 1918:—I got up at 6 A.M. this morning and went to stables where I stayed until 9:00. I then came back to the cantonment and got ready to go ona hike. We started on our hike at 9:30 and went to the gun position that we occu- pied on Jan. 19th, there our work was inspected by Major [Solon J.] Carter. We then pulled out of our position and started back. We arrived at camp at 12:45, ate mess and then Cpl. Bruning, Lieut. Vallandingham and I went out to re- locate the gun position that we occupied on Jan. 22nd. We worked until it was so late and dark that we could no longer see to use the instrument and then we came back to camp. This morning on the hike we walked, but this afternoon we were mounted. We had a wild ride coming into camp this evening because it was so dark no one could see us and we put on some speed. After we got in we ate our mess. We had beans, bread, butter, sugar and coffee. After I had eaten I came back to the cantonment where I made our bed, Bruning and I sleep together. Bruning went to the gun park where he was going to have some night work with the aiming circle. Extended manoeuveres are very frequent. I went to bed about 7:00. January 24, 1918:—A single mount was assigned me this morning. At 9:00 I went out and located a new gun position. I escorted the fourgon in from the position and got in about 5:00. I then ate my mess, and received some mail. I got some real American matches from the Y.M.C.A. today. French matches are absolutely no good at all. I wrote letters the rest of the evening. January 25, 1918:—I was at stables all morning. This afternoon I went out with Lieut. Dunn and located a gun posi- tion for tomorrow. I wrote letters all evening. It is very dark, damp and dreary here in the cantonment tonight. January 26, 1918:—I spent practically all day at stables. We did take a short hike this morning with all of our mate- rial. I tried to ride a mule this morning but the old boy didn’t seem to want me to, so naturally I didn’t. Sorry to say that [William H.] Bruning went to the hospital this even- ing with a fever of 104. I think though that he will be out soon. Sgt. [Wilbur B.] Morgan and Sgt. [Bryant W.] Gillespie went to Rennes today. Many of the fellows went A SERGEANT’S DIARY 29 down to the end of the road this evening but I stayed in and wrote some letters. We always have to write our letters by candle light and it is very hard on one’s eyes. January 27, 1918:—I went to stables this morning and came in about 10:00 feeling very bad. I went to bed and stayed there until noon. During the afternoon I cleaned up my shoes and at retreat everyone was cautioned to keep clean. They also told us that Bruning had diphtheria, consequently our cantonment is under quarantine. That means that we go to the infirmary twice a day and have our throats painted. We have to keep out of the other cantonments but we do our work as usual. Ed Bassett and I went down to the aeroplane hangers today. and looked at one of the small French scout planes. We then went to a small French tavern where, after waiting about two hours after our order had been placed, we left in disgust. On the way back to camp I bought some new cord for my cigarette lighter. A little closer to camp I bought some jam and then Ed [Bassett] and I stopped at the Hotel Universe and had an omelet and some coffee. We then went to another little store where I bought some butter, figs, and a loaf of bread. After we got back we had to have our throats painted; we then went to bed. January 28, 1918:—The battery took a long hike this morn- ing. The detail was mounted on mules and acted as route markers. When we came in the men from our cantonment had to eat their mess on the outside because they would not permit the men from near Corporal Bruning’s bunk to eat with the rest. We all had our throats painted again this morning. This afternoon Captain [Miller] gave the detail equitation after which we groomed, watered and fed. We then came in and had a talk on equipment by Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift. All the men in our cantonment were then inocu- lated for diphtheria. I then came back and took a shave, toasted some bread, and then got ready for a reconnoitering trip tomorrow. January 29, 1918:—After eating mess this morning the detail went to stables, watered and fed the horses. We then got saddle and grain bags and harnessed our horses. We all took one sandwich along for our lunch. We started from the gun park at 8:15, all battery details in the regiment were 30 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS mounted. We passed through Guer about 9:00 and then con- tinued on until noon when we arrived at the top of a very large hill. This hill can be seen from camp. There hap- pened to be a small village near where we stopped and there we bought cider and apples to eat with our sandwiches. We also watered and fed our horses and rested until 12:45 and then continued on. At 2 P.M. we arrived at our destination. Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift sure took us on a wild ride going to our gun position. It certainly was a thrill. We laid out a gun position and at 3:00 we started back. On the way back I saw some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. At one time I could see three small villages and was looking at them from a height of nearly six hundred feet. The en- tire country seems to be covered with fir trees. Coming back we passed through Poncare and Montenque. All the way our horses were made to trot for ten minutes and then walk for fifteen. It seems very strange to see these French people use every little growth for fuel. Many oxen are used for plowing the fields, etc. I also noticed that many dogs were used, they are chained to a small cart and made to pull; and pull they surely do. At 4 P.M. we found ourselves directly behind observation posts K and F, very near to one of our old gun positions. From here we went across country to camp, jumping ditches and dodging branches as we went along. After we got in we groomed our horses a little, watered and fed them and came in to mess. After mess our fellows went over to the infirmary and had their throats looked at. I then came back to the cantonment, wrote a letter and went to bed at about 8:00. January 30, 1918:—At seven thirty this morning we left the gun park on another hike. All of the details were mounted. None of the batteries went out with us. We took grain for our horses and food for ourselves and went about nine miles out of camp. We went to the northeast of camp, and through St. Milo. After we got to our position we lo- cated it on the map and then plotted it on the plotting board. We stayed there until about 3:00 and then started back, ar- riving in camp about 4:50. The horses were then groomed, watered and fed. We then came in for mess. During the evening I wrote some letters and went to bed about 8:00. January 31, 1918:—We went out on another manoeuver A SERGEANT’S DIARY 31 mounted, today. We went about ten miles through St. Milo [Malo] again. After reaching our destination we established our gun position which took us until noon. The horses were watered and fed, we ate our lunch and then went out on some sector sketching work. We were out until 4:00. On our way back to camp we got lost and did not get in until 5:10. We groomed and watered our horses; the stable men fed them, and then we came in for mess. After mess we mustered for pay. We received a little mail and after I had read mine I sat down and wrote some letters. I went to bed at 8:00. February 1, 1918:—We went to stables the first thing this morning and then to the gun park. The battery went out and fired until 11:00. After I had eaten my mess, [Wilbur B.] Morgan and I went out toward observation post B where we located a new gun position by the ‘three point method’ with the plotting board. We came in about 4:00 and I then built a bench around our little corner table and wrote some letters. February 2, 1918:—Got up pretty early this morning and went out to the range on the fourgon which followed the bat- tery. We fired until 11:30 and then came in and ate mess. I sat around a little while and then went down to stables. There I cleaned my saddle and bridle and oiled them. At four o’clock we came in to mess. We are having reveille at 5:00 and retreat at 5:30 now. So we eat our mess first and then stand retreat. After I had heated some water and cleaned up a bit I sat down to write some letters. Bryant Gillespie came over to use our desk to write his girl, Florida, a letter. I had a little to eat and then went to bed. February 3, 1918:—Went to stables this morning and stayed there until 9:30. I then came in and cleaned a pair of shoes for an inspection at 2:00 this afternoon. Directly after mess Cpl. Leslie H. Coleman and I finished the bench around our little corner desk. Inspection did not come and I sat around and smoked nearly all afternoon. We were told that we should report to school tomorrow afternoon for gas mask instruction. I also straightened up my kit bag this afternoon. Today the sun has been shining bright and the weather has been very much pleasanter than it has been for a long time. February 4, 1918:—We were up at 5:00 and went to stables 32 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS and got our single mounts. We started from the gun park at 7:00 and went to the southeast of camp. We established a position and finally started back. We were by ourselves and got lost. Not until 1:00 P.M. did we find our way back to camp, where we arrived at about 2:00. We put our horses away and came in for mess. Directly after mess we went to gas school which lasted until 5:00. We then came back and ate mess and went to a Non Coms school where we were told how we would leave for the front. It certainly sounds good????. I received 29 letters that had been forwarded to the hospital. I read all of them and then went to bed with a headache! February 5, 1918:—I got up at 4:30 this morning, got my single mount and left the gun park at 7:00. We went through Beignon and went into position. We were to have aerial ob- servation but it rained all day, so ‘March Order’ was given and we came in. I was wet to the skin and very cold. We got in about 11:30. I didn’t have time to change my wet clothes, but went up to eat mess and then came back to the canton- ment and took a smoke. At 1:00 the whole battery lined up and went to a gas mask lecture. After we came back Ed Bassett, Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff and I went out to locate a posi- tion. The rest of the battery went to stables. We estab- lished a position directly in front of observation B. We got in about 4:00, watered our mounts and I came in. Bassett stayed at stables. After I had eaten mess and stood retreat I took the plotting board over to Lieut. Knaff’s quarters. After we had finished our work I came back to the canton- ment took a shave and washed up. I then wrote some let- ters and went to bed about 8:30. [William H.] Bruning came back from the hospital this evening. February 6, 1918:—I was up early this morning and went out with the battery to the range where we intended to fire shrapnel, but it was so rainy, wet, and foggy that we came in about 10:00. I then washed some clothes, which took me until noon. I then ate mess and again went out to the gun position in the fourgon. We fired until 2:00 and then came in. After I had gotten in I found that I was on stable guard so I ate mess, collected my guard and went down to stables. There I made my bed in the hay. I sat around talking with A SERGEANT’S DIARY 33 Cpl. [Gordon E.] Miller who is in charge of stables, and saddler [Herman R.] Armstrong until 8:30 and then went to bed. It is still very rainy and wet. I might mention that this guard is a very informal one, the men take their posts and relieve one another. February 7, 1918:—I got up at 5:00 this morning and saw that all of the feeding was done. I then came up and ate mess. I went back to stables again where I stayed until noon. At 11:00 we fed the horses, it being so far to walk for mess we did not come in but stayed at stables until 5:00, when we were relieved. After I came in I ate a little mess but it was not very good and I did not eat very much. I did get [Edgar] Syrus to buy some bread, butter, jam and dates down at the end of the road, which I ate before going to bed. February 8, 1918:—This morning the battery lined up and went to a low sod house in the rear of observation post O. There we put on our gas masks and went through a very low underground passage which contained chlorine gas. We stayed in this place about five minutes. The gas was very strong. One could see the greenish vapor in the air of the passage. We were made to test for gas by removing our nose clips and then we filed on out. We then came back to the cantonment where I helped to load harness. All of our harness is being packed and we will probably leave for the front before long. All of the officers from our regiment who had been sent up to the front are back now. The weather is still very bad and we wear boots most of the time. After eating my noon mess which consisted of bread, butter and jam I did a little washing in our corner by the stove. I then went with Set. [Wilbur B.] Morgan to the blacksmith shop where we did a little repairing on the fourgon. We are getting it ready to go to the front. We got back after mess time but we did get a little food; the rest of the evening I spent writ- ing letters. I am certainly getting so that I don’t care for mud or any other kind of dirt. In fact we often go for two days without washing our faces. February 9, 1918:—This morning we got up early and went to stables under full pack. We were at stables until 9:30 when we went to the gun park and had a mounted inspection. 8—22902 34 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS We then came in and at 11:00 we were paid. After noon mess we started to pack the fourgon and we worked the rest of the afternoon, getting it ready to move. We then stood retreat where we were told to pack our ditty bags and wear our steel helmets from now on. After retreat [Edwin H.] Bassett, [William H.] Bruning and I went down to the end of the road where Bassett and I bought some high top shoes. We paid 140 francs for them.. We then went to the Belle Vue, had a meal and came back to camp. I packed my ditty bag, oiled my shoes and turned in some old clothes and then went to bed. My feet are always wet now because my rubber boots leak very much. We think we will leave for the front Mon- day, or at least some time next week. February 10, 1918:—This morning Cpl. [William J.] Shine and myself took a detail of twenty men and went down to the station at the end of the road where we unloaded two car loads of oats, two car loads of wood and twenty car loads of hay. At noon Cpl. Shine and myself went to the hotel at the end of the road and had a good meal. At 4:45 we went back to camp. I wrote a few letters and then went to bed. February 11, 1918:—This morning we went to stables until 9:00 and then went to a military funeral.t A Sergeant had been accidentally shot and killed. The band went first, fol- lowed by a caisson carrying the body. The caisson was cov- ered with an American flag, and was drawn by six black horses. Following the caisson was a group of officers all in formation and after them came the batteries of the regiment. Three volleys were fired over his grave and then ‘taps’ was sounded. We then went back to camp. The cemetery is out near the range in a pine grove. After we had eaten noon mess we went down to stables. We were only there about ten minutes when we were sent back to our cantonments and told to put our ditty bags at the foot of our cots ready to be shipped. We then went back to stables and while the horses were being groomed I filed two one half franc pieces to make rouls in my new spurs. When we came in our ditty bags were gone. I ate my mess and then put my new shoes on just to try them out. During the evening I wrote some letters (1) Sgt. Kent Stephenson Ritchie, of Indianapolis. Accidently shot February 9, 1918, at Camp Coctquidan, France, Buried in Camp Coctquidan Cemetery. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 35 and went to bed early. We now think we will leave on Fri- day or Saturday. February 12, 1918:—This morning we had pistol practice at the pistol range. After all of the non-coms and privates who carry pistols had fired, the officers took all men with a score over forty out of a possible fifty, and put them in a com- petition match. I came out fourth. We then came in and had our noon meal after which I went to bed and slept until 4:30. Roberts and I went to a small cafe far behind our stables for our evening meal. After we had eaten our meal we met [Rogers H.] ‘Pug’ George and Bryant Gillespie who were also going to have a meal in the little cafe. So back we went with them. We had no more than sat down when two M.P’s. came in and chased us back to camp. All passes even to the end of the road had been revoked. We then came back to the cantonment. ‘Pug’ George and Bryant Gillespie ate some toast bread and jam that [Harold K.] Roberts and I had bought. During the short while we sat in the cafe with ‘Pug’ and Bryant I believe I heard at least seven champagne bottles pop. The weather is still very miserable. We sat around our stove in the corner until about 8:00, and then went to bed. February 18, 1918:—This morning I stayed in to see that the cantonment was properly policed. All the rest of the men went to stables. Sgt. Morgan and I then worked on two large chests that we were putting in the fourgon. After mess we lined up with the battery and went out for gas mask drill. For some unknown reason, because never before has it hap- pened, they sent the detail in and the telephone detail worked on projectors while Sgt. Morgan, Bruning and I worked with the range finder. Vernon Kniptash, [W. Prescott] Hill; [Edward P.] Mooney, and [Major P:.] Harrison were trans- ferred to Headquarters Co. a few days ago, as wireless oper- ators. At about 4:30 I went up to the little ‘White’ store behind officers quarters and bought some food. I then came back to the cantonment and ate a little. After retreat Gillespie, Morgan, Roberts, Bruning, Dick Bosson and I sat around the fire in our end of the cantonment. This same bunch generally holds a little session every night around the fire. At 6:30 all of the non-coms had a meeting in the first sergeant’s canton- ment. We were told about our entraining for the front and 36 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS that we would have to hike in full pack tomorrow. I then wrote letters and went to bed pretty early. February. 14, 1918:—This morning the whole battery went out on a mounted hike. For a wonder the detail was per- mitted to ride all of the way in the fourgon. After we had been in and eaten mess Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter gave the instrument detail a problem running a traverse. It took Set. Morgan, Bruning and myself until 5:00 to finish it up. We then came in, ate our mess and plotted the traverse on the plotting board. Trotter gave us another problem to do for tomorrow. About 8:00 we ate a little lunch and went to bed rather early. February 15, 1918:—This morning the whole battery went down to stables and washed harness. I came in early and put a new pole in the fourgon because we broke one going across a ditch near the Q.M. This afternoon Bruning and I went out with only the plotting board and aledade and located a position. This took us until 4:00, we came in, ate our mess, stood retreat and then Bruning and I made a cross section from the point we established this afternoon, to Beignon on the map. I then went over to the Y.M.C.A. and bought some candy and cakes for Bruning and Morgan. I have been ‘broke’ ever since I bought my new shoes. Hence I feed on Bruning and Morgan. Went to bed at 7:30. February 16, 1918:—This morning the whole battery went on a long hike all in full marching order. The hike was a short one but the non-coms of the detail got to ride in the fourgon. We got back about 10:15 and from then on until noon I cleaned up my new shoes. Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trot- ter came in and told us a little about the few months he spent on the front. JI ate mess and at 1:30 the detail went out with the projectors to practice some new signaling for latteral ob- servation. Bruning got up this new set of signals. ‘Pug’ [Rogers H.] George and I came in about 4:00 because we had to go on guard (stable guard) at 5:00. After we had eaten our mess we went down to stables, made our beds, not much hay; and sat down to talk a little. I went to bed very early and it was very cold. February 17, 1918:—I got up at 6:30 checked my guard A SERGEANT’S DIARY 37 and then came up to mess. I put on my high shoes and then went back to stables. We were relieved at 5:00 and then I came in for mess. I got two biscuits, a cup of coffee and some butter. [Bryant W.] Gillespie had some eggs and Set. Morgan had some bread, so we made poached eggs and toasted bread. I also had some cigarettes so we made out pretty well. After we had eaten, [Harold K.] Roberts and [Bryant W.] Gillespie tried to put on some harmony, the rest of us sat around the fire talking about home and smoking until bed time. February 18, 1918:—This morning the whole battery went to stables. After they had finished watering and grooming they washed harness. This work was not finished until noon. We then came in and had nothing to do until 2:00. Part of the detail then went out on projector practice, part went to stables and Set. Morgan and I went out and located a posi- tion by the three point method. We watched a French air- man for a little while, and then went to an old quarry and tried our pistols on a steel helmet. Our other hats were packed away in our ditty bags. We found out that these steel helmets hold up pretty well under pistol fire at twenty yards. When we came in we found mail awaiting us. We were sure glad as we expect to leave next Thursday. We then ate mess after which I went to the Y.M.C.A. with Bill Bruning. There we bought some chocolate and canned fruit. We then came back to the cantonment where I took a shave and then went to bed. February 19, 1918:—At 12:00 we ate mess and then the battery went out on equitation. Bruning, [Fred W.] Turner and I went out and ran a traverse from behind officers quar- ters down to the aviation field. We watched the aviator go up and make one landing and then we checked our traverse by the three point method. While we were out we stopped in a French home and bought sixteen eggs and then came in. Bruning and I poached some eggs and made some milk toast for our evening meal. After we stood retreat [Harold K.] Roberts, [Bryant W.] Gillespie, [William H.] Bruning, [Wil- bur B.] Morgan and myself crummed some hardtack and used it on tenderloins that Roberts had stolen somewhere. We sure had a fine feed. Ed Bassett had two cans of baked beans 38 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS and stole a loaf of bread, then we scraped up sugar, canned milk and chocolate and made a bucket of hot chocolate. I supplied the cigarettes and a little later we were all a little drowsy from too much to eat. Bruning and I then went to bed. Tonight will probably be the last whole night’s sleep we get before starting for the front. February 20, 1918:—This morning most of the battery went to stables. Sgts. Morgan, Bosson and I packed the fourgon. We had to throw all of the boxes in which we kept our per- sonal junk, away. We also cleaned up around the canton- ment, tore all the shelves down that we had built for our own use, and then went over to the bath house which was open and took a bath. We are to leave tomorrow morning early. After noon mess we packed some more stuff in the fourgon. At about three we finished our work and then I lay down until five for a little nap. Bruning and I made milk toast for our evening meal. After we had come back to the cantonment trom retreat we policed the place from one end to the other again. We then sat around until 7:00, when we started to pack our slicker rolls and packs. I put chocolate, nabiscos, sardines, hard tack and a can of tobacco in my pack. We finished packing about 8:30 and then Bruning and I went to bed. In the morning when we get up I will have only my blanket roll to make. We are supposed to get up at 1:15, take pieces, caissons, battery wagons, fourgon and all bat- tery property to Guer. We are to leave Guer at about 6:00 for the front. CHAPTER III THE LORRAINE FRONT February 21, 1918:—At 1:15 this morning we got up, had mess and started our work. The drivers went to stables and the cannoniers went to the gun park. The machine gun squad and the detail stayed in and made a complete police of camp. I helped to load the fourgon. At 4:45 the battery pulled out toward Guer, we arrived there at about 6:00. The men car- ried all of their belongings and their packs. From the time we arrived there it was WoRK. All of the horses were loaded into box cars and all of our battery wagons, pieces and cais- sons were loaded on flat cars. The men after they had fin- ished all of their work went to their cars; 40 men in one car and we could hardly turn around, not mentioning the fact that we were supposed to sleep in these cars. I bought a few apples to eat while on the train and then sat down to rest before we started. The cars that the men are in are prac- tically the same as those in which the horses are, and there are eight horses in a car. The B.C. detail is in a car to it- self. At about 9:40 we ate mess and at 10:00 we pulled out of Guer. The fellows have all brought a great deal of food along and so I don’t think we will go hungry. It was rain- ing when we left Guer but now the sun is out very bright, it is still pretty cool though. We are now rolling through France toward the front. Many of the peasants are along the track to see us pass. We all have our overcoats on and are sitting in the wide doors of the car watching the scenery. We went through Maure at 10:35 and through Messac at 11:10, through Plechatel at 11:40, Guichen at 11:55, Bruz at 12:45. We passed through some very pretty country, and very hilly. There were many stone quarries through this country in which very many German prisoners were working. At 1:00 we arrived in Rennes. There we stopped until 1:30. I have noticed that all of the railroad crossings are taken care of by women. At 1:40 we passed through Noyal, Servon at 2:00, Chateaubourg at 2:10, Les Lacs at 2:20, Vitre at 2:45, Port Brillet at 3:10, Le Genest at 3:30, and stopped in Laval at 4:30. We stayed in Laval at the station until 5:45 where (39) 40 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS we were given something to eat and then our train started out again. It was dark before 6:30 and so we all made our beds and crawled between our blankets early. Just before we pulled out of Guer they added four extra cars, so now we are not so crowded. February 22, 1918:—Last night we went through Le Mans and Chartres. We got up at 9:00 and had bread and jam for breakfast as the train had not stopped. Of course we had no chance to wash ourselves before eating for there certainly are no accommodations in these box cars. While we were eating the train stopped and we were given our food which consisted of bread, meat, cold baked beans and jam. We were given coffee by the French Red Cross women but it was no good. At9:45 we started on, and at 10:00 we were all in bed again because it was so cold. The thought of missing all of the scenery soon got us out of bed again and we spent most of the rest of the day in the car door. We went through Boissy, Brie-Comte Robert, Verneiul and Mormant before noon. The sun is not shining today and the wind is very sharp, one can feel it a great deal while standing in the open door of one of these cars. The many hedges that we saw around Camp Coctquidan have given way to large trees, the fields are also very much larger. We can easily imagine the country as sunny France. We crossed the Seine River and were only about fifteen minutes run from Paris at noon today. We could easily see the Eiffel Tower from our car door. At 12:05 we went through Nangis. The country looks very much more prosperous and the railroads are very much better. We saw a great many American locomotives and some very large railroad yards in Choisy. The buildings are very much bet- ter built and they are really very pretty. We stopped at Longueville at 12:40, a very attractive little village. I no- ticed that the houses are comparatively new. 'There we ate a little of the food we had brought along and at 1:15 we again started on. At 2:20 we went through Romilly and at 6:00 we stopped at Troyes. When we pulled out of Troyes Jim Fisher our barber, was left behind. The last I saw of him he was standing in the door of a cafe trying to buy something to drink. After leaving Troyes we passed many French ar- tillery schools. We went to bed about 8:00. A SERGEANT’S DIARY Al February 23, 1918:—We got up about 7:00 this morning and had bread and jam and sardines for breakfast. We saw many French and Algerian soldiers along the road. We ar- rived in Blainville at 8:25 and stopped for one half hour. The fellows all made their packs preparatory to getting off. After we had left Blainville we rode for about a half hour and then came into Rambervillers where we got off. All of the materiél was unloaded and the horses taken out of the ears. Many of the people of the village were out to see us unload. We had mess before we started on our hike for the front. Believe me it was some hike. We can now hear the guns booming and we passed through very many small villages that were pretty well shot up. We found to our surprise that most of these villages were occupied by English, French and Algerian troops. It was about 5:00 when we finally arrived in the small torn up village of Menarmont which were our billets. We immediately unhitched, watered and fed the horses. The wagons, pieces, caissons and kitchen was left standing in the street. We ate mess and then went to our quarters which are on the second floor, or rather loft, of a barn. It is a very musty old barn and not at all comfortable. It is also very cold. They say that about every night the place is bombarded by aeroplane. I am now going to bed very tired, cold and not caring for air raid or anything else. The rest of the battery is sleeping in other torn down houses throughout the village. It is now 8:00. February 24, 1918:—We got up at 5:45, stood reveille and then ate mess. I then washed my hands and face for the first time since we left Guer. Looking at this village during the day certainly shows that it has been under shell fire at one time or other. [Cpl. William H.] Bruning and I then made a complete map of the village for the Captain. We then straightened up our quarters and then ate noon mess. The horses are kept in the barn directly under where we sleep. This afternoon the battery cleaned up things in general, harness was washed and the horses were gone over again. During the afternoon the Captain called all of the non-coms to a meeting and we were given our instructions. Non-coms are now to be quartered separate from the privates. After the meeting Bruning and I took a walk around the village just 42, INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS to look things over. Our food is pretty fair and the weather today has been a great deal better. One battery of French 75s went through here today going toward the front. I went to bed about 6:45. February 25, 1918:—This morning while the drivers went to the stables, the detail and the cannoniers went out on a hike about four miles. We looked at some gun pits that had been used during the early part of the war. We then had some drill in manual of arms, after which we came in. This afternoon the detail had some wigwag and projector practice. At noon I went on guard. There are always three Corporals of the guard, so we flipped a coin to see which would get the best eight hour shift. I happened to be the lucky one and I am through at 8:00. I covered a big hole in a window with some old horse blankets and then made my bed. It is rainy and very cold out doors; and I have had wet feet for so long now that I will not know how to act when I get good and dry again. One can not dry a thing by hanging it up because the longer it hangs the damper it gets. This country cer- tainly has miserable weather. February 26, 1918:—At 3 A.M. we were awakened by the bugle and we got up only to find that we were going to move. We got all of our personal belongings together, packed the fourgon, ate mess and by 8:00 we were moving away from our little village toward the front. The entire battery started out in one long column but naturally some of the wagons got stuck because they were loaded very heavy and the roads were not any too good. Our ration wagon was one to get stuck so I took four men and went back to help out. We had to unload the entire wagon of rations, which consisted of beans, bacon, jam, hardtack, etc. An extra team was sent back from the battery and with their aid we finally got on our way again. We had not gone far when we came to another one of our wagons that was fast and we helped them out, so the two wagons moved along far in the rear of the battery. We passed through many little villages that were complete ruins, and at noon we stopped in one of these vil- lages to eat our mess. Being on the ration wagon we ate heartily. During that time we saw two French planes far up in the air. About 1:00 we started on again. We saw some A SERGEANT’S DIARY 43 very beautiful scenery along the road. We could also see several observation balloons which were up near the front. Many planes were flying about. About 2:00 in the afternoon we saw a German plane being fired on by French anti-aircraft guns. The German plane had been in battle with a French plane. We went through Baccarat at about 4:00 and at 4:30 we caught up with the battery. We then stopped and ate mess and at 5:00 started on. All of our pieces, caissons, and battery wagons were pulled up into a large pine woods. Sev- eral of our large wagons got stuck while trying to pull through the mud to get up into the large woods. One of our large char-de-parcs tipped over and of course it took a very long while for the men to get it up and bring it to where the rest of the wagons were parked. I helped dig the mud away from the wheels but that got too tiresome and I left about 11:00 and went up to the woods where the fellows were putting up a picket line. After everything had been put in order we got our packs and started toward our sleeping place for the night. We walked about one-half mile to some cantonments or rather old barns. Lofts had been built in one half of the barn and sleeping places had been partitioned off. These separate places for each man were filled with hay, and after we had unrolled our blanket rolls and made our beds the place took on a rather comfortable aspect. Everything is very well camouflaged, even the buildings are painted so as to resemble banks of green grass and blend in with the rest of the surroundings. We can hear batteries of French 75s going along the main road toward the front and they say that we are within rifle shot of the front. I am rather disappointed because we can hear only an occasional shot and things do not seem at all lively. We all went to bed about 12:30 and took nothing off except our shoes. During the day the sun shone very bright but about 8:00 it started to snow and now it is very cold and miserable out of doors. February 27, 1918:—We got up at 6:00, had mess, and then went over to the stables where we took care of the horses and then our detail unpacked the fourgon. It is very rainy and cold. Yesterday’s trip was a very trying one and most of the fellows are not feeling very full of ‘pep’ this morning. We could hear some of the guns on the front last night after we had gone to bed. They sounded just like thunder. Our guns AA INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS were pulled into position last night. Several of our battery wagons that had gotten stuck last night were pulled out this morning. This morning the telephone detail started to string wire from the picket line to the battery office and then from the battery office to the gun position which is about three miles from our quarters. The cannoniers were out to the gun posi- tion to start work on the dug-outs. About 4:30 we got com- munication established. I had nothing to do so I helped the telephone detail string their wire. I looked over the dug-outs which are being enlarged and they surely look like they will be very comfortable when they are finished. During the night we can go outside and see the guns flash. My feet are very wet and I will not get to take my clothes off tonight because it is too cold. I have not had a chance to wash my face or hands since we left our billets in the little village of Menar- mont. I certainly do feel very dirty. It is now 7:30, I am going out and watch the guns flash for a while and then go to bed. February 28, 1918:—This morning we had reveille at 5:15. We stood roll call in a pouring rain, in fact half sleet and very cold. My shoes did not dry last night in spite of the fact that I filled them with oats; you can imagine just how comfortable I feel. All of the men went to stables this morn- ing and a place more muddy than this pine woods in which our horses are kept can not be found I am sure. I stayed in our barn instead of going down to stables because I was so very tired. About 11:00 I went over to the fourgon and got the aiming circle for Sgt. [Wilbur B.] Morgan. He took the aiming circle out to the gun position. We wear our rain-coats over our overcoats and I have been wet for so long that I will hardly feel right again when I get dry clothes on. Our food is not at all good. Nearly every meal consists of hard-tack, ‘corned willie’ and strong coffee with no sugar or cream. The boys are very disgusted. We can always hear the guns on the front but there does not seem to be a very great deal of fighting. This afternoon I told a regular lie so that I could stay in and wash and shave. The first shave I had had since leaving the little village. We have not had a fire either to get warm by or to dry clothes by since we left Guer. I did not go over to mess because I was so tired, and at 6:00 [Ed- win H.] Bassett, [William H.] Bruning and I went to bed. A SERGEANT’S DIARY A5 March 1, 1918:—My shoes were so wet this morning that I could hardly get them on. It has been snowing since 12:00 last night. I don’t believe any one of the fellows have had a chance to write home since we left Guer. When we do get a few minutes off we usually lie down and go to sleep. I went to stables this morning and such a mud hole I have never seen in all my life. I did not stay there very long however, be- cause my feet were so wet and cold I could not stand it any longer. This certainly is h and I don’t believe the fel- lows can hold out very much longer. We are made to stay on the board walks and roads all of the time so as not to make new tracks that could be photographed from an aero- plane. Our cooks have to work all night because we have men who work all night and come in any time during the night; they must at least have a cup of hot coffee when they come in. One never has any rest and we haven’t time to think of mail from home. After I got in from stables I hunted up my old boots and stole a new pair of socks. I then lay down and slept until 4:00. When I got up I ate mess and then went out to the gun position in charge of a squad of drivers to finish digging on the dug-outs. We worked out there until 9:45 and during that time we heard a very good ten minute barrage on the front. We could very easily see many of the star shells*which are sent into the air to light up ‘No Man’s Land’ during a battle. We then walked in to the canton- ments where we had a cup of hot coffee and then went to bed. Four shells lit on Baccarat during the night. March 2, 1918:—We were allowed to sleep until 6:30 this morning and when we got up it was the same old story; put on your old wet clothes, because there is absolutely no place to dry them. For our meals we are still having hardtack, ‘corned willie’ and black coffee. All of us then went to stables where we groomed the horses and they were sure full of mud. While down there we ran into a number of French and Italian soldiers and we had quite a time talking to them. Last night while we were at the gun position we saw three French bat- teries of 75s going toward the front. These batteries were followed by many wagon loads of ammunition. The French are also putting in three batteries of 270 (Mil) guns quite near us. The Italian soldiers that are around here are the Italian soldiers who took part in the Italian defense against 46 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS the Germans in 1917. At stables our picket line must be moved every day because there is so very much mud. Dzi- rectly after noon mess the men again went to stables, but were allowed to come in at 2:30. I tried to sleep but the French 75s were putting over a barrage and there was too much noise. On the way in I noticed that there were a great many 105s going into position quite near our cantonment. All of these 105 batteries were French. I also noticed that these French did not stay up all night to get their dugouts made, but were letting it go until the next day. I went to bed about 10:30. March 8, 1918:—I could have slept until 7:00 this morning but I decided that I would like to be at the guns so I got up at 5:15 and went out to the gun position with the cannoniers. I helped camouflage all day long. The rest of the fellows were putting the wooden frame work in the dugouts. We all - had to run into the dugouts once today when we sighted an aeroplane but nothing. happened. The fellows nearly went wild today at noon when we were given beef hot out of the can and bread instead of ‘corned willie.’ During the after- noon we all gathered more brush and grass and completed the camouflaging. I took a notion about 2:00 to take a little walk so I went far up in front of the battery and sat down behind a bush. I happened to have some letters in my pocket that I had received from home and I read all of those over and also looked at some pictures that I had along. I then gath- ered an arm load of grass and went back to the battery. At 5:00 we started in to our cantonments and believe me it was all we could do to walk back in we were so tired. We went to mess aS soon as we got in and directly after mess I went to bed. March 4, 1918:—Set. [Wilbur B.] Morgan and I started out to run a traverse from Montigny to a new gun position we had established. We finished our work about 11:00 and it sure was a mean job because it had been snowing hard and it was very cold. We were up in the third line trenches and we could easily see the effects of shelling through this part of the country. The French have little narrow gauge rail- roads running through all of these pine woods, going toward the front. These railroads are the means by which the men in the front lines receive their supplies. The country up A SERGEANT’S DIARY AT around here is completely covered with barbed wire entangle- ments. We also saw a French anti-aircraft battery. March 5, 1918:—Last night the French put on an awful barrage. The beds that we were sleeping in shook as though they were going to cave in and the noise reminded one of a very fierce thunder storm. It lasted about one-half hour. I got up at 6:30 and I’ll say I never slept colder in all my life. I went over my guard and watched to see that the food for the horses was gotten ready. I then went over and had my breakfast. Our food supply came in last night and now we are feeding well. I then came back to stables and during the morning I saw five German planes. All of them were fired on by French anti-aircraft guns and I would say that I could see at least fifty of these little puffs of smoke, from the burst- ing air-craft shells, in the air at one time. We picked up several pieces of the shrapnel from these bursting shells and they were still warm. The 151st F.A. has fired a little dur- ing the past few days and we heard that some of the Minne- sota boys had been injured from German shell fire. March 6, 1918:—After stealing a pair of socks this morn- ing I went over and had mess. After breakfast Cpl. [William H.] Bruning and I went over to the little room that is occu- _ pied by the Sergeants. We cleaned instruments all morn- ing, or rather we closed the door and kept out of work. About two o’clock I went over to the barracks and organized my bunk. When I came out again I was surprised to see the old group of fellows who had left us at Camp Mills, Long Island, here ready to go on a horse detail. They were all out on the road and had just arrived from the coast. They were cer- tainly glad to see all of we fellows again. Their voyage across was far more unpleasant than ours. We then ate mess and about 1:00 had a gas mask inspection because we fully expect a gas attack tonight. We have about seven hundred gas shells at the battery and I think that they will fire them tonight. We have to wear our gas masks in an alert position all of the time and have them within easy reach when we go to bed. Sets. [Wilbur B.] Morgan and [Richard M.] Bosson went up to the front line trenches today and they said that the H.E. [high explosive] shells were bursting all around them while they were there. We got mail tonight and I got only four 48 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS letters. I am now going to bed fully expecting a shelling or a gas attack sometime before I get up. March 7, 1918:—We had our respirators near us all night but no gas alarm was sounded. After I had stood reveille and ate mess I went over to Sgt. Morgan’s quarters where we looked over a map which showed all of our positions, etc. This front around us has been a very quiet sector for the past two years but now it is beginning to liven up a bit. Sgt. Morgan said that‘ No Man’s Land’ was completely covered with barbed wire. He said that he also saw several Germans walk- ing around back of the German trenches. He also saw an American sentry killed while on post. Our signal for a gas - attack here at the billets is the sounding of a large empty 75 shell which is made of brass and which makes plenty of noise. About noon there was a call for Morgan, Bruning and myself to go directly out to the gun position. We immediately got our single mounts and hurried to the gun position. I had the honor of laying off the azmuth and giving the guns their deflection; the first time I had ever done this in actual firing. Set. [Bryant W.] Gillespie’s section fired the first ten rounds at three o’clock. Wilbur Berauer fired the first shot fired by Battery A against the Germans. We fired on a machine gun position and [Sgt. Wilbur B.] Morgan, [Cpl. William H.] Bruning, [Lt. Clarence E.] Trotter and the Captain [Sidney S. Miller] were observing from the first line trenches. Fir- ing is getting to be rather common and tonight the bursts are so close that the concussion causes our beds to shake. March 8, 1918:—This morning after eating mess Bruning and I went to the Sergeant quarters to kill time. I wrote a few letters before it was time to eat noon mess. During the afternoon Bruning and I went to stables just to have some- thing to do. While we were wishing for something to do while at the stables we heard anti-aircraft bursts, and upon - looking we saw one of the prettiest battles between a French- man and a German that one could wish to see. The French airman’s machine gun would not work so he took flight and the German turned and went toward his own lines, followed by hundreds of anti-aircraft bursts. After retreat and mess Bruning, Bassett and I went about 100 yards above our can- tonments to look at a High Explosive shell crater. Mail came ‘qneiys “q towpy Aq ydeisojoyd ‘(qajord1oyUL UBIPeURD-YOUITY INO) YoLtopoy PUB UBUTETO) al[se']T ‘SUIWIG e0f ‘UOssog pxBYyIy ‘ULpUIe'T [[Essny ‘19}}0qd Jolla ‘UeUt ‘TOAOOFT UBITDEF :GUIIYIS LOO] [IeD ‘sewoyy, Ayo] ‘TQUIN], Pedy pur INO eq :Surpurjyg “jUoIF oy, UO TTY [IPN A SERGEANT’S DIARY 49 in and I helped to distribute it. I then read my own and then went to bed. March 9, 1918:—At 10:30 I went out to the guns and laid them out according to the dope the Captain had figured. I ate noon mess at the guns and at 1:05 we started to fire. We had two hundred rounds to fire by 6:05 in the evening and it was sure done in fine fashion. Our targets were communi- cation trenches, dug-outs and machine gun emplacements. Set. [Bryant W.] Gillespie’s section got two direct hits and Bruning said that things were sure torn up. After they had finished firing I came in to the battery echelon, had my mess and went to bed. March 10, 1918:—After noon mess Bruning and I cleaned up our saddles. About 1:30 a little mail came in, which I helped to distribute; I got one box out of the deal. After all of the mail had been given out they lined us up and took us to a portable French Red Cross bath house. The water was fine and ice cold which made it very pleasant! When we got back evening’ mess was ready, we had beans, bread, black coffee and bread pudding for our evening meal. We also moved our watches up one hour so as to have more daylight working hours. It seems very strange to see the men plow- ing and the women and children working in the fields in spite of the fact that they are in constant danger of being shelled by the Germans. I might mention that our battery position is a very modern one. Each section has a dug-out large enough to accommodate twelve men. The Captain has a dug- out which he shares with the Lieutenants of the battery. The battery machine gun is just to the left and a little in front of the guns. Each section has a separate gun pit and each gun pit is very well camouflaged. In the supply of ammunition that we now have there are (F.A. service shells), O.A. and gas shells. The report has come in to us that the 151st men while in an advanced position were gassed and as a result sev- eral of their men are in the hospital. Montigny was pretty well torn up night before last and during the time of the shelling several of the shells fell very close to our cantonment. Our communication was cut and today the boys had to go out and repair it. Things are running very much smoother now and the fellows are very much more satisfied. The weather is getting to be very pleasant. 4—22902 50 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS March 11, 1918:—This morning Bruning and I saw that the fourgon harness was washed and cleaned up. I also heard that there was another training camp to start the beginning of next month. After our noon mess, Cpl. [John U.] Bosson, four men and myself went out to cut poles to elevate our wires. I cut fifteen poles and it sure was good exercise. Quite a few ambulances have passed our cantonments today coming from the front. There must have been some pretty hot action on the front during the past twenty-four hours. After evening mess Bruning and I took a walk to Montigny and went to the Y.M.C.A. where we got some figs and choco- late and then came home. I smoked a last cigarette for the day, read a little in my Testament and then went to bed. March 12, 1918:—Just before we got up this morning the thunder of a French-German barrage was something awful. The whole battery with the exception of the drivers went out to the gun position. Part of our telephone detail started at building steps in the telephone dug-out. Sgt. [Wilbur B.] Morgan, Cpl. Bruning and I walked over to Hablainville to make a billeting sketch of the village. On our way to this village we noticed that many of the roads were blocked and signs had been posted stating that, “No passage allowed on this road during the day.” There were also guards stationed at these places to see that no one passed. Most of the roads are all camouflaged along the side toward the front, and some of them are even camouflaged over the top. Even this close to the front the women can be seen going about their farm work as though nothing unusual was happening. We are be- tween one and one-half miles and two miles from the German front lines. All of these little French villages are full of ‘French soldiers. After we had finished our map we ate our mess with the 117th Engineers who are billeted in this village. The 117th Engineers are from California. We then started back toward the battery by the way of Vaxainville. We ar- rived at the battery at 4:30. March 138, 1918:—This morning Bruning and I went up on the hill just above our echelon and made a sector sketch of the surrounding country just for the practice of it. I then went up to the top of the hill in front of our battery and made another sector sketch. I can not write letters because they always think one is loafing if one writes at any other time A SERGEANT’S DIARY 51 than in the evening. Of course when we do write during the evening we have no other light than that of a candle. I saw another dandy air battle today. The German took flight upon the arrival of three other French planes. March 14, 1918:—About noon Bruning was ordered up to the observation post and I was ordered to report to the guns. Bruning and I now take forty-eight hour shifts at the guns. The battery fired during the afternoon using aerial observa- tion part of the time. About 3:10 the Germans started to fire on us and I'll say they were sure close and they sure made the dirt fly. We all went to our dug-outs and stayed there until they had finished firing at us. March 15, 1918:—I got up at 6:15 this morning not feel- ing very well because I slept cold all night. I got thirteen letters which I immediately read. By the time I had finished reading my letters it was time for noon mess. I went to evening mess with Set. Gillespie and while there we noticed that the shells were lighting not very far in front of the bat- tery. After mess Gillespie and I went to the telephone dug- out where a French signalman from the infantry was visiting. We talked for a long time with this Frenchman as he had some very interesting things to tell about the front. I finally went to Set. [Bryant W.] Gillespie’s dug-out and went to bed. March 16, 1918:—I was allowed to sleep until 7:15 this morning. After noon mess I slipped away from the echelon and went to a small pine woods where I sat down to write a few letters. While I was writing I heard the bursts of anti- aircraft guns and naturally I looked to see where the air battle was. All during the afternoon I saw several good bat- tles and when I came in I found out that [Charles] Julian Hoover had been hit on the head with a piece of falling shrap- nel. He is the first man to be wounded from our battery. March 17, 1918:—This morning when we stood reveille we were told that we would have a day of rest. All during the day I lay around, wrote a few letters and cleaned up my shoes. The French and Germans were good enough to stage several good air battles during the day. Out of all these battles I have never seen one plane come down. The Germans seem to be far superior in the air. We had a very good noon mess. 52 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS During the afternoon we heard very much shooting off to the east of our sector. After evening mess and retreat Bill [William J.] Shine and I started out to see something. On our way we met John Bosson and [Leslie H.] Coleman so the four of us walked as far toward the front as we could. Coleman and I had glasses and we sat for a long while watch- ing the bursts of German shells in a little French village about a half mile in front of us down in the valley. It was nearly dusk and a little hazy but still we could see very well. The batteries in the little village were also firing because we could see the flashes from their guns. Then as we were standing in a perfectly open field we heard a whistle and a s-s-s-s-s-s-S and then a bang. I knew just what it was but Bill Shine didn’t, and I can only remember seeing Bill’s white face with a very scared look on it as I was falling toward the ground to get out of the way of flying fragments. It was Bill’s first time to dodge a burst and he didn’t know what to do. Gee! but the dirt flew and the earth shook, but we all came out in one piece. Believe me from then on Bill knew just what to do. We all crawled into a wicker work trench nearby and there waited until eight shells had burst within 100 feet of us. I then crawled out to see just how large the holes were that these shells were making, but take it from me I was not long in crawling back to the trench toward the rear and finally came out on the road far away from the shelling and out of immediate danger. Upon my arrival at the cantonments I received the orders that I was to report to the gun position mounted in the morning at 8:30. I then went to bed. March 18, 1918:—Well today has been what I call a regu- lar day. I got my mount and reported at the gun position at 8:30. Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter, Sgt. [Richard M.] Bos- son, Pete [Clarence E.] Clift and I immediately left with a pair of glasses and the observation scope for the observation post, the name of which is Duval,—named in memory of a French major who had been killed near this spot. We rode within one mile of the post part of the way along a narrow gauge supply railroad. Nearly all of the way was through a very thick pine woods. After we had tied our horses very securely in this pine wood we followed a split board walk that had been built by the French, to the observation post. We then entered an underground passage which was all lined with A SERGEANT’S DIARY 53 timber and boards. We walked about one square through this dark passageway and finally entered a very small room. In the side of the room toward the front was a slit about as high in the wall as the level of one’s sight. It was about six inches wide and about six feet long. Through this slit we used our glasses to look over the German lines. We stayed there about three hours looking over a network of barbed wire entangle- ments and at the German lines. I was very anxious to see and I strained my eyes to get all that I could in view. I could see the little village of Domevre which is now in German hands; it lies practically in the very front lines of the Ger- mans. I also saw one German and his green uniform shown very bright in the sunshine. Shells were whistling over our heads almost continually both coming and going. At 12:00 we started back and then got to see the shells bursting and throwing the dirt from the road that leads into Montigny from the front. Of course we did not go through Montigny during this shelling but turned off and went through Mingue- ville. While we were eating evening mess we could hear the shells bursting about 14, of a mile in front of our battery and a little later we saw the boys of the 151st come running past our position as fast as they could run. They had been shelled and the bursting shells that we had heard while we were eat- ing had been lighting directly on their battery. After we had been told as much about the shelling as the 151st boys could tell us Cpl. [John M.] Skidmore,! Set. [Karl F.] Moore and I immediately started for the E Battery 151st position to see what we could. The shelling was practically all over, just a few odd shells were dropping here and there. We had gotten nearly to the battery when one of the E Battery Lieutenants came up to us; we naturally thought that he was going to keep us away from the place but to our surprise he was a ‘white man’, and he gave us permission to look around. The shells had damaged nearly all of their dug-outs and one of their pieces was put entirely out of action. While we were look- ing at the dug-outs some French soldiers who had also been looking at the damage came up to us and said that there was tear gas around the guns. None of us could smell it so we went down to where the guns were. We were only there for a few moments when we began to feel our eyes smarting, tears began to come to our eyes so we turned back. By the 1See p. 14. 54 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS time we had gotten a little distance from the battery we no- ticed that our eyes were very red and I think we were lucky to get away because we did not realize the danger at the time. All of the E Battery men were gone so we went back to our position and went to bed. I slept at the guns all night. March 19, 1918:—After mess this morning I cleaned up a bit and the rest of the day I played around the telephone dug- out. I read a little during the evening and went to bed about 10:30. March 20, 1918:—Last night and all during today the French Marines have been bringing in their large six inch rifles. They now have eleven of them in place and they cer- tainly have a great lot of ammunition. Their whole outfit is completely motorized. Bruning came out to relieve me this morning and was mounted so I rode his horse back to the echelon. I was then assigned a mount and full equipment for a long hike we are going to take. We think that we are going back to be motorized. I had no more than put my equipment away when Sgt. [Wilbur B.] Morgan came in and told me to get my mount. We both went up to the observation post with the Captain while the battery fired. We first went to the bat- tery where we met Perry Lesh. Perry had a phone and I _ took the head of the observation scope and we started for the front. We had to leave our horses in Montigny because shells were falling all around in front of us. We started to walk toward the observation post and we again took the route along the little tramway so as to get out of the way of the burst- ing shells. On our way up we had to drop to the ground about a dozen times to get out of the way of flying fragments. One time we heard a shell whiz over our heads and we all turned to see it light. We had turned just in time to see it go directly through the roof of a large stone barn. A large cloud of stone dust went into the air and the next moment the walls of the barn collapsed. They were shelling the road to Montigny. We had to walk about a mile and a half along this tramway to the village of Anslerville and believe me, the shells were flying over our heads all of the time. From Anslerville we had to walk stooped over until we got to the observation post. We stayed there until 6:00, the Captain was registering on an auxiliary target so that he could trans- A SERGEANT’S DIARY 55 port his fire during a barrage that we will put on tonight. At 6:20 our battery began to fire and continued for one hour and fifteen minutes. We then started back and had no trouble getting back because the shelling had stopped during the time that we were at the O.P. Perry and I went back to the can- tonments and between Montigny and our cantonments we no- ticed that a group of French dug-outs had been completely torn up during the shelling this afternoon. After put- ting away and feeding our horses we fed ourselves and then went to our quarters. There is a terrific barrage being put up by the batteries immediately around our cantonments and the noise is fierce. This firing is also drawing German fire very close to us. Went to bed at 10:00. March 21, 1918:—The battery has been fired on all day long but the Germans did not have quite the right range be- cause none of the bursts came close enough to do any dam- age. Our battery was returning the fire as fast as they could. Set. [Wilbur B.] Morgan took a little trip to Baccarat today so I waited until he returned and then went to bed. The men at the guns had a slight gas attack last night. March 22, 1918:—This morning I organized my belongings, preparatory to leaving at5 A.M. I then got a mount and went out to the guns to relieve [Cpl. William H.] Bruning. Just about noon the order came down to fire twenty rounds so I got the aiming circle out, laid the battery and we fired the rounds in good fashion. All of our instruments were then sent in to the echelon and the telephone dug-out was torn up. The guns are still laid in case of emergency. All of our tele- phone wires have been taken down and we are all ready to move. At six we ate mess and we had no more than finished when the Germans started to fire on us. We worked all of the time but were continually ducking High Explosive shells. All of the French had left their guns and we had to take to the dug-outs several times. Shells lit within thirty feet of our guns and dug-outs but we kept on working. Suddenly there came a gas alarm and all of us had to put on our gas masks. It was either tear or mustard gas, I do not know which. Ido know that we pulled the second and third pieces out of the pits onto the road with our gas masks on, and I’ll say it was mighty hot work. Finally the Captain declared 56 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS ‘All clear” and masks were taken off. The char-de-parc was brought up and loaded under fire and it was sure taken away in a hurry. The drivers then came up after the pieces and the shells started to light close, just over our heads across the road. The pieces were just out and I thought that I would stay for one last thrill when three shells lit in the road directly behind the last piece so I waited for a slack in the shelling and beat it. After we were well on our way I turned to take a last look at the position and to my surprise all of the weeds directly in front of the battery were on fire, started by an in- cendiary shell. When I got to our cantonments I finished packing the fourgon and then went to my quarters where I organized my junk for in the morning. I went to bed at 10:00 with all of my clothes on. CHAPTER IV A TRAINING SECTOR March 23, 1918:—This morning at 2:00 we were awakened and we immediately started to get things in order for the hike. We had just finished our breakfasts of bacon, gravy, bread and coffee when the Germans started to shell our billets. It is a wonder that no one was hit because shells lit all around us. Nota horse or any of the men were touched. We finally pulled out just as the day was beginning to dawn. Just after we were well under way Ed [Edwin F.] Coridan who had been drinking a little, staggered too close to the wheel of one of our pieces and was run over. He of course could not walk; so I helped to carry him to the side of the road. I took my knife and cut off his shoe and sock and then left him with a few of the men until an ambulance could pick him up. He was later taken to the hospital. We hiked about ten miles, through Baccarat, to the little village of Fontenoy where we are now billeted. Four of us non-coms are biileted on the second floor of a little French home. They say that this town is pro-German and I have heard a little German spoken here. About six this evening Headquarters and Supply pulled into this village. [Vernon] Kniptash was with them and of course we were all glad to see one another. Regimental brought the story in that during the day our gun position and our old cantonments were completely torn up by German fire. Knip [Vernon Kniptash] said that last night they had received over wireless a message stating that the Germans had started their great offensive extending from Luneville to the North Sea. It also stated that the Germans were battling in mass forma- tion and that as a result the French and English were just simply mowing them down; the Germans had nevertheless captured a whole battalion of English. That means a loss of about sixteen hundred men. March 24, 1918:—This morning the first thing we heard was that instead of going back to a rest camp we were to go farther north to an American front. Today is Palm Sunday and all of the French are going to church. They dress up (57) 58 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS in their best wooden shoes and patched clothes, but still I can not understand these people, they all take a hand full of pussy- willows to church with them, but I suppose it’s all right. This afternoon we sat around most of the time, had a little inspec- tion to see what equipment we were lacking. We will prob- ably be issued full equipment while here, rest a little while and then go to the regular sector. The inspection took us until 5:00 and then we stood retreat. I then went out and bought two dozen eggs which I gave to the woman in whose house we are staying; she is going to fix them up for us at six o’clock. As soon as retreat was over I went down to the kitchen and stole a loaf of bread because the French can not supply us with bread as they only get 454 grams per person each week. I had to wrap the loaf of bread in a rain coat to get away with it. I brought it back to the kitchen and there we had our two dozen eggs, all the potatoes we could eat, four quarts of milk for our evening meal. For the whole meal we only paid nine and one half francs. MRoderich, a little French Canadian now in the detail, acts as our inter- preter. The French woman told us very many interesting things about the Germans when they were in this small vil- lage. She said that they took anything that they happened to want and that many of the French families had been robbed of all they had. She also said that the men in the 167th In- fantry were frightened to death when they went through this village. After we had talked for a long while [Cpl. William H.] Bruning and I went up to our place and went to bed. - March 25, 1918:—This morning immediately after mess I took charge of a detail to police the main street of the village and of course they found a hundred and one other things to do. We finished our work about 10:30 and were dismissed. I then went to my quarters and gave my pistol a thorough cleaning. After noon mess we all made our packs containing equipment A for an inspection at 2:00; I believe they would hold inspections etc. if we were being pursued by the Boche. At 2:00 they lined us up and then marched us out into an open field nearby, where they made us lay out, on the ground, everything we had. We got back to the village about 4:00. I then went out and bought some jam and sardines and milk; I ate my evening meal in my quarters. A little mail came in but none for me. We heard today that the Germans had a A SERGEANT’S DIARY 59 long distance gun and that they had fired on Paris. We also heard that the British and French were mowing the Germans down in masses. The ‘snow’ we had about being motorized seems to be developing very rapidly and I think that before long we will get rid of all our horses. The men are in fairly good spirits but a little disgusted because they are never satis- fied at seeing us sit down. Set. [Wilbur B.] Morgan started as Top-Sergeant today as Set. [Frank T.] Hastings is leaving for a training camp. It is now 7:30 and I think I will go to bed very shortly. March 26, 1918:—This morning after reveille the Captain took seven of we men, gave us flag kits and at 8:00 the whole battery pulled out. We seven men followed the Captain. We went about two miles out of the village, and the battery went into position. It was all done just to keep us busy. We prac- ticed a little semaphore and at 9:30 we started back. I also took advantage of an opportunity to weigh myself this morn- ing and was surprised to find that I weigh 190 pounds. Lieuts. {Aloys] Knaff and [Charles D.] Clift have gone to a school for motorized battery work. A Y.M.C.A. truck came through this morning and of course we bought all that we could from it. About 5:00 we had retreat and then we went into our lit- tle French woman’s house where we had 16 eggs, very many potatoes and milk. It was sure a good meal. We also had a long talk with this French woman, she is very interesting and she told us a very great deal about France and the French people. Everybody in the village has three or four cows each which are taken to the public drinking fountain every morn- ing, noon and evening. Quite often one can see a cow get rather frisky and run kicking down the street followed by a French woman yelling frantically trying to head it off and get it back into the barn. It certainly would be torture for one of us to have to live in a village like this for the rest of our lives. | March 27, 1918:—This morning Flossy (Lieut. Dunn) and I, along with the four gun sections, had some standing gun drill. Flossy and the gun sections had a ‘deuce’ of a time be- cause Flossy is new at the job. I laid the guns with the in- strument and then played around while Flossy did his work. About 10:30 Flossy got tired so we stopped and I went in to 60 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS my quarters. When I got to the front of our place I found [Leslie H.] Coleman standing at the side of an old farm wagon, very sick. I immediately took him up to our room, put him to bed and then went out after some milk for him. I gota bucket, went out to the fountain in the middle of the street and got a fine bucket of ice cold water. I then went up to my room where I took as much of a bath as I could in the cold water and then made the change to my clean clothes. I then got Roderich [French-Canadian interpreter] and we went out to see whether or not we could buy a chicken. We finally found an old woman who would sell us a chicken but we had to catch it first. After chasing it into a barn we caught it, paid the old woman fifteen francs for it and started back to our quarters. After we had shown it to our fellows (chickens are a prize here) we took it to the little French woman and she is going to have it baked for us by 7:00 this evening. We all went down to mess and drew our bread and then the six of us Pete [Clarence E.] Clift, Perry Lesh, [Set. William H.] Bruning, Edwin Bassett, Dick [Richard M.] Bos- son and I sat down to eat our chicken. When we started to eat, Set. Bosson told us that there was to be a competitive match between all of the batteries at 7:00: the object being to see which battery could harness and get away in the best time. We all sat there eating and hoping that the call would not come. The meal was a very good one. We had our chicken, potatoes, milk, bread, jam and champagne. The call finally came and we all got up with a jump, put on our gun belts and started out. [Edwin H.] Bassett went after the mules while the rest of us went for the fourgon. It was very exciting, all of the fellows were running around, harness- ing, yelling and trying to put on as much speed as possible. The sections were all reported ‘In order’ and the battery pulled out. B Battery was not even harnessed when our battery was on the way. It took our battery just eight minutes and fifty seconds to harness and pull out. We beat nearly all the rest of them by five minutes. We then took about a mile hike around a loop and back into the village. We then unharnessed and came in to our unfinished meal. This French woman surely treats us fine and she will give us anything that she has to eat. I did not stay long after I finished my meal but went up to my room and went to bed. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 61 March 28, 1918:—This morning I stayed in with Lieut. Harrel and laid the guns for some standing gun drill. We received a little mail and I got only three letters. For even- ing mess we went down to our French woman’s where we had one dozen eggs, potatoes and all the milk we could drink. After retreat they issued us our overseas caps. March 29, 1918:—This morning right after mess Bruning and I along with Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter left Fontenoy for our old gun position. We took all of our equipment, the aiming circle, plotting board and many other little things. We arrived at the old gun position about 11:00, and immediately laid out the lines of fire and got things in readiness for the guns to pullin. It started to rain about 4:00 and by the time the guns pulled in which was at 9:00 it was hailing, raining and very miserable. The French had taken our dug-outs and we had to chase them out. For evening mess we had nothing but hard tack and ‘corned willie’. All of us helped to pull each gun into position, laid them ready to fire and then we were finished for the day. It had certainly been a very miser- able job and we still had our horses to take care of. I ate a bite at the French marine kitchen and then went to bed good and tired. March 30, 1918:—This morning I packed my junk and started for the battery billets in Gelacourt. I arrived at the billets at about 11:00, put my horse away and immediately went to the detail quarters. I took a little nap during the afternoon and at 7:30 I made my bed with Carl Moorman. Communication has been established between the gun position and the billets. Bruning is now out at the guns. March 31, 1918:—Today being Easter they have at last given us a little freedom. The first thing after reveille this morning we signed the pay roll. Moorman and I then went in and straightened up our bunks. I then took a very good wash and shave, it was the first time I had a chance to clean up since we left Fontenoy. All morning I played around the billets, sewing a little and trying to get my clothes in good shape. After I had eaten my noon mess I went down to our Q.M. and drew my old boots. We had turned them in for shipment when we thought we were going to Rolampont. It 62 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS is very rainy and miserable out of doors and no one goes out any more than they really have to. Our detail quarters are on the third floor of a barn which contains straw and old farm implements. There is also a sky-light in the roof over our quarters and whenever it rains very hard it just pours in. I think I will now write a few letters. At 3:00 we were mus- tered for pay and then we were marched to an open field near- ~ by and [Charles] Julian Hoover was presented with the French Croix de Guerre. I then went to stables to see that the detail horses and mules were properly taken care of and then came in to mess. After mess I washed my shoes and went to bed very early. April 1, 1918:—This morning after standing reveille and eating mess I got my horse, filled my grain bag with feed and started for Menarmont. That is the little village where we first stopped after getting off the train at Ramblerville. I went directly to Fontenoy the little village we had just left and of course I stopped in to see the little French woman. She seemed to be very glad to see me and she also went out, got my horse into the barn out of the rain and gave him some hay. She then sat me down to a table and gave me a very good meal of fried eggs, a bowl of milk and some bread. She certainly has always treated me ‘white’. When I had finished my meal and left for Menarmont she came running after me after I had gotten nearly a square out of the village only to show me the right road. I thanked her as best I could and then continued on my way. As soon as I arrived in the village of Menarmont I looked up the place where I had stayed while in this village the first time. I found the place with no trouble at all. I immediately found the old woman who was visiting a neighbor and asked her if I could not look around in the loft of the barn for a ruler we had left there during our stay. Of course she was only too glad to help me out and she fol- lowed me up the ladder to the loft. I looked all over the place but had no luck so I thanked her very much and started back. I got back into Fontenoy about 11:00 and again stopped in the little French home. Nothing would do but that I stay for dinner so I took off my coat and sat down to the table. She first brought in some bread soup and then some soup meat and carrots which was the first course. This was followed by some sausage, three bowls of milk, some pickles and mus- A SERGEANT’S DIARY 63 tard which made up the second course. The third course was a little dessert consisting of cake, coffee and a little drink of whiskey. The old grandmother, the mother and the little girl drank their little glass of whiskey and when they found out that I did not drink they immediately forced upon me a very large glass of milk. I had given my horse his feed before I sat down to my dinner and it was but a short while before I started home. Before I left I gave the woman three packages of chewing gum I happened to have along, showed her what it was for by chewing a piece myself and then started for Gelacourt. When I arrived at our billets I took my horse to the public fountain where I gave him a drink and washed the mud from his feet and legs. It was a very wet and muddy trip. After I had gotten all of the mud washed off of him I took him to the blacksmith’s shop and had a shoe replaced that he had lost on the way. I then washed up and ate my mess. April 2, 1918:—We spent the morning shoveling mud away from the picket line and walking the horses so that they would get some exercise. Fact of the matter is, keep the men busy no matter how they feel or what the weather may be. All of the men came in from stables completely covered with mud. At the 11 o’clock stable formation I took the detail. It cer- tainly was a mess we had today—beef that you couldn’t even cut, gravy, coffee and sugar with not a sign of a piece of bread or hard-tack. We certainly have the dirtiest kitchen I have ever seen and the poorest food I have ever tasted. The men are so disgusted it’s a wonder the battery gets along at all. I know I am tired of it. (Gee but wasn’t I spreading the blues?) They are never satisfied seeing one sit down no mat- ter how worn out one may be. Our quarters are just out of the rain and that’s all. We have no place to dry clothes when we come in; no equipment. I have sewed the pair of pants I have on so many times I have now given up all hopes of sav- ing them. I will wear blue denims in two days more I sup- pose. April 8, 1918:—There was nothing much doing all morn- ing. During the afternoon I slept for awhile and about 5:00 we had mess. After mess I met a French soldier who could talk German and the two of us had quite a lively chat. I went to bed about 7:30. 64 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS April 4, 1918:—We received some mail this morning. I then went out to the guns and [Cpl. William H.] Bruning went in to the billets. Beside our regular duty here at the guns we are required to make a report at 11:50, 4:00, 6:00 and 8:00 to the intelligence department concerning enemy ac- tivity around our battery position. A projector is being flashed during the night over to the rest of our battery and we are trying to locate it, fearing a spy. I have to sleep with all of my clothes on as the guard may see the projector and then I will have to go out after the spy. We get news from the French Communique every evening at 8:00, as they gen- erally put out the news from all of the fronts. Our own regi- mental wireless very often picks up German messages. These we also get over the phone at 8:10. Tonight the Germans say that the decisive moment is near but the French Communique says that the Germans are fighting with very heavy losses. April 5, 1918:—This morning just as I was getting up I heard the machine gun and the anti-aircraft guns popping away and I immediately went outside to see what was going on. I found that four German planes were over our front lines. It seemed like every foot of space was the place of a machine gun or an anti-aircraft gun because the air was just simply filled with anti-aircraft bursts. Our machine gun alone fired something over five hundred rounds. They did not bring any of the Germans down but they did chase them home. After breakfast I took my horse and delivered my twenty-four hour report to lst Battalion Headquarters at Reherrey. During the late afternoon and evening after mess Cpl. [Leslie H.] Coleman and I put bells in all four of the dug-outs. These bells are alarm bells for night firing. I went to bed about 8:30 in the top bunk. April 6, 1918:—When I got up this morning it was raining very hard. After breakfast I saddled up and took my report to battalion headquarters. After I came back I read a little. During the afternoon Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff and I re-checked the guns with the instrument. April 7, 1918:—This morning being Sunday morning the boys were allowed to sleep longer than usual. Last night some French batteries near us were firing and between shots we could hear the hum of German planes, probably trying to lo- A SERGEANT’S DIARY 65 cate the fire. We had a very good noon mess, mashed po- tates, steak, coffee, sugar, white bread and dates. I sat around all afternoon talking, reading and smoking. This evening after mess I read some Morning Stars and waited for the Communique to come in. April 8, 1918:—After I had eaten my breakfast I saddled up and took my report to Reherrey. While there I watched the butchering of a big white pig which reminded me of Bob [a pet white pig I once owned]. It was a very disgusting sight because they stuck the pig before they ever killed him. I then came back and read a little while. We did nothing but lie around all afternoon, made a little charcoal stove and slept a little while. April 9, 1918:—I got up this morning early and before I had even eaten my breakfast I took my report to Reherrey. During the afternoon some new clothes came in and I imme- diately went to our Q.M. where I drew a new pair of hip boots, two pair of wool sox, a suit of underwear, pair of pants, pair of French hob nail shoes and a pair of wrap puttees. We also received mail this evening and I received five boxes. April 10, 1918:—At 10:30 I went to stables and took charge of the spare line. After our mess I met Bill [William J.] Shine and we went to an old barn where they had some real American moving pictures. We watched the pictures for about an hour and then took a walk down to the end of the road where we met Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift. We stood talk- ing to him until 8:30 about the school he had been attending. He said that he thought the chances of being motorized were very poor. I then went to my billets where I got something to eat out of my box, or rather one of the boxes I received yesterday and then went to bed. April 11, 1918:—The day is a very pleasant one, the sun is shining very bright and it sure seems like “Sunny France.” The only trouble is that we only have “Sunny France’ about three days out of the month. There are many planes up to- day. Directly after noon mess we got orders to fire so Sgt. Bruning, [Lt. Clarence E.] Trotter and the Captain [Sidney S. Miller] went up to the O.P. I stayed back to lay the guns. We fired on a German observation post and they say that we 5—22902 66 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS completely destroyed it. We fired about 150 rounds and fin- ished about 6:30. I then laid the guns back on Ypres No. 1 (one of our targets from which we can easily transport fire). April 12, 1918:—After I had gotten all ready to go to Reherrey this morning we got an order that we were going to fire and of course I had to stay. We were to fire by aerial observation but they called up from the aviation field and said that it was too hazy and the aviator would not be able to do any observing. I sent Roy Hoesa to Battalion Headquarters with my report. We lay around all morning and at 12:30 Set. [William H.] Bruning, Cpl. [Perry W.] Lesh and Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter went up to J.B. 17 (an observation post) to observe a little firing that we were going to do. I stayed here at the guns, laid them off and at 1:30 we began to fire. We fired until 3:30 and then I laid the pieces back on Ypres No. 1. The mail came in about 10:30 and after . I had read the three letters I had received I went to bed. April 18, 1918:—This morning after I had taken my report to Reherrey I took a good wash and shave and cleaned up as much as I could. After mess Bruning, Perry and I ran a traverse to locate the position of the guns they are going to shift. This little job took us until 4:00 and just as we had finished we saw a French plane directly over our position dropping torches, I don’t know what for but it looked very suspicious. We then put our instruments away and saddled up ready to start in to Gelacourt. On our way in we deliv- ered a message to Battalion Headquarters. When I got in and had put my horse away I ate my mess. I then went over to a French woman’s home and got some laundry she had done up for me. April 14, 1918:—This morning after watching the whole detail leave to string wire from Duval to the battery position I went up to the Y.M.C.A. to write some more letters. I was only there about five minutes when a call came in to me from the battery position. They were going to fire and I had to report at the guns. I immediately got my single mount and left for the guns. When I arrived at the guns I found that the order had been changed and we were not going to fire. We worked from noon on until 5:00 and then Bill Brun- ing and I started for Gelacourt. It rained pretty hard for A SERGEANT’S DIARY 67 an hour after we had gotten in and I heard it thunder for the first time since I have been in this country. April 15, 1918:—This morning when I got up it was still raining. The guard awakened us early and Bill [Bruning] and I started for the guns. The road out of Vaxainville was completely flooded and we had to wade through it with our horses. We arrived at the guns in time for breakfast. Bruning and Lieut. Trotter immediately left for the observa- tion post to stay there for forty-eight hours. The fourth piece fired all afternoon. Harassing fire at a ten minute interval. After evening mess I wrote some more letters. The boys have been trying to get the communication through to Duval all day but they do not seem to have had any luck. It has rained all day long. April 16, 1918:—I was sitting in the dug-out just after noon mess today and Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift came in and mentioned that he was going up to Duval during the after- noon but did not know the way. I happened to know about where it was so I told him that I would show him the way. At about 2:30 he and the Captain and I started. We tied our horses in the woods and walked up to the observatory. There we met [Lt. Clarence E.] Trotter and Bruning who had been up here for the past day and a half. We looked the German lines over and saw eleven Germans putting up telephone wire. We watched them for about an hour and then all of us went to the dug-out where we are going to stay dur- ing the nights we stay on the front. Duval is now out in ‘No Mans Land,’ as the trenches in front of it are unoccupied now since the French have left. Fact of the matter is that last night the Captain of the infantry company near here thought that he heard a rat on the top of his dug-out. This morn- ing when he looked around he found that the Germans had slipped over and tapped in on his telephone line. So that is the kind of a place I will stay in during the next few nights. When I got in to the guns I fed my horse and ate my own mess and then started for our billets in Gelacourt. Believe me it was a dark ride back and from the top of the hill just outside of Vaxainville I could see the star shells falling far in front of me on the front. I had to return to the guns and arrived there at about 9:00. I immediately put my horse away and went to bed. 68 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS April 17, 1918:—This morning I got up early, had my breakfast and then rolled my blanket roll. I then sat down to wait for Perry [Lesh] to relieve me here at the guns. He came about 9:00 and I immediately left for Duval. Saw quite a few Germans putting up telephone wire, they stayed right out in the open for about one hour and were not molested in the least. We also saw a German battery blaze away and from the flash we were able to locate accurately the place from which much of our trouble had been coming. We also saw quite a few Germans on horse-back coming toward the front. All this we saw with the aid of our big glasses. Early in the afternoon Mike Brickel and Edwin H. Bassett came out to relieve Pete Clift and [Latham W.] Connell on the telephone. During the later part of the afternoon Bassett and I went out to find a thrill. We entered the front line trenches and fol- lowed them out into ‘No Man’s Land’ and all of the barbed wire entanglements. Several times while trying to see some- thing we had to duck from some stray rifle and machine gun bullets. There was not a bit of noise out there and only once in a while could we hear an occasional machine volley or rifle shot. After playing around out in the deserted land about an hour we wound our way back to the observation post, where we found Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift ready and waiting to quit for the day. : April 18, 1918:—I stood guard from daylight until 12:00 last evening. The two telephone men stood the guard dur- ing the rest of the night. We did not get up until 9:00 and after eating just a little we all went up to the O.P. I used the glasses until noon and my eyes got very tired so Lieut. Clift took the glasses and watched until 3:00. At 3:00 we got a call from the battery and they gave us permission to fire eight rounds. We fired on a German position where we had seen a guard walking nearly all of the time since we have been up here. We sure made him fly to his dug-out. After that little bit of excitement I went out in the grass and slept for awhile. We went back to the dug-out pretty early and I cooked beans and bacon for our evening meal. I cannot say that this work is so very exciting but it is very interest- ing. After we had eaten our scant meal and talked for awhile [Edwin H.] Bassett and I started out to find some more thrills. We started out to the left of our shack down through A SERGEANT’S DIARY 69 the woods where we had heard rifle and machine gun fire. We went along very cautiously marking our way as we went because the woods are very thick and it is very easy to get lost in this place. We found a board walk far down in the woods and were walking along unconcerned when suddenly we hear a rifle crack and a bullet whizzed over our heads. We immediately dropped to our knees and waited for about ten minutes but we heard no more shots and finally we started on. We finally arrived at an abandoned outpost where we stayed for nearly ten minutes looking around and on seeing nothing unusual we turned and started back. On our way back Bassett found an old trench leading out into ‘No Man’s Land’ and we decided to follow it out to the end. We walked for a very long way in a stooped position and every time we wished to look we would stop and raise our heads very slowly over the edge of the trench. When we got to the end of the trench we were within a stone’s throw of the German trenches and of course we were very quiet. We only had our pistols with seven rounds of ammunition so we did not linger long. I took the lead going back, and we went a new way and of course we had to be very careful because we did not know. just where our path would lead us. We had not gone far when I saw a French infantry man, rifle in hand walking in a stooped position as though he was looking for something. I decided to follow him as he had not seen me. He went for quite a ways and I could not figure him out. His actions were very peculiar. It was getting dark very fast and I could not follow him any longer because I had to get back to the dug-out before dark or I would surely be lost for the night. One must not be out around here at night without the pass word and I do not know what it is. There is a very grave danger of one being shot even by one’s own men because our American boys are pretty new at this work and they take no chances at all. The thing that is best for one is to have the pass word at tongue’s end when challenged. While I was hunting my way back darkness fell even before I realized that I did not know my way or where I was. Cold beads of perspi- ration soon stood out on my forehead and I tried to retrace my steps. I was lost and in for it, and in the first line trenches. Three different times when I thought sure I had found the right way I ran into barbed wire entanglements and had to turn back. I carried my pistol in my hand, ham- 70 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS mer back but on safety all of the time. Finally I ran into some telephone wires and I took hold of them as they were not hung high in the trees, and followed them. I did not know where they led but I followed them. Fortunately they were the wires that led to our dug-out and when I came up to the dug-out Lieut. ————— Stevens who had relieved Lieut. Clift out here this morning looked at me with awe. I was red as a beet and perspiration was running off my face. Believe me I sat down and took a good smoke. April 19, 1918:—We got up about 9:30 and after eating breakfast Lieut. Stevens and I went up to the O.P. I showed Lieut. Stevens all of the points that we had located along the German front lines and I stayed with him until noon. The Germans have surely located Duval because they have dropped several H.E. shells quite near this place. Right now I have to stay inside the entrance to the O.P. because German anti- aircraft shells are bursting directly over our heads and there is danger of one being hit by falling fragments. I arrived at Gelacourt about 6:30, put my horse away and went to bed. April 20, 1918:—I slept until 9:00 this morning, and then played around until noon as there was nothing much to be done. At noon we had a very good warm dinner and it sure went well. Directly after noon mess I went up to Cpl. [John M.] Skidmore’s machine gun room and listened to the Illinois band play. They can sure put on some real music. I stayed with Skidmore until about 4:45 and then went down to bat- tery mess. Just after mess we received our pay and then Sgt. [Richard M.] Bosson, Pete Clift and I went to a French wo- man’s house where we had a meal of fried eggs, fried potatoes and milk. April 21, 1918:—This morning after I had gotten the nec- essary junk together I saddled my horse and started out to the guns. I arrived at the guns about 9:00, put my horse down in the barn, and then came up to the telephone dug-out. There was nothing much to do all day long.. I cleaned up the dug-out, wrote some letters and smoked all during the day. The day has been a very pretty one and from the top of the hill just in front of our battery one can see the white snow capped mountains over in Germany. I received quite a few letters today and after I had read them I went to bed. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 71 April 22, 1918:—This morning after I had eaten my break- fast I did some work for Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff; copying re- ports on ammunition, etc. I then went back up to the tele- phone dug-out where I cleaned my shoes and swept the tele- phone dug-out so that it would at least feel a little clean. Fleming Lynch came out with rations for the battery about 6:30 and we sent him down to Ist Battalion Headquarters after the mail. When he came back he brought the mail to the telephone dug-out where Pete Clift, [Farrell E.] Potter and I sorted it and gave it out to the different chiefs of sec- tions. I received a box from my mother containing some small cakes and a large cake from Mrs. Anna Roeder. After I had opened my box and eaten some cake I went to bed. April 23, 1918:—The second platoon has been moved to an old naval position not far from here. They are now moving the second piece of the first platoon into the old place of the third piece of the second platoon. I took the aiming circle and laid the newly moved piece on a line of fire 1000. Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter is now commanding our battery and Capt. [Sidney S.] Miller is acting Major of the 1st Battalion. We saw only a few Germans during the afternoon and the general belief is that there are only a few Germans over there. We only stayed at the O.P. until about 4:00 and then went back to the dug-out to cook our supper. Just before dark this evening we found a communicating trench which leads into our dug-out, so we have made our emergency plans accord- ingly. If we should happen to be surprised by Germans we have planned that two of the men should break through the tar-paper wall, and thus gain the outside. The other men were to stumble up the steps giving time to the two men who had taken the outer passage. Of course we had planned to use our pistols freely. April 24, 1918:—This morning after eating my breakfast which was only a bacon sandwich—Lamkin and I started for the O.P. We had walked only about 100 feet through the underground passage when we came to a light place in the roof. I happened to be looking at the floor and saw a very bloody first-aid bandage lying there. We immediately drew our guns as there was danger of Boche being hidden in the O.P. There proved to be no one there and we put our instru- 72 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS ments up for the day’s observation. A little later on Lieut. Vallandingham came up. Visibility was very poor and it was pretty cool inside the observation post. We also found out that the bloody bandage was taken off an American Sergeant who had been shot while passing this open place with a light. He had been shot through the chest and was killed probably by a German sniper. About 4:30 I went back to Duval; the drizzle had stopped and visibility was fine until about 4:30. The Lieutenant and the boys are all sleep- ing and I am standing a guard until 12:00. Our communi- cation has been tampered with or either the wet weather has put our wires on the ‘bum’ because I can not make the drop on the switch board as the guns fall or they cannot make any phone buzz when they ring me. At 9:05 I tried the phone and we both happened to get on the phone at the same time so we decided that we would listen on the half hour. The rest of the night went along as usual, but for a good barrage. April 25, 1918:—The barrage started at 9:30 last night and lasted until 10:45. It was put on by the French and Americans. It certainly was a wonderful sight. I went outside the dug-out and the star shells fell all around. I could hear the continual whizz and whistle of the shells as they passed over my head. I could also hear the bang of German shells as they burst on allied territory. The sky was simply one big light; sometimes as if set on fire and at other times streaked with long yellow tongues of flame from the mouths of both our guns and the German guns. Machine guns kept up a continual chatter. During lulls in the barrage rifle and machine gun and hand grenades could be heard. Green star shells a signal for gas were sent up by the Germans as a bluff and of course all of our gas alarms added to the noise. It was the first good barrage I had ever heard and it certainly was. a sight to be remembered. After all the noise had died down the boys went back to bed because they were all up watching it. This morning when we got up we heard that the Alabama infantry had gone over the top but thus far we have not heard the results. At 10:30 [Carl] Moorman and [Claude] Moul- den came up to relieve the other two telephone men. At noon we went back to the dug-out and fried our usual dinner of bacon and ‘spuds’. We spent the afternoon watching gas Shells fall and burst in the diamond shaped woods around A SERGEANT’S DIARY 73 Chateau-de-St.-Marie [on the German side]. We had never been able to discern any activity in this woods before but when these gas shells started bursting in the woods they could be seen running out in all directions. April 26, 1918:—This morning I got up in time for reveille and the first thing I had a scrap with Set. [Richard M.] Bos- son because I was not standing enough formations to suit him. After noon I then procured a pass to Baccarat much to Sgt. Bosson’s displeasure. Cpl. [Leslie H.] Coleman and I then caught a truck going to Baccarat. We played around in Baccarat until about 4:00 and then caught a truck and started back. April 27, 1918:—After breakfast I saddled my horse and went out to the guns. Sgt. Bruning and Set. [Richard M.] Bosson went to Ancerville this morning to look over the ground. I stayed at the guns and cleaned up glasses, maps, boards and things that we had been using up at Duval. Dur- ing the day I wrote eleven letters. While we were at even- ing mess a German plane came directly over our gun position, it was very low and we could see the pilot very easy. Ma- chine guns and anti-aircraft guns fired on him, but all to no avail. During the evening I had a long talk with a French Sergeant who speaks very good English. He was a college man from the University of Paris and of course had many interesting things to tell about his three years in the war. Last night we got a great deal of ammunition in and today we are to receive eighteen more truck loads. I went to bed about 10:30. April 28, 1918:—There was nothing much to do all day and so I spent most of my time reading. I am now taking a telephone shift because the boys are pretty tired. It has been raining all day and is very miserable. April 29, 1918:—This morning when I got up it was a lit- tle more pleasant, the sun was trying to shine a little and the air had the smell of spring in it. When I arrived in Gelacourt I took my horse to our picket line which is in an old orchard. I stayed there until all of the horses had been watered and fed. After mess I re-arranged my bunk as we are all doubling up because the village is now full of French soldiers and we have to make room for them. There is a 74 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS — large amount of ammunition coming in for the guns and the ‘snow’ is that in a few days a big offensive will start. When that is over we are to move off the front. The picket line is so full of mud that the boys have to hold on to the little apple trees to pull themselves out. Many times we see one of the fellows emerge with only one boot on. April 30, 1918:—I got up in time for reveille this morn- ing and went down to stables with the battery. We came in to breakfast and had only about one half hour of freedom and then went back to stables where we stayed until 11:00. We had a very poor noon mess and the afternoon was just like the morning, we had no more than gotten our mess eaten when the call came for us to go back down to stables. We have over two hundred horses to take care of now and the picket line is so muddy that the horses can not be kept clean for even one night. It has been raining for the past few days and of course that makes things all the more miser- able. If this army isn’t disgusting nothing ever was. May 1, 1918:—I received a call at 11:00 to report to the guns immediately. When the men came back with the horses I saddled my single mount and went out to the guns. I then took the aiming circle and started for Duval. At 1:15 a bar- rage started which lasted until 5:15. The entrance to Duval had been caved in and we had to observe from the trees di- rectly behind the observation post. All of the batteries along our front were firing and many battle and observation planes were up. We could see practically every one of our bursts from where we were and we sure tore up the German front lines. Bruning, Bosson and I then took our horses and went down behind T6 observation post. From there we established a line for projector signaling to the battery. This was to be used in case our communication was broken during this three day barrage we were supposed to put on. While we were laying this line off the Germans started to shell a battery position about three hundred meters from where we were and very close to where we had tied our horses. Naturally we had to stop and get the horses out of the way. The shelling got so bad that we had to stop our work and get away from that place. Our barrage has probably taken the Germans by surprise and they are now putting on some retaliation fire. There are many new batteries in place again, the big French A SERGEANT’S DIARY 75 naval guns are again in position and many batteries of 75s, 90s, 105s and eight inch howitzers are getting ready for ac- tion. It seems as though all of the roads and valleys are simply filled with batteries. May 2, 1918:—This morning we saw two pretty fair air battles. All of the detail men got up before reveille because they are all practicing the projector signal “Cease Firing’’. This work is very much easier while it is still a little dark because the lights of the projectors can be seen very much easier at night. This one particular signal must be perfect because our batteries must stop firing at a given time so that the infantry can make its advance without running into our own barrage. I went out to the guns to relieve Perry [Lesh]. All batteries around our place have been firing for a good while. The dope just came down to us that the church tower at Domevre is completely gone and half of the town is torn down. I spent nearly the whole morning reading O. Henry as there was nothing much for me to do. The noise was a little annoying but it was not enough to stop me from read- ing. At noon I went down to mess and then I came back to the telephone dug-out and read some more. At 9:00 we re- ceived orders to fire fifty rounds of gas shells so I went outside to watch them. I stayed outside until the fifty rounds had been fired. The gun crews had been in bed for nearly an hour and since it was so warm they came out and fired their pieces with hardly any of their clothes on. All together today we have fired 1500 rounds of H.E. and 50 rounds of gas. The three telephone men are all in bed and I am going to read some more O. Henry. May 3, 1918:—After washing, and eating breakfast this morning I crawled back in bed because I stayed up until 12:00 last night. There was absolutely nothing doing all morning. Mail came in about 7:00 and I received two letters. I read them and then went to bed. May 4, 1918:—Last night about 11:00 we had a gas alarm and when it came we all piled out. I was in an upper bunk the third one up from the floor and I could see nothing to step on to get out of my bunk but John U. Bosson’s head, so I stepped out on his head. I lit on the floor, knocked the stove over and made all the speed possible after my gas mask. I 76 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS finally found it and after much trouble got it on. We all sat around for about ten minutes with our gas masks on and then found out that it was a false alarm, so back to bed we went. I got up about 7:00 this morning and practically all I have done all day is smoke, sleep and take powder temperatures. May 5, 1918:—It has been rainy and very miserable all day long, I have smoked so much that I am dizzy and everybody seems to be singing the blues. I think I will stand a tele- phone shift until 11:00 and then go to bed. May 6, 1918:—This morning I got up in time for break- fast and then went back to bed. Perry [Lesh] came out about 11:00 to relieve me so I rolled my blanket roll and got ready to leave. About 11:00 German shells began to fall so Alger Budd and I went up to the crest of the hill to watch them burst. Fragments lit rather close to us so we had to lie down to avoid danger. Shells lit on the road all around the battery and the boys had to stay in their dug-outs for quite a while. After the shelling had ceased we went back to the guns where we ate noon mess. By the time we had finished our mess the shelling had ceased all together so we went up to see the holes they had been making. They tore up a very great deal of our telephone wire, tore down some trees and made holes ranging from six to eight feet in diam- eter and from three to five feet.deep. We got back to the guns about 2:30 and I immediately left for Gelacourt. On my way back I stopped at 1st Battalion Headquarters and made a report on the shelling. I did not arrive in Gelacourt until time to stand retreat. May 7, 1918:—About 6:45 ‘Pug’ [Rogers H.] George, [Latham W.] Connell, Sgt. [Bryant W.] Gillespie and I started for Duval. We arrived there about 9:30 tied our horses at the dug-out where we used to stay when we were running shifts at Duval and walked the rest of the way up to the observation post. We heard something that sounded like a tractor or a trench digger far over in the German lines but we could not see a thing. At noon Sgt. [Bryant W.] Gillespie and I went down to the N.Y. infantry kitchen told them we were from the 150th Machine Battalion and asked for food enough for four men. They gave us two cans full of food and we carried it up to ‘Pug’ [Rogers H. George] and [Latham W.] Connell. During the afternoon we were A SERGEANT’S DIARY fit surprised at seeing a man in French uniform coming directly toward us out of ‘No Man’s Land’. He passed within ten feet of us and we all thought that he looked suspicious but we said nothing to him. Later on we found out that he was being looked for by our authorities. During the latter part of the afternoon three German shells fell within about 500 feet of us but did no particular damage. Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trot- ter fired two rounds at the tree where we always saw the guard walking but I lost the bursts. I found the second two that he fired but when I went to report to him I found that our communication had been cut. ‘Pug’ George immediately started to run the line and by 5:30 he had not returned, so we packed our junk took ‘Pug’s’ horse and started in, follow- ing the line all of the way so as to meet ‘Pug’ on the way. When we had passed Migneyville we tapped on our wire and found that ‘Pug’ had not gotten in yet; a big storm was com- ing up and the wind was blowing very hard. [Latham W.] Connell took a phone and started back toward Duval. When we got to the guns we’found that ‘Pug’ had called in, Connell had met him and they were both on their way in to the guns. I then went down into the officer’s dug-out and told Lieut. Trotter what his shots had done (they were to the right and over) what I had seen and heard during the day. I then went back to the telephone dug-out and gave Perry [Lesh] my report to send in to Lieut. ————— Stanton the intelli- gence officer at Bn. Hdqs. I then started toward Gelacourt and caught ‘Pug’ and Connell just outside of Vaxainville as they had started on ahead of me. We had not gone very far before it started to rain and before we got in to Gelacourt we were wet to the skin. We watered our horses at Brouville, came on in, fed, and tied our horses on the line, carried our saddles to our quarters and then got a little something to eat. I went to bed about 9:80. May 8, 1918:—This morning five of we detail men slept through reveille and Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift came in and routed us out. We were off duty until 11:00, when we went down and fed our horses. We ate our noon mess and then prepared for an inspection of bunks which we had at 2:00. We came in from stables at 4:30 and had evening mess at 5:00, after which we stood retreat. [Leslie H.] Coleman, Bruning and I then played around with a French periscope for awhile. CHAPTER V. Up WITH THE GUNS May 9, 1918:—Today there was not much doing. After mess I saddled up my horse and went to Baccarat where I played around and bought a few things that I needed. While there I ran into Al [Albert R.] Brunner, Earl Pitsenburger and ——————. Casey, and we all took a walk down to the Y.M.C.A. We then started in towards Gelacourt but on the way in found a good hotel where we stopped and had some fried eggs and potato salad for our evening meal. I was tired after my afternoon off and went to bed. May 10, 1918:—This morning early I saddled my horse and went out to the guns to relieve Perry [Lesh]. When I got out there Perry went directly to Duval. I wrote letters until noon mess time and only took time enough to eat, and that’s all, because there were a great number of letters remaining for me to answer. During the afternoon I only went out- side the telephone dug-out a few times and then only to get a breath of good fresh air and smoke a cigarette. At 5:00 I went down to evening mess and after took a walk down to Reherrey to have a talk with the intelligence officer about different reports. May 11, 1918:—I slept and played around all day long. About 3:00 this afternoon a Boche plane came over while I was up at the machine gun emplacement so I fired 24 rounds at him. [Leo A.] Biddle, the machine gun man then took the gun and fired quite a few more rounds at him. He was hit by anti-aircraft shells and his motor stopped but he glided over behind his own lines. They are issuing some clothes out here at the guns this evening. It happened that I could get nothing but a pair of gloves as there was nothing but gloves that would fit me. When I got back into the telephone dug-out I overheard a conversation between the officers about Ed Bassett. I immediately told Ed to see Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter and as a result he is transferred to the aviation leav- ing immediately. We also fired thirty rounds this evening. I am now standing a telephone shift for the fellows, and as a pastime writing some more letters. (78) A SERGEANT’S DIARY 79 May 12, 1918:—Today is the day set aside by General Pershing as Mother’s Day. Every fellow has been urged to write home, I will venture to say that 90% of them have done it. It is very cold and rainy today. A little mail came in and I received four letters. I immediately sat down and wrote answers to all of them. I am now standing a telephone shift for the boys and I will stay up until about 11:00. May 13, 1918:—Perry [Lesh] and I changed places this morning. We have made a new observation post just behind the old one because Duval is so caved in and is now such a death trap that we do not use it any more. Our new one is up in the trees directly behind the entrance to the old Duval. This O.P. is a very good one and we can see from the left of Domevre far over to the right of Blamont. It is all camou- flaged with branches of trees so that we can not be seen. These branches are changed every morning so that the place remains as near the color of the surrounding trees as is pos- sible to make it. The weather in this country has gotten to be a joke; in the morning it clouds up and probably rains and there is never a night passes but what it 1 is as fair as one could wish to have it. May 14, 1918:—This morning [Russell H.] Lamkin and [Carl] Moorman went with me to Duval. We got up there about 9:00 and immediately put up the scissor glasses. Vis- ibility was very good. During the morning we saw a great deal of activity, but at noon it started to rain and of course from then on we could see very little. During the early part of the afternoon the Captain [Sidney S. Miller, still as Major of the first Bat.] and the Colonel came up to see our new O.P. They stayed about twenty minutes during which time they asked very many questions about the territory in front of Duval. They had only been gone about 15 minutes when it stopped raining and the sun came out, we could then see very fine. I was able to pick up a working party directly behind the Chateau de St. Marie but we could not fire on them as they were very far out of our range. About 2:00 I saw 13 men coming toward Verdenal (a little village out in ‘No Man’s Land’) and I immediately phoned their position in to the battery. Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter told me that if I saw any more of them there that I should let him know and he would let me have eight rounds to fire on them. At 3:30 80 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS I saw six more in the very same place. I immediately phoned in and Lieut. Trotter started the eight rounds over. We could hear our guns go off and a few seconds after we could hear the projectile going over our heads. The first shot must have been a freak because it burst about 300 feet in the air directly over my target. The second was over and to the left in some barbed wire entanglements. The third shot was nearly a target and the Germans began to run from the hedge at the side of the road where they had taken shelter. They ran in all directions and for fifteen minutes after our fire had been completed we could see them still running away from this place. I don’t know whether I got any of them or not, I sure hope so. During the rest of the afternoon we saw smoke coming from a building in Under-Champs and also from a building in Verdenal. I should say that the day was a very exciting one, there was quite a little activity and the day was a very pleasant one. The French also put eighty shells on Ouve Rouge and I could see all of them burst. Ger- man and French observation balloons were up practically all day long. When we come up here to Duval we always have bacon sandwiches for our noon meal and that is the only thing that is getting very tiresome. We left Duval at 4:45 and came right in to the guns. When we arrived there we found the third piece had been fired with a hammer in the cradle and that the recoil system had been badly damaged. That was the cause of the first shot this afternoon bursting in the air. Two of our pieces have been taken to Luneville for repairs. The second piece went yesterday with the bore very badly pitted, so we are left with only two pieces. We ate our evening meal at the guns. The rest of the detail has worked all day long here at the guns putting in electric light aiming posts. I gave my activity report to Perry [Lesh], talked the situation over with Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter and then started for Gelacourt. I also found out that they are getting ready to leave for somewhere, maybe home and maybe the Somme front, one can never tell in this army. I hope home. After I had put my horse away I went up and talked the day over with Set. Bruning, then went to my quar- ters where I wrote up my diary and then I went to bed. May 15, 1918:—This morning when we got up for reveille one of our fellows was thrown in the water trough because A SERGEANT’S DIARY 81 he did not get up in time to make the call. John U. Bosson was in Baccarat today and he got the pictures I had taken the last time I was in there, so tomorrow I will send them home. After evening mess [Carl] Moorman helped me to put a design on an empty brass powder shell that I am going to pound out and make a brass vase out of. May 16, 1918:—This morning early I saddled up and went out to the guns. [William H.] Bruning and [Perry W.] Lesh went up to the O.P., and from the reports they have been sending in they have not been seeing very much. The weather is very good today, in fact it is very warm. I do not re- member whether or not I mentioned the fact that Set. [John H.] Skidmore and Sgt. Karl Moore tried to find us one day when we were up at the O.P. and when we saw them they were about 400 yards out in ‘No Man’s Land’ directly in front of our O.P. It is a miracle that they were not shot. The ‘snow’ about going home is thicker than ever. Some of the fellows though are quite firm in their belief that we are going to the Somme front. Fire has now started with aerial obser- vation. There are three planes observing for us, and as the observer sends down the commands we can see the sparks fly from his wireless. The observer’s message is received at Bn. Hdgs. and is sent down to the battery by phone. Our food here at the battery has been fairly good but most of the fel- lows do not care for it because there is no variety. Break- fast usually consists of the old standard, bacon, potatoes and coffee and sometimes sugar. I usually draw my coffee to wash my mess kit with because it is always good and hot and the mess water is always very greasy and nearly always cold. The Y.M.C.A. seems to be doing very much better work now. There are always two medical men here at the guns in case someone gets hurt. [Charles J.] Hoover is again back with the battery and I am sure glad because he is the best cook we ever had. I hear too that we have fifty more horses com- ing in; on the other hand I hear that we are going to be motor- ized very soon. The battery fired until about 6:30 and then we all went down to mess. May 17, 1918:—This morning Pete [Clarence E.] Clift and I went to the telephone dug-out where we lay around until about 10:30 when our telephone line to Duval went out due to 6—22902 80 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS shell fire, so Pete and I started out to repair it. We could hear where the shells were bursting and so figured out just about where the line was broken. I timed the interval be- tween the bursts of the German shells and we picked the way to the break in the line accordingly. The shells were coming at a five minute interval. In order to get to the break in the line we were obliged to pass the corner of the cross roads near a little group of fir trees where all of these shells were bursting. The shells came fro ma battery of eight-inch howitzers very close to our front lines and every time the gun would fire we could hear the report and also hear the shell coming. Being able to hear the report of the gun and hav- ing the interval so well timed we ventured very close to where they were bursting. Quite a few times we flattened ourselves against the ground to avoid any danger of being caught by an over or a short. I had my vest-pocket kodak along and every time.a shell would come over I would stand up and try to get a picture but they all sounded so close that I did not take a chance and consequently got no picture that was worth while. Pete [Clarence E. Clift] and I then debated as to what we would do next. We decided to start directly after the next shell burst and make a run past the fir trees, then to the break in the line. So we waited for the next shell to burst and then started to run; we got within about twenty feet of the fir trees and the Germans must have changed the time interval because we heard the gun fire and also heard the shell coming. We did not know what to do and of course we did not have time to debate the question. We simply ran back about thirty feet and lay down at the side of the road. We could hear the shell coming and as it got closer and closer of course the sound became more shrill. It was a very excit- ing few moments for us but it finally burst and only within about thirty feet of us. While I was lying at the side of the road waiting for the shell to light, my only wish was that the shell would not hit me right in the middle of the back. When it burst it threw dirt and pieces of wood all over us and for fully a half minute after debris fell all around us. I noticed too that all up and down the road as far as I could see the dust was raised about one foot in the air. As soon as it had burst and we knew that we were out of danger I opened my kodak, ran up close to the place where the shell had lit A “210” Shell Burst. Note the smoke rising from the hole. This shell burst within thirty feet of where ‘Pete’ (Clarence E.) Clift and the writer stood. We were fortunate in getting this close-up view. Photograph by Elmer F. Straub. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 83 and snapped a picture of it. We then ran on past the little group of fir trees and out into the field. Not far from where these shells had been falling we found the break in our line and we immediately began to repair it. We had only started to work when we heard the gun and another shell started on its way over. We found a very shallow ditch close by and in it we stretched out as flat as we possibly could until the shell went by and had burst in the little group of firs. In all, six of them came over before we got the break in the line re- paired. They then stopped firing and we went back to the place to see just what damage they had done. I also took a picture of the holes that these shells had made. So far that is as close as they have ever come to me, and when I think it over it was as close as I ever hope one comes to me. We then went back to the guns where we ate our noon mess after which I lay down and slept nearly the whole afternoon. Directly after evening mess Set. [Bryant W.] Gillespie and I had a long talk about our girls and the people at home. Set. Bruning and [Perry W.] Lesh came back from Duval early because in the morning at 3:00, the three of us are going up in the large woods near Duval and build a new O.P. way up in a tree. We have to do it early, before visibility gets good so that we will not been seen by the Germans. It is now 10:15 and I am going to bed. May 18, 1918:—This morning at 3:00 I got up and had no more than gotten my clothes on- when we had a gas alarm, but it was false. Bruning, Lesh and I then started up to make the new O.P. We worked all morning and now have an O.P. that will take in anything our glasses will reach. It is sure a wonder; in a big oak tree fully seventy feet above the ground. It is an easy place for German snipers to pick some- one off, but it is a much better place from which we can observe German activity. We had no breakfast; at 10:00 [George A.] Aurine came up as telephone operator. I started in at 1:00 and just as I was leaving Set. [Karl F.] Moore came up to look around. Our telephone line went out and so Aurine and the rest of the men went out to find the trouble. When I got back to the battery I got a bowl of cold tomatoes, salt, pepper and a piece of bread. I then went back up to the telephone dug-out got a powder temperature for the officers and then went to bed. I slept until 5:00 when the boys awakened 84 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS me and I went down to evening mess. We got some second class mail after mess “Stars” [Indianapolis Stars,] and other papers from the people at home. Tomorrow Perry [Lesh] relieves me here at the guns and I go up to the O.P. The weather is very pleasant, very warm and far better than the rain that we have been having. May 19, 1918:—I went up to the O.P. alone this morning. I took a phone and the head of the scope along. We have to pull all of our stuff up in the tree with a wire and I had just gotten all of this done when Bruning, Cpl. [Chester] Lumpkin and ‘Spick’ [John C.] Ellis came up to look around. ‘Spick’ and I stayed up on the platform all morning, Bruning and Lumpkin took a walk down through the first line trenches. May 20, 1918:—This morning I again went to the O.P. alone and later [Carl] Moorman came up as the telephone operator for the day. We played around the tree all day long and during the afternoon I found a new O.P. in the trees far over in the German lines but before I could locate it ac- curately the leaves had blown in front of it and I could not pick it up any more during the afternoon. The Germans had probably camouflaged it very well for I hunted the rest of the day and could not find it. A little later we saw four propa- ganda balloons coming over from the German lines and of course [Carl] Moorman went after one of them. He did not get one of the balloons as some French soldiers beat him to them but he did bring back some of the literature that these balloons carried over. This literature tends to discourage the French soldier. The instrument detail is now staying out here at the guns and I am staying in a room with Jimmy [James V.] Fox. We also have our horses out here at the guns. After mess Jimmy and I did some work on our room and we are sure getting it so that it looks like a real place. The start of my diary has been lost for about a week and I have been hunting all over for it but have been unable to find it. I have been keeping rough notes in hopes that I will find it again. May 21, 1918:—During the day I again found and accurate- ly located the German O.P. that I had a glimpse of a few days ago. The morning was very pleasant and passed with- out the least bit of excitement until about noon when we heard the French anti-aircraft firing on a German plane. We looked A SERGEANT’S DIARY 85 for it all over and at first could not find it but suddenly, over it came, going toward the German lines and only about five hundred meters directly above our O.P. tree. The motor was not going and the pilot was volplaning down. I immedi- ately took my glasses and fortunately caught him, which by the way is very hard to do. He fell just inside the German lines, in a group of trees just a little to the right of Chateau de St. Marie. That is the first German plane I have seen brought down. A little later B Battery did some firing and I did their observing for them. About 4:45 we started for the guns. When we got in to the battery we found out that an- other German plane had been dropped in ‘No Man’s Land’ during the afternoon, making two for the day. We also found out that three French planes had gone far over behind the German lines and had taken many pictures and had obtained very much valuable information. May 22, 1918:—This morning Perry [Lesh] and Sgt. Brun- ing went up to the O.P., they are going to chop the tops out of several of the trees that hide just a little of the sector in front of us. I am staying at the guns today. Since the in- strument detail is staying here at the guns none of us have to spend the night up at the guns. One of the telephone men also stays out here now so that we do not have to wait for them in the morning when we go up to the O.P. Perry [Lesh] found the beginning of my diary in his saddle bags this morn- ing and I was sure thankful that he did. It was probably due to my carelessness that it got into his saddle bag instead of my own. May 23, 1918:—This morning we had to make a topograph- ical map of the territory around our guns so as to see whether or not it would be advisable to make an entrance to the new dug-out that the men are building, from the telephone dug- out. They have been working on this new dug-out for about one month now. The gun sections that are off gun duty do this work. It is now about eight and one half meters deep. Set. Bruning and I worked on this until about 2:30 when we went down to the billets and plotted it out on the plotting board. We worked on it until evening mess and then gave our dope to Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter who was very well satisfied with it. I talked to Perry [Lesh] after he got back 86 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS from the O.P. today and he said that he saw over fifty horses in a corral behind Chateau de St. Marie during the afternoon. He also said that the flies bothered the horses that we ride to the O.P. so bad that they bled. All of our horses have their tails cropped and we usually tie small branches of trees on their tails so that they can switch the flies off. May 24, 1918:—This morning [George A.] Aurine, [James V.] Fox and I went up to the O.P. We pulled the instru- ments up into the tree and set them up ready to do our day’s work. We brought the scope along because yesterday in pull- ing the tripod up into the tree the strap broke and conse- quently the tripod was broken. The straps on the scissor case are also weak so we have sent it in to the saddler to be fixed. We saw nothing out of the usual all day long and our visibility was very good. The rain last night left the weather very cool and it was very much of a relief from the warm weather we have been having. Going back to the battery I had a very funny accident happen to me. I claim that my horse has a very funny and undesirable shape. He is shaped so that the cinch will not stay forward and after riding hard it always slips back and consequently loosens up. I was dodging from side to side so as to avoid the low branches along the narrow path that we always take. The saddle slipped back and became loose; I dodged from a branch, lean- ing far to the side in my saddle and off I went, head first. I did not hurt myself but believe me it taught me a lesson. I sure tightened that cinch before I went any farther. Fact of the matter is I nearly took all the breath away from the horse tightening the cinch. May 25, 1918:—There was nothing doing all day long on the other side today. Our O.P. being in the highest tree in the woods we could very easily see that far. About 5:00 we started in toward the battery. When we arrived there we ate our mess and cleaned up a bit. The ration wagon from Gelacourt was out and they had some clothes along so I drew a new blouse. I then went down to our stables and groomed my horse and then let him graze for awile. Mail came in and I received thirteen letters. I sat down and read them. It is now 10:30. I have finished reading my letters, so I am going to bed. This batch of mail has made me so homesick that I think I will sleep but little. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 87 May 26, 1918:—This morning after eating my breakfast I saddled my horse and went in to Gelacourt. I drew another new blouse and a pair of American ‘hobs’ from our Q.M. I then went on in to Baccarat where I bought a pair of wrapped putties, some service chevrons, an overseas cap and some oranges and then came back Gelacourt. There I changed my high shoes for my new American ‘hobs’ and putties. I then came on out to the guns where I sat down and sewed all of the buttons on my blouse. They are never on very tight when they come to us from the Q.M. I also sewed my first gold service chevron on. (One gold chevron was awarded for every six months service overseas). May 27, 1918:—This morning Bruning and I took the aim- ing circle and rode into Gelacourt, then on to Azerailles where we accurately located a new gun position for possible future use. On our way back we stopped in a cafe at Azerailles and got something to eat. While we were there we heard that a German plane had been brought down near Brouville so we started back. We stopped off just outside of Gelacourt and re-located two more reserve gun positions. From there we went on to Brouville where we stopped in the Y.M.C.A., got something to eat and then went on toward Merviller where we re-located another reserve battery position. From there we went to the guns arriving there about 5:00. We learned that the plane we had heard about while in Azerailles had been brought down just in front of our battery position in the woods. The German plane had been far over our lines and was attacked by a French plane. The French airman got the German pilot with a machine gun bullet and then with incendiary bullets set the German plane on fire. The German pilot in spite of his wound tried to volplane to the German lines but the French airman headed him off. While the plane was still over one thousand feet in the air the Captain’s observer jumped out and lit about one mile from where the plane did. He had all of his clothes burnt off and his body - was so badly charred that one could never have recognized it. The pilot was in the plane, strapped in; and of course was simply burnt to death. When the plane came down it was in a mass of flames and when it lit it was mashed into a thousand pieces. All of our fellows have pieces of the machine as souvenirs. After the fellows had given Sgt. Bruning and I 88 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS all the information concerning the plane we went down and had our mess. While we were eating we were told that some- one would have to stay at the O.P. all evening, until about 10:00 or so; Perry [Lesh] had started in, so naturally the lot was mine. When I had finished mess I went down to the bil- lets, saddled my horse and started off. I took nothing but a pair of glasses along. On my way I ran in to a group of in- fantry boys carrying the body of the dead German observer Captain. Following these boys came several wagons loaded with the remains of the aeroplane. Just before I entered the big woods while going through an open field I chased up a little red fox, and while I was chasing him I ran into his mate. I was nearly on both of them but they made a sharp turn and ran on in to the woods. They were two of the prettiest lit- tle animals I have ever seen. I got up into the O.P. about 7:00; immediately hooked a phone on and called in to the battery. I then started my watch over the German lines. I saw very many gun flashes back of the German lines. I tried to locate these batteries as accurately as possible so that they could be destroyed. About 9:00 while I was sitting up in the tree I heard the chatter of a German machine gun but thought nothing of it. I also heard a few of the twigs in the trees close by snap but still I did not get wise. I had lighted a cigarette and of course tried to keep the little light from it hidden but evidently I did not for before I knew it the twigs in my tree were being snapped and then I realized that I was being fired upon by German machine guns. I lost no time in getting down out of the tree, and all of the time I had my pistol ready to fire if I found it necessary. My watch had certainly been a lonely one because I was all by myself and it was very dark so I took no unnecessary chances. When I started in toward the battery it was about 10:00 but before I left the front lines I got the pass word from the infantry men because I could not have gone very far without it. The pass words were rather comical but even so they were words that hardly anyone would think of, “Suffering Suez’. I had to get off my horse seven times on the way in and repeat the pass words to the guards that I passed. I had not left the big woods before quite a little barrage started and of course it was a sight to see all of the different star shells going up into the air. I could look back and see red, white, and green A SERGEANT’S DIARY 89 flares all through the heavens and it seemed as though all of the guns on the front were firing. Red flares are the signal to stop a barrage, green ones are gas signals and the white ones are used to light up ‘No Man’s Land’ after night. I got back to the battery about 11:15 and they had gotten a gas alert signal. That means that everyone should be prepared for a gas attack. Last night we had three false alarms but tonight we really expect a real one. I am now going to bed, it is 12:00. May 28, 1918:—I went up to the guns until about 10:30. Just before noon mess some more propaganda balloons came over. Perry [Lesh] up at the O.P. caught one of them and is going to bring it in when he comes, he also said that there was very little activity. It is now 11:00 and I am going to bed fully expecting another false gas alarm. We heard late this evening that another German drive had started to the north of us. May 29, 1918:—This morning [Russell] Lamkin and I went up to the O.P. We were all pretty tired as we had two gas alarms during the night but as usual, they were false. These gas alarms are very far reaching because every out-fit has a guard on during the night and these guards pick up any gas alarm that they happen to hear. For instance, if an out-fit two or even four miles to our left or right should happen to have a real gas attack they would immediately start to ‘honk’ their klaxons and fire two shots from a rifle which is a gas alarm signal. This signal is passed up and down the lines as all of the guards pick it up and most of the time the gas never reaches so far as this, thus all of the false alarms. Last night the artillery and machine gun fire was pretty heavy and it helped to keep us awake most of the night. I stayed up in the O.P. all afternoon and saw but very little until about 3:00 when I happened to turn my glasses toward Chateau de St. Marie where to my surprise I saw about forty horses grazing out in the open quite near the old chateau. Even though we have seen so little activity we have good rea- son to believe that the Germans are strengthening their lines along this front. I have seen quite a few very nice air bat- tles lately, they seem to be coming out more since the weather is so nice. I am now sleeping with a little Roumanian, as 90 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS Jimmy [James V.] Fox is up at the guns this week. Ruso is sleeping with me because the rats bothered him too much where he was. Ruso was transferred to us from some other outfit and is a private on one of the gun squads. His father was a Colonel in the Roumanian army and after an advance made by the Germans was trapped in a room. After he had killed a few of the Germans he turned the gun upon himself rather than be captured. May 30, 1918:—Decoration Day and it has been no different to me than any of the preceding days. Wish I were home enjoying a good five hundred mile automobile race. I spent the morning making a sector sketch of the territory to the left of Chateau de St. Marie. During the afternoon I saw several horses grazing near the chateau and after I had watched them for awhile I leaned against the guard rail of the platform and went to sleep for awhile. The weather has been beautiful and I have certainly been feeling very fine lately. I believe this out-of-door life is sure agreeing with all of the fellows because I never hear any of them complain. May 31, 1918:—I stayed at the guns all day long. The ‘snow’ around the battery is that we are to stay here a while longer but I surely hope not, they also say that the Germans are going through the Allies to the north of us, that is why we are to stay here for a while longer. It is now 9:40 and it is still light. I can hear many machine guns firing farther up in the lines and I suppose there is some real action for a wonder. Many planes are up during the day now and they stay up very much later now since it stays light so long. We had another fake gas alarm last night and the fellows are getting so they don’t pay any attention to them any more. June 1, 1918:—This morning I went up to the guns. Jimmy [James V.] Fox and I sat down and worked a firing data prob- lem and then [Sgt. Bryant W.] Gillespie showed me around the guns and explained the different parts because I have never had anything to do with the guns before this. At 1:00 I stood 45 minutes of gun drill with Sgt. Gillespie’s gun section just to get familiar with the duties of a cannonier. We also had 15 minutes of drill with our gas masks on. The rest of the fellows worked on the big dug-out. June 2, 1918:—Since the flies have been so bad for the A SERGEANT’S DIARY 91 horses here in the woods we have started tying them in the little sheds in the woods not far from the O.P. and quite near the infantry kitchens. When we got to the O.P. we found that our line was out so [Carl] Moorman immediately started out to repair it. When he found the break it sure made him sore as our own engineers had deliberately driven through it with a team. During the afternoon our 75s and the French 75s fired quite a bit on a lean-to on the camouflaged road be- tween Under Champs and Domevre. Some heavier guns also fired on the camouflaged road between Blamont and Barbas. At 4:00 the Germans started to fire and of course our line went out after the first few shots. Several shells lit directly in Migneville and several lit in the little group of firs between the battery and Migneville. While the Germans were firing I was able to pick up the smoke from their batteries and on closer observation was able to locate two of their batteries. In a few days they will be no more. The Germans are now dropping, at a three minute interval, some three inch shells which are lighting about four hundred feet in front of our battery position. I have noticed too that about four out of ten of them are ‘Duds’ or, shells that do not explode. To- morrow, Sgt. Bruning and I are going out to scout for a new O.P. because we want to get one way to the left of our pres- ent one so that we can see up the valley from Under Champs. Things are livening up a bit and the Captain before we started gave us strict orders to see that our pistols were in good work- ing order for it is possible that we may run into a little more action than we expect. We will be in territory that is abso- lutely strange to us and we will be within easy rifle shot of the Germans. ., June 3, 1918:—Our regiment is now on the extreme left end of the American sector and the French have all of the terri- tory between here and Luneville. Bill [Sgt. Bruning] and I left our horses in Migneville and walked up the rest of the way. After we had jaunted around in the big woods for about an hour we found a tree that we thought would be just the thing for the new O.P. so we proceeded to make a wire tree-climber and finally Set. Bruning started up the tree. The first branches were about twelve feet from the ground and Bruning was about two feet from them when the wire climber broke and down Bruning came. He lit square on his neck and 92 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS it is a wonder that he did not hurt himself, but luck was with him and he only jarred himself up a bit. I then tried it with- out the climber and I got to the same spot where Bill had fallen from and my strength gave way so I let go and came down. I lit on my feet, but not right, and I gave my ankle a slight sprain. We then decided that our tree was not so good as we thought it might be and we started in search of another. We found two or three that we thought would be good but after we had climbed them we found that they were not as good as our old O.P. in our sector so we then started to scout around merely to see what could be found of interest. While we were looking around we ran into a bunch of French- men and they took us to their O.P. which was sure a peach as far as comfort and height was concerned, but their view only took in the little village of Domevre. We then decided that a better place than our old O.P. could not be had. From this French O.P. we could look back into the woods to our right and see Perry [Lesh] sitting in our O.P. After we had talked to these French soldiers for a while we started back. We walked back in to Migneville, got our horses and rode into the battery. Just after mess we found out that the sec- ond platoon was to be sent to an advance position, I don’t know just how far forward; Bruning is going along. Perry and I are going to stay here with the first platoon. While I was up in the big woods today I saw some very wonderful machine gun and rifle posts which had complete command of the road through the woods; they had been built in pre- paring for another German drive through this sector. I also saw some fine dug-outs, kitchens, sleeping quarters, etc. My sprained ankle is hurting pretty badly this evening and I think that I will now go to bed and get a good rest. June 4, 1918:—This morning [Claude] Moulden and I went up to the O.P. French and American 75s did a fair amount of firing during the day and a German battery in the Bois de Trion fired on the road leading from Migneville to Vaxain- ville nearly all day long. They also fired on E Battery of the 149th but they did not do any damage. Moulden had to re- pair our line nine times during the day due to this shell fire. About noon I began feeling very ‘bum’ and by 3:00 I could hardly stay up in the tree. I think I am getting the ‘grip’ because I ache all over and my back is very sore. I also saw A SERGEANT’S DIARY 93 some Medics bring in a dead ‘doughboy’. He was pretty well torn up from the burst of shrapnel that had fallen near him. About 4:00 we went in to the battery and I did not eat much evening mess as I am feeling awfully bad. Hope I am feel- ing a great deal better by tomorrow morning. June 5, 1918:—Luck was not with me today and when I woke up I felt so ‘bum’ that I stayed in bed and did not get up until 10:30. I had a fever of 104 degrees last night, but this morning it was only 101 so they did not send me to the hospital. Many of the fellows have been feeling ‘bum’ and quite a few of them have been sent to the hospital. It is some- thing like the ‘flu’. Perry [Lesh] and [Claude] Moulden went up to the O.P. today but they came in at 3:00 because Perry got this fever while he was up at the O.P. I received three letters and then came back down to the billets where I sat down to try to answer at least one of them. I have my 45 lying here on the table side of me for the sole purpose of shooting rats as they come snooping around my door. June 6, 1918:—The first thing we heard this morning over the communique was that the U.S.S. President Lincoln had been sunk after it had made five successful trips across. This is the boat that all of our battery came across on. I have a fierce headache and backache. By noon I had only enough ‘pep’ left to go up to noon mess and after I had finished eating I came back to the billets and wrote some letters. About 5:00 I lay down and there I stayed until evening mess. I brought food down for [Bryant W.] Gillespie, [James V.] Fox, [Howard H.] Maxwell and Perry [Lesh], as all of them are feeling too sick to get up for mess. Fox didn’t want his so I sat there and nibbled away on the toast and steak I had brought down for him. About 8:00 I began to feel the effects of eating too much evening mess, and I sure got sick. The doctor came down and gave me some medicine and I had a ‘deuce’ of a time all night long. Between Jimmy [Fox] and I, both sick and also swatting at rats as they came in the door, hardly anyone could have slept. June 7, 1918:—While we were in bed last night the second platoon came back. They only took this position temporarily as they thought the Germans were going to drive toward Bac- carat. Jimmy [James V. Fox] and I got up about 8:30 and 94 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS did nothing but lie around all morning. At evening mess time I felt well enough to go down to mess, and we sure had a wonderful meal of lettuce salad, roast beef, browned pota- toes and dumplings. I ate all that I could hold because never since I have been in the army have I had such a good meal. Thus far I have felt no ill effects from it. After the meal, [Kenneth] Simms, who works in our Q.M. came out with some clothes and I was lucky enough to get a tight fit in a pair of trousers. I also drew two new suits of summer underwear and all of the fellows were issued a box from the “Judge Trench Xmas. Association’, a little late but nevertheless it contained some very good things, talcum, tooth paste, ete. Jimmy and I then wrote some letters and then we went to bed. June 8, 1918:—The Captain came down to see the sick boys this morning and you should have seen the fellows crawling in bed as he came around. We are pretty sure that we are going to move soon because the Battalion is taking down their telephone wires between the battery and Bn. Hdqrs. We found a magnifying glass this morning and everybody has been using it to look at pictures that have been sent them from home. I got a pair of issue spurs today when the ration wagon came out. I also received some mail and some pic- tures from cousin Pauline [Ballweg]. All the pictures I have received from home I have tacked up on the wall and they sure look good. June 9, 1918:—I/went up to the O.P. this morning, but there was little doing. Things were so quiet that at 4:00 we started back for the battery. I might mention here that the bridge over the Seine River at Bacarrat, is mined ready to be blown up should the occasion arise. According to the boast of the Germans, this is the year that Bacarrat is to be taken without the least trouble to the Germans. It is funny to watch the fellows who go to the hospitals from here. Fel- lows who can sit up are required to change machines sev- eral times between here and the hospital and they also have to take care of their baggage so when asked whether or not they can sit up they say “No” and of course they are then taken care of. Several of the fellows are getting some very good pictures. Of course we are not supposed to have cam- A SERGEANT’S DIARY 95 eras along but one can always slip something over on any of them. We can not get them developed so we are saving all of our rolls until we get somewhere to have them taken care of. Asa whole we are pretty well fixed now, we always have plenty of smoking and good food as well as a pretty fair place to sleep. Every one seems to be in pretty fair spirits but we are all wishing for home. It stays light until about 9:30 now ~ and one can get quite a few letters written during these spare moments after supper. Our horses are getting along very fine and we take a great deal of pleasure in riding them. There is very little doing up at the front and outside of a few occasional shellings things are very quiet. June 10, 1918:—It started raining about 12:00 last night - and this morning it is very miserable. Bruning and I went up to the O.P. We did not go up to observe but to run a . traverse from the old O.P. to the new one so that we could locate it accurately. The co-ordinates of this O.P. we will send in to the Bn. Hdgqrs. so that they can locate targets in regard to this new O.P. This work took us until noon and then we started back to the battery. Perry [Lesh] and Pete [Clarence E. Clift] went to Baccarat today and brought some American cigars, a few little cakes and some Melachrino cigar- ettes back and we spent the rest of the afternoon eating and smoking. At 5:00 we went up to evening mess and there noticed that all of our officers are out here at the guns, so we think that there is going to be something doing before long. June 11, 1918:—This morning I went up to the O.P. and took Joe [Joseph L.] Simms along with me as a telephone operator. Sgt. Bruning and [Perry] Lesh stayed at the guns. We got up to the O.P. in due time but visibility was so poor that I could not even see Chateau de Saint Marie all day long; I didn’t eat any evening mess because I just felt good and lazy enough not to walk up after my mess. About 7:00 Perry came down to the barracks and we saddled up and went to Reherrey after some mail, but to our dismay we got only a sack of papers and the fellows were sure disappointed. Set. [Cecil L.] York and Set. Bruning and I sat around for awhile talking and then we went to bed. June 12, 1918:—This morning Sgt. Bruning and I slept until about 8:30, Perry [Lesh] and [Joseph L.] Simms went 96 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS up to the O.P. Just as we were getting up one of the fellows from the gun position came down and told Bruning that the divisional inspecting officer was going to visit the O.P., so Bruning missed his breakfast and immediately went up to the O.P. There is a French newsboy who comes every day and while at mess I bought a New York Daily Mail and a Herald [Paris editions] and then went down to the billets and read all about the war. The weather is as wonderful as one could wish for and the fellows are getting over their spells of fever and are rounding back into shape again. They are in very good spirits but are disgusted because we have not more real fighting to do, and outside of a few stray shells coming over once in awhile this is just like seeing how long one can live away from home, contented under these conditions. During evening mess Sgt. Bruning and I decided to take a ride, so immediately after mess we got our horses and went to Oger- viller about six kilometers from our gun position over in the ~ French territory. There we stopped off, went into a cafe and had something to eat and drink. About 7:00 we started back and we rode very slow and enjoyed the country as we went along. When we got back we put our horses away, gave them some hay for the night and then went out in the open to watch five Boche planes that were being fired on by French anti- aircraft guns. It is now 8:40 still very light and before long we will be hopping away to bed, Oh boy it’s a tough life???? June 13, 1918:—After I had finished eating breakfast I took my horse down to the water trough, soaped him up and gave him a good washing. I then went in to our desk where I wrote quite a few letters and read some of the old news- papers from home. We had a very good noon mess and the fellows sure enjoyed it because it is very seldom we get a meal that looks real good and then too thoughts of a good meal at home make it so much worse. Bill [Bruning] and J took a ride after evening mess and about 8:00 we arrived in Benamenil where we stopped into an American-Franko Y.M.C.A.; there we bought some cakes and chocolate and then went out into the village to look around. I was very much surprised while walking around; the village was full of French colored [Moroccan] troops all packed up and ready to pull out. I stopped to talk to one of these negroes and it seemed very strange to me when he threw up his hands as much as A SERGEANT’S DIARY 97 to say, “You’ll have to speak French to me’. It had never occurred to me that a negro could speak anything but the American language. About 8:45 we started back and we had to hurry because we were sixteen kilometers from our guns. On our way back we stopped at Pettonville and bought a few eges for our breakfast in the morning. We arrived at the battery about 10:00, stopped at the telephone dug-out where we read some of the communique and then went down to our billets, put our horses away and went to bed. June 14, 1918:—We have given our O.P. a name so that when we phone down to the battery no one can tell just where it is, except the men who know the name. In naming it we thought of home and called it W.I., meaning West Indian- apolis. Our line to the Battery is again out and it probably will remain so unless they change it because constant shell fire on the Montigny-Migneville road keeps it pretty well broken up. At 4:30 [Carl] Moorman and I started in to the battery but we had to take the long way because the Boche were dropping shells (220s) on the road we usually take which is a short cut. I made a sketch of about 500 mils farther to the right in our sector today, I now have about 1450 mils fin- ished. We spent the evening talking to Cpl. Helt from Bn. Hdqrs. who came over to see us; he gave us all the dope about leaving and he seems to think that we will leave about next Sunday or Monday. Our Division [Forty-second] has been on the front 100 days continuous now and that is the longest time that an American Division has held a sector by itself so far. June 15, 1918.—As we were going to the O.P. this morning we passed a French battery of 75s right out in an open field, they were firing with aerial observation and just finished as we passed. They immediately took in their signal panels and limbered their pieces and started away, and I want to say they sure worked with system. We had not gone far before their observation plane came back from the front and just as we were saying to one another how fine the plane looked, the pilot made a big dip-right down toward us. He came within 100 feet of the ground and directly over our heads, and as he passed the observer stood up and waved both hands at us. They were going I should judge about 70 miles an hour 7—22902 98 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS and we could see all parts of the plane and the men in it very well. It was sure a sight. We got to the O.P. and put all of our junk up in the tree and there we stayed until about 2:00 when it clouded up and started to rain. We then took all of our stuff down out of the tree, ate our lunch and fed our horses and still it rained so we started into the battery. We arrived at the battery about 3:00 put our instruments away and were then told that we would have to turn in all blankets but one so I don’t know how we will keep warm but I sup- pose we will make out some way. June 16, 1918:—This morning when we got up it was very cloudy and miserable. Bill [Bruning] and I saddled up and went up to the O.P. We took all of the sketches along that I had made, checked them over and made a few corrections. I then started on a sketch 500 mils to the right so as to take in all of our sector that could be seen. After I had finished the 500 mils Bruning and I started in toward the battery. On the way in we examined a few shell holes and collected the noses of quite a few of the larger shells just to show the fel- lows back at the battery. During the afternoon at the O.P. Perry made a sketch 500 mils farther on to the right, so that makes 2450 mils, which finishes the sketch in this sector. Sgt. Bruning took the sketch up to the Captain and he put his O.K. on it, so the next thing is to trace it so that it can be sent in to the divisional intelligence officer. [Carl] Moor- man will start the tracing of it tomorrow. June 17, 1918:—Last night was a very miserable night; I was awakened by the hard rain about 2:00 and I never did go back to sleep again. This morning at time to get up it was still raining and so Sgt. Bruning and I stayed in bed until nearly 10:00. [Carl] Moorman started on the tracing of the sketch about 10:30 and I helped him as much as I could. We worked until about 4:00 and then gave it up until to- morrow because it is a very tiresome job. Two caissons and two escort wagons came out during the day and were loaded with ammunition and then went back in to Gelacourt. That is always done when they are preparing to move so I sup- pose we will not be here very long any more. While up at evening mess every man got two boxes of hard tack and two cans of ‘corned willie’, these are supposed to be our traveling A SERGEANT’S DIARY 99 rations. Bruning and I did not stay up at the kitchen very long, we came back to the billets, saddled up and went way up past Migneville to try to find some real straight water- birch saplings to make new aiming posts out of. Bruning and I are very disgusted with this life and we have decided that if things do not go better we are going to ask for a transfer either to the intelligence department or to the tank corps. June 18, 1918:—This morning when we got up it was still very cloudy; Bruning and I got up for breakfast because they had pan-cakes and believe me all of the fellows were there. Immediately after breakfast [Carl] Moorman started to work on the tracing, Perry [Lesh] did not go up to the O.P. because it was so very hazy and misty. About 8:30 just as Bruning was leaving for a trip in to Gelacourt Pete [Clarence E.] Clift came out to act as operator for awhile. Bruning and I went down to the kitchen and ‘bummed’ a steak sandwich which we had to hide away in our shirts until we got to our room in the billets, for if we had shown them to the fellows all of them would have been down to the kitchen trying to get something to eat. I be- lieve it is the first steak sandwich I have had since I have been on the front. At 5:30 all of us went up to evening mess and it surely was a good one, we had steak, potatoes, sugar, coffee, bread and jam. June 19, 1918:—This morning Pete [Clarence E.] Clift and I went up to the O.P. and since I have had a few days away from it the ride up and through the woods to the O.P. was certainly a delightful change. The Boche have been shelling all during the night, it seems as though they are shelling all of the small villages behind our gun position. When we got as far as Migneville we found little groups of ‘doughboys’ all along the road with their gas masks at the alert position and we then found out that the Germans had put over a very great deal of gas during the night. We also noticed that several of the houses in Migneville were on fire and that the coun- try in and around Migneville was simply full of shell holes. The village was still being shelled at intervals and the ‘dough- boys’ at first were not going to let us pass but we convinced them that we had to get up to our O.P. so they let us pass on. 100 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS Pete [Clarence E.] and I put our gas masks at the alert posi- tion and went through the streets at a gallop. As we passed along we could see the heads of many ‘doughboys’ sticking out of the shell proof dug-outs and nearly all of them yelled at us to “make it snappy”. When out of the village we took the short cut toward the O.P., we could very easily be seen by German observation balloons but we kept on going at a good rate. We had just entered the big woods at the little tram- way and everything seemed normal when suddenly we smelled the rich sweet odor of phosgene gas. We immediately dropped our reins and put on our gas masks as both of us knew just. what it was, we then made haste and took the little tram- way leading through the woods. Through our masks we could even smell the gas along the tramway and between the tracks and along the edge there were several large shell holes which had been made during the night. When we got as far as the infantry kitchens along the main road we took our gas masks off, tied our horses over in the little sheds and went on up to the O.P. Shells are bursting within from three to four hundred meters from the O.P. but none of them are close enough to do any damage. The French have started to fire and the shells are whizzing over my head from both sides, visibility is very good. At mess today we gave our bacon sandwiches to some ‘doughboys’, as all of their food had been spoiled by the gas and we started in toward the battery. We wore our gas masks all the way through the woods and had no trouble at all. When we got to Migneville all of the ‘doughboys’ were hang- ing around their dug-outs ready for a shelling at any time, we got through without a mishap but we had not gone far out of the village before we heard the shells falling in the streets again. When we got to the billets [Latham W.] Con- nell and [Carl] Moorman had started to take down the tele- phone wire to the O.P., they sure will have some job because this wire runs through the big woods and nearly directly through the village of Migneville. While I was there I got a month’s pay and I immediately bought some chocolate and cakes and started back to the battery. The battery at Gela- court were all packed and ready to leave at a moment’s notice The battery is now firing on Barbas, a little village behind the German lines. This is retaliation fire. After mess Brun- A SERGEANT’S DIARY 101 ing and I stayed around the guns and watched for enemy planes while the battery fired. I fired about twenty rounds and then I went down to the billets and got all of my junk ready so that I could leave at any time. All indications are that we will leave here tonight sometime. I do not know just where we will go, some say to another front and others say that it will be our first step towards home. This is the end of the first book of my diary. June 20, 1918:—I was very fortunate in getting a note book as good as the one I have to keep my diary in because I have tried many times to get a book suitable but have been unable. One of the fellows in the battery was good enough to give me this book. The battery fired until 10:30 last night and then ‘ the second platoon pulled out, Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff went with it, where they went I do not know. The battery fired about six hundred rounds altogether, they fired O.A., F.A., and gas shells, and the report is that we literally tore up Barbas. Perry [Lesh] stayed here at the guns all night and we all slept until nearly 8:30 this morning. The weather is very unsettled, raining one minute and sun shining the next. At about 11:30 we went down to noon mess and there we were told that we have to vacate the billets we are in by 3:30 as the French were to take them over at that time. So imme- diately after mess all of us went down to the billets where we packed our junk and all of the men are now staying up here at the guns. If it is cloudy at 6:00 so that the Germans can not see us move we will leave, but if the sun is shining and it is bright we will have to wait until 10:00 tonight. Unfortunately it stayed bright the rest of the day so we waited until 10:00 before we started to get out. The limbers came out from Geiacourt and we loaded the rest of the four- gon. By the time we had it all loaded the battery was ready to start and the fourgon, followed by Bruning, Lesh and I, led the procession into Gelacourt. At Gelacourt the rest of the battery was ready to leave, it took them about one hour to get organized and at 12:00 we started away from Gela- court to,—I don’t know where. It was raining very hard. June 21, 1918:—The hike was certainly a ‘peach’,—rain, rain, rain, that’s all it did the whole night long and everyone of us was soaked through and through. If it had been a 102 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS warm rain it would not have been so bad but it was as cold as it could be. All of the detail rode their single mounts but during the night we would get off our horses and walk for long stretches to keep warm. [Leslie H.] Coleman and I rode together and we took turn-about sleeping as we sat on our horse. We went through Fontenoy about 2:00 A.M. and it was very dark, the detail telephone men acted as road mark- ers. At 5:00 A.M. we stopped and had breakfast which con- sisted of ‘slum’ and coffee, and it certainly went good, at 6:00 we again started on our way. We were sure glad that it was getting light because even though it was no warmer it was very much more cheerful. At 8:00 we pulled into Haillain- ville where the whole regiment was assembled, we immedi- ately pulled the guns to the parking space and put all of the © materiél and horses away and then went to billets which were assigned us and went to bed. At 11:00 we were awakened . and part of the battery went to stables while the other part went to the materiél and straightened it all up. Those of us who had traveled all night then went to bed and there we stayed until 4:00 P.M. and had a good sleep and rest be- cause we were very tired. At 4:00 when we got up we went down to stables, fed our horses and watered them and then we had evening mess. The village is a pretty fair sized one but it is very unclean and not a very inviting place. At about 7:00 I met John Bosson and he told me that he had over- heard a conversation that he, [Claude] Moulden, Pete [Clarence E.] Clift and I would have to leave at 6:00 in the morning for a loading place for the battery. There we are to escort the different parts of the battery to their cars as they come to entrain. All of the fellows are pretty tired and so about 8:00 we all packed our junk again and went to bed. It stopped raining during the afternoon and it will sure be a fine night to sleep. June 22, 1918:—This morning we four men were awak- ened at 5:00, we got up, fed our horses and ate a little break- fast and then saddled up ready to start. We reported to Capt. [Theodore] Taylor of the Supply Co., and at 6:00 we started out. We were not the only ones; there were details of four men each from the rest of the batteries. The ride was a very pleasant one and the country was very much better looking and places were much cleaner along the road than any I had A SERGEANT’S DIARY 103 seen before. At 9:30 we arrived at Chatel on the Moselle River, a pretty fair sized town and very beautiful, a very clean place with good clean wide streets and a good sized rail- road center. We rode into the little waiting place along side the station where we tied our horses and then sat down to wait until the officers had found out, or rather received orders from Hdars. as to what they were to do. Orders had been changed in the meantime and so we were to return to our or- ganizations. All of the men decided to stay until 1:00 P.M. and then all start back to the little village of Haillainville, Pete [Clarence E.], [Claude] Moulden, Johnny [John U. Bos- son] and I immediately went to a hotel for a feed. We had scrambled eggs, beef steak, bread, butter, strawberries and sugar. That meal was a treat. While we were waiting for our food Johnny Bosson took a look around the hotel and found a piano and now he is playing and we are having a regular time. The weather is fine and the town is surely one of the best I have been in since I have been in France. The first place we hit after eating was a wine shop where all of the fellows had a little drink, we then went into a little curio shop and pur- chased a few things that we needed such as pencils, a daily paper, etc. From there we went to a little food shop where we found some great big fresh strawberries, so we bought a big bag full of them and then went down to the bank of the Moselle where we sat down and ate them. At 1:00 P.M. all of us started back except the Sergeant in charge, he had a little too much “Vin Rouge” so we went on and left him be- hind because we could not find him and he wasn’t one of our fellows anyway. We got back to Haillainville about 4:00, un- saddled and then I took my horse to the blacksmith shop and had a loose shoe tightened up so that he would not be bothered during the next hike. We had retreat and an inspection of arms at 5:00 and mess at 5:30. After mess I sat down to rest a little and think about the country that we passed through today. I cannot help but mention the wonderful roads, the cleanliness of the country as a whole hereabouts and the many truck gardens I saw while passing along. The country is rolling, beautiful and rather restful to one. June 23, 1918:—This morning after eating mess and stand- ing reveille we were told to pack all of our junk and get ready to move, so everything was gotten ready. At 10:00 we wa- 104 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS tered and fed the horses; at 10:30 we had mess and at 12:00 we pulled out on a hike to some loading place, where I don’t know. Many times we stopped along the road as we had plenty of time and no one was hard worked, at 4:30 we had mess along the road and then started on again. We entered Charmes at about 8:00, it was dark and I saw one of the most wonderful sights that I ever hope to see. Just aS we were going through the town the Germans came over Charmes with about six planes to put on a little air raid. We could see some of the town because the. lights from shells and guns shown all over the town, the anti-aircraft batteries put up a barrage all around the town so that the Germans could not get directly over it, but in spite of that some few of them got low enough over the town to drop some bombs and of course the explosion of them echoed through the streets. All of the big buildings had machine guns mounted on top of them and above all of the rest of the noise one could hear the pep,— pep,—pep of their fire and see the fiery tracer bullets speed- ing toward one of the planes. Great large search lights, fif- teen at least I would say, were playing all over the town and every once in awhile I could get a glimpse of one of the planes. Everytime an anti-aircraft shell would burst far up in the air I could see the little spurt of fire, and long after hear the report of its explosion and during this time our heavy bat- tery was rumbling along the cobble stone streets toward the loading place. It was the first air raid I had witnessed and it certainly was a sight worth remembering. Several Illinois outfits were loading at the same place and at about 8:30 we helped the battery to load. We then found out that quite a few of the A Battery men were to travel with Bn. Hdqrs, and I happened to be one of them so we all put our junk to one side and waited for the Battalion train to pull in. At 11:30 the battery pulled out and the Battalion train pulled in, we immediately started to load. After our horses, mules and wagons were loaded [Herman R.] Armstrong and I helped some of the Battalion men load some of their horses and mules because it is certainly a job to get the old ‘dudes’ into a car without fighting some of them. Joe [Joseph L.] Simms, Ken- neth Simms, [Latham W.] Connell, [James A.] Miles, Arm- strong, and about six more of we A Battery men are in a car together, we have straw in the bottom of the car and we are A SERGEANT’S DIARY 105 sleeping under horse blankets as we do not want to undo our packs. We have the same kind of a car that the horses and mules are loaded in,. but it isn’t so bad after all. We have all of our junk in the cars and are ready to pull out and I am now going to bed as it is now 4:30 A.M. June 24, 1918:—At 7:30 Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter awakened us as the rations were being given out and we had to go up to the front end of the car to get ours. We got food for the rest of the day which consisted of jam, real hard tack, ‘corned willie’, beans and butter; that along with what we had carried with us kept us going pretty well. I stayed up for a little while and watched the country roll by, I do not know what time it was when we pulled out, I ate a little and then went back to bed. Early this morning we went through Toul and during the day we have passed through many little villages, some of the most important being Longueville, Bar-le- Duc, Mussey, and Sermaize-les-Bains. The country is truly beautiful, great big hills and long peneplains, and the farther we got the cleaner it seems to get. We are now stopped in a small town; I do not know how much longer we will have to travel because I do not know where we are going. I have noticed too that the country is becoming more and more flat and the fields are much larger and there are quite a few more truck gardens. The boys in our car have started a rhum game for a half Franc a hand; funds are very low, but they are having a good time. Our train has now started on and we are passing quite a few aeroplane hangers, probably for schooling purposes, many cantonments for French and British soldiers and many temporary camps. We made about a five minute stop in Blesmes, about the same in Vitry-le-Francois, and about 5:15 we pulled into Chalons. Lieut. Trotter had been back to our train a little before we pulled into Chalons and told us to pack our junk and as soon as we had pulled in the loading platform the train was unloaded, the starting sig- nal given and we went through the heart of Chalons. The city of Chalons is a very beautiful place and an awfully clean looking place, there are a number of real large parks, a very extensive system of beautiful canals and the streets are simply wonderful, straight, wide, smooth and lined on each side with large Linden trees. It is the first French city I have been in that has a real system of electric street railways, the buildings 106 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS are very large and all of them are made of white stone. It is located on the river Marne and their canal system takes care of all of the inland shipping. There are a few Amer- ican soldiers here in this place. After we got out of town we made several stops, but not until 9:15 did we stop for our evening mess, which was a very poor one, ‘corned willie’ and bread was all. Our horses were fed and our rest was about one half hour and then we started on, we arrived in this camp about 12:45. It seems to be a pretty large camp, plenty of stables for the horses and plenty of cantonments for the men, the cantonments are full of bunks, and every bunk has a straw tick. I believe it will be very convenient and pleasant here. June 25, 1918:—This morning we got up at 6:15 went down to the stables, watered the horses and then came back and had our own breakfast. We then went down to stables again where we watered, fed, groomed and washed all of the har- ness, of course this work used up the morning, so about 11:00 the horses were again watered and fed and the men came in to noon mess. Directly after mess nearly all of the men or- ganized their personal equipment and fixed up their bunks so that things would look half way presentable, it is pretty warm but the weather is very pleasant and I think the fellows are all very well satisfied. This camp is large enough to accom- modate the whole regiment which is here now, the country is very flat and the ground is clay, I’ll bet it’s a mess when a good rain comes. We do not have to wear our gas masks any more and it certainly is a relief to be able to run around with- out them, helmets are also out of order now but blouses are to be worn at all times. The battery has nothing to do until 4:00, so as soon as Dick Bosson and I had our own junk in good order we went down to a creek near here and took a real for sure bath, a regular scrub from top to bottom. I then took a good shave and having changed all of my clothes I certainly felt good. At 4:00 instead of going to stables, Bruning and Cpl. Teemeyer (Fred Turner) went in to the village to try to arrange an evening meal for tonight, but they could have no luck. They did fix it up for a meal tomorrow evening. Several of the boys went after some new horses just after we got here the other night and they just came in with fifty-seven, so I went down to look them over, our bat- tery will get about eight of them. It is now about 9:30, still A SERGEANT’S DIARY 107 light but I am pretty sleepy and I think I will go to bed. One year ago today the battery was called out for service. June 26, 1918:—This morning after I had been to the reveille formation and eaten my breakfast I found out that I was N.C.O. so I collected my men and started to clean up the camp. After we had cleaned up all of the cantonments we built an incinerator and cleaned up the grounds all around the cantonments and kitchen occupied by our battery. About 2:00 P.M. there was a very large bag of second class mail and so now all of the fellows have papers from home and they sure do read and yell about the news. The fellows are wild about this camp so far but I think we will soon get over that because from the way they are starting out this is going to be another ‘‘Model Camp” similar to the one we kept at Camp Mills, we are having regular meals but I think they are trying to get rid of all of their ‘corned willie’ for that’s all we are eating now. The camp is supposed to be a rest camp, it is about 30 kilos from the Chateau-Thierry front. We hear that the Forty-second Division is now a part of the French Army and that we will be used from now on as a shock division. Directly after noon mess the Captain talked to all of the non-coms telling them how all of the horse and personal equip- ment should be kept. We have been having very good reveille formations at 7:00 in the morning but I think from now on we will be called at 6:30, we are having no retreats. At 6:00 this evening Dick [Richard M.] Bosson, Sgt. Brun- ing, [Fred] Turner, [Leslie H.] Coleman and I went up into the village and had the meal that Bruning and Turner had planned for us. We certainly had a very fine meal, fried po- tatoes, baked duck, salad and all of the wine that the fellows could drink. June 27, 1918:—After we had gone to stables this morn- ing the regimental officers held an inspection and from what I can hear it came out better than any battery in the regi- ment. Today is bath day and certain sections are going at certain times, so after my detail had finished cleaning the stables we all went up to the cantonments and prepared for our baths. The regiment has a portable hot shower and every time we make a long stop it is put up and the whole regiment gets to take a bath. It was a ‘peach’ and after the fellows 108 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS got out they certainly felt better. I went direct to the “Y” where I bought some cakes, hot chocolate, soap and matches and then went back to the cantonment as it was nearly noon mess time. After mess I lay down on my bunk and went to sleep but being in the army I didn’t get to sleep very long. While the fellows were washing the horses I dug down into the bottom of the packed fourgon and got a few packages of ‘Camels’ as my supply was running very low, nearly all of the © fellows are of ‘Tailor Mades’ and I am going easy on what I have left. We had no more than gone to the cantonment after washing the horses when stables blew and of course we all had to go back down to stables. I had to take charge of the ninth section while they groomed as their chief of section was gone. At 5:00 we watered and fed and then went up to the cantonment where a little first class mail was being dis- tributed. I received six letters. At 5:30 we all lined up for mess and at 6:30 we had retreat which the Captain took charge of, he of course had to give us a talk on personal equip- ment, duty, etc. and after this was over I went in and read my mail. They have closed all of the cafes here in the village and of course the fellows are all hunting the back doors try- ing to buy wine. After I had finished reading my mail I read a Chicago Tribune. ‘Pug’ [Rogers H.] George and I then ate a can of jam and a box of hard tack after which ‘Pug’ piled in bed. I sleep with him and am going to follow him in just a few minutes. It is now 9:15. CHAPTER VI ™HE CHAMPAGNE FRONT June 28, 1918:—At 1:00 today we all lined up for a little ‘doughboy’ drill. We had only marched out onto the road when we where given “Squads right about’’, and marched right back to where we had started from. After the battery had been halted the Captain told us to go to our cantonments pack all of our junk and get ready to leave. At 5:00 the order had not come down to pull out so we all went up to the mess shack and had something to eat. At 11:15 we pulled out, our bat- tery was about the last one in the procession and the whole regiment pulled out at the same time, it was moonlight and riding was very pleasant. We rode all night and things went along very well until early in the morning just before dawn it got pretty chilly. We pulled into some very good stables at Somme Vesle just a little after day break, and of course the first thing that we did was water and feed the horses. Dur- ing our ride we saw several planes carrying red and green lights and some of them came very low and carried no lights at all. The country is very flat around here, even more so than any I have seen since I have been in France. After we had pulled into the stables, watered and fed we all went to the billets that had been prepared for us. June 29, 1918:—When I had put all of my junk away [Fred] Turner, [Leslie H.] Coleman and I immediately went out to scout for food. As luck would have it we ran into our regimental interpreter who soon had us to a place where we arranged for a mighty fine meal, while there we had a bottle of champagne, a dozen eggs and some bread and after we had finished eating we went directly to our billets and went to bed. We were allowed to sleep until 11:30 when we all had to go to stables, we did not have to groom as it was very late so we only watered and fed. Sgts. Bosson, Bruning, Morgan, Cpls. Coleman, Turner and I then went to the private home where our meal was awaiting us, it surely was a fine one. We had as many French fried potatoes as we could eat, about three dozen eggs, some lettuce salad and five quarts of cham- (109) 110 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS pagne, which by the way, only cost us about two dollars a quart. June 30, 1918:—Today being Sunday one would think we would at least be allowed to sleep a little later, but as usual we got up at 6:30, however we did not have to go directly down to stables as the stable boys and guards had done the feeding. Breakfast was no good and after they had called the stable formation at 10:30 and the fellows thought they would get a rest, a watering and feeding call was blown at 11:30 so the fellows are pretty well disgusted. At 12:00 we had noon mess which was not very much better than break- fast and after I had eaten as much as I could I went back to the billets and started to write some letters, nearly all the rest of our battery are out playing a game of ball with F Bat- tery. Since we have been here we have seen quite a few planes, some of them very large ones with twin motors and twin propellers; I suppose there is an aviation field pretty close somewhere. Went to mess at 5:00 where we had ‘slum’ which was just simply rotten; after mess we all went up to an old stone bridge where we sat down and listened to the band play a few numbers, it was certainly pleasant and it had about all of our blues chased away when our 7:00 water call blew. Our battery is the only battery that is watering’ four times a day. July 1, 1918:—About 9:00 when we were down at stables the detail was told to saddle up and we started out with the Captain. The details out of each battery went along to a point a little south of this village where each battery took up a position, established communication from O.P. to Battery P.C. and then to Bn. Post of Command. Anything to make work! After that was finished we came in and got back to stables just in time to help lead out to water. Mess hap- pened to be one that the fellows had arranged at a French home and on the way I stopped and put in an order for some jam and butter at a little grocery store. [Farrell E.] Potter went down to battery mess and drew bread and beans for the bunch and [Earl R.] Barcus: went out and bought two bot- tles of champagne, so for our noon mess we had champagne, 1Earl R. Barcus, of Indianapolis, killed while in hospital by airplane bombardment of Germans, July 25, 1918. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 111 twenty eggs in an omelet, pork chops, so many french fried potatoes that we had to leave some, lettuce salad, beans, bread and water; [Farrell E.] Potter, [Leroy R.] Thomas, [Fred] Turner, [Earl R.] Barcus and I sat at this meal, and it surely was a ‘peach’. The old French lady of this house went out to the meat wagon and bought this meat for us as none of we Americans can buy meat from the French, as they are supposed to have only enough to feed themselves. It was certainly the best meal that I have had for a long while. At 5:00 we had retreat and then mess but I did not go after it because I wanted to wash and shave. I had just finished shaving when the order came down to pack junk and get ready to leave. So pack we did, and all of us were down at stables with our junk, ready to saddle up and leave when the First Sergeant blew his whistle; we had to line up and go back to our billets and go to bed as the orders had been changed. So back to our billets we went made our beds and then started a poker game. Now if this army isn’t a joke, I don’t know just what is. July 2, 1918:—Today we had another dinner at the French woman’s house and she sure put up a fine meal. We had fried potatoes, eggs, salad (lettuce), bread, red wine, beans and some meat that we brought down from battery mess. There was nothing for us to do until 3:30 so I lay down and slept for awhile; I was awakened by the bugle and of course all of us trotted off to stables. At 5:15 we had retreat and at the same time a little mail came in. I received quite a few pic- tures from home and they certainly were interesting. July 3, 1918:—At 8:00 we went to stables and groomed, a little surprise awaited the fellows and we were dismissed at 10:30 something that is very seldom done, but there is always a joker in the army and at 11:00 stable call blew again and back we went and fed the horses. I then went to our battery mess and drew bread and boiled meat for five of us and we all went to the French woman’s for dinner. When we got to the French woman’s home we found out that we could have no meal as she was unable to get any potatoes or eggs, so back to the battery mess we went. We also received orders to line up at 1:30 with side-arms and we all thought that we were going to have some ‘doughboy’ drill up until 3:30. The boys 112 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS are pretty well disgusted because we are being driven so hard and are not getting the proper food. At 1:15 drill call blew and we went out and ‘doughboyed’ until 3:00; I’ll say most of the boys were dragging pretty close to the ground when we came back in. At 3:30 stable call blew and we all went down to stables where we groomed, watered and fed and were dis- missed at 4:15. I am now going to bed as I am pretty tired; in all this has been just simply one h of at day.-eitsis now 9:45. July 4, 1918:—At 2:00 A.M. we were awakened and imme- diately got ready to leave, the details left Somme Vesle at 4:00 A.M. A detail out of every battery and Bn. Hdars. all left together, we took all of our equipment and personal be- longings with us on our horses. We rode all day long before a marker was dropped off for the battery and then [Leslie] Coleman was the first one to be left; he went all the way back to the first town that we came through to escort the battery on when it gets there. Before we arrived in Suippes we stopped at a road camp and ate the food that had been issued us, it consisted of jam, hardtack, ‘corned willie’ and bread; after we had finished we continued on to Suippes. While eat- ing at the road camp I took my pistol off and then left and forgot it so I suppose it is gone by now. We arrived in Suippes at 1:00 and we all went to a large barn where we unsaddled and fed our horses. The boys went out through the town which is a rather good sized place and found a French canteen where they bought chocolate, sardines, oranges, champagne and wine and then they came back to the old barn where we all lay down for a short sleep before getting further orders. At about 3:00 the Captain came and awakened us and we started on, arriving at our destination about 5:00 P.M. We stopped in a thicket which was very small and which will be used as the echelon, the telephone men immediately started to lay wire from this thicket to the gun position. The posi- tion is out in the open country, merely pits dug for the guns and camouflaged over the top; there is also one officer’s dug- out. I had orders at 9:00 to go back to Suippes to escort the battery to this place. Between the thicket and the town of Suippes the country is very level, white and chalky and there are no more trees. There are very many camps of American, French, Italian and Alpine ‘doughboys’ along this newly made A SERGEANT’S DIARY 113 road and they all seem to be ready to make their little journey to the front, so I suppose there will be something doing before very long. The fellows say that this country is just like Texas and the trees really impress one that way for they are only four or five feet high and are evergreens. Just before I got into Suippes I passed very many companies of ‘dough- boys’, machine gun outfits and trench mortar outfits going up to occupy the second line trenches. Above my head I could hear the constant hum and buzz of aeroplanes but it was very dark and of course I could see none of them. Not far off to my right I could also hear the rumble of a terrific barrage and I felt rather lost with no one I knew along, but I arrived in Suippes at 11:00 and there was more life in the town. I had just tied my horse to a telephone post (put up by Americans) when the battery came along so I fell in at the head of the column and took the lead toward our position. I could not hear another thing other than the rumble of the heavy pieces, caissons and battery wagons on these hard roads and it sure seemed good to get with the battery again. Tonight the stars are shining very bright, it is a little chilly though. All the way back I had to ride forward and then ride back to the bat- tery, and several times I thought I had lost my way but I ‘came out alright. July 5, 1918:—At 1:05 A.M. we had gotten as far as our thicket, the battery was halted and I took Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift around the thicket and showed him where all of the non- combatant wheel materiél was to be parked. I also awakened the Captain. I then went back to the battery and took Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff, the pieces, caissons and the fourgon to the gun position where the battery was halted. Lieut. Knaff would take charge of one piece while I would take care of another piece and we finally got them all into position. All of the caissons were unloaded at the gun position and the fourgon was unloaded in front of the Aivigoty EADRAT a for that work was all done I took aa ack to the thicket and then put my horse away a meBeP. O° pos tent with Pete [Clarence E.] Clift for the ni he eee all stayed at the guns and when we got to the thicket the drivers and extra men were putting away the wheel materiél, all of the detail men were sleeping, well worn out. It was 3:05 A.M. when I crawled in bed and I slept until ten the next 8—22902 114 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS morning. When I got up I found that the thicket we were in was completely filled with other outfits that had pulled in during the night. I took a walk up to our kitchen where I got some ‘corned willie’ and bread and then walked over to our telephone where I sat down to eat. Our new echelon is about three quarters of a mile from the old one in a thicket not very much larger than our old place, but much more pleasant and on higher ground and from this place we can see the gun position and the O.P. There doesn’t seem to be a very great deal doing on the front and things are rather pleasant now; Perry [Lesh] is up at the O.P. with the scissors; Sgt. Bruning is at the guns. I took time enough to look on a map to determine just where we are and I find that we are right between Rheims and Verdun. Set. [Richard M.] Bosson and his men are busy stringing wire from guns to O.P., from guns to echelon, echelon to B Battery and from echelon to Bn. Hdqrs. In moving the battery we were allowed to move only one wagon ait a time and then at a fifteen minute interval be- cause the battery, echelon and all, are so much out in the open that we could easily be seen by aeroplane. There are no billets around here and we all sleep in pup-tents on the ground, I haven’t had a chance to wash for three days but I would rather take this time to write up my diary before I have something else to do. We are supposed to be in a re- serve position with our battery and we are not supposed to fire unless the Germans start a drive, and a drive is expected here very shortly. From dusk on until midnight the gun crews handled ammunition, a small tramway runs about a half mile from the gun position and from it 1200 rounds and enough powder for the same was brought in. Gun crews are changed every twenty-four hours and I’ll say when the boys come in they are just about all in; food is taken to the gun position from the echelon and then the little two-wheeled ration cart comes back in until time for the next meal. We have two machine guns mounted at the gun position, one just to the right of the first piece and the other on top of the officers dug- out. July 6, 1918:—After I had eaten my breakfast I went out to the guns for an all day stretch at duty, [William H.] Brun- ing stayed at the guns also. Last night we could hear a great deal of artillery fire but none of it was very close to us, the A SERGEANT’S DIARY 115 weather has been fine and everyone seems to be pretty well contented now. Bryant Gillespie’s brother, Boyd is now in one of the gun squads in our battery. There are quite a few planes around this sector and any time during the day one can hear them humming far up in the air sometimes so high that they can not be seen. I understand that we are going to have to stand shifts of three-hour watches during the night here at the O.P. but we have communication with all the nec- essary places so we are pretty safe. From the guns our O.P. can be seen and I can see the echelon and the guns from here, so if necessary we can establish visual signaling. About a kilometer to the south of us a large observation balloon has been put up; it is an American balloon the first one I have seen up in this sector. I have taken a general look over the territory but we are so far from the front that I can hardly make out a thing from where I am. Bruning brought me my mess tonight which consisted of hamburger with onions in it, but I did not eat that, so I had hardtack, cold mashed potatoes, cold coffee without sugar and a pipe full of tobacco for my mess. I am so d disgusted with the way things are run that I don’t know what to do, one may as well get shot and go back to a hospital. This place is very dead, I haven’t heard the burst of a German shell since I have been here, it so nearly resembles a cemetery that the ony thing it lacks are the tombstones. All of the fighting seems to be to the north of here and I sure hope they bring some of it down this way before long. The General [Sgt. Bruning’] is now peacefully sleeping in our pup-tent and I am up here at the O.P. on the first of our three hour shifts; if I don’t go to sleep during one of these shifts I hope somebody chokes me. I sat up until 9:30 and then the Captain called up and said that it would not be necessary for us to sit up all night so I took down the instruments and went to bed. July 7, 1918:—There are some Indianapolis Stars at the gun position but I could not carry them so Perry [Lesh] is going to bring them up to us. We are now on what they call a busy front; last night there was quite a little artillery firing and many planes were up but we have not fired yet. The French are holding the first line trenches and the Americans are holding the second lines and the reserve positions. I got four letters and some [Indianapolis] Stars today. At 12:15 116 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS I went down after mess and we had a meal of beans and canned pumpkin, so you can imagine what an awful fine meal it was; when I brought it back to Bill [Bruning] he threw it at me and then I had to sit down and scrape pumpkin off my clothes. Our tent is full of pine boughs now so during the afternoon we lay around and tried it out, we read and slept a little. At 7:30 Major [Guy M.] Wainwright and sev- eral “iggy” Lieutenants came up and now General [Sgt.] Bruning is helping them win the war with the scissors. Perry [Lesh] came up about 8:00 and instead of semaphoring we lay around and talked for awhile. About bed time the Major came over and pointed out a tree that he wanted us to watch for barrage signals. July 8, 1918:—During the morning I lay around and wrote some letters; it is awful hot and one doesn’t feel like doing very much. The Captain [Sidney S. Miller] and Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter were up toward the front this after- noon and they found a tree suitable for a forward O.P. so tonight Perry [Lesh], Sgt. Bruning and I go up to this for- ward O.P. to stay all the time. We are to keep our horses up there with us so, in case of an emergency we can get away. Oats for the horses and our food will be brought to us from the battery but we will have to do our own cooking. French canteens have been issued us as they hold more than the American canteens do, water is very scarce up here. At 5:15 I went down to the battery and ate mess, I then went up to our old O.P. where we loaded all of our instruments in the fourgon and our personal equipment on our horses and started for the forward O.P. Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter led the way, Sgt. Bruning and I rode our horses and Perry drove the fourgon as Sgt. [Richard M.] Bosson and his men had gone > ahead to lay wire from the new O.P. back to the battery posi- tion. We were followed by the ration cart. which is hauling a load of food for us and the horses. About 8:30 we arrived at Saint Hillaire Farm where we pitched our camp; there are about five buildings here completely ruined from shell fire and a pump here that is still in good working condition. While the rest of the fellows were arranging camp I took a walk up to the O.P. with Lieut. Trotter; the O.P. is about a fifteen minute’s walk from our new camp. It is located in a little group of pine trees and the O.P. itself is built about fifteen A SERGEANT’S DIARY 117 feet from the ground out of pine branches. Lieut. Trotter pointed out several points in the German lines so that I could use these to start out with the first thing in the morning, and locate all things of importance. Several shells lit within about 500 yds. of us, but they were not close enough to do any dam- age. Sgt. Bruning stayed at the farm to organize our little camp and Sgt. Bosson has the line through from the O.P. to the farm. Bruning and I immediately put pine boughs in our place so that our beds would be soft. We have two phones along,—one for the O.P. and one for the camp, so we put one phone on and tried to get the battery position but Sgt. Bos- son had not gotten the line through yet, so we all went to bed. July 9, 1918:—We all got up at 7:00, watered the three horses and for our own breakfasts made a cup of beef boullion for each. After breakfast Bruning and I took the aiming circle, a telephone, the maps, the scissors instrument and our field glasses and picked our way through the open fields, which were cut up with trenches, to the O.P. When we got up to the O.P. the first thing we did was to put up the instru- ments and Bruning immediately got to work locating different things in the German lines. I put a phone on but the line was still out so I took a little walk to a sound ranging dug- out that is very close to here. I stayed there about a half hour watching some French officers trying to locate a German battery that has been firing for a good while. All of their work is done by electrical equipment and records the direction of sound; range they must determine with the aid of their own experience. Here at the O.P. we are with French al- together, whereas at the battery one hardly ever sees a Frenchman. The weather is fine now, it is cloudy and cool but visibility is very good and through our glasses I can easily make out the ruins of Auberive-sur-Suippe, a small French village which now lies in the middle of ‘No Man’s Land’. Our O.P. here is the visual signaling station for the French in this vicinity so our view from here is very good. We are directly behind the first line trenches, nevertheless the country all around us is completely cut up with trenches and everything is camouflaged to an extreme. Observation planes are very active around here, both German and French, so naturally we see quite a few good air battles every once in a while. Shells burst all around us nearly all the time but only occasionally do they burst close enough to make us duck. 118 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS July 10, 1918:—We slept pretty cool last night after the rain, and about 1:30 A.M. a great deal of artillery activity started, but we turned over, went to sleep and let things de- velop. Either the French or the Germans started a raid, but we have not heard just how it came out. Bill [Bruning] and I went out to check the work that we did last night and to our suprise we found that the French had numbered some of their stakes wrong so we went over them and changed our ‘dope’ accordingly. Perry [Lesh] was up when we got back but was in a pitiful condition; he had tried to dry his undercloth- ing and had burnt one leg of it all the way out but he had to put it on as none of us had an extra suit to give him. He will wear this suit of underclothing until we have another issue of clothes back in some rest camp. Sgt. Bruning and I had just started for the O.P. when Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff and Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter came out. They looked around for a little while and then started back. Bill and I then started to locate different points in the German lines so that when asked about different things we could answer intelli- gently. When we got to the O.P. this morning the French were just eating their breakfasts; they sure live a soft life and its no wonder they can’t win a war. Bill and I worked until about 12:30 and then Perry came up to relieve us. B Battery is also establishing a camp up here and they will ob- serve from the same O.P., but they will take care of only the territory that their battery has to cover. I stayed up until 9:00 writing letters and writing up my diary, and then it got too dark for me to do any good so I stopped and went to bed. Just after I got in bed the artillery started and they fired back and forth for about two hours, but I slept just the same. July 11, 1918:—Immediately after breakfast Bruning and I went up to the O.P. where I started to work on a sector sketch; I worked on it until noon and it certainly was a hard job because the country is so very flat and there are so many false crests. Civilians evacuated this village only four days ago so one can readily see that something is to be expected pretty soon. ‘Pete’ [Clift] gave us some pleasant news to- day from a French Lieut. who had visited there during our absence. The French Lieut. said that we would have to put up a screen of camouflage in front of our camp and also that we would have to water our horses by bucket as we were di- A SERGEANT’S DIARY 119 rectly in view of the Germans. Some of these ‘Frogs’ are afraid of their own shadows. The French are changing re- liefs tonight in the front lines so we will certainly not get by without a barrage of some sort. After I got in bed I could hear quite a few partridges calling and it certainly did sound good. This life is great stuff right now. but I don’t suppose it will last long. July 12, 1918:—This morning immediately after breakfast I went up to the O.P. to finish my sketch. While I was work- ing at my sketch Major Guy A. Wainwright came up and hung around for awhile but he didn’t have a great deal to say. At 11:30 Pete [Clift] came up to the O.P. and I went back in to camp, and then Perry [Lesh] who had been in camp all morning went up to the O.P.; we always have to arrange to have someone at the camp or these ‘Frogs’ will steal all we have. During the latter part of the afternoon I labeled my sketch and tomorrow I will go in to the battery position where Moorman will make a tracing of it. It will then be taken to divisional headquarters. This sketch is of importance because it was used as a check against French maps that had been made immediately following the outbreak of the war. July 13, 1918:—This morning immediately after breakfast I started in to the battery position, and on my way I got lost and did not get there until 10:00 A.M. I went down to the Captain’s dug-out where I got ink, pens and tracing paper, called [Carl] Moorman at the echelon and by 11:00 he had started on the tracing. I worked on the tracing for a little while after evening mess and about 7:00 I finished it up and took it down to the Captain who was very well satisfied with it. About 6:30 I started back to the camp and arrived there about 8:10, and then sat down to talk to some French soldiers who were there visiting the fellows. In the ruins of this old farm barn there is a group of about eight French soldiers who stay there all the time as they are the cooks for an in- fantry out-fit up in the front lines. These fellows cook the food and then it is carried through the trenches up to the front lines to the men. They are very pleasant and they often come over to visit us; we always trade them sugar, cof- fee, etc. for canteens full of Vin Rouge. They also told us that during last night very many Germans came in as rein- 120 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS forcements and that the Germans had taken up all of their barbed wire preparatory to a big drive on this front. Artil- lery fire has already started for the night but not enough to keep us from going to bed or worrying about it. July 14, 1918:—All night long there was terrific artillery fire and we only slept at intervals, some of the shells lit quite close to us but none of them so close that we had to get up and get out of the way. I suppose the closest one was about one hundred feet from us. All kinds of signal rockets, flashes from guns and the bursting of shells we could see directly in front of us, in fact between us and the O.P. We all got up at 7:30 because there was too much firing for one to sleep. Immediately after breakfast I went up to the O.P. where I stayed until noon and then I came in after something to eat. When I arrived at the camp the boys had a fine meal ready, it being Sunday they tried to see what a fine meal they could make up. We had mashed potatoes, creamed peas, (Brun- ing bought these canned goods at a French canteen as our own Y.M.C.A.s up here are a perfect failure) fried steak, fried bread, sugar, coffee, milk, jam, bread and butter. About 2:00 P.M. Perry [Lesh] phoned down that there was activity in the German lines and Bruning has now taken the maps and gone up to the O.P. About 5:30 Perry and Bruning came in and reported that the activity in the German lines was growing more and more as evening came on. The Ger- man territory behind the front lines is nothing but great hills of chalk, and over these hills of chalk one can see the narrow roads leading to the front. This is where all of the activity could be seen; such things as caissons and pieces being drawn toward the front, German troops even four abreast marching down toward the front and wagon after wagon load of am- munition moving along. Against this white chalk it seemed like so many worms were winding down toward us. We are absolutely sure now that before long the party will start but of all the reports we send in there doesn’t seem to be any- thing done. After we had eaten our evening meal, talked a little, smoked a little, and gotten the camp in readiness for a quick move we all went to bed. I slept only off and on for some reason, and I could not, no matter how hard I would try, make myself drop into a sound sleep so I sat up in my bed, took a cigarette out of my shirt pocket (we decided to sleep A SERGEANT’S DIARY 121 in most of our clothes so that we could get out if necessary) and leaned up against a tree that is right at the head of our bunks and started to smoke. Artillery fire had been very heavy during the early part of the evening but by this time (11:00) it had very nearly ceased altogether, it was com- paratively quiet all over and nothing seemed to be brewing. J sat there until about 12:30 smoking and thinking of home, and then I heard a shell whizz close, in fact very close, but on the other side of the tree from me so I stayed sitting, wait- ing for the shell to burst. To my surprise it did not, I heard it thump into the ground so I just said, “Dud” to myself and forgot it. It was not long though before another came and this one closer than before and strange, it behaved like the one before had so I passed it up. In spite of the two “Duds” I listened for them from then on and it was but a very short while before along came another which was not a “Dud” and another and still another, good ones too and getting mighty close so I awakened Bruning. Perry [Lesh] and Pete [Clarence E. Clift] were fast asleep in their own tent and it did not take us long to wake them. Perry rolled over and said ‘Let ’em come” but we got him out and made him put on his clothes, the ones with the leg burnt all the way off. The shells then started to come thick and fast and I want to say we certainly dressed in a hurry; while we were dress- ing Lieut. Vallandingham from the B Battery post came over to use our phone and by the time he had finished shells were lighting on all sides of us and things were in more of an uproar than I had ever heard before, it seemed as though the front for thirty miles each way had opened up and every gun was firing. It was as light as daytime, and the ground directly in front of us, and to the side of us, and behind us was a mass of flames and whistling steel from the bursting shells. The German drive was on. Every once in a while above the burst of the shells one could hear some one yell at a comrade or someone yell from a wound, but not a soul could be seen, nothing but the bursting of shells, the flash of rifles, the pep-pep-pep- of machine guns and the general roar of the whole front. Pete and I ran over to a little grove of trees where our horses were tied, got them and hurried out to the road; there we ran into Brown of B Battery in stocking feet and no shirt, holding or rather trying to hold, four horses, 122 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS and at that one of the horses he had belonged to us, so we made the trade in a hurry and Pete and I tied our horses to a large post supporting the camouflage at the turn in the road and then started back to our little camp for our junk. By the time Pete and I got back to the camp the Germans had gotten enough gas over so that we had to put on our gas masks. We all started to take down the tents and make our blanket rolls, in my roll I managed to put a pair of shoes and a suit of underclothing, the rest of my junk I lost. We then went out to saddle our horses and B Battery’s men were out in the middle of the road trying to saddle up, but with- out much luck, and some Frenchmen were running wildly up and down the road. I had my blanket on my horse and was just going to adjust my saddle when a shell burst within a hundred feet of me, my horse jumped and sent me sprawling into the road and when I got back to him I found that my saddle was gone so I had to grope around in the road and in the ditch to the side of the road before I found it. I put the blanket back on the horse, then put the saddle on and was just tightening the cinch when a shell lit so close it deafened me; my horse jumped again, and again I went sprawling into the road. My gas mask came off and I lit on my face, scratching it severely. I immediately put my mask back on and started another hunt for my saddle. I made several circles around and across the road on my hands and knees, I could not see, I had to feel, because I had never put any anti-dim on the glasses of my mask and they were steamed so badly that it was like having no eyes. After about five minutes, which seemed like at least a half hour, I found the saddle and this time my attempt was successful and I got him saddled. I then went back after my saddle bags and the rest of my junk and when I got back to the horses I found Perry [Lesh] there with no mask on saddling his horse. I immediately asked him whether there was any more gas and he said, “Not very much”, so off came my mask but to my surprise the air was so full that I could hardly get my breath. Perry had merely gotten used to it and was breathing it with- out knowing how strong it was. I told him that he had bet- ter put his mask back on and immediately put mine on. Brun- ing and Pete [Clarence E. Clift] then came up and finally the four of us saddled and were ready to go, but we took one last A SERGEANT’S DIARY 123 trip back to the camp to get everything that we could carry. We destroyed all of the maps and things that might have been of value to the Germans. We got the scissors, the aim- ing circle, the two telephones and all of the field glasses, be- sides a very great deal of other junk, all on our backs and then went for our horses, all of this time we had our gas masks on. Perry had no bridle for his horse as I had lost it for him, so Bruning got on one side of him, Pete on the other, and I rode directly in front and we started down the road toward fort St. Hilaire on a gallop. The road was swarmed with French infantry and the ditches to the side of the road were filled with French machine gun men ready to fire when the Germans came over. We soon had to drop down to a walk with our horses to keep from running over the French sol- diers in the road, and then too, at about every ten steps a French guard would point his gun in our faces and yell “American, American” and we would have to give a hurried answer in French, because they did not know but that we were German cavalry coming through and a prompt answer meant a very great deal to us then. Red, green, white and blue rockets, yellow smoke shells, three star shells and all kind of signals that one could imagine could be seen in the air. The sky was red, green, blue, pink and all colors of the rainbow; fires broke out on all sides of us and powder dumps were ex- ploding so fast that walls of lighted smoke was all that could be seen. As far as one could see for fully twenty miles the front seemed to have broken loose with every implement of war that has ever been used. Things were just simply one deafening roar. All French and American artillery were firing. Our masks we kept on and as a result we took the wrong road and were walking right into the fort St. Hilaire which was one of the centers of German fire in that district. I took my mask off and we turned back to the right road and continued on, but the shells still came as fast as ever; we were continually ducking from one side of our horses to the other using them for protection as the high explosives burst on the opposite side. We turned off the main road just beyond fort St. Hilaire and fortunately we lost the road again, and at 2:45 A.M. we arrived in the big woods far to the left of our battery and behind it. It was lucky that we did lose the road this last time because American re-inforcements 124 °- INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS were being rushed up the road we usually take, and they say that it was completely torn up. When we got to the battery all of the boys were wild, they were so busy, both gun squads were working, one squad manning the guns as the other squad carried ammunition to it. It was 2:45 A.M. but as light as any day could be from all of the firing. One of B Battery’s guns had blown up and had killed two men so they were firing with only three guns. Our big sausage balloon was up di- rectly behind the battery. July 14th the French Independence Day! And one I shall never forget! July 15th, 1918:—Bruning stayed out at the guns, Perry, Pete and I went in to the echelon and took Bruning’s horse in with us. Everybody at the echelon was up, wagons were loaded and horses were harnessed ready to leave with as much equipment as was possible to get away with. I found an empty pup-tent and prepared for a little nap while the rest of the boys watched. [Leslie H.] Coleman was the man who was on the switch board when the Captain told us to fall back. We could not understand the Captain so Coleman transmitted the message to us and not one minute later the line was blown to pieces. Before I lay down I took a look over the front and it looked just like a fire about two or three miles wide and as long and far as my eye could reach. At 5:00 our battery was firing on the village of Auberive which showed that the Germans had advanced about two kilometers, and at 7:00 we were firing on the old Roman Road, the road that we went along when we left the camp going toward Fort St. Hilaire. The Germans have also moved their artillery up and are now dropping them right around our battery position. The noise now is so terrific that one can hardly hear what is being said. I had no more than gone to sleep when Bruning came and told us that we would have to go back up to the old O.P. and do observation work from there. So back we went to the old O.P. but we could see hardly nothing because the smoke was so heavy. During the morning the echelon was moved to a different woods because the shells were getting too close. Our battery was firing just over our heads and B Battery was firing just to the right of us and the noise and smoke was certainly terrific; from our old O.P. we could see Fort St. Hilaire which was completely wrecked, but still held by the French. There is a first aid station directly behind our O.P. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 125 and French soldiers are being brought in very fast, some of them are pretty well chopped up while others are able to walk in with their wounds. I have also noticed that they are bringing the dead back from the front, nearly all of them strapped to an empty caisson, but I have not seen them bring- ing in any Americans. Just a few minutes ago I saw a Boche plane fall in flames but that does not mean that the Boche are fighting a losing air fight because they certainly have con- trol of the air all around here. There are fully three hun- dred planes up close to here right now and I'll warrant two thirds of them are Boche. I made two trips back to the echelon this morning, one for telephone wire as our line to the battery was continually going out and the other time to take the horses back as the shells were getting a little too close. While I was gone with the horses Bill [Bruning], Perry [Lesh] and [Clarence E.] Trotter had a few thrills; three 210 shells burst within fifty feet of them and they were simply showered with dirt and stone. When I started back I got as far as the guns where I had to wait for the firing to let up a little because they were continually bursting be- tween the battery and the O.P. But as things seemed to get tame only once in a while I started on and I had to lie down seven times before I got to the O.P. because shells lit so close tome. At 12:00 Lieut. Trotter and I went down to noon mess and on our way back to the O.P. we saw two more planes fall in flames; this is certainly more fire than I have ever been under before. This afternoon has been very very quiet, the weather very hot which is sure hard on the wounded lying in the field, there is however quite a great deal of aerial activ- ity. Bruning, Perry and Pete have just started back up to our forward O.P. to see whether or not they can get some of the stuff we left up there last night. Many soldiers are pass- ing here now most of them having been lost from their outfits during the heated engagements of the night and some of them just simply having a yellow streak and getting away from the front. The report is that the French losses are terrific but that the German losses are even more. These French with the aid of the Americans have certainly held wonder- fully well. We expect a very great deal of fighting tonight, probably another big attack from the Germans. It is now 5:50 and visibility is fine as is always the case about this time 126 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS of the day when all of the heat waves do not make the view blurred through the glasses. We can see the shells bursting right where the infantry is fighting and we can also see the smoking ruins of several little villages which are quite close to the front, Fort St. Hilaire is very plain and we can see the French working about it probably taking care of wounded or preparing men for the front tonight. We stayed at the O.P. until 8:30 when it got too dark for us to see any more and we went in and went to bed. The echelon had been moved to the place where we had first been as they thought the other woods had been located by aeroplane. July 16, 1918:—This morning when we got up there was a great deal of artillery dueling so as soon as we had eaten our breakfasts we went on up to the O.P. Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter was with us all day long and we saw a great deal of activity up on the front, firing kept up all day long. They say that all along the 88 kilometer front the Germans were repulsed with very great losses, the American army is said to have done wonderful work; the Alabama ‘doughboys’ hav- ing shown up above all the rest. Bruning was telling me about the little trip yesterday afternoon to the old O.P. He found the little French cook who traded us wine for food while we were at St. Hilaire farm, lying where we had tied our horses when we left so hurriedly. He had one limb com- pletely gone and was just waiting for someone to take him to a first aid station, ambulances could not get up that far as shell fire was too heavy and wounded had to be littered off the field. 'That was just one instance, and there were a thou- sand more in the same plight in our immediate vicinity. Bill [Sgt. Bruning] said that it would have been no job at all to count at least five hundred dead within a half mile from where they were. The expected onslaught did not come last night and today a tank attack was expected but thus far noth- ing has happened. I saw a great number of dead being hauled past the O.P. and it seems very strange that none of them are Americans, but I suppose they are taking the Americans out a different way so that the American soldiers can not see how many really were killed. By noon the front lines were so covered with smoke that we could not see a thing except our own men taking up ammunition, etc. A great many planes were up from about 5:00 P.M. on, and we stayed at the A SERGEANT’S DIARY 127 O.P. until about 8:00 and then came in and went to bed. The anti-aircraft guns started to fire just after I got in bed and they have been firing for about an hour now. I can hear the German planes and there must be quite a few of them up. Back at Chalons there are a great number of eight and fourteen inch guns that have been firing for the past few days, almost continually. July 17, 1918:—This morning Bruning [Segt. Bruning], Pete [Clarence E. Clift] and Perry [Lesh] went up to the O.P. and I stayed at the echelon until about 8:00 when I went to water with the rest of the drivers. Then I started back to the O.P., and on the way I stopped at the guns and took the head to the scope along with me. Perry then came back to the guns to rest and the Captain [Sidney S. Miller], Bruning and Pete went on up to the forward O.P. with the scissors. When they returned they said that the French that they had seen the day before lying in the road were still there and that ambulances were just getting up into that part of the battle field. Sgt. Brown of B Battery who was chased from Farm St. Hilaire at the same time we were, has not turned up yet, he is reported missing. July 18, 1918:—Last night it started to rain about 12:00 and it certainly did pour down until about 2:00, then it cleared up and by morning the sun was out bright. About 4:30 A.M. they got Sgt. Bruning and I out of bed and told us that we were to report to the O.P. We could see the trouble imme- diately, the Germans were putting terrific fire on the old ruins of Fort St. Hilaire. Bruning and I stayed at the O.P. until breakfast time when Perry [Lesh] came up to give us relief, so both of us went down and had breakfast. By ten o’clock the firing had ceased considerably and there was only casual firing during the rest of the day. We stayed at the O.P. all day long nevertheless. After Bruning and I had gotten back from mess Perry went down and had something to eat and then came back up. During the afternoon Capt. [Humphrey A.] Barbour and one of his Lieutenant’s came up to our O.P. to look around for awhile. We also found out that Sgt. Brown of B Battery had been killed; he had been all the way back to the battery and then had gone back up to the O.P. where 1Otis BE. Brown, Indianapolis, was killed in action in this battle at St. Hilaire, July 18, 1918, 128 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS he got in some very heavy shelling and was hit in the head with a flying fragment. He had dismounted and had gotten into a shallow trench but was not low enough when a 77 came over. I have noticed here in the past few days that there are a very great number of Poles far back of the lines and the report is that they are deserting. July 19, 1918:—Segt. [Richard M.] Bosson had started out early this morning to take in the old wire from the O.P. but was immediately called in, Sgt. Bruning, Perry [Lesh] and Pete [Clarence E. Clift] were called in from the O.P. and in less than an hour the battery was ready to pull out. There were very many French and German planes and balloons up, but nevertheless the guns were pulled out in broad day light, the weather being fine. The whole battery fed the horses and ate noon mess and at 1:30 we pulled out; Bruning, Pete and I went ahead and led the way, Perry started toward Suippes and from Suippes he will continue toward Chalons where our third piece had been taken for repairs; he will then lead them to where we are going. We went across country for about five miles and then hit a main road and continued on until about 2:30 when we arrived at “Camp de Carrie” where we have put up for the night at least. I went to head off [Harold] Roberts, Perry Lesh, and Lt. Stevenson, with the third piece, and when it finally came we started on back to the new echelon where we arrived just about dark. On the way back ‘Pop’ [Harold K.] Roberts told Perry [Lesh] and me all about the few days he had spent in Chalons; Chalons had been bombed last night and the big Bank of France was blown up. On our way to the echelon we saw a German plane come over, make a real low sweep and drop a bomb. We could actually see the bomb drop and directly into a French ammunition dump it went; that certainly was a sight, for the explosion of the dump shook the ground all around and it threw debris fully three hundred feet in a straight column into the air. From all the ‘dope’ that we can get we are to go up near Rheims and help in the Allied drive which has now started in that sector, Americans are now top-notchers with the French because they did such very good work. I also saw a woman today, the first one I have seen since I left Somme Vesle. Also saw quite a few German planes and balloons come down in flames today. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 129 July 20, 1918:—The weather has certainly been fine and the boys are sure feeling better this morning, our food is also getting better now. After mess Sets. [Bryant W.] Gillespie, [Wilbur B.] Morgan, [Paul W.] Mulikin, [Byron C.] Young, [John M.] Skidmore and I rode bare-back to a creek which was about two miles from our camp and went swimming, the water was actually ice cold and it certainly took a great deal of nerve to get in it, but it has sure put the ‘pep’ in us. 9—22902 CHAPTER VII THE CHATEAU THIERRY FRONT July 21, 1918:—This morning when we got up it was rain- ing and very miserable; I had lost my rain coat the night we vacated Farm St. Hilaire, so I had to steal another one. At 8:00 the assembly call blew and the battery was lined up and told to prepare to move out immediately. We fed and watered the horses, ate our own mess and at 1:30 the battery pulled out. Sgt. Bruning, [Carl] Moorman and I stayed behind to travel with the battalion train; [Farrell E.] Potter and [Joseph L.] Simms have taken some condemned horses to a little village where they will be disposed of. During the after- noon I had nothing to do so I read for a little, slept for a while and at 5:00 I took my horse to water, fed him and then went for my own mess. We had jam, hard-tack and ‘corned willie’ for evening mess, fact is we have had nothing but ‘corned willie’ since we have been in this camp. At 7:30 we harnessed and at 8:00 we pulled out arriving at Chalons about 10:00, and just at the time the Germans were carrying on a beauti- ful air raid. Anti-aircraft and machine guns were firing freely, a few bombs dropped while we were passing through, but none of them close enough to do any damage; all of the buildings were simply spitting fire as all of them were mounted with machine guns and the noise was pretty annoy- ing. We loaded our train at the same platform that we had unloaded from, when we came into this sector; and when the train was fully loaded and ready to pull out all of our bunch went to bed. July 22, 1918:—I was fast asleep when our train pulled out last night but I know that we left about 3:00. We are again in box cars as per usual, but satisfied. We got up about 9:00, ate bread and ‘corned willie’ for breakfast and then sat down in the car door to see the country that we are passing through. We just went through Troyes and it is now 2:30 and we do not know where we are bound for except that it is to a differ- ent front all together and not very far, but we believe for the Chateau Thierry front. At 4:00 P.M. we pulled into the out- (130) A SERGEANT’S DIARY 131 skirts of Paris and made a stop of about fifteen minutes. All of the French people seemed very glad to see us and we had a lot of fun trying to talk to them. When we pulled out we took the high country to the east of Paris and could see a very great deal of the city, also Eiffel Tower which loomed up far above all the rest of the city. While passing along we could see into some of the streets and I believe I saw the first street cars since I have been in France. The buildings seem to be very much better built and the country itself seems to be very much cleaner than that we have been in. After it got so dark that we could no longer see anything of interest we all went to bed. [Lawrence E.] Kunkler and a few of the other fellows were up on top of our box car waving at the good looking girls and a low wire caught Kunkler under the chin and just about ruined him so he came on down and went to bed. Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter came down to our car just after we had gotten out of Paris and made another: stop and said that we would detrain about two hours after we pulled out again. Naturally we all got up again, packed our junk and then lay down again and slept until 3:30 when we pulled up to an unloading platform at the little village of Lizy. The train was immediately unloaded and we started on a hike to somewhere, we do not know where, other than that we are near the Chateau Thierry front. July 23, 1918:—Daylight found us still on the road, sleepy, hungry, tired and traveling in a pretty fair breeze full of cold drizzly rain,—far from comfortable. We arrived at the vil- lage of Dhuisy about 6:00, pulled into a large court yard in which the whole first battalion was quartered. This is a court yard and stables belonging to some French estate and there are about fifteen great large barns, and just across the road is the big home now evacuated by the people but occupied at the present time by our Colonel; by the way, our boys are not even allowed to walk through the front yard of our Colo- nel’s play-house. Our battery had arrived here at 2:30 and were still in bed when we pulled in, so after we had watered and fed our horses we made our bunks in the loft of one of these big barns and then went down after our breakfast, which was the first warm food we had had since we had started. At 5:00 the horses were again taken to water, fed and then the men were dismissed to go to mess??? ‘corned 132 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS willie’ and hard-tack again, we have had nothing but that since we first went on the Champagne front and the men are even more disgusted than they ever were before. Work all the time and nothing but this d ‘corned willie’ to eat,— in fact some of the fellows are talking of just simply quitting until they give us some better food. Boys back in the S.O.S. can get just about anything they want to eat, if not from their out-fits, from the Y.M.C.A., and the fellows up doing the real work don’t get even a smell at the Y.Ms. There are about seven of our fellows who are going out on a stealing expedition tonight and I know they’ll come in with some food. July 24, 1918:—Well today is my day for someone to feel sorry forme. I have been in the army one year today and I’ll say it’ll certainly be one birthday minus a celebration. Had fifteen minutes longer for mess this noon, I suppose it was for my birthday? and then we washed harness and materiél until 4:30, after which we went to stables, and believe me the boys are simply yelling for the front. They always want the front in preference to a so-called rest camp. After evening mess we had a dog-tag inspection and then we went to water again; after I had eaten evening mess it was nearly dusk so I went out to steal some food. I finally got into the Colonel’s back yard where I found a garden full of carrots and I filled my pockets, I then went out on the road, sat down on a stone cul- vert and proceeded to eat all the carrots that I could hold. I finally got my fill and then I went in and went to bed. July 25, 1918:—This morning at reveille formation Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter told us that we were going to move and after we had fed and watered the horses and had our own mess we packed our junk and got ready to move out. Con- gressman [Oscar E.] Bland, Linton, Ind. paid the battery a visit today; he looked over all of the materiél and talked a little to some of the boys, and at 8:30 watched the whole regi- ment pull out toward the Chateau Thierry front. We went through some very beautiful country and enjoyed the sights of war until we got within about four kilometers of Chateau Thierry and then the looks of things changed quite a bit. Vil- lages that before had probably been some of the most pic- turesque in France were now complete ruins, and in fact nearly impassable. French were clearing away the debris and Americans were going through in one unending column A SERGEANT’S DIARY 133 toward the front. Many, many dead Germans were lying about; some of them only blue skin stretched over bones and others only half buried having been uncovered by bursting shells. As we went through Vaux I saw several graves, some with a foot sticking out, and others with even the heads stick- ing out; they seemed to have been thrown in these graves any way and in an awful hurry. Rifles, clothes, helmets, bay- onets and anything one could think of were lying around over the surrounding country. Great woods that had once been green and beautiful were leveled to the ground and the dead leaves were black from the effects of the gas. In the ruins of some of the houses one could see table cloths still on the tables, buildings half chopped off, and beds all made hanging out of them, automobiles, wagons, dead horses and anything one could imagine could be found in the streets, and the stench from the dead was nearly unbearable, all left by the civilians as they fell from the heat of the battle. We could look anywhere and see dead soldiers who had hailed from nearly any nation, aeroplanes and wagons could be seen all over the fields which were simply plowed up from the ef- fects of shell fire. We then drove into the city of Chateau Thierry where all of the batteries of our regiment stopped to feed the horses and have mess; this place is not so shot up as those we just passed through but those first towns were right in the middle of ‘No Man’s Land’. It is bad enough though and all of the bridges are down over the Marne River and the town itself is in a sad plight. After I had eaten my noon mess I went with the rest of the battery details far ahead so that we could establish communication and act as markers for the batteries as they came up. American planes are flying all around here and only an occasional shot can be heard. They say that the Germans retreated in terrible dis- order but with speed, in fact with so much speed that they left anything from their helmets to a ten inch gun behind. I stopped to look at one grave that happened to have a cross at the head, a German grave, Gerrald—something, I could not read the name and the left foot was sticking out of the grave. We located the echelon in a very big woods and now I am waiting for the battery to pull up so that I can tell them where to pull in. This woods seems to have been the abode of the whole German army because it is all full of dug-outs fixed up with anything from white iron beds to bath tubs and 134 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS the rooms wall papered, many dead horses and men are now scattered throughout it. The rest of the detail have gone ahead with the Captain to locate our gun position. While waiting for the battery I saw one wonderful air battle; a Boche plane brought down an American plane and about twenty seconds later an American plane brought down this same Boche plane. Another Boche plane brought down one of our big sausage balloons. The battery pulled in at 6:00 and I showed them just where to go, and at 7:00 the guns were taken up into position. The telephone detail had al- ready strung wire from the echelon to the gun position and Perry [Lesh] and Sgt. Bruning did not come in until 6:00 in the morning because they had gotten in a very great deal of shell fire and gas. At 2:00 in the morning the guns were brought back to the echelon because they had been put in the wrong place, they were even up in front of the 75s. July 26, 1918:—I stayed at the echelon all night so [George A.] Aurine and I pitched a pup-tent and went to bed about 11:00. I did not get up until 8:00 because we have no calls while on the front, fed my horse and then went after my own breakfast. Immediately after breakfast the telephone detail took up all the wire they had laid yesterday because we are to take up a position much farther in advance of the one we had located yesterday, as the Germans have retreated a little farther. Sgt. Bruning and I took a little walk through this woods, and it is so full of dug-outs that one must even be careful where one steps. This woods is simply full of Ger- man and American dead and the stench is very, very bad, naturally drinking water is at a premium around here. Di- rectly after mess Capts. [Sidney S.] Miller and [Humphrey A.] Barbour of A and B Batteries, with their details and all of their equipment, started up to locate a new position. Brun- ing and I laid out the gun position which is right along with the 75s, while [Fred W.] Turner and a few more of the tele- phone men put up the night aiming posts. The Iowa and the Alabama ‘doughboys’ went through toward the front this afternoon to relieve the infantry now on the front; as this infantry was nearly shot to pieces when caught under some very severe shell fire, in fact one battalion of them were very nearly annihilated. The guns came in at 9:00 and the whole battery came up as far as the position with them, because A SERGEANT’S DIARY 135 tonight one of the biggest drives of the war is to come off and our whole battery is to advance with them. There has been practically no aerial activity because it has been raining at intervals but we put camouflage up over the guns just the same. Just after we got the camouflage up the order came down that we were to pull out and we took the camouflage down again and just as we were taking it down the order came down that the big drive was off, so we put it back up where I hope it stays for ten minutes at least. There are very many gas alarms being sounded close here, but I haven’t had a smell of any gas yet, guns are cracking all around and noise, I never heard so much; we seem to be right in the middle of it. There is a first aid station in an old stone building close by here and it is just packed with wounded, there is no ambulance service because things are in so much disorder. The cannoneers are out by the pieces and it is raining very hard, making it far from comfortable for them because they have no shelter. I have been out there with them for the past few hours and now I am soaked to the skin, the rest of the battery have gone back to the old echelon. I am now in the old stone building above the first aid station which is the Captain’s P.C. July 27, 1918:—This morning we all got up in time for breakfast which the ration cart brought out. It was still raining and very miserable. We slept cold last night but we have no kick coming because the cannoneers were out in the rain all night and did not get to sleep a bit. Artillery duel- ing went on all night. After breakfast I saddled up and started back to our old echelon, but I had an awful time find- ing it because they had moved to a woods about a half mile in advance of where they had been. I finally found them however and I immediately got Lieut. ————— Stevenson to give me a horse and cart harness along with a driver Scotty [Paul J. Scott]. I then went back to the old echelon where I had seen some good two-wheeled carts (German) ; I am go- ing to take one of these to use as an instrument cart. Scotty and I brought it back to the echelon where I left it for a few repairs. While we were riding along the road I noticed that Red Cross stations had been established at regular intervals and they were just simply crowded to the limit with wounded ; they were even lying on the outside under tarpaulins wait- ing to be taken care of. I saw many wounded men walking 136 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS back to the first aid stations covered with so many bandages that I don’t see how they ever got along. Out in the fields squads of American soldiers could be seen burying the dead, and as I went along every once in a while I would get the - gmell of soldiers, dead too long and not buried. I went up to our room where I found some German shoe grease lying on the floor, so I doped up my shoes then took a good wash and shave, repacked my saddle bags and cleaned up the room. When I came down stairs I peeped into the first aid room and I noticed that the wounded are still coming in pretty fast; after they are taken care of at the first aid they are either taken back in ambulances or they walk back, if they can by themselves. I then took a walk out to the gun position; the boys have the camouflage up over the guns again and they seem to be pretty comfortable, the sun is shining at present. While out there I talked to several Iowa and Alabama ‘dough- boys’ who were coming back with minor injuries and they say that their infantry has been pretty well shot up during the past few days of fighting. Artillery dueling has been continu- ous and heavy on both sides but the Germans are retreating all the time, because all French and American artillery are moving forward. About 3:00 P.M. the Captain [Sidney S. Miller], Sgt. Bruning and I went to look for a forward posi- tion and while we were gone the order came down to be ready to move at a moment’s notice, so everything was packed. [Charles J.] Hoover who had been assigned to our detail was sent back to the echelon with an order; he had been gone about fifteen minutes when I was sent to follow him with a countermand, and after me came [Latham M.] Connell with a countermand to my order. Part of the detail went in ad- vance with the Captain and Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter and Perry [Lesh] and I went in advance of the battery; we ran into the Captain and Lieut. Trotter far up in advance, prob- ably four miles, and we immediately started to locate the gun position with the instruments. Bruning had taken the cart I had found and it certainly helps out in getting our instru- ments around. We then went through the town of Beuvardes too; which had only been evacuated early yesterday and it was a sight, nothing but death and destruction. Some of the cannoneers even had to come and clean the road for the pieces to get through. Most of the buildings were still burning, A SERGEANT’S DIARY 137 buildings were caving in and explosions could be heard throughout the town, all of the dead Americans had been taken away, but German dead were still lying about the street, some of them hanging out of windows, some of them with their feet upon the side walks and their heads in the gutters, others swelled up so that their clothes were simply cutting them through, and black and blue, all over from the effects of the gas. Helmets were still on their heads, in fact they dropped there with everything they owned and the stench was so sickening that many of the boys got sick. [Clarence E.] Trotter went up into a little stone house to figure some firing data. The infantry men have been calling for barrages from the moment we arrived here. There has been however, a great deal of artillery firing from the American and French, but there has been very little fire from the German side. Pete [Clift] and I lay down in my pup-tent until about 12:30 when Major [Guy M.] Wainwright came up to the position to tell us where his P.C. would be, and where we should string our communication. Pete and I located our position in the dark with the aid of matches and small electric lights and Bill [Set. Bruning] and I ran the locating traverse at the same time. After that was done I went out to the road to watch for the battery as they came along, pieces, caissons and four- gon will come up, the rest of the battery will remain in a rear echelon. July 28, 1918:—When the fourgon arrived Sgt. [Richard M.] Bosson took some of his men and put up the night aiming posts while I took the rest of his men and strung wire from our telephone central to the guns. By the time I had gotten the line in, the battery was ready to fire and the ammunition was there; 75s are passing our position now going up farther toward the front, it is very dark and I can’t understand how so many of them get through with so few accidents. There are no more trenches or barbed wire; we have advanced be- yond that but the fields are completely torn up from heavy shell fire, the woods are bare as they can be and all of the little villages I have seen around here have been lowered to the ground. At 4:00 A.M. the men got a little food that had been sent out by the echelon and Bill [Sgt. Bruning] and I sat down and ate our bacon, bread and sugar before the day’s work started. The country hereabouts is rather hilly and has 138 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS all appearances of having once been a very beautiful part of France, but it is certainly far from beautiful now. After Bill and I had eaten a little we both went to bed until 8:00 and when we got up we took down our pup-tents because we expect to move again before long. The battery has been fir- ing all morning and so the gun squads had to eat by turn being relieved by the fourth section gun squad as their gun has been in the repair shop for about three weeks. . German planes have been flying over our position all morning and quite a few times they came so low over us that they fired at us with their machine guns and we fired back at them with our rifles. The Germans have been dropping gas shells all around us all morning but they don’t seem to be able to come closer than about one hundred feet to our position, we always have our masks at the alert position. Just as we started to eat noon mess the Jerries [Germans] started to drop 77s all around us and about twenty-five of them came all at once. One of our caissons happened to be there right at that time bringing up some ammunition and one of these 77s made a direct hit right on the lead team as they were leaving. I saw [Orel] Dean drop first, killed outright then I noticed the three horses fall before I even realized what had happened. [John M.] Skidmore! was hit in the chest but rode as far as the little creek about twenty feet away and then slid off his horse, [Leo A.] Biddle was also wounded but he went to the creek to help Skidmore wash the blood away so that they could see just how much damage it had done, [Egleasheao H.] Dill was also wounded but not seriously, [Roy E.] Hosea got away without a scratch. They were immediately taken away by the medi- cal men from our battalion but the report is that Skidmore is expected to die before good medical attention can be gotten for him. These are the first casualties in our battery. Dur- ing the afternoon I painted some new red and white aiming posts and then I took a good wash and shave because one cer- tainly gets to feeling dirty after going through this kind of fighting; by the way the water we use to shave with is water that collects in the shell holes as we are afraid of poison in the creeks. We have had no water to drink since we have been up here and our horses have only been getting one feed 1QOrel J. Dean, Indianapolis, killed in action July 28, 1918. Sgt. John M. Skidmore died August 31, 1918, from wounds. The American Legion Post, No. 104, Indianapolis, is named the Skidmore-Dean post in honor of these two heroes. 72S res ‘qnerig ‘\q dowry Aq ydeisojyoyg “quoi Artery, neveyeyy ‘[lodinoy avau sie[dog JO MOY, 9Y} UL Usye} SVM BINQdId SIYT, ‘qneB11Sg “Yq Towa “YseyT “MM Added ‘sutunig “H Weim FWD “A euUere[D :YSII 07 Jo] WorF SuIpvoy ,,ANOT SIq eYL,, A SERGEANT’S DIARY 139 of oats a day, for the rest of their feed we wait until dark and then graze them in the fields nearby. During evening mess the Captain told the detail to be ready to move in one half hour; the rest of the battery was also gotten ready to move. The details of A and B Batteries, Captains [Humphrey A.] Barbour and [Sidney S.] Miller and Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter then started out in advance of the 75s to find a new position and echelon. After we had found the position we wanted, the Captain, [George A.] Aurine and I started back to get the battery and when we got there we found that the orders had been changed by Col. Rieley and that we were not to move under any consideration until later ordered to do so; Col. Rieley is now in command of our regiment. July 29, 1918:—We had our orders changed last night on account of an expected counter-attack but it did not come and I am sure glad because I am tired to death. Last night quite a few shells lit very close, and this morning they are dropping just off to the right of us in an orchard. We are just outside of Beuvardes now and not very far from Fere- en-Tardenois. B Battery is moving forward this morning. After noon mess Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter, Pete [Clarence E.] Clift, Perry [Lesh], [William H.] Bruning and I went forward to locate another advance position. We finally found the place that we wanted and located it with the aid of our instruments. It is right along side of B Battery’s position and is three and one half kilometers behind our ‘doughboys’. When we were all finished we started back and on the way we had to pass several old buildings along side the road; just as we were passing them the Jerries [Germans] dropped some over and none of them missed us over fifty feet. We all hung over on the opposite side of our horses to keep from getting hit with flying fragments and it certainly is a wonder that none of us were touched. Last night the ‘doughboys’ dropped back because they had advanced too fast for the artillery but today they have taken it all back and the artillery is now giving them support. We got a little farther down the road and then stopped to declinate the aiming circle but we had no more than gotten to work than over the shells started to come, [Lt. Clarence E.] Trotter and Sgt. Bruning dropped in a ditch to get out of the way. Pete [Clarence E.] Clift’s horse ran away and he took mine to go after him. I then mounted 140 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS Trotter’s horse and led Bruning’s at a gallop out of the way of the fire. I’ll say that I can’t understand how we get out of these tight places without the loss of some part of our bodies, those shells lit close enough so that they just simply threw dirt all over me. One piece did hit the horse I was riding but it did no damage, only a little scratch. When we got back to the battery, mail had come and I sure drew good, so I immediately sat down to mess and after I had fin- ished I sat down and read all of my mail. Many, many wounded are still being brought in and the country around is simply covered with dead horses. During the evening I grazed my horse in a nearby wheat field and about 9:00 I went to bed. July 30, 1918:—Last night we had another gas alarm but it was false. There was practically no shelling from the Ger- man side but there was quite a bit from the American side. I have not had my clothes off since the 12th of this month, the weather is fine, sun shining most of the time and warm. After I had groomed my horse I lay down in the shade and there I slept until one of the fellows awakened me and told me that we had gotten orders to move. Of course in a very few minutes everything was in readiness, the fourgon and the instrument cart went on ahead. After the guns had been pulled into position the aiming posts were put up and then the boys went to digging holes and putting up pup-tents. We dug holes about eighteen inches deep and wide enough to accommodate two men and then pitched our pup-tents over the holes, in this way we protected ourselves from flying fragments. We are now about twenty-two kilometers from Chateau Thierry. Perry [Lesh] and Pete [Clarence E. Clift] put their pup-tent up together and Sgt. Bruning and I put ours up facing Pete’s and Perry’s; after we had eaten evening mess we all four got to work and dug a long deep ditch that we could crawl into in case of a heavy bombardment. We then went to bed but at 11:30 we all had to get up as the firing was so terrific that one was jarred too much lying down, then too the horses had been harnessed and brought to the gun position because the Germans were trying to come over in a nice little drive, but were held back with great losses. July 31, 1918:—AlIl of the boys got up in time for break- fast this morning as there is now a field kitchen along with A SERGEANT’S DIARY 141 the battery. After breakfast I took my horse to water and then Pete [Clift] and I went up to the O.P. which is only about 400 meters in front of the gun position. I had just started to make a sketch when the Jerries [Germans] started to shell and we certainly had to put on some speed crawling out of the way; we brought our instruments in with us. Just after we had gotten out of the way some French came up and established an O.P. right where we had had ours, they stayed there about ten minutes and then one Frenchman was killed and the others just got out of the way in time. When we got back to our tents we both got our mess kits and started toward the kitchen, we had not gone thirty feet before one came over. ‘Pete’ and I dropped to the ground and the shell burst right where we had been standing only about one min- ute before. We went right on up to kitchen where mess was just being served. We were standing in line waiting for them to start putting out, when over came a six-inch which lit about fifty feet behind our kitchen, of course all of the men went to the ground but it did no harm so they got up and continued eating. Not a minute had passed before another came and we all went to the ground again. This one lit about fifty feet from the kitchen but did no damage but it was followed immediately by another which did the work. All of the men went to the ground and consequently not one was hurt. I had left my mess sitting on the ground when it came over and my mess kit was just simply covered or rather filled with dirt, two trees fell right close to the kitchen, and then we all got up from the ground and started to look around to see just how much damage it really did do. We naturally went to the horse line which was directly behind the kitchen and there we found that five horses had been killed. One horse went all the way up over the tops of the trees and one-half of the horse lit right on top of our kitchen, it certainly was a mess. Just after the excitement happened the Captain and Lieut. Trotter came up to the place to see just what was going on. After we had gotten some new mess and eaten we went back to the pup-tents got some grooming kits and groomed our horses which are in a grove not far from the guns. We never keep any of the detail horses with the battery horses because we have to keep them close so that we can get away quick if necessary. ‘Pete’ Clift and I then heated a bucket of water and we both took a bath out of the 142 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS same bucket, it certainly was great too, because it was the first bath we had had for quite a while. About 6:00 all of the machine guns and practically every rifle in the battery started firing and when I crawled out of my pup-tent I noticed that there were five German planes flying low enough over our advance echelon and picket line to drop bombs wherever they pleased. They were also using their machine guns on the men around our kitchen but I do not believe they hurt any- one. These Germans did not stop with just one dip down over the batteries but they made three or four and finally one of them paid. All of the rifles and machine guns from our battery and B Battery were firing and finally some of our shots took effect, one of the German planes came down like a streak. They had been dropping bombs everywhere and the fragments from the bursting bombs were flying in all direc- tions. Sgt. [Karl F.] Moore and [Howard H.] Maxwell went over to the plane that fell, armed with rifles and when they got there they found two Germans, one dead with two holes through his head and the other with holes through his arms and legs. This one crawled out of his plane and was imme- diately taken charge of by the French. Both of our batteries were putting up a fierce barrage for the 84th Brigade as they were going over the top at 6:20, one can at least imagine the excitement and noise, we had to yell at one another to make ourselves heard. August 1, 1918:—Nothing unusual has happened since last ight and things are pretty quiet now. After I had cleaned up a bit I found a book which I sat down to read, “The Leopard Woman”; the first reading I have done for an awful while and I read until noon mess time. After mess we took ali of our instruments up to the officers’ tent where we started cleaning them and while we were working some German planes came over to try the same stunt they had pulled yes- terday. Of course all of our guns started on them, helped by French anti-aircraft and a French plane; the French plane manouevered him down within our range and between the work of A and B Batteries he came down with a crash about 200 feet in front of the battery, one a day now. Firing has died down a very great deal now and I think that things are going to be pretty dead for awhile; our ‘doughboys’ got ten German prisoners yesterday. I sat down and read a little A SERGEANT’S DIARY 143 more after evening mess but it did not last long as a few more German planes came over and we all got to firing at them. [Sgt. William H.] Bruning and I have hunted us up a few old rifles and now we fire at the planes along with the rest of them, it surely is great sport. Directly after the planes had left the Germans started to shell us with 120’s and we all had _ to get in our ditches. Most of the bursts were over and be- hind our battery, but one did light right between our battery and B Battery, and B Battery happened to be bringing up ammunition at the time; one of their Corporals was wounded and one of their caisson horses killed. After that several more planes came over and continued to drop bombs all around us, they did not stay long however. They had no more than gone when they started to shell us with gas and of course we had to wear our gas masks for awhile. August 2, 1918:—Just after I had gotten in bed the Ger- mans came over again dropping bombs, and this time they were real bombs, five and six inch ones, and they make a hole about ten feet in diameter and about eight feet deep. We could hear them coming long before they ever got to us and of course we all crawled into the ditches that we had prepared for that purpose, several of the bombs lit in front of the bat- tery and several behind it, but none of them lit directly in the battery position. Another one of our fellows [Earl Shockley] was taken to the hospital today suffering from shell shock as a result of the bombing we got yesterday. We got to sleep peacefully until 12:00 when the Germans started to Shell us heavily and we all had to crawl into our ditches again, no one was hurt but we were sure messes when we got out of the ditches as it had started to rain about 11:00 and the ground here is nothing but clay, so one can imagine how we looked after lying down in a wet clay ditch. From 1:30 to 8:00 in the morning we got to sleep and then we went up to breakfast after which I crawled into our tent and read until about 10:00. The dope is this morning that the Ger- mans have dropped back about ten kilometers and we will probably move up today, and true, I had just started to read when three whistles blew and we were told that we should pack up and get ready to move. The Germans put up a smoke screen this morning, and after, the Americans went over the top they could not find a German there as they had retreated 144 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS under the cover of the smoke screen. There is very little firing going on now, only an occasional shot. The Captain and the detail went on_as soon as they were ready and we went up as far as we could go, nearly into Fere-en-Tardenois. I was then sent back to bring the pieces up that far and [George A.] Aurine was sent back to bring the echelon up. I met the pieces and took them up as far as I knew the way and there, [Joseph L.] Simms met us and took us the rest of the way, [Russell H.] Lamkin went back after the combat train. It is very uncomfortable now, very rainy and cold and muddy but after we get to riding once we will warm up. We are now just to the right of Villers-sur-Fere just out- side of Fere-en-Tardenois; German and American soldiers and dead horses, can be seen lying all around wherever one goes, and the stench is something awful! August 3, 1918:—At 3:45 we got up, saddled our horses and got ready to leave. It was 7:00 before we were ready to go and by that time the battery was up and the mess cart was out so we all ate breakfast, and the battery and the de- tail pulled out together. We pulled half way into the town of Fere-en-Tardenois and could go no farther as the place was in complete ruins from shell fire and we could not get through. Buildings had fallen right across the streets, all of them were still burning, explosions were still going on where the Ger- mans had mined the place before they left and we were look- ing anytime to have the street on which we were pulling the heavy pieces go up into the air. Dead Germans could be seen by fives, tens and twenties in the streets and in these old ruined buildings, some of them black and blue from the effects of gas and swelled up ready to burst, others could be seen minus a foot, a leg, an arm or a head where they had been hit by shells which probably exploded under them. Every once in a while we would hear an explosion not very far off and see the debris shot hundreds of feet into the air. We seemed to have just a narrow path through a regular hell be- cause we never lost a man or a horse while going through. All kinds, in fact anything that one could mention of Amer- ican or German materiél could be seen lying throughout the whole town and country surrounding this place. I have seen more dead Americans in this little time than I ever did before in all my life and the smell was so bad that nearly all of the ‘qneis “yy deupy Aq udvisojoyg ‘selieyeg .q, pue® .v, YjOq Jo suns 4Y SI 94} DION “yuo AdLoIyy, nvezyeVYyO ‘[lodinoDg aAveu savijdod Jo MoI dy} UL UOI}Isod uns ing A SERGEANT’S DIARY 145 men put handkerchiefs over their faces. Fortunately we were able to turn the battery around in the big public square so we went out of the town on the same road we had come in on; we continued on through Seringes and Nesles and finally to the north of both these towns we stopped in a big woods. Torn up country was no name for it, for as far as we could see the trees were leveled to the ground and every five steps meant a shell hole while the ground was literally covered with dead. The woods that we are now in is one that the Amer- icans had to fight for fiercely, and with great loss, as they ran into snipers everywhere even way up in the trees with machine guns. Our battery had this woods‘as a target for awhile and we got to see the effects of our own shell fire, and it was so torn up that the pieces and horses could not be brought farther than the edge of it. It was 11:00 when we arrived in this woods and by 12:00 we were on our way to water with the horses; they had pulled very hard to get through this country. On my way back from water we saw three ‘doughboys’ with several German prisoners they had found prowling around in the woods probably letting them- selves be taken prisoners to get out of the whole thing. At 1:30 we all ate mess with B Battery, and then the details of A and B Batteries left immediately. We rode through quite a bit of torn up country but as we went farther on we noticed that the country was clearing up a bit, the Germans had cut all of the trees and telephone poles down and felled them across the road so that our wagons and pieces could not fol- low so quickly, but the little villages seemed to be all intact. At 4:00 P.M. we arrived at the little village of Chery, and to the left of this village in a big woods we have a gun posi- tion. There are quite a few American planes around here and whenever they go over the German lines the Germans always fire at them with their anti-aircraft guns, other than that we can hear but very little firing, only once in a while a 77 comes over, and once in a while we can hear a shell whizz over our heads, ‘headed for the rear’, from a German long range gun. The country here is very pretty, long gradual sloping hills, and as we look out of this woods we can see a crest that is now held by the Germans. It had started to rain about 11:00 last night and by the time we were through we were soaked to the skin; I went to look for my horse and the 10—22902 146 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS woods was so dark that I could not see my hand before my face so I had to hunt about an hour for him. When I did find him I had to sit down and wait for the Germans to stop shelling, they had started to shell about 11:00 but had been falling a little short, but they have increased their range and they are dropping right in this woods. I finally decided to wait no longer so I tied my horse along with Bill’s [Brun- ing’s] and we started to make a bed. We first put a rain- coat on the ground, on top of that two horse blankets then Bruning’s rain-coat and a shelter-half and then we crawled in. It rained all night long and German shells dropped very close most of the night. August 4, 1918:—We slept very cold and a little wet but we got some much needed rest and then got up at 8:00 this morning. The first thing we did was to make a picket line and then we had our breakfast of bacon, hard-tack, sugar and coffee. The weather is fine this morning, sun very bright and warm. There is very much artillery coming in around us, both French and American 75s. I could not eat my noon mess as the stench from dead horses and men was more than I could stand. After mess was over Sgt. Bruning and I went up to the O.P., Pete [Clarence E.] Clift took care of our horses and we tried to get as far toward the German lines as we could so that we would get all the necessary dope. We went through a very big woods which was full of fox holes that had been cut by the soldiers, many shells were lighting to our left in the woods but we kept on going. We got toa bald knob avout two kilometers in front of the battery and I immediately put a telephone on the line that [Fred W.] Turner and [Farrell E.] Potter had run this morning. Set. Bruning then took the scissors, crawled through a shallow ditch and put the instrument up to do some observing. We both noticed that there was a German observation balloon not far off that could look right down on us and we both took good care so that we would not be seen but this was not our lucky day. I went back to the little hedge where I had the phone and Brun- ing had just started to use the glasses when over a 120 came. I lay down and so did Bill [Bruning], the shell lit within about fifty feet of us, it did no damage so we both got up. The first shell however was followed by three more in quick suc- cession and they did the work, I flattened to the ground and A SERGEANT’S DIARY 147 was not touched and when I raised to see what it had done to Bill I could not see glasses, Bill or anything. It had knocked the scissors over and had covered Bill with dirt and he had no more than gotten out when three more came. He left the scissors and ran back to the hedge where I was and then we both ran down the hill to the road below the knob, taking all but the scissors down with us. Pete [Clarence E.] Clift had come up after us with the horses but had to leave them about a half kilometer back because the shells were dropping on every side of us, we met him as we ran down onto the road and he knew just what was the trouble. We sat down long enough to decide how we would get the scissors back, Pete didn’t want to take the chance so Bruning and I went back up after it while Pete waited for us and watched the junk. Bill and I went to the top of the hill and then to the hedge where I had been, from there Bill made a run right through the open and got the scissors, I ran out and met him, and on to the bottom of the hill we went; shells were falling so fast that all we could do was drop on the road to keep from getting hit. After we had gotten our breath back we ran to a place that had been dug in the hill at the side of the road for ambulances and there we sat down to rest. I think rest had ‘gone on a strike’ though for we no more than sat down when here came about eight ‘doughboys’ all out of breath, one of them being led between two of the others on account of shell shock. They said that a German machine gun sniper had control of about sixty feet of road just down the way a little and he was just simply piling the Americans up in that little space. We stayed until the second lieutenant, who had an iodine cross marked on his head as an indication that he was wounded, and four of the privates started back after the German sniper and then we started back to the guns. When a man is wounded on the front, an iodine cross is al- ways marked on his head by the medical department to show that he is wounded. Men are not supposed to go back to the front when they have that cross but this fellow wanted to get the machine gun so he went to fight in spite of his wound. When we got in we found that the guns had been moved from the woods into the open field and camouflage had been put up over them. So Bill [Bruning] and I went over to the woods got our personal stuff and came back to a big sink 148 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS hole just to the right of our guns where we dug a hole in the bank and fixed our beds for the night. August 5, 1918:—During the night several shells lit very close and directly behind us and in the thicket five horses were killed. We got up at 8:15 and the first thing we did was make our holes deeper, we did not have breakfast until 9:00. I fed and watered my horse and then I finished mak- ing our shelter larger. The Captain then told me to go back up to the O.P. With me went four of the Third Division men; they have never been on a real live front before and they sure are ‘iggy’ boys. At 12:30 Perry [Lesh] came up to relieve me and I went back to the guns. The O.P. we now have is a very good one, comfortable, good view, and high up in a tree; it was a German O.P. and we simply turned it around, cut some limbs out of the way and now we can see all over the front that we have to cover. August 6, 1918:—Last night was pretty well broken up for us; we had a great deal of gas and there were any amount of ‘duds’ came over from the German side. Captain [Sidney S.] Miller came up to the O.P. this morning and tried to adjust, but the new maps are so inaccurate that he could do no good. One of the Majors from the Third Division came up to the O.P. later on and then Capt. Miller, Capt. [Hum- phrey A.] Barbour and this Major went up to the O.P. that Set. Bruning and I were run out of the other day. I showed the men from the Third Division headquarters where to string their wire to get to this advance O.P. and then I came on in for my mess. While up at O.P. we saw a German plane come over and make one of the prettiest dives of about three thou- sand feet that I have ever seen before. While he came down he shot tracer or incendiary bullets at one of our observation balloons, the observer of the balloon came down very nicely in a parachute and the balloon came down in flames. At 12:30 an awful barrage was put over by the Americans, and at 4:30 the ‘doughboys’ went over the top and took the village of Bazoches. August 7, 1918:—The battery fired all night and Perry [Lesh] didn’t get any sleep at all, so he stayed in at the guns. Set. Bruning did not come up to the O.P. until about 11:00 and then Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter came up with him. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 149 Lieut. Trotter adjusted one piece on the church steeple in Bazoches and then he went in to the battery. About 11:00 a mess of officers came up, Majors, Colonels and ‘‘shave tails” and they played around the O.P. for awhile and I don’t believe any of them knew very much about what they were doing. Perry and [Claude] Moulden relieved us at 1:40 and we came on in to mess, after mess I went back to our echelon which is in the very place that our guns were over in the woods, there I stole some tobacco and got a hair cut and left my shoes to have them repaired. I then came back to the guns where I started to work on the fourgon, I tore the middle com- partment out so that we would have more room, while I was working five German planes came over and they certainly had things their way. They brought two of our observation balloons down in flames and the observers came to the ground in parachutes. The boys are pretty well all in from working so hard and it doesn’t seem to be letting up any. Food is very poor and the fellows are getting ready to raise the ‘dickens’ about it because they can’t do the work on the food they get. Our whole detail is quartered here in a big gulch near the gun position, all of them have holes dug in the banks, the place used to be a German stronghold and makes a very good place to live. There has been a great deal of German aerial activity today and they say that the Germans are going to start something tonight. It is now 8:30 and I am going to bed pretty shortly. August 8, 1918:—Not a thing unusual happened last night, in fact things were pretty quiet. After breakfast this morn- ing Pete Clift, Joe [Joseph L.] Simms and I went up to the O.P. At 11:00 the Captain came up and started adjusting two of the guns on the road leading from Vauxtin down the long hill toward us and after he had them adjusted he waited for some activity. It was not long before a group of Ger- mans came along and stopped to examine the shell hole we had made in the road. ‘Bang’, went the first piece at the Captains order, and thirty-seven seconds later we saw Ger- mans fly in all directions, about 12:00 a big wagon came along and after we had timed it thirty-seven seconds away from the whole, which is the time of flight for the projectile at this range, the second piece fired and the wagon stopped, then the first piece fired and the wagon collapsed. From then on until 150 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS about 1:30 we got several targets in the same manner; Perry [Lesh] relieved me then and I went back to the battery where I sat down and wrote some letters. I did not have any good paper to write on so I used some out of my note book, when I will get to mail these letters I can not say. During the after- noon I cleaned up a pair of shoes and straightened things up in general. About 5:00 evening mess came out and it cer- tainly was a surprise they had sent out coffee, sugar, biscuits, steak, mashed potatoes, bread, butter and gravy, it sure went good. After I had eaten mess I lay down and slept for a while, in fact I slept until I was awakened by some shells bursting in Chery. We all went outside, up on the hill and watched the fellows running out of the town. The Captain and Perry and Lieut. Trotter are still doing a little sniping from the O.P. Vaughn Cooke went back to the States yester- day and the ‘snow’ is around here that the Austrians are out of the war and that the English have penetrated ten kilo- meters at Amiens. August 9, 1918:—This morning after we had eaten our breakfast Pete Clift, Potter and I went up to the O.P. and the first thing that we noticed was that the villages of Vaux- tin, Paars and Bazoches were being shelled very heavily. There is very little aerial activity this morning but artillery and machine gun fire can be heard continuously. We are get- ting better food now and the fellows are getting in a little better spirits, we had been feeding Headquarters and supply companies but now they are again with their own out-fits and we get more food. The front is very quiet now but I don’t know how long that will last, there is practically no aerial activity at all. The weather has been very fine lately © and the boys have all had a wonderful chance to clean up be- cause now they can take their clothes off without freezing. There is also a great deal of ‘snow’ about the war; England has landed a force on the north east part of Germany, Japan is in the war, Austria is out of the war, ete. I hope it’s all so because we may as well have a regular war while we’re at it. At 5:30 the mess cart came out and we had a very good evening meal, some newspapers also came out with the food and now all of the boys are sitting around reading. These boys from the Third Division get awfully excited once in a while and turn in a gas alarm for every dead horse they A SERGEANT’S DIARY 151 smell, we have only had five gas alarms from them since 2:00 this afternoon. I am now going to bed. August 10, 1918:—About 9:00 last night the Germans started a general harrassing fire and it seemed to come all our way, there was tear and mustard gas in the air all night and high explosive shells lit all around us, incendiary shells also came over and there were fires all around us. About 12:00 we got a telephone call from the echelon that a high explosive had hit a tree in the middle of the echelon and had injured several men, [Kenneth] Simms, [Guy F.] Chilcote and [George B.] Secrist were taken to the hospital. Also many ‘duds’ came over and one time during the night one lit so close to us that we heard it hit the ground and felt the ground shake, but it did not go off. Just at dusk last night we saw a German bring a Frenchman nearly to the ground, we could see the tracer bullets going from the German ma- chine gun toward the French plane, and could even see some of them glance off the body of the French plane, but luck was with the Frenchman and he got away. We all got up for breakfast as the food is worth getting up for now, and after we had eaten, Pete Clift, [George A.] Aurine and I went up to the O.P., visibility was very poor when we first got up there but about 8:00 it cleared up and now we can see fine. Set. Bruning came up about 9:00, and then he and Pete went out on a scouting party. Just after they had gone the Cap- tain came up and we sniped until 12:00 when the Major called and gave the Captain the co-ordinates of a machine gun nest that he wished destroyed. Perry [Lesh] came to relieve me but before I left we cut the tops out of three trees so that the Captain could get better observation. I got into some gas this morning and now I have a bad headache and my eyes hurt; I also telephoned in to the echelon to Sgt. [Bryant W.] Gillespie, who is the gas Non-com in our battery, for a new gas mask as mine is just about on the bum. The second gun squads are now out here and they just about have been firing continuously. Bill [Bruning] and I tried to get away from the battery this morning when an order came down asking for two men to go to school for aerial artillery observation but we could not make the grade. A German plane came over late today and did a great job of bringing down a French sausage balloon and a little later in the evening we watched 152 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS a systematic shelling of Chery, the bursts were all right in the town and only about six or seven hundred feet away from us, several men were wounded. . Just after the Germans had finished shelling the town from a short range some of their long range rifles started to fire, but their range was a little long and all of the bursts were over. August 11, 1918:—At 10:00 we were awakened and told to roll our rolls and get ready to leave, so pack we did. After I had all of my personal junk packed I went down and packed my side of the fourgon and then some one of our detail had to go up to the O.P. after the tripod to the scissors which we had always left wired in the top of the tree. I didn’t feel much like going but the lot fell to me so I started; it was as | dark as it could be and all kinds of shells were falling every- where. I had a time getting to the O.P. because the gas was so very thick that I could hardly get my breath, but I could not put my gas mask on because I could not have found my way with it on; I sneezed and my eyes watered continually. The closer I got to the O.P. the better I could tell that shells were lighting all around the O.P. so I started to pick my way running from one fox hole to the other and I finally got within about one hundred feet of the O.P. but shells were coming so fast that I could go no farther. I sat in the fox hole trying to figure out just what to do and could come to no other con- clusion but that I should make a run for the O.P. and let come what would. When I started to run I just happened to say to myself that I wished they would let up just long enough for me to get up in the tree, get the tripod and get away, and sure enough they did. Shells just seemed to shift to the left of the O.P. until I had gotten up in the tree and had my tripod out and then they started to come again, about every other one was a gas shell and nearly all of my breath was gone by the time I got back to the battery. They were all ready to pull out when I got there and one of the fellows had saddled my horse for me so I was all ready to start. Just as the bat- tery was pulling out a German aviator came over and dropped a light that stayed suspended in the air above our batteries as they moved out, and we all thought that we were in for a good shelling but even though the shells did come over fast, none of them seemed to be for us and we got away without a mishap of any sort. It was so dark and all of the men were A SERGEANT’S DIARY 153 so tired that just about all of our detail who were mounted on horses went to sleep as we went along, we have gotten so now that we can sleep as our horse goes along and never fear falling off. We went through Fere-en-Tardenois and Beuvardes and just about daylight we pulled into an echelon — that we had occupied on our way up, we immediately made a picket line, fed and watered our horses and then took our junk to a secure place. It is very pleasant around camp to- day, really just like a big picnic, the band has been playing some real music and the boys are in real spirits in spite of their fatigue and sleepiness. Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff gave Bill [William H. Bruning] and I an order on the commissary and we managed to get two boxes of American cigars, two cartons of Fatimas and two boxes of chocolate candy, the first thing of this sort we have had for an awful while. We took our time in getting back to camp and when we did get there you can imagine our surprise at seeing the battery all ready to pull out. Bill and I certainly put on a lot of speed and finally we got our horses saddled and our junk tied on and were ready to pull out. We got out to the main road and then went on through Epieds, from there we turned to the north and continued on until about 5:00 P.M. when we pulled into a very beautiful valley where the whole regiment will camp for the night at least. I helped to build a dam in the creek so that there would be plenty of water for the horses and then Bill and I pitched our pup-tents. This is certainly a very pretty place, big trees, a nice creek and nice grass to sleep on. August 12, 1918:—Last night after we had gone to bed some mail came in but as we are not allowed to have any lights I did not open mine until this morning. I could not hear a gun all last night and it sure seemed strange to be able to sleep without all of that noise; the boys also put on some singing last night and things seem to be in fine shape and everybody seems to be happy. After I had groomed my horse this A.M. I took a walk up into a large woods where some of the worst fighting of the war has taken place, Belleau Woods, and there I saw the base of the “Big Bertha’, the gun that was used to bombard Paris; nothing but the base was there and it certainly showed that the gun it held was of an unusual type. I then came back in to noon mess which was a very good meal, and after that we took all of the horses out 154 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS into a large pasture where they were turned loose to graze for the remainder of the afternoon. All of the fellows washed harness and got things in general good shape so that we would be ready to leave in good order when the word came. Just before evening mess I was told to go back about four kilo- meters to the Forty-second Division ration dump and get a new ration cart, so [Daniel] Isador Wolfson and I made the trip and got back about 8:15; I had the cramps so bad that I could not eat any mess so I went to bed. August 13, 1918:—Many of the fellows are having quite a bit of trouble with their stomachs now and we think it is from the food and water. We have been having salmon and slum three meals a day and it doesn’t quite agree. Directly after mess some S.O.S. officer came along and tried to show his authority and made us move our picket line into the woods and our pup-tents into the edge of the woods and camouflage the tents. They certainly do some funny stunts, they put all of the horses and men in the woods and then pulled the big six-inch guns out in the open and let them stand without a bit of camouflage over them. The horses had been out graz- ing all afternoon and at 4:00 when we had finished fixing up again they were brought back in, watered and fed and then the men went to evening mess. About 12:00 last night I heard an awful noise and got up; [George A.] Aurine had a nightmare I suppose, because we could find nothing, but at any rate he thought that a horse was stepping on him and he kicked his tent down and yelled for the horse to get out of the way. We all got up and took flash lights and pistols and looked all around but we could find nothing so we went back to bed. August 14, 1918:—Last night or rather during the evening several of the fellows took a walk to the “Big Bertha’’ posi- tion which is certainly an interesting place, the base is made of concrete and about 40 feet in diameter, in that is a turn table about 25 feet in diameter, and it turns on a pivot which rests on ballbearings eight inches in diameter. It is very evident that the Germans tried to damage it with dynamite but they hardly made an impression in it. We were awak- ened at 5:30 this A.M. and told to roll our rolls and prepare to move. This we did after a very slim breakfast, and at 9:30 A SERGEANT’S DIARY 155 we pulled out. We went through Chateau Thierry and just after we had gone through the town Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter and several of our detail men left the battery and went on ahead to find an echelon for the night. We went through Vaux and about a mile on the other side of Vaux we pulled into a big woods where the battery will pull in when they come. Perry [Lesh] and I and a few of the other fellows cleared away some of the brush so that the wagons could pull in without getting tangled up and then we struck out and found some wild raspberries which we certainly filled up on. After everything was properly fixed we had an even- ing mess which was not even worth looking at, one piece of bread was given to each man and of course that was not enough, so one fellow stole another piece and was caught by one of the cooks, a very nice fight then took place in which a cook got a good beating, the fellows hissed and yelled and cheered for the fellow who had stolen the piece of bread and the officers had no luck in stopping them. Guards were im- mediately put on over the ration carts and wagons so that the fellows of the battery could not steal, but the fellows from the battery would watch while the guards stole from the wagons and then they would divide the food. The fellows are simply crying for food now and what we get is no good at all. The fellows are stealing everything they can get their hands on in the way of food. We hear that we are going to move out at 5:00 in the morning so we are now going to bed. August 15, 1918:—At 5:30 this morning we got up and went through the usual line of work, watered and fed the horses, had our own mess and then pulled out; we followed exactly the same route going back that we had used on our way up here. Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter and several of we men went on ahead of the battery to locate a place for the battery to park over-night. On our way three truck trains passed us, French, and every truck was driven by a Chinese coolie. They were certainly dirty looking creatures, half asleep and they looked like they had been traveling for a very long while. About 10:00 we pulled inside of a road only about one kilometer from Dhuisy the little village where we stayed where the Colonel [Robert H. Tyndall] had his pri- vate play-house. The battery pulled in about 1:30 and after we had had mess and gotten things in order which was about 156 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS 3:00 we groomed and grazed the horses. Bill[William H. Bruning] and I then put our blankets on the ground and went to bed. August 16, 1918:—While Bruning and I were playing around this A.M. we found out that some of the detail men and the Captain would leave about 11:00 and the battery would leave a little after; we all got ready and at 11:00 Bruning, [Fred W.] Turner, [Farrell E.] Potter, Pete [Clarence E.] Clift and I started out with the Captain. It was very hot rid- ing and it certainly was misery to jolt up and down on a horse during the hottest hours of the morning; we did not make very much time because the Captain’s horse was a little sick and we arrived at Lizy at about 1:30. There we looked over the loading platform; it is the same one that the 1st Battalion unloaded from when we came up to this front. The Captain went on in to Lizy and Potter went back to bring up the battery. B Battery’s detail men also came and a few of our men went up to their place to see whether they could not bum a little food but B Battery wouldn’t put out, so they did without food until the battery came. The Captain finally came back and told us that if one man would stay at the little grove where the battery is to park, the rest of us could go in to the little village of Lizy-sur-Ourcg. Bruning stayed at the grove and the other three of us went on in to the village, where we played around until 5:00 P.M. and then we started back to the battery. When night came we did not unroll our rolls be- cause we are going to leave so early in the morning; we simply took our horse blankets and put one under and one over and then went to sleep. Capt. Miller had to kill his horse after the long day’s ride. CHAPTER VIII A Rest Camp?? August 17, 1918:—At 2:00 A.M. we were awakened and the job of getting ready to move was begun. We harnessed and hitched immediately and when the battery was ready we pulled out on our way to Lizy-sur-Ourcgq. Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift, [Russell H.] Lamkin and I went ahead to put up a picket line at the platform for our horses before loading. The bat- tery pulled in at 3:30 and the horses were tied to the picket line and everything was gotten ready to load on the trains. Our train finally pulled in at 8:15 and of course all of the men were made to help load horses and materiél on the cars. After all of the materiél was on the train there was very little room for the men so some of us made our bunks on a flat car under the fourgon. We pulled out of Lizy at about 11:00 and we did not get our noon mess until nearly 3:00, and then it only consisted of salmon, cold tomatoes and bread. The afternoon was nice and warm and we had a lot of fun as we went through the country; we passed through Chateau Thierry at 3:45 and during the rest of the afternoon we passed through many more small villages such as Changis- sur-Marne, Citry, Pavant, Nogentel, Brasse, Gland, Mecy, Passy, Dormans, Damery, Port-a-Binson, Chatillon, Bourchult, Epernay, Diry, Mareuil, Athis, Jalons-les-Vignes and Chalons where we arrived about 8:00. I got off the train and went up to a French canteen where I bought cigarettes, cigars, chewing gum, jam and sardines and then I had to run for the train. Not long after we had started we went through St. Ditzier and then we all went to bed, it was moonlight and cool, making it very pleasant riding. The day hasn’t been a very bad one after all and we have had a lot of fun talking to all of the French people as we pass. August 18, 1918:—At 5:30 we were awakened and told that we would unload in ten minutes, so we all got up and proceeded to get our junk together and we finally pulled into Damblain where we unloaded. We are now about fifty kilo- meters to the south of Neufchateau. Immediately after we (157) 158 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS got off the train the detail harnessed and went on ahead with Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter to find the town in which we were to billet and also to mark the road for the battery which followed behind us. When the battery came in I showed the kitchen where to go and [John U.] Bosson showed the bat- tery where to go; we then had to put up a very long picket line and after that was done we had to pitch our pup-tents in a big field all in line and right up to the “T’”. This is supposed to be a rest camp, but from the way they have started out it is going to be a model “Boy Scout” camp. After the boys had watered the horses and the rest of the work was over [George A.] Aurine, Dick [Richard] and John Bos- son, [Leslie H.] Coleman and I went out to try to borrow money to pay for the meal that Coleman arranged for; the boys are all shy on money now because the last pay that we got was in May. We finally scraped enough together how- ever, and away to our meal we went. We had fried rabbit, fried potatoes, fried eggs, bread, milk, and salad and after we got through the woman told us to pay her what we wanted to, so we gave her fifteen francs and ordered another meal for tomorrow. When we will get the money to pay for it I do not know, but I am not worrying about it. Bill [Brun- ing] and I went to bed about 10:00. August 19, 1918:—We got up at 7:00 A.M. Thank heavens I didn’t have to eat noon mess with the battery as they had salmon again, the medical men are even getting after our officers and cooks for feeding so much salmon. Our bunch went up to the old woman’s home where we had a very good meal of duck, fried potatoes, fried eggs, milk, sugar, coffee and bread. We also found out that the old woman who cooks our meals for us is the town crier, and whenever she has any work or announcing to do she goes out through the street with her drum and gets the villagers together and then © tells them just what she has to say. We then went back to the battery where we were paid; I owed [William H.] Brun- ing 65 francs, but I only paid him 30 so that I would have a little left. August 20, 1918:—This morning we again got up at 7:00 and some of the boys went to stables; somehow they divided the boys up and I did not have to attend the formation. Dur- ing the morning I cleaned my pistol, wrote some letters and A SERGEANT’S DIARY 159 then slept for awhile. At noon our bunch again went up to the French woman’s home where we had a meal of roast chicken, salad, fried potatoes, sugar, coffee, butter and cot- tage cheese. Many of the boys went out on passes to a nearby village during the evening but I went to bed. The weather is fine. August 21, 1918:—I did nothing this morning but take a detail of men and cleaned the picket line. After my noon meal [Leslie H.] Coleman, Sgt. Bruning and I took a walk up to the village of Clefmont four kilometers away. That walk all the way was up hill, and a more miserable walk I never hope to take again. I swear I never will walk it again. On our way back I did manage to steal a pocket full of big blue plums which were very good. August 22, 1918:—Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift left for school today, and many of the boys are trying to get passes to go down to Contrexville where Base Hospital No. 32 [Indian- apolis unit] is located. A train can be gotten to go down to the place, but the boys have to walk back. [Leroy R.] Thomas and [Harry A.] Brickel went A.W.O.L., and went down there for forty-eight hours and now they are on fatigue. Old Thomas’s feet are about all in because he walked the tracks all the way back and it is about 30 kilometers, or twenty-two miles. For our noon meal we went to the French woman’s home again where we had fried potatoes, steak, salad, bread, butter, coffee, sugar and milk. We always take this hardtack along to the old woman’s house and she trades us war-bread for it because she likes it. The nights are very pleasant now, moonlight and good nights for sleeping. If they don’t work us too hard now the boys will be getting some of their old spirits back again. August 23, 1918:—At 6:30 we were gotten out of bed and after feeding and watering the horses we had our mess. At 8:30 drill call blew and we went out into one of the big open fields near here and had ‘doughboy’ drill until 9:30 when we came in and went to stables. After my noon meal we came back to the battery and at 1:15 we again started to work washing and oiling the harness. At 3:30 we started to ‘dough- boy’ again and we drilled until 4:30 when we were dismissed. At 6:00 we had our mess. Bryant Gillespie, ‘Pug’ [Rogers 160 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS H.] George and I then got Perry Lesh and told him all about - the little club that [Edwin H.] Bassett, [Rogers H.] George, [Wilbur B.] Morgan, [Bryant W.] Gillespie and I had formed when we were coming over on the boat, and we asked him to join, which he did. Many of the boys here in the battery have the “snow” that Sgt. [Byron C.] Young is going back to the states to be an instructor, but no one has any real ‘dope’ on it. August 24, 1918:—When we got up this morning we saw several of the fellows out in the middle of the creek with clubs getting fish; the rain had muddied up the creek and all of the fish were coming to the top. We had nothing to do all morning because it rained so hard and we stayed around in our tents until 11:00 when we went down to stables where we watered and fed. After stables Sgt. Bruning, John and Dick Bosson, [George A.] Aurine, [Leslie H.] Coleman and I went up to our French woman’s home where we had our noon meal of bread, butter, coffee, sugar, fish, beef-steak, fried potatoes, and salad. This French woman’s son was home on a furlough and had his wife along, also a little son, so we all ate dinner together. These people can get no sugar and we always give them what is left of ours, and you ought to see them go after it. After evening mess I went to our tent where I fixed up a cut I had on my foot, and now I am going to read the Stars and Stripes and then go to bed. August 25, 1918:—This morning we did not get up until 7:00 and we immediately went down to stables where we watered and fed, we then had our breakfast. At 8:00 we went to a stable formation and the horses were so dirty that the boys had to take some of them to the creek to get them clean. They walked the horses around in the creek and mud- died the water up very much and many fish came to the top so the fellows got clubs and it was not long before they had enough for the whole battery. All of we fellows had passes for the afternoon so we put on our old clothes and ‘coon fished’ the rest of the day. We got four pretty fair sized bass and any number of big suckers, so we put on our other clothes, cleaned the fish and had them for the evening meal. Every- body had-their fill of fish for mess. The weather is fine and the boys are in pretty good spirits but are anxiously awaiting the hard drill schedule that starts tomorrow. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 161 August 26, 1918 :—Our hard drill started when we got up at 5:15 and went to stables. After we had eaten our mess we went out to the drill field where we ‘doughboyed’ for about two hours. We then came in and immediately went to stables which lasted until noon. We had a pretty fair noon mess with an issue of Bull Durham and now I am waiting for a drill call. Capt. [Sidney S.] Miller has again taken charge of the 1st Battalion and Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter is in charge of our battery. The following is a copy of the drill schedule we are living to, supposed to be a REST CAMP: Drill Schedule eid Pte CAEL iiedl a ei abt as pre ates ial iy eatlagry ool ores « 5:15 a.m. STILLS C2 a nae AP ep Se Pane 5:25 a.m. PUMPS) mth eo tn Feces ehca tain vio a: oo ole Salta e we ¥ ¢ 5:30 a.m. Pe eee Pete a ee way ec es oe bole pee wets 6:00 a.m. RN e) Cee TOS Se Pon eit eae ricce ernie dele «s 7:00 a.m. EOD TSTIL A ee ti Note ce bi os oeie seed 7:00 a.m. TROOA Le pee trie bane Eo civ nke, cys dne'e el acela 0's > boa es 10:25 a.m. PURSE ee i OME eT eae Sid rots Seo o's, Soe Be ky aces 10:30 a.m. UPD CR ee lies Taal a ann ar ea 11:45 a.m. ae wt eon Cae ne 12:00 a.m. RaTAR BOC CEL PAID Rt iewenyy rch. ei wgteiaces we db ke 12:55 p.m. WECCAIIT cig Ue See 5 tate eck BT eae 3:30 p.m. RERES LEE eres ela eae eee sees Sess ate Cie cin A78 4:00 p.m. PRC ere ee eN re Pesto casa cie oad dels 0:9 oo! 4:45 p.m. Pe ar ee ate eee Si ey ie ea che cb oe 9 alae a 5:00 p.m. MUR ea AGH TOT UV IGCLECAG + os a cia 0k sks e's. 6:15 p.m. PB GAOTNOL a ce ee ok Serie cs be oe wd pares 6:25 p.m, REL OOUM aie SO Aaa hea od ct Pade ee wees 6:30 p.m. ere ARC TEE per gle Pag Ur Ce goer a ae a 6:45 p.m. Me MT CROUE LOIS ae otto a a a ose ce alae 2 9:30 p.m. ATT eae So PE ih aie aie OP ae ee eee 10:00 p.m. August 27, 1918:—During drill we have squad movements, aiming and pointing exercises and platoon drill. After the drill we came in to stables but Perry [Lesh] and I ‘stalled’ a little and went down to our fourgon where we cleaned and straightened up the chest we keep our instruments in. After we had eaten our noon mess some of the cannoniers took the horses out to graze, the drivers had gun drill and the detail went out for wigwag and semaphore practice. Later in the afternoon the Corporals of the detail gave groups of men from the battery semaphore drill, and at 4:00 the whole battery went to stables which lasted until evening mess. Bill [Wil- liam H. Bruning] was made first Sergeant today. 11—22902 162 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS August 28, 1918:—At 7:30 this A.M. we started out, only the pieces, caissons and a few escort wagons went along. We went through Daillecourt, Clefmont and then back to our camp at Meavy. Some of the boys from the Lilly Base Hospital [Indianapolis Unit] have been here to visit us; the weather continues to be very fine and the boys are in wonderful con- dition, although they are simply yelling for the front so that they can get away from this drill schedule. While at mess we found out that we were to move out immediately. I rolled both Bruning’s and my roll and got all of our junk together ready to start. We went on ahead for billeting purposes. We went through Damblain, through Blevaincourt and stopped in Robecourt. There we met Lieut. Free of 1st. Battalion and we went out to hunt for parking space for 1st Battalion, A and B Batteries. We had to find space for the guns, cais- sons, wagons, kitchens, picket line for the horses and places for the men to sleep; A Battery got the wooden barracks. The battery came in about 12:00, picket line was made, guns and materiél parked and the boys got in bed about 1:30. August 29, 1918:—At 10:00 this A.M. Lieut. Stevenson told me that we would leave at 1:45 on another billeting detail and that the battery would pull out at 8:00 tonight. At 2:00 we left and finally pulled into the village of Bulgneville. The whole Battalion parks in this village tonight and after we had found our places we fellows went to a meal that some of the boys had arranged for. We had fried ham, fried eggs, fried potatoes, salad, bread, butter and plums. After we had finished the meal and were ready to pay the lady, she would only take five francs and made us all take a drink of prune juice and believe me it just about ‘knocked me in a curve’. This woman’s home was exceptionally clean, but she was a dressmaker so I guess that accounts for it. There are quite a few men here from the Royal British Flying Corps, the village is a pretty fair sized one and is pretty clean. At 9:00 P.M. we collected our detail just outside of the town to wait for the battery, each man knew just where to take his certain part of the battery as the ground had been looked over and each man was ready for them. There were several different locations and the first battery in was to have the pick of the places. At 11:00 B Battery came in followed by A Battery. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 163 August 30, 1918:—Most of the boys groomed all morning and then we had mess; directly after mess I started to get ready to leave. Promptly at 2:00 we left. When at 4:00 we pulled into our town we found out that the whole regiment was to pull into this village for the night so we had to look the ground over pretty well. After we had found a suitable place we all went to a meal that a few of the fellows had arranged for. We had fried eggs, fried potatoes and bread and it cer- tainly tasted very good after riding and then working around out in the open. ‘Pug’ [Rogers H. George] then went back to his marking place and the rest of us took up our posts just outside of the village to wait for the battery which was to start at 7:15. At midnight Pete Clift came riding up and told us that the battery had gone, due to a change in orders, in another direction. I immediately sent half of the men we had left, after the markers we had dropped, and at 1:00 A.M. when we started, we dropped markers along the way. August 31, 1918:—After we had dropped all of our mark- ers [Fred W.] Turner, Lieut. Stevenson and myself left and we were in the village of Ruovess at just 2:00 A.M. It was rather chilly and we had to wait for the rest of the fellows to come so we built a fire in the middle of the main square of the village and sat down to warm until they appeared. We all looked for the mayor of the town to come out and try to chase us in the pen for disturbing the peace of the village but I suppose he did not wake up. At 4:30 we pulled into the village of Landeville, found the battery, but could not find where the men were sleeping as it was still dark, so we put our horses away and put our blankets on the ground not far from our picket line and went to sleep. The whole regiment is stationed in the village which is about nine kilometers from Neufchateau and the battery is parked along the road just at the side of the barracks that the boys are moving into this morning. Just the other day I got a letter from home and in it there was a money order for twenty-five dollars and Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter cashed it for me this morning. If I get a chance I am going in to Neufchateau and buy my- self a new pair of high shoes. At 10:00 they told me that the billeting detail would move out again at 2:00 P.M. so all of the fellows who were with me last night lay down to sleep + a little before starting out; the rest of the battery went to 164 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS stables. About an hour afternoon mess the boys started to saddle up and then the order came down that we would not move out until further orders had been given, so we went to sleep again while the other fellows grazed the horses. The weather has been fine and the country is very beautiful, hilly, everything green and pleasant. The boys have had their fill of plums as they are even more plentiful than apples. Many of the boys have gone A.W.O.L. just for the day and have gone up to Neufchateau which is only nine kilometers from here. September 1, 1918:—It is now 2:00 and all the rest of the batteries are out on pass but this ‘Boy Scout outfit’ as the boys call it, and which it really is,—just had a work call and we are going out to wash harness the rest of the afternoon. Some of the fellows who are on fatigue for such things as putting a sweater on over a shirt or blouse are being marched up and down the road under full pack and with rifles. After we had finished washing the harness all of the boys went in to the cantonments and lay down to sleep a little before the afternoon stable formation. September 2, 1918:—-At 9:30 we had another stable forma- tion and I had a detail of six cannoniers to fill the water trough for the horses when they come down at 11:00. While down there I got the ‘snow’ that half the battery would get passes to Neufchateau so I immediately took a good wash and shave; I had 120 francs out of the twenty-five dollars that I got from home so I went over to Mutt [Lloyd] Rust in the band and borrowed 100 francs more. I didn’t eat any noon mess but I helped write out the passes for the boys, about 100 of them in all. At 1:00 Sgts. [Bryant W.] Gillespie, [Paul W.] Mullikin, [Byron C.] Young, [William H.] Brun- ing, [Jonas F.] Prather and Cpls. [Leslie H.] Coleman, [Ed- ward 8S.] Magruder and I went down to the railroad station to wait for the train. It came about 1:30, and we all piled into the baggage car so that the conductor could not get to us for our fares, the baggage car was loaded with grapes and the boys sure got their fill before they got off the train. We got into Neufchateau about 2:00 and we went directly to the Y.M.C.A. where we got some sandwiches and coffee and played the piano for awhile. From there we went down the A SERGEANT’S DIARY 165 main street looking in the windows and finally we stopped in a watch store where Set. Bruning bought a watch for Lieut. Trotter for 85 francs, and one for himself for 82 francs, and to top things off and make things even with the French for their high prices I stole myself a watch. After we had in- vested in a chain for our watches we left the store, Gillespie went to a barber shop and Bruning and I went on to look for some shoes. We went to three stores and finally ran into an English commissary where we bought some underwear, soap and a few other small articles. I then met [Herman R.] Armstrong our saddler on the street and I made him go along with me and look over all of the shoes, I finally bought a pair for 150 francs. Bruning couldn’t get a pair to fit him so he did not get any. At 6:00 we all went to the Hotel Provi- dence where we had a meal of green beans, tongue, bread, cheese, soup, red wine and champagne. There are a great number of Red Cross and Y.M.C.A. women in this town and also many American soldiers as there is an aviation field just outside of here. Sgt. Gillespie played the piano for awhile and we had a pretty fair time; one can buy just about any- thing one wants here and the town seems to be a pretty nice one. It is a pretty place, all of the buildings very well built, nice wide streets, stores like one would expect to see in a real town, sidewalks all cement and in general a very inviting place. After we had finished our meal we all went down to catch the train which is to leave at 8:00 P.M. September 3, 1918:—This has been a dull day. At 5:30 we had mess and then a few of we fellows played a little foot- ball. I don’t know where they ever got the foot-ball but we had a lot of fun with it. A Battery played E Battery a game of baseball this afternoon but the game ended in a fight be- tween the officers. During the evening we went over to a big open field where the band put on quite a little program, and just after we got back to the barracks a German bombing plane came over and we had to put all of the lights out so we all went to bed. The days are fine and the nights too, but they are very cold and we sleep cold. September 4, 1918:—I helped Sgt. [Richard M.] Bosson wrap some new wire on spools this A.M. and then we had our noon mess. Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift came back from school 166 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS yesterday afternoon; and the boys played F Battery a game of ball this afternoon and were beaten 10 to 9 in a ten inning game. While the horses were eating we ate our noon mess and then we saddled up, only John Bosson, Pete [Clarence E.] Clift and myself were allowed to go; Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff went along. Capt. [Sidney S.] Miller and Capt. Taylor [of Purdue University Battery] were made Majors today, and Major Taylor is acting Lieutenant Colonel. We also got a little first and second class mail today. At 7:00 the details of A and B Batteries and 1st Battalion pulled out. We went right through Neufchateau and we are now in a very big woods five kilometers on the other side of Neufchateau. We looked the place over pretty well and decided to pull the battery into the woods, although it will be a hard job in the dark; it is very dark now as there is no moon. When we were all ready we went out to the edge of the road where we lay down and went to sleep until the battery came. September 5, 1918:—At 2:00 A.M. the battery pulled in and everything was put in place; [Charles J.] Hoover and I then made our beds on the ground and we went to sleep. The weather has been fine but we were awakened this morning by the bugle only to find that it was raining and drizzling, sO we immediately put up a pup-tent. We are now about forty kilometers from the Toul front and we will probably be in action within the next week, our gun position on that front is already located. Several of our boys were taken to the hospital this morning for minor ailments, I think though that ‘Skinny’ [Paul H.] Allen has appendicitis. At 4:30 Cpl. [John U.] Bosson awakened me and told me that we would leave at 6:00 with Lieut. [Clarence D.] Clift on another billet- ing detail. We did not leave until 7:00 and the dope is that we go nearly 40 kilometers. The battery started out at 8:00 P.M. A and B Battery details met and we took the main Nancy highway until dark when some regimental markers turned us off to the left and from there on I slept in my sad- dle. We passed through some big rail center but I do not know what it was, not a light could be seen and we were not even allowed to smoke. We were all very sleepy and Johnny Bosson was even thrown off his horse because he ran into a truck in the dark while he was sleeping. The truck was A SERGEANT’S DIARY 167 standing still and he did not see it but he was not hurt. We came out on a main road about 1:30. September 6, 1918:—We pulled into a small town about 2:00 A.M. and from there we cut off to the right toward the hills. Regimental headquarters and supply are billeted in the small town on the road but A and B Batteries kept on going up hill and down hill on the road to the right and finally got to the place where the batteries were to stay. At the place in this road where our battery is to stay the trees hang over from each side until the tops of them nearly touch one another, on one side there is a very steep slope going up and on the left side there is a very steep slope going down. The road is good but there is an awful grade and I don’t believe our horses can pull it. All the rest of the regiment is park- ing along this road somewhere; the country is really moun- tainous. It was light when our battery pulled into its place, three of our horses had been killed on the way because the pull had been too hard for them and we made just about forty kilometers during the night’s hike. There is no water for the horses within four kilometers, so they get none at all; at 8:00 A.M. we had breakfast and then Johnny Bosson and I put up a pup-tent and went to bed, it has been raining all the time. During the night we could hear the rumble of the guns on the front and we could also see the flashes of some of the long distance guns. [Cpl. John U.] Bosson and I slept until 1:00 when we got up and went to noon mess. While eating we found out that we were only about eight kilometers from Toul. During the afternoon we slept some more and at 4:30 we had a water call; at 5:00 we went to mess. We then got the order to move out at 8:30, Cpl. Bosson, Pete [Clarence E.] Clift, Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift and I started out at 7:30 on the usual billeting detail. It was raining very hard when we started out, but after we had gone about five kilometers it stopped and the stars came out very bright. We rode until 11:30 when we went through Toul, we also went along the Moselle River, very high banks, and the moon lighted things up for us. I imagine that during the day one could see some very beautiful scenery along this road. The crooks and turns in the streets through Toul were so many that I could hardly remember them, but on the far edge of the town I turned back to mark the way for the Ist. Battalion. Going 168 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS back I had some awful times as the 149th was coming through and there were some very narrow places in the road. I simply got to the very edge of the high banks and then left my horse pick the way as a horse can find the way in the dark very much better than a human. Several times I had to pull my reins up in a hurry to keep my horse from falling but he finally got me in the clear and I went to a point along the Moselle River where I waited for the battery. September 7, 1918 :—At 12:30 the 1st. Battalion came along and I dropped in line side of Major [Sidney S.] Miller and we marched along. There were many lights in Toul and we were allowed to smoke while going through. It was nearly 2:30 A.M. when we got through the town. A regimental marker then came and I dropped back with Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter; then I started to get sleepy. I rode with Lieut. Trotter until about 3:30 and then I dropped back with the de- tail where we stole a few smokes and then I went to sleep in my saddle. I fell off of my horse once but we were going slow and I hopped back on and went to sleep again. One of our caissons got stuck and some of we detail men got off our horses and tried to help them out because it was very cold riding and a little work warmed us up an awful lot. We had to leave the caisson behind though as the men and horses combined could not get it out. Of course working on this caisson put us about a mile behind the battery so we started to walk with our horses to catch up with them. We had not gone far however when we came up on one of our char-de- parcs which had gotten in the ditch and being top heavy had tipped over onto its side. Men and horses are both all in, men are sleepy and the horses are worn out and that is why all of these things go into the ditches the way they do. At 5:30 it started to get light and the caisson that we had left behind caught up with us again, but the ride from 5:30 to 6:30 was absolute misery it was so cold. About 6:30 A.M. we pulled into a very big woods and the horses were imme- diately watered and fed; mess was not served until 8:30 so I got a bucket of water and took a good wash and shave before breakfast. Six of we fellows then spread our big fourgon tarpaulin between some trees and then went to bed. Six other men, Sgt. [Cecil L.] York and eight horses were sent back after the big char-de-parc that had gone in the A SERGEANT’S DIARY 169 ditch. Sgt. York returned with the char-de-parce about 1:00, all in good shape. At 1:00 we had mess and now we are organizing our junk, it is just one year today since we left Indianapolis. During the afternoon the battery boys groomed and I had charge of some men digging some incinerators for battery use. At 6:00 we had mess and while we were eating, the battery got orders to move into their position. The details of A and B Batteries went ahead and the Major sure took us at a lively clip, in fact our horses were about all in when we got there. We went forward eight and one half kilometers and located our position. The battery came in about 11:00. I took care of traffic, Perry [W. Lesh] and Pete [Clarence E. Clift] laid the guns, and the telephone men ran the lines. September 8, 1918:—The battery was in place and every- body went to bed at 2:00 A.M. We all got up at 5:00 A.M. took care of the horses and had breakfast and then we re- located the gun position and relaid the guns. In an old half- shot-down building near here, in this village, which is the village of Mandres, there is a branch of the Salvation Army and this morning nearly all of the boys slipped away and got two pan-cakes, syrup and a cup of coffee for nothing; they certainly treat the boys right. The commissaries and the Red Cross also gave out raincoats, underwear, sox and towels but the Y.M.C.A. are regular robbers. Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter and Dick [Richard M.] Bosson have gone up to the front to locate an O.P. and in another day Perry [Lesh], Pete [Clarence E. Clift] and I will be spending our time peering over ‘No Man’s Land’ in the St. Mihiel sector. For noon mess we had fried potatoes, hard tack and coffee and we are expected to keep alive on that, for I suppose we will get nothing but that from now on until we get off of the front. When I got back about 4:30 I went over to the Y.M.C.A. to try to get some food but they were closed so I went on up to the Salvation Army and they had run out so I came back and drew my battery mess which consisted of one half a box of hard tack, hot coffee and hot ‘corned willie’. Swell food for men who get as little sleep and do as much work as we do! After mess [Charles J.] Hoover and I went over to the Salvation Army where we bought some soap and safety razor blades and then the old man in charge gave us BLD INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS some great big California grapes and they surely went good. We then went back to the battery and at 8:00 we took the horses out to graze as they do not get half the food that they ought to. We brought them in about 10:00 and then we went to bed, Johnny Bosson and I slept together and we slept a little cool. CHAPTER IX ~ THE ST. MIHIEL SECTOR September 9, 1918:—We got up to the O.P. about 9:45 and we immediately went to work locating the different things of importance that we could see. The O.P. is right in the front lines which are very weakly held and it is about four kilo- meters in front of our guns. There is more artillery sta- tioned between our guns and the O.P. than I have ever seen before. The ‘big party’ is to start sometime between the 15th and the 20th of this month and the first day’s objective is the village of Pannes. We can see the lay out of both the American and German infantries; the Americans are in the valley directly in front of our O.P. and the Germans are on the high ground just beyond. During the morning we located about fifteen villages that are now in German hands and also got the terrain pretty well in mind, during the after- noon B Battery worked at the O.P. and Perry [Lesh] and I went out in the big woods right in back of the O.P. and picked several hats of great big blackberries. The ‘dope’ is that there will be more Divisions in this drive than there ever have in any drive before this. During the night we had several thrills as we slept in the same stable with the horses. Sev- eral of them got loose and not being able to see they just about stepped all over us. September 10, 1918:—This morning [Carl] Moorman, Perry [Lesh] and I went up to the O.P. where we found a break in the line; Moorman had to run the line. When he got through to the battery and then got back to us it was about 10:30. Moorman brought with him a big tin box that was all sealed up and when we opened it we found that it contained hard tack. Moorman had found a break in the line at the edge of the woods, repaired it and on his way back to us had run on to this lot of food which is supposed to have been gassed and condemned. We however, went back and got more of it because being sealed in these tin boxes has kept it very well, I believe. For our noon mess we had hard tack and a can of beans that we brought along with us from (171) 172 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS the battery. After mess I got Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff to give me an order on the Y.M.C.A. and [Charles J.] Hoover and I went over the Y.M. where we got eight bars of chocolate, sixteen bars between us, and then we went back and divided with the rest of the fellows. September 11, 1918:—I have never seen so much artillery in such a small place in all my life before, one can see any kind of a gun used in the artillery and they sure are laid side by side: 75s, 155 howitzers, 155 rifles, 120 howitzers, 120 long rifles and eight inch howitzers. These 120 long rifles are railroad guns and are stationed directly in front of our battery. Behind us there are many railroad guns ranging from 12 to 21 inch type. While up at the O.P. this morn- ing we saw quite a little more activity over on the German side but nothing out of the ordinary happened. For noon mess the cooks had given us some steak which Perry [Lesh] fried; that along with some sugar and hard tack we had car- ried with us made a very fine meal and we certainly ate heartily. We then moved our beds into a big dug-out to keep ourselves safe from falling walls, and then Perry and I went to bed. Iam sure anxious for this ‘big party’ to start. September 12, 1918:—At 1:05 A.M. the party started off; only the heavy artillery started the thing and according to all dope it was a big surprise to the Germans. There was so little retaliation fire that they used only about half the artillery they had up here and B and F Batteries of the 151st which is a three inch regiment went over the top just after the third wave of ‘doughboys.’ It is now 10:45 A.M. and I have not heard a German shell come over yet. There are very few Americans being wounded and the doughboys went three and one half kilometers without meeting any resistance. The tanks, especially, the small whippet tanks did some very wonderful work and are still going, they had advanced our line four and one-half kilometers at 7:00 A.M. There is only normal aerial activity going on at present and since I got up this morning they have marched about 250 German pris- oners through this little village. Our guns are firing and our detail have their horses and all of their equipment ready to move forward, many batteries of 75s are already going for- ward, At 10:00 A.M. Major [Sidney S.] Miller, Lieut. [Aloys] A SERGEANT’S DIARY 173 Knaff, Lieut. Vallandingham and the details from A and B Batteries started forward. We went through Baupaume, Seicheprey, St. Baussant, Essey and finally into Pannes. The road was certainly a sight, there were three columns of troops going forward on this one narrow little road. The road itself was in an awful condition, full of shell holes, bridges out and all torn up. The Engineers were working on the bridges and filling up the shell holes, wounded were being brought back this way, some few of the whippet tanks that had taken part in the drive were stuck in the marshes to the sides of the road, others were lying there silent, prob- ably silenced by a German shell or so, still others were puffing noisily along the road going toward the front. We were on our slope of the hill and we could overlook the whole valley that not twelve hours before was ‘No Man’s Land’ and now it is crowded with human bodies, both dead and alive. The drive had been a surprise to the Germans and they had left everything behind in their hurry to get out, and considering all of it, American casualties were very small, although some few American and German dead could be seen with no trouble along the sides of the road. Many motor trucks were in front of us trying to get up to the front and while we were walk- ing along we saw two of them turn completely over down the steep banks to our left. Ammunition could be seen every- where as could guns of all kinds, mostly German. In the small villages that we passed through we saw many, many French civilians who had lived in their old homes under Ger- man military rule ever since the beginning of the war. When our officers would pass them they would all come to atten- tion showing that the Germans had made them live and re- gard them as “THE RULERS” of the land, and when our men and officers treated them well they would do anything for their convenience. The villages we passed through in ‘No Man’s Land’ were, or rather had been, reduced to the ground. The allies certainly have control of the air thus far as I have seen hundreds of allied planes and not one German plane. Far in front of us we could see fires and smoke where the Germans were setting things on fire as they retreated and group after group of from 20 to 200 German prisoners passed us as we went along; our infantry is still going. It had rained during the night but during all of the day the sun shone very 174 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS brightly. The Germans are retreating so fast and our in- fantry advancing so fast that there is no artillery fire at all now. Just before we got into Pannes our detail stopped and the officers went on ahead into the village while we waited at the cross roads. We had not been there long when German artillery started to fire and of course cross roads are good targets. We were sitting along side the road holding our horses when the shells started to come over and we sure had to get out of the-way in a hurry. Three or four shells lit very close to where we had been sitting and we sat there and watched them tear up the road as they burst. Finally Dick [Richard M. Bosson] came back from Pannes; he had gone up with the officers, and told us to come on up so we took a cut across the field to avoid the cross road and went on in to Pannes. There we ran into a German canteen and in it was anything a fellow could want, officer’s quarters, maps; books, field glasses, pistols, automatics, food, horses and any kind of equipment one could wish for. Right in front of the canteen stood a wagon all loaded with things from some Ger- man officer’s quarters. We went through it and found ivory toilet sets, the best of turkish towels and a thousand other things worth real money. We went into the canteen and there we got cigarettes, cigars, candies, soap, towels, matches, cakes and much other food and then we went down into the cellar of the canteen and there to our surprise sat two Amer- ican ‘doughboys,’ dirty, just full of mud, packs on their backs and rifles at their sides, but Oh, Boy! they were sure drunk because the cellar was filled with champagne and beer and they certainly had gotten their share of it. We then came up and left the ‘doughboys’ to their drink while we located our gun position, and then the whole detail came up. Of course all of them were sent somewhere with messages, or sent back to bring a part of the battery up. All but the firing battery is to stay in Essey and Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff and I took care of that. We also saw American boys with German single mounts and all of their equipment that they had found. September 13, 1918:—At day break we both got up and immediately went out to pillage or rather to get something to eat; while I was looking around I found a brand new German aiming circle and Dick [Richard M.] Bosson found a new Mauser automatic. The battery got stuck near A SERGEANT’S DIARY 175 Seicheprey and could not get any farther so they pulled to the side of the road and of course have not gotten here yet, some few 75s are passing here now and I am merely guard- ing our position until someone from the battery gets here. Pete [Prescott W.] Hill is guarding the echelon for the firing battery. At 7:00 A.M. we got into an old German billet where we found a great deal of food, so we got to work making a square meal. We had fried potatoes, fried hard tack, honey and to top it off we found a while pen full of rabbits and we certainly put a good fry on one of them. While we were eat- ing, three big tanks pulled into our barn lot and of course after the meal we went out to look them over, French manned the large tanks and the Americans manned the small tanks; the large tanks carry two 75s and four machine guns while the small ones carry two one-pounders and three machine guns. At 9:00 A.M. our fourgon pulled in along with some of our detail men who had been out on messages or work of some sort, there is no artillery firing at all. At 1:30 the order came down for us to report back to the battery at Seicheprey and so we immediately started back. We had the fourgon loaded down with all kinds of junk, lard in cans, a box of live rabbits, sugar, German helmets, shoes, under- wear and many other things; Roderich with the little firing cart, followed us. Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff, Cpl. [Leslie H.] Coleman, [Latham W.] Connell and I went on ahead when traffic got so heavy that we could not pass.- The roads were certainly a sight, artillery, ‘doughboys,’ tanks, supply wagons, and everything was going toward the front. We got back to the battery at Seicheprey about 2:00 P.M. and there to our disgust we found out that Lieut. Stevenson had lost the kitchen and there was no food along with the battery, one of the char-de-parcs is also in the ditch somewhere not very far in the rear of us. The fellows from the gun squads were all asleep in the ruined buildings of Seicheprey. At 4:00 P.M. [George H.] Aurine and [Farrell E.] Potter came in and told us that the fourgon had broken a wheel and had gone in the ditch and that Roderich had started on with the firing cart. September 14, 1918:—We got up at 7:00 A.M.; the fourgon and the kitchen had come in during the night so we had a good breakfast this morning. Just after breakfast Byron 176 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS Young came in with an escort wagon; he had been lost for three days. At 8:30 the drivers lined up to groom and Dick [Richard M.] and I reorganized the fourgon after the shak- ing up it had had from falling in the ditch. Carl Moorman got himself a German officer’s horse and he is certainly in luck since many of the horses are all shot to pieces, and too, a great many of them are dead and we have not by far as many horses as we ought to have. Dick and I worked on the fourgon until 11:00 when the firing cart came in and Johnny Bosson had his single mount hitched to it. The cart horse was tied to the rear of the cart and was just about all in. The ‘doughboys’ are still bringing prisoners in and they say that there are about two thousand more in the hills around Montsec. One can hear no firing at all and it seems as though there is no war now, nevertheless, our balloons are up all around us. Balloons are now up far in front of us so the ‘doughboys’ must be very far ahead as balloons are never closer than two kilometers from the front lines. On our way up today we wound in and out the traffic until at last we came to Essey where our regimental P.C. is now located. From there the Bn. A and B Battery details went forward through Pannes and nearly to Beney where Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff and I located our position, and the battery came up immediately. After the guns had been pulled into position Perry [Lesh] and I laid the pieces and arranged everything so that the bat- tery could fire at a moment’s notice. Only Pete [Clarence] Clift, Perry [Lesh] and four of the telephone men stayed at the guns. I slept with the rest of the fellows under the big tarpaulin in the telephone central. September 15, 1918:—Our battery is located behind a big hedge- and is pretty well hidden from view, we only have to step through this hedge and we can see the little village of Beney which this morning is certainly getting its share of the shelling. We are just about one kilometer on this side of Beney; during the morning I walked over to the edge of the big woods which is very close to our battery and looked at some tanks that are hidden there, the allies still have con- trol of the air here. A few shells have started to come over from the German side and some of them lit very close to our kitchen; during the afternoon our battery fired a little. About 2:00 P.M. several Bn. men and myself went up to an O.P. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 177 This O.P. is located in a very big tree and is about eighty feet from the ground. It was formerly a German O.P. but now we are turning it around on them. From this O.P. we have a splendid view over the German lines, but a large woods shuts off the view of our own lines. I stayed up at the O.P. until about 5:30 and then I came in to the battery where I got my mess; I then went up to the officer’s tent where I told Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter all about my trip to the O.P. During the evening I wrote a few letters and then went to bed; during the night there was a great deal of artillery ac- tivity, a great deal of aerial activity and some bombing pretty close to our position but not enough to keep us from going to sleep. September 16, 1918:—At 9:30 Pete [Clarence E.] Clift and I went up to the O.P. alone, none of the officers having ‘pep’ enough to walk that far I suppose. When we got up there two of Bns. men were working with their scissors and so we worked with them all day long. During the day, through the glasses we saw several infantry skirmishes and also a little shelling, but as a whole the front didn’t put out any real excitement. From the O.P. we can see the villages of Haumont, Hageville, Dommartin, Dampvitoux, St. Julien, Xammes, Beney, Lachaussée and several other interesting points. I located all of these points on my map and did about as much as I could do with Bn’s men working there at the same time. There was some mail for me at the battery when I returned this P.M. but the battery had a hurry-up call to fire on Marimbois Farm, and I had to go back up to the O.P. and adjust the fire. When I got back to the battery I ate mess with the rest of the fellows and read my mail and then they gave us some cigarettes and cakes the Y.M.C.A. had left for us. September 17, 1918:—At 5:30 a.m. I got up and went with Set. [Richard M.] Bosson to run a line from the O.P. to the battery position. During the afternoon Major [Sidney S8.] Miller and Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter came up to the O.P. and we fired on an old house near the Lachaussée Farm, aided by aerial observation. While Major Miller was there a courier came with a message for him, and from it I found out that the 1st. Bn. was under the command of Col. Leach; 12—22902 178 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS the 2nd. Bn. under the command of Col. [Robert H.] Tyndall, and the 3d Bn. under the command of Col. Riely. About 5:30 Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff called me over the phone and told me-to come in to the gun position and when I got there he told me that we were going to move and that I should call Perry [Lesh] and tell him to bring all of the junk in, which by the way, Perry could not do alone in two days, because there is about enough stuff at the O.P. to make a good load for three men and then he has to get all of it down out of the tree. I packed my junk and finally Lt. Knaff wouldn’t wait so we started toward the O.P. Both the gun echelon and the rear echelon were packed and ready to move at a moment’s notice. About half way to the O.P. we met Perry struggling along under the weight of all the instruments and through mud actually knee deep. Lieut. Knaff promptly hopped all over Perry for being so long in bringing the things back and all of we fellows were sore enough at Knaff to tell him just what we thought of him but of course we could not. Perry simply dropped the things in the mud and told Knaff that he wasn’t a pack horse and went on in to the guns. Our detail then went on over to Beney where the details were collecting to receive orders. There we waited for about an hour and finally the orders were changed and we came on back to the guns. Since we have been up here our guns have done quite a bit of firing, the nights have been very moon light and cold, but the days are very bright and pleasant. At about 10:30 I went to bed. There was no bombing done during the night. September 18, 1918:—On our way up to the O.P. this A.M. we met Lieut. [Field] Daily of 2nd Bn. and he went on up to the O.P. with us so that he could find a point: on which he could adjust D Battery. At 1:30 Lieut. Chambers, a former Indiana University student, and Lieut. Daily also a former I.U. student came up to the O.P. and started to ad- just D Battery. Later on in the afternoon Lieut. Bonafield and Capt. Clair Scott came up to the O.P. and we had a regu- lar old I.U. session in the top of the old tree. It was sure good to see some of the old fellows together again. The rain has made it very muddy and disagreeable and the fellows are very discouraged, then too we have heard that we are to stay here all winter, dig dug-outs and fix for the winter and the fellows certainly hate to think of it. I do not think though A SERGEANT’S DIARY 179 that we are going to stay because the 89th Division is pull- ing in all around us and I think we will be relieved; I cer- tainly hope so because I am sure tired of this mud. I wrote a few letters after evening mess and at 10:30 I went to bed; slept very well as there was no bombing during the night. September 19, 1918:—This morning when I got up I started to look for my horse so that I could feed him but he was gone. I immediately ate my breakfast and then went out to find him. I walked all over these woods and all over the country around here and I could not find him, so I came back and told Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff. He told me to go out and steal one so Cpl. [Howard H.] Maxwell and I started out after one. We worked until noon but we could have no luck so we came on in to the guns. I had a little fight with one of the 341st ar- tillery boys this evening on account of the horses but I don’t suppose we will have any more trouble with them. Just after dark Cpl. Maxwell and I went out again to try to steal a horse but could have no luck so we came in and I went to bed. It was certainly one of the most miserable nights I have ever spent. It rained and the water ran in and I got all wet. I had only one blanket and it certainly was cold. September 20, 1918:—This morning when I got up I found out that Lieuts. [Aloys] Knaff, [Charles D.] Clift, and [Clarence E.] Trotter’s horses were gone, and believe me they sure raved. Lieut. Trotter and I then went out and located a new gun position and a place to dig in for the winter. We had to go out on foot as our horses were all gone. When we got back to the battery we found that Lieut. Trotter’s orderly had gone out and found all of the horses but mine. While Trotter and I were on our way back I was carrying the aiming circle on my shoulder, walking along a narrow gauge railway. I had my head down watching the ties I was step- ping on when I ran into old ‘Matt’ [Mathew] Winters, and it was a treat to see him too. He is the first of the fellows I have seen outside of our battery or regiment since I have been over here. After we had put our instruments away I started out to find where some of the 341st artillery was parked so that I could look over their horse line in hopes of finding mine. I walked all the way in to Pannes and then came back to the battery where I arrived in time for noon mess. 180 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS September 21, 1918:—This morning when we got up it was raining and very cold; after we had eaten our breakfasts Pete [Clift] and I went up to the O.P. and tried to do some ob- serving, but visibility was so bad that we could do nothing SO we came down out of the tree. At 11:30 we went back up into the tree and about ten minutes later Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff called up and told me to come in as the detail would go out immediately. We took the necessary instruments and started out. We met Capt. [Humphrey A.] Barbour and his detail and we all fell in line. We went through Nonsard and then north to the big Nonsard woods or the Bois-de-Nonsard which used to be a German rest camp. It was certainly fixed up in great style, all stone roads, rustic work throughout the whole place, wooden cantonments, a narrow gauge railroad and all. Sgt. [William H.] Bruning had gone along with us and he immediately went back to bring up the rear echelon. Lieut. Knaff and I located a place for the guns and then we went back to the rear echelon. Immediately after we had returned to the guns we went up to the O.P. to adjust A and B Batteries but the 2nd. Battalion had nosed in on our O.P. and we had to wait. While there we noticed that the Ger- mans were shelling our whole front lines, Xammes was re- ceiving the worst of it; this is more shelling than has been done by the Germans for a long while. After 2nd Bn. got through with the O.P. and we got in to our work it took us but very little time to adjust the two batteries and then we went in to mess. The Y.M.C.A. has been “putting out a lit- tle’’ and most of the fellows were given some soap and a towel but there is no place to use it. The boys certainly need a bath and cooties are awful. There was a great deal of shell- ing last night and hardly ever a night passes that someone is not killed in Beney. The Germans put over some gas last night but it did not get to us, although it did get two of the men in Beney. September 22, 1918:—After eating breakfast ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift] and I went up to the O.P. where I tried to make a sketch but it was so windy and misty that I could have no luck. At 11:30 I went in after my mess, the tele- phone boys had found some potatoes some place and had fried them up so we had a pretty fair meal. Early in the afternoon it started to rain and we packed things up and went A SERGEANT’S DIARY 181 on in to the battery. During the rest of the afternoon I lay around the telephone tent until evening mess time, and then we all put our slickers on and went down to the kitchen. After mess I crawled into Perry’s [Lesh’s] tent where Perry, [Howard H.] Maxwell and I voiced our grievances against the army. I slept very well until about 4:00 A.M. when I had to get up and lay the fourth piece. About 4:15 an awful barrage started from our guns and of course we had but little sleep from then on. September 23,1918: Just as we were eating breakfast the third piece came in. It has been in the repair shop ever since we were in Mandres. After I had laid that piece Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff and two escort wagons went to the new gun position where we are expected to move to at any moment. It is still raining and of course we are still wearing damp clothes and wet shoes. It is very miserable out now, the mud is really knee deep, it is cold and it seems to have started to rain for good now. The fellows are getting very discouraged now as we have not seen a human aside from soldiers since we went through Toul. We have not seen a female for a very long, long, while now. At 6:00 P.M. we broke camp and got everything in readiness to move and at 7:00 we pulled out, still raining. ‘Pete’ [Clarence E.] Clift and I walked behind the big char-de-parc until we got to Nonsard and then we climbed upon the big wagon and rode the rest of the way. We have to be very careful as this big char-de-parc has a reputation of tipping over every once in a while. We entered the big woods about 8:30 and it was sure dark and rainy, luckily the roads being all repaired it was very easy to go into position. September 24, 1918:—This morning after we ate our break- fasts we organized our junk. We then went out to do some traverse work to check our work of last night. This work took us until noon and we had a pretty good mess as the bat- teries are feeding very well now. Last night [Bryant W.] Gillespie and I combined our tents, he also borrowed one of the stretchers from the medics and we now have a fairly good home. After Gillespie and I had finished I plotted my traverse on the plotting board and gave the results to Lieut. Knafft. By the time I had finished it was evening mess time 182 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS and after I had eaten evening mess Gillespie and I got some straw and put it on our bunks and went to bed. About 4:00 A.M. I got very sick. I went outside once about 4:30 and while there I got so sick that I laid down on the ground. It was very cold and the ground was full of frost. I do not remember any more about what I did outside but when I awakened I was in our tent covered up. Gillespie had missed me and knowing that I was sick, he came out to look for me, and found me on the ground; he took me to our tent and put me to bed. It was very cold in bed and consequently very miserable. September 25, 1918:—I did not get up this morning as I had the cramps so bad that I could not bear being up. Segt. [Bryant W.] Gillespie brought me some breakfast but I could not eat it; I do not believe that I ever felt so miserable. It seems like we are going to stay here for quite a while be- cause all of the gun sections are building shacks for their sections and the telephone and detail men are building one together. Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift was out on a little ex- ploring party all by himself and he found a great deal of lum- ber and an old saw-mill, so they are getting all of the mate- rial from there. At noon Sgt. Gillespie brought me some more mess but I could not eat it; I stayed in bed all afternoon. Set. Gillespie has been a very good ‘nurse girl’ since I have been sick and this evening he brought me some more mess. About 8:00 he came to bed and after we had talked for a lit- tle while we went to sleep, but at 12:00 the battery started to fire and they continued until 6:00 this morning. Ammu- nition is coming in all the time and the boys surely get rid of it in a hurry; Sgt. Gillespie has no longer got a section to fool with, he has charge of all ammunition reports and gas supplies. During the whole night I felt very well. September 26, 1918:—This morning Sgt. [Bryant W.] Gillespie brought me my breakfast and about 9:00 I got up. I walked down to where the boys were working on our shack and it certainly looks like it is going to be a regular place. While I was there [Fred W.] Jordan the battery agent came along and he happened to have some recent papers, so I sat down and read until noon. After I had finished my mess Set. [Bryant W.] Gillespie, Perry [Lesh], ‘Pete’ [Clarence A SERGEANT’S DIARY 183 E. Clift] and I all crawled into our tent where we ate a can of jam that I had stolen from the officer’s mess. After we had partaken of the jam we all indulged in a very thorough cootie hunt, and I’ll have to admit that our luck was far above fair. About 11:00 we all crawled beneath the covers and went to sleep. September 27, 1918: This morning after I had eaten my mess I went down with the fellows to work on the shack but I did not get to stay long as Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff came down and had me saddle up my horse and at 11:00 we started out with stadia rod and aiming circle. We went up near St. Benoit and from a cross road near there we located a new gun position. During the afternoon I helped the fellows on the shack and I also helped Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff locate another new gun position. Our shack will be finished in a few days and then we will have a good place to stay, our food is get- ting very poor again and there is very little stuff coming in from the Y.M.C.A. September 28, 1918:—This morning as soon as we had fin- ished our breakfasts we all went directly to the shack where we divided the work between the gang. Set. [Bryant W.] Gillespie, Perry [Lesh], ‘Pete’ [Clarence Clift], ‘Pug’ [Rogers H. George] and a few other fellows took a car on the little tramway and went down to the old German sawmill where they got some lumber and stuff that we needed. I stayed at the shack and tacked the tar-paper on the outside. About 10:00 Gillespie and the boys got back with a car load of ma- terial and then we all got to work and worked hard until noon mess, and after noon mess we all went back and got to work again. We worked until evening mess time when we had finished up and have moved into our new home. Inside there is room for eight men, a big writing desk and a telephone central. I think the battery will fire tonight and the fellows are taking precautions because the battery fired last night and they broke our window and blew the tin roof all loose. The whole second platoon has now gone to the repair shop and when it returns the first platoon will move down more to the right of us. Our food is very, very rotten and the boys are sure letting them know about it. Sgt. Gillespie is here working on an old German rifle which he expects to keep 184 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS but I don’t believe he will ever have it when we get home. We have no O.P. yet. September 29, 1918:—This morning we had pan-cakes for breakfast and I want to say they sure went big. We camou- flaged our shack this A.M. with branches and put duck-board walks from the door out to the road and put in a stove that the fellows found down at the German sawmill. At noon we had the real camouflage soup for mess and the fellows cer- tainly yelled about it. Our new O.P. is far up toward the front between Vigneulles and Hattonchatel; it is on a very high point and we can see all over the German lines. On the way up ‘Pete’ [Clift] and I stopped at a French kitchen and begged a meat sandwich; we afterward found out that the meat was real horse meat and I must say that it was not at all bad only a little tough. From the new O.P. Lieut. [Clarence E.] Trotter adjusted the battery and then left; ‘Pete’ then went up to Hattonchatel where he bought some milk and stationary and I met him at Vigneulles on his way back. The Germans stayed in this part of the country for quite a while and they had things fixed up right, all of the country was covered with gardens and there were more grapes than one could eat in a year. They also had a big concrete swimming pool and many other things that would tend to make things comfortable. They certainly had expected to stay awhile. When we got in we ate our mess and then sat down and read some mail that had come in during the after- noon. ‘Pete’ and I then sat down to write some letters. After I had finished writing I sat up in my bunk and read a story in the Cosmopolitan and then went to sleep. September 30, 1918:—About 2:00 o’clock this afternoon a German 120 rifle fired on Hattonchatel and some of them came all the way over and lit very close to where we were. At 4:00 visibility was so poor and it was so very cold that we started in to the battery. The O.P. is up on a very, very high point probably five hundred feet above the rest of the country and from it one can see very, very far, but of course it gets very cold up there as the wind has an open sweep at it. When we got in to the battery we found out that we were to move so you can imagine how we felt. We immediately ate our mess and then packed our junk. Our horses had A SERGEANT’S DIARY 185 been sent out from the echelon where we had sent them to be worked on while we were up here and now we are awaiting orders. At 6:00 P.M. it was dark so we all lit candles and sat around in the shack, about 9:00 Lieut. [Chas. D.] Clift came in and said that he did not know when the order would be down so we unsaddled our horses, took the blankets and went to bed. The echelon started out at 8:00, and at 10:00 Set. [Bryant W.] Gillespie left with a char-de-parc; at 11:00 we were awakened, so we saddled our horses and at 11:30 we started out. We went out of the big woods to the right over through Nonsard and about three kilometers out of Nonsard we pulled into another big woods where we will stay for the night. After camouflaging the fourgon and cart we all went to bed, at 3:00 A.M. October 1, 1918:—At 8:00 A.M. we all got up watered and fed the horses and had our own breakfasts. At 10:00 we had a grooming formation and at 11:00 the horses were again led out to water. At 1:30 Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff told [Fred W.] Turner, [Farrell E.] Potter and I to get ready to go on a billeting detail, and at 2:00 we started. We traveled un- til 6:30 P.M. always going toward the Verdun front and we finally pulled into a small village where we sat down until the Lieutenants found a place for the batteries. It was still light when we arrived in this little village and of course we were hungry but old “bull headed” Knaff would not let us go out after any food. The echelon started out at 8:30 P.M. At 9:30 P.M. Lt. Knaff, who was out looking the country over sent for us and we went about one kilometer back on the road we had come on, and there he showed us where he wanted everything. There are some very old broken down cantonments here and in these we are going to stay until the battery arrives. We have to put on a guard over this place so that no one can get in before our battery comes so I stood the first ‘hitch’. I had so very few clothes on, and it is so very cold that I was almost frozen, so at 11:30 I awakened Potter who had crawled in between horse blankets with Turner. Potter stood about three hours guard and he got so cold that he had to call Turner, so Turner stood until day- light when the 149th and the 151st started to come by. October 2, 1918:—After I had started to move about this morning I realized that I had an awful cold, my chest is very 186 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS sore and I have an awful headache. The boys who had been with the battery all night long were simply shot to pieces, very cold and hungry. Some of the fellows had not been idle all night for as they had gone along with the column they ran into a divisional ration dump and they surely made a haul. They got several cans of bacon, several cans of beans, some syrup and bread, so we found an old stove where we fried some bacon and bread and had a pretty fair meal. All of our fellows were looking around for food as our kitchen had gotten lost during the night and so they could not feed the men. Battalion headquarters fed some of them and some of them went to bed without any food. After we had eaten the food that we had we all made our beds in one of the old torn down cantonments and went to sleep. We now have only 140 horses left as the hikes are too much for them, in fact every hike kills a few of them. We are now only 19 kilometers from Verdun. We slept until 12:30 when we got up and had noon mess and we also got orders to be ready to move at 2:15 P.M. We went through several small villages and after rid- ing only one and one half hours we came to an old camp which is on the top of a very steep hill and we started on our usual plans for the battery. The place we were in was — Villers-sur-Meuse. We watered and fed our horses, ate our luuch and then [Fred] Turner went down into a little village nearby and bought two bottles of champagne, it cost him eighteen francs a bottle but as the weather is getting cold we needed it. Our camp is directly opposite one of the U.S.A. advance hospitals. The scenery is very beautiful, large hills, trees just turning to their fall colors and the white roads winding throughout the valleys below, in all very pleasant. [Fred W.] Turner, [Farrell E.] Potter and I took all of our equipment, put it in a fine little house which is built half in the ground, made our beds, drank our champagne and then waited for the battery to pull in. At 11:00 P.M. it was very cold so we took our horses and went down on the road where we rode to keep warm but it was not long before the regi- ments started to pull up. The whole regiment is pulling to the top of this hill and our Battalion is at the rear of the whole line. By the time the second and third Battalions had cleared the road it was 3:00 A.M. and we were about frozen; our battery had just started to climb the hill which is the big- gest pull that the battery has ever made. By 4:30 the outfit A SERGEANT’S DIARY 187 was on top of the hill and by 5:00 A.M. the three of us were in bed. October 3, 1918:—The fellows are very much in need of new, clean clothes and a bath. I would hate to say how long it has been since we have had a bath and the cooties are sim- ply fierce. The regimental band has been playing all evening and it surely does sound well. After we had finished shaving the three of us stretched out on our beds and smoked and talked of the good food we used to get at home, also of the doughnuts that [Charles] Stammer used to bake back at home. It gets dark very early now and these woods are certainly as dark at night as any place one could want, so we went to bed early hoping for a good breakfast. Sgt. Byron Young is act- ing mess Sgt. now as Set. [Glenn] Bozell and a few more of the cooks were sent to the hospital today. October 4, 1918:—-We were awakened at 2:00 A.M. this morning and told that we would have to leave at 4:30. At 4:15 Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff [Fred W.] Turner, [Farrell E.] Potter and I, along with the regimental billeting detail left. The battery started at 4:30 but the two big char-de-parcs turhed turtle going down the big hill and so they did not get on their way until about 7:00, and then they had to leave a detail of men behind to bring these wagons up later. Our detail had just started on their way when a very fierce bar- rage started in front of us; it was very uncomfortable riding as it was raining and misting nearly all of the time. About 8:30 though when the sun came out it warmed up quite a bit and then riding was very pleasant. We rode parallel to the front until about 9:00 A.M. when we stopped in a small town to await orders from the divisional billeting officer. This little town happened to be the Hdars. for the 3d. Army corps and there was a little more life in it than is usually found in one of these small villages. For a long time we watched an aeroplane that was taking messages to and from the front; it would fly very low over the signal plot and drop the weighted message. Then the men in charge would send the aeroplane a message by the panel system from the ground. We went about six kilometers toward the Verdun Front and then turned into a big woods. In this woods the whole regi- ment will be quartered. The barrage had died down by this time and the report is that we have gained about 30 kilo- 188 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS meters. Our battery did not pull in until about 3:00 P.M. and the boys were all in from working so hard helping our few horses to pull us to where we wanted to go. After they got in the horses were watered and fed and then I went over to B battery and had mess with them. After I had finished eating with B battery I went to the A battery mess line where I lined up and got a second meal. We have only three caissons left as the other three were salvaged so that we could get horses enough to pull the pieces. [Leslie H.] Coleman and I have pitched our pup-tent together and are now going to bed, it is trying to rain. | October 5, 1918:—At 7:00 this morning we got up and had a good breakfast after which the horses were watered and fed. We had a good noon mess also, and during the after- noon the regimental band put on a fine concert, but instead of our men getting to go to the concert they had to stay in and wash harness and graze horses. At 5:00 the horses were again watered and fed, and then we went to a pretty fair evening mess, but there was not enough of it. So after mess old [Harry A.] Sturdevant who had stolen some bacon some- where gave me a piece and we fried bacon. I also went out and stole a loaf of bread and we fried bread. October 6, 1918:—We got up at 7:00 this morning and were told that we would leave at 9:30. We traveled about twenty- five kilometers toward the front. I have never seen any coun- try so shot up as this is. The ground is simply full of shell holes and the woods we have been passing through are barren as they can be. We arrived at our destination about 2:00 P.M. and the battery pulled in about 6:00. We are not quite up to the front, in fact we are right in the balloon line and there are very many American balloons and planes up around here. The barrage is still going on. [Leslie H.] Coleman and I started to put up a pup-tent but we could not find space enough between the shell holes to put it so we took our shelter halves, put them on the ground, put our blankets on them and went to bed. Coleman had a bottle of wine and we drank about half of it before we went to sleep. It rained during the night but we pulled our shelter halves up over our heads and kept dry the whole night. October 7, 1918:—At 7:00 this morning we got up and A SERGEANT’S DIARY 189 while we were still in the mess line Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff told ‘Dick’ [Richard M.] Bosson, [Fred W.] Turner, ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift], [Latham W.] Connell and I to get ready to leave immediately. When we got to the edge of Montfaucon the Colonel stopped and we all dismounted. We took the in- struments that we had along and walked through, and far to the right of Montfaucon where the Colonel showed us a big valley where he said we could put our gun positions. Lieut. Knaff assigned all of the other fellows to certain duties while he and I went to work locating the position. On our way through Montfaucon I stopped to watch some M.Ps. search an old dug-out, and while I was there they found that it was full of Germans. I stood at the mouth of the dug-out which went down into the ground about twenty steps, while the M.Ps. went down into it. They had only gotten down a few steps when we heard the Germans yell “Kamerad”, “Kamerad”’. One of the M.P.s happened to be able to speak German and he told them to come on out as they would not be harmed, so out they came; there were three of them and they were sure sights, muddy, cold and hungry as they had probably been in there since the drive started. We then asked them whether or not there were any more of them down there and they said that there were five dead ones down there, so we told them to go down and carry them out, which they did. The five dead ones were all blue and swelled up for they had been killed by gas. We immediately made them dig a grave for the five and we watched them bury them and put a cross with the name of each at the head of the grave. They were all buried in the same hole. When these three marched out of the dug-out they came up the steps with their hands in the air and their heads hanging down. I then went on and caught up with the char-de-parcs and took them to the echelon. After I had gotten them settled I started on back to the battery where I arrived in time to pitch my pup-tent with [Lawrence E.] Kunkler. At 8:30 P.M. the pieces and caissons were pulled in, Perry [Lesh] put up the aiming posts and ‘Pete’ [Clift]. and I laid the pieces; after that was done we went over to the kitchen where we ate some “corned willie” and drank some black coffee. The Germans are on the left, right, and in front of us, and we are taking care of the center of a gap in the line. We are in a big valley very well pro- 190 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS tected by hills on three sides but on the fourth side we are open; this is the Argonne Woods. It has been raining all day long, or rather misting and so there have been no planes up’ all day but there has been a very great deal of artillery fire from both sides ever since we came into this sector. In Montfaucon there are only about four walls standing and the roads through the town are nearly impassable because there is so much debris lying around. The Germans have been putting harassing fire over from all three directions to- day and it is very nerve wracking. The noise is fierce and the whole place seems to be a rather puzzling problem. We went to bed about 9:45. CHAPTER X THE MEUSE-ARGONNE FRONT October 8, 1918:—This morning when [Lawrence E.] Kunkler and I awakened we were in a puddle of water and we were wet and cold thru; and I have not had my clothes off or a change of underwear for just one month now. We are not allowed to have any surplus equipment out here so the officer’s and my horses are the only ones out here. Perry [Lesh], ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift], myself and enough men to run the telephone central are all of the detail men who stay out here at the guns. The Germans have been dropping shells around us all day and right near us there have been ten men killed and about twice as many injured. B Battery had one man killed and several wounded; the weather has been so bad that there has been very little aerial activity. During the afternoon Kunkler and I built ourselves a new home by digging down one foot and a half, putting up some sand bags and lining the thing with straw. We then pitched our pup-tents over the whole thing. About 3:00 P.M. when we were working on our home a shell lit nearly on our third piece and killed one of our new men by the name of Johnston and wounded [Charles E.] Vincent, [Robert G.] Hayes, [Robert L.] McKay and [Ervin M.] Johannas. At 5:80 I watered and fed my horse and then went to our new tent where I wrote up my diary which I have let ‘ride’ for three days now. It has been raining all day and I have been wet and cold since yesterday. I notice that living this life I get as stiff as a board all the time, and at night my hands and feet go to sleep very easily which is very annoying as it al- ways awakens me. The shelling has been very, very heavy today and one has to be very careful, keep in one’s hole, and talk loud when conversing with one another so that one can be heard. It is pretty cold and very uncomfortable. The boys are pretty well all in again but there is a great deal of “snow” floating around that we will be going home before long and that news keeps the boys going. October 9, 1918:—When I got up this morning I never felt any more miserable, it was cold and awfully damp and foggy; (191) 192 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS in fact one could not see over twenty feet ahead and one could also see the waves of mist float by. The night was a miser- able one as it was very cold and we did not have enough covers to keep us warm in our wet clothes, firing was héavy dur- ing the night and so we did not get very much sleep. When I put my shoes on this morning the water just simply oozed out of them so you can imagine the comfort in which I started the day. I watered and fed my horse and then went to break- fast, after which I relaid the pieces as they had sunk in the soft ground very much during the night. I went to noon mess and then went to my tent where I lay down for awhile. About 4:00 P.M. we had just a little excitement; five allied planes brought down one German plane and at the same time there were 10 allied planes flying very low over our position trying to lend assistance in bringing down the Boche. Shell- ing from our side today has been very heavy, much heavier than the shelling from the German side. After the fog lifted this morning the day was very pleasant, sunshiny and bright. Directly after mess [Lawrence E.] Kunkler and I made our bed; I think we will sleep warmer tonight as Kunkler stole three more blankets somewhere, after we had the bed made we toasted some bread over some canned heat put some jam on it, ate a little and went to bed. October 10, 1918:—This morning when we got up it was very foggy again, the boys had built a fire and we all sat around it trying to keep warm. After I had eaten my break- fast about 9:30, Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff told me that I was to go forward with them to lay off the new gun position, so I got all of my junk together saddled my horse and went along with them. The position is about two kilometers to the left of Montfaucon; Lieut. Knaff and I immediately ran a traverse and located accurately the position. During the morning the extra gun squads came out to dig pits for the guns and they brought food along with them, so after I had finished my work I went to them and got something to eat. About 2:00 the pieces came out and Perry [Lesh] and ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift] immediately laid them; I checked ammunition as they unloaded it from the trucks. All night long there was a great deal of shelling from our side but very little from the Ger- man side, several shells lit quite close to our tent but none of them did any material damage. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 193 October 11, 1918:—This morning when I got up it was foggy, miserable and cold, the battery was firing and the extra gun squads had built a fire around which many of the boys could be seen thru the fog huddled as close to the flame as possible to keep warm. I fed and watered my horse and then went to the fire where I stood around until about 10:00 when Perry and ‘Pete’ heated some water and then we three took a good wash and shave. Perry had more nerve than either ‘Pete’ or I as he took off nearly all of his clothes and practically took a bath; as I had nothing to do I took a walk down toward B Battery, while there Capt. [Humphrey A.] Barbour told me that I ought to be in an officer’s training camp and that he would do what he could to get me there. Our artillery, or rather the American artillery is only help- ing out here and our ‘doughboys’ are not in the lines at all. When I got back to our battery it was noon mess time and to my big surprise we had steak and mashed potatoes for the meal. During the afternoon all that we did was lie around the fire and read some old Indianapolis Stars that had come in. About 4:00 we fried a little bread and were just having a little feast when Set. [Jonas F.] Prather came out with a load of Y.M.C.A. stuff, and of course we all bought our allowance. We did not have a very good evening mess so we are going to make our beds and try to be content by trying to sleep. The weather is cloudy and cool during the day and at night it is clear and cold, none of we men have overcoats or heavy underwear yet. Artillery fire from our side still continues but there is not quite so much from the German side any more. October 12, 1918:—At 7:00 P.M. yesterday evening we had just crawled in bed when the whistle blew and we were told to get ready to move. We all got up, packed our junk and I saddled my horse and awaited orders. Perry [Lesh] was sent to a certain cross road from where he would show the piece teams which way to pull in, while I was stationed where I could direct the wagons for materiél and get them in and out without any confusion. It was very cold and damp, and the time passed very slowly. The piece teams came in about 9:30 and got out in due time but the wagons were blocked by traffic so my wait was a long one; in fact until 2:45 A.M. and when they did come I was about frozen. The pieces 18—22902 194 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS went on in to the echelon. At 2:45 Perry and I then went down to a fire that the boys had built, and went to sleep. We had nothing to cover with as our rolls were ready for leav- ing so we pulled our feet up into the rain-coats we had on and even slept thru a light shower until the wagons came up at daylight. The wagons were immediately loaded and then Lieut. (Iggy) Steveson started to lead the way in to the echelon but he got lost and took us about two miles out of our way, we got to the echelon in time for breakfast. While we were grooming we got another order to move, so we all got ready. As soon as the battery was ready to move we started out, we went back away from the front a few kilo- meters and then cut in over to the left. We traveled until 5:30 P.M. and finally pulled into a little valley near Cheppy where we unsaddled, watered and fed the horses. The coun- try around us is simply in one big uproar; there are a very great many American six-inch rifles and all of them are firing; then too there are several German six-inch guns right close to us and they have been turned around and are now being fired toward the Germans; the country is a little cleaner than that country which we just left. At 7:30 the pieces and all the equipment that goes with the guns were gotten ready and finally we pulled out for the position. It took us, with the pieces, until 11:30 to get to the position because the roads were so congested, and then too it started to rain and it was very cold. The roads were hilly and dark and one also had to be careful of not falling with the horse. We finally pulled into position just to the right of Exermont, and a h of a position it is too I must say. It is in a valley that is sim- ply full of shell holes and mud and many old German canton- ments that are about all shot to pieces. There is a little creek that runs thru the valley and its course is all deflected on ac- count of the shells that have burst in its course. Mud is a foot thick and the hill in front of us is so steep that we can not see over a square in front of us. Exermont is a mass of ruins and is an awful place to get into or out of. Our kitchen is in an old torn up cantonment and there will have to be a general house cleaning before they will be able to put any of the kitchen into working order. [Lawrence] Kunkler and I unrolled our rolls, made our bed on the floor of the new kitchen and at 3:00 we crawled in and went to sleep. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 195 October 13, 1918:—At 8:00 A.M. we got up had our break- fasts and fed our horses. Kunkler and I then went over to one of these old cantonments where we got some good boards which we built into a fine floor and then, over that floor we pitched our pup-tent. The weather is very miserable, damp and cloudy and at times it rains so we are trying to keep off of the damp or rather wet ground as much as possible. There is quite a bit of firing going on and all of the men are busy either making their homes or carrying ammunition. During the afternoon we had to relay the pieces as the men built large wooden platforms for the guns so that they would not sink in the mud. We also had a notice placed on our bulletin board that the Germans had accepted our peace terms but that the fighting would continue until a commission had met to arrange matters more systematically. The firing is noth- ing to speak of although there is some; a few German shells come over once in a while, just enough to make it annoying. This evening after mess we received a little mail. I suppose we will fire tonight as I was talking to an Alabama infantry replacement man who by the way was a south side Indian- apolis fellow and he said that they were going over the top in the morning at 8:00. October 14, 1918 :—The battery has been firing continuously since 12:00 last night and we are only four kilometers from the front lines. The weather is still cool, cloudy and rainy and not very pleasant; I saw Hilton U. Brown! this morning, he is a second Lieut. in the 6th. Field Artillery. The rest of the day we had nothing at all to do so we stayed around in our tents reading, and about 4:00 P.M. I went down and groomed and fed my horse. By evening mess time it was dark, so we all crawled into our tents early, the weather has been about the same all day and the battery has been firing all day, there have been a few planes up at that. [Lawrence E.] Kunkler, Perry [Lesh] and I had an extra lit- tle feed today, we stole some potatoes, bacon and bread from a nearby kitchen and fried it, and it certainly went good. After evening mess I sat around and read for awhile and then Perry and ‘Pete’ [Clarence E.] got hungry so I opened one of the cans of salmon I had stolen, but we had no bread 1Hilton U. Brown, Indianapolis, was killed in action November 8, 1918, near Nouart, France. 196 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS so we all went out and stole some bread and then ate a few sandwiches before retiring. October 15, 1918:—In speaking of the village of Mont- faucon that we were close to the other day, I forgot to men- tion its historic interest. They say that from the church tower of the town which is the hightest point for miles around there, the Crown Prince watched his great armies defeated at the battle of Verdun. Last night was a rather restless night as several shells lit very close to our tents in fact, close enough to throw dirt all over them but no one was hurt. At 7:30 this morning we got up and had our breakfasts, watered and fed our horses and then waited for something to happen. The battery fired part of the night and they say that our ‘doughboys’ are advancing very slowly. [Howard H.] Max- well had been out last night stealing food and when he got up this morning we started to eat again. We made three batches of fudge and had toast, butter, pan-cakes, fried po- tatoes and sugar. During the morning I relaid the pieces and then had nothing more to do until noon mess when I ate a heaping kit full of beans. I just saw six German prisoners being marched by here going toward the rear. I got a lot of h. this morning from Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift because I had tied my horse over night to one of the wheels of the limbers, and since the horses are not getting a great deal of food my horse decided to have a square meal and he ate three of the spokes out of the limber wheel and now they are afraid that it will not hold up on the next trip. About 3:00 P.M. Capt. [Clarence E.] Trotter came down and told me to get some junk together because we were going forward to look things over. I took the aiming circle and we started out, we went to the top of a hill that we thought was No. 204 but- after all of the climbing we did we found that we were on the wrong hill and we could not see a thing. Down we went again and after much puffing and an hour’s climbing we got to the top of hill number 204; from there we could overlook the whole valley below, including our ‘doughboys’ and the Ger- man front lines. We found out that our ‘doughboys’ had gained their objective but had to drop back as the right and left flanks had failed to gain; we also watched a number of gas shells light in the valley below and then we started back in to the battery. Our ‘doughboys’ have had about 1500 A SERGEANT’S DIARY 197 casualties since they have been up here and they are in pretty bad shape. October 16, 1918:—About 1:00 last night it started to rain and it has been raining ever since. I got up about 7:00, had my breakfast, fed and watered my horse and then I crawled back in bed. During the morning I read four short stories out of the Red Book and smoked nearly a package of cigarettes. At noon mess we had cabbage, ‘corned willie,’ bread, sugar and coffee; Lynch, the fellow who drives the ration cart brought out many cans of pears from the echelon and each fellow was allowed to buy a can. After the noon mess we all crawled back in bed. I read four more short stories in the American. The battery is lower now on horses than it ever has been, we have only 131 left and my single mount looks like a real skeleton because of lack of food. We did not crawl out of our tents until evening mess time and while we were eating Lieut. ‘Hap’ [Frank] Hastings came up, he is with the 6th Field Artillery, the fellows were certainly glad to see him as it is the first time we have heard anything about him since he left us at Barbett Cottage on the Lorraine front. October 17, 1918:—This morning about 8:00 I got up ate my breakfast, watered and fed my horse and noticed that Perry’s [Lesh] horse had broken loose and had eaten three more spokes out of another limber and they say that Capt. [Clarence E.] Trotter is simply wild about it. All morning we lay around in our tents reading, at noon we had a very scanty meal and after we again went back into our tents. During the afternoon Perry and ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift] helped Cpl. [Fred W.] Turner string some wire to an advance O.P. but the orders were somehow a little ‘balled up’ so the wire laying was stopped. I found one fellow in the battery who had a pair of clippers, so during the afternoon we took turns about trimming one another’s hair and sights we were, Pll say. While I was eating, Capt. [Clarence E.] Trotter came to me and told me that I should be all ready to go for- ward with him at 8:20 in the morning, that means that the battery will move forward sometime during tomorrow. There is very little firing going on now, the weather is still very mis- erable, rainy, cold and shoe-top-deep mud and no sunshine. 198 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS October 18, 1918:—One year ago today we left Camp Mills, Long Island, boarded the U.S.S. President Lincoln and left Hoboken. This morning I got up at 7:00 tore down my tent and packed all of my equipment; I then ate my breakfast and got a little food to take along so that I would not be half starved when we return. At 8:30 all the mounted men of the detail except Perry [Lesh] and ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift] started out. We stopped at 1st Bn. and there met the B Battery detail and we all went out together. We went thru Fleville and on up toward the front. We saw very, very many American and German dead lying around thru the coun- try, and the country is in a horrible state. Mud is no name for it and the whole country is terribly devastated. I hope and pray that all of our horses fall dead or something hap- pens to prevent us from taking up our new gun position; our first piece will be put 100 feet from 12 German dead and more than twenty dead horses. After we had finished our work we started back having found out that the order to move forward had not come down yet. The sun has been shining this morning the first time for so long that it certainly makes things look real once again. This life is certainly one h and I surely hope that something very unusual happens to break the spell of mud, rain, work, monotony and dissatisfaction that we are under. During the rest of the afternoon I stayed around in my tent hoping that we would not take up the position that we just located. At evening mess time the boys lined up for black coffee, bread, a little dab of jam and some fried potatoes and that’s all. Two Ger- man aviators were just marched past our place; they were brought down just ahead of our position. Balloons are up in the same valley with us now and the chaplain told us that the British had entered Lille and that the Belgians had en- tered Ostende, so the Germans can certainly not last very much longer. We always get either a Mail, Herald or a Tribune [all Chicago papers] from the day before and the boys sure devour the news. The fellows write very few let- ters now as they have to spend most of their time getting the mud off themselves. I am feeling pretty fair but I will say that the boys are very disgusted because they do not get the rest that they really need. October 19, 1918:—This morning I got up at 7:00, ate my A SERGEANT’S DIARY | 199 breakfast, watered and fed my horse and then came up to my tent to wait until [Lawrence E.] Kunkler got through with his grooming kit so that I could groom my horse. He got thru about 9:00 and I started grooming, while working Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff came up to me and told me to get ready to go forward with him; [George A.] Aurine had come out from the echelon mounted. So at 9:30 Aurine took the scis- sors tripod and a phone and I took the scissors head and along with Lieut. Knaff we started for the O.P. The coun- try around forward is practically the same as that we saw a few days ago, all torn up, full of shell holes, dead lying wherever one looks and the whole country dead except for the American soldiers. We tied our horses at the base of a very steep hill and then took our instruments and climbed to the top, from there we could see all over the surrounding coun- try, our lines and the German lines. We immediately put up the scissors, put on the phone and then Lieut. Knaff started to adjust the battery on a German O.P. that is located in the top of a tree near the edge of the woods in the German lines. It took about 40 rounds and the tree was no more; officers and details from all three Bns. were up there and all of them were adjusting batteries. Yesterday there were four Ger- man planes brought down between our battery and the O.P., so on our way back to the battery we stopped and had a good look at one. Going to and from the O.P. we also go thru a valley that has gained the name of ‘Death Valley’ because the Germans shell it so much and never fail to get at least one each time. All thru this valley one can see American dead lying about and it seems as if the first aid men who are supposed to litter these men off do not do their work properly because these dead Americans ought to be taken away imme- diately after they are killed, it is certainly a gruesome look- ing place. On our way back I took a short cut and got into some sneezing gas. I was afraid to run my horse as he is so poor that I thought he would drop dead; I have been sneez- ing ever since. I also found out from an infantry Major that I happened to run into that since most of our infantry was made up of casuals from officers down that we had failed to gain our objective and that we would probably remain here until we did, that means another drive on our part. A little mail came in and I got seven letters. We also got the news that Ostende and Lille had fallen. 200 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS October 20, 1918:—Last night just after we had gone to bed the Boche put over quite a few gas shells; many of them lit- very close to our tents and the smell of gas was simply awful. Of course we had to wear our gas masks for awhile and we did not get to sleep until about 11:00 P.M. When I got up at 8:00 this morning it was raining hard and I stayed up only long enough to take care of my horse and eat my own breakfast and then I crawled back in bed. I made a memory sketch today for Major [Sidney S.] Miller of this sector; after I had finished it I took it over to Ist. Bn. to him. I brought back a bag of first class mail out of which I got two letters. I drew a pair of pants this A.M. that I needed very badly, a suit of underwear and two pair of summer sox (SUMMER), also a few cigarettes. After I had eaten my mess I crawled into our tent, put on my clean clothes without a bath, too cold to take a bath in the open now, read my two letters and then went to bed; we nearly always sleep in all of our clothes as itis so cold. Cpls. [Fred W.] Turner, [Latham W.] Con- nell, [Truman T.] Felt, [Carl H.] Moorman, [Belmont] Thomkins and [George A.] Aurine were gassed during the day and they have all been sent to the hospital. October 21, 1918:—Last night a few more gas shells came over but they did no serious damage. I was just putting on my shoes at 6:40 when Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff came down to me and said that we would leave for the O.P. at 7:15. I immediately saddled my horse, fed him, ate my own breakfast and then got the scissors ready to go to the O.P. I also got three bread, butter and sugar sandwiches for my lunch. It was very cloudy and when we got up to the O.P. communica- tion was broken from shell fire. It was 10:00 when we got in touch with the batteries and then both A and B Batteries started to adjust on the town of Saint George. About 12:00 we started the fire for effect and by two o’clock the destruc- tion of the town was complete. A and B both put in 200 rounds in the town. For adjusting, instantaneous fuses were used and then during the fire for effect one five-hundredth and one one-hundredth delay fuses were used so the place was completely torn to the ground. After we had finished our mission we came in to the battery where I took care of my horse and then went after my mess. The mud is certainly fierce around here. When a shell lights around us the fel- A SERGEANT’S DIARY 201 lows simply cover their faces to keep from getting them full of mud, our tents are just speckled with mud. October 22, 1918:—Last night just after we had all gone to bed, (they always wait until after we have gone to bed) Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift blew his whistle for all non-coms, and twenty minutes later found all of them assembled in the Captain’s dug-out. The Captain then read an order and it sure was a ‘peach,’ since our infantry is so shot up and have failed to take their objective they have asked each artillery out-fit for 68 privates, 4 Corporals, 3 Sergeants, and one sec- ond Lieutenant to act as infantry during the next attack. They asked for volunteers and most of the fellows jumped for the chance. I put my name in with the rest of them but they would not let me go as both Perry [Lesh] and ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift] out of the instrument detail are going. Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff will lead with Sets. [Cecil] York, [Karl F.] Moore and [Byron C.] Young, Cpls. [Richard M.] Bos- son, [Perry] Lesh, [Wilbur] Berauer and [Howard H.] Max- well. All of the men were to get rifles, ammunition belts and ‘doughboy’ packs immediately and be ready at a moment’s no- tice to go. Right after mess Lieut. Knaff, [Latham W.] Connell and I went up to the O.P. On my way up I had a nice fall, my horse slipped, just as he was going to jump a little ditch and rooted his nose in the ground. My feet were so full of mud that I could not get them out of the stirrups, so over I went. I lit on the back of my neck but I had the head to the scissors on my back so only a little mud was the result. Lt. Knaff and Connell sure had a good laugh. From 2:00 until 4:30 we watched the effect of our fire on two small woods; while we were there an infantry Major came up and told us a lot of the reports given out by General Pershing while inspecting our sector. They say that he relieved sev- eral of the officers of their high commands. He also said that we would stay here until we had reached our objective and held it. He also said that if there were only two men left that the Brigade Commander should take them over the top. Failure to gain an objective would be no explanation. We did not get back to the guns then until after dark. October 23, 1918:—This morning we got up in time for breakfast and while I was eating Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff said 202 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS that we would go to the O.P. again this morning. We walked up as the horses are so poor, and believe me it was certainly some walk, mud up to our knees and a big hill climb at the end of it, we were sure all in. [Latham W.] Connell went along but when we got up there the line was out so the rest of the day was spent by Connell trying to find the break in the line. At 1:30 the line was gotten thru and then Lieut. Knaff calibrated all four pieces which took us until 4:30 P.M. The Germans did a great deal of shelling today in front of the O.P. and quite a few times we had to duck from flying fragments. The day was as clear as could be, consequently there was quite a deal of aerial activity and the sky was con- stantly full of planes and anti-aircraft bursts. I got to see one Allied plane fall in the German lines, also German planes brought down three of our big observation balloons. The general artillery fire has been pretty heavy today and there have been quite a few more casualties today. October 24, 1918:—After I had finished eating this A.M. I started to groom my horse but Lieut. Knaff came down and told me to have map case and aiming circle and be ready to leave at 8:45. At 9:00 A and B Batteries met at Bn. Hdqrs. and we all started out. We again went thru Fleville and from there to Sommerance where we turned to the right. At the right edge of the town we dismounted and tied our horses in an old dilapidated barn because the Germans were putting shrapnel over the town. From there we walked about one kilometer out of Sommerance where we located the gun position. We ran the necessary traverse in locating the posi- tion, put stakes at each gun place and posted it against other batteries. It was then about 11:00 and we started back. The air has been very cool today, clear, and the Germans have certainly had control of the air; last night was also clear and the Germans did a great deal of bombing close to our position but none of them were close enough to do us any damage. During the afternoon I lay in my tent sleeping until 4:00 when Sgt. [Jonas F.] Prather came out with an issue of wrapped puttees for the fellows. I then fed and watered my horse and went up to evening mess where we had gravy, hamburger, two slices of bread, coffee and a little sweet pud- ding. By the time evening mess was over it was dark so quite a few of we fellows sat down around a fire and talked A SERGEANT’S DIARY 203 over old times. We talked mostly of hunting trips so you know I had plenty to say. Kunkler and I have ‘promoted’ quite a few more blankets and we now sleep under five, and on five so you know that we sleep pretty warm. During the evening I wrote a letter home concerning my allotment. This page marks the end of my second book of diary and I certainly hope that I will not have to write another whole book. October 25, 1918:—Last night at 8:00 P.M. the Boche put over 40 rounds and all of them lit right in and around our battery, but as luck would have it not a one was hurt; this morning even tho the fragments from 40 more rounds flew all around us, the boys came out of it without a scratch. At 9:00 A.M. Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff and I started out to locate ‘another position, as the 75s had taken the position that we located yesterday. This work took us until 11:00 and we then took a short cut across country to the battery; they are certainly putting enough artillery in here, wherever they can put it, both French and American, in view of another push I think. We got to the battery just at noon mess time and I fed and watered my horse before I ate my own lunch. The weather is cloudy, cool but pleasant. During the afternoon I laid around my tent and around a fire that the fellows have made near here. At 5:30 we had mess of rice, silage, bread and coffee. [Lawrence E.] Kunkler and I then made our bed and crawled in; I wrote four letters before I went to sleep. The ‘dope’ is that we move tomorrow evening, and they are hauling ammunition to our new gun position tonight. It is now 6:30. October 26, 1918:—This morning while I was eating, Lieut. Knaff came to me and told me that the position that we had located was not far enough in advance, so about 8:15 we started out and in a very short time we were again in Som- merance. Lieut. Knaff and I then located the position by traverse and it is at the very right edge of the village of Som- merance and only about 100 feet in the back of it. After we had finished all of our work we started back. We got to the battery just in time for noon mess and after I had eaten I packed all of my equipment and went to the new position to wait there until the battery arrived. By the time I had ar- rived at the position it was clear and there was a great deal 204 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS of aerial activity. I dismounted, took my saddle bags and blanket roll off my horse and sat down to wait for the battery. About 2:00 the Germans started to shell Sommerance and our position got all of the ‘overs’. They fired both H.E. and shrapnel; each H.E. shell that comes over contains a little mustard gas so I inhaled weak gas all the rest of the day. B Battery’s position is just to the right of our position and they pulled in with their wagons and camouflaged before dark, our battery followed with the same. All the time our wagons were coming in the Germans were shelling and many of our men had narrow escapes. Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff and some of the men while coming thru the open street of Sommerance had a close call as a German shell came over, went thru a stone wall toward the front from them and then tore up the street in front of them, but it happened to be a dud. While bringing in cne of the ammunition wagons one of the drivers who was riding a lead team had his horse shot from under him and had one of his own toes shot off by a fragment from a German 77. Lieut. Knaff then gave me two escort wagons and told me to go back to the edge of Sommerance where there was an ammunition dump and get some powder and fuses, so I took the two wagons and back we went. While we were loading our wagons German shells were lighting just across the road from us and we surely worked fast, for had one of those shells lit in the ammunition dump while we were there, we would have still been going. After I got back with the two wagons [Lawrence E.] Kunkler and I dug a hole deep enough for protection for the night and then we spread our blankets at the bottom of it and crawled in to wait until the pieces came up. Gas was very thick, as it rolled down the hill in the rear of us and just laid in the valley we are in, it was not strong enough to make one wear a gas mask but nevertheless everybody was sneezing and crying most of the time. The pieces were not allowed to clear Fleville until 9:30 and it was 11:30 before they pulled into Sommerance. While the gun squads were putting the guns in place I tried to help Perry [Lesh], [Leslie H.] Coleman and some more of our detail boys with our instrument wagon which had gotten stuck in a shell hole on account of a balky horse they had pulling it. Shells were coming over thick and fast, both H.E. and gas, so all of the work was very slow. We took the balky horse off the cart and put ‘Pug’ [Rogers H.] George’s single A SERGEANT’S DIARY 205 mount to it but we could have no luck, so we started to change back to the original horse, but we had to work between the burst of shells. Coleman found a hole about thirty feet away from where we were working and every time a shell would come he would run to this hole before it burst. ‘Pug’ and Perry both got a good shot of gas and then Coleman keeled with too much of it just after one had burst and thrown dirt all over him. We finally got the horse hitched to the cart though, and were just ready to give him a lift on one grand pull when we heard one coming over. I don’t know why, but everyone ran for Coleman’s hole and I got in first with about four of the other fellows on top of me. Coleman was left out all together. No one was hurt so we all went back to the cart where with one big push we got the cart out and were on our way. Of course everything was in a mix up and it was 12:30 before the pieces were in place and laid ready to fire, and then when I looked the place over I found out that the third piece was not even there but was in a ditch not far away. October 27, 1918:—All of the men went to bed last night after the kitchen had put out ‘corned willie,’ bread, coffee and sugar. Ellis J. Baker and I did not go directly to bed but we went down into the village on the main street where there was an infantry kitchen, and there I stole four loaves of bread; I do not know how many Baker got as we did not come back together as a guard tried to stop us and we ran. About 4:00 A.M the Germans started to shell Sommerance and it certainly was terrific as we had to stay in our holes and wear our gas masks off and on until way after daylight. It is certainly a miracle that no one was touched during the night, and it was more than pleasant when we awakened this morning and found the sun shining very brightly. After [Lawrence E.] Kunkler and I had eaten our breakfasts and taken care of our horses we immediately started digging our holes deeper and I think just about all the fellows are doing the same thing. From the O.P. where we were this A.M. we adjusted the third piece and did some work with the other pieces and then the officers went in. Our guns are only five hundred meters, or one half of a kilometer from the German front lines and the only thing that keeps us from seeing the lines is just one fair sized hill directly in front of us. Our 206 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS six inch guns are even in front of the 75s and machine guns. During the afternoon the sections organized their pieces, camouflaged and dug their holes to sleep in. Everybody is digging a hole and you don’t see a fellow any more who says he can live without a hole. Kunkler and I have one that is two and one half feet deep. Believe me I have seen more work done with picks and shovels today than I ever have be- fore in my life. Dead Germans can be found lying all around thru the country and this afternoon when Cpl. [Werrill G.] Clapp was digging his hole he dug into a dead German, he only hit the foot of the body so he covered it up, drove a few boards around it and continued to make his home. The weather is very fine, clear and pleasant and this afternoon while at the O.P. we saw a German plane go crashing to the ground, there has been a great deal of aerial activity today. We also watched the French and American planes drop propa- ganda leaflets around over the German lines. When the big party starts we will start firing with the lowest charge pos- sible as we are so very close to the front lines, that will be charge Number 5. After I had finished laying the pieces I went over to Set. [Jonas F.] Prather’s wagon which had come out from the echelon with a load of things for the boys, and there I bought some Y.M.C.A. stuff and drew an overcoat; and then started to work again on our home. My first job was to fix it so that we could light a candle in it without letting the light shine out; then I had to fix it so that the dirt would not fall into our blankets. October 28, 1918:—This morning we all got up happy as there had been no one killed during the night altho B Battery and our battery had fired continually from 1:30 to 4:30 this morning and there was a great deal of retaliation fire from the German side. The gas was very strong during the night and [Lawrence E.] Kunkler and I just put our heads beneath the blankets and slept that way all night without getting the effects of the gas; one of B Battery’s powder lots was blown up during the night and eight of their men were injured and taken to the hospital. Two of our horses had been killed dur- ing the night and one of our men [James W.] Proctor, was sent to the hospital with gas, as he _ reported it. He got out of his bed and started to yell for all fel- lows who were gassed to follow him and he would take them A SERGEANT’S DIARY 207 to the first aid station and while walking around he stepped into the hole where the medics attached to our battery were sleeping and they threw him out. Boyd Gillespie was the only one who followed him up, but he really was gassed. It was certainly an exciting night. After I had finished my break- fast, watered and fed my horse I again started to work on our hole,—making it deeper. I completed our hole about 10:30 and now I think we are pretty safe. The weather is as pretty as one could wish for, just cool enough to be snappy and many aeroplanes are up, one German plane just came over our position and dropped a big cloud of silvery looking pieces of paper floating toward the O.P. and as they float the Ger- mans are firing on them and I’ll bet the boys at the O.P. are having a regular thrill. It is now 5:45, dark and I am now going to bed, read a Herald and then wait for the excitement to start. October 29, 1918:—Well the night was rather quiet; one shell lit about ten feet from our kitchen but it did no damage, our 75s put over an awful barrage but we only had one gas alarm, pretty good I’ll say. The day is bright and the sun is warm and already the planes are flying about. The Germans seem to have control of the air around here. Perry [Lesh] has gone up to the O.P. and tomorrow I will go up and start ona sketch. During the morning we received a little mail and I got two letters from home. At noon today we had a very good mess, roast beef, potatoes, coffee, sugar and bread. After dinner I sat down and made a sketching board and then wrote ten letters. Cpl. [Howard H.] Maxwell and [Lawrence E.] Kunkler sat in the hole reading while I wrote my letters. The order also came down today stating that we could now wear our second service chevron. While I was sitting in my hole writing Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift came along and stopped in our home and after looking around a little informed me that I was now a Sergeant, and that ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift] was now a Corporal; so after I had addressed my letters I sewed on some chevrons. While I was sewing on chevrons the Ger- mans started to shell and they certainly did come close, every- body took to their holes and there was quite a bit of anxiety for awhile but fortunately no one was hurt. We have had our gas masks on and off since 3:00 this afternoon and at evening mess time only a section at a time could go after mess 208 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS because they were afraid of shells. Sgt. [Jonas F.] Prather came out with a load of Y.M.C.A. stuff and I got a package of cigarettes out of it. The day has been unusually clear, thus a great deal of aerial activity. Many German aero- planes have been over and our machine guns have been chat- tering away all day long, and the sky has been simply full of anti-aircraft bursts. It is now 5:15, dark, and we have crawled into our holes and gotten ready for bed. Shells are lighting not over one hundred feet behind us; I read until about 10:00 and then tried to go to sleep but they lit so very close during the night I did not have much luck. October 30, 1918:—This morning when we got up the sun was shining very bright, we took care of our horses, ate our breakfasts and then prepared for the day. Perry [Lesh] went back to stay at regimental headquarters and maintain a rear O.P., ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift] stayed at the guns and [Lawrence E.] Kunkler and I went over to Bn. Hdars., from where we carried a scissors up to the O.P. I also took my sketching board along and two steak sandwiches for dinner, Kunkler came on back to the battery. I worked the rest of the afternoon on the tracing of my sketch and did not finish it until evening mess time. After mess I took my horse to an old barn in Sommerance across the street from Bn. Hdars. so that he would be at least a little safer from flying frag- ments. While in Sommerance Kunkler and I ran into a com- missary truck from which we bought four boxes of cakes. When we got back to the battery we made a little stove which we put in our hole and heated the place up in great style. The ‘snow’ is now that we are not going to put on this big offensive here as the Germans are supposed to be pulling out. The day has been clear with much aerial activity, artillery firing is still heavy around here but for us the day has been rather quiet. I am now in my hole and am going to try to read a little, shells have just started to light about 200 feet behind us and I surely hope that- they will stay there. The early part of the night was quiet except for one little thrill we had, a four-inch shell came over from -the Germans, ricocheted from the top of the hill in front of us and lit only ten feet in back of our hole and did not explode. It certainly shook the ground and made us think me were gone, but luck was with us. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 209 October 31, 1918:—This morning I got up an hour before the rest of the boys, took a good wash and shave, ate my breakfast and then sat down and put on a pair of wrapped puttees that Sgt. [Jonas F.] Prather had sent out to me. The Marines are now up here and according to all the ‘dope’ the big party starts tonight. The day has been very clear and the planes have been flying very high today, shells have been lighting all around us but none have come close until just now they are starting to get pretty near. It is now 5:30 and Kunkler and I have just crawled between the blankets to read and smoke for awhile. It has also started to rain and I Suppose we are due for a good wet spell. I certainly hope that the party starts tonight. November 1, 1918:—Well I sat up and read until 12:30 and things were pretty quiet with no shelling close and things were really pleasant when I turned over and went to sleep. I slept very peacefully until 3:00 A.M. and then we were awak- ened and told to put on all of our clothes. That we did and then I got under the covers and went to sleep again, but not for very long. At 3:30 one of the fiercest barrages that I have ever heard in my life started off. The machine guns in the rear of us started to chatter and above all of the big guns they could be heard spitting their indirect fire over the Ger- man lines. There was practically no retaliation fire from the Germans. Our tent is only twenty feet directly in front of the third piece and every time it shoots we raise about two -inches from the jar of it all. The night had turned into day from the light of the guns firing, and talking to one another was beyond the question. I got up and gave the scene the once over and then I crawled under my blankets’and went to sleep. Probably it seems impossible to one not knowing the conditions to believe that one could sleep during such a time but in a few minutes I was asleep, and there I stayed until 6:30 this morning. After I had taken my shave this A.M. I took a walk over into the village of Sommerance where there were very many German prisoners being marched thru. They came in in columns of five to two hundred and of course all of the fellows were over getting trinkets of some sort from them. I decided that I ought to have a few trinkets of some sort so I started out to meet one of the columns of prisoners. Finally a few of them came along and I stopped them, I asked 14—22902 210 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS one fellow whether he had a watch and he said yes; so I made him give it to me and then I turned to one of the others who gave me another watch, and the third gave me a knife, so I figured that I had enough. I did not like the idea of taking their things from them but some one else would have, so I Suppose it was all right. There were many wounded being brought in, both German and American; the German prison- ers who were not injured always carried the wounded men in, whether German or American. Three German medics were captured and they were put to work taking care of wounded in the first aid station, and I want to say they were certainly good workers and did the work right. I also saw one Ger- man prisoner that I thought was shell shocked or had lost his mind but when I spoke to him I found out that he had been on a grand old party the night before and he was still drunk. He was sure having a regular time shaking hands with all of we American fellows. All of these prisoners ask but one question when they came in and that was “Do we go to Amer- ica”, they sure all wanted to go. I also ran into one German officer while I was helping them unload an ambulance who had half of his foot shot off. I asked him in German whether or not he was comfortable when I had him fixed and to my surprise he answered me in the most perfect English. He was a first Lieut. and seemed to be a very fine fellow. The nerve that the boys display when they come in wounded is certainly remarkable. They don’t even whimper, and some of them even walk in when they are so shot up that they can hardly ‘tottle’ along. I held one American ‘Doughboy’s’ hand as he died. He tried to say something to me but he was too far gone so I covered him with a blanket and left him to the Chaplain. Then Perry [Lesh] and I unloaded a whole ambu- lance which will hold six men, five of them we got out alright but the sixth one we could not get out so easily and Perry climbed into the ambulance to help get the head end loose. It seemed as if his arm was sticking some place and I asked him whether or not he could move his arm a little but he did not answer. Finally we got him out and when I looked at him I knew the reason for his silence; he was dying and gasp- ing and could not talk, he had already lost consciousness; so we covered him with a blanket and stood him aside with the dead. It was sure a mess of blood at the first aid station and A SERGEANT’S DIARY 211 it finally “got to” Perry and I, so we stopped and went to tend to our horses. After we had taken care of our horses we went over to our tent where we toasted a few big pieces of bread, buttered them and then sat down in my tent to eat them. While I was sitting there shells started to light right in the battery position so we lay down to keep out of the way. Suddenly I heard some yelling and saw the fellows running toward the officer’s hole and when I looked out they had both Capt. Trotter and Amos Turner leading them into a tent both of them wounded but I hear that it is not serious. We started this barrage with a charge No. 5, and now we are using a charge No. 1 so our infantry must be advancing very fast. It is now 9:30 A.M. and there has been but little retaliation fire and the dope is that the Germans are on the run. They finally got so many German and American prisoners around the first aid station that they had to get them out of the way because too many were being hit right as they stood waiting to be taken care of; they marched them right side of our battery, so while they were there I talked to many of them and they: were all anxious to go to America and were overly glad that they were thru with the whole thing. Many of them were not a day over twenty years of age, small but husky lads. The battery fired all morning and about 12:00 Capt. [Clarence E. ] Trotter was taken to the hospital. I also went over to one of these German prisoners and gave him a package of cigar- ettes for a little knife that he had, and he was only too glad to give it to me for the cigarettes as he said he had had none for the past eight months. The Germans certainly praise the Americans and say that they have never seen such won- derful artillery work. As I was talking to one he looked at my name that I had printed on the bag for my gas mask and he asked me whether or not I was German. I told him that I was, and then he told me that he lived side of an old shoe- maker by the name of Straub, in Strassburg. Before I could say much more to him he was rushed on and I lost him in the crowd, everything was in one big, mad whirl. We are now firing at a range that requires a number 00 charge the heaviest charge we have. The ‘dope’ is two ways; one that we will go to our left and support the Eightieth di- vision, and another that we will be relieved. We have now 212 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS stopped firing and are just simply waiting to see what will come next; about 4:00 P.M. Perry [Lesh] and I took another walk over to the first aid station; my horse is very near there so I took a feed along for him. While we were waiting for the horse to finish eating we helped unload wounded from the front. We stayed with one fellow until he died and then we went up in a small vacant lot where the Chaplain was holding a service over a dead Marine. We then got the nose bag off my horse and went over to the battery for mess. While I was over near the first aid station I noticed a nice thirty pound sack of sugar standing in the door way to their kitchen. The sack was a small burlap sack, lined with a little white sack and sure looked inviting, so when I got to the bat- tery I told ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift] about it and he went out to steal it. It was not long before ‘Pete’ came back carrying the sack, he had carried it all the way from the battalion kitchen and was just about all in. We were sure glad that we had it and immediately opened it to use some; to our sur- prise and disgust when we looked at it we realized that it was salt, old ‘Pete’ sure got the laugh. We donated the salt to our kitchen. It is now 5:45, dark and the artillery fire has died out almost entirely, we can only hear the occasional re- port of agun. German prisoners now coming thru are minus souvenirs as they are searched by other outfits farther in advance of us. They say that during their service in the war they never did experience such a barrage; they are glad they are captured, happy, young and worn out. The weather has been rather cool and it has tried to snow during the day but has had no luck, our battery has fared pretty well so far. As I write the artillery fire seems to increase a little but I suppose it is only a spurt. As a whole the day has been rather exciting and I have smoked so many cigarettes that my tongue burns like fire. I have just taken the cotton out of my ears. Cotton is put in our ears so that the drums are not broken by the concussion from the guns. November 2, 1918:—I could not go to sleep immediately so I sat up until 11:30 and read until I got sleepy. One would at least think that one would have a few unpleasant dreams after a day such as the one yesterday, but after I got to sleep, I slept thru until 8:00 this morning without a whimper. After breakfast Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff told ‘Pete’ A SERGEANT’S DIARY — 213 and I to pack our junk, that we were going forward to locate anew gun position. A little later Major [Sidney S.] Miller and the details from A and B batteries started forward, we went as far as St. Juvin where we met a messenger who told us to go back as the batteries would not move up before night. It has now started to rain and is getting very muddy and wet. By evening mess time it was dark and [Lawrence E.] Kunkler and I ate our mess, took care of our horses and then went to bed. I wrote some letters while I was under the covers, and then read a little; while I was reading one of the men came up and told me that Lieut. Knaff, ‘Pete’, [Latham W.] Connell and I would start out at seven in the morning and locate a new position. I then found the guard, had him notify the three men, and went to sleep. November 3, 1918:—At 5:00 ‘Pete’, Connell and I got up, packed all of our junk and got ready to leave, at 8:00 we were told that the party was called off and so we unsaddled. At 9:30 A.M. the echelon pulled along side of the battery and everything was gotten in readiness fo move. When Perry [Lesh] and I went to load our instrument cart we noticed that someone had gotten into the cart and stolen a box that contained most of our valuable stuff. My pistol, Perry’s field glasses, many of our compasses and drawing instruments were all gone. I hope the war ends before we have to tell Lieut. Knaff about it. Artillery fire has ceased practically altogether now; it has been raining all night and is very muddy. The firing battery and the echelon ate dinner together, we did nothing all morning but lie around awaiting the order to move. Just after noon mess the order came down to pull out; [Leslie H.] Coleman, ‘Pete’ and I along with three Lieutenants, one from B Battery, one from Bn. and one from our battery went ahead. We went thru St. Juvin, Verpel and into Champin- aulle. There we found after a long hunt a place for the bat- teries to pull in; it started to rain again about 9:00 P.M. and of course we were wet to the skin. After we had started a guard over the place for the batteries we went into an old barn where there was an infantry kitchen, and as luck would have it, we were able to ‘bum’ a cup full of strong black coffee. We also built a fire and tried to get our wet clothes half way dry. I stood one ‘hitch’ at guard and just after I had gotten out in the rain I found an old German strawtick, an old Ger- 214 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS man horse cover, and in them I wrapped myself and went to sleep until ‘Pete’ Clift came out to relieve me. After ‘Pete’ came in off of his ‘hitch’ we decided that we were hungry and we started out to find a ration dump or someone’s kitchen. Lieut. Wyle of Bn. went along with us and we finally found the infantry ration dump in an old barn; the place was guard- ed but all the men were lying around sleeping so we took a chance. We could not light a match but while the Lieutenant talked to the one fellow who was awake ‘Pete’ and I stole a box of jam. I also had one big can of syrup in my hands but I had to drop it when the guard came my way. We took the box of jam over behind the fountain which was in the middle of the street and there we waited until the Lieut. came before we started back to the old barn where the rest of the fellows were waiting for us. It was as dark as pitch and was rain- ing, so no one could see us and we could not stop even to read the label on the box. When we finally got back to our old barn we opened the box with the intentions of having a regu- lar feed and to our disgust it was a box of soap. [Leslie H.}] Coleman then went back to meet the batteries and bring them on up to this place. At 4:00 A.M. he came back and told us to saddle our horses, that the order had been changed and that we were going to go on farther. The battery then was only at the edge of this little village so we got ready in a hurry. November 4, 1918:—While we were saddling and getting our junk together the batteries came along and of course we had to hurry on ahead. We went thru Buzancy which had been evacuated by the Germans only forty-eight hours before. The town was once a very pretty place and seemed to be quite a prosperous place but now it was a mass of ruins; buildings were burning and walls were caving in and just as the day was breaking it certainly made a picture to see all of these American pieces of artillery filing thru the town. I sat on my horse looking from side to side and in many of these old ruins I could see dead lying about, and then again I would see two or three American soldiers trying to get warm by the heat of some smoldering building. We went on thru this place about three kilometers to Bar-les-Buzancy and there we pulled off of the road, after everything was settled I rode back to lead the batteries into place. It was daylight when we were all pulled in and then the fourth piece was not there as it A SERGEANT’S DIARY 215 had gotten into a ditch as we started out on our hike. When everything was well fixed we watered and fed our horses and gave them a good grooming. The night had certainly been a miserable one and all of the fellows are about done for, in fact I know of six fellows who have dropped out of the column all together and I suppose there are twenty gone altogether. B Battery is on one side of the street and we are on the other. There are also a great many other outfits in this little village. I can hear but very little firing and I would say that we have advanced about 25 kilometers; it has stopped raining. Some of the fellows had stolen some molasses during the night and they divided with us, so we also had a little molasses and hard tack with the rest of the meal. The EHighty-second and the Seventy-seventh Divisions are now moving thru here going toward the front, lapping us, so I suppose that means we will be relieved. The ‘dope’ that has come back to us so far is that the Germans are entraining and moving back in motor trucks, also that our infantry has gone into Sedan in motor trucks and have met no opposition yet. We can just hear the report of guns and they say that the ‘doughboys’ are still going. Evening mess was not until after the horses had been watered and fed and by then we had no orders to move, so Coleman and I made our beds together and then sat down around a grate fire with some of the boys in an old ruined building. After we had fried a little hard tack Coleman and I went to bed. About an hour after we had gotten to bed the German bombing planes started to come over and they certainly opened their egg baskets a plenty, ’cause bombs lit everyplace but on top of us. The buildings shook and from the sound of things I suppose many have been wounded. November 5, 1918:—This morning ‘Pete’ Clift got up be- fore the rest of the battery and went out and stole five loaves of bread, so after we had taken care of our horses we sat down at the grate fire and fried bread for our breakfasts. At 8:00 however breakfast for the battery was served and the report came in that they had hamburger and potatoes along with bread and coffee so we all piled out to the battery mess, and ate again. After breakfast I sat down and read a paper of Nov. 3d. and I would say that the war is about over. While we were grazing the horses this morning about fifteen Ger- man planes came over us very low, they downed an American 216 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS plane and then turned and went back, without even being shot at or pursued by a French or American plane. For noon mess we had tomatoes, gravy, boiled beef, bread and coffee. The ‘dope’ is that we move either this afternoon sometime, or tonight. This morning I got into the fourgon and got my new big high shoes out, the ones I bought in Neufchateau. All afternoon we sat around the grate fire talking and smok- ing. I also received two letters from home. At 5:00 we had evening mess; we had rice, cane syrup, fried bread, sugar, butter, bread and coffee. The fellows who are living in these buildings around here have their windows camouflaged very well so that no light can leak out thru them. I also found out for the first time today that my Uncle Walter Sourbier in Indianapolis was dead, so I sat down and wrote a long letter to Aunt Ida and then went to bed. November 6, 1918:—There is an awful lot of “snow” going around about peace talk and the latest dope we have is that the ‘doughboys’ are about 30 kilometers in front of us and are still going toward the rear. Things are quiet and they say that the war is over for them. The weather is fine today ex- cept under foot and there it is very muddy. Quite a bit of second class mail came in today and after we camouflaged our windows a few of us sat down to read. Many of the boys have gone out to sit in poker games and the rest of them have gone to bed. ‘Mike’ [Harry A.] Brickel is in bed and he just yelled out that he hoped the ‘Jerries’ would stay home with their egg baskets tonight. I went to bed about 9:30. November 7, 1918:—Well the night was ‘about as quiet as we have had for the past four or five months. We got up at 7:00 and the first thing we heard was that Austria was out of the war and that the allies were using all of her railroads and canals, etc. At 8:30 we had a stable formation where we groomed, fed, watered and washed harness and we did not get thru until 11:00 when we went in and had noon mess. This morning just after I left my: billet I saw an American Y.M.C.A. girl and I’ll say that she is the first woman I have seen for about four months. At 2:00 we had a pistol and arms inspection, and, of course mine was lost while in ac- tion. Last night we got some Y.M.C.A. stuff and our meals are pretty good so I guess we have no kick coming. At 3:00 A SERGEANT’S DIARY | 217 we went to stables where we groomed a little and then led out to water and fed. For evening mess we had silage soup, bread-pudding, coffee, sugar and bread. We are again hear- ing the ‘snow’ about our battery being motorized. During the evening the fellows read a little, shot craps, played poker, while I hunted for a few cooties and then went to bed. November 8, 1918:—During the night I had an awful coughing spell and short breath and I think it is the effects of the gas that we were in there at Sommerance. At 7:00 we got up and of course the horses were taken care of before the men. I was put in charge of the spare line for the day and after all of the spare line horses had been taken care of I went to mess. After noon mess I took a walk down to the Y.M. to get a cup of hot chocolate, and there I met two American Y. girls, one of them the Holliday [Mary E.] girl from Indianapolis. At 4:00 we had evening mess and we had four doughnuts to the man, sugar, coffee, bread, butter and silage soup. [Guy F.] Chilcote has a can of jam so we are going to eat a little hard tack and jam and then go to bed. We hear that peace is practically at hand. The only thing remaining is the official statement of the same. It is raining now, kind’a cool and disagreeable. November 9, 1918:—This morning we got up at 7:00 went to stables as per usual where we watered and fed. I again had charge of the spare line this morning; the cannoniers washed the carriages while the drivers groomed the horses. We worked until 10:00 when the horses were sent out to graze. There are always guards sent along with the horses when they are put out to the fields to graze and while they were out a French plane came down in the same field. It was out of gas so the guards had a good time watching them get started again. The rest of the men were dismissed and will have nothing to do until 2:30. We then went to noon mess but it was punk as we have not drawn any rations lately. At 1:30 they lined us up again and told us to bring in the horses as there was a possibility of our moving. After we had the horses in at the line again we were dismissed until our regular 2:30 stable formation. Then we groomed until 4:00. While we are staying in these billets we have to lay out our bunks as we used to do while in the training camp 218 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS and the fellows are very disgusted because our equipment is in such poor shape to lay out. We also have to police our billet and a lot of other things that are just simply useless work. We are getting quite a bit of Y.M.C.A. stuff for the first time since the war started. [Leslie H.] Coleman and I built a new bunk today—on the floor, as cooties are getting too bad in these old bunks. The move we are to make is supposed to come tomorrow and we are to move up into di- visional area as we are not in it now. The 5th Army corps Hdars. are going to move into this town. It has been cloudy and rainy all day but now it is very clear. Good night to the German and their egg baskets, I am now going to bed. November 10, 1918:—This morning at 7:00 we got up and the sun was shining very brightly. We went to stables, had mess and then I took a good wash and shave and fried some bread for a little extra food. At 8:30 we had a stable for- mation. About 10:00 we ceased grooming and went to our rooms. Some of the fellows took baths while others fried bread and thus we fooled away the time until noon mess when we had ‘corned willie’ again. At 1:30 the order came down for the boys to roll their rolls and get ready to move. Lieut. Dawson came down as we were getting ready and told Perry and I to saddle immediately, so as soon as we were ready the three of us left. We only went one kilometer up the road to Harricourt where we picked out a place for the battery to pull in and then Lieut. Dawson went back to bring the bat- tery up. It is getting awfully cold and we had wet feet so we were pretty uncomfortable. We also learned that regi- mental and their bunch of paper artists had made our bat- teries move out of Bar-les-Buzancy so that they could live in the buildings we had. Just at dusk the battery pulled up and the horses were immediately put on the picket line. Hay was spread and all of we fellows pitched our pup-tents. We then went to mess. Oats then came in from supply and the horses were fed. Coleman and I are now going to bed. It’s d cold. November 11, 1918:—We got up at 7:00 after having spent a very miserable night. Half of the time Coly [Leslie H. Coleman] was in the ditch and half of the time I was in the ditch but we did manage to keep warm. When we crawled out of our tent there was at least one quarter of an inch of A SERGEANT’S DIARY 219 frost all over it and believe me we were certainly cold. We immediately went to stables where the horses were fed and then we had a very good, warm breakfast. Nearly all of the fellows then built fires to keep warm by. At 8:30 we had a grooming formation and then I led the battery out to water. When they came back from water they started to groom. Of course all morning the boys were waiting for news of peace. Bn. had their wireless up and at 9:30 they received word that Germany had accepted our peace terms and that at 11:45 there would be no more firing on any of the fronts. Of course the fellows had a smile on their faces but there was not any rejoicing to amount to anything. We sat around a fire talking it over until 2:30 and then we had a stable for- mation. Horses were groomed a little, fifteen minutes to the horse, taken to water and then we had evening mess. We also turned in some of our poor horses and before we go far- ther we expect an allotment of new ones. The ‘snow’ is al- ready out as to what we are going to do next, and I'll say that it is not very pleasing news. We are either to go to Austria or Germany for M.P. duty. First tho we are to go back to Grand Pré and there be re-equipped. The ‘snow’ is also that the First, Twenty-sixth and Forty-second Divisions go to some base port and then home, but I have little faith in that report. The boys are all happy but disgusted to think that there is a possibility of our going to Germany or Austria on M.P. work. After mess quite a few of we fellows sat around a fire talking. All vehicles have lights on and every- where lights can be seen. It is the first time for a mighty long while that we have seen lights after dark. Several bands are playing and all of the French are rejoicing but our boys are awfully quiet. There are already many French civilians here in Harricourt who have been released from the front. I am now going to bed. November 12, 1918:—At 7:00 A.M. we got up and went thru our regular routine of watering, feeding the horses and then going after our own mess. At 8:30 we had another stable formation where the boys led out to water and then groomed until 10:00. After stables the boys all sat around the fires they had built until noon mess time. The weather is very nice and sunshiny but the air is very cool and I be- lieve we are due for some snow. Most of the boys have al- 220 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS ready moved into the Catholic church and a big barn near here and after the stable formation Coly [Leslie H. Coleman] and I just moved our pup-tents near where we always build our fire in the morning. We did not want to go into these buildings because the cooties and fleas are so bad in them. Even tho these fellows do sleep in this church and have about all of the seats taken up with blankets, the people of the village still hold their masses just the same. After evening mess we built a big fire and all of our detail men gathered around it. There we sat talking until about 8:00 when most of them went to bed. November 138, 1918 :—We had reveille at 7:00, mess at 8:00 this morning and then at 8:30 I took a bunch of men and washed harness while the rest of the men groomed. I have been spending very miserable nights, coughing and very short of breath from the gas I know, but I do think that it is get- ting better as we go along. Washing harness and grooming took until noon mess time so we all went in to eat. After mess [William H.] Bruning came around to the fire where we were all sitting around and gave me charge of the men who have court martial charges against them. These men are awaiting trial and while they wait, they work. I had them dig one great big latrine and then had them police the grounds all around where we are staying. This was be- ing done while all the rest of the boys were grooming. For evening mess we had beans, coffee, sugar, bread and pudding and after I had finished eating I went over to the big barn where the detail boys have started a big poker game. I sat in until about 8:30, lost 24 Francs and had to quit. After I left the poker game I stopped in the Catholic church where a great many of our fellows were staying. The ‘snow’ seems to have us going to Germany now. The weather is cold, clear but very pleasant; Iam now going to bed. CHAPTER XI GERMANY BOUND November 14, 1918:—Reveille was at 6:00 A.M. and the order was to roll rolls and be ready to move out by 7:00 A.M. At 9:00 the details from A and B Batteries and Bn. started out. It was very cold riding and both the 151st and the 149th were on the road so we took the fields to the side of the roads and made better time. The sky looks very much like snow but it is pleasant after one gets warmed up. At 10:00 A.M. we pulled into Incourt and the three details separated to find billets and parking space for the batteries. The 151st and the 149th will also be in this place. The town is very much torn up and I don’t believe there is a whole building in this place. In the section of the village that we happened to get there is only one whole room in the lot, so the four of us piled into this place, made a fire in the grate and sat down to eat our noon lunch. Immediately after dinner I left to bring up the battery and I met them about two and one half kilometers out of Incourt. I told Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff just how we stood and then led them on into our part of the town. The rest of the boys took care of the horses while I assigned the billets to the boys and you ought to have heard them yell when they saw what they had for a room, nothing but the clear sky with four walls to break the wind. Still cold and November 15, 1918:—We got up at 6:30 and it was very cold as we went down and fed the horses; we then had mess and then all of the detail fellows took a good wash and shave before 8:30. We went to stable formation where we groomed until 10:30 and then all of the horses were sent out to graze. At 2:30 we had another stable formation and we got the horses, fed, watered and groomed them, and then came in to mess. We then came in and played poker until evening mess, which was at 7:00 P.M. and by that time I had lost thirty four more Francs. It'll break the other way I suppose if I stay with it long enough. We always have a fire in this little room and it is really comfortable; we are getting twenty (221) 222 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS replacement men tonight. I think they are coming from the 80th division. The ‘snow’ now is that we are going home very soon and I certainly hope so because I am getting pretty anxious to see some of the people again. Assembly call just blew and when I got out I noticed that we had 62 new horses from the 82nd division. We did not have enough picket line to tie all of them to so ‘Spick’ [John C.] Ellis, [Gordon E.] Miller and I were sent out to steal some picket line. We looked all over the other batteries and around the town but we could see no rope except on the trucks as they passed thru the town, and so after one of these trucks we started. It did not take us very long and finally we returned to the bat- tery with enough rope to tie up the regiment. November 16, 1918:—We did not get up until 7:00 this morning and of course the first thing we did was to go down and feed all the horses. We then went to breakfast which was pretty fair and then all of the fellows took a good wash before starting on the work for the day. I was given charge of all of the new horses. I had them groomed and cleaned up and then got all the equipment together which came with them. They were then led out to water and when they came in they were cut out and assigned to different sections. While this was going on the order came down that our brigade would move out during the afternoon. At 3:00 P.M. [Russell H.] Lamkin, [Perry] Lesh, and I saddled up and got ready to go a little farther toward Germany. At 4:00 after a very cold ride we arrived at Aincreville and after eating bread, beans, Jam and ‘corned willie’ that I had drawn from the kitchen I started back after the battery. By 8:00 the bat- tery had pulled in, horses had been put away and fed, and everything was in good order. It was certainly cold last night and we didn’t lose any time in crawling under the covers where we covered up our heads and went to sleep. November 17, 1918:—At 7:30 we got up; I took charge of the spare line and the horses were fed, the men then went to their own breakfasts and now we are all sitting around a fire. We are about one half of a kilometer from Aincreville on the side of a very bare hill and the wind can sure sweep over the top of it, and of course it is very uncomfortable. While we were sitting around the fire some of the fellows who A SERGEANT’S DIARY 223 had been snooping around came back with the report that on the other side of the hill was a place where an American outfit had been and had gone away in such a hurry that they could not take their new issue of harness with them. Of course all of the boys went over and it was not long before nearly the whole battery had been re-equipped. When we got back we were lined up for stables and there told that we should roll our rolls and be ready to move out by 1:00 P.M. Our hike yesterday was about fifteen kilometers and was a pretty cold one but very interesting as we went over a very great many of the old battle fields. Our details rode until about 5:00 P.M. when we came into Breheville. After we had found a place for the batteries I immediately started back to lead the column up to the place. It was dark when the battery had pulled into place and a picket line put up. We had an awful time finding water for the horses as there are so many outfits here in this place that all the water has been used up. But finally all of the work was finished and we went to our mess of hamburger, potatoes, gravy, coffee, sugar and bread. We are again sleeping out in the open but we are in a big valley and thus protected from the wind. November 18, 1918:—This morning we got up at 7:30, fed and watered the horses and then went to mess; the sun is shining this morning but even so it is very cold. At 8:30 we had another stable formation and the men groomed for thirty minutes on a horse. Yesterday we came thru some very hilly country. The roads were fairly good except in a few places where they had been cut up a good deal by motor trucks. When we got to this village of Breheville we were on the summit of a very big hill and after starting down, thru the trees we could see the lights of the village and believe me lights at the end of. the day are surely welcome sights. Leather jerkins were issued today, and some mail also came in; I received a few letters. After mess I sat around the fire, read my mail and then talked over the possibilities of getting home very soon. November 19, 1918:—At 7:00 we got up and went thru the usual procedure with the animals and then we went to a no- good breakfast. At 8:30 we had another stable formation where the men groomed practically all morning, and during 224 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS the time the men were grooming new shirts, pants, under- wear, shoes and shelter-halves were issued. We had mess at 11:00 and then the battery was lined up for a fine bath in the portable bath house that the regiment is now supplied with, and boy, I want to say a fine bath it was. While we were lined up on the outside waiting for our turn we could hear many oaths of agony as the boys hopped under the ice cold water. It was the first bath I had had for many months but it was so cold that I came out of it nearly frozen stiff. All of the other batteries are wearing their jerkins outside of their blouses, but our boy scout outfit has to wear theirs on the inside and it makes one feel like a stuffed toad. At 2:30 we had a stable formation and the men groomed until 3:45 during which time the buglers have been practicing. The horses were then blanketed and fed and at 4:00 we had re- treat, where four orders were read to the battery compliment- ing it on their work during the war. We were then dis- missed. After mess we went up on the hill and got a lot of wood for our fire and now all of the boys are sitting around the fire getting ready to start on a forty kilometer hike to- - morrow. The weather has been fine today and pretty warm. November 20, 1918:—This morning we were awakened at 4:30 and told to roll our rolls and be prepared to move out by eight o’clock. We passed thru some very beautiful country, hilly, not shot up; in fact there were very few shell holes to be seen, only a few large sized bomb holes. We rode about 25 kilometers and at 11:30 we pulled into Montmedy. The sun was out all the time we were riding and it was rather pleasant altho a little cool. The country seems to be in very good condition, many gardens and much cultivated land. In the town which is pretty fair sized about ten stores were open and the place was looking pretty fair altho it did show the effects of some of our bombing. Just before we got into the town we passed quite a few German guns which had been left behind by them. There are very many civilians in the town and they have lived here under German rule for the past 414 years. Fact is the Germans have been out of this town only eight days. The town is a big rail center and is only 12 kilometers from the Belgium border. When we pulled into the town the people were all dressed up in their best clothes. Flags were flying and they were celebrating the A SERGEANT’S DIARY 225 visit of President Poincaire and two French Marshals, and they certainly think a great deal of the real American sol- diers. At 12:45 we sat down and ate the food we had brought along, and then out to meet the battery which I ran into at 1:30. I then led them directly to our parking place where the horses were groomed, fed, watered and blanketed. There is a big barn near us and it is full of straw and the boys have been carrying it away to make their beds on. Some of the boys are in a big cantonment but since it is so crowded ‘Coly’ [Leslie H. Coleman] and I decided to sleep outside and now we are lying on a foot and half of straw. Up on the hill just at the edge of the town there is a very big Fort and it looks just like a fairy tale palace; it stands so high and stately. They have it guarded (Americans) because they are afraid that it might be mined so we can not get into it to see the inside. November 21, 1918:—At 6:30 we got up, took care of the horses, had our breakfasts, and then rolled our rolls and pre- pared to move out. At 10:00 A.M. we passed into Belgium. We went thru Virton just after crossing the border, which is a pretty big town. Flags were flying, stores were open, the place was busy and there were crowds of civilians on the streets. The weather has been fine, clear but cold, the coun- try is beautiful all around with no signs of war, hilly and wooded. At 11:30 we rode into Gomery and there being no regimental billeting officer around we started to scout around for something to eat. The first thing we found was apples, the first we have seen since we first came on to the front. Several of the fellows out of Bn. bought two chickens and they are having them fixed up for them at 7:00 tonight. At 4:30 I started after the battery and did not meet them until I got into the village before Gomery. I led them to the place _we had selected for them where they will stay for the evening and the night. The officers have a room to sleep in but the men are out in a field in pup-tents. It is pretty cold to be sleeping out but the fellows do not seem to mind it as they are now used to it. We made about 26 kilometers today. Nearly all the people in this place have German money and you ought to see them go after the French coin. The towns and villages we now enter are all intact but the Germans have robbed the people of all the grease and meat that could be 15—22902 226 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS found. After the battery was all fixed [Leslie H.] Coleman and I went up to the civilians home where we had our meal of chicken, bread, coffee, sugar and potatoes. November 22, 1918:—At 4:30 we were aroused and at the line-up we were told to roll our rolls and get ready to move. It was still dark, very cold with a heavy frost and the stars and moon were out very bright. Horses were immediately fed and watered and at 5:00 mess call blew. It was certainly cold and long before I had finished eating the grease on the hamburger had hardened up so that I could hardly eat it. I drew my cup of coal black coffee, drank half of it and used the other half to wash my mess kit in. Yesterday at the village of Gomery I bought some ink and I had an awful time try- ing to get the people to give me change for my money in French coins. They wanted to give me German money be- cause they want to get rid of it. Finally we rode into Arlon a big Belgian town with all of the streets improved, cafes and shops all open, a wonderful big church in the center of the town and many many people about. We stopped for a little while and looked around and we could hear many of the people mention how nice these men of ours look in their uniforms. We soon started on again and at 12:45 we ar- rived at Guirsch, a small village but very clean and beauti- ful. The town was all draped with greenery, fir trees at the sides of the street and green boughs across and overhead; all had been done by the little school children in honor of the Americans. The school for these little children is right along the main street and all of the little ones came out and waved our flag as we passed by. The school is taught by Nuns. All of these people speak German or Luxemburg, and I can understand them very well. One woman that I talked to gave me a very good meal of apples, potatoes, bacon and eggs. At 3:00 I started back after the battery and led them to where the battery is to be parked for the night. Coleman and I then went to a room in one of the civilians homes where we will stay for the night. There the woman gave us a bed with white sheets and a feather bed to sleep on. This woman also gave us aS many apples as we could eat. I talked to the woman for a long while and she told me that the Germans had only been out of there for four days. She also told mie all about the four years that the little village has been under A SERGEANT’S DIARY 227 German rule. We made about 30 kilometers today and will probably move out tomorrow. November 28, 1918:—At 4:30 we were awakened and told to roll our rolls and prepare to move out. We only went 16 kilometers into the little village of Saul, Luxemburg, it is a small village but it seems to be very clean. There are also a few families of pro-Germans in this place and believe me, one can sure tell them. Our battalion had about two squares along one of the main streets for the billeting of the two batteries and Bn. Hdars., and I did all of the talking for the Battalion and I’ll say what little German I do know certainly comes in handy. I had quite a bit of talking to do to the mayor, or rather the Burgomeister of the village, and he has treated me very fine. At 1:30 I went back after the bat- tery and led them to their place in the village. The horses were then fed, watered and blanketed for the night and then Lieut. Clift and I assigned the billets to the men of the bat- tery. The detail got a very nice little room and all of the fel- lows have a good place to sleep, even tho it is on the floor. I then made my bed, ordered a meal from the lady of the house in which we are staying, bought some apples and also 100 German cigarettes for which I had to pay 15 marks, or _about $3.75. At 3:00 o’clock we had a stable formation and after that I had to go around to all of the homes where Amer- ican soldiers were staying and get the signatures of the people so that they could get their money from their government for our lodging. We had roast pork, potatoes and cabbage for mess and while we were eating the woman told me all about how the Germans stole from them, clothes, shoes, food and everything they could get their hands on. These people are very generous and they seem to like the Americans very much. November 24, 1918:—At 6:30 we got up and immediately fed the horses after which we had our own breakfasts. At 8:30 we had another formation and during the morning we did all kinds of work, washed harness, carriages, groomed and were not dismissed until 11:30 when we had noon mess. Immediately after noon mess we were issued rubber boots, raincoats, sox, mess gear etc. During the afternoon we groomed horses again as some S.0.S. General was around and 228 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS raised the ‘dickens’ about the horses being in such poor con- dition. At 4:20 we had an inspection of personnel and arms. We then went down to our room where we sat down to a good meal of rabbit, potatoes, beans, bread, sugar, coffee, milk and baked apples. JI am on guard tonight and after I had finished eating I instructed the guard and put them on their posts. The ‘snow’ is now out that we are to return to the States; the ‘doughboys’ and engineers went thru here going toward the rear. Twelve fellows from the battery have passes to the town of Luxemburg tomorrow, and the ‘dope’ is that we are going to stay here in Saul for three or four days, so I am going to try to get a pass to Luxemburg to- morrow. November 25, 1918:—The battery got up at 7:00 A.M. but I did not as I am on guard and consequently do not have to stand any formations. I did get up in time for my break- fast and then I took a detail of men down to fire-up and warm some water for the battery to take a bath in. I stayed there until about 9:00 and then came back to the house and took a good wash and a good shave. The old man of the house was quite talkative this morning, so I sat down and talked to him until noon mess time. All afternoon I had nothing to do so I sat around and wrote some letters and also found out from the old man that we are only about 15 kilo- meters from Dommeldingen which I think was the place where my grandmother was born; I am going to try to go to that place tomorrow. After I had finished writing I went up to our kitchen where I drew steak, sugar, bread and gravy and we had them fried up for our evening meal by the little woman. During the rest of the afternoon I went down and talked to the old Burgomeister for awhile and he tells me that they have stopped the sale of liquor in the village to American soldiers because so many of them get drunk. He told me though that when ever I wanted any I could come to him and get all that I wanted. He has a big home and many big barns and seems to be a prosperous old fellow. After we had eaten our meal we sat around and talked to a cobbler who works in the same little building and he told us all about how his work has increased and how the prices have gone up on leather and shoes. He goes out to the different A SERGEANT’S DIARY 229 homes and gets the measure of the person’s foot and then comes back to his shop and makes the shoes. November 26, 1918:—We got up at 7:15, fed the horses and then went to our breakfast. At 8:30 we had another formation and went to the picket line where some of the boys groomed while the others cleaned the picket line. This work took us until 11:30 and then we went to noon mess. At 2:30 we had another stable formation where the boys groomed until 4:30 and at 5:00 we had retreat where it was announced that the censorship of letters had been lifted and we are now allowed to write home whatever we want to except slander against the President of the United States and the Y.M.C.A. At retreat this evening the whole Regiment stood at the same time, each battery in its respective place and the regimental band and the buglers with their new French trumpets sounded retreat. We then went to the meal we always look forward to at our home and there we had cabbage, potatoes, bread, milk, sugar, coffee and baked apples. November 27, 1918:—This morning we got up at 7:00 and after reveille ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift] and I immediately went to our rooms where we got ready to go to Luxemburg. We started to walk to Mersch where we catch a train for the city of Luxemburg and which is about nine kilometers from here. Luck was with us and we caught a Y.M.C.A. truck going to Mersch and so we rode the rest of the way with [Emerson K.] Loomis’s father who is a Y.M.C.A. man over here. Mersch is a pretty fair sized town and after look- ing it over a little we bought our tickets for Luxemburg,— and waited for the train. Trains are never on time in this country as I understand it. The train came about 8:30 and we piled on and looked it over. It was distinctively a Ger- man train and all of the signs on the thing were in real Ger- man. ‘Pete’ and I peered out of the window all of the way and the country is very, very beautiful, hilly, full of ever- greens, and green, but a low mist hung allover. Of course that is a characteristic of this country and on thinking it over it really made it beautiful. On going into a suburb of the real town we crossed some high stone bridges which were the dark stone color of an ancient bridge. They were covered with moss and green vines and they really looked like natural 230 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS bridges instead of bridges built by men. Then down in the valleys .under these old bridges could be seen a very small creek winding its way toward the north; the banks covered with tall stately firs and hemlocks. That was not all that could be seen in the bottom of the pretty, narrow valleys; the little thatched roof homes of many typical Luxemburgers dotted the entire course of the little stream as far as we could see and to liven it up many little children were standing far below waving at the train as it went by. It was a picture only for a minute but one that has always lasted in my mind. The first thing we did on arriving was to go to a bank where we changed our money and got 100 marks for 100 Francs. Marks only are good in the town but the shop keepers simply clamor for Francs as they realize that the German money will soon be worth nothing. We then went to a public bath | house which is the best I have ever seen. The building is a very big place and every bath is in a separate room, each room is equipped with a big mirror, a table, a chair and the tub is made of white tile made in the floor. Everything is white tile and is spotlessly clean. After every bath the room is thoroughly aired and cleaned and within twenty minutes is ready for the next person. Men all dressed in white aprons have charge of a certain number of rooms and they pre- pare the water and supply the rooms with soap, and towels for the bath. The waiting room is a very comfortable place filled with big roomy chairs, tables, papers and magazines. One is called in his turn. There was only one thing that was not good and that was the quality of the soap, but that was due to the war. ‘Pete’ and I certainly scrubbed ourselves as it has been the first real bath for such a long time that we did not know how to act, the cost was two marks. We then went out into the town and bought several souvenirs from the little shops and then went to the biggest hotel, where we had our noon meal. We had veal, cabbage, potatoes, bread (War), butter and some float for a fair price, I don’t just remember how much it was. After eating we sent a few cards home and then went out into the town again. One can get just about anything one wants here. ‘Pete’ and I invested in some candy and cakes as it has been quite a while since we have had any. Street cars and busses are always plying the streets and the town seems to be a very busy one. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 231 We also found some ice cream and afterwards found some sausage which we bought to bring home with us. The city itself is a very beautiful place, a big river running thru the center along whose banks are tall stately buildings and cross- ing the river are many fine big bridges. While we were playing around we found going thru the streets Luxemburg’s standing army, only 300 men and they looked like 300 Gen- erals, all dressed in their dress uniforms, and believe me they could certainly keep their eyes to the front and keep in step. At 6:00 we went down to the station and bought our tickets for Mersch and at 7:00 we got on the train and started for Mersch. I slept all the way. From Mersch to Saul is nine kilometers and that we had to walk, and I want to say it was certainly a warm walk. We arrived at Sdul after resting three or four times along the beautiful moon-lit, fir-bordered road. It was 10:00 P.M. and I immediately went to bed. November 28, 1918:—At 6:15 we got up, stood reveille, fed the horses and then went after our breakfasts. At the 8:30 stable formation the horses were groomed and then taken out for a long walk to get them limbered up again. Today being Thanksgiving the fellows thought that we would at least get some real food but A Battery gets ordinary food and all the rest of the organizations have tapped their mess funds and are eating a regular Thanksgiving dinner. At 5:00 we had retreat and at 6:30 ate our meal at the room here. We had chicken, sausage, milk, sugar, coffee, potatoes, cabbage and the little woman knowing that it was a feast day for us baked us two of the swellest apple pies that one could ever hope to lay eyes on. We had so much that we could not eat the second apple pie, so we put it away until tomorrow. We then went to bed; it has been raining all day long. November 29, 1918:—We got up at 7:00, fed the horses and I took a good wash and shave before breakfast. After breakfast we straightened up our room; we are due some mail today and I sure hope some comes in. At 8:00 we had the usual stable formation where we groomed until about 10:00 and then we started to wash and oil harness. At 11:30 we were dismissed and immediately went after our mess. At 3:30 we started to groom horses again and we worked at them until 4:15 when we were dismissed and at 5:00 we had re- 232 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS treat. It was a pretty hard day because the boys have to resist so much cold and then having to work in cold water certainly makes it miserable. We are now sitting in the lit- tle woman’s dining room waiting for our evening meal. She certainly has treated us very well and we realize just what we are getting. For our meal we had beef, potatoes, bread, sugar, coffee, milk, carrots and apple pie. Twelve of the other detail boys including Perry [W. Lesh], ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift] and several others had a regular meal last night; I went along with Perry and they had a roast pig, which I bought for them and told the woman how to fix it. November 30, 1918:—We got up at the usual time, went down to the stables where the horses were fed and then came back after our breakfasts. At 12:00 we had mess which con- sisted of hamburger, bread, coffee, sugar and rice. During noon a little mail came in and I received two letters. We had nothing to do until 3:00 when we went to stables where we groomed, watered, spread hay and fed oats and at 4:00 we were dismissed. At 5:00 we had retreat and a little more mail came in and I received four more letters and some papers. For supper we had pork, some beef, potatoes, bread, coffee, sugar, milk and another apple pie. We have had a pretty fair rest here but the fellows are rather sore because there is so very much ‘red tape’ to the army. Every time we turn around we find out that we are working under a new order of some sort. December 1, 1918:—At 7:00 we got up and immediately got ready to move. [Latham W.] Connell, ‘Pete’ [Clarence K.] Clift and I went along with Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift to take care of the billeting for the battery. We went thru Mersch and on to the small village of Brashied where the whole regiment will be billeted. We had a two-and-one-half kilometer hill to climb getting into this little village and by the time the horses were up to the top of it they were just about all in. I arranged for a meal at one of the homes here for six men, and too, I had arranged for a meal at another home for four men; I switched Maxwell on to it but the B Battery’s officers chased them out of the place and took the meal for themselves. We drew bread, butter and sugar from the battery and took it down to the house where we are going A SERGEANT’S DIARY 233 to eat and sleep tonight. We do not eat until 7:00, so I am going to take a good wash and shave before the meal. We had a very good meal at 7:00 and then I went to bed as I think we will move out in the morning early. Building lat- rines is not my job when we are on the move and guard duty is absolutely out of the question if I am to take care of the billeting end of things but sometimes these officers get an idea and God alone couldn’t get it out of their heads. December 2, 1918:—While I was writing in my diary last night the man of the house saw me writing with a fountain pen and he certainly looked it over very well as it was the first one he had ever seen. This morning we got up at 4:30, first call, and got ready to move out, several of the men who had been billeted in a big barn locked the big barn door and all the kicking we did on the door did not get them out as they wanted to sleep a little longer and of course all the bat- tery got H—1 for it. At 7:30, after we had drawn lunch for noon we started for the next town. It was very warm, cloudy and misty all day long and the ride was a hard and tiresome one; we traveled pretty fast and finally late in the afternoon made the town of Rosport. The country we trav- eled through was beautiful, ancient looking, slow looking and a place where the people lived for the joy and health of life, instead of the hustle and hurry of other places I have seen. Stately old trees stand along the roads and also many large forests could be seen stretching far out to the sides of the road. The country is also hilly and the shade of green dur- ing the fall of the year in this country has a most comfort- able and restful effect on one. This town of Rosport is also a beautiful place on the banks, and in the big wonderful val- ley of the Moselle River. Just before we went down into the town we stopped so that we could fully appreciate the pic- ture placed before us. Across the river at a pretty fair dis- tance we could see very high bluffs simply covered with vineyards and the miles of scenery we could see sent a thrill thru us when we fully realized that we were looking into Germany. By dark I had found a place for the battery, horses, men and all, and at 6:00 I started back after them. By 9:00 the battery was in place, men were in their billets and the day’s hike of forty kilometers was over. Perry and I immediately went out thru the town and put on a search 234 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS for jam and apples which we found with no trouble. ‘Dick’ [Richard M. Bosson] went down to the battery and drew our beans and hamburger while ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift] went out‘and bought some beef steak which we gave to the woman in whose house we are staying and she cooked us up a real meal. The detail men have a real place to stay tonight. Some of them have even got nice white beds. After we had eaten our meal and had taken a good smoke we all went to bed. December 8, 1918:—This morning at 4:30 we got up and after taking care of the horses and getting our own break- fasts we prepared to make another little move. Lieut. Clift, Connell, ‘Pete’ Clift and I started out ahead of the battery on our usual billeting detail. We got nearly to Echternach when a man on a motorcycle caught us and told us to report back to the column. So we turned and traveled slowly back to the column where Col. [Robert H.] Tyndall was leading his regiment along. He wanted to be the first one to cross into Germany, so it seemed. We rode with the col- umn until 10:00 A.M. when the regiment made a halt, organ- ized and then crossed the river Sadr into Germany. Our billeting detail then left the column and traveled on ahead to the village of Kashenbach where only the first Bn. will be quartered; after we had found parking place for the battery and a place for the men, I started back after the battery. I then arranged for a meal in the home where our detail non- coms have a room to themselves. Arranging a meal and talk- ing for billets is nearly always my job as there is no one on the billeting detail who can do it. There is one German fel- low in this house who was opposite us on nearly all of the fronts and he sure was a peach of a fellow. He told us all about how the German soldiers after the armistice threw down their arms and threw away their heavy helmets and started for home. He himself had only been home about a week. The whole family was better to us than any French family I ever stayed with, and a meal, well it couldn’t be beaten. We sat around talking until 11:00, and during that time I heard all about the family history, their relatives, and the conditions now existing in Germany and to top it off I wrote a long letter in English to this German’s brother in South Dakota. German mails have not traveled to the U.S. so I sent this for him thru our mails. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 235 December 4, 1918:—This morning at 5:00 we were awak- ened and instead of standing reveille we rolled our rolls and reported to the picket line at 6:00. At 7:30 we started out on billeting detail. We rode only about ten kilometers into the little village of Messerich and by the time we had found parking space for the battery, picket line for the horses, and billets for the men, the regiment was already pulling in. I met the battery just outside of Messerich and brought them into place. After the horses had been watered, fed and blanketed for the night, mess was put out and the men taken to their billets. We went to our room where we sat down to a regular meal of sauer-kraut, potatoes, speck [bacon], jam, bread, coffee, sugar and a white table cloth. The people here do not seem to be so pleasant toward the Americans as was Herr Bauler for whom I wrote the letter in Kashenbach last night. The horses and men are pretty well gone now as we have been hitting the road pretty hard lately. It has been raining since noon and that makes things all the more miser- able. December 5, 1918:—This morning when we got up we went to the picket line with rolls rolled and ready to move out. We rode about 25 kilometers along the main road, and thru pretty country, and then turned off the main road toward the village of Sefferen. The village lies far down in a valley and the battery can never come down this big hill leading into the town. The whole village is divided between the whole regiment, and A and B Batteries have divided one quarter of the village between them. For our meal we had stewed ap- ples, potatoes, apple sauce, bread, coffee, milk and sugar, but no meat, as there was none to be had throughout the whole country. The old man and the old woman of the house sat and talked to us for a long while, and their soldier son sat and talked to us for a long long while, and told us all about the German warfare. He was at Fismes against us. The old lady was so glad that we treated her so well that she gave us a whole basket full of apples and then went out into her kitchen and made us fourteen waffles. They were certainly good and she made them just as fast as we could eat them. Their son had also won a German Iron Cross for bravery and the old people were prouder of that than they were of their whole home. : | 236 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS December 6, 1918:—At 5:00 we all got up, rolled our rolls and trudged up the big hill to where the battery was parked. There the horses were watered and fed and things were got- ten in order for the next move. I had to change my horse as the old one I usually ride has worn out from the long rides and trots. The weather remains cloudy, damp and foggy and when we start in the morning we are always buried far down in our overcoats. We rode about 25 kilometers, lost our way about 10:00 and the rest of the way we went across country. We finally pulled into Murlenbach a very picturesque town in the valley of the Kyll River. The hills on either side of this town are very steep and green and the town lies on both sides of the river. The scenery is very beautiful. We then went to the opposite side of the river where we looked over the billets for our men and also ate a little bread and jam that we were lucky enough to ‘bum’ from the supply company. I also arranged a meal for the officers at the home in which they will stay and also one for our detail men in the house where we will stay. The room that I got for the detail non- coms is in a very big castle on the top of an awfully steep hill right on the main road of the town. The road leading to the top of the castle is a very steep one, winding and long; by the time we had climbed to the top of the castle we were ready to rest awhile. We went thru the big court yard, the gates were wide open, passed the immense big barns and then into the entrance of the place where we were met by the woman and her little child. She immediately showed us to our room and after we had put all of our belongings down she ushered us into the room where we were to have our meal. We had potatoes, beans, fresh meat, apple sauce, cof- fee, sugar, bread and gravy. After we had finished our meal the man of the castle whose name is Herr Murlenbach, took us into one of the rear rooms of the castle, which seemed to us like one of the treasure rooms, and a treasure room it was too. In it he had three tables simply piled full of great big (and small ones too) Turkish and Macedonian rugs, ham- mered brass work and many other valuable pieces of art which he claims he bought with his wages while in the army (Ger- man) in Macedonia. Dick [Richard M. Bosson] and I looked at one another when he said this, because he is a big strong German and we think that he just about stole all of these A SERGEANT’S DIARY 237 pieces of art, as there are fully ten thousand dollars worth of rugs alone and we do not believe he would spend that much for rugs during a war time. He certainly had a collection. I then went out into the village where I had to get the signa- ture of all of the families harboring American soldiers, turned it into Battalion and then went back to the castle. Our room has a piano in it and after playing around on it for awhile the old boy Murlenbach came in with one of the most won- derful looking little daughters I ever hope to see. The lit- tle girl was only about three or four, if that old with pretty white curls down her back and the plumpest, roundest face I have ever seen. She first sat down at the piano and sang a little German song for us and every time she would wish to thank us for something she would make a little grace with it. Finally the child’s mother came in and took the child away to bed, and then we started to talk to the man who had been a top-sergeant in a German outfit. After we had talked for a little while I asked him if he was not glad that the war was over, and he immediately turned around and looked me over and then said in a very stern tone “NO”. Dick and the boys saw from the beginning that he was a little radical and when he got ‘peeved’ at the question I asked him they all wanted to know what he said but I was afraid they would start something and I would not tell them. They all walked over and got close to their guns while I happened to be wearing mine. The old boy was certainly bitter not so much against the Americans but bitter that they had lost the war, he said, “four times have I gone forward with my company and never did I taste defeat, and then to have the Germans give up at this stage, “No, I wish that they were still fighting.” His wife then came into the room and prob- ably knew that his temper would get him in bad so she took him by the arm, patted him on the cheek and said that she was glad that it was over and glad for her little girl that the father was back again. At that the old boy cooled down shook hands with each of us, wished us a good journey home and he and his wife left the room. Then all of the fellows wanted to know what he said but I would not tell them so we all went to bed. I am. glad that I am the only one here to- night who can understand just a little German. December 7, 1918:—We left Murlenbach about 9:00 A.M. 238 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS We followed the river Kyll all of the way winding in and out the hills or rather mountains and back and forth across the bridges until we at last arrived at the fair sized town of Gerolstein. The scenery was very beautiful along the way and the ride seemed very short altho we made about 20 kilo- meters. We immediately went thru the town and found enough room for all of the men in only four houses, parking space for the battery was also easily found. At 5:00 they pulled in and after all work was done the men were taken to their billets. I took the detail men to two rooms containing six double beds and there we put up for the night. At 6:00 the woman had a meal ready for us and we ate bread, jam, potatoes, beans, salad, coffee, sugar, and in all it was a very good meal. We will move out in the morning again so we are now going to bed to get some good sleep. December 8, 1918:—At 5:00 we got up rolled our rolls and reported to the picket line. We ate our breakfasts, fed, groomed and watered the horses and then [Latham W.] Con- nell, Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift, ‘Pete’ [Clarence E.] Clift and I left at 7:30. We took the cross country route and only traveled about nine kilometers to the village of Kerpen; the battery however traveled about twenty kilometers as they had to come a round about way, by road. By noon we had fin- ished our work; I had arranged a meal for the Lieutenants and also a meal for the three of we detail men. The lady of the house was very, very fine to us. She prepared us a regular meal, we had pork-tenderloin, potatoes, she also warmed a can of beans we had brought along, gave us apple sauce, coffee, milk, sugar and bread, and when the meal was over she would not take a cent for the whole thing. After we had finished eating I made out a list of our billets, and then went after the battery. When they pulled into their parking place at Kerpen the horses were groomed, watered and fed and the men were immediately taken to their billets. The detail’s non-coms got a room and the rest of the detail men went into the hay loft; I also arranged for a meal for the fellows in our room. We had two kinds of meat, pota- toes, apple sauce, bread, sugar, coffee and the cost was only six marks for the six men, even cheaper than we could eat at home. The country is really mountainous but very beau- tiful. The people in this country and especially in this little A SERGEANT’S DIARY 239 village treat us fine, even better than we have been treated at any other place. December 9, 1918:—At 6:30 we got up and immediately went down and fed the horses; we then came back and ate our breakfasts and at 8:00 we had a stable formation. The men first thoroughly groomed the horses and then they washed harness. Dick [Richard M. Bosson], [Claude] Moul- den and I cleaned out the fourgon and then we all went to noon mess. At 1:00 P.M. Lieut. Clift called me and I had to go and talk to the Bourgomeister for him to see whether he would buy some extra shoe leather that we had along with us. The old boy bought it alright. I am on guard tonight so after my bath I immediately went out and instructed the corporals of the guard. At 6:00 I posted the first relief and then came back to our room where we had a meal of two chickens, potatoes, gravy, bread, sugar and coffee. After the meal I went out and inspected my guard and now I am going to bed. The boys are going to be reviewed by the Colonel tomorrow and they have been slicking up all day long; being on guard I will not have to stand the fence-post review. December 10, 1918:—I got up with the bugler this morn- ing and went around with him to each of the billets as he blew first call; my duty was to see that all the men got up. About 4:00 P.M. I walked over to the orderly room where there is always a bulletin hanging. The orderly room is in the home where we ate our first good meal when we arrived in this village, and while I was reading the little woman who waited on us during that meal came out and spied me there. She would not rest until I had gone into the house with her and there she filled me so full of waffles that I could hold no more. It was surely a treat and I certainly felt as if I had been stuffed. The brother, who had been in the war also told me that he would get me one of the “Gott Mit Uns” belt buckles. December 11, 1918:—-At 6:30 we got up and immediately went down and fed the horses. At reveille it was announced that there would be no call until 10:00 A.M. Until 10:00 the boys spent slicking up and getting their equipment in order as there is to be an inspection of arms at 2:00 P.M. At 10:00 we went to stables where we groomed, watered and fed 240 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS and then we ate our noon mess. As luck would have it it was raining and the inspection was called off. At 3:00 we went to stables where we watered and fed and at 4:00 we had retreat where a few orders were read telling us how we were to treat the German people, etc. They also took the numbers of the arms we carried and all of the officers of the regiment were called to the general P.C. for orders this after- noon. December 12, 1918:—This morning at 6:30 when we got up it was raining and very miserable; the first thing we did was to go down to the picket line and feed the horses. We then ate our breakfasts and at 8:30 we had a stable forma- tion, then were dismissed until 11:15. ‘Pete’ [Clarence E.] Clift and I spent the morning hunting some meat that we ~ could buy, and we finally found some fresh cured pork which we will have for our evening meal. The weather is awful and the boys are very restless, they wish to be doing some- thing all the time; they are now complaining about the qual- ity and quantity of food they are getting. Many of the boys have been eating out with these German families, but money is running very low and quite a few of them have had to go back to the mess line. Very much ‘snow’ is floating around about our going back home but I do not think there is any foundation to it. We are due a little mail this afternoon but of course we can never tell when it will come in. The picket line during this rainy weather is just one mass of mud and the horses are a sight; it is nearly impossible to groom them. We have not been paid since November 13th. and we are due the pay from then on thru November and December, that’s why a great many of the fellows are broke. The days are very gloomy and the boys are getting very, very im- patient and always want to be moving on. December 13, 1918:—We got up at 6:30 and immedi- ately went down to the picket line; it had rained all night and the place was certainly a sight, horses were full of mud and some of them looked like regular mud statues. Immediately after breakfast we again went down to the picket line where the picket line was moved to a dry spot so that the horses could get a rest. The mud has really been so bad that the horses were pulling their shoes off in it and it was nearly A SERGEANT’S DIARY 241 knee deep on the men. Hay was then spread over the picket line and the horses legs were wiped down with it. After noon mess we lined up and signed the pay roll and then had nothing to do until afternoon stables at 3:00. The opinion seems to be rather general that we move out tomorrow very early in the morning, and too, that there is going to be mail in tonight. They say that our next hike will be one about 40 kilometers and then we will be at our destination. Over 150 men of our battery ate their evening meal outside the kitchen tonight. The day has been a very miserable one, cold, rainy and windy. December 14, 1918:—At 5:15 we were awakened and told to roll our rolls and prepare to move out. By daylight the horses were thru eating, the men had had their breakfasts and all were ready to pull out. About 7:00, [Latham W.] Connell, ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift], Lieut. Clift and I started out on the billeting detail. During our ride we went thru some of the best scenery I have seen yet. We wound in and out the big valley of a river with low mountains up on each side of us, crossing and re-crossing the river and once thru a short tunnel. There is also a very good railroad system running thru this valley and everything looks as clean and beautiful as one could wish for. I also found out that this river is the river Ahr. We arrived at Antwiller at 12:00 and immediately found a place for the battery to park and billets for the men. After we had finished our work for the battery we had a good meal at the home of the Bourgomeister. We had sausage, pork, potatoes, apples and beans and bread that we had brought along from the battery. The battery pulled in very early and the horses were groomed, watered and fed and then all of the men were taken from the park- ing space to their billets. The privates of the detail are liv- ing in a barn and the non-coms are in one room. For our evening meal we drew our beans, coffee, sugar and bread and the old woman of the house cooked some potatoes, meat and apple sauce for us. I then went to the house next to this one where I was lucky enough to be able to buy a “Gott Mit Uns” belt buckle. December 15, 1918:—-This morning we got up at 5:00, got our junk together, ate our breakfasts, fed and watered the 16—22902 242 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS horses, saddled up and by 7:00 we were all ready to leave. All morning we rode along the beautiful Ahr valley, scenery could not be any more interesting than this, the sides of the valley are of solid stone, towering some five hundred feet above the waters of the river. There is also a double track standard gauge railway running up this valley and I also noticed very many tunnels and bridges of the old type of construction. At 11:00 we pulled into a small “dorf” by the name of Hénningen and there it was an easy matter to find place for the materiél, horses and men. After the meal we went out and looked the situation over and at 3:00 I started back after the battery. They pulled in about 3:30 and after all the work of feeding, watering and grooming was done we billeted the men. Tomorrow we reach our destination and believe me we will certainly be glad of it. A batch of mail came in while we were on the road today and I received about ten letters. December 16, 1918:—At 5:00 we got up, immediately rolled our rolls and went down to the picket line. Connell, ‘Pete’, Lieut. Clift and I started sharp at 7:00 on the usual billet- ing detail. Between 5:00 and 7:00 we fed, watered and groomed and then we saddled up and reported to the gather- ing place of the details for B Battery, Bn. and our men. We rode thru the mountains following up the railroad all of the way, we also went thru many tunnels, over many high bridges and over much beautiful winding road. After passing thru many, many small villages we rode thru Ahrweiler which is a very good sized place and a very good and clean looking town. While passing thru I noticed that our divisional head- quarters was stationed there. We finally rode into Bad Neuenahr a very pretty place, the town being split by the Ahr river which is rather swift as it is fed from the mountains and has only about ten kilometers to go to reach Rhine River. It is a big place, all modern, asphalt streets, large hotels, cigar stores, toy shops, candy shops, tailor shops, jewelry shops and in fact any kind of a store that one could wish for. From our side of the town we are only twenty minutes walk from the famous Neuenahr mineral water springs and the “Appollinaris Brunnen’”. We are about thirty-five kilometers from Coblenz. Our picket line is now in the play ground of the big public school and about half of our men are billeted A SERGEANT’S DIARY 243 there. The rest of the men are in the Hotel Rheingold where we occupied about forty beds. The battery pulled in about 3:30 and the horses were immediately groomed, fed and wa- tered and then the men were taken to their billets and at 5:00 mess was served. After the meal Perry [W. Lesh] and I started out to try to find a place where we could have an evening meal prepared every evening for about six of us. We found one place where the woman said she would make a meal for us, but there were about ten kids there who hung all over us so we went out to try to find another place. We then went down the street from our hotel just a little piece where we saw a little baker shop and we decided that it would be an ideal place to eat every evening if we could only make the arrangements. We went in to the little shop and found a young girl of about fifteen waiting on the trade, so we waited until all of the people were out of the store and then we asked her whether or not we could have our evening meal made there and she immediately went after her mother. I believe what little German I can speak carried the meal propo- sition over and we then completed our plans. About six of we fellows will eat here every evening as long as we stay here. December 17, 1918:—At 6:15 we got up and went to feed the horses; then came back after our breakfasts. At 8:30 we again went to stables where we groomed until 10:00 and then the fellows were given the rest of the day to clean up and get the rest of their equipment in order. At noon the horses were fed and not until 3:30 did we go down to stables again. At 4:15 we stood retreat and then I mounted guard and immediately brought my blankets down to the school house where the guard house has been established. Perry [W. Lesh], ‘Pete’, Connell, Maxwell and I then drew our food from the kitchen and took it down to the baker shop where the woman certainly put us up some feed. December 18, 1918:—This morning I reported down to the guard house with my three Corporals. Each corporal had to take a shift during the day at ‘doughboying’ a bunch of men from the battery who had missed calls during the past few days. The rest of the battery washed harness and cleaned up the carriages. At noon the sergeants found that the woman 244 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS who runs our hotel would cook for us and we would have three meals a day, one at 7:00 A.M., one at 12:00 noon and one at 5:00 at the cost of two marks per day, per man. An order also came down saying that all men going outside of their billet would have to wear side-arms. The town of Bad Neuenahr is the largest thermal bathing place in Germany, it is full of stores of all kinds and is the real center of the life of Spa. During the whole afternoon I walked around town and looked at the sights but I got back in time to draw our food from the kitchen and go to the baker shop where we had our evening meal. During the meal Coleman said he had found a place where he could buy a piece of pie so we did not linger long but went down to the place where we ate pie and drank a glass of beer. It was the first glass of beer I have had and I drank only half of that. We then bought a couple of good cigars and then went home and went to bed. December 19, 1918:—At 6:15 we got up and fed and wa- tered the horses before breakfast. At 8:30 we had a forma- tion and instead of going to stables we were told to get our clean clothes and line up for a bath. We marched over across the river to the ‘Kurhaus’ the largest bath house here and we all had a fine hot mineral bath. The bath-room is about twelve by twelve, all tile floor and the walls half way up are of tile. The room contains one big couch, two big chairs, two big mirrors and one big window of stained glass. The tubs are built in the floor and are six feet long, four feet wide and three feet deep. It certainly was a wonderful bath, two fellows bathed together; they supplied towels as big as table cloths and two small bath towels per man. We were allowed to stay in the room as long as we liked and we certainly stayed in and soaked. After we got back from the bath house we had a stable formation where we groomed until noon. For our noon mess we had potatoes, beans, bread and coffee. Di- rectly after noon mess Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift came after me and I had to go with him up into the main part of town where the battery is trying to get a whole café for the Christ- mas dinner. We went in to the café and I had to do the talk- ing to the owner of the place and finally after about a half hour’s talking we rented the whole place including the use of the bar, ovens in which to do our cooking, dishes and all. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 245 These people are to supply the liquor and we will buy it from them. I had my picture taken today and am having the films developed that I took while on the front. After supper I had a little date with a German girl up the street but I didn’t stay very long. We hear a very great deal of new “snow” now; one thing very good and that is that we are to get paid tomorrow. Many of the men have been sent back to some place in France where they will bring back motors for the battery. I also bought an Iron Cross for Perry [W. Lesh] and a few more belt buckles for some of the fellows, and I also borrowed some money for myself, I think I now owe something like forty dollars. December 20, 1918:—At 6:15 after standing reveille we fed the horses and then came back for our mess. We groomed until about 10:00; from 10:00 to 11:00 we cleaned and washed harness and then we watered and fed the horses. After our noon mess we were lined up and issued pay-books, these books are good only when we are away from the outfit and then we can draw only seven and one-half dollars a month on them so they are just about worthless. Perry and I went over to the Y.M.C.A. which is in the Kurhaus and I tried to cash a money order that I received in a letter this morning, it was for fifty dollars and they would not cash it. On our way back to the battery we stopped in regimental where there were two sacks of mail for the battery and we carried them back. After stables were over we all stood a regimental retreat and then Perry and I again went over to the Y.M.C.A. where they cashed my check for me. December 21, 1918:—We got up at the usual hour, 6:15, went down to the stables where we fed and watered the horses and then came back after our breakfasts. At 8:30 we again lined up and went to stables where we groomed for one half hour on a horse and then we lined up and had an inspection of arms by Major Sidney S. Miller. He also looked over the harness and the materiél and after he left we again groomed the horses for a while, watered and fed and then went to noon mess. After noon mess we went (Lieut. Charles D. Clift and I) to the proprietor of the Flora Hotel to see whether or not we could get our men in there instead of hav- ing them in the school house. 246 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS December 22, 1918:—Some encouraging news before we went to bed last night came in from the Chaplain and it was that we are to start home by the tenth of next month. At 6:15 this morning we got up and went thru our usual work before we had our own breakfasts. At 8:15 we went to stables and to get out of work some of the fellows got permis- sion to go to church. We groomed until about 10:00 and then Set. [Jonas F.] Prather issued some shoes that had just come in to the battery, I got a pair of russet shoes out of it. We had a good noon mess; we had nothing to do until 3:00 P.M. so I sat down and wrote some letters. When the battery went to stables the fellows who had missed reveille this morning had to walk to the top of the big hill over near the Kurhaus under full pack, that being the mode of punish- ment. The boys at stables only groomed 15 minutes on a horse and then they dismissed us. These Germans today cele- brated the war being over and their sons being back all in one piece. When I brought the food down in the afternoon they simply filled me with wine and little cakes. The boys of our battery who had been living in the school house moved today into another big hotel even better than the one we are in. December 23, 1918 :—We have nothing to do now until 3:15 and I have been helping [Sgt. Jonas F.] Prather get Xmas. boxes together so that he can put them out to the boys; many Christmas boxes are now coming in. I had finished helping Prather by 1:00. At 4:15 we had our usual retreat and then the six of us went down to the baker shop where we had a very fine evening meal. After the meal Perry and some more of the fellows went over to the Y.M.C.A. and I went up to a cigar store where I bought some cigars; from there I went over to a jewelry store in the Kurhaus and bought a very nice pin to take home. December 24, 1918:—At 6:15 we got up, fed the horses, stood reveille and then came back to breakfast. At 8:15 we again went to stables where we groomed until 9:30. We had nothing to do then until 1:00 so I went into the Sgts. room where I hung around until after noon mess and then I went up into my room where I opened my Christmas box which came in this morning. It certainly was a treat too. At 1:00 A SERGEANT’S DIARY 247 we lined up and had a regular review before the Colonel. After the review we had a stable formation, we had no retreat so our bunch went down to the baker shop where we had a meal of hamburger, potatoes, milk, sugar, coffee, bread and sauce. After the meal the bunch of us went over to the big Kurhaus theatre where regimental put on a very good show. After the show we all came back to the hotel where our bunch put out candy and passed Christmas boxes around to one another. Pay day ‘snow’ as well as going home ‘snow’ is floating very thickly now. I also received some mail. Christ- mas eve has been a very pleasant one. December 25, 1918:—We had no reveille this morning and we did not get up until 8:00 A.M. When we came down to breakfast we were very surprised to see our whole mess room decorated with colored crepe paper, a Christmas tree all lighted in the middle of the table and also many dishes of cakes and apples all around over the table. After breakfast I came down to the Sergeants mess room where I wrote sev- eral letters home and then I lay around with the rest of the fellows until noon mess time. We had a good noon mess of potatoes, roast pork, slaw, gravy, bread, butter, pickled apples, apple pie, cakes, coffee, sugar, milk and many other good things to eat. After the meal I sat down and wrote another letter home to mother. I then walked out to the orderly room and there found out that I went on guard at 5:00 p.m. I immediately looked up my corporals, gave them a list of the names of the privates on guard and then went to stable forma- tion. [William H.] Brunning, Dick Bosson, [Bryant W.] Gillespie and I had all chipped in on all the champagne we could buy to be used at the Christmas celebration tonight; the three of them were already feeling very fine as a result of a little too much during the afternoon. At 4:00 P.M. we were dismissed and we all immediately went up to the hall where our Christmas celebration will be held, the hall was decorated very nicely with evergreen, crepe paper and other things, and there were enough seats to accommodate every man in the battery. Every man was supplied with a plate of food; we had chicken, duck, potatoes, gravy, slaw, dress- ing, butter, bread, coffee, sugar, milk, apple sauce, puddings, pies and fruits. All of the officers gave a talk, as did the Colonel. [Vernon] Kniptash gave his parody on the army 248 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS which was rich, many fellows played the piano and some string music. Arthur J. Von Burg and Chester Neff put on a little sketch and the saxaphone sextette put on some hot music. The bar was open full sway for the boys and they had 2000 liters of beer for the boys. I don’t know how much wine and champagne. The Sergeants had a table all to them- selves and Dick, Bruning, Gillespie and I had a table all to ourselves. Between the four of us we had twenty-seven quarts of red and white Rheinland Champagne and I sat down to drink as I never had before. Bruning dropped by the way as far as senses are concerned long before the rest of we fellows and got too noisy and now he wears a very beautiful shiner. I felt myself slipping so I went over to Perry and told him to please see that I got home O.K. Not long after that I went, and Perry guided me down the street and around the corner to the hotel. We certainly had a regu- lar time of it. Perry and I both went to bed early this morn- ing. December 26, 1918:—I stayed in bed this morning until breakfast time, got up feeling fine and then took sick call over to the medical station. After noon mess Lieut. Clift and several more of the fellows including myself went down to the school yard where we kicked a few new foot balls around. These foot balls were given us by the Red Cross. While we were playing pay-day call blew and of course we all stopped to go after our pay. A little mail also came in and we were informed that there would be a little in every afternoon from now on. They have also done away with the drill schedule. December 27, 1918:—At 6:15 when we got up and stood reveille we noticed that our lines were rather deserted and upon investigation we found that since the boys had been paid several of them were pretty full and were unable to report for reveille. [Cecil L.] York, [Oakley E.] Shinn, [Leroy R.] Thomas, [Paul W.] Mullikin and a few others had cleaned out a café last night and Thomas had been pinched by the M.Ps. They took him to the guard house where, because he was so loud they put him on the second floor, but Thomas was not to be held so easily, so out of the window he went and to the hotel he came and went to bed. He was not in bed very A SERGEANT’S DIARY 249 long however before the M.Ps. were here after him and now he resides in the guard house. Lieut. Knaff got him out this morning in time for him to catch a train for France where he and several other of the fellows are going after trucks to bring back to the battery. We are to turn in our horses very soon and get a complete motor equipment set. The One Hun- dred Sixty-eighth Ambulance company turned over all of their equipment today and the ‘snow’ is that we are going to leave here by the 10th of next month. ‘Dick’, Perry, ‘Pete’ and I then went down to the stables where we saddled up our horses and then we met Lieuts. [Aloys] Knaff and [James I.] Dawson at Major [Sidney S.] Miller’s P.C. We took the aiming circle and the chain along and we all started out, we did not know where they were bound for but we followed up. We rode about ten kilometers up towards the Rhine where we located a new emergency gun position and O.P. While Lieut. Knaff and the major were looking around I tracked some rabbits in the light skift of snow that had fallen over these hills. I saw three but could not hit them with a 45. on the run, there seem to be plenty of them. After all of the work was done we fed the horses and while they were eat- ing we took a walk to the top of the big surrounding hills which overlook the Rhine. We are the first ones out of our battery to see the Rhine. After we had looked at the stream for awhile we came back to our horses and started back toward the battery. It was pretty cold riding and our horses were pretty ‘peppy.’ On our way back very near the town of Neuenahr we passed the Appollinaris Mineral Spring's Company. When the evening meal was over [Howard H.] Maxwell and I went around to a book store where we bought some pencils and things. Perry [W. Lesh] and I are going back to the new O.P. in the morning and start on a sketch of the Rhine, the country across the Rhine and the stream as far up and down it as we can see. I have had a very good headache ever since Christmas night and I think I will now go home and go to bed. CHAPTER XII My LAst Two MONTHS IN EUROPE December 28, 1923:—This morning immediately after reveille and breakfast Perry [W. Lesh] and I saddled up and started up toward the O.P. While riding along the valley of the river Ahr we took out time and saw some very in- teresting scenery. The roads are very good going up towards the Rhine and there are_ several little vil- lages to pass thru on the way. When we got up to Sinzig we decided that we would like to have a better look at the Rhine so we went across country, thru the fields and lanes to its banks. There we dismounted and watched sev- eral of the largest river boats go by; the stream is pretty wide here at this point and very swift. The country sur- rounding it is very beautiful, hilly, long gradual sloping ones, and far across the river one can see quite a few castles nestled up among the hills. The towns,—we could see three of them from where we were,—are all built right on the river’s banks at the foot of these wonderful big hills, or they may be called mountains. The Ahr river comes into the Rhine at nearly a right angle and of course both of these valleys harbor a good rail system. We also saw many ducks on the river and the river itself was up, due to some of the recent rains we have been having. We then rode back thru Sinzig where we stopped for a few minutes and bought some pie that we saw in one of the shop windows. We then went on up to the O.P. where we fed our horses and sat down and ate our bacon sandwiches and pie. Perry then went out to hunt some rab- bits with his 45. and I sat down to try to do some sketching. It was very cold and the wind whistled over the top of the hill along with a little winter sleet and I got very little done. As I was trying to work I heard old Perry banging away with his 45. so I went after him to see whether he had got in a fight or was shooting at rabbits. When I found him, to my surprise he had a rabbit which he had killed on the run with his 45. We hunted a little longer without any luck, cleaned the rabbit and then started back toward the battery. We then took the rabbit down to the baker shop where the woman will fix it for us tomorrow evening. The woman (250) A SERGEANT’S DIARY 251 made potato cakes for us this evening and they certainly were good. December 29, 1918:—This morning we got up at 6:15, went down and took care of the horses and then had our breakfasts. I sat around in the kitchen with the old man, Herr Comes until about 6:00 P.M. when the rest of the fellows came down and we ate our evening meal. We had the rabbit that Perry killed yesterday, along with some good potatoes and a few other little things, and it was a very good meal. After the meal I went down to the book store where I bought some more pen points and other things that I needed and from there I went across the Ahr river to the Kurhaus jewelry shop where I bought another pin to bring home with me. I looked at much of their stuff and talked to them a long while about the conditions etc.; these people seem to be very nice people and they treat me very fine just because I speak a little Ger- man. December 30, 1918:—I worked all morning long on the sketch while the rest of the battery went down to stables and did a few other things about the battery. At noon we had a fine meal of steak and potatoes and of course a few other necessary things and then we all sat around until 1:00 P.M. when the other fellows had to leave. Today the fellows are cleaning up the big stables at the Appollinaris Springs and tomorrow all of the horses and the materiél will be moved down there. I worked until 4:00 P.M. and then [Leslie H.] Maxwell and I went across the river to the jewelry shop and bought some more, things to take home with us. We then drew our mess from the kitchen and went down to the baker shop where we had our usual good evening meal. After we had eaten we started out to look the town over once more. We played around in every imaginable place in the town and at last we landed in the Kaufmann cigar store on one of the main streets of the town. There we stood around talking for about an hour, smoking and having a good time with some of the old German fellows who came in to buy cigars. December 31, 1918:—We all got up at 6:15 as usual, fed the horses, stood reveille and then came back to our room where we always have a good warm breakfast. I worked until noon mess time on my tracing and then I stopped and 252 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS ate mess with the fellows, and believe me we always have a mighty fine mess. Just as we had finished eating Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff came in and told the fellows that we would have the hall we had for the Christmas celebration, tonight from 7:00 to 1:00 A.M. When we arrived at the hall where we are going to celebrate the coming of the New Year there were already men there who were just about gone and all of them seemed to be having a very fine time. I saw more wine, champagne, beer, snaaps, etc., than I ever did before, and by 9:30 they were already taking some of the boys home. At 10:30 there was no one left at the hall but the Sergeants. I went to bed about 11:15 and I don’t believe there were over fifteen men up at the hall at 12:00. January 1, 1919:—We did not get up until 7:30 and then only about half of the battery was out for reveille, the other half could not get up. What men there were of us went down and fed and watered the horses and then came back and had breakfast. I decided to lay around for another day so I said that I was going to work some more on my sketch, the rest of the men went down to stables and worked around there all morning while I sat around in the Sergeants room smoking and writing a few letters. About 4:00 P.M. I washed and put my material away and read an American Magazine for awhile. About 5:00 I went down to the baker shop and sat down with old man Comes drinking wine and eating little hard cakes until it was time for our meal. January 2, 1919:—At 6:15 first call blew and we went thru the usual morning exercise. I decided to stay in today as my left eye is hurting just as my right eye did when I had to go to the hospital at San Nazaire. We are to have an inspection of quarters by the Colonel [Robert H. Tyndall] this morning at 9:00. I sat around in our room the rest of the morning and after the noon meal I went over to try to find Capt. Frank Bushmann in regard to my sketch but I could not find him. I then came back to the room where I sat around and read until 5:30 when I went down to the baker shop and had my evening meal. I came back to the orderly A SERGEANT’S DIARY 253 room and watched the men work on the battery paper assign- ment which is being brought up to the present date. January 3, 1919:—I also went on guard last night so I got up with the rest of the fellows and went over to our kitchen where I got the food for the Sergeants mess. The Sergeant on guard always gets the food from the kitchen, brings it to the woman and she cooks it for us. Sergeants on guard never do anything all day long so that is why they get the food for the rest of the men. Immediately after breakfast I again went over to the kitchen where I drew the food for the noon mess and then I sat down and wrote some letters. After noon mess Set. [Norvin E.] Green and I went over to our kitchen and drew the food for the evening mess. All the fellows wanted dumplings so we drew flour and took it to the woman and tried to tell her what we wanted but we could not make her understand, so we tried to show her how to make them. Green and I stayed there and watched the first few come out of the process and then we left. I don’t know what was lacking but when she put them on the table they were merely pieces of heavy soppy dough. January 4, 1919:—There is to be a big inspection today and Perry [W. Lesh] and I are out of it. Perry is going up to the Rhine and add some to my sketch. I am compiling a complete list of the stops, villages, towns and gun positions where we have stayed over night since we have been in Europe. This list has to be made up for the Battalion and they say we can not go home until we have it complete. The battery records are not complete in that respect so I am mak- ing the list for them out of my diary. [Henry T.] Wheeler, the battery clerk, and I worked on this list until 11:30 and then stopped for noon mess. After mess Wheeler and I again started on the list; we worked until 4:00 and finally got it finished. The ‘snow’ is still floating around that we are due to go to Russia and also that we are going home; there is a regular drill schedule now, reveille and retreat and the boys are certainly working. January 5, 1919:—At 7:00 A.M. we got up, stood reveille, went to the stables and came back and had breakfast. I wrote letters until about 10:00 and then I went to sleep until 1See page 344. 254 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS 12:00 when we had noon mess. It is now 1:00. When the boys came in I got up and listened to the ‘snow’ and then went down to the baker shop where I sat around with old Herr Comes until the rest of the gang came down after the evening meal. We have to be very careful now as we are not supposed to be in any of the private homes talking to the people. The M.Ps. have already closed several places for sell- ing liquor before or after the stipulated hours. All German people over twelve years of age have to have a pass to come out on the street any more. January 6, 1919:—At 6:15 we got up, had reveille as usual and I had to take the boys down to stables as Dick [Richard M. Bosson] is on guard. I then came down to the orderly room where Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff, Cpl. Henry T. Wheeler and I went over the list we had made up. Lieut. Knaff made quite a few changes and I had to do quite a bit of work on our old maps to straighten things out. After noon mess I sat around with the boys until 1:00 when they went out to a practice review. I happened to find a bar of Naphtha soap today in our room so I took it down to the baker shop with me. The old German woman was so pleased with it that nothing would do but that I sit down and drink a bottle of wine and eat a plate of cakes. Of course I didn’t refuse but I did have to be careful, for when you once sit down they never let you get up until you have finished the whole bottle of wine and in my case I would have been ‘‘a mess”, After the meal I went back up to the Sergeants mess room, sat around for a little while and then went up and went to bed. January 7, 1919:—At 6:15 when we got up for breakfast we had oatmeal and it certainly was good; we sat around after breakfast until about 8:00 and then everybody went to their rooms and started to clean up. There is to be an in- spection this morning by our General and all the fellows are getting rifles, pistols and equipment ready for it. I am going to try to get out of it. When the call blew for inspection I just simply didn’t go and I sat around in the Sergeants room all morning. At noon when the fellows came in they cer- tainly had some good stories to tell about different ones get- ting afraid during inspection. After retreat we all had to go to anon-coms school. I went to bed about 8:30. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 255 January 8, 1919:—I took the boys down to stables this morning and- while they were feeding I got into the fourgon and got all of our maps and things out. After breakfast the boys went out on a long hike with horses, carriages, pieces and all, but I did not feel like going so I went out thru the town and got wire, sockets and an electric light bulb so I could put another light in our dining room. The boys came in about 11:45 and they were all pretty well worn out, noon mess was not at all bad; during the afternoon I put up the new light and played around most of the time. During the afternoon the boys stood a review in memory of our Ex- President Roosevelt and by the time they got back in they were sure tired. We had no retreat, but we did have a non- coms school. January 9, 1919:—At 7:50 this morning we all lined up as a battery and went over to the bath house and had a good bath; after the bath I immediately took my clothes to the wash lady. At 1:00 the whole battery went down near the stables where the battery divided, some of the men had gun drill others ‘doughboyed’ while our detail did semaphore work. At 2:00 the boys started to groom again; many of our horses have very bad cases of mange and are doctored for the same and they are very hard and dirty to groom. While the boys were grooming I got all of our old maps off the boards for Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff and by the time we had finished it was time to goin. At 4:00 we had retreat and then one half hour of non-coms school. After we had finished our meal at the baker shop the bunch of us went out and bought a pin for little Maria Comes; the little girl who always waits on our table for us. It is her birthday present and she will be very pleased over it I know. January 10, 1919:—At 6:15 we got up, stood reveille and they told us that only one of the sergeants would have to go to the stables in the morning from now on, so the rest of us came in, washed up and had our breakfasts earlier than usual. At 8:30 the whole battery went down to stables and the horses were taken out for exercise. Not all of the men were needed to take the horses out so the rest of them either ‘doughboyed’ or had gun drill until the horses came in and then they watered and fed and came in to noon mess. At 1:00 we started out for drill again, some of the boys drilled 256 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS while others had gun drill and our detail again had sema- phore practice. Perry [W. Lesh] and I cleaned some of our instruments and then took them up to the Q.M. where they will be packed away. After retreat we all went down to the baker shop where we had a very fine meal; we gave Maria her birthday present and she brought each of us a bottle of beer and some cakes to show her appreciation. January 11, 1919:—-Today being Saturday it means clean up for inspection so after we were dismissed from reveille we straightened up our bunks and mopped our floors. At 7:00 we had our breakfasts and at 8:30 we lined up for inspection. Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift looked us over to see that our belts were clean and then we were marched over to the parade grounds where we were reviewed by the Colonel [Robert H. Tyndall]. Iam on guard tonight so I got my guard together, instructed them and then came in after mess. I did not go down to the baker shop as the sergeants had a very good mess and I decided to eat with them; we had mashed potatoes, roast beef, prunes, coffee, sugar, milk, biscuits and syrup. The reason we are having such good food at the Sergeants mess is because a train load of food pulled in beside our stables and a few of our sergeants took a cart and backed up to it and got a sack of sugar, a sack of flour, two cases of milk and a case of syrup. January 12, 1919:—I got up at reveille this morning and immediately went over to our kitchen and got the rice for the Sergeants mess. We had pancakes and rice for break- fast. Perry Lesh was sent to the hospital with a slight touch of the flu today. I then went to our kitchen where I drew the rest of the food for both dinner and supper. Out of that food I stole some sugar, milk and meat and [Leslie H.] Cole- man took it down to the baker shop for our meal tonight. I sat around and wrote letters until noon mess time, and we had such a good mess of roast beef, mashed potatoes, pickled plums, coffee, sugar, milk, bread, corn-meal pudding and cake that I could hardly move after I had finished eating. I reached the baker shop a little early tonight so I sat around with Jacob and old Herr Comes drinking wine and eating cakes. January 138, 1919:—After getting up at 6:15 this morning we went thru the regular program and 8:45 found us down A SERGEANT’S DIARY 257 at the stables grooming and getting ready to go out on one of the short hikes. Horses were watered and harnessed and we started off about 9:30. We went thru Johannasburg and a little ways to the right across the Ahr river and then back toward the stables again. We were very much surprised on our way home to hear a great many guns firing, but I sup- pose some outfit was doing some practicing. We could see the bursts of some of the shells on the hills not far from us and they do look fine when they make the dirt fly. At 1:30 we lined up again and marched in review in front of the Colonel; from there we went back down to stables where we groomed, watered and fed. We then came in and stood re- treat, had a short non-coms school, and then we went down to the baker shop. I took Jacob a box of Natural cigarettes and they immediately sat me down to wine and cakes. [I'll have the combination before long. Soap, bones for soup, cigarettes and tobacco for the boys and old man, candy for Maria and a few other things is always sure to bring wine and cakes. January 14, 1919:—At 8:30 this morning we went down to stables where we groomed for awhile and then harnessed up and went out on a short road hike returning about 11:00. While on the road we had to stop with the fourgon as our horses have so much ‘pep’ that they kick all the time. We took the lead team off and made the wheel team pull the four- gon all the way back. At 1:15 we lined up and had another review, I now have to act as left guide of the battery. After the review the regiment was marched over across the Ahr and in a big opening along the banks of the Ahr river they had their pictures taken. From there we marched down to stables where we groomed until 3:15, watered, fed and then watched a very good horse fight between ‘Pop’ [Sgt. Cecil L.] York’s stallion and one of the team stallions. Pop York’s horse fought for a little but he soon turned and ran with the team stallion pulling mouthfuls of hair out as they went up the railroad track. [Bryant W:] Gillespie and I had noth- ing to do after the meal tonight so we went over to their very elaborate Kurhaus lobby and sat down to listen to some of their music. After hearing a few selections we left and went over to a barber shop where I got a massage, the first one I have had since I have been in this country. 17—22902 258 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS January 15, 1919:—At 6:15 we got up and went through the regular routine. At 8:30 we went down to stables where we groomed a little and then harnessed our horses. We took about a ten kilometer hike and got back in time to only water and feed and get to the battery for noon mess. At 1:00 P.M. we again went down to stables where we detail men had a little long distance semaphore work while the other boys had gun drill and ‘doughboy’ work. After the meal the bunch of us went over to the Kurhaus lobby where we sat around talk- ing and smoking for quite a while. We also had a good dish of grape ice and then went over to the Kurhaus theatre where we heard some very good singing. A baritone and a tenor did the singing and they were really better than I have heard for a long while. January 16, 1919:—At 6:15 as usual we started our day and after putting the customary cleaning on our room I went down to a good breakfast of rice and bacon. Marks took the predicted drop this morning and are’ now only 120 marks for 100 francs. Arriving at the hotel I found out that I would have to make a complete new billeting list for some one of the officers, so I immediately got to work. This work took me until about 10:00 and by that time the whole battery was back. They immediately lined up and marched over to the parade grounds where they again had their pictures taken. During the afternoon Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift asked me to put a light in the orderly room, making three in there for them. I did, and I made it take me all afternoon so that I would not have to go out any more. January 17, 1919:—At 6:15 we got up and I took a detail of drivers down to feed the horses. When I came back I sat down to a breakfast of pan-cakes, syrup and bacon. I then went down to the Sergeants mess room where I made four signs for the four pieces; went down to the stables where I saddled up my horse and started up to the position on the Rhine. All the rest of the Sergeants went up near the Rhine to a big manoeuver put on by the One Hundred Sixty-seventh Brigade and several other outfits. Stokes mortars, rifles, ma- chine guns, hand grenades, 75s, 155s and all of the Infantry took part in it. One man was killed and about fifteen were wounded because they used all live ammunition. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 259 January 18, 1919:—-When breakfast was over this A.M. we all went back up to our rooms where we swept and mopped the floors, laid out our bunks in a uniform manner and got ready for the inspection. I cleaned my pistol and then sat down to wait for the time. At 9:00 they came around and looked the billets over and for the second time the detail has had the best looking place. A field bakery has moved in the buildings’ of the Appollinaris Brunnen and this morning they started to bake doughnuts and bread, and say, it certainly did smell good! We had a fine meal of hamburger, salad, po- tatoes, coffee, sugar, milk, bread, syrup and cakes. After mess our bunch went over to the battery mess hall where they are holding a mock trial over [Leo A.] Biddle and [Edgar] Cyrus for being too “cocky”? and from what I can hear they certainly did a plenty to them. January 19, 1919:—It being Sunday we did not get up until 7:15 and after reveille we all came back to our rooms. We had rice, pan-cakes, coffee, sugar, milk and bread for break- fast and nothing to do until 10:00 A.M. After a good noon meal I sat down to answer letters that I had received and I wrote until 3:00 when we again went down to stables. About 8:00 I came back to the hotel_and wrote some more letters. I now have eleven of them to start on their way home. The Germans are having an election today and both women and men are voting. January 20, 1919:—There are many Canadians and Eng- lish soldiers in this town today. They have come here to wit- ness some boxing matches between the Americans and Eng- lish at the Kurhaus hotel. All of the American out-fits are entertaining these men who are down here today and we had four of them in our Sergeants mess today. There is much “snow” floating around about our going home, and the fact is, some of the Divisions are already starting, so they tell us. Mail is coming in very much better now; but the battery mess is going down and the boys are yelling because they are get- ting nothing but rice and hamburger anymore. However all the boys are feeling better and we still get our mineral baths whenever we want them. At 4:00 we lined up for retreat and Major Sidney S. Miller gave us a farewell talk as he is leav- ing for the Fifth Division tomorrow; having been railroaded 260 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS out by a d regular army Major. After mess I took a walk over to the Kurhaus cigar store where I got the re- sults of the bouts between the English and Americans. The Americans won the three big wrestling matches; the boxing contests between the Canadians and Americans are now going on. January 21, 1919:—Being on guard I would not have had to get up at reveille but I had to get the food for the Sergeants mess so I got up with the rest of the boys. After I had fin- ished breakfast I took sick call down to the infirmary and then went up to the kitchen and got food for the noon meal. From the kitchen I stole some cinnamon, flour, sugar, pepper, milk, salt and a piece of meat and took it down to the baker shop. At noon we had a very good meal of steak, potatoes, salad, coffee, sugar, milk and a few other things. We went up to a non-coms school before we ate but it lasted only about five minutes and then Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift and I talked over the prospects of a football team out of the battery. Some of the boys had a good trip today. Passes were issued and most of the fellows went up to Bonn. January 22, 1919:—I took a trip through every hotel in the - town this A.M. where Americans are quartered trying to find a pair of glasses that had been stolen from our machine gun- ners; I did not find them. When the review was done all the men wishing to try out for the foot-ball team reported and we certainly had a good turn out. We went down to the big field along the Ahr River and spent the time limbering up until 4:10 and then went back to the Q.M. room where we had a short non-coms school. I then went down to the baker shop where we had a very good meal. With the flour that I had brought the woman we wanted coffee cakes made, but there was something she needed to make it and for the life of me I could not figure out what it was when she tried to tell me. I brought her everything that we ever had in our kitchen but none of it would do, so she finally told me she would make it out of her own stuff. I later found out that it was yeast that she needed. She did make us the biggest plate of coffee cake I have seen outside of a baker shop at home and believe me the fellows certainly did their best to it. New ‘“snow’’, but the same old stuff comes in from many different sources that we start home between the 5th and 10th of next month. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 261 January 23, 1919:—I took charge of the feed detail this A.M. and after all the horses were fed and Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff had given us a little talk we went in after our noon meal. At 1:00 P.M. we lined up and were again reviewed by the Colonel [Robert H. Tyndall] and then the men were marched off the parade grounds, and the football men were called out. We then went down to the field where we had some signal practice and also a little practice in kicking and passing the ball. ‘Pete’ [Clarence E.] Clift got his nose broken this afternoon when he was trying to catch a ball and turned into an iron post. He is going to the hospital to- morrow and get it fixed up. At the baker shop this evening I found out that 1 am only about 80 kilometers from Landau and Neu Stadt and Gimmeldingen where Grandmother and Grandfather Straub came from. One of these Comes boys was in a hospital there while wounded. January 24, 1919:—At 8:30 we went down to the stables where the boys groomed about an hour and then they put us to washing harness. Anything during this cold weather to make it miserable! The boys had to build fires and heat water to keep from freezing their hands. At 1:30 we lined up and the Colonel had us march again in review. From there the foot-ball men went down to the stables and washed the pieces and policed the gun park. After we had finished our work down there we marched up to the foot-ball grounds and started practice. We practiced until 4:30 and the boys are beginning to show some mighty good form now. They have all drawn extra shoes and have had them cleated. January 25, 1919:—We lined up for inspection this morning at 10:30. After it was over I went with Perry and ‘Pete’ down to an old junk dealers and they bought a small stove to put up in their room. We then came back to the hotel and from there I had to go over to the Villa Edne along the Ahr River to see a Lieutenant about some new athletic material. We got two socker foot-balls and two indoor base-balls. From there we went down to the football field where the fellows had assembled and started practice. We kicked the ball about an hour and then had fifteen minutes of scrimmage. The ground is very hard and many of the boys got skinned up a little. After the practice was over we all went over across the river where we watched D and B Batteries put on a prac- 262 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS tice game; D Battery won. On the way back to the battery we all stopped at the butcher shop on Middle Strasse and had a dish of ice cream, all of the butcher shops have now turned into ice cream parlors as they can handle meat only on Saturday anyway. I filled out a blank today applying for a Second Lieutenancy. Everybody was doing it. I then went down to our baker shop where I had a very good meal and after the meal I went over to the Kur Theatre where I saw a very good show put on by the Canadians. They had some good piano players, very good costumes and a good bunch of old jokes. January 26, 1919:—We had nothing to do all morning until 10:30 when we lined up for a stable formation. I went over to the infirmary where I took an examination for a commis- sion. We had no retreat today so I went down to the baker shop and wrote some letters until the rest of the boys came down and the meal was ready. When we got back to the bat- tery I went on up to Perry’s room and there I found Mutt [Lloyd] Rust, and many of the other fellows sitting around and when I had them all looked over who should I see but old Karl Vitz who had been transferred to our regimental band from some other regiment. They came from the Thirty- eighth Division I found out later on, and will be with us until we get home. January 27, 1919:—At reveille this morning many men were chosen to go to the Motor school here in Neuenahr just for the day. Seventy other men went to Coblenz for the day, on pass. At 1:00 we again lined up, took two footballs, two socker balls and two indoor base balls and went down on the field near the Ahr where we played until 2:30. We then marched directly down to stables where we groomed, watered and fed and then came on in. We stood a regimental re- treat and then I went on guard. January 28, 1919:—After breakfast this A.M. I took sick call down to the infirmary and while I was there I had the doctor look at my right little finger which I hurt the other day while playing football. I was very much surprised when he told me that it was badly broken but all he did was to put some iodine on it. I did not get back from sick call until about 9:30 and then I immediately went up to the kitchen A SERGEANT’S DIARY 263 where I drew food for the rest of the day. I then sat down in the Sergeants room and wrote letters until noon mess time when we had a very good meal of hamburger and mashed potatoes for the meal. At 1:00 [James A.] Miles, [Eugene L.] Coridan and I went up to Regimental Headquarters where we reported for the divisional football team. We then came in and I went over to Lieut. [Charles D.] Clift’s room and he gave me a bunch of padding for tomorrow’s game with B Battery. After I had taken a good wash and shave I went to a non-coms school which lasted only about fifteen minutes and then I went down to the baker shop. At 7:00 the foot- ball team met in the orderly room and we talked over the game for tomorrow, after everyone knew just what he was supposed to do we were dismissed. January 29, 1919. After breakfast this morning we groomed for only a few minutes and then the whole battery started out for a road hike. Roads were so slippery though that the order was changed and the whole battery came back to the gun park. Some few of us however saddled up and rode to the top of a big’ hill not far distant and from there we did some semaphore work with some of the men at the battery. We had the aiming circle along and we figured out firing data and sent it down to the battery and they laid their guns accordingly. At 11:00 we came in and had our mess. I then got myself ready for the football game. At 1:00 we went down to the school house yard where we ran through some signals; at 1:30 we went over across the river to the regular football field and at 1:45 the game between A and B Batteries started. We played a very hard game, always in our favor. We only kicked the ball once and that was on the kick-off. The field was frozen very hard and there was a light skift of snow over it so it made playing very hard. Lieut. Riker played right half, ‘Jim’ [James A.] Miles played left half and I played ‘full. Tommy [Thomas J.] Welsh played one end and [Ernest W.] Schmidt played the other, and they certainly were good. I got away with a forward pass of theirs but slipped and could do nothing, but got into a slugging match in the last quarter and got put out of the game. Perry played one of the prettiest games at quarter I have ever seen played. The final score was 0 to 0 and the whole battery was out to see the game. After the game our 264 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS team went over to the bath house and had as much time as we pleased in the bath. We then went over to the Q.M. room and had a lecture on motors by ‘Pop’ [Harold K.] Roberts. After we had had our baker-shop meal some of us went over to the Kurhaus Theatre and saw the Hoosier Follies put on by the One Hundred Fiftieth Band and it was very good. January 30, 1919:—I went to the motor school this morn- ing. Shortly after 11:00 the battery had some gun drill and the motor school went over to a lecture. I did not go be- cause my leg has developed a real ‘Charley Horse’ and I can hardly walk. We received official notice today that we would be the first National Guard division to sail. At 1:00 P.M. the battery lined up and went down to the school yard where they played for awhile. We stayed out until 3:00 and then came in to the battery. January 31, 1919:—Today was about as usual. During the forenoon and afternoon we spent the time grooming the horses and washing the harness. About 4:15 we stood re- treat, ate mess and then went to a non-coms school. A good many of the men around here have very bad colds and some of them have the ‘flu’. The regiment is getting more motor equipment every day and next week they start issuing it to the batteries. February 1, 1919:—At 9:00 we went out and stood the in- spection, and believe me it is certainly cold standing still very long at one time. After the inspection we went down to the stables where we worked until noon. After we had eaten noon mess all of the football men went down to the school yard where we started to practice on some new plays. We practiced until 3:00 and then came on in. After retreat we had an inspection of gas masks. All of these foolish things are coming now, insurance talk is heavy, going home ‘snow’ is thick and the boys always come in with some sort of a new report. [Latham W.] Connell is sick in bed, in fact about twenty-five per cent. of every battery are marked ‘quarters’ with bad colds. February 2, 1919:—For breakfast in the Sergeants mess we had rice, pan-cakes, coffee, sugar, bread and milk. Fred Turner who had been sent to the hospital with gas from Exer- A SERGEANT’S DIARY 265 mont came back today and he has a lot of ‘snow’ about our going home in March. He also saw Sgt. Skidmore’s grave.' After we came back from stables we stood retreat and di- rectly after retreat we were held in formation while a German civilian went through our ranks trying to identify the man who stole a diamond from his jewelry store. He did not find the man who did it. I happen to know who it was but of course he will never find out. After that Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff read us several general orders and then we were dis- missed. An order is down to the regiment for passes and we find out that two men out of the battery can go some place in divisional area each day. February 3, 1919:—We got up at the usual reveille call, stood the formation and then cleaned up the room before go- ing down to breakfast. We had rice and hamburger for breakfast and at 7:55 drill call blew. Many of our men in- cluding myself went over to a motor school which we made last until noon. At these Motor schools no one knows who’s the real head or who is trying to run the thing, so the fellows do just about as they please and do not get much out of it. The weather is still pretty cold and the days are always dark and gray but very pleasant nevertheless. Instead of a formal retreat we had a parade in front of the Colonel and then we all came back after our evening meal. Lieut. Knaff then called some of the Sergeants into the orderly room where he told us all about a new gun position we are going to take up. After that I went down to the baker shop where I sat down and ate another meal. When we had finished [Howard H.] Maxwell, [Leslie H.] Coleman and I went over to ‘‘Hand Grenade Anns” where we got our wash and sat around and talked for awhile. February 4, 1919:—This morning we did nothing except to get ready for the afternoon’s problem. At 12:30 all the old men of the battery lined up and went down to stables where they harnessed and hitched. Dick [Richard M. Bos- son] and I had located the position during the morning. Perry [W. Lesh] and I went on ahead of the battery so that we could locate each piece as it came into position. We finally arrived at the position and as the pieces came Perry showed them where to come, and I put them into their correct places 1. See p. 14, 266 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS and the gun squads then had some gun drill. The weather is still very cool and many of the boys have the ‘flu’; they are putting out some very strict rules of sanitation so that they can prevent its spreading. We are also having a regimental guard now. Horses have all been clipped for the mange. There is snow on the ground now and all the little German boys are doing some ice skating and sleighing. February 5, 1919:—After breakfast this morning the bat- tery lined up and went to the stables where they took the horses out bareback. I took sick call over to the infirmary and did not get away from there until nearly 9:30, from there I went up and got the food for the noon mess and again we had bacon, gravy, with a few mashed potatoes. Motor schools are still going on, ‘snow’ is still good, very little mail and the weather always remains about the same. February 6, 1919:—This morning [Bryant W.] Gillespie and I spent a good part of our time taking pictures with his camera. After a good dinner at 1:00 about twenty of we fellows went out into a big woods near our stables and started to chase rabbits. In all we saw twenty-two and I made a dive after one and caught him; when I went to pick him up I noticed that he was caught in a trap. He made a good feed anyway. Out of all the rabbits we saw, about half of them were jack-rabbits and really looked like mules. I cleaned the one that I had and [Leslie H.] Coleman took it down to the baker shop to have it fixed for our meal. After retreat we went again down to the baker shop and had a very good meal of ham, potatoes, ete. and then all of us came back to a non-coms school. We have a new S.O.S. Lieut. Colonel and he is on the war path about guard duty, so it makes it hard for all of us. February 7, 1919:—I took a few pictures while the sun was out today and I am getting quite a collection now. We came in to a good noon mess, but at 1:00 we again went down to stables where a few of the men washed carriages while the rest clipped horses. I took a funny notion and clipped my horse all by myself and it certainly was a job. After retreat we sat down to a good meal and then we had non-coms school. February 8, 1919:—After breakfast this morning all the drivers were sent to the stables and from there they took the A SERGEANT’S DIARY 267 horses to Ahrweiler to be dipped for the mange. C Battery sent their horses the other day and before they got back their horses were nearly frozen stiff. It is far below zero today and our horses will certainly be frozen before they get back I’m sure. The Ahr river which is a swift river is all frozen over and all the Germans are skating. Set. [Cleston G.] Berry and Sgt. [Wilbur B.] Morgan are now eating with us; old Norvin E. Green is still furnishing all of the ‘snow’ for the boys and in spite of the cold weather the boys are pretty well satisfied. Yesterday Sgt. [Cecil L.] York went out with two of the escort wagons on a divisional manoeuver and he about froze before he got back. ‘Snow’ came in here last night that we will absolutely be out of here by the 20th and that we will go down the Rhine and get the boat at the mouth of the Rhine. Many of the boys are still going to Motor school but they are getting a little tired now. The new Lieut. Colonel now has an order out that no two men can walk to- gether on the side walk. They must either be single file or in the street. One of our new boys died today from the ‘flu’ the doctors say but the boys all say that it was from the lack of attention. Perry [W. Lesh] is on regimental guard to- night. February 9, 1919:—Well last night they had a real party. and just about all of the fellows were ‘gone’. Bud [Wilbur B.] Morgan stayed until I left and then he came up and went to bed with me. We had nothing to do until 9:30 this A.M. and then we lined up and went down to stables where we groomed a little and then watered and fed and came on in to the bat- tery. When we got in we were lined up and paid, and at 11:30 we sat down to our noon meal. We prepared to lie around until the afternoon formation and take things easy but at 12:00 they chased us out and we had to march a parade in the honor of Roosevelt. From the parade we were marched over to the Kurhaus theatre where Chaplain Nash gave us a talk on the life of Roosevelt. February 10, 1919:—We had a hard time this morning getting water to wash with, as nearly all of the water pipes were frozen up. Last night “Spick” [John C.] Ellis got a little more than he could hold and he cleaned up on some bat- tery’s kitchen and when they went to arrest him he started in right. He told everybody from lieutenants on up to the 268 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS Lieut. Colonel what he thought of them and of course he was put in the jug. After the mess [Norvin E.] Green and I got out our roulette wheel and started to play. Green and I banked the board and we played the game wrong and finally the bank went broke. I lost about 125 francs and Green lost about 55, so we both went to bed. February 11, 1919:—At 8:00 the battery lined up, some of the boys went to Motor school while the rest of them went down to the stables. The-boys did not stay at stables long but went out on equitation. Today the batteries were issued a few tractors and a few trucks. Tonight at the retreat formation an order was read stating that any man who wished to attend a French or a British University could put in his application. The requirements were at least two years in an American University and numerous other things that I have forgotten. [William H.] Bruning, [Bryant W.] Gillespie and I looked up the dope on it but we decided that there was to be too much militarism connected with it SO we are not going in for it. February 12, 1919:—At 8:30 this morning Dick [Richard M. Bosson] and I went with Lieut. [Aloys] Knaff, Major Tay- lor and several others and located a new gun position. We went out in one of the new big ‘‘white” touring cars. It was pretty cold riding early in the morning but later the sun came out and warmed things up fine. At 11:50 we lined up with gas masks, helmets and side arms and went down to the stables and saddled up. Perry, ‘Pete’ [Clarence E. Clift] and I went out to the position early and marked the place for the four pieces. Just after we had finished staking out the “Y” line the pieces came and we showed them into place and by 1:15 we were ready to fire. They started assimilated fire at 2:00, did some direct firing later on and at 4:00 we started back. After I came back we all got to talking over the school prop- osition and Bruning, Gillespie, [Wilbur B.] Morgan and I put in our applications for Cambridge University. If our appli- cations go through we stay in school until June 30th. Oh boy! February 13, 1919 :—The number of men usually on sick call has now dropped down to six this morning, so I suppose the boys are getting to feel better. When I got back I played solitaire for awhile, wrote some letters and then helped the A SERGEANT’S DIARY 269 German girl to clean up the room. The fellows now have one of the boys from the battery who they pay to bring up the mess so the Sergeants do not have to run up to the kitchen any more. We had no non-coms school this evening, so when the meal was all over [Norvin E.] Green and I got the roulette wheel out again and started to play. At first we went good but it was not long before we went down the line again and we had to stop. We broke just about even. February 14, 1919:—After traveling the regular morning route I came down and had a breakfast of pan-cakes and rice which was not at all bad. At 8:00 stables blew and after we had watered the horses and tied them on the day line our work really began. Every section put up racks for the harness, built fires and heated water and tore all of the harness com- pletely down and gave it a good washing. We now have a new First Lieutenant and he sure is a card, he tries to make the boys snap into it and gets all tangled up and then the fellows give him the laugh. We worked hard on the harness all afternoon. The pieces and carriages were also washed and oiled and now Jim [James A.] Miles is painting the reg- imental insignia on every piece of materiél. We had no non- coms school so I went over to the baker shop, talked to old man Comes a little while. Some of the boys went over to the Kurhaus to see a show but could not get a seat as nearly all of them were reserved for officers and nurses. Lieut. Knafft told the Sergeants tonight that there was going to be an officer down from general headquarters to inspect our paper work and that we had priority over any other division - and that we were going home ‘“‘Toot-Sweet’’. February 15, 1919:—This day starts the beginning of the fourth book of my diary and I certainly hope that I will not have to start another one. At reveille this morning the day’s work was outlined to the fellows and things started off in regular style. A detail of men as usual were sent down to the stables to feed the horses and the rest of the fellows were sent to their rooms to clean up for the day. The detail then went to work cleaning up a little more while all of the rest of the men got to work on their tractors and trucks. At 2:30 all of the men started on the horses, groomed them, watered and fed them and then came on in to the hotel. 270 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS February 16, 1919:—The German boy here at the Rhein- gold Hotel, by the name of Franz Steinborn who wrote the letter to Gimmeldingen for me received an answer from them today. I gave him several pictures, one of Grandmother Straub, one of Aunt Elizabeth Borst and one of Dad [Frank Straub] and Mother [Emma Straub] and he sent them back to Grandmother’s people for me. The review that our going home depends on has been postponed for at least two weeks so I suppose we are here from now on. February 17, 1919—-The men on motors were sent over to the motor school this a.m. and the rest of the men went down to stables. There we watered, groomed about thirty minutes on a horse and then bridled up a single mount and the drivers took a horse to lead and we went out for a little exercise. At 1:00 we lined up and went down to the play grounds where some of the boys played basketball, some of them indoor base- ball and the rest of us played football. At 4:45 we had retreat and after retreat we sat down to our evening meal. From the baker shop we went over to the Y.M.C.A. which is now the. Y for the new leave center which is in this town. There they have billiard tables, smoking rooms, and all the comforts one could wish for including a big dining room. In the Y.M. some Germans were playing some good band music which we listened to for a while and finally came back to the hotel where we arrived about 9:00 P.M. Lieut. Knaff had been up to the G.H.Q. where he had gotten the official dope that we were to leave for home in three weeks. New motor equipment is coming in every day and the going home “snow” is thicker than ever. February 18, 1919:—They always have physical exercises the first thing in the morning but I did not attend this morn- ing as I was not feeling quite right. We then led out to the day line and started grooming. At 9:30 Lieut. [ Charles D.] Clift took us out on another bare-back hike. Sgt. [George M.] Tesher had a saddle on his horse but I did not so we tried a little racing, and in three long stretches I beat him each time. We would hang way back of the battery and then race up to them. We got in to the stables about 11:20, watered and fed and then came in to dinner. We have now seven tractors and five trucks and are getting more all the time. The short poles A SERGEANT’S DIARY 271 (tongues) are now on the pieces and the horses are to be turned in within the next three days. Bad Neuenahr is now the big leave center for troops outside of here and another big Y.M.C.A. has been established along with a new big restau- rant. Shows are on at the Kurhaus every night and the town is full of Y.W.C.A. women and nurses. The weather has I believe, broken because it is as warm as spring time now. Coleman and I went over to the Y.M.C.A. after mess where we listened to some good music and singing and then we played three games of billiards. February 19, 1919:—Lieut. Knaff now has a big white touring car. At 1:00 P.M. the battery went down to the big open field near the stables where we played indoor baseball for a while and at 2:45 we lined up and went to stables where we tied on the day line and groomed for a little while. Boxes are now being made in every outfit to pack things in and everyone is getting ready to go home. February 20, 1919:—Some of the boys went over to the motor school and the rest of us went down to stables where we tied on the day line and started to groom. A few of the boys also went on pass to Coblenz. After mess we sat around until 1:00 and then went down to the field by the stables and played ball until about 3:15 when a short grooming session was held, horses all inoculated for glanders, tied in the barn and fed. After standing the retreat I immediately posted and instructed my guard, ate my evening meal and then went to a non-coms school. There we started to organize a battery club. Five of us were elected on a committee to draw up a rough constitution and report at the next meeting. February 21, 1919:—At the usual time after breakfast I took sick call over and did not get back until about 8:30, and I immediately went to sleep and stayed there until noon. The baitery groomed horses and cleaned caissons all morning. After the noon mess [Bryant W.] Gillespie and I started on a publicity letter for the Battery A Club. We worked on it until about 4:00 and then I went up to my room and cleaned up a bit. We received a little mail during the afternoon and I ‘rated’ three letters out of the deal. February 22, 1919:—The boys came in early from the 272 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS stables this morning. Byb [Byron C. Young] and the boys had a very nice party last night and when we came in to breakfast this morning we saw three big Chinese vases and a new chair in the room. They were all afraid that someone would be looking for them, and they have been figuring all day how to get rid of them. They are very big ones and the boys all say they are good ones. After eve- ning mess “Byb” and the rest of the fellows took the vases out somewhere in three big burlap sacks, but what they did with them I do not know. We saw them coming back out of the back yard of the Palace Hotel. February 23, 1919:—Tony [Chester] Lumpkin, [Charles F.] Arensman and ‘Pug’ [Rogers H.] George went on leave today. They went some place way back in France. I suppose they will all hit for Paris. Several of the other fellows went on a one day pass to Coblenz. I wrote a few letters this P.M. and then got ready for retreat. After retreat we had our evening meal and then [Bryant W.] Gillespie and I went over to the Kaiserhof and played a little billiards. At 7:00 we went up to the Rheinnercherhof to a meeting of the battery in regard to the club. The turnout was very poor but we started never- theless. February 24, 1919:—The regular morning procedure took place this morning. At 8:00 the whole battery went down to the stables and the horses were groomed a little, tied on the day line, covered with a horse blanket and a nose bag tied around the neck of each one. At 9:00 we led the horses over to the parade grounds where the One Hundred and Forty-ninth and One Hundred and Fifty-first took over all of our horses except the condemned ones. We now have only twenty-nine left. The fellows are so happy they don’t know what to do. After that formation which was one of the most pleasant I have attended during my time in the army we had an hour of ‘doughboy’ drill and then came in to dinner. We then pulled the materiél out into better parking space and then came in to the hotel. February 25, 1919:—This morning I took a walk over to the Mineral Springs with several of the fellows and got a big drink of water. ‘Willibrodues”’ and the Grosse Sprudel are A SERGEANT’S DIARY 273 the largest springs here. At 8:00 we lined up and went down to the old stables where we paired off in sections and talked over different points in gun drill. A little later we had a little gun drill, then an hour of ‘doughboy’ drill and then we came in to the noon meal. Motors are always taken care of by their respective drivers. After noon mess at 1:00 the whole battery lined up and went out for an hour of athletics. After retreat and the evening meal the four of us again went over the Kaiserhof and played billiards until 7:00 when we went to another meeting of the battery regarding the battery club. I was elected temporary chairman and [Myron C.] Ayres temporary secretary. February 26, 1919:—After having breakfast this morning I went over to Lieut. Knaff’s quarters, got the plotting board then came back and got the aiming circle and lined up with the battery at 8:00. We went down to the gun park where the tractors hooked on to the pieces and the battery pulled out. Cannoniers rode on the trucks and we went out about fifteen kilometers into the country where we went into position. The battery had assimilated fire for about two hours and then we came back in. I will say that the battery got along very well, it being their first time out as a motorized battery. All of our blankets were sent to be cleaned today and all blankets in excess of three had to be turned in. After retreat we had an inspection of arms and clothes and then came back to the hotel for mess. I received another letter from Gimmeldingen today and I am saving them to take home to Grandmother. February 27, 1919:—We had the biggest breakfast of pan- cakes this morning I have ever seen at one time before, and believe me the boys certainly made short work of them. About 1:00 we went to a non-coms school and at 1:30 athletic call blew but I did not feel like going so I sat down and wrote letters until 3:30 when I marched our regiment guard men over to the parade grounds and then I came back to the bat- tery. At retreat we had an inspection and then we went after our food. Many of the boys are going on pass now and conditions in the battery and even in the regiment are very much better than they have been. I went on battery guard at 6:00, got it to running well and then [Paul W.] Mullikin and I spent the evening playing solitaire. 18—22902 274 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS February 28, 1919:—After breakfast this morning I took the sick call over to the infirmary. I then went over to the M.P. headquarters to get permission from them to hold our club meetings in the Rheinnercherhof café. We had a good noon mess and after dinner I played solitaire and wrote more letters. The boys had just gotten through cleaning up when the order came down that we would fire tomorrow, so now the men are going down to load ammunition. During the evening we drank some wine, played some solitaire and had some ukulele music on an instrument that Kenneth Simms brought along from the States with him. March 1, 1919:—It was dark when first call blew this A.M. but by the time we had lined up it was getting pretty light. My detail and Dick’s [Richard W. Bosson] detail took aiming circle, scissors, phones and wire and went down to the gun park where the trucks full of ammunition and cannoniers were; the pieces pulled by tractors and our machine with our junk pulled out. We went to the range just outside of Riegen and by the time the pieces had fired five rounds each they were in the mud up to their axles. We finished up about 12:00, the tractors had no trouble pulling the pieces out and we came in and had noon mess. The boys were then allowed to sleep until about 4:00. March 2, 1919:—-Time was turned up one hour at midnight last night so when we got up this morning it was still dark. After breakfast I sat down and watched the rest of the Battery Sergeants make up a baseball team to beat the detail. The game started at 10 o’clock; the detail had the battery team beaten up to the eighth inning and then we blew up and lost the game. All the officers played with the battery team and we sure had a lot of fun. After the game I played a little pass with a few of the fellows and then came in to the hotel. Just as I was entering the hotel [Henry T.] Wheeler came out and told me that the order had come down that [William H.] Bruning and I were to go to some British University. Im- mediately after mess Bruning and I started to turn in junk to the Q.M. and then we went up to the Regimental head- quarters to try to get some dope on the proposition, but there was none to be had. We then walked around town for a few minutes and then came back to the hotel where we found out A SERGEANT’S DIARY 275 that we were to start at 8:00 in the morning for Winchester, England. Nothing unusual happened during the afternoon. We stood no retreat but at mess time I went down to say goodby to the Comes family and eat my last meal with Perry and the boys. During the rest of the evening I fixed my junk, prepared to leave in the morning and went to bed early. CHAPTER XIII. IN ENGLAND. March 3, 1919 :-—Bill [Sgt. William H. Bruning] and I got up directly after reveille and started to get ready to leave. We ate breakfast about a quarter-to-eight with the fellows and then after saying good-bye to everyone we started toward the station where we are to meet the rest of the men from here who are going on this one long chance with us. Although we were having a good time at the battery it is always one’s wish to be moving and doing something new so that is why we put in for this school proposition. The fact is that we have signed our names to a hundred things trying to get something out of the army worth while and never before have we had any luck. Many of the men stated that they would not even take this chance as one can never tell just what one is getting into, but Bill and I are going to try this thing just once. We have our hopes built on this one thing so here we go. We got over to the station in plenty of time for the train but missed it on ac- count of baggage. There at the station we got our commu- tation of rations which amounted to twenty francs, and that was all I had to my name. We then piled on trucks and started to drive to Remagen about ten kilometers up the Ahr River on the Rhine. Bill and I each had six bacon sandwiches along with us because when one is away from one’s outfit one can never tell just where he is going: to get his next meal. We left Remagen at 10:30 A.M. by train and went through Bonn at 11:30 and Bruhl at 12:12. We went through a great portion of the territory that is occupied by the English and in many places we could see their guns parked in advantageous places along the railroads. We arrived in Cologne about 1:00 P.M. and tried hard to make the 1:20 train for Brussels but our baggage held us up and we missed the train. Then we all got together and talked the thing over; there was but one thing to do and that was to catch the 3:30 train out for Her- besthal. We had a few hours’ time before that train so we all left our baggage on track five and went out to see the town. There were very many English in the town; in fact the town (276) A SERGEANT’S DIARY 277 was simply filled with menin.uniform. We went through many of the stores and took in as much of the town as we could, not excepting the historical old cathedral of Cologne. Through this place we went guided by one of the priests who spoke the © most perfect English. He did not hesitate to show us and ex- plain to us everything of interest throughout the church and when we left we all contributed a few francs for the trouble. We got back to the depot a little before train time, loaded our baggage and then looked the place over. The depot is certainly one that they can be proud of. We got on the train a few min- utes before it pulled out and rode second class passage until we arrived in Herbesthal at 7:00 P.M. There we found out that there was not another train for Brussels until in the morning so we changed our plans and took our baggage to another depot and got on a British leave train going to Calais. At Herbesthal we went into the station and got something to eat before the train started on. Lon [Alonzo E.] Wright and [Harry] Shultz were along with us as far as Herbesthal; they had passes and were trying to get to Paris. Wehad no berths and we tried to sleep sitting in our seats but it was a pretty hard job. At 2:30 Bruning and I got out of the train and took a walk up the main street of Huy where the train made a stop of an hour. We then came back and napped until morning. March 4, 1919:—The train made a stop just at daylight and I went up to the engine and got some hot water, brought it back to the car and took a good wash. Weare now in Luxem- burg and the people here talk both French and German so it makes it a little more difficult for us to get by now. It has been raining all day and we have been on the train all day and have had nothing at all to eat. During the day and the rest of the night we went through many more towns including Charleroi, Mons, Liege, Namur, Tournay, Lille, St. Omer, Armentiers, and we were also well on our way toward Calais. Unfortunately we went over the battlefields of Lille and Ar- mentiers during the night but we did get to see a great many of them during the day. The country is as level as can be along where we are now and all along one can see German and Polish prisoners working along the way. It has been raining all the time, and in all, the trip has not been a very pleasant one. Nevertheless the real sights that one sees are 278 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS very interesting and the effects of actual shell fire can be seen all along the line to Armentiers. March 5, 1919:—Well this morning early found us at St. Omer where the train stopped and I went up to the engine and got some more hot water with which I took a good wash and refreshed myself a great deal. We are all very tired as sitting up all during the night is no pleasant job. The rear part of the car that we are in is filled with New Zealand officers and they are certainly snappy boys. We arrived at Calais at 9:00 A.M. unloaded all of our junk from the train and put it on a small push car that runs down into the sand dunes where this train has stopped. After all of our baggage was on the push car we all gave a hand and pushed the junk about a half mile to where an English truck was waiting to take it to the Cen- tral Calais railway station. After all of our junk was gone the men made about a four kilometer walk to the station and then sat down to wait for the Lieutenant who had gone out to find the quickest way to Le Harve where we are supposed to get a boat across the channel. This being an English leave embarkation port it is impossible for Americans to leave from it, so I suppose we are due to go to Le Harve. We had nothing to do so while the Lieutenant was gone we went into one of the French hotels and got a very rotten meal and went out without paying the cashier. Of course a very pleasant argu- ment followed with the “frog’’ proprietor but he didn’t get any money anyway. We then went back to the station where we found out that the Lieutenant had gotten permission from the English R.T.O. for our detachment to go across the channel on one of the English leave-boats that was leaving about 3:00 P.M. The Lieutenant then turned us all loose and told us to report back to the Central Station at 2:45 when we would all go down to the dock together. Bill, Stepheson (a color Sgt. from our regiment) and I followed our baggage down to the Calais Maritime on the dock where we are now sitting in front of the boat we are to go across in, waiting for the rest of the bunch to show up. It was a long wait, or so it seemed to us so Bill and I went up to the Maritime Hotel where we had a very good meal of omelet and fish. The Lieutenant then came up with our transportation orders and we were checked off as we boarded the boat. Bill and I immediately got on the A SERGEANT’S DIARY 279 highest deck we could find and sat down to look the channel over as we crossed it. The boat pulled out at 4:30, the channel was very smooth and since it was clear we could see well. When we were in the middle of the channel we could look to- ward England and see the white chalk cliffs of Dover and then look back and see the sand dunes and the pier buildings on the coast of France. Our boat went directly past Dover without stopping and went on down the coast to the town of Folkstone where we landed. There we immediately boarded the train and started for London at which place we arrived at 8:00 P.M. We were given a little food by the Red Cross and then sent over to the Royal Buckingham Hotel where we washed up, tasted a real meal and got our French money changed into English. We then went out through the town to see what sights we could before bedtime, which was to be early as we were pretty well tired out from the long slow trip from Ger- many. We did see several of the main attractions including the Victoria railway station where we came in earlier during the evening. March 6, 1919:—-Well we all slept very hard during the night and when I got up this morning I found that I was minus my trousers. I immediately blamed Bill of playing a trick on me, but on going into the bath room I found that someone had tried to get my money during the night and had left my trousers in the bath room. I had taken all my big money out of my trousers and they got only about seven shillings from me. A little lesson not to be forgotten! After we had all washed up and taken a shave we went down into the military dining room of the same hotel and had a fine breakfast of ham and eggs; the first breakfast of that sort I have had for about two years. After breakfast we took another walk out through the town. We first went down to the Thames River where we saw the Houses of Parliament, then back where we saw Westminster Abbey and some of London’s famous statues. The rest of the morning we spent looking around Trafalgar Square; we also bought a camera and started taking pictures. At 10:30 we took a bus and went down to the Waterloo Station where we boarded a train for Winchester, England. Win- chester is not a long ride from London and we arrived there about 2:30 P.M. When we got off of the train we found out 280 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS that our orders had been changed and that we were to report to Liverpool. We had to wait only about fifteen minutes for a train going back to London, and the officers as well as the men, had not seen as much of London as we wished to, so back to the big city we went. We arrived at the Waterloo Station at 6:00 P.M. From the Waterloo Station we transferred our baggage to another part of the station and then got in the tube and rode over to the Euston Station. I don’t know what direc- tion we went but I will say that the London tube system is certainly a wonder. While I was waiting in the Waterloo Sta- tion this morning I met a Mrs. Powell from our country, Covington, Ky. I talked to her for quite a while and she told me that she had a big Hostel (Hotel) near Trafalgar Square and should I ever come back down to London she would be de- lighted to entertain me during my stay. After our baggage had been taken care of at the Euston Station all of we fellows went over to the Y.M.C.A. where we looked for beds for the night. We played around until about 11:00 and then stopped into the Picadilly Café, one of the swellest in London to get a little drink. It being a place where nearly no one enters but the elite of London we were naturally looked upon with scorn and disgust by most of the patrons. We immediately noticed that the waiters tried to put us in a small private booth away from the gaze of the ‘higher ups’ but for that special purpose we had entered the place, knowing before just what it was and what class of people frequented the place. We promptly took a vacant table in the center of the floor after walking be- tween the tables at which were seated a great many of Lon- don’s belles accompanied by gentlemen. After sipping our drinks which were served to us in a hurry, because they were anxious to get us out, we leisurely lit a cigarette, talked and smoked a little and then slowly left the table giving the glad eye to all of the belles who deemed it necessary to turn and look us over. By that time the waiters, proprietors and all were ready to throw us out so we left without further adieu after pausing for the doorkeepers to open the doors for us. Our faces we had kept straight until we got on the outside and then we had a good laugh. We then took the tube and went back to the Y.M.C.A. where we got something to eat and then went to bed. It has been sunshiny and pleasant all day long. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 281 March 7, 1919:—We got up early, at 5:45, took a good wash and shave and then went down and had ham and eggs for a starter. The three of us went out very early so that we could see more of the sights before boarding the train at 9:35 for Liverpool. At 9:00 we all went over to the Euston Station where we boarded our train for Liverpool. We passed through Creve which was about the biggest place on the way but the train stopped at many smaller places and at each stop we would get out and buy cakes and tea. Nevertheless the train was a fast one and we arrived in Liverpool in due time and in the rain. Our baggage as well as the men were put in trucks and we went directly to Camp Knotty-Ash on the out- skirts of Liverpool. There we were put into barracks and Bill and I immediately made our beds on the floor as there were no cots, and by seven we were fast asleep. In our party all the time there were about twenty men including five officers. March 8, 1919:—It was pretty cold sleeping in these bar- racks. We have to be in the barracks at 9:30, 1:30 and 3:00 so that any reports that are necessary may be read to the men; the rest of the day we have nothing at all to do. We did not get up in time for breakfast so we all went over to the Y.M. C.A. and got some jam sandwiches and tea. Jam sand- wiches are all that one can buy around here. We also went into the cantonment just in front of the Y.M.C.A. and filled out some blanks, information that they wanted concerning the University. Lectures are given all through the day at different hours concerning the courses and advantages at the different schools. We ate our noon mess at the camp kitchen and then sat around until 3:00 P.M. when we got passes to go in to Liverpool. We immediately put on our coats, went down and caught a car and in one-half hour were giving Liverpool the once over. We tried hard to get seats for a show but they were all too crowded, so we walked the streets looking thing's over. We went through the long famed old museum, down to the piers and to the different statues all over the town, and finally landed at the King’s café where we had an evening meal. We then went back to the theatre and tried to get seats but could not. Bruning and Stephenson then started out to have some fun, but since I was not feeling so extra well I caught a car and went back to camp. By the time I arrived 282 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS at the camp I realized that I had a very bad cold. I stopped at the Y.M.C.A. where I got something to eat and then went to my barracks where I doped up and went to bed. March 9, 1919:—-This morning when I got up too late for breakfast I was feeling very ‘bum’. We cleaned up the bar- racks and then sat around until about 10:00; Bill and I then lay down until noon mess time. Our barracks has a separate mess table and each day two different fellows go after the food for the whole bunch. We did nothing but lie around after mess and about 2:00 P.M. the sun came out so I took a few pictures. After the evening mess Bruning and Stephenson went out for a while, but the rest of us stayed in and had an awful debate about Germany. I am feeling very bad and have an awful cold. I went to bed early. March 10, 1919:—It is raining and very unpleasant out of doors and all the boys did this morning was to lie around the cantonment and talk about school. At noon we all had mess together and we did nothing until 3:00 p.m. when Bruning went down town and sent a cable to my Dad for me, asking him to send me Two Hundred dollars. I went down to the Y.M.C.A. about 3:15 and hung around until about 4:00, got tired and came back to the barracks where I went to sleep until evening mess time. We did not have a very good evening mess so [Rudolph] Dellinger and I went out of camp and got some bacon, potatoes and eggs, and then went over to the library where we sat down and wrote some letters. March 11, 1919:—-Breakfast is always the same old stuff, oatmeal, bacon, bread and coffee. After the morning meal I took a good wash and shave and the bunch of us sat around the fire the rest of the morning. The noon meal is always a pretty fair meal but we never have any coffee with it. Dur- ing the afternoon we sat around the fire again, one can never go outside and enjoy the air because I have never seen a day that it does not rain. This country is like the Nile country and I suppose this is their flood time. For supper we always have the same—bread, tomatoes, coffee and sometimes sugar, avery poor meal. At 5:00 [Rudolph] Dellinger, Bill [William H. Bruning] and I went down to a café and got some potatoes, bread, bacon, cakes, eggs and tea. All men who are going to be sent out to the different British Universities are here now A SERGEANT’S DIARY 283 and there are about seventeen hundred in all. The bulletin boards always have announcements on them calling different fellows up for conferences. We are also getting a small cloth- ing issue but nothing to speak of. March 12, 1919:—I got up in time for breakfast this morn- ing but when I started over to the mess shack I wished that I had stayed in bed. It had been raining and snowing all night long and this morning the slush is a good three inches deep. All the fellows are staying inside as the weather is so miser- able. All morning we sat around the barracks with nothing to do. At noon we went over to noon mess and then came back and lay around until 2:30 when Dellinger and I decided that we would go down town. Immediately after arriving down town we went to the Court theatre where we bought tickets for the evening show. After we had eaten we went out and walked around town for a little while and then went to the Court theatre where we saw “Naughty Wife’ which was really pretty fair. Here in this country the cry is always ‘keep to the left’, street cars, automobiles, wagons and every- thing, and Dellinger and I about broke our necks two or three times getting out of the way of the right. The town is lively enough and there are some very pretty sights in it but it is the dirtiest, blackest place I have ever seen. March 138, 1919 :—When we got up this morning the sun was shining bright and it seemed to put new spirit into the fellows. We ate breakfast, cleaned up the cantonment and then I started to run all over camp to find the Lieutenant that I was supposed to have my conference with. I could not find him so I came back to the cantonment and lay around until noon mess time. Just after noon mess I got an order to report down to the adjutant’s office and when I got there I found out that the Lieutenant I was looking for wished to speak to me. We talked over the possibilities of a Geology course and I found that I would probably go to Edinburgh University. The sun has been shining all day long and when I got back, Bill Dellinger and I took a camera and went down town. We went down to the pier and all along the water front and the elevated and through the town and took pictures. Bruning then left us to meet a friend [Paul Grafe] of his who is here from Terre Haute, and is in this school detachment; Dellinger and 284 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS I went up town and got some tickets for the Empire Vaude- ville show. We then went down to the Bear Café and had a very fine supper. On our way back to the town some of our esteemed ?? M.P.s tried to chase me home for having high shoes on, but I slipped into the show and got by with it in reg- ular style. The show started at 6:30 and the thing was one of the most crude I have ever seen. When the show was over we went to a tea room where we had something to eat and then came home. I went to bed with one of the worst headaches I have ever had, but the day had been very pleasant. March 14, 1919:—I got up in time for breakfast this morn- ing and without a headache. We signed the pay roll a few days ago and we will get our pay at 3:00 this afternoon. Some of the boys have been assigned to different schools but ‘Bill’ and I are just waiting. After the noon mess I went up to a small American Express office here in camp and found out that my money was at the down town office waiting for me. I could not go down after it as we were to be paid at 3:00 P.M. and I am going to stick around for that. March 15, 1919:—This morning I went down town and got the money that was awaiting me from home. I then came back to the camp and paid Bill some money that I owed him and loaned him some besides. By then it was nearly dinner time so we went to the mess hall and ate. After dinner Paul Grafe, Bill’s friend from Terre Haute, came into the canton- ment and we went down town. Before we went I put a pair of wraps over my high shoes so that the M.P.s would not try to chase me home again. Bill and I went down to the Bear’s Paw and started on a real meal. We tried to get tickets to the “Little Minister” but all the seats were taken so we wan- dered around town and finally went to see Charlie Chaplin in “Shoulder Arms’”’. March 16, 1919:—All assignments are made and are being posted as rapidly as the boys can be gotten out of camp. Many of the boys from our cantonment have already started for Lon- don and Birmingham. During the morning we sat around the fire and talked and every once in a while we ran out and looked at the bulletin board. At noon we all went to the camp mess hall and for a wonder we had a real meal. We did nothing the rest of the afternoon until 5:00 P.M. when Dellinger and I A SERGEANT’S DIARY 285 went down town. We immediately went to the Y.M.C.A. in Lord street and got something to eat and then we tried to get tickets to “Soldier Boy” but the house was sold out. March 17, 1919:—This morning the mess system was changed and now we can not eat until we have fourteen men at the table. The weather is dark and cloudy today. During » the morning, Fields, one of the boys in the cantonment went down town and got tickets for “Soldier Boy’, the rest of us hung around the cantonment until noon mess time and went to the rotten meal for the want of something to do. At 12:45 we, or rather our cantonment, had to furnish a detail to go to Camp 10 and report at the baggage room. I took our detail of men over and when we got there I found out that we were supposed to help load officers’ baggage, so I immediately told the men to tear out and we all left. No hustling baggage for officers now, the war is over. We immediately went over to Camp 40 and got our shot for the “flu”, no one can leave the camp now without a shot in the arm. We went to the Royal Court Theatre tonight and saw “Soldier Boy” and it was a pretty fair show but about as slow as the usual “English Character’. My arm has not gotten sore at all thus far and I am certainly glad of it. March 18, 1919:—F ive men had to go on K.P. from our can- tonment this morning and quite a few of us got up for break- fast. After mess we cleaned up the barracks and then sat down by the fire; about 10:00 A.M. [Paul] Grafe came in and Bill, Grafe and I piled under the covers and stayed there until noon mess time. We ate noon mess in a hurry and having nothing more to occupy our time we again crawled in bed; there we stayed until 4:45. Then all of us got up and went down town; it has been raining all day long and is very mis- erable out doors. We went directly to the Y.M.C.A. where we got something to eat and then we went to a picture show where we saw Charlie Chaplin in “The Show” and “The Scandal’. Most of the boys from the camp have already gone to school and we hear that our departure list was supposed to be up today, it was not, so I suppose we will leave tomorrow some time. March 19, 1919 :—When we got up in time for breakfast this morning it was rainy, snowy and very miserable outside. For 286 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS a supposedly good country this is a h of a place I must say. After breakfast I took a good wash and shave and then some of the boys had to go out on a detail, but I slipped it and now I have nothing to do. [William H.] Bruning, [Chester A.] Miles and [Paul] Grafe leave tonight. Bruning goes to Edin- burgh, and Miles and Grafe go to Glasgow. At 5:00 [Rudolph] Dellinger and a few more of us went down to a cafe and had a big meal; the boys are leaving camp very fast now and it will probably be but a short while before they are all gone. March 20, 1919:—We got up this morning greeted by the usual Liverpool weather, rain and snow; we immediately ate breakfast and cleaned up the barracks. We lay around until noon when a departure list came including our names and we immediately gave the barracks its last and final cleaning and started preparing to leave. We turned in blankets and then went over to the Y.M.C.A. and drank chocolate until 4:00 P.M. when we received our traveling orders. You will notice that before leaving on any kind of a trip we always eat all we can hold because we can never tell just when and where we are going to get our next meal. I then came back to the barracks, cleaned up a bit, put our baggage in the baggage room and then went down town. Dellinger and I immediately went to the Bear’s Paw where we ate another meal and then we went to a picture show. About 11:00 P.M. we came back to the station and saw that our baggage was put on the train. Del- linger and the rest of the boys go to Edinburgh and [Ben L.] Long and I go to Glasgow; we are all on the same train. We all climbed on the train at the last moment and pulled out of Liverpool at 12:45. I hope I never see this rotten hole again during my short life. March 21, 1919:—We rode first class passage alright but England’s first class passage is like that of France, good, just about good enough for our nicest aristocratic cattle! We had to make a wild scramble at a place by the name of Wigan where the Edinburgh boys caught a different train when we changed as they go in a different direction. We had to sepa- rate all of our baggage, take it down on the elevator at the track we were on, load it on a small truck, run it underground about four or five tracks, bring it up on another elevator, pile it into the right train and no one knew which was the right A SERGEANT’S DIARY 287 train, pile on ourselves, take a long breath and then we were ready to start. After the fray I looked out of the car window to make sure old Ben Long was not lost in the shuffle and I really lost my breath; there was Ben Long looking out of a car window of the Edinburgh train. I called and motioned for him and he did the same to me. Finally I convinced him that he was on the wrong train and he had to get his baggage out of that train and get it on our train on the run. When we were all settled I began to breathe easy and I slept sitting up all the rest of the way to Glasgow; however, every time I woke up I could hear Ben trying to regain what breath he had lost in the station at Wigan. The rest of the ride was very rough and tiresome but we slept most all the way. We arrived at Glasgow at 8:30 p.m. and went directly up to the Y.M.C.A. where I was to meet Paul Grafe. There I met the head of the *Y’ here in Glasgow, Mr. Jordan, later known as ‘Pop’ Jordan, and he knew Uncle George Borst very well as he was from Colorado Springs. At the ‘Y’ we met Miles and Grafe, had breakfast in the ‘Y’ dining room and signed up for a week’s board there in the ‘Y’. Grafe in the meantime had been scout- ing around and had a good hotel run by the Rotary Club in view, sO we went over and talked the proposition over. We took a double room, so did Miles and Long. Long and I had checked our baggage at the station, so down to the station we went, got our baggage, and came past the ‘Y’ for Grafe and Miles. After the rickety old one horse cab of a taxi that we had hired to take us and our junk to the Grand Hotel had broken down, in the middle of the car track and scattered our baggage all over the southern end of Glasgow, we arrived at the hotel. The hotel is a very nice one with all of the con- veniences one could wish for so after we were fully organized we washed up and then sat down to write a few letters home to the people. At 2:00 P.M. we went back over to the Y.M.C.A. where we got the ‘dope’ on the school from the Captain in charge of all the American University men here in Glasgow. From there Grafe and I wandered around over the town and I must say that I believe I will be very well satisfied with it, it is very clean, large, busy and pleasant. We bought tickets to the theatre and then went back to the hotel where we sat down and wrote some more letters. At 6:30 we ate our evening meal, it was pretty good, both noon and evening meal 288 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS costs one shilling and six pence each and they are not at all bad. After we had eaten we sat around in the lounging room for a while and then went down to a vaudeville show and it certain- ly was about the rottenest thing I have seen for a long while. When we got back to the hotel there was a big dance going on and it was one of the Scotch swell affairs. The Rotary Club controls the rates here in this hotel for any sol- diers who may happen to stop and I will say they are very reasonable. We got in bed about 11:00 P.M., and between white sheets at that. March 22, 1919:—Graves and I did not get up until 8:00 this morning, ate breakfast and then went down town. The first place we stopped was a pipe store where we each bought a pipe to start in on. We then looked around the town a little more and finally went out to the University grounds. The buildings and grounds are certainly beautiful and a place that Glasgow can be proud of. The buildings are made of white stone, very massive and are all up on a big hill which over- looks the city. We tried to see the Professors of the courses we wished to take but they were both out so we came back to the hotel. At 3:00 P.M. about twenty-four of we fellows went to a dance that the girls of Glasgow gave for us. First we had sandwiches and cake and then the dance started. Say boy it was some dance! I can just remember seeing the boys out in the middle of the floor trying to do the Scottish fling and the Highland fling and all I could see was the soldier hands and hob-nailed shoes flying through the air. None of our boys broke a bone but they were ready for a good rub down when the end finally came and we all went home. Sev- eral intermissions were called and during each we had tea and cakes. The hall had very good floor and the boys got lots to eat but other than that I can not say. The dance had not broken up when I left about 11:00 P. M., but I was all in and could hold no more tea or cakes so I beat it. It seems to be an insult to leave before the thing is over, or at least pronounced about over, so I went into the fellows dressing room where I quietly opened the door leading to the outside, deposited my hat and coat on the steps and then went out through the hall and stepped through the main door as if going out to get a breath of fresh air. However it was not so much the fresh air A SERGEANT’S DIARY 289 that I wanted, but relief was the big item. From now on I will be familiar with Scotch dances. I caught a car for Charing Cross and felt a great deal better when I was safely on the street car bound for the hotel. I bought some oranges on the way home, went up to my room and sat down where I en- joyed three of them before going to bed. Our room had been cleaned and our beds made when I got there and I really feel like a civilian once more. It is now 12:00, and where Grafe is it is hard to say. 19—22902 . | CHAPTER XIV SCOTLAND March 23, 1919:—[Paul] Grafe and I did not get up this morning until 10:00 just in time to get in to breakfast at 10:30. After breakfast we went to the writing room and wrote letters until 1:15. We then went to the noon meal. After the meal was over [Benjamin L.] Long, Grafe and I took a long walk out to the west part of Glasgow and then came back on the car. It being Sunday the day seems very long and we can find hardly anything to do as nearly every store in Glasgow closes on Sunday, even the cigar stores. We took a little walk later on, and found an ice cream parlor open, we certainly did it justice too. We then came back to the hotel and wrote letters until 6:45 when we went down to supper. After the meal we took a walk down town, and to our surprise the streets were so crowded that we could hardly get by. We thought that something had happened but I asked a man who looked like he would want to enlighten us about his fair city and he told us that the people were just out for a walk. All of Glasgow was walking on the two main streets of the town. We came back to the hotel about 9:00. March 24, 1919 :—We got up at 8:00, and after we had eaten our breakfasts we started on a tour of the town to find a tailor who would “‘put us up” (a Scotch expression) a tailored suit for a reasonable price at least. It is very strange how money rules the world because we walked enough during the morn- ing for some rich tailor to give us a suit, but what we wanted was too high priced. At 10:30 we gave up all hope and went out to the University to see our Professors, same luck, not a Prof. back from the war yet! We then came back to the hotel where we washed and cleaned up for a dinner with Mr. Bert Heilbran who is a wholesale liquor dealer. Grafe and I met him through a little plan that we tried to work out. We were talking the situation over one day and we decided to go to see Mr. Heilbran who is a big man in the Rotary Club and see whether or not he could get us a job with some engineering firm since the school doesn’t seem to open up. Of course after (290) A SERGEANT’S DIARY 291 we had made his acquaintance he would not listen to the plan, just as we had hoped he would do. He talked to us for a while and then invited us to dine with him today. We went over to his place of business where he sat us down in his private office and talked to us for a little while. He then made us drink a Scotch highball and partake of some of his cigarettes. During the course of the conversation we told him of our hunt for a reasonable priced tailored suit and he immediately gave us a letter of introduction to a Mr. [Murray] Dewar who would be glad to help us out. After the meal which we had at the Rotary Club, Grafe and I took the car and went out to Mr. Dewar’s uniform manufacturing house; there we met Mr. Dewar and he showed some patterns and gave us prices on suits, the best we had so far seen. We looked the goods over and then came back to the hotel to talk it over. After our evening meal we went down to the Royal Theatre at 7:20 where we saw the “Maid of the East’’; [Chester A.] Miles had gotten tickets for that show a few days ago. It was a very good show, the best I have seen in the British Isles. On the way home we bought some oranges which we ate before going to bed. March 25, 1919:—After breakfast this A.M. we went down to Mr. Dewar’s to be measured for a suit. We got out there ‘about 10:00 and were measured up, after which he took us all over his firm and also told us all about his business. When the war started he had the largest uniform manufacturing house in Scotland and of course during the war his business grew and now he is well fixed. He then invited us to dine with him and attend a business meeting of the Rotary Club. We accepted and on the way down town he took us through St. George’s Square, the stock exchange, the prison, the stock yards and a few other interesting places. When we got to the Rotary Club we washed up and then went in to dinner; while there we met most of the members and [Paul] Grafe had to give them a little talk. They are certainly the most hospitable people I have yet come in contact with. We had a very fine meal and when we left the Club we went on over to the “Y”’ where there was supposed to be a meeting of the students; when we got there we found out that the meeting had been called off so we went out through the town to look at some shoes. We found out that most of the stores have a half hol- 292 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS iday on Monday so we went back to the hotel and wrote letters. We are getting invitations to all kinds of dinners and we can’t take half of them in so we are picking out the best ones and letting it go at that. After I had finished writing I took one of the big chairs and went to sleep. Old Grafe slipped off and had a date so I went down to supper alone. I then sat around in front of the fire until about 9:00 and then went to bed. March 26, 1919:—After breakfast Grafe and I went out to the University where we saw General Cormac who is the head of the Engineering Department of the University. I found out that there are no courses in Geology offered during this last term. We then came back to the hotel where we had our noon meal and then I went along with Grafe to order a new Stetson campaign hat. From there I went over to the Walk- over shoe shop and bought a new pair of shoes. I also had some pictures at a kodak shop being developed and printed and we went over and got them, they were very good. We went from there over to the ‘Y’ where Grafe got a book to read. Last night two Canadian soldiers tried to rob one of the American boys here in this hotel but he caught them at it and lost nothing. They got away from the Yank, as the Scotch call us, and he was the only one up on the fourth floor at the time. March 27, 1919:—This morning we slept until 8:30 and Grafe missed his 9:00 A.M. class. After we had eaten break- fast we went down to a shoe shop where I had rubber soles put on my new shoes and left my high ones to be repaired. From there we went out to Mr. Dewar’s to have our suits fitted. Only my blouse was ready. On the way through town we bought tickets for the Alhambra. At 6:30 we ate our dinners at the hotel and then sat down to wait for Mr. De- war, who we took to the show with us. When he came he sat around for a little while and then went down to the show where we saw a regular American vaudeville show which was really very good. March 28, 1919:—At 8:00 A.M. we got up and after eating breakfast Grafe went to a 9:00 o’clock lecture at the Univer- sity. I took a few pictures this morning while I was out. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 293 After we had eaten I went out to the University with [Ches- ter A.] Miles and [Benjamin L.] Long to attend a lecture on Economics. When we got back to the hotel there was a letter there from [William H.] Bruning waiting for me and Grafe meocone from’ [¥.-.% Js. ] Burgess. He is in London and is coming up tonight so we are going to meet him at the sta- tion at 7:30. We sat around the hotel for a while and then washed up and went down town. First we found the St. Enoch station and then went back to the ‘Y’ where we ate our evening meal. After eating we went down to the station but missed the train by about five minutes. We immediately came back to the ‘Y’ to wait for him and it was not long before he came trotting in. March 29, 1919:—The weather has been bright and sun- shiny for the past few days but it has been cold nevertheless. At the ‘Y’ we filled out vouchers for commutation of rations for our trip, gave over two copies of our traveling orders and then came back to the hotel. The three of us then went over to the ‘Y’ where we had our dinner and then we went to a good picture show. After the show Grafe and Burgess went back to the ‘Y’ to a dance but I was not feeling so well so I went on back to the hotel. Going home I noticed a very peculiar characteristic about the city of Glasgow, all of the people come out to walk during the evening and they all stay on one side of the street, one can hardly get by. The street cars are all double deckers and the boys in uniform ride for one half penny. I got back to the hotel and then paid our bill which cost us two pounds and four shillings for eleven nights. March 30, 1919 :—Last night at 12:00 the ‘boobs’ turned the time up one hour and this morning we did not get up until 10:00. We sat around talking and smoking until noon time and immediately after we had eaten we went out to the Glas- gow University Art Galleries. There we stayed until 4:30 and then came back to the hotel. March 31, 1919:—After breakfast I went down to the Walkover shoe shop to see whether or not they had repaired my shoes. They were not done so I took a walk all over town hunting for pipe cleaners. I could not find any so I came back to the hotel and read until 1:00. After lunch I went out 294 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS to the University to a lecture. I got back to the hotel about 3:30, sat down and finished my book and then the three of us went over to the ‘Y’ for dinner. From there we went up to the Picture House, one of the prettiest picture shows I have ever seen. I have received only one letter all this month. April 1, 1919:—-We went to the Rotary Club today with Mr. [Albert] Heilbran for dinner. Mr. Bransby Williams was there, he is the great Dickens impersonator, he gave a little talk and then we had a fine meal. After the meal the three of us talked to Mr. Williams for quite a while. From the Rotary Club we went over to the ‘Y’ where we wrote out a report of about seventy-five words concerning what we have been doing since we have been here. This report goes to the army. We also got some books out of the ‘Y’ library and then came home. I wrote up some class notes and then we went over to the ‘Y’ for dinner. When we got back to the hotel we got in our room and started to read. April 2, 1919:—I called for my shoes again this morning, but received the usual reply, “Not done’. I then went over to the Argyle Street terminal where I caught a car and went out to Mr. Dewar’s to have my suit fitted. Grafe and Burgess were on the same car so we all went out together. Mr. Heil- bran told Mr. Dewar to rush our suits so that we could go to the Rotary Club dance, but we told Mr. Dewar to take his time and consequently we are not going to the dance. We are glad the suits will not be done in time because we do not want to go to the dance. After our suits had been fitted Mr. Dewar walked in to town with us and on the way in we passed the stock exchange and it was a stock day so we stopped a few minutes to watch them. He also pointed out several other things of interest on the way in. Grafe got his first mail from France today. April 3, 1919 :—After our class this morning we went over to the Y.M.C.A. where a picture was taken of all of the Amer- ican soldiers now going to Glasgow University. After lunch we three went to a picture show and then I went over to tell Mr. Heilbran that we would not be at the dance tonight. When I told Mr. Heilbran that our suits would not be finished he told me that he had just finished talking to Mr. Dewar and A SERGEANT’S DIARY 295 he had told him to rush the suits. That got me pretty well ‘peeved’ so I went back to the hotel where I phoned Mr. De- war and told him to take all the time he wanted on those suits. Mr. Dewar also sent me some books on the History of Scotland which are very good and will help me a great deal in my study. The three of us then went over to the ‘Y’ for dinner and then to a picture show. After we got home and ready for bed Grafe and I had a little wrestling match and then Burgess and Grafe went to bed. I sat up until 12:00 and read ‘Mary Queen of Scots’’. April 4, 1919:—Just as I was leaving my room this after- neon Burgess came up the stairs with thirty-four letters for me that had been forwarded to me from Germany. I sat down and read letters until 1:45 and then ‘beat it’ out to the Uni- versity. At 3:00 P.M. when the class was over I came di- rectly back to the hotel and sat down and read letters until 5:45. After the meal we went to a picture show and then back to the hotel. April 5, 1919:—I spent the entire morning writing letters, did not finish until 1:00 P.M. About four o’clock this after- noon we met Mr. Dewar and went to his home with him for a dinner. We were taken to the Dewar home by Mongo the oldest brother and Ernest the younger brother and there we met Mr. and Mrs. Dewar, Mary Dewar, a daughter of about twelve or thirteen, Mr. and Mrs. Stokes (Mr. Stokes is a judge from the eastern part of Scotland), Mrs. MacQueen, a friend of the Dewars and Miss Collins, a friend of Mongo’s I think. The first thing we did was to have a drink and then we sat down to smoke. We then went into the drawing room, a very beautiful home they have, where we heard some music. About 4:30 we went down to a tea, but really it was a very fine meal. After the tea the younger son and daughter put on their kilts and did some very pretty dancing for us. The Highland fling was about the prettiest one of the lot. During the rest of the evening we had a very interesting musical pro- gram and about 9:00 we went down to the real dinner. It certainly was a peach, everything one could think of includ- ing plenty of drinks, smokes and pastries. After the dinner we went again up into their drawing room where we heard a great many good old Scotch stories, and also saw how Mr. 296 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS Dewar learned to dance out in the dusty road, bare legged, in kilts with the girls of Perth. At 12:00 they sent us home in a taxi. April 6, 1919:—Burgess went home yesterday morning and slipped us a box of cigars before he left. Grafe and I have moved from room 114 to room 150, a very much better room. After we had fixed and straightened up the room I went down to write some letters. April 7, 1919:—After breakfast we took our laundry down, and then went over to the ‘Y’ to see if there was not some ‘dope’ on pay, but there was none. I had nothing at all to do so I sat around and read Scotch history until 2:30, and then I went out to the University tomy 3o’clockclass. After class I ‘bummed’ around town and about 5:00 I went over to the ‘Y’ where I met Grafe and we had dinner together. Today has been a wonderful spring day and everyone seems to have the spring fever. April 8, 1919:—-When Grafe came from his class this morn- ing we both went out to Dewars to try on our suits. They are coming along very nicely and we have to go back tomor- row. After lunch we went to a picture show and when we got back to the hotel there were four letters waiting for me. I wrote letters until 5:00 P.M. and then went out for a walk while Grafe slept. April 9, 1919 :—We went out to Mr. Dewars this A.M. where we tried on our suits, they are sure looking fine and we will get them Friday. After dinner at the ‘Y’ we carried out our usual program and went to a show. We got back to the hotel about 9:00 and there is a dance going here tonight. We are now going to bed and we can hear the music very well. It certainly sounds good. April 10, 1919:—We got up at 9:00 this morning when we heard some one knocking on our door. Sgt. [William R.] Mann who had been with us at Liverpool, and is going to Edinburgh now, had been on some agricultural trips through the Southern part of Scotland and stopped in to see us. He is going back to Edinburgh tomorrow. No mail today. I made a little account book tonight to keep track of what I spend A SERGEANT’S DIARY 297 and try to save the two hundred dollars I cabled home for. About 7:30 as we were sitting there wondering what to do Mr. Mongo Dewar came in and we spent a pleasant evening hearing about some of his naval experiences. He stayed until _ 9:30 and then Grafe and I ate our oranges and cakes and went to bed. April 11, 1919:—We went out to Mr. Dewars this morning and got our suits. Mongo Dewar came in to town on the car with us; we stopped off and bought a couple of coat hangers before going back to the hotel. At 1:00 I ate my lunch and then went out to class. When I got back to the hotel we both put on our good suits and went out to Mr. Dewars for dinner. There we sat around and played cards, smoked and drank until 9:00 when we had another tea and about 12:00 we came back to the hotel. There is a dance here at the hotel to- night and we are letting the music put us to sleep. April 12, 1919:—After we had eaten our breakfast this morning Grafe went out to find some pipe cleaners while I re-arranged the hooks in our closet. After dinner we went to another picture show and from the picture show to the ‘Y’ again where they were having a dance. We stayed there until 11:00 and had a very good time. April 13, 1919:—At 11:00 today all the American men of the student detachment were paid. Grafe and I then went back to the hotel where we sat down to figure out how much money we could save. The day has been a very pleasant one as far as weather is concerned, but Glasgow is surely a dead place on Sunday. April 14, 1919 :—While down town this morning I bought a copy of Edgar Allen Poe’s tales and a wrist identification tag which I will get Wednesday after it is engraved. Grafe bought some pipe tobacco and then we went back to the hotel. I received a letter from Aunt Elizabeth Borst this morning, one of the first from the United States I have received. It came over in eleven days. I immediately sat down and an- swered it and then sat down to read some from Poe. After I had started to read [Rudolph] Dellinger and [.......... ] Hughes came in from Edinburgh, they were on their way to Ireland. We sat around and talked for a while and at 6:30 298 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS went down to dinner. After the dinner we went down to the New Savoy where we saw a good picture. The New Savoy is one of the best picture show houses I have been in (about like the Circle in Indianapolis). We then took the boys down to St. Enoch station but found that their train left from the Central Station. We put them on the train and came back to the hotel. I read a little Poe and then went to bed. April 15, 1919:—We went out to Mr. Dewars tonight, and he warned us that we were not taking advantage of his home the way he wanted us to. There we talked, smoked and drank and played cards and about 9:00 we had a very nice little meal. Ernest and Mary Dewar, along with a little Belgian girl whose father had been killed during the war, walked back to the hotel with us. April 16, 1919:—I spent some time this morning in the lounging room reading my copy of Poe. There was no mail so [Paul] Grafe decided to go to Edinburgh. He left at 2:05, and I went down town where I bought a pair of gloves, got my identification tag, some fruit and came back to the hotel. At 5:00 I cleaned up, had my dinner and then went on a date with a little Scotch girl I had met through Mongo Dewar. We went to a picture show and then to a tea room and I had a very pleasant evening. April 17, 1919:—Grafe is still in Edinburgh. I bought two seats this morning for a show next Wednesday at the King’s Theatre. When I got back to the hotel tonight a dance was going on so I decided to stay up and read and listen to the music for a while. I went over to the room in which [Chester A.] Miles and [Benjamin L.] Long live and there I found Miles all alone reading. April 18, 1919:—Burgess sent us some tobacco today from London but we have had no mail from the States yet. Dur- ing the rest of the morning we sat around smoking and talk- ing. About 2:00 p.m. we went to a picture show and then came back to the hotel again and read. Mr. Dewar called me up and wants us to go out in his machine with him tomorrow. The day has been a very fine one, but is very lonesome as there is nothing at all to do. April 19, 1919:—Grafe and I each bought a new 8B pipe A SERGEANT’S DIARY 299 this morning. At 2:00 P.M. Grafe went out and refereed a Navy-Army basket-ball game. He got home about 5:00. After dinner we went to a picture show. After the show we went down to the ‘Y’ dance where they served peaches and ice cream and we had a very good time. April 20, 1919:—Easter! We did not get up until 10:00 and as we were hurrying down to breakfast we met [Rudolph] Dellinger, Hughes and Bond who had just gotten back from Ireland. I gave them the key to our room and when we had finished eating we came up and sat around with them. I dressed to go out to Mr. Dewars and Grafe and I got out there in time for a very fine Easter dinner and then after we had talked for a little while we took a long walk through the Botanical Gardens and all over the northern part of Glasgow. We got back to Dewar’s home about 5:30; had some tea and cake and then came back to the hotel. We then washed up a little, took a walk down through town and over to the ‘Y’ and then back to the hotel. April 21, 1919:—About 11:00 this morning I received mail from home and immediately went down to the lounging room where I sat down to answer my letters. No stores are open today as they have declared it an Easter Holiday. The day is very pleasant, warm and just like spring. After dinner we went to a picture show and when we got back to the hotel there was a dance going on. April 22, 1919:—At 12:00 today we met the Heilbran brothers and went with them to the Rotary Club where we heard Mr. Dewar’s opening speech as President of the Rotary Club. We got away from there about 2:00 p.m. and I went over to the Camera Shop where I ordered a leather case for my camera. Grafe and I then went over to the ‘Y’ for a few minutes, then to a picture show and then back to the hotel. We have some tickets for the second show at the Alhambra tonight. We went up to the Cranston Tea House where we got a table and sat down to a cup of tea and a smoke. While we were sitting there a little Jew came over and sat down with us. He was from the States and told us all about himself; he is in the fur business over here and wears a couple of dia- monds big enough to belong in the King’s Crown. Before we left he had invited us to dine with him next Saturday. 300 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS April 28, 1919:—I got up at 8:00 a.m. this morning and after I had eaten breakfast [Chester A.] Miles and [Benjamin L.] Long and I went out to the University to try to sign up. We got very little information but did find out when we would start our classes. I stayed only long enough to report for roll call this evening and then I left as I had a date with a little Scotch girl by the name of Barbara Wilson. After I had met her I went over to the cable office where I sent a cable home to mother for her birthday. From there I took the girl over to the Brown’s Tea House where we had a very nice little din- ner. From there we went up to the New Savoy Tea House where we got a table and a comfortable place and played around until 7:00 p.m. We then went over to the King’s Theatre where I had reserved seats and saw a very good show. After the show I took her to the train as she lives five or six miles out of Glasgow and then came back to the hotel. There I found Miles with a whole box of lemon pie that he had gotten from the ‘Y’ and I certainly sat down and ate. Grafe came home about 11:00. Mr. Heilbran had taken him to some athletic club and given him and also myself a membership. It has a very good swimming pool in it and I think we will at- tend a great deal. April 24, 1919:—This morning we got a list of all the American students here at Glasgow and took it over to Mr. Heilbran. The Rotary Club is going to give a smoker for all of the boys and that is what he wanted the list for. We then went down after my new leather camera case but it was not in yet so we went to the Glasgow City Hall, to the food con- trollers office, where we got a sugar ration book. It is getting very hard to get sugar here now and so we are going to be on the safe side. On the way back to the hotel I bought a sack of English walnuts and at 6:30 we went down to dinner. There is another dance here at the hotel tonight. April 25, 1919:—We got up at 9:00 a.m. and after eating breakfast Miles, Long, Grafe [Claude C.] Dunlop and I went out to the university and matriculated. From the university we caught a car and I came on down town and got the case for my camera. Grafe and I cleaned up and then went down and ate dinner before meeting our Jew friend, as we felt like he might not feed us all that we wanted. We then went to a A SERGEANT’S DIARY 301 picture show with him and then came home. Another dance here tonight! April 26, 1919:—I went down to the little Jew’s office at 6:00 and Grafe came at 6:30 and the little Jew then took us to dinner and also to the Cranston Tea House where we sat and talked for a while. We then went over to the ‘Y’ for a little while and then back to the Cranston Tea House where we sat around smoking and talking and listening to the music. The weather has been rather cold today; there was no mail. Dance here tonight! April 27, 1919:—It is very cold today and has been snow- ing ever since I got up. About 4:00 Grafe called Mr. Dewar and the result was that Mongo came up about 5:00. In the meantime Grafe and I had put on our good clothes and by 5:30 we were at the Dewar home. We sat around talking and smoking until 6:30 and then we had tea. At 9:00 we had a regular dinner and then Grafe and I came home. Dewars also told us that they were going to take us (Grafe and I) down to the Kyles of Bute for a week. April 28, 1919:—I got up at 9:00, went down to breakfast and while there I found out that there was a class in history that I should have attended but it is too late now. I went out to a 2:00 P.M. class in Economics and that was over by three. These Scotch classes are very peculiar, the old Professor comes in dressed in his cap and gown and the students all shuffle their feet as a means of applauding. During the class as the old Professor lectures he never asks a question, the students shuffle their feet for any good point that he happens to bring out. After the class I went over to the Arlington Bath and Athletic Club where I met Grafe and we went in swimming. The water was very cold but it was sure a treat. From there we went over to the ‘Y’ and handed in a report as to just what subjects we were taking, the number of hours work a day in the university we had, and the approximate date of the end of the course. There is another dance here tonight! April 29, 1919:—We got up about 9:00 and Grafe went out to a 10:00 class. At 11:00 I was out at the university at- tending a class in Scottish History and Literature. After 302 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS class I took a car and rode down as far as Argyle street where I met Mr. Dewar and went with him as his guest to the Ro- tary Club. There I met Major Vivian Henderson. After the dinner Grafe and Mongo went down town to play around but I hunted up a book store where I bought a loose leaf note- book for school. We went down to the Y.M.C.A. for dinner tonight. April 30, 1919:—This afternoon we met Mongo Dewar who brought us some extra copies of our travel orders, he had them made for us out at his plant. We then went up to the adjutant’s office where we made out our pay vouchers and attached two copies of our travel orders and then the three of us went to Danny Brown’s and had dinner. From there we went to the Empire Theatre and bought a box for the second show. We then went to the New Savoy to a picture show and then back to the Empire where we saw “‘Week End” which was pretty fair. May 1, 1919:—I attended a 10:00 class this morning. All afternoon I wrote up notes and about 5:00 I took a general clean up and put on my good clothes. At 6:30 Grafe and I ate our dinners and then went to the Theatre Royal where we saw “Merry England’. The show was good. When we got back to our room we noticed that Betty (our maid) had put up brand new curtains for us. May 2, 1919:—After class this morning I came back to the hotel and wrote up notes. I worked on them until 3:00. When I got back to the hotel the sun was shining so Grafe and I took our kodaks and took a few snaps. We immediately took the films down to have them developed and printed. On our way back we bought a big cake covered with icing and ate it all by ourselves. We went out to Dewars this evening, and spent a very delightful evening. We met quite a few more Scotch people, played some games and came home about 12:30. May 38, 1919:—Grafe and I about 1:00 today went over to the ‘Y’ where we met [Benjamin L.] Long and [Claude C.] Dunlop and we started out to Hampden Park to see the Inter- national Football game between Scotland and England. We caught the train to the game, at the Central station. When we got out to the park it was trying to rain and the game A SERGEANT’S DIARY 303 was delayed a little. The game was a very good one and I would judge about twenty thousand people saw it. The final score was England-4 and Scotland-3. I also took a few pic- tures of the game. When we returned we ate at the ‘Y’ and then Long and I walked up to the Empire Theatre where we booked seats for the ‘Passing Show”’. May 4, 1919:—The ‘snow’ is out this morning that we leave here some time between 5th and 15th day of July on the Mauritania from Liverpool and go directly home. After din- ner we took a long walk down town and did not get back to the hotel until about 8:00. The weather seems to be getting more and more like spring each day but there is not much to do to keep us busy. May 5, 1919:—I went out to the university for a 10:00 class this A.M. came back to the hotel and wrote up notes and was out to another class at 2:00. After class we played some base- ball and got back to the hotel about 6:00. Burgess sent us some more tobacco from London today, so we are “sitting pretty” again. May 6, 1919:—I received two letters from the States this morning which I immediately answered. I then went out to the university for a 10:00 class and then came back to the cleaners on Sauchiehall street where I had left my whip-cord pants to have them cleaned. After the show tonight I stopped in one of the down town stores and bought a few suits of pajamas, some light underwear and some socks. At 5:00 I cleaned up and then Mongo and Ernest Dewar came up and we all went to Danny Brown’s for dinner. We then went to a picture show and from the picture show to the Alhambra where we saw the “Bing Boys’”’. May 7, 1919:—I got up at 9:00 and got out to school for the 11 o’clock class. On my way back I stopped in the hotel where I got my whip-cord breeches and took them out to Dewar’s to have them altered. When I got back to the hotel there was more mail waiting for me. We then went over to the ‘Y’ where we received only our month’s pay and not pay for our travel expenses. [Paul] Grafe also got a box of candy from home which we promptly put away in great style. This afternoon I went out to a baseball practice as the boys (Amer- 304 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS ican) are organizing a team to play the different American teams at the different British Universities. May 8, 1919:—I got up and went to an 11 o’clock class and when I got back the mail man was there with a box from home for me but there was a pound and sixteen shillings duty on it. I told the mail man to take it back and hold the box until Monday. Grafe and I went up to the American Con- sulate to see about getting rid of the duty on the box. Then we had to go to the Customs collecting office but could have no luck. On the way to the Waterloo Post Office where we had been sent from the Customs collecting office we stopped in a pipe store and got two more 3B pipes apiece. The man we wanted to see at the Waterloo Post Office was not in so we came back to the hotel. At 5:00 I met Miss [Barbara] Wilson and we went to Danny Brown’s for dinner, then to the New Savoy Tea room where we sat around until 6:45 and then we went to the “Passing Show”. It was a very good show and we got out at about 9:00. We went to a picture show and then I put her on her train and came on home. May 9, 1919:—I went to an 11 o’clock class and when I re- turned to the hotel there was more mail waiting for me. After reading my mail I sat down and wrote up notes until time for my 2 o’clock class. After class I went to baseball practice and got back to the hotel about 6:00. May 10, 1919:—I took some cameos down to a jewelers this A.M. to have them made into pins and then went to the post office to see about my package. I then went over to the ‘Y’ where I got a check for rations only, met Grafe and then went out to Dewars. At 2:15 we were out on the university grounds where we played Edinburgh and were beaten. I pitched five innings. May 11, 1919:—I spent the morning writing up my school notes and also wrote a few letters. [Rudolph] Dellinger who had come over with Edinburgh’s ball team came in about 11:00, and at 1:00 we went down to lunch. After lunch Grafe and Dellinger took a walk and I spent most of my time writing letters and reviewing my school notes. May 12, 1919:—-I paid the pound and seventeen shillings on my box this morning as I knew it would contain tobacco and A SERGEANT’S DIARY 305 I wanted some real American tobacco as the English tobacco is not any good. Dellinger left at 11:30 and went back to Edinburgh and Grafe and I went out to Dewars where I got the whip-cord pants they had altered for me. On the way back Grafe stopped at the ‘Y’ and I stopped and bought some matches and underwear and then came on to the hotel. I went out to the university for a 2 o’clock class and from 3 :30 until 5:30 we practiced baseball. When I came back I wrote up school notes and at 6:45 went down to dinner. May 13, 1919:—I went to a 10 o’clock class this morning and after I got back I changed clothes and went down to the Rotary Club with Mongo Dewar for lunch. I then went out and bought a few more films for my kodak and then came back to the hotel and wrote up some more class notes. At 6:30 we had dinner and at 7:30 we went out to Mr. Heilbrans’s for the evening. Two of Mr. Heilbrans’s brothers who had been Colonels in the British Army in Egypt were there and they had some very interesting tales to tell. They gave us all the liquor we could hold and also a little feed. The leader of the Scottish Symphony Orchestra was there and he gave us some very fine selections on the violin. We also heard some good singing. For the feed we had sandwiches, cigars, cham- pagne and cigarettes and the evening was a very pleasant one. May 14, 1919:—After my 10 o’clock class this morning I walked back to the hotel because the weather is so fine today. I then sat down and wrote up notes until 2:00 and then I went to another class. Just before baseball practice I ate quite a few English walnuts, and playing so hard, I got pretty sick so I came back to the hotel early. May 15, 1919:—I got up at 8:00, went to a 10:00 class. After class I sat down to read a little mail that I received. I then wrote up notes until nearly 6:00. May 16, 1919:—I got up at 8:00, went to a class and then went out to Dewars after another pair of breeches they had fixed up for me. When I came back I sat down and wrote up some more notes. At 4:30 I went down to the Kodak shop where I got some pictures I had developed and then I met Grafe, Mongo, Ernest, Mary and Mr. and Mrs. Dewar and Mr. Henderson at the Central Station. At 5:05 we boarded a 20—22902 306 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS train and pulled out. We rode about fifteen miles along the Clyde River past all the ship building yards, and along a beautiful river valley until we arrived at Wemyss Bay. There we got off of the train and made a good connection with one of the Clyde River passenger boats “Lord of the Isles.” The trip down the Clyde was a very pleasant one and more inter- esting scenery could not be wished for. On the way down the river we stopped at Inneland, Toward Point, Craigmore, and finally we passed the little place where Harry Lauder has his estate. We could see it from the boat and a very pretty place it is too. We finally stopped at Rothesay where we all got off the boat. There we were met by a machine which Mr. Dewar had made arrangements for, and he took us about a five mile ride to Port Bannatyne at the Kyles of Bute Hydro. This Hydro is far up on a hill overlooking the port and is really a very fashionable summer resort. The buildings are very large containing a big dance floor, music rooms, dining rooms and many private rooms. The place was formerly the Queen Vic- toria Castle. There we washed up and had a very good dinner to start off with. We then sat around in the dance hall and watched them for a while until we got tired and then we men went out for a walk. We stayed out until it got dark and then we came back to our rooms where Mr. Dewar had a little pri- vate lunch fixed up for us. This place is the most beautiful I have ever seen, mountains as a background for Port Banna- tyne, the sides of which are filled with heather not yet in full bloom of purple, plenty of flowers of all kinds, wonderful white stone roads and everything as green as it can be. I took sev- eral pictures before the sun went down and before I leave this place I am going to take quite a few more. May 17, 1919:—We got up at 7:30 and took a nice little walk before breakfast which we had at 9:00. After the breakfast we all took our hats and started out, we walked the five miles along the Port Bannatyne water front until we came to Rothesay. All the way along, the bay is bounded with big high walls of concrete and the heavy blue waves pound against the walls like they are going to wash them away. The street car tracks run along at the top of the walls and on the other side of the street the giant big mills tower above so that the shadows are cast over the walls out into the bay itself. And as one leans on the iron fence at the top of the wall A SERGEANT’S DIARY 307 one can see what seems to be miles and miles of this high white wall with the bay waters always coming in big waves toward it. When we arrived in Rothesay which is the small shopping center for the tourists, and naturally lively, we looked all through the shop windows and bought some few articles that we needed. There is also a wonderful view from the little place as it is situated on the point of Rothesay Bay. We spent about an hour in the place and then Mr. Dewar took us up to the old Rothesay Castle which is now over nine hundred years old. It is surrounded by the original old moat that was used in by-gone years for protection, and we entered over the old draw bridge which is now made stationary for the sake of con- venience. The walls are about thirty feet high and most of them are still standing. In early days the castle had a com- manding view of Rothesay Bay but as its protection became more and more needless the people built around it until now it is entirely surrounded by private homes. The castle itself is still kept up and protected but in spite of the care it is fast going to decay and ruin. We went through the different rooms and the guide told us as we went along many historical facts connected with each and the castle as a whole. It cer- tainly is a very interesting place. We then took the car and went back to the Hydro where we washed and sat down to a good lunch. After lunch we went down to the pier where a motor boat was waiting for us. A party of twelve of us started out to go through the Kyles of Bute and more won- derful and impressive scenery I never hope to see. The nar- row necks of water that we passed through going through the Kyles are all marked with buoys so that the boats can keep the channel, and the mountains come down from cloudy tops to the very sides of our boat. Far up in the Kyles we went through the bay of Tighnabruich and also passed the won- derful little castle of Stevenson’s and many other pretty private residences. I also took several pictures on this trip and I cer- tainly hope they are good. Far up near the narrows of the Kyles we stopped and got out of the boat, had a little lunch and something to drink and then we again piled in and started home where we arrived about 6:30 just in time for dinner. After the meal I sat around in front of the Hydro talking to the people I had met and then I went into the dance hall and watched them dance for a little while. There are certainly a 308 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS bunch of mighty swell looking girls here, too. At 11:00 our party had a little lunch in our room and then I sat and talked to Mr. Dewar until about 1:00 when we went to bed. May 18, 1919:—We all got up about 8:45 and at 9:00 we had a nice breakfast. I then came out in the morning air and talked to Mr. Mitchell, a demobilized Scotch officer and Mr. and Mrs. McCrea for a long while. Mr. and Mrs. McCrea are very elderly people and are down here trying to get away from the thoughts of losing their two sons who were killed the day the Armistice was signed. The weather has been most won- derful since we have been down here, the bay is nice and blue and smooth and just full of small boats of all kinds. Itis a beautiful sight to see the boats here on the water because there are so many different kinds, yachts, motor boats, three masters and many others which, while dotting the bay certainly make a picture that one can hardly describe. At 1:00 we had a very nice lunch and then again at 2:00 we had tea. Mongo Dewar and I then started on a long walk down the railroad tracks and finally we came to a good road which we took as it was much easier walking. We walked about five miles around the hills and within sight of the Isles of Arran, Et- trick Bay, and Goatfell which is the second highest moun- tain in Scotland. At 8:00 we had a dinner and then went to the drawing room of the Hydro where we heard some very good music. Mongo and Ernest also put on some piano and . violin music. Mongo had on his best Scotch clothes, kilts and everything. After the music was over we all went out for a walk but it started to rain and we had to come back. At 11:00 all the lights go out so we had a little to eat in our room and then we all went to bed. May 19, 1919:—This morning when we got up it was pretty cold but the sun was shining and before the day was over it was very nice. The clouds were hanging all around the tops of the mountains and one could not see very far. After we had eaten breakfast we sat around in front for a while and then Mongo, Ernest, Mary, Mrs. Dewar and I took a little walk. We started out walking around the bay and before we even knew it we were far on the other side of the bay and could look across the water and see the old castles of the Hydro looming up far in the distance. While on the other side of A SERGEANT’S DIARY 509 the bay we went into a big woods and gathered some wild flowers and then I had to help Mongo gather some moss to pack the flowers in as he wanted to send them away. After lunch all of us went in to Rothesay and while I was there I met Miss [Barbara] Wilson who was also a “hollidaying”’ as they call an outing or a vacation. I played around Rothesay with her [Miss Wilson] all afternoon and then came back to the Hydro. Grafe went out motoring with some Scotch peo- ple that he met while down here. I have been taking several pictures and they certainly should be good ones. After the dinner we all went to one of the lounging rooms and sat around talking until about 10:45 and then we went to our room where we had a little to eat before going to bed. Since we have been here we have had plenty of music, fine weather and one won- derful time. May 20, 1919:—At 8:30 we got up, had breakfast and then started to get all of our junk together so that we could start back to Glasgow. After we were all through packing Mongo and I went out and gathered some fern roots for his mother. We then came back to the Hydro and washed up and then watched them play tennis for a little while. We had a little lunch at 11:45 and immediately went down to Rothesay Bay where we got on the boat and by 2:15 we were on our way to the city of Glasgow. About a two hour ride took us to Wemyss Bay, and from there we boarded the train which took us into Glasgow. At the station we helped the Dewars with their baggage and then caught a car and went up to the hotel. The first thing we did was to read the mail that had arrived during our absence. May 21, 1919:—We did not get up until 9:00 and had to hurry and get ready to leave on a little trip with old man Heil- bran. He had gone down to the station a we uth rea e could we went down to the Caledaqne ere we met ‘Pop’ Jordan the ‘Y’ man, Lieut. nes uy Mr. a ilbran. There we boarded a train and went out p Ibe t ck farm near Gartcosh. The farm was one of the most perfect and well kept places I have ever seen. On entering the yard to the house one had to look over bed after bed of flowers of all kinds. Roads branched off from everywhere and led to all parts of the farm, and they were all so nice and white that one 310 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS just felt like sitting down and playing in the middle of all of them. The house stood far back in the midst of all the flower beds and was a quaint old place with many little gables stick- ing up; the place was made of the old dark lime-stone. We first made ourselves known to the woman of the house and then the daughter took us through all the wonderful barns and showed us all the prize horses and cattle that were there. Most of the prize stock was in the southern part of England at a show; what they had left in the barns was better than any I have seen elsewhere. We then came into the house where we sat around talking and hearing many Scotch reci- tations from Miss Chapin. At noon we had a splendid meal with plenty to eat and drink and after we had finished we took a few pictures and then went over to Mont Ellen, an old home which I must say is now 1,000 years old and in a won- derful state. There we had tea and looked over some very old silverware and chinaware. At 4:40 we again caught the train and went back to Glasgow. [Paul] Grafe and I left the party there and went down to the Kodak shop where we got all the pictures we had taken while at Port Bannatyne. From there we came back to the hotel and at 6:30 we had dinner. At 7:45 we went down into the big banquet hall of the hotel where the Rotary Club is giving a smoker for the American students. Two Rotary Club men from the States were there and they both gave a talk. Mongo Dewar was dressed up in all of his kilts and gave us some good music. Several other stunts were pulled off by different members of the Rotary Club and the boys could not spend a cent. Drinks flowed freely and many of the boys dropped by the wayside. About 11:00 they served a big feed and then the party broke up. We had a very pleasant evening and got in bed about 1:30. CHAPTER XV TRAVEL OVER THE ISLES May 22, 1919:—I got up at 8:30, washed, had breakfast and then [Benjamin L.] Long and I went on a short shopping trip over the town. We finally landed at the ‘Y’ and there we found out that some of the boys, along with ‘Pop’ Jordan, were going on a little trip to Ireland. We immediately made arrangements to go along with them leaving at 9:00 P.M. to- night. Long and I then went over to the Central Station where we saw the British R.T.O. and got all the ‘dope’ from him that we could concerning our trip. We then came back to the ‘Y’ and filled out several blanks which are necessary be- fore leaving the university and went over to the hotel where we got our junk ready to leave. After eating, we went back over to the ‘Y’ where we met the rest of the fellows and we all started down to the pier where we will board a boat bound for Belfast. Glasgow is the farthest point up the Clyde River from which boats start out and the piers are only about four squares from the Y.M.C.A. Old ‘Pop’ Jordan had telephoned down to the piers for berths, so we all went to the office where we got our tickets for the same. We then boarded the H.M.S. Hound. All over the Isles one can see these letters, H.M.S. meaning “His Majesty’s Ship” or “His Majesty’s Shop” or “His Majesty’s Store” or His Majesty’s something. We went directly down into the dining room where we had a little tea and then we came up on deck to watch the boat pull out. It was still light when we left Glasgow and we stayed on deck all the way down the Clyde. It is now 12:30 and I think we are near Wemyss Bay. Iam going to bed and get some sleep. May 23, 1919:—I woke up about 4:30 and wanted to see whether or not we could see land, so I stuck my head out of a port hole just in time to get a face full of nice cold ocean water and it did not take me long to get it back in again. I got up and went to the wash room, cleaned up a little and when I was about finished in walked ‘Pop’ Jordan. I waited until he had washed up and then we both went out on the deck. The sun was out bright, but it was pretty cold so I took a few pictures (311) 312 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS and then went down into the lounging room of the boat. At 6:30 we all got up and went to breakfast, and at 9:00 we had pulled up to the pier at Belfast. We all got off the boat and went to the Royal Avenue Hotel where ‘Pop’ Jordan who takes care of the bunch made arrangements for the night. There we left our junk and went over to the Belfast ‘Y’ from where we are to start on a trip to the Giant Causeway in the north- ern part of Ireland. By the time we had gotten to the station it was 10:00, and we immediately boarded the train and pulled out for Portrush. At 12:30 we were in Portrush and from there we took automobiles to Kane’s Hotel at the southern end of the Giant Causeway. Between Portrush and Kane’s Hotel there is some very beautiful scenery as the road leads along the coast nearly all the way. We could see the beach all the way and the wide stretch of white sand certainly made a picture with the big waves rolling in upon them. We also passed the ruins of Duncluse Castle which is built on the cliffs near the edge of the water. At the hotel we sat down to a good meal and then the guides divided the party which was made up of Canadians, English, Australians and American sol- diers and nurses into about eight groups of ten in a group; then we started on the high cliff walk over the Giant Cause- way. We passed through some of the most wonderful coast scenery in the world and finally gained the top of the cliff walk which is fully five hundred feet above the water. The guides explained everything to us and I had my kodak along and of course took many pictures. May 24, 1919:—We all got up at 8:30, had breakfast and then went over to the ‘Y’ information booth to get the ‘dope’ on trains for Dublin. We found out that there was a train at 2:45 so we checked our baggage and went out for a walk. We went through the Belfast City Hall. Their City Hall can not be beaten, it is very big and has a big court yard on the in- side where they have a battery of captured German 77s stand- ing for the people to see. The people here in Belfast seem to have lots of life and the city is very, very clean. We got our train at the Great Northern Station and at 2:45 we pulled out. We went along the coast for a long way and also through some very beautiful scenery, everything seems to be so green and pleasant here. The weather has been fine and the sun has been shining all the way. At 5:45 we arrived in Dublin and é Po Nee : lh g Jat 7 és ; . . ‘ ea ‘, ; us oh aT bN 3 : =f 4 on, a ae A a | e x i a « ee yA AY oo abewe 4 « . eh Blarney Castle. The seven of us in our party kissed the Blarney Stone and were conducted through all parts of the Castle. Photograph by Elmer F. Straub. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 313 we got to see just a little of the town when we took jaunting carts and went through the main part of town to another sta- tion. The train pulled out for Cork at 7:30. We were on the train until 2:30 A.M. and when we got off the train we went immediately to the Metropole Hotel where ‘Pop’ Jordan had wired ahead for accommodations. We all went directly to bed. May 25, 1919:—After breakfast this A.M. we went out to see just how we could get to Killarney and the lakes, we could have no luck though since few trains run on Sunday. We played around until 11:00 and then caught a train going to Blarney. The train was one of those little narrow gauge, dinky trains, used on Sunday as an excursion train, and it took us until 1:00 to get there. The sun was not out and I was very much afraid that I would not get a picture of old Blarney Castle, but luck was with me and I got one that afterward proved to be a good one. We first stopped and had something to eat at the little inn near there and then we went over to the castle which was built in the 15th century. Of course there was none of the young fellows who failed to kiss the Blarney Stone but old ‘Pop’ Jordan being of a nervous nature anyway was a little afraid to make the hang. We en- tered the castle through a rusty old iron gate at a little door- way at the rear of the castle and from there passed through many winding stairways as we ascended. The old Blarney Stone is difficult to reach for one not used to exercise; it lies on the underneath side of the overhanging ledge at the very top of the castle and to get to it one must lie on one’s back, have someone to hold to the feet and then lower about three feet to the bottom of the outer ledge. The kiss is an ascending proposition. After we had all administered the kiss we looked around from the top of the castle and then came down. On reaching the bottom we ran into a bunch of Irish girls and fellows having a regular picnic. While we were watching them they extended us a most cordial invitation to join their games, and join we did. We took part in their games and partook of their food until about 4:00 when we went over to the little station of Blarney and at 4:35 we caught the train for Cork. We did not take the narrow gauge back to Cork but caught the regular train and by 5:00 we were in the station of the now historical city. We immediately went to dinner at the hotel and after we had finished eating we 314 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS took jaunting carts and went all over the town. We saw all of the principal places of interest including Queen’s College, Customs House, the big prison with its high walls and so much history connected with it; the river Lee and many other places. To top our ride off the drivers told us just where we could hear the bells of Shannon so we went up to the church and as luck would have it the old keeper was there and he took us to the top of the church and played several songs on the bells of Shannon for us. The rest of the evening we played around in front of the hotel. May 26, 1919:—We had to hurry for the 7:15 train this A.M. for Killarney but all of us made the grade. We had to change trains at Mallow and we got to Killarney about 10:05 A.M. We immediately got jaunting carts and took a seventeen mile drive into the mountains and lakes of Killarney. I count this day as the Red Letter Day of the two years I have been on this side of the water. The scenery is so very beautiful that I can never in words express the wonderfulness of it all. The lake scenery of Killarney is certainly the best I have seen in Ireland and Port Bannatyne Scotland can not compare with it. I took many pictures as the day was bright and sunshiny and the men we had driving our jaunting carts made the trip the best I have enjoyed so far. We first went through the flat country at the base of the mountains and at the half way point we stopped at a little cottage and bought some post cards and things to send home. We also took pictures of the bunch there and they certainly were good ones. On the way back our guides sung the typical Irish songs and their brogue put a touch in it that can never be duplicated unless under the same conditions. The flowers, trees and grass are the most beautiful I have ever seen and with a background of red lime stone the picture can not be adequately described. Also to my surprise among the trees we could see young does and old deer roaming leisurely about. When we got back we had our meal at the International Hotel, and the food—fresh mutton, but- ter, eggs, bread, milk, jam, great big biscuits, hot coffee and all that one could hold. We no more than finished our meal when one of the drivers of the jaunting carts came in to us with a big box of shamrock that he had heard some of us asking about. At 3:30 we caught the train back to Mallow, changed there and at 6:45 we were again in Dublin. ‘Pop’ A SERGEANT’S DIARY 315 Jordan had wired ahead for rooms in a Dublin hotel but since we left there has been a hotel strike called and we could get no rooms. Mr. Jordan said though that he thought he could fix things up, so while he was phoning we ordered a meal in the station hotel. However, he soon came back with the news that he could get no accommodations here and that we would go to the other station here in town and start for Belfast. We had but very little time so we canceled the order for the meal, got jaunting carts and went directly over to the other station. We went into the dining car where all passengers had already finished eating and with a little tip got the chefs to prepare some meal for us. We had plenty to eat and plenty to drink and rode the rest of the way to Belfast in the dining car. We arrived in Belfast at 10:15. We immediately went to the Royal Avenue Hotel but they were full, so old ‘Pop’ called the Ellington Hotel; they were full also so he called the Winton House where we got fixed up and were in bed by 11:30. I think that Belfast is a very, very good town and the most Americanized town I have been in on this side. May 27, 1919:—After breakfast this A.M. we went out to the ‘Y’ where we got the ‘dope’ on all of the spinning mills and then we all went out to the biggest mill in Belfast—the Bel- fast Spinning Mills. We went through the mill and saw many pieces of linen in the making. From there we came back to the Belfast City Hall where we sat around and watched the people until 2:00 P.M. Then we went to a tea house and had some lunch. After the lunch we were all treated to a ride over Belfast in jaunting carts by good old ‘Pop’ Jordan. We got back to the Thompson place in time to eat a good dinner, and then proceeded down toward the boat bound for Glasgow. We stayed above deck until after dark and then went down to bed. May 28, 1919:—‘Pop’ Jordan and I got up about 6:30 this morning and when we went out on deck, found the boat tied to one of the freight piers quite near Glasgow and the crew was unloading freight. We did not wait for them to go on up to the passenger pier which is about two miles up the river but we got off with what little junk we had, walked about three squares and caught a car to the Y.M.C.A. When I got back to the hotel there was some mail waiting for me. 316 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS May 29, 1919:—I wrote letters this morning and then played around the hotel all day long. About 4:00 P.M. I cleaned up and was just going to take a walk down town when in came. BondsanG ater ves cee oe ] Long (Ben Long’s brother). We went over to the ‘Y’ for dinner and the bunch of us went out to the Marlborough House where our student detachment is giving a big dance. The floor was wonderful, but I only danced one dance. We hung around until 2:00 A.M. when the dance broke up. May 30, 1919:—I got up at 9:00 and after breakfast I went out to Dewars after my cap but it was not done, so I came on in to the Kodak shop after my Irish pictures, but they were not done either. I had nothing to do so I went over to the ‘Y’ where Lieut. Webster gave me two suits of pajamas and some other supplies that the Red Cross had issued. At 2:00 P.M. our whole detachment went out to a grave yard where all the soldiers and sailors from the Tuscania are buried and there we held a military funeral service over all of their graves. May 31, 1919:—I got up at 9:00 and after I had eaten my breakfast I went out to the Dewar place after my cap; it was not done but I brought it in with me. Then I went out to find a tailor who I thought could fix my cap but I could find none. I wanted the cap so bad that I took it home and started on it myself. I went down to the linen room of the hotel and used the sewing machine and about 3:00 I got it finished. I then went out and got some gasoline and cleaned my shoes, coats, pants and everything else imaginable and played around until 5:00. June 1, 1919:—-Bond came over this A.M from Edinburgh and stayed with us all day and about 11:00 [Claude C.] Dun- lop and I went over to the Glasgow Cathedral and the Ne- cropolis and took some pictures. [Paul] Grafe went out to tea some place this afternoon and Bond and I stayed in all the afternoon. The weather has been fine and we are enjoying our loafing- very much. June 2, 1919:—During last evening [Chester A.] Miles and I decided to go to Stirling Castle so after we had been to the Kodak shop we went to the Buchanan Street station where at 10:35 we caught a train for Stirling. We were already A SERGEANT’S DIARY 317 sitting on the train waiting for it to pull out when they came around and told us that the train had been taken off the schedule and there would be none until 12:00. We came back to the hotel where I wrote some letters and then at 11:00 we started down to the station. It took only about an hour to go to Stirling and when we arrived there the first thing we did was to get some lunch. After we had eaten we went up through the town and up the winding steep road to the old castle. There we obtained a guide and with his assistance we saw and heard all about the castle, its history and all about its construction. We walked all around the walls of the place and saw many very pretty pictures from the top of it. The castle is in a very good state of preservation and is used at the present time as a barracks for Scotch soldiers. I took several pictures from the top of the place and then Miles and I went back down through the town and took the horse cars over to the Wallace monument. We caught the 3:35 train back to Glasglow. June 3, 1919:—I got up at 9:00, ate breakfast and went to a 10:00 class. During the afternoon I played around down town, got some new service chevrons and then went back to the hotel and wrote letters. At 6:30 [Claude C.] Dunlop and I went down to dinner and I spent the evening sewing on chevrons. June 4, 1919:—I got up at 8:00, took a shave, sewed on a chevron, ate breakfast and went to class from 10:00 until 12:00. After I came back I went over to the ‘Y’ a few minutes and then took some pictures over to the Kodak store. After dinner tonight I took a walk with Ben Long then came back to the ‘Y’, then to the hotel, and to bed. June 5, 1919:—We got up at 8:00 and Grafe made his 10:00 class while Bond [who came over last night] and I went to our breakfasts. We caught the 11:00 train for Ayr. On arriving at Ayr we went directly to the Burns Cottage or Burns’ birthplace and went all through it. We saw several things that were used by Burns; also the room he was born in and several other things. From there we went out to the Burns Monument, Burns Gardens, grave-yard in which his people are buried and the Brig-o-Doon. We then caught a car back into town where we saw the Tam-o-Shanter Inn, one 318 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS of Burns’ favorite loafing places, and we were going to eat a little feed in it but it was closed until 5:00 P. M. so I caught © the 4:25 train back to Glasgow. Bond stayed to catch a later train to Edinburgh. I stayed at the ‘Y’ for dinner, got an issue of cigarettes and then came to the hotel and went to bed. June 6, 1919:—When the crowd of twenty of us were all ready this A.M. we went over to the Queen Street station and caught the train for Aberfoyle. From Aberfoyle we started on a three-mile walk through the ‘‘Lady of the Lake” country. The first place of interest where we made a stop was on the top of a big hill overlooking many miles of country before us and looming up in the distance was big, stately Ben Lomond. We then went on down to a small creek where we made our next stop at the Brig-o-Turk. The rest of our three mile walk was through all of the historic old Rob Roy Country to the lower end of Loch Katrine. There we got very close to the old church from where the torch bearer started, and I got a good picture of it. I also took several other pictures in other places. At the lower end of the Loch we boarded a very beautiful little lake boat named “The Sir Walter Scott,” at 2:30 it pulled out. We first passed Ellen’s Isle and then went out into the open lake. The scenery is beautiful and we were on the deck of the little boat all the time. We were on the boat three-quarters of an hour and finally landed at the upper end of Loch Katrine at a little place named Stornachlacker. From there we walked five miles over the Trossack Mountains to Inversnaid. On the way I took several pictures of peat bogs but they were not good. At Inversnaid we saw the famous Upper and Lower falls. From there we took another boat on which we rode for an hour and three-quarters. Dur- ing this trip we made several stops and saw many of the inter- esting points including Ben Lomond, Ben Nevis, Ben Ledi, Loch Arde, Garloch, Luss, Loch Voil, Loch Earn and much more of the country that Sir Walter Scott wrote about. We got off the boat at Balloch and there got on the train to go back to Glasgow. We had our dinners on the boat. We got back into Glasgow at 7:30. June 7, 1919:—We were paid this A. M. I immediately changed ten pounds into American money. [Henry D.] Shenk and I then took a walk down to the Kodak shop after my Irish The Sir Walter Scott. At this place and on this boat we started our trip up Loch Katrine while on the lake trip. Photograph by Elmer F. Straub. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 319 pictures, but they were not finished. While in the New Savoy this P. M. we met a little Scotch lieutenant who could play all the latest American music so we went down to a piano store and played the piano for awhile. We then came back to the hotel and again at 7:00 we met the little lieutenant at the Grovesnor Grill room; then went over to the ‘Y’ dance. I danced nearly every dance until 11:00; came back to the hotel, ate some cheese sandwiches and went to bed. June 8, 1919:—During the morning I got some packages ready to send home, cleaned up the room, washed a few hand- kerchiefs and a shirt and then went to bed again. At 5:30 we went over to the ‘Y,’ had dinner and then played around in ‘Pop’ Jordan’s office for awhile. In the evening we took a walk down Renfield Street as far as Argyle street. Here the streets are spanned and covered by the Central Station and there is always a tough bunch of young Scotch hanging around looking for trouble. We went down among them to try to get a fight out of them but they wouldn’t start anything. June 9, 1919:—I got up at 9:00 and after I had eaten my breakfast I went over to the ‘Y’ and then Henderson and I went over after my Irish pictures but they were not yet done. We then went to several pipe stores and looked at some pipes. Mail from the States today brought me three letters. Grafe and I were both sitting in the room reading our mail when who should come in but [William H.] Bruning; we im- mediately went down and had lunch. After dinner we went to the Grovesnor where we got a few drinks and then to a picture show. June 10, 1919:—I went over to the Kodak shop this A. M. but the pictures were not yet finished. I then went to an 11:00 class and then back to the ‘Y’ and tried on a pair of shoes one of the lieutenants was going to give me to dance in, but they would not fit. I then collected my baseball clothes, went over to the hotel, put them on, then out to the university diamond where our team played Dublin; we got beat again. Capt. Bell pitched today’s game and I am supposed to pitch tomorrow’s. June 11, 1919:—I got up at 8:30, had breakfast and then went to a class. Bruning went back to Edinburgh this morning. 320 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS I stayed through my 10:00 class but came back to the hotel and did not attend my 11:00 class. I went after my pictures again but the same story, not yet done. I sure gave the old boy h and told him I wanted them the next time I came or there would be something doing. I then came back to the ‘Y’ and wrote a letter to the Customs and Excise office re- questing that a box that Aunt Lena Piel had sent me come through free of duty. We played our second ball game with Dublin today and beat them. | June .12, 1919 eephis morning I caught the 8:40 train for Edinburg. At the ‘Y’ I met [Rudolph] Dellinger, Hughes, Bond, [Wilbur R.] Mann, [William H.] Bruning and also ran into Grafe. We all stayed at the ‘SY’ for lunch and then Bruning and I took a walk out to the uni- versity. After we had looked around there for awhile we took a motor ride out to the Forth Bridge. I will say that the Firth of Forth Bridge is about the neatest, biggest bridge I have ever seen. We also saw the Edinburgh Castle from the outside but they say it holds no charms and is no different from any of the other castles on the inside, so did not go in. Edinburgh itself is a very beautiful place, clean and lively, but it has about the poorest tram or street car system I have ever seen. I wouldn’t give the city of Glasgow for ten Edin- burghs as far as life is concerned and I wouldn’t give our room at the Grand Hotel for one thousand rooms like Bruning’s and Dellinger’s. June 13, 1919:—After breakfast Bruning and I caught a car and came downtown. We stopped at the K. of C. place and there I ‘bummed’ the K. of C. man for enough cigarettes, chocolate, pipes and chewing tobacco for all the boys at Glas- gow. I immediately got a taxi and took my box to the station, checked it and got the train for Glasgow. I then came on over to the hotel where I got Aunt Lena’s box free of duty and then I sat down to label some pictures to send home. I also got my pictures from the Kodak shop and some Rainbows that I had made. June 14, 1919:—Grafe did not get up until 12:15 today, so we both went over to the ‘Y’ and had some lunch. Miss [Dorothy] Perry, [Waldo] Ripple and I then went out and A SERGEANT’S DIARY 321 bought some food to take on a picnic that we are going on tomorrow. June 15, 1919:—Grafe and I got up about 7:30 and went directly over to the ‘Y’ where we made the rounds awakening Miss Perry and all the fellows. When they had all gotten up and eaten breakfast we packed a‘big basket full of food and started out. We went out past Keppokkill Golf course to a pretty little spot near a creek, and there we had our little picnic. We took quite a few pictures and played around until noon when we built a fire and ate our food. ‘During the after- noon we played around and at 5:00 we came in. We then went over to the ‘Y’ to a concert given by the picture house orchestra; it was very good. All of the fellows are now won- dering when we will start home. June 16, 1919:—I answered some mail this morning that came in. At 4:00, after we had played around in the room all day Grafe and I went over to the ‘Y’ and from there we went to look for pipes. We went to about fifteen different stores and bought two pipes and then came back to the ‘Y’ and sat around the piano while Miss Perry played. At 8:00 Miss Perry, Grafe and I went to Cranston’s Picture House and saw the show. June 17, 1919:—We were through at 12:00 today. Miles, Grafe and I then took a walk downtown, but on Tuesday as on one of the other days of the week, most of the stores are closed. Grafe and Miles then took a walk up to the New Savoy and I went on over to the ‘Y’ where I played around until 6:00 when we had dinner. After supper this evening I took a walk up Renfield and over Sauchiehall street to the hotel. There I washed a few handkerchiefs and a pair of puttees and then went to bed. June 18, 1919:—We got up at 9:00 and after eating break- fast Grafe and I started out after pipes again. We got several and did some other shopping at the same time. After dinner ‘Pop’ Jordan, Grafe and I went to a picture show. It was no good at all so we left early and came back to the ‘Y’ where we all went down to the dance. I danced one dance, then came home and went to bed. June 19, 1919:—This morning we straightened up, cleaned 21—22902 322 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS clothes and then we both took our suits down to the linen room and pressed them. About 3 o’clock Grafe and I went down town and did some shopping and went to a picture show. After dinner, Grafe wrote some letters and I wrote a short essay for my course in Economics. We later went to Miles and Long’s room and tore it up. We hung pajamas and bed clothes on the chandeliers and emptied all the drawers out on the floor and then we came back to our room and went to bed. June 20, 1919:—We got up at the usual time and after we had eaten breakfast we went downtown where we engaged a taxi and ordered some flowers for tonight. Our student de- tachment is giving another dance at the Marlborough House tonight and we are taking three little American girls who live here in Glasgow. They are only kids but if we did not take them they would not get to go and they dance down at the ‘Y’ all the time, so Grafe and I decided to take them. We then stopped in at the ‘Y’ where we had to fill out some new sort of blanks and then we went back to the hotel. All afternoon we played around the hotel and about 5:00 Grafe went down after the flowers and I went over to the Kodak shop after some pictures. We then met down town and went to the Salon for dinner then came back to the hotel, got a box of candy for the girls’ mother and got our coats. We then took our taxi and went after the girls. The dance started at 8:00 P. M. and lasted until 2:00 A. M.; everyone seems to have had a very fine time. June 21, 1919:—During the morning I gave a pair of my shoes a coat of saddle soap, and cleaned up in general. I took Miss Courtney home from the dance tonight and then came back to the ‘Y’ and talked to ‘Pop’ Jordan for awhile. He sails on the 12th of July. June 22, 1919:—-I received some mail from the Customs and Excise office this A. M. saying they would refund my pound and seventeen shillings I paid as duty on the box that Dad sent me. I then saddle-soaped my shoes again and washed up a couple of pair of socks. We are afraid to send anything to the laundry any more because we are expecting to leave nearly any time from now on. June 23, 1919:—After I had read my mail this A. M. I went A SERGEANT’S DIARY 323 down to the linen room where I pressed my coat and a few handkerchiefs and then made some light collars to wear with my suit. When I got back to the room there were several letters and my battle clasps waiting me. I went down to the Parcel Post office this P. M. to try to get the duty refund that is due me but I could have no luck. I then went over to the *Y’ where I played around and had dinner. June 24, 1919 :—After class this morning I went over to the Customs Office again where I tried to get my refund but had no luck. I then went over to the ‘Y’ to see just what the bulle- tins had to say and I found out that we could not leave the town any more after June 25th, over twenty-four hours at a time. [Paul] Grafe and I went down to the Rotary Club where we saw Mr. Dewar who had come back up from Norfolk to see us for the last time before we leave. Mr. Dewar’s whole family is down at their summer home at Rosard Ringstead, their estate at Norfolk, England. On the way down to the Rotary Club I took a California girl to the train and also got a date with her for our next big dance. We got out to Mr. Dewar’s home where he took us after we had met him and there we had a regular lunch and talked until about 10:30 when we left and came back to the Rotary Club with Mr. De- war while he took care of some business. We again went out to Mr. Dewar’s home and there we stayed until 2:00 a.m. We thanked him very much for all he had done for us, promised to write him and then left and got in bed about 2:45. June 25, 1919:—I went up to see Henlore this A.M. and made arrangements for the dance tonight. My girl is going to stay with his girl tonight, and her home is very close to the Marlborough House so we will not have to have a taxi. I met Henlore at the ‘Y’ at 8:45 and we caught a car and went out for our girls. The dance was a ‘peach,’ the farewell dance given by the detachment and it was light when we started home. One nice thing about Glasgow in the summer time is that it stays light late, and never gets real dark during the night, and gets light very early in the morning. Fact is we can read a newspaper at our hotel window at 11:00 P. M. and by 3:00 A. M. it is again daylight. We walked home with our girls and then caught a special street car that the detachment had arranged for and I went back to the hotel. Bond 22—22902 324 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS was over from Edinburgh and he oe with us all night. When we got in bed it was 4:15. June 26, 1919:—We did not get up until 1:00 P. M. and then we washed and dressed and went over to the ‘Y’ canteen where we got ham, eggs, coffee, cakes and sausage for our meal. After the show I walked down to the Empire Theater with [Chester A.] Miles while he bought tickets for tomorrow night’s show; we then went back to the ‘Y’ where we hung around until 6.00 when we had dinner. June 27, 1919:—I played around the ‘Y’ this morning until 12:30, when I had lunch. Miles and I then went to an- other good picture show, and after the show we went back to the hotel, washed up and came over to the ‘Y’ for dinner. At 7:30 I had a date with Miss Courtney and while waiting for her met Miss [Barbara] Wilson and I made another date with her. We first went up to the Savoy Tea Room where we had something to eat and then we went to the second show at the Alhambra. The ‘snow’ is out that we go home in the very near future and that we go directly from here. June 28, 1919:—I did not get up until 11:00. I received a check for the one pound and seventeen shillings this morn- ing. After the meal the usual session gathered in ‘Pop’ Jor- dan’s office and we played around there until about 7:30 when I took charge of the mail office for awhile. When I had been relieved I went back in the hall and listened to one of the girls playing the piano. At 8:15 I went down stairs to the dance and there I stayed until 11:15 when I went into the canteen and had some eggs and sausage before going home to bed. June 29, 1919:—I got up just in time for breakfast this morning and after I had eaten I went over to the ‘Y’ where I took a few pictures. I had lunch there and then helped Lieut. — Anthony to try to get up another dance. One can always find plenty to do at the ‘Y’ as there are any num- ber of Scotch people who are there all the time to do anything they can to help the boys out. June 30, 1919:—I got up at 9:15, took a good wash and cleaned up and went over to the ‘Y’ to get a few more pictures of the ‘Y’ staff, etc. After lunch, Grafe and I went to a picture show. When we came back to the ‘Y’ we sat down and had A SERGEANT’S DIARY 325 some tea and cakes with some of the ‘Y’ girls (Scotch). I have a pretty bad cold and feel a little ‘bum.’ All of the boys, in fact everyone, even the ‘Y’ men are all ready to leave for home and we are all glad. Not because we do not like the place, but we are just getting enough and want a change— Home. July 1, 1919:—This morning I received a little mail. They had a real farewell party last night for [James?] Henderson who was unfortunate enough to have to go all the way back to his outfit which is still in Germany. Liquor did away with all of their sorrows. I took a walk over to the ‘Y’ to see what was doing and I found a sign up saying that we would be paid at 3:00 P. M. this afternoon but when Grafe and I went over later we saw a sign that we would not be paid until 10:30 tomorrow morning. At 4:45 I went down to the Cranston Lounging Room where I met Miss [Barbara] Wilson and we immediately went up to the dining room and had dinner. Then we went to the King’s Theater and saw “A Pair of Spectacles,” which was fair. I then took my girl down to the train and sat down with her until the train pulled out. Five fellows out of the detachment got orders to report back to their detach- ments in Germany and they leave tomorrow morning. July 2, 1919:—At 10:30 this A. M. we were paid. I called up Miss Wilson and got a date for tonight. Grafe and I then made up some more parcel post packages and sent them home. At 4:30 I met Grafe at Cranston’s and we went out and got some more pipes and then at 5:00 I met Miss Wilson and we went to the Cranston lunch room and had dinner. After the meal we went to the Cranston Picture House and saw a good picture and then we went up to the New Saxon Picture House and saw another good picture. About 10:20 we went down to the station and I put Miss Wilson on the trian and said good-bye to her. I went back to the hotel; there Grafe and I started packing as we leave tomorrow. We made some more parcel post packages and packed ‘junk’ until 3:30 A. M. and then we had the night porter bring us a pot of tea and some toast and then went to bed. During our stay here we have had some very, very good times and we could not have been treated better by the Scotch people. We are glad that we are leaving because we are now on our way home to once more 326 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS become a human being—out of uniform. We have traveled quite a lot and have seen the greater part of a country that is so crammed full of history that one can never look at a thing without being reminded that it played such and such a part in the life of some well-known historical character. Our thoughts now are on our homes where we hope to be before very long. Good-bye to Scotland! CHAPTER XVI HOMEWARD BOUND July 3, 1919:—We all got up about 7:00, had breakfast and then got all of our ‘junk’ down stairs, [Chester A.] Miles, [Benjamin L.] Long, [Claude C.] Dunlop, [John C.] Max- weli, [Paul] Grafe and I then got a taxi and had our stuff taken over to the ‘Y.’ There it was picked up by a big van and taken down to the station and the whole detachment fol- lowed it. I am carrying a meusette bag and a pack, my ditty bag I have with the rest of the baggage. Every girl from the ‘Y’ was down at the station to see us off; we had two special cars on the train for our special purpose. At 10:00 our train pulled out for Liverpool. We were on the train until 7:00 and then Grafe and I took charge of the baggage. We first unloaded it from the train onto a truck and then we unloaded it at the docks and took our own stuff down to our bunks on the boat. Immediately after we were all on the boat we had a good mess, and then Grafe and I made our beds. We are on the U. S. Transport ‘Plattsburg,’ it is a very nice boat, clean and comfortable, but small, so I suppose we are not due to cross in this. July 4, 1919:—1I got up about 8:00 and went up to the wash room and took a shave. I have no salt water soap and one certainly has a time without it when one has to use salt water to wash with. We played around deck until noon and then we had noon mess after which twelve of we fellows helped the sailors carry food from the bottom of the boat to the kitchen. For the work we got apple pie, cake and olives. Today the sun is shining very bright and over the tops of these piers we can see the masts of many boats which are coaling up getting ready for their trips. This afternoon there are a great many soldiers and their war brides getting on the boat. About 2:00 ‘Pop’ Jordan and quite a few of the American ‘Y’ women got on the boat and put out oranges and cigarettes to the boys. At 3:30 [Paul] Grafe, [Paul] Hausmann, [Henry D.] Shenk and I went up town. We first had some ice-cream and a good dinner and then we went over to the ‘Y’ where we wrote some (327) 328 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS post cards and then we all went to the Empire Theater. After the show Grafe and I came back to the boat but we could not get on as they were moving it, so we sat around on the Nelson Pier for about an hour and at 10:30 we got on. It was still a little light when we crawled into our bunks. July 5, 1919:—I did not get up until 9:00, too late for breakfast, so I ate some candy from the ship canteen and then went up and took a good wash and shave. I had nothing to do so I played around on deck all morning until 12:00 when we had noon mess. During the early part of the afternoon I slept and then Henderlite and I went up to Liverpool. We played around town for a while and then had dinner at the ‘“Bear’s Paw” and then came back to the boat. The town was very crowded and airplanes were doing all kinds of stunts over the town, as Liverpool had a Victory March today. When we got back to the boat the boys from London University were getting on the boat and it is getting pretty crowded. ‘Pop’ Jordan and Miss [Dorothy L.] Perry were both on the boat today to see the fellows. The Lapland and the Carmania are lying near us coaling up for their trip, the latter is loaded with Canadian soldiers bound for home. The day has been sunshiny and bright. During the evening we sat around on the deck talking and smoking and about 10:00 we got a sandwich and then went to bed. Living conditions on this boat are pretty fair, food very good and it is much better than when we came over. July 6, 1919:—I got up in time for breakfast this morning and it was very good, after I had eaten I went up to the wash room and took a shave and then came up on deck. It is get- ting very monotonous on board now, all shore leave was stopped at 10:00 this morning. We all are getting anxious to pull out. ‘Pop’ Jordan and Miss Frazier were both on board today. The sun was not out but the weather was very pleasant. We had a very good noon mess and during the after- noon we played around on deck and had an issue of Red Cross cigarettes, matches and oranges. The Lapland and the Car- mania both pulled out this afternoon. We had mess at 4:30 and then spent a long, uneventful evening up on deck. About 10:00 Grafe and I went up to the kitchen and stole a cold beef sandwich, we have been eating candy all day long and I sup- A SERGEANT’S DIARY 329 pose we are due for the sick list tomorrow. I am also breaking in one of my new pipes. All kinds of cigarettes can be bought in the ship’s canteen. The men spend nearly all of their time reading and play cards. They also finished coaling this boat this afternoon. July 7, 1919:—I got up for a good breakfast this morning and after I had finished I went up to the wash room and cleaned up. [William H.] Bruning and I then came up to the upper deck and sat down and talked for awhile. The sailors are cleaning up all the decks this morning and the dope is that we leave at 4:00 P. M. this afternoon. We played around all morning and at noon went down to a good mess, then dur- ing the afternoon we prepared for leaving. At 4:00 we pulled away from the docks and went into the basin where we were held until 7:30 when high tide was in, and the basin gates could be opened. Tugs then took us out of the basin. Hardly any of we fellows ate any mess as we were all up on the deck watching them pull us out. When we finally got out into the channel we started under our own power. Everyone had to put on their life belts and we had plenty of music. Very strict rules were put out concerning the decks we could use. The officers are living in no better quarters than the en- listed men have. At 9:00 P. M. we were all chased down into the hold and were allowed on deck no more. Grafe and I then went to bed. July 8, 1919:—At 9:30 last night all the lights were turned out and all on board raised a how] but it did no good. We got up about 8:00, had breakfast and then I took a very miserable shave in salt water. I went up on deck and got a seat for awhile. During the morning I played around all over the deck. At noon we had a good mess and after mess we all went up on deck again. All the war brides were up on the deck and believe me I would rather take five more years in the army than a war bride. I will have to say, though, that the girls got no better pick than the fellows did. All afternoon we sat up on deck and the weather was fine, sun shone bright all day long. I took several pictures and at 4:00 [Paul] Hausmann and I went to evening mess and then to the wash room where we cleaned up a little. The ocean has not been at all rough and thus far the trip has been a very pleasant one. The mine 330 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS sweepers have been out at the sides of the boat all day long. All baggage is being brought to the top deck in preparation to unloading at Brest, France. We are supposed to arrive there at 9:00 tonight. Grafe and I stood way up on the top deck for about an hour and finally we pulled into Brest. There are twelve American boats here in the harbor and they are all coaled up and ready to pull out. Some of them are taking on troops for the States now. Just before we went to bed there was a big fight down in the hold where we sleep between the sailor guard and a few of our fellows. Every night the boys have gone down on the hatchway that leads farther down into the hold and have had a nice crap game. This old sailor boy had nice picking, he would come down under protection of a ‘45’ and would walk right into the midst of the bunch of fellows, pick up the money and remind them that they were not allowed to shoot craps on the boat. Twice before the fel- lows had asked him in a nice way to give the money back but he would not, so tonight we all framed on him. The boys were all shooting craps and all kinds of money was on the floor, finally down came Mr. Sailor Guard. He did not say a word but walked into the bunch and started to pick up the money. As he was stooping over two fellows grabbed both of his hands, another fellow grabbed ‘.45’ and dropped it out a port hole into the bay and then about twenty fellows took their turn at taking a poke at him. He fell in a heap and started to yell but the boys soon put him to sleep with a few well-placed blows on the end of his nose. About two minutes after it happened four of the ships officers were down in the hold, with their ‘45s’ drawn but all of the fellows were lying in their bunks as if nothing had happened. Of course they tried to get some information but no one would give it and they soon left. The sailor guard had come out of his dream while they were talk- ing and as luck would have it he followed the officers up the steps, or rather started to. He only got his foot on the first — step when somebody hit him and really I think about three hit him before he could yell again. The fellows who did it could not be found although one of them went into my bunk and I’ll swear I have been the only one in it this evening. The officers came down again and looked all over our end of the compartment but they could have no luck. When they were gone I went to the drinking water stand and washed a swelled A SERGEANT’S DIARY 331 thumb that I have because when I hit I didn’t hit straight and now I have a badly sprained thumb. July 9, 1919:—We all got up at five, had breakfast, washed up and then we started to unload into a smaller boat. After the whole detachment was ashore we assembled in two’s and marched three miles to Camp Pontanezen. The walk was a long one, or so it seemed and the boys were pretty well all in when they got there. When we got to the camp we were as- sembled in a big square lot and from there we went to mess. Nearly all of us washed up in a big wash house, and I even took a shave and now we are waiting to see what they are going to do with us. Brest doesn’t seem to be a bad camp at all, plenty to eat, canteens, a carnival and good living conditions. About 4:30 we went over to have a medical examination, but we had to wait in line so long that they sent us back. We then went over to mess, after mess we went back over and had our medical examination and got a lot of ‘dope’ as to what we would go through while here. We were assigned tents for the night and also put in Casual Company No. 2727, which takes in nearly all of our detachment. We have nothing to do now sO we are going over to the carnival for awhile. From there Grafe and I went over to the Salvation Army canteen, then over to the ‘Y,’ and then back to our tents to bed. July 10, 1919:—I did not get up until 9:00, too late for breakfast, but when I did get up I took a good wash and then came back to the tent and read a new Herald. All morning we sat around talking and smoking and I slept for a little while. At noon we all lined up and went over for mess. They are working very fast with our records and pay checks and this afternoon we move over to another camp. From noon mess time on until 2:30 we sat around with nothing to do, and then we lined up with all of our equipment and marched about a mile to Camp No. 6. There we got into real barracks, were assigned bunks and at 3:00 we all went over for a bath. We then went through the long line just like cattle, threw the underwear that we had on away, and went on in to the bath. The bath was a ‘peach’ too, really it was about as laughable as one could wish for. One man stood at the door and gave us a little talk as to how we were to take the bath and then he gave the signal for water, when the water came it was so hot that 332 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS we could not stand under it. Hot water came for three min- utes and then the man at the door gave the order to open soap boxes and soap up. That we did but the soap was not soap, just like the bath was not a bath, it was some kind of a cootie ‘dope.’ Nearly all of our fellows had scrubbed themselves lily- pure while in school and this stuff really made one think he would be dirtier after coming out than before he went in, so they all yelled for the man at the door to go to h and turn on some real water. Three minutes more and the order came down to cease soaping and the hot water came again. Every- body yelled but it did no good and two minutes later cooler water came, but it was not cooler, it was cold, and everybody yelled again but no better luck. All water was then turned off and we filed out the other end of the bath house, passed some big counters, got new underwear and sox, and anyone wanting new O. D. clothing could get it. No one would stop for new O. D. clothing as we were all afraid of getting into some other trick place. Before we could all get fully dressed we were chased out and we had to put our puttees on out in the middle of the road. On the outside of the bath house one could see fellows standing and staring at the place wondering how on earth man could get such wonderful (?) ideas into their heads. Paul Hausmann and I then went back to the barracks. At 6:00 we went to mess and after mess we sat around and watched the trucks come in that were supposed to have our barrack-bags on them. Grafe and I finally got ours. We went to bed about 11:00, but some of the men stayed up all night working on pay rolls, passenger lists, service records and every other kind of paper work one can imagine. July 11, 1919:—We all got up at 6:00, lined up and went down to breakfast. After breakfast we all turned in salvage clothes, etc., drew new equipment in everything we needed, and signed up papers ready to leave, or rather so we were told. Everybody rolled and packed their packs and then instead of leaving we were marched over to a big building where our packs were inspected. There they told us all that we were allowed to have in our packs and said that we could not leave the place if we had any other article than that in them. At 12:00 we went to mess and then all afternoon we lay around the barracks, smoking, reading and getting things organized. A SERGEANT’S DIARY 333 At 6:00 P. M. we had our evening mess and then we had a little Q. M. issue. July 12, 1919:—We all got up at 7:00 this morning, had breakfast and then came back to the barracks where we sat down to take a smoke. About 9:00 I took charge of some paper work and with the help of about ten other fellows we finished by noon. After noon mess I got in a canteen line where I got some cakes and cigarettes. During the afternoon more equipment was issued and now we are nearly fully equipped. Nearly all of our paper work is finished. Tomor- row noon will see us all ready to board a boat. After evening mess we were paid in American money, the first American money I had received since I have been on this side. After we were paid we were marched over to the camp headquarters where we had to swear to affidavits for travel from an Ameri- can camp to our destination. [Thomas] Jolly, Grafe and I then stopped in the Salvation Army canteen for a little while, and then we came back to the barracks where we sat around, eat- ing, smoking and talking until about 11:00 when we went to bed. July 18, 1919:—I got up at 7:00 and went directly over to breakfast. I then went over to the wash house and took a good wash and shave, then the rest of the morning I sat around the barracks smoking, talking and having nothing to do. We were paid today, commutation of rations for the first two days of July, and then went to mess. July 14, 1919:—I got up for breakfast, washed up and then helped to police the barracks. This being a casual company we have hardly anything to do, so we do nothing but sit around and talk and smoke. At 9:30 [Henry] Shenk, Grafe and I took a walk up to the Vermont Hut, the ‘Y’ where I met a *Y’ girl from Ohio who knew several people that I know. We played around there until 11:00 and then started back to the barracks. I stopped in the Salvation Army canteen where I bought several things that I needed. At 6:00 we had mess and then the whole company formed in squads the way we will go over the gang-plank to the boat. After the formation, chocolate was passed out to the fellows. One student detach- ment, casual company, left today. 334 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS July 15, 1919:—Up until 11:00 we played around the bar- racks today. At noon we had a very fine meal, and’then the whole company lined up and we went over after another bath. This bath was about the same as the other one we took and I believe we are getting dirtier from them all the time. We also got our sailing orders this morning and we all have to be on Pier No. 5, at 8:00 A. M., July 18th, next Friday. There we will board the U. S. S. Martha Washington (and I want to say right now that the Martha Washington is not the George Washington, the president’s boat.) July 16, 1919:—All morning we lay around the barracks and at 11:00 [Claude C.] Dunlop and I went over to the sales commissary and got some new cards and some cakes. We re- ceived orders today to leave tomorrow morning at 6:00 in- stead of Friday. After eating, Grafe and I went over to the wash house and took a good wash and shave and cleaned up as much as we.could in preparation of our leaving tomorrow morning. Some of the boys, including myself, then got hungry so we all started out to find food. I landed at a kitchen not far from our barracks but they would give me no food. As I went out the door I noticed a small sized keg and I thought possibly it might be pickles so I picked it up and brought it over to the barracks. The rest of the fellows had already gotten back and some of them were eating, but when I opened my keg and found that it was filled with great big stuffed olives they sure “dug in” right. July 17, 1919 :—We all got up at 4:00 A. M., had breakfast, washed, and then gave the barracks a very thorough policing. That took us until 5:00 A. M. and then we got our junk to- gether and lined up in front of the barracks. - At 6:00 A. M. fifteen Casual Companies started off from Camp Pontanezen and hiked down to the docks at Brest. Having all our junk along the hike seemed long and it was very hot, but since we are homeward bound the boys didn’t kick at all. On the way down we passed a French circus and the boys all yelled and gave the ‘Frogs’ the ‘dickens’ as they went by. At the docks the boys fell out of the column of squads into single file in the order that their names appeared on the passenger list. We went through the gate answering with our first name as our last name was called. We went directly on to a small French A SERGEANT’S DIARY 335 harbor boat, when it was filled up we pulled away from the docks. There was a band playing all the time and the fellows certainly did yell as we pulled away from the docks. We were then taken out to the ‘Martha Washington.’ We were the last ones to get on board and all of us are on ‘C’ deck where, thank goodness the ventilation is good. We went immediately to our bunks; Grafe has a lower and I am just above him. There is practically no room for one to move around. Like all other transports, conditions are as poor as they can be; we had to stand in the mess line two hours before we got a thing to eat. The food is very, very poor and the system of feeding is worse yet. At 1:00 P. M the boat started and Grafe and I did not even go up on deck until about 3:00, and by 4:00 we were out of sight of land. Since our feeding system and food at noon gave such good promise of being real rotten, Grafe and I decided to look up some detail work that would give us good food or at least a good place to sleep. I went out first in search of a detail while Grafe stayed at the bunks and watched the junk. I had no luck so I came back and left Grafe go while I watched the junk. Someone always has to watch the baggage for if it is left alone a minute there will be none left. He was gone about an hour and finally came back with the ‘dope’ that he had a detail for twelve men, so we immediately got the poker players together. With only the poker players we could not make twelve men, so we went over the Edinburgh bunch and got [William H.] Bruning and some more of them. The detail was made up of Grafe, Bruning, [E. E.] Flowers, [Wil- liam] Butler, [Thomas] Jolly, [ ] Moores, [Henry D.] Shenk, [ ] Bond, [Rudolph] Dellinger, myself and several others that I do not remember. Our work is this: We have to scrub the mess hall on deck ‘C’ down once a day and also sweep it after each meal. For that work we get a table in the sailors’ mess hall-with sailors’ food, which is very good, also we have dishes to eat from and we do not have to stand in the mess line and wait for our food. Every soldier on board has to put on overalls to protect his clothing, these overalls are issued to us. During the rest of the afternoon we sat around on deck. At 5:30 we all went down to our table, one of the fellows drew our food for us and after we had eaten we went up on deck again. This boat is not a large one, it carries only about twenty-six hundred troops, and she rolls quite a 336 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS bit even now, and the water is as smooth as it can be. We had not been away from the table very long before I started to get sick so I went down to my bunk. I did not take off my clothes but I piled in and lay down, and my sickness soon went away. Grafe got in with the Chief Petty Officer of the boat and he is taking care of our baggage for us. July 18, 1919:—The twelve of us got up and had our break- fasts at 7:30 and at 10:00 when all the mess lines were through we got the brooms, brushes and squeegee and cleaned the place up. We also have a hose that we attach and get a three-inch stream of salt water with which we wash the deck after sweeping it at about 11:00 after breakfast is over. We all take our shoes and sox off and do not get at all wet. It takes about thirty minutes of our time after each meal and then we are free to go where we please. After we got through this morning I went down to my bunk because we are in the open sea now, and this old tub certainly can roll and I have to watch out or I’ll be feeding the fish. At noon we had a very fine meal and after we had swept out we all went up on deck. About 2:00 P. M. we hit a rain storm, so we all came down to our bunks. We were, however, soon through the storm and now the sun is out bright again. The fellows on board have a great deal of liberty compared with what we had when I came over; no life belts and only a little irregular ship drill that our little detail does not have to stand. I stayed in my bunk until evening mess time and then came up and partook of the good evening meal. After the meal we swept the deck out and then went forward on the top deck where we stayed until about 9:00 and then we went down and went to bed. I have not gotten sick yet and am feeling fine so I suppose I am good for the trip. July 19, 1919:—I got up at 5:30 and went to the wash room and cleaned up before any of the rest of them were up. At 7:30 we had our breakfast and then we washed out the room. Many of the boys on board now are sick and the decks cer- tainly get to be a sight because some of them do not get to the rail in time. During the rest of the morning we stayed up on the very top deck, “the hurricane deck,” and at noon we came down and had our lunch and then swept the place out. All during the afternoon we lay up on the deck sunning our- A SERGEANT’S DIARY 337 selves, with nothing to do but enjoy the roll of the boat and the fresh sea breeze. About 4:00 we ran into two big schools of dolphins and we watched them for a long while. They can swim faster than any fish I have ever seen and they certainly can dive. From the boat we could see them well, they would swim about one hundred feet at an awful rate under water and then out they would come and make a dive of about ten to thirty feet. They are shaped just like a cigar and dive in little groups of from one to five. At 5:30 we went down and had our mess and then swept the place out. [Paul] Grafe, [Wil- liam] Bruning, [ ] Johnston, [ |] Kennedy and I then went aft (the rear) where we sat by the rail until about 8:30 and then we came down to our compartment and went to bed. July 20, 1919:—I got up at 5:00 and took a good wash and shave before breakfast; it was rainy and stormy when I got up but before we had finished eating breakfast the sun was out, shining brightly. During the morning all we did was lie around on the deck and at noon we had a very good meal. Aiter sweeping the place out we went back on deck and played around until time for the evening meal. We generally stay on deck until about 8:00 and then we go down to bed. Most of the fellows are getting over their seasickness now and the bunch has livened up quite a bit since they are organized. We never take our clothes off when we go to bed as there is no place to put them after we do take them off. July 21, 1919:—I got up at 6:00, had breakfast with the bunch and then we scrubbed out. It is sunshiny and bright this morning, but very rough. It is common to see the top main deck awash and nearly every fellow who has been on deck has had a good ducking. The old tub is certainly rocking and rolling this morning and when one goes out on deck one has to be careful and hold on. We have had one issue of candy, gum and tobacco from the ‘Y’ and the ‘K. C.’ since we have been on the boat. This morning while I was on the deck I saw a flying fish, the first one I have seen in my life. After the noon meal we again went up on the upper deck; they have stopped the soldiers from going on the forward deck during this rough weather as it is nearly always awash. After eve- ning mess we again swept out and then we all went to bed. July 22, 1919:—It was still very rough this morning when 338 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS I got up and when we ate breakfast we had a fellow standing at the upper and lower end of the table to keep it from sliding around. After breakfast was over we washed the place out and then we all went up on the hurricane deck and stayed there the rest of the morning. At noon we had a good mess and then we had to wash the place out again as the spray had come in so much that the floor was a sight. Then, too, when the fellows who have to wait in the mess line do get their food they can hardly stand up with it, and the floor gets about half of their food. All afternoon we spent up on the hurricane deck and by evening mess time it had become very much quieter, but was still white-capping. After the evening mess we again went up on ‘A’ deck where we stayed until about 8:00 P. M. when we came down and went to bed. We only take off our overalls when we go to bed. July 23, 1919:—When I got up this morning the water was just like glass and so it remained all day long. The sun was shining very bright and it was very pleasant out on the deck. I have seen sea gulls every day since we have been out. We have to wash the decks down twice a day now as a result of some foolish army order—not a navy order. During the day we spent most of our time up on the top deck, reading, smok- ing, playing cards, and eating cakes, and about 2:00 P. M. we passed a freighter going toward France. We went to bed very early. One certainly gets very dirty and sticky on one of these boats. The salt water when one gets it on one’s hands becomes very sticky and then all the dirt within reach clings to our hands. July 24, 1919:—We all got up about 6:00 and did our regu- lar mopping out after breakfast. We then played around on deck and at noon went through the same old thing. The weather is fine and the ocean calm but it is nevertheless hard to think of how long we are going to have to stay on the boat. I suppose that is because we are so anxious to get home. All of the fellows buy a great deal from the canteens, such as canned fruit, cakes, etc., at very high prices. We also read a great deal during the day and usually go to bed early. July 25, 1919:—Same old routine today, met a very small freight boat and saw a few more in the distance. We are not allowed up on ‘A’ deck any more and the farther out we get the more strict the rules become. The officers get tired A SERGEANT’S DIARY 339 in the want of something to do and then they issue a new order and watch the men’s discomforts as they try to carry out the orders. Time passes very, very slowly, conditions are getting worse and worse all the time and things are rotten in general. July 26, 1919:—Same old stuff, and they say that we are going to land tomorrow! We ran into a big school of dolphins today and I watched them for a long while. They certainly can handle themselves. I notice, too, that it is very much warmer than it was when we left France. The fellows seem to be content in the report that we reach the States some- time during the night and are not at all excited over the fact. July 27, 1919:—At 4:00 this morning we all got up and had our breakfasts, then we got all of our junk ready and took it forward on ‘C’ deck. I then put on a life-belt and ‘stalled’ that I was guarding the baggage, so that I could stay up on deck while we pulled in. Some of these d officers chased all the rest of the fellows down in the hold and are going to make them stay there until we get in the harbor. Those fellows will not even get to see us enter the harbor at all. They finally did decide to let the fellows come up on deck until we sighted land and then they chased all of them down except a few of us who pulled the same ‘stall’ that we were guarding baggage. Finally some officer thought the guards were seeing too much and we were chased down stairs, but I was just in time for a good meal of corn, pork chops, potatoes, coffee and bread at our sailors’ table downstairs. After I got through eating I went up on ‘C’ deck and got all of my junk and brought it down to where we were eating. All of the other fellows had to leave theirs up on deck and I’ll bet half of their stuff is stolen when they go to look for it. We then swept our deck for the last time and then slipped up on deck and saw the Statue of Liberty as we passed. We had to slip through a hatchway get- ting up, but we got to see, nevertheless. We finally pulled in at Pier No. 3, Hoboken. All of the fellows then poured out on the deck and watched them tie fast. Many army officers were on the docks wearing three and four silver service stripes and you should have heard the fellows yell at them and call them yellow. Our little detail stayed on the boat and cleaned up for the petty officer who was so good to us on the way across. All of the troops got off and then Grafe and I got our junk from 23—22902 340 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS the petty officer, sent some telegrams and then hung around on the boat until the crowd was off the piers. We then got off the boat and joined the company. From there we were marched to a ferry boat pier and while we were waiting for the ferry boat the Red Cross gave us a meal of hard boiled eggs, sausage, coffee, ice-cream, potatoes and raisin pie. As we marched on to the ferry boat the K. of C. and the ‘Y’ passed out candy, cigarettes, handkerchiefs and many other little things. The weather has been fine and now it is very hot. When the ferry boat was loaded—and believe me they certainly load them—we went up the Hudson and first let men off who were going to Camp Merritt. We then came back down the river and stopped at the military pier for Camp Mills. We docked with the ferry boat about 4:00, but they would not let us off the boat until a train pulled in to take us to the camp, we were on the boat until 7:00 P. M. We got off the Martha Washington about 12:30 noon, and both the Age- memnon and the Mobile were already in at the docks; the Agememnon we saw in the harbor at Brest and the Mobile was coaling at Liverpool when we left. We finally got off the boat and as we filed through the passages going to the trains we were again loaded with food of all sorts. Since we have been in the States all they have done is fill us with food and I’ll bet half of us are sick tonight. I sat on the tender of the engine ali the way out to Camp Mills and I sure got good and dirty but I did not care. The States certainly look good. When we got off the train at the camp we fell into ranks any way so that we could answer to a roll call and then we hiked to some barracks about a mile back in Camp Mills. Many of the fel- lows were met by their parents at Camp Mills. The bar- racks we got into were very good ones and only about two squares from the spot that we started from nearly two years ago. They were two-story structures equipped with cots, stoves and were very comfortable. We were there, however, only about two hours when we were sent over to the ‘decootyi- zer’ with our blankets and all of our clothes. When we went we put our clothes in a barracks bag and through the delouser it went. We then lined up with no clothes on and went through an examination for everything imaginable. When we came out we got our clothes, dressed and went back to the barracks. There we immediately went to bed, our first night in the States. CHAPTER XVII HOME AGAIN I stopped my diary on July 27th and the rest I shall write from what I remember. During the next few days we were kept very busy getting our old equipment turned in and checked off the lists. There is always a great deal of red tape procedure with anything one does connected with the government, and naturally this took time. All of our service records were then gone over by men (officers), stationed at Camp Mills for that special purpose; as they were marked O. K. or passed, they came back to the company and those which were not right were held out and of course the whole company had to wait on those few; in some cases they would not be finished with them for two, three, and maybe ten days at a time. All of us then went through a physical examina- tion. We went over to the medical barracks where we went into a big dressing room and there we left our clothes. We then lined up in alphabetical order and passed the line of doctors. There was a doctor for everything that one could possibly have wrong with his physique and it took nearly 2 half day for our whole company to go through the place. We were then called together and told to make up a list of the things that we wanted in the clothing line from the gov- ernment. Of course we did not get half what we asked for. During one afternoon, several of we men went with Lindsey who is acting as supply Sergeant for us, to the big camp army warehouse where we got the issue of clothing that the government was going to give us. We all got a few pair of sox, an overcoat, a rain coat and any new clothes that we wanted to put on before we left. Many of we fellows tried to get a ‘45’ pistol but we had no luck. We would get up in the morning and find out that we had nothing to do until later in the day and then we would all go up to some of the big camp canteens where we would fill up on pie and ice-cream, oranges, apples, candy, cigars, cigarettes and any thing else that hap- pened to look good to us. I spent one whole afternoon in the barber shop trying to get straightened up so that I would look half way presentable when I arrived home. (341) 342 INDIANA WORLD WAR RECORDS One afternoon Paul Hausmann and I took a walk over to Mitchell Field just to look over the planes they had. Planes can be seen at any time during the day here as they are always flying. While we were over at the field I saw a two-seater plane and decided to try and get a ride. When the Lieutenant came out I asked him what the chances were of getting a ride and he told me to hop in. I was only in my shirt sleeves and it certainly was cold. He took me for a nice ride way up the Hudson and all over New York and then looped the loop and did the tail spin before we came down. It was certainly a nice ride. That same evening our company spent the time writing out our discharges and I wrote out my own. On Friday afternoon of August 5th, 1919, our company lined up for discharge. We marched over to the little camp discharge office building and there we received back pay and travel money to where we lived. [William] Butler and I bought our tickets to Indianapolis there at the place of re- ceiving final pay and we immediately went out after being searched for army goods that did not belong to us and hired a machine to take us to New York. When we arrived in New York we immediately went to the Pennsylvania Station where we tried to get berths on the 9:00 P.M. train, there were none left. We then asked for berths on the train at 9:00 in the morning but we could get nothing but a drawing room so we took it. During the night I stayed at the Pennsylvania Hotel. There I had my suit pressed during the night. After my friend Hausmann and I had washed, we went down into the Grill Room of the Hotel where we shocked the waiter by eating something of everything he had. After we had eaten we played around on Broadway for awhile and then went to bed. I got up at 7:00, waited for the Frank Brothers Shoe Shop to open and bought a pair of cordovan shoes and then caught the train at 9:00. I had to run for the train; Butler had all of my junk already on the train so I was all set. Gates, one of our University pals, had to go to Pittsburgh, so we took him in with us until he reached that place. There the train made a stop for an hour and we all piled off and limbered up. We got there about 3:00 P.M. While we were off the train we saw [Chester A.] Miles and Wolfe and [Rudolph] Dellinger sitting in one of the day coaches preparing to sit up all night so we took them in our drawing room with us for the A SERGEANT’S DIARY 7 343 rest of the night. All the way home we played poker and I paid for my meals with my winnings. I got up at 6:00 in the morning and we were then at Knightstown, Ind. I put on my good suit, washed up and took a shave and at 7:00 we pulled into the Union Station, Indianapolis. After saying good-bye to the boys, Butler and I got off the train. I had no more than gotten off when who should I see but Herbert Piel who was waiting for Alma and Walter Sudbrock but they did not show up. Statia O’Connell was also at the station, so after the three of us had talked the thing over and quieted down, Herbert drove me home. I walked in on mother and ‘Dad’ about 7:30, August 7th, and I had to get them out of bed. I am free of the army now and I certainly hope that I ever shall be. APPENDIX OFFICIAL STATION LIST When we reached Germany, there were no records showing list of overnight stopping places. I was delegated by Lieutenant Aloys Knaff of Battery A to go through my diary, and compile such a record. The record which I compiled, reproduced herewith, be- came the official list for Battery A of the 150th Field Artillery. Station list of Unit since arrival in A. E. F. Unit 150th F. A., Battery A.......... Arrived (France) October 31, 1917 Cra PaANSDOr beth eae ao oe eee ne eee U.S. S. President Lincoln Port‘ of Debarkstionint 25 ee ee eee Station (Nearest Town) St, Nagaire >.> each it encase Oct. 31, 1917 Camp NoalAst) Nazaireycs es se eee Nov. 5, 1917 Camp de. Goctquidan.s..cse) ee eee ones Nov. 18, 1917 Menarniontica ene ec ere ue eee Feb. 23, 1918 Vaxainville Joh. Gee were on or en iene ee Feb. 26, 1918 Fontenoy 1a Jouterws: ca eso ee ee Mar. 23, 1918 Vaxainville cyclins eee Mar. 29, 1918 Hail ain vill oe eee ca wheter earn sie ete eae June 21, 1918 Charnes. (Mntramed) so 4.60 cola eee June 23, 1918 Chalons(intramed ase eek ee ee June 24, 1918 Darninierre yf fs ee oe ee June 24, 1918 Somme Veale sik ey cae a ae June 29, 1918 Camp Ghalons ard, aac see eeoeiode ees July 5, 1918 Camp dela Carrie fer. eee cert ce eee July 19, 1918 Chalons*(iintrained) sy0-02s eee eee July 21, 1918 Triiport/{Detrained) i 2-.eve ces ee ee ee July 22, 1918 DU Vases See Oe er ears July 23, 1918 Verdilly:(WoGds) sara: ante ine eno ale July 25, 1918 Courpoil..... airs ete FO AS Le, stl SR Rk July 26, 1918 DOUVATCOS (og 2 eet eee en te ee ee July 27, 1918 COOUETISOL Gras tes EEE es hE ee cae nee July 30, 1918 Villera Stir ere econ ede ke we ek bntaee Aug. 2, 1918 Chery: CRBrErelise 9, wea ee es ee ee ee - Aug. 3, 1918 St1Gertialniyvoo0ds) seas sank Viel wenn Aug. 11, 1918 VAX: CW OOdS) rower home cue amare yee Aug. 14, 1918 Dhuisy (Woods) veered ep aied ce eee ae Aug. 15, 1918 Lizy:(W O0d8) tart eck + aes Aug. 16, 1918 ig yCHntTained uence eine otk. Seer Aug. 17, 1918 Dambiain’(Detrained) ire scenes es Aug. 18, 1918 Meuvyciee serch oe Cea ed Pe ete ire Aug. 18, 1918 St. Nazaire Date Left Nov. Nov. Feb. Feb. Mar. Mar. June June June June June July July July July July July July July July Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. 4, 1917 18, 1917 21, 1918 26, 1918 23, 1918 29, 1918 20, 1918 23, 1918 23, 1918 24, 1918 28, 1918 4, 1918 19, 1918 21, 1918 21, 1918 22, 1918 25, 1918 26, 1918 27, 1918 30, 1918 2, 1918 3, 1918 11, 1918 14, 1918 15, 1918 16, 1918 17, 1918 17, 1918 18, 1918 28, 1918 A SERGEANT’S DIARY Station (Nearest Town) Date Arrived Ou ST SR Paine gee ag dcr ae uA AC aera et Aug. 28, 1918 BEMIS UU. eecccrgn ed Tard sel oh ca tne ee ee ks Aug. 29, 1918 MCU caren ryder! cok ht a ReaD cial Aug. 31, 1918 BEET < VW OGUS) carte a se ees Ce ace ark ak Sept. 5, 1918 PEDO G UV OOO) we ney tec a eee otae es oh es Sept. 7, 1918 METALS | ook sy odes oak Sa Son = ence ery ae Sept. 7, 1918 Seicheprey.......:..:.. ah Cara OG gry a eee Re Sept. 13, 1918 IIR Aas 5 oc Aes aan a Sept. 14, 1918 Braeerele INONSATE =~