MEMORIES OF BATTERY "D"

     Battery "D" of the 314th Field Artillery was organized September 
20, 1917.  In its infancy it had as officers Captain John U. Hussey, 
lst Lieutenant Frederick H. Lovejoy, 2d Lieutenants Neil MacDougall, 
Murray Rushmore, James A. Ingraham, William G. Jones and Edmund S. 
Wells, and as enlisted personnel 170 sturdy mountaineers from West 
Virginia and a Top Sergeant, Morris Lipchiltz, who was an old man at 
the army game and hails from New Bedford, Mass. From time to
time transfers were made among the officers and in the ranks. When 
the spring of 1918 came the organization was found to contain men 
from the three states (West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Virginia), 
represented by the divisional insignia.
     About the 10th of May orders were received that the Artillery 
Brigade would go overseas. Then began in our battery the work of 
packing the baggage and fully equipping each man with an overseas 
outfit. It was no uncommon thing to be hauled out of bed at 2 A. M. 
to stand formation so that Lieut. E. L. Jones could be sure that each 
man had five pairs of socks. "Has everybody here got two pairs of 
extra shoe laces?" he would shout, and some half sleeping soldier 
covered by nothing more than a rain coat (Private McKenna, it is 
said), replied, "I have no condiment can." After several of such 
formations the officers were satisfied that the men had what was 
required, but the night before we were to leave Camp Lee Private 
Unangst, a recruit, appeared at "Retreat" with a fine crease in his 
civilian trousers, a celluloid collar and red necktie. On 
investigation it was found that Private Unangst had packed his entire 
outfit in his barracks bag, which was already at the port of 
embarkation. Owing to censorship we are not permitted to quote the 
bawling out he received from the Top Sergeant.
     We sailed from Norfolk, Va., Sunday, May 26, 1918, on the 
transport America and after an uneventful voyage as far as submarines 
are concerned arrived at Brest, France, June 8th and proceeded to a 
rest (? ) camp, Camp Pontanezen, in the outskirts of the town. 
Napoleon used this camp for his troops over a hundred years before 
but it seems that when he left all the REST went with him. It will be 
remembered as a place of hard work, little food and less sleep, as 
well as our introduction to the "Van" brothers, "Van Blank" and "Van 
Rooge."
     After staying three days in Brest we entrained for Redon, 
arriving there in the small hours of the morning of June 13th, and 
that afternoon were assigned to our billets along the canal about a 
kilometer from town. While in Redon we received our material and 
horses. Our training in this town consisted of foot drill. gun drill, 
setting-up exercises, swimming, beaucoup gas drill and signalling.  
On July 27th, Captain Green, who had commanded the battery since the 
middle of May, 1918, was transferred and Captain McLaughlin was put 
in command. The battery left Redon August 8th and after four days' 
hiking arrived at Camp de Meucon, where we received a four-weeks' 
course of firing. On September 13th we entrained at Vannes to put to 
practical use the training we had received.   A two-days' ride in box 
cars through a beautiful part of France took us to Longeville, from 
which place we hiked to Camp Gallieni, arriving there on September 
20th. It was on this hike that we first saw the flares, rockets and 
flashes of the guns on the front. It was a gradual initiation to the 
activities in which we were soon to take part. These hikes look 
better on paper than they do on the ground, so we will say no more 
about them.
     We rested at Camp Gallieni three days and on the 24th took up, 
behind Le Mort Homme, our first battery position, which had been 
occupied by a French battery in 1916. Our first shot was fired about 
5 P. M. on the 25th, at which time we fired a few rounds for 
registration, with Lieutenant Moore directing fire from an O. P. on 
Le Mort Homme and Lieutenant MacDougall as executive.  During the 
night the Huns sent over a few shells, one of them landing under the 
camouflage of our No. 4 gun, slightly wounding Private Inghram. The 
gas alarms as well were a disturbance to our slumbers that evening, 
so it was a very eager crowd of cannoneers that manned the guns the 
following morning when Battery "D" opened up in THE BARRAGE. At 8 
o'clock, while other units of the brigade were carrying on the 
barrage our battery moved forward, passed through the captured town 
of Bethincourt and took position at Hill 277. This position will be 
remembered as a place of many gas alarms and the scarcity of food for 
the first three days, our kitchen being A. W. O. L. that period. Our 
dugouts were just finished when we Timbered up and moved to a 
position near Septsarges, our Echelon remaining at Hill 277. At 
Septsarges Battery "D" suffered its first casualties Corporal Grover 
C. Seckman being killed and seven others wounded. We left Septsarges 
October 10th and took a position west of Nantillois, the Echelon 
moving to Septsarges. We were subjected to more shelling and bombing 
at this position than at any previous one. Our Captain Rowland H. 
McLaughlin, a very earnest and conscientious and efficient commander, 
while in conference with his chiefs of sections, was mortally 
wounded. When being carried to the ambulance he said to Captain Kane, 
Battalion Commander, "Captain, I'll be back soon," but much to our 
regret he died soon after reaching the hospital. On October 19th, 
Bugler Leeson made the supreme sacrifice at the same place.  
Lieutenant MacDougall was put in command of the battery to the 
supreme satisfaction of all the men. On October 24th we moved from 
Nantillois to a position near Romagne, stayed there a week and on 
October 31st went forward into the Bois de Rappes to use direct fire 
on the enemy in the big drive of November 1st. It was a bold 
position, subject to continuous fire from the enemy. Quite a few 
casualties were sustained in the battalion and by the infantrymen who 
assisted us in placing the guns. Battery "D" lost Private Hanling and 
Private Revell and had Gunner Corporal Humez severely wounded. 
Lieutenant Puffer, directing the fire, had the satisfaction of 
destroying a few machine gun nests. In the evening the battery moved 
to a position near Andevanne, encountering on the way many delays due 
to the congestion of traffic. One of these delays was made very 
uncomfortable by an Austrian 88 mm. Little firing was done from this 
position, due to the rapid advance, making liason with the infantry 
almost impossible. During the night of November 3d we went forward, 
taking up a position in the Bois de Mont on a ridge overlooking the 
beautiful valley of the Meuse, from which place the flashes of the 
German guns on the other side of the river could be plainly seen. 
Much work was done at this position, cutting trees to clear the field 
of fire. We were visited frequently by bombing planes, but 
fortunately the bombers, as far as Battery "D" was concerned, were 
not rewarded for their efforts.  It was here that our water cart 
driver, Parker, was killed by a shell fragment. At 11 P. M. on the 
night of November 9th we left the woods, crossed the Meuse at Sassey 
sur Meuse and proceeded along the Route Nationale to Mouzay, arriving 
there about 5 A. M., November 10th. Our guns were put in position 
near the town and opened fire on the Bois de Baalon. The town and 
roads leading to it were shelled repeatedly during the day. Our Mess 
Sergeant, Porter Garrison, who by his solicitude for our welfare had 
endeared himself to all the men, was killed on the morning of 
November 10th, this being the last casualty in the battery.
     The next day, at the signing of the armistice, we had the 
following officers: 1st Lieut. Neil MacDougall, commanding, lst 
Lieut. Frederick C. Moore, 2d Lieuts. William R. Frost, Irwin M. 
Puffer and Robert D. Paskins. Lieutenants Puffer and Paskins were 
transferred, much to our regret, on the 14th to the Army of 
Occupation, along with 43 men, whose departure was keenly felt in the 
organization. So we were left with three officers to whom the men 
were strongly attached and who will linger long and pleasantly in the 
memories of the men of "D" Battery.
     We remained at Mouzay until December 3d, hiked to Dun sur Meuse 
and on the 4th took train for Nuits sous Ravieres, from which place 
we hiked to Lezinnes, where we remained until we left for the 
embarkation area.
     While at Lezinnes Captain D. S. Beebe was put in command, 
Lieutenant Moore transferred to "C" Battery and Lieuts. Homer R. 
Spence and Alex N. Dannenberg assigned, making our quota of officers 
complete.
     One of the features of our stay at Lezinnes was the work of one 
of the gun sections. This section competed in the battalion gun drill 
contest and won the right to represent the 2d Battalion at the 
Division Horse Show at Ancy le Franc. It carried off first honors. 
The following week it represented the division at the 1st Corps Horse 
Show at Tonnerre, winning first place against the best gun sections 
in the Corps.  This victory made them the representatives of the 1st 
Corps at the lst Army Show at Bar sur Aube, March 5th, at which place 
they were pitted against that famous gun section of Battery "F," 3d 
Field Artillery.  This was Major-General Surnmerall's old 
organization and on being inspected by him the day previous to the 
contest, the section was pronounced by him unbeatable. However, 
General Summerall had never seen the gun section of Battery "D," 
314th Field Artillery, work. The next day he discovered his mistake. 
The contest consisted of hitching up both piece and caisson, driving 
75 meters, going into action and firing one shot, while the limbers 
went back to the starting point. Then on signal from the Chief of 
Section the limbers went forward, Timbered front and rear and 
returned to the starting, point. The most amazing feature of the 
contest was the fact that our gun section had completed its work 
before the caisson of that much vaunted gun section of the Regular 
Army had left the scratch. Major-General Summerall was nowhere to be 
found after the event. So Battery "D" has the enviable reputation of 
possessing the fastest 75 mm. gun section in the First Army and if 
given the opportunity would be delighted to match its speed with that 
of any gun section in the A. E. F., and, what is more, have three 
other gun sections equally as good. It must be remembered that such a 
record could not be made in an organization in which harmony, co-
operation and pride are found wanting, and Battery "D" has an 
unlimited supply of these requisites. Each and every man is proud of 
the fact that he is a member of Battery "D" and points with pride to 
its achievements.

(Typed by LINDA FLUHARTY.)