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BEING THE NARRATIVE OF BATTERY A OF THE 101st FIELD ARTILLERY

Page 113

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traveling, and as far as we knew no rest or sleep in sight. As the horses grew more and more tired the troubles of the rear of the column increased, with its park wagons, fourgon, ration cart, and water cart. The park wagons were unwieldly anyway, but especially so when both drivers and horses were nine- tenths asleep. First one would get stuck, and then the other. The climax came on going down the long hill into Meaux. The ration cart broke one of its shafts (because the horse lay down to sleep) and when once down, he refused to get up again in spite of all the urging, caressing, pleading and beating that we could heap upon him. Nevertheless, regardless of all these customary marching difficulties, we at last pulled into Boutigny at 6.30 A. M. We quickly parked our guns and established the picket lines for the horses. A small rivulet was soon found where we could water the latter, and after they had been watered and fed, everybody with one accord dropped in their tracks, to sleep all day. Towards evening the "epicures" of the Battery started to stir around the village to find out what kind of a place it was. They reported that it was "pas bon". Wine was scarce; very few eggs or eatables could be purchased; and the billets were poor. These three things told us the value of any town.

                By the next day, July 3, everybody was feeling in trim and ready for hard work again. The drivers were soon busy cleaning their harness and giving the horses a real, thorough grooming, while the cannoneers refreshed themselves in "Open Warfare" drills, picking up distant aiming points and firing at fleeting

 

 

 

 

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