HISTORY OF 314TH FIELD ARTILLERY The failure of a million men, fully armed and fully equipped to materialize between sunset on April 6, 1917, and sunrise on April 7, 1917, convinced the heads of our government that organized patriotism was futile and that the repeated warnings of the War Department were something more than the vaporings of a self-interested class of junkers. Fortunately for our country, its military advisors had done more than give utterance to unheeded warnings and accordingly were able to prepare a plan which was adapted to the actual situation confronting the United States upon the declaration of war with Germany. Marshal Joffre, in his visit to this country in April and May, 1917, had impressed upon our government that the Allies needed some of our troops immediately, and that eventually they would need them in great numbers. To supply the first need, two divisions, the afterward famous 1st and 2nd divisions, were formed from the already existing Regular Army, recruited to full strength by voluntary enlistment and by the creation of the Marine Brigade of the 2nd Division. These divisions were sent to France in December, 1917, and January, 1918. In addition to the Regular Army troops, the War Department had at its disposal, and at least partially trained, troops of the National Guard. The separate units of the guard were grouped in sixteen divisions, numbered from 26 to 42 and sent to semi-permanent camps for further training. These groupings corresponded, roughly, except in the case of the 42nd or Rainbow Division, with the sections of the country from which the units were recruited. Even with these National Guard divisions and with the seven Regular Army divisions which it was proposed to raise by voluntary enlistment, it was apparent that our armies would be far short of both what the Allies required and what our population and resources made it possible to furnish. Profiting by England's experience in the first two years of the War, it was decided to raise our forces by the continental method of conscription. It was this decision which led to the creation of the National Army, of which our division and our regiment formed a part. The original plans called for sixteen divisions, numbered 76 to 92, to be mobilized and trained at sixteen cantonments, and to be composed of men chosen by the operation of the Selective Service Act from sixteen Draft Areas throughout the United States. To officer such an army, adequately, required approximately 10,000 Officers, 6,000 more than composed the Regular establishment before the War, even supposing that entire number to be available for service with the National Army. Here again the foresight of the General Staff and especially its former Chief, Major General Leonard Wood, saved the political heads of the War Department from the consequences of their own folly. Beginning in 1915, the War Department had provided camps where civilians could receive a month to three months military training under Regular Army officers as instructors, and at the end of the course could be examined for commissions in General Wood's newly formed officers Reserve Corps. Expanding this idea to meet the emergency created by the War, sixteen officers' training camps were opened on May 17th, the one in which the 314th F. A. is interested being located at Fort Meyer, Va. At Fort Meyer (as at all other training camps), the candidates for commissions were formed into training companies and batteries and were intensively trained for three months. Serving so far as possible in all grades from private to battalion commander, our officers gained their practical experience of artillery from their use of and training with the horses and material of the 2nd Brigade of the 3rd F. A., in which the then Captain Robert S. Welsh commanded Battery F. On August 16th, the successful candidates received their commissions and after some had been ordered overseas at once, the remainder were given leave and ordered to report at Camp Lee, Va., on August 27th. Camp Lee, the future home of the 80th Division, the 155th F. A. Brigade, and the 314th F. A., is situated on the concrete road which runs between the town of Petersburg, famous for its resistance to the Union Army in the Civil War, and Hopewell, famous as "Virginia's youngest city" and for the location there of a powder works. The camp is constructed in the shape of a horseshoe, with Division Headquarters and the water tower at the highest point and the Artillery Brigade on the lower and western end. The months from April 6th until August 27th had left little enough time for the construction of a cantonment which was to house 30,000 men, and when the officers arrived they found most of the buildings still being slowly rushed to, completion under the gentle stimulus of cost plus ten per cent. Some ninety officers just graduated from the Second Battery, Fifth Provisional Training Regiment, at Fort Meyer reported to Colonel Welsh where he sat under a tree smoking a black pipe. Later, they gathered together in one of the big barracks which had been completed, collected their belongings and waited for the next move in the game. This consisted in the organization of the regiment which Colonel Welsh carried out at once with his great surplus of officers and total lack of men. The following assignments were made and quarters taken up in a small building later on to be the infirmary of the 317th Infantry. HEADQUARTERS 314th FIELD ARTILLERY The following organization and assignment of officers to organizations and duties in this regiment is hereby announced: Col. Robert S. Welsh, commanding regiment Lieut. Col. Charles J. Ferris, D.S., with 315th Regiment, Field Artillery MEDICAL DEPARTMENT First Lieut. John L. Kelley, M.R.C., regimental surgeon First Lieut. Clarence A. Burgheim, M.R.C. First Lieut. Samuel T. Ridge, M.R.C. First Lieut. James C. Sartor Veterinarian ---- Chaplain --- Capt. Norman E. Kane, adjutant FIRST BATTALION Major --- Capt. Morland Carter, adjutant SECOND BATTALION Major --- Capt. Alfred A. Biddle, adjutant HEADQUARTERS COMPANY Capt. Andrew T. Turnipseed First Lieut. Henry Lott, D.S., with Cooks and Bakers' School, Camp Lee Second Lieut. Karl K. Garter Second Lieut. Emory Landon Second Lieut. Walter A. Williams Second Lieut. Frank Gosnell Second Lieut. William McLean Second Lieut. Richard Fishburne Second Lieut. Charles E. Quirollo SUPPLY COMPANY Capt. J. Hambleton Ober First Lieut. James Wilson Second Lieut. Ralph M. Kutz Second Lieut. James B. Guaraglia BATTERY "A" Capt. J. Howard Eager First Lieut. Albert G. Leisenring, Jr. Second Lieut. Kenneth V. Blue Second Lieut. Ernest M. Johnson Second Lieut. Albert Kelley Second Lieut. William R. Frost Second Lieut. Harold E. Jewett Second Lieut. Aaron A. Melnicker Second Lieut. Robert N. Kreb BATTERY "B" Capt. Dwight S. Beebe First Lieut. Samuel M. Millner, Jr. Second Lieut. John B. Freeman Second Lieut. William Clark Second Lieut. Dean Mathey Second Lieut. Otis L. Griner Second Lieut. Earl D. Gornto, A.W.L. Second Lieut. Allen G. Gartner Second Lieut. John G. Redfield Capt. Lester R. Graves First Lieut. Fred C. Mitchell BATTERY "C" Second Lieut. John W. Ferguson Second Lieut. Landreth L. Layton, Jr. Second Lieut. Henry F. Holloway, Jr. Second Lieut. Harry G. Mathews Second Lieut. Edmond L. Jones Second Lieut. Leon C. Hills Second Lieut. Forrest S. Holmes Second Lieut. William H. Haelig BATTERY "D" Capt. John U. Hussey First Lieut. Fredrick H. Lovejoy Second Lieut. Edmond D. Wells Second Lieut. James W. Kenny Second Lieut. James A. Ingraham Second Lieut. F. Barton Harvey Second Lieut. Murray Rushmore Second Lieut. Neil MacDougall Second Lieut. William G. Jones BATTERY "E" Capt. Clarence F. Brown First Lieut. Joseph W. Bailey Second Lieut. Henry B. Grandin Second Lieut. John B. Wise Second Lieut. Robert B. Luchara Second Lieut. Warren M. Fiske Second Lieut. Loftin V. Witcher Second Lieut. John J. Hurley Second Lieut. Clyde V. Finter BATTERY "F" Capt. George V. Hartwell First Lieut. Edward L. MacFarland Second Lieut. John B. Howell Second Lieut. Warren R. Smith Second Lieut. Andrew J. Ford Second Lieut. Daniel P. Forst Second Lieut. Newton K. Fox Second Lieut. Lloyd N. Lewis Second Lieut. Robert S. Martin The officers now found themselves plunged into a bewildering mass of detail connected with the organization and administration of a new regiment and each day learned something new in their efforts to prepare for the recruits-to-be. In a few days, one man, Sergeant Nourse, reported for duty, and Colonel Welsh found himself with a regiment consisting of some ninety-five officers and one man. This ratio was considerably reduced several days later when officers were transferred to other units throughout the division and some men from the Regular Army were assigned to the regiment. The first week in September ushered in the first quota of the enlisted personnel, most of whom were assigned to Battery A, under Captain Eager and eight officers, who now had their first experience in putting Fort Meyer training into practice. These men were uniformed, in a fashion; they were fed, in a way and drilled in every conceivable manner, but the experience was such as to make them feel like seasoned veterans before the next recruits began to arrive several weeks later. In the meantime a train arrived bearing one battery of 3-inch material consisting of four pieces, 8 caissons and a smoke bomb outfit from Battery A, 1st Mass. N. G. Nor had the wheels of the train ceased moving before Colonel Welsh grabbed the equipment for his own regiment. Battery A was marched to the railroad siding; the material was unloaded and then pushed and pulled by hand to the temporary park. To Battery A was given the honor of receiving this equipment; a rather doubtful and burdensome honor it turned out as the months rolled by. Next came the move to permanent quarters in another section of camp. This move involved no great labor nor especially complicated difficulties, but it kept officers and men busy for days and resulted in a huge undertaking, grotesque in the light of future experience. The new quarters consisted of two completed barracks, other barracks, officers' quarters and administration building in various stages of construction, stables which had not even been staked out, mud holes, swamps, mud and stumps galore. The move was finally completed, however, without any more serious mishaps than the tearing down of the side of one officers' quarters to remove a huge ice-box which Lieut. Gartner in his zeal had placed there before the framework was up. The best possible preparations were then made for the reception of a deluge of recruits from the following counties of West Virginia: Ohio, Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Wetzel, Monongahela, Tyler, Marion, Taylor, Harrison, Pleasants, Ritchie, Wirt, Gilmer, Calhoun, Roane and Jackson. While the veterans of Battery A were laboring and drilling from morn to night in the heat and the mud and the dust of Camp Lee, these new rookies to be, all innocent of the future in store, were starting forth with cheery anticipation of a winter in the sunny South and a sudden termination of the war. While the veterans of Battery A were eating sparingly of butterless bread, beans and corned willy, their fellow patriots were feasting on fried chicken, delicious cakes and other delicacies with which well-meaning friends had loaded them as they stepped aboard the train for far-off Virginia. When these trains pulled into Richmond, however, the air suddenly changed as a half dozen shave-tails, severely conscious of their new dignity, came aboard; chicken and cakes lost their savor and constrained bewilderment took the place of care-free jollity; nor did jokes command the same hearty laughs as heretofore. At last the train pulled into Camp Lee Station, but instead of the expected welcome from boys who had left them several weeks before, a long, lanky lieutenant met them. A wholly unintelligible order was bawled out, they were pushed into some kind of a line with any but gentle hands and started on a long march to their new home. Not a truly long march, to be sure, but it seemed interminable to these miserable homesick rookies as they trudged through the deep Virginia sand carrying grips filled with an assortment of useless articles. A short pause at division headquarters, tantalizing to aching limbs and laboring lungs, and they moved forward again until finally halted before a partially completed building almost hidden by piles of lumber and rubbish. Here another roll was called by a snappy little officer, who distributed them like so many cattle and took receipts for them as well. "Where do we wash?" inquired one bold rookie whose desire to rid himself of the grime of four railroads overcame his timidity. "Right there," answered a brand new corporal and pointed to a little puddle. Disgusted, but ready for anything by this time, the rookie proceeded to investigate the depths of the puddle and to wipe off the dirt so loosened on the nice clean towel which Mother had so tenderly packed away. "Where do I drink?" meekly asked another. "Drink, huh?" was the sympathetic retort. "You'll get some coffee soon, if there's any left," and no one else ventured more questions until they were marched into the mess hall. Even their rapacious appetites, however, could not make the meat palatable, nor the coffee anything but weak, yet the bread was clean and sweet and issued in liberal quantities. Mess was followed by the issue of bedding, setting up of cots, etc., till the men, too tired to undress, threw themselves down, only to be rudely awakened next morning at an unearthly hour with five minutes in which to make Reveille. It was at this point that they fell out with the first sergeant, never to fall in again. As the "Top" looms tremendous in the life of a recruit, much more important than any colonel or captain, it might be well to give the names of those who started off with the regiment on its initial plunge: Battery A-Sgt. Nourse Battery E-Sgt. Myers Battery B-Sgt. Brandt Battery F-Sgt. Gwinne Battery C-Sgt. Kennedy Hdqrs. Co.-Sgt. Bowker Battery D-Sgt. Lipschiltz Sup. Co.-Sgt. Hallett Should any one ask any of the veterans who came home on the U. S. S. Zeppelin, what happened on their second day in the 314th F. A., few could remember, but it was a busy one, nevertheless. They answered scores of intimate questions as to their past life, what they could do, what they could not do, and what they would like to do. They also started on the good old army game of signing everything in sight by affixing their signatures to numerous documents of more or less importance, principally the latter. In between times they ran errands to places they never could find and wondered what would happen next. When finally turned over to the Medical Department for further harassing, it is safe to say that there were few who were not so thoroughly homesick that they would not have welcomed any disease or deformity which would disqualify. It was a poor specimen, however, that failed to slip through. This round of inoculation, vaccination, thumping, etc., entitled a recruit to twenty-four hours rest, according to the surgeon, but such a plan did not fall in with the ideas of certain officers and N.C.O.'s, who constantly adjured them to "snap it up" or "shake a leg." As in a daze, they found themselves working from morn till night trying to bring order out of chaos in their new quarters, and at odd moments learning the rudiments of drill and military life. There were tons of rubbish to clear away, holes to fill in, humps to level off and stumps to remove stumps ad infinitum which did not cease to be a nightmare until the whistle blew on the good ship America. Worst of all, however, was the construction of a road through the swamp between the barracks and the pike under the supervision of Capt. Biddle and his discourteous assistants. Needless to say, there were few stiff collars, white shirts and nifty suits that did not suffer under such treatment until finally uniforms were drawn and issued. Simple as it may sound, the acquisition of a uniform in those early days was anything but pleasant. At any hour of the day or night the whole battery was apt to be routed out and formed in line for the purpose of drawing a pair of shoes which seemed too large and clumsy, of trying on breeches which never fit, or receiving any one of the innumerable articles which form a man's equipment, from forks to shoe laces. Almost before they realized it, however, these recruits looked like soldiers, they acted like soldiers, yet they had just started; they were just ready ifor the more serious training to come which would make them fight like soldiers. After the first few months at Camp Lee the regiment settled down to the regular army grind of camp life. Each day, differing little from its predecessor, consisted in a routine of many formations, drills, paperwork, schools, the "Y", the canteen, inspections and innumerable details, a daily monotony broken now and then by a fire call or some such innocent excitement. Then, too, there were monthly musters and pay days, marked at first by gross mispronunciation of names, for the regiment was truly American in the number of different races it included. No one who has been in the army long will forget the mass of paperwork which has not one Hun to its credit, nor the frantic call for hurried reports on anything and everything; who has not stood on the carpet for not getting in a report accurately and on time. Most schools were held in the evening, a special burden to officers and N.C.O.'s, although the bucks did not always escape. The regiment was lucky in having a live "Y" building in its own area with Mr. Bayless, "the Smile Captain," as Secretary. The canteen offered a safe haven for all spare nickels and a place of refuge for those who felt inclined to shirk details; in return it provided a few necessary supplies and many stomach troubles and also took the place of the country store or home knitting circle for meeting friends and exchanging rumors, since the army does not deal in gossip. The army is, unfortunately, never free from that insidious disease, the detail list; there is always some work to be done, building up, tearing down or clearing away, in addition to the regular police details of kitchen, stable, et cetera, ad infinitum. It is as sponsor for the detail list that the first sergeant gains his wonderful popularity with the bucks and N.C.O.'s alike. The month of October was noteworthy for two occurrences - a visit and a loan. The Hon. J. J. Cornwell visited Camp Lee and the regiment took part in a review in his honor. It is a source of wonder to many soldiers if distinguished visitors realize the labor which a visit from them entails on their military hosts. This month also witnessed the floating of the Second Liberty Loan and the twenty-fourth was designated as a holiday - a holiday in name only, however. In this most important work the 314th led the way as usual, showing its ability to furnish the sinews for war as well as the warriors. The regiment subscribed to a total of $113,400, this being the largest amount subscribed by any regiment in the 155th Brigade and the highest per capita in the division. Subscriptions by organization were made as follows: Organization. Amount. Per capita. Battery A ..................... $35,700 $178.50 Battery B ..................... 10,600 53.26 Battery C ..................... 13,700 68.89 Battery D ..................... 10,550 50.27 Battery E ..................... 19,550 98.47 Battery F ...................... 5,500 28.06 Headquarters Co. ................ 8,600 49.65 Supply Co. ...................... 6,500 56.52 Medical Det. .................... 2,700 96.43 Not satisfied with this showing, however, sixteen men were sent to their home towns in West Virginia for the purpose of securing Subscriptions for and arousing interest in Liberty Bonds. The work done by these men was beyond expectations. The first official formation in which time regiment took part was the flag raising at Division Headquarters on the morning of September 10th. Battery A was formed with the aid of Sergeant Bokker and an officer was assigned to each man. One part in the ceremony consisted in marching to and fro from the parade at Division Headquarters and a few minutes standing at attention. This was accomplished after a fashion. On October 27th the regiment was designated as motor-drawn, thereby reducing the enlisted personnel from 1424 to 995 and causing many groans, not only in the loss of valuable men, but in the severing of many fast friendships which had formed during the past month of intimate association. This unfortunately proved to be only the first of many changes which increased immeasurably the difficulties of preparing for duty overseas. Not only did each such change mean the necessity of training new recruits but it entailed an enormous amount of paper work in the process of transferring old men and receiving new irnen at some later date. November witnessed the completion of a colossal monument to the regiment's industry in carrying out orders without consideration of the whys and wherefores. At any rate few, least of all Lieut. Forst and his famous details, ever realized the necessity of a sub-calibre range and no one later on saw its value. This funeral pyre of many groans and curses still towers above the dust and mud of Camp Lee, and will in all probability remain to excite the curiosity of sight- seers for centuries to come. November also ushered in the ice and snow of a winter which paralyzed the memories of the oldest inhabitants. On November 11th the first dance in the officer's club at Lakemont was given by our regiment. Music was furnished by the regimental band assisted by the Meyer-Davis Orchestra of Washington. Colonel and Mrs. Welsh were assisted in receiving by Capt. and Mrs. Hussey, Capt. and Mrs. Turnipseed, Capt. and Mrs. Brown, Lieut. and Mrs. Witcher, Lieut. and Mrs. Ridge, Capt. Kane, Capt. Eager, and Lieut. Kelly. A glance at the above list might seem to prove that dancing was a sure road to promotion or something else; but that is merely a coincidence for the decorations brought one lieutenant into the limelight. Part of the arrangements for training the troops forced to remain in this country consisted in details of allied officers assigned to each division. The training of artillery in anticipation of the use of French guns was entrusted to the French. The 314th had, in all, four officers, Lieuts. Paul Schlessing, Jacques Bellanger, Reille de Soult and Jean Sordoillet and one enlisted man, Marechal de Logis Louis Chauvin, attached to it as instructors. Of these, Leut. Bellanger served with the Brigade Staff both at Camp Lee and in France, and Lieut. Sordoillet was a member of the Regimental Staff from September 28th until December 19th. Lieut. Reille was with the regiment at Redon and afterwards assisted in its training at Meucon. Lieut. Schlessing and Marechal Chauvin did not accompany the regiment to France. The patience of these officers with our ignorance, their eager desire that we should profit by their knowledge and experience, and their unfailing tact and untiring efforts to bring us up to the high standard of their beloved saixante quinze played a large part in our ultimate success. Towards the middle of December the Second Training Camps disgorged their hordes of embryo officers on our innocent heads. Then all too quickly came the five day Christmas passes. Oh, joy! Home again for one moment of bliss and back within the sound of the first sergeant's whistle before one realized what had really happened, only to see the next contingent start off with happy faces. The regiment had now been in the service for four months without firing a single shot, although the effect had been frequently simulated by little parties of officers and their special details with the smoke bomb outfit. This lamentable deficiency was soon to be remedied, however, for Colonel Welsh with characteristic energy was even then laying plans for artillery firing on the rifle range at Rosewood. January 28th was set as the initial target practice. Who will forget the bitter cold, the sleet and the snow which marked that first day 8 firing? Yet it was only typical of the weather encountered as the four guns were hauled out day after day over ice- covered fields by Supply Co. teams, for the regiment was still motorized in theory and no animals had been issued to the batteries. Gun crews of Battery A manned the guns for the first problem which was fired by Colonel Welsh, this, by the way, being the first shot fired by any organization of the brigade. Lieut. Lott of Battery A fired the second problem, and Captain Beebe of Battery B the third. Day after day all officers who had not the good fortune of being at Fort Sill, trudged out to the range, freely criticised those who were firing and nervously awaited their turn. Day after day they trudged back again weary and cold, gathering again for the evening critique, where compliments were seldom in order and it was clearly demonstrated that it was not the gun crews which were holding back the regiment from being an efficient fighting unit. The winter was a holocaust of cold work and schools designed to perfect the regiment in artillery firing and to teach the intricacies of motor equipment by means of unintelligible pamphlets. The first part of March, however, brought orders which again designated the regiment as horse-drawn, and upset the plans of all. This increased the enlisted strength from 975 to 1482 and called for a complete change in equipment, all of which according to regimental orders had to be accomplished between sunset and sunrise, on paper at least. It was then that the long rows of stables which for months had been merely objects of curiosity for everyone except members of the Supply Co., began to take on a new interest in life. To the utter dismay of many, however, it was found that stables, which had seemed in fair shape to all outward appearances, were in reality totally unfit for stabling of animals. Corrals had to be built, stumps removed and, worst of all, it was necessary to fill in many thousand cubic feet of dirt and clay. With characteristic energy the regiment set about its task fully determined to surpass 313, which already had several months' start. First of all, thought and knowledge of motor equipment was expeditiously pigeon-holed with an almost audible sigh of relief. Then horses were drawn and mounted instruction started, while work on the stables went forward with amazing slowness when the energy expended is considered. Unfortunately, horse equipment was very short and no new wheeled material was received, but in spite of this handicap great progress was made and the regiment was rapidly being whipped into shape. Good Friday, the day for devotional exercises, was marked by frantic efforts in preparation for the first divisional review, and few will forget the magnificent spectacle which this presented. Unfortunately, the artillery regiments, with the exception of their supply trains, were reviewed dismounted, due to lack of equipment. Following the review, preparations were made for an exodus from camp and the whole regiment with the exception of a small detachment marched out early Easter morning for the new artillery range at Dutch Gap, some ten miles south of Petersburg. The march was made on foot land on green horses, bareback in most cases, for few saddles had been provided. Camp McLaughlin, the official name for the range at Dutch Gap, was selected in honor of the general whose brigade in 1864 and 1865 occupied this historic site. It was at one end of the camp that Parker's famous Confederate battery made its stand for a year. Even the same spring that supplied the Confederate and Union soldiers, supplied the men of the National Army half a century later. This camp was admirably situated in a pine grove near the River James. It was our first experience under canvas and proved to be a happy change after the monotony of Camp Lee, as well as a valuable experience in further practice firing and life in the open. After several weeks the regiment returned to Camp Lee to make room for 315, the march home being made in a pouring rain, a forerunner, had we only known it, of many such marches in France. The standard given by Mr. Gilchrist and the people of Wheeling was presented one Sunday afternoon at Camp McLaughlin by Judge Ben S. Honecker, Chairman of the Wheeling Draft Board. The standard was accepted by Colonel Welsh and formally placed in charge of the color sergeant. Following this simple but impressive ceremony the assembled regiment led by Colonel Ferris gave three cheers for Mr. Gilchrist, three for the Stars and Stripes and three for West Virginia. On the return from Dutch Cap it was found that the regiment was once more at full strength, some six hundred recruits, mainly from Virginia, having been received at Camp Lee and distributed among the various organizations. The assimilation of these recruits proved to be a comparatively simple matter. They were merely turned over to the veterans of six months standing and lost sight of within their new organizations, each man acquiring the habits and thoughts of a soldier according to his own energy and ability. Training in mounted work went on now with renewed energy. Every morning saw the small drill field which had been laboriously cleared of stumps, alive with all manner of mounted and dismounted drill, classes in "gas alert," etc. Even the Supply Company might be seen manoeuvering its wagons and carts and getting in everybody's way. In the afternoon, among other activities, Capt. Mitchell gave an hour's performance with his "officer's mounted circus," while Mr. Driscoll, ably assisted by Colonel Ferris, ran him a close second with his horde of spring warblers, much to the discomfiture of Lieut. Faberty who will give ample testimony to the singular phenomenon that, when it comes to making a man sing, military orders are of no avail. So passed another month of beautiful spring weather, while the thoughts of all turned to the more serious work that waited them overseas; a month when men could sit around after the heat and work of the day and sing or talk over what they would see and do over there; a month when outdoor athletics relieved the tedium of drill and drew the men of different organizations closer together; a month during which the recent recruits of Virginia made many fast and lasting friendships. What was the disappointment then when rumor had it that, although the infantry were preparing for an early start overseas, the artillery brigade would not accompany the rest of the division? Insult was added to injury, however, when about four hundred men were transferred to the infantry in order to fill them up to strength. Who, too, will forget when some of our officers were told to accompany the division to France and the long faces when these orders were canceled and the erstwhile lucky ones were returned to duty with their organization? It was during these trying days that good old Dame Rumor got in some of her best work. We were alternately destined for any and every point on the globe and our spirits reacted accordingly till finally definite orders, as usual, settled the whole question. Although only a few days still remained to complete all necessary arrangements, the artillery brigade was ordered to prepare for overseas in time to accompany the rest of the division. From that moment till the last man was on board ship, bedlam reigned supreme, an experience which few will soon forget. At least it will long live in the memory of all first sergeants, supply sergeants and company clerks, who, with their scores of assistants, tumbled over each other in the effort to carry out every conflicting order. The greatest confusion centered around clothing, property, sailing lists and the acquisition of recruits to replace the brave four hundred who had been transferred to the infantry scarcely two weeks before. Who will forget the frantic efforts to box and promptly mark property, most of which we were never to see again, the midnight loading details or the accurate turning in of equipment which would never check, in order to satisfy the demands of an ever-hounding system of accountability. Well do we remember the clothing checks which always had to be re-checked, the carefully made out requisitions which were never filled according to size, the sailing lists which suffered amendments up to the last moment, and the general loss of sleep and all-night sessions. Nor shall we forget the quarantine which kept everyone in but nobody out, nor the innumerable roll calls to make sure that no one had slipped off during the previous half hour. On the night of May 23d, the final preparations were made, packs rolled, last good-byes said and the regiment started on its long journey overseas. The movement was made in three sections. The first section with the Second Battalion and Headquarters Co. left Camp Lee at 4.40 a. m., arriving at Lambert't Point by 6.50 a. m.; the second section with the First Battalion, at 5.15 a. m., and the third section with the Supply Company on board at 8.10. Upon arrival at the port the regiment boarded the SS. America, which was commanded by Colonel Welsh, and carried in addition to the 314th F. A., one battalion of the 315th F. A., the 305th Military Police and the 305th Trench Mortar Battery. At 12.10 p. m., on May 26th, the America pulled away from Lambert's Point and moved slowly down the bay, our last message from home being "Good luck, Good-bye," semaphored from a launch in the harbor. The trip over had been looked forward to with varied emotions. The majority, however, who had anticipated a well-earned rest and a pleasant sea voyage, were anything but pleasantly surprised. At first all were too weary after the struggle of the past few weeks or too busy writing letters to register any impression beyond a sigh of relief. But they soon woke up to find that the quarters on a troop ship were anything but luxurious, that the food on this boat at any rate was (expurgated by the censor, but remember that rabbit) and that bunk fatigue was frowned upon by higher authority; not that it was never indulged in, but it was not officially scheduled. "This ship is no place for an idle officer or man" was no jest. Fortunately, however, the weather was comparatively good; also the canteen managed to satisfy many an appetite with fig newtons or peanut butter sandwiches when it proved impossible to bribe the cook, and the "wine pipe" was accessible to a dry throat until both of these sources of supply gave out under the excessive demands placed upon them. The actual amount of military knowledge absorbed on board boat is not a matter of record, but that it was not larger, was no fault of the official schedule. There were many varieties of drills inaugurated on the limited deck space, from daily calisthenics to bayonet exercises; there were conferences on every known phase of artillery science, while spare moments were devoted to boat drills and the perusal of A. E. F. pamphlets, many of which sound ridiculous in the light of later experience, but which we read with absorbing interest at the time. Those not employed in any of the above pursuits for military knowledge were engaged in lookout duty of some kind. The America went over in a convoy consisting of the following ships: Ulua, Henderson, Huron, McCreary, Mongolia, Henry R. Mallory, Von Steuben, and the Tenadores. On June seventh the convoy was split, part of the ships going to Bordeaux. Early the next morning the coast of Brittany with its high bluffs and wind miles was sighted and the America slowly steamed into the harbor of Brest. "Good-bye, good luck," had been our last message from home; "Good morning, you are lucky," was the first message which greeted us from France, the country of which we had heard so much and knew so little. Not till early afternoon, however, was the regiment lightered ashore by Englishmen, who seemed to consider Americans to be a species of sardines. It was a hot summer's day, this eighth day of June, that we landed in France and then marched up the long, long hill of Brest past the quaint houses and the quainter native costumes; but interest in the many novel sights, in the dinky little trolley cars and the children who greeted us in their foreign tongue and asked for pourbois all in the same breath, drew attention from the heavy pack, the broiling sun and the dust. At Pontanazen Barracks we were assigned quarters in a neighboring field where some tents had been erected and there proceeded to make ourselves comfortable, that is, as comfortable as Possible, for Brest at this time offered neither rest nor comfort to transient troops. There was a strange lack of transportation in this camp, which entailed the carrying of all supplies by hand. To draw rations required a detail of four hundred men or more who carried them back to camp on their backs, in shelter halves or any other way that came convenient to hand. Then, too, the one little water hole available scarcely sufficed to remove all of the regimental dust and sweat, although ably assisted by one icy shower in Napoleon's barracks. On the other hand, the nights were wonderfully cool for those who had enough covering, the strawberries were delicious and the French willing to sell anything provided one had the price. At Brest we had our first introduction to the vin sisters, Blanc and Rouge, and to their distant relative Cognac; also the French method of washing clothes. On June 11th, entraining orders for Redon were received and the regiment was gathered together from the coal bunkers, ice plants, docks and sorting yards of Brest where it had been resting after the ocean voyage. The first section with Headquarters Company and Batteries A, B, C and D on board left Brest at 10.56 a. m., June 13th, and was followed ten hours later by the second section with the rest of the regiment. The first section, as it turned out, was the vanguard for the brigade, for when we arrived in Redon about midnight, it was found that no American troops had ever been stationed there before, and that no preparations whatsoever had been made for our reception. The troops were detrained, therefore, in the dark and marched to a nearby field for the night, while the baggage was unloaded by the light of a single lantern. Next morning the whole regiment was billeted within and around the town and the necessary supplies brought from the station by hand, by push cart, by wagon, in any available way. A few days later the next unit of the brigade arrived and soon the whole brigade was quartered in Redon and a few neighboring villages. Our short stay here still remains the best memory we hold of a year in France. Redon was a sleepy little town of about ten thousand, forty miles northeast of St. Nazaire. Through it ran a railroad and the canal which offered an ideal place to walk or swim on those hot summer days. No troops had been billeted there previously to mar the spirit of friendship and good-will and the people did all in their power to honor the Americans and make their stay comfortable. Here we learned to know the French at their best; here the more ambitious laid the foundations in French conversations; here informal parties were given every evening and many friendships formed which still linger in our memories. In this peaceful little town of Brittany, surrounded by its beautiful countryside, it was hard to realize that grim-visaged War was not far away. The troops were billeted in any kind of a shelter from a chateau to a chicken coop, but the weather was so mild that the kind of a shelter made little difference. As a matter of precaution everyone was confined to billets at first, but this restraint was found to be unnecessary and soon removed. The days devoted to intensive training with the French material were busy ones, especially after horses began to arrive, but in the evenings, one was usually free to enjoy the band concerts, to sit and talk over good French wine or to gather around regimental headquarters when home mail was being sorted. The stores offered a great variety of supplies to fill out the army issue, and that at reasonable prices. Shortly after arriving at Redon a large detail of officers and men was sent from each regiment to northern France for the purpose of purchasing horses to equip the brigade. This detail, commonly known as the Horse Detail, saw little of Redon except when a trainload of horses brought them back to their organizations for a couple of days. Nor did they confine themselves to horses at such times, but brought back in addition wild tales of their life in proximity to the English front. It took a few weeks for the Horse Detail to produce results, but once the horses began to arrive, it seemed as if they would never end. Trainload after trainload pulled into Redon station where they were unloaded on the quai and taken to a neighboring field for distribution. As the trains always arrived in the late afternoon or at night and usually when least expected, unloading details were seldom on hand - remember those calls for hurry-up details? The good fortune of the brigade in getting to the front, however, may be attributed in large measure to the efficient work of the Horse Detail. Long before horses began to arrive the brigade received its French material and started instruction in the intricacies of the 75 mm. guns and the adjustment of the French harness. Gas masks were also issued and a most rigid course of instruction in their use and abuse inaugurated. Details of officers and men were also sent to Camp Coetquidon for a course of artillery instruction. Nor were parades altogether left out of the schedule, for the whole brigade was reviewed on July 4th by General D'Amade, at the conclusion of which General Heiner received his first French salute (on one cheek only). Altogether Redon lives in our memories as an arduous course of intensive training, but with plenty of time in the evenings and on Sundays to enjoy a real summer among the hospitable people in lovely Brittany. But all good things come to an end, and so on August 8th, the brigade, led by 314 as usual, started its four-day hike to Camp de Meucon, a distance of some 45 miles. This was the first March which the regiment had ever made with full mounted equipment and was of untold benefit in preparation for service at the front. The first clay's march was made to Begranne where was shown the importance of good watering facilities and the necessity of watering animals in an orderly manner. The next camp was made at Muzillac where thorns vied with thistles in obtruding their presence on us unawares. At Muzillac seven of our officers received orders to return to the States to assist in training new armies at home. Captain George V. Hartwell and 1st Lieutenants Revelle and MacFarlane and 2nd Lieutenants Fishburne, Ford, Freeman and Jones left us, rejoicing, no doubt, at the prospect of promotions and home fires, but also, no doubt, chagrined to have come so far only to be sent back when they stood on the threshold of real service. After this slight disturbance the regiment continued to Thiex, from where the last day's march was made to Camp de Meucon, arriving there on August 11th at about one o'clock. Once again, in fact the last time for many months to come, the regiment was quartered in barracks and had regular mesa halls with tables and benches. Meucon was an artillery training camp about eight miles from Vannes. In spite of its fine showers, which never ran when needed, however, and in spite of cots and stables in exchange for picket lines, it does not linger in our memories as one of the pleasantest spots in France. For one thing, there was altogether too much dust and heat; for another, there were too many dead horses around in spite of the valuable assistance rendered by German prisoners. Then, again, watering facilities were totally inadequate and liberties were too few. The ambitions of all, however, were set on an early departure for the front and we knew that the length of our stay at Meucon depended on the work accomplished. As the tedious but necessary fundamentals and details of any subject are overcome and their practical application begun, the more interesting does that subject become. This was the case at Camp Meucon. The many tiresome details of artillery training had become a matter of habit and their practical application was taken up every day on the range. Every morning and afternoon one battery of each battalion fired problems on the range under the supervision of the camp instructors; in the evenings various schools followed this up with the theoretical side. The culmination of the whole course was a brigade problem after which we were declared ready for service at the front. As in getting ready for overseas, so in getting ready for the front, the preparation did not consist entirely of training. The regiment had to be properly equipped and this necessitated the turning in of much stuff and the drawing of other equipment, most of which was thrown away, here, there and everywhere long before we actually reached the front lines. Furthermore, the minute instructions for a troop movement with mounted equipment had to be read, reread, discussed and digested; having done this we entrained in our own good way and nothing went wrong. Leading the way for the brigade, 314 started to entrain at Vannes on September 12th at 8 p. m. The first section with Headquarters and Supply Companies on board was followed in order by Batteries E, F, D, C, B, and A. The first section detrained at Bar le Duc on September 14th at 8.15 p. m. From this point until we left Dun sur Meuse and headed for the S. 0. S. again, our history is taken up in the War Diary. * * * * * * * * * * * After a tedious trip from Dun, Headquarters and Supply Companies and Battery D arrived at Nuits-sous-Ravieres about six o'clock on the evening of December 11th with much material and few horses. After unloading the material and pushing it by hand to an adjacent field, the kitchens and a few essential supplies were sent on ahead by motor trucks, the troops with water and ration carts following on foot to Lezinnes, which was destined to be our headquarters for the winter. This march, by the way, a good twelve miles by night, was no pleasure jaunt, but all were glad to get settled again. The next morning the rest of the regiment arrived. Lezinnes was a little town of some six hundred on the main line of the P. L. and M. about ten miles from Tonnerre. It was a clean town, as French towns go, with three mess halls and one bath house erected for the use of American troops. Here regimental headquarters was located with Supply and Headquarters Companies and Battery A. First Battalion Headquarters with Batteries A and C was quartered at Argentenay, Second Battalion Headquarters with Batteries E and F at St. Vinnemer, while Battery B was located at Vireaux, the smallest and dirtiest town of all four. The area assigned to us was the best in the division and would have been beautiful in the summer with the canal and the River Armancon. Unfortunately, we only saw it in the winter, when the rain and the mud and the soggy fields offered little opportunity for out-door sports. One of the mess halls in Lezinnes was fitted out as a regimental theatre with stage and benches; here moving pictures and other shows were given regularly throughout the winter. (Apologies to Argentenay, St. Vinnemer and Vireaux for the term regimental theatre. Did you ever walk six to eight kilometers to see a bum show?) A large hall in Lezinnes was leased and used for dances whenever the band was available; when not available a fine stringed orchestra from Pacy was imported for the evening. A few days after our arrival in the S. O. S. from the advanced position in Mouzay a most disastrous inspection was held by the Brigade Commander, who did not seem altogether satisfied with the showing made by 314, not to mention both 313 and 315. Result: leaves, already long delayed, were further postponed and a frantic schedule of inspections and dismounted drill inaugurated. Nothing impressed us so much as these inspections, that the free and easy times at the front were over and that we were once more on a peace footing. All of our animals had been turned over to the 67th Brigade shortly after the armistice was signed except 16 horses kept by Supply Company, and every one devoutly prayed that 314 at least would never see another horse again, but in vain. Either our prayers were not heard or the vets had boasted too loudly of their snap. At any rate, a flood of horses and mules started to pour in. We received about a thousand in this way and then the flood ceased as suddenly as it began, but the damage had been done - gone were the days of peace, not only did these animals mean much grooming, exercising and mounted drill, but stables had to be constructed and thousands of loads of stone hauled. Unfortunately, however, the stones disappeared in the mud as fast as they were hauled and the mud became deeper every day. Whoever coined the term, "Sunny France" must have lived their life in Redon or Nice. December, 1917, witnessed five-day passes home - December, 1918, started off the seven-day leaves to various leave areas in France, a grateful change to the lucky ones, but they were over all to quick. Where did you go? - Aix-les-Baines, Grenoble or Nice, or did Redon lure you back? To make another comparison, just recall that wonderful Christmas dinner, 1917, and then gloat over the "gold fish" issued for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, 1918. Remember, however, that other Christmases are still to come. In February, 1919, a perfect mania for horse shows struck the A. E. F., a well-timed mania, too, for it served to arouse great interest in the condition and appearance of transportation; it also served to show many of us how really beautiful army transportation can be made, especially the English equipment. As usual, 314 led the way for the brigade. At the Division show, the 317th Infantry just nosed us out for first place, in no mean show, either, for the 80th Division certainly cleaned tip in the Corps and Army shows with its horse transportation. In this show Battery D took first with the gun section, and Battery E third. Supply Company took first in the mounted tug-of-war, third in the four line class and second in the single team. Battery C took third in the equipment race. In the Corps and Army shows Battery D repeated its performance, by winning firsts in the gun section contest. In the Corps Show, Supply Company got first with "Major" in single line class and first with four line mule team in escort wagon; "Major" won again in the Army Show, but the mules were not entered owing to injuries. During the winter various Corps and Division manoeuvres were held in which we had our share. We were also called upon to furnish one section from each battery to the infantry for training purposes, and Battery B spent weeks as the only artillery with the 36th Division, in fact, at one time it looked as if they would miss the boat. An additional winter sport consisted in long hikes out to a target range which was completed after much fussing and fuming on the part of high authority. The winter, therefore, consisted of a round of constant and consistent rain and mud, sufficient drilling to satisfy orders, inspectors innumerable, and much labor on stables and roads. How many big ones did you split into little ones? On the other hand, evenings were usually free for entertainment, dances or perhaps just a glass of good-fellowship. All in all, our stay in the 15th training area would have been most pleasant if the weather had only been a little more summerish and had we not been so doggone restless for home, a restlessness fanned and kept alive by the daily rumors which theoretically sent us everywhere but actually landed us in the Le Mans area for another six weeks. When the Le Mans area was finally settled upon as our next move in the game, orders were received for turning in all property except personal equipment and a few odds and ends. No one, who has never had to look after the full equipment authorized for a regiment of field artillery, can imagine the joy with which such orders were received, for the Brigade Commander during the winter months had made sure through charts and shortage reports, that we had the full authorized allowance whether needed or not. He may have had trouble in loading the regiment up, but there was certainly no difficulty when the unloading began. On March 31 st, at 11 o'clock, the regiment entrained at Pacy in a train composed of American box cars and fourth-class German coaches (for officers), arriving the next afternoon at Chateau du Loir without any transportation of our own and with no provisions made for any. As at Redon, it was necessary to haul supplies by hand and by means of any available kind of French vehicle. Chateau du Loir was a lovely town of 10,000, about 40 kilometers southeast of Le Mans, and by far the best place in the 80th Division area. Both 314 and 313 were quartered with Brigade Headquarters in the town and suburbs. There we found good billets, fine shops, especially pastry shops, which did a thriving business, fairly good weather in the morning with a sprinkling of rain most every afternoon and, best of all, very little to do. The regiment was now stripped to the bone as far as equipment went, so it became more a question of filling up the day rather than finding enough time to attend to everything. In this respect the inspection mania was a god-send for the first time. In order to fill up the morning hours it became necessary to fall back upon one of two evils, inspections or dismounted work of some variety. Take your choice, which will it be, "one, two, three, four," or "where is that shoe lace?" If any housewife has trouble with the washing ask any member of 314 how he washed that other suit of underwear and also showed it every morning for inspection. The problem of filling up the afternoon hours with sports in spite of the total lack of fields for athletics was fortunately solved by a combination of the American national game and the French town square. Such was the interest displayed in the battery and regimental games that the French must consider baseball to be America's greatest industry-lucrative to some yet highly unprofitable to others. Not only did baseball help fill up afternoon hours for the few who participated actively, but since spectators were considered in the light of participants as far as schedule requirements went, it afforded a golden opportunity for the large majority who had reached the "sitting stage" in their army career - namely those who were perfectly satisfied to sit around and watch "George do it." In the Brigade Series 314 split even, taking (used advisedly after consultation with certain gentlemen from the other regiment), taking, I repeat, two games out of three from 313 and losing two out of three to 315. In the regimental league, Battery D came out on top in a series in which predictions of the wiseacres were upset with surprising and at times disastrous frequency. At Chateau du Loir rumors reached their maximum in accuracy and frequency, which is a big statement to make in anything that regards the military. The actual sailing date was fixed so often and the boat named that even the most gullible became skeptical. Do you remember that horrible sinking feeling around May first when we were going to be re-equipped and start in to give the Hun another licking? We did not go into reverse, however, for the Division, after seeing itself leap-frogged by four other Divisions, finally got under way for the port. On May 11th 314 entrained after a morning devoted to drowning all sorrows over the leave-taking; so well were they drowned, indeed, that train discipline for the first part of the journey at least suffered severely. It seemed well nigh impossible to make those legs and arms behave. The next day at noon the train pulled into Brest and once again we walked up the long hill and out to Pontanazen Barracks, but it was an entirely different camp to that of a year ago. For efficiency and comfort the Embarkation Camp at Brest in May, 1919, could scarcely have been surpassed when the large number of troops handled is considered. The men once again lived, cots in barracks with a bath house next door, the first since Meucon; meals were served in large kitchens by schedule. Equipment was issued in quantities and most expeditiously. To be sure there was the usual round of inspections, but without them we would have been lost by this time, just like a toothache when the tooth is pulled. Early on the morning of May 11th, we turned our backs on the A. E. F., marched down the hill of Brest for the last time and boarded the U. S. S. Zeppelin. The Zeppelin, as her name implies, was one of the German liners turned over to the Allies. This was her maiden voyage with troops. She carried for the trip, in addition to 314, the 313, all of 315 except the third battalion, and Division Headquarters. Brigadier General Bryson was in command. The greatest problem on the Zeppelin at the start was the messing. The food, unlike that on the America, was excellent when one got it. I repeat, when one finally reached the right end of the mess line. A magnificent schedule was installed at first to meet the mess line problem, but like most beautifully ordained affairs, it worked on paper only. At nine o'clock the first night men were still struggling for their first taste of food since early morning and that after a good hike and hours of standing in line. In the meantime, the seas had risen to add their quota of torment - enough said. Next clay the mess lines showed a marked thinning out, and a catch-as- catch-can system, unofficially installed, solved a problem which had puzzled higher authority. A concise and lucid description of life on board the Zeppelin is given in G. O. 9, 624, 368, 521, 792, printed in another section of this volume. Those who made the trip can read between the lines of this order and remember much which may have been forgotten. Early on the morning of Wednesday, May 28th, land was sighted, the same shores which we had left over a year ago, and we slowly steamed into Newport News. From the dock the Brigade made its last march to Camp Stuart, where we stayed for a few days of further delousing, inspections and drawing of new uniforms before taking a boat up the James to Hopewell. From Hopewell, we took the train back to Camp Lee, our first home and our last home in the army. May we never see it again in uniform. Amen. (Typed by DELORES KNOWLES & LINDA FLUHARTY.)