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

Page 139

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lished our position not far from its banks, in that famous wheat field near Sergy. Hundreds and hundreds of dead were lying around us in every direction. Ma­ chine guns, rifles, and equipment of every description covered the ground. The reserve rations of the dead helped us tide over an otherwise foodless day, as our ration cart never caught up to us from the rear.

                The enemy, however, had got beyond gun range. We did not fire a round but pushed along the next day. As usual the roads were in bad shape. The 4th Division was coming in to relieve the 42nd, while the artillery of both the 42nd and 26th were on the move at the same time. Moreover, the roads were in a badly torn up condition, the effects of our own firing. Inwardly, we swelled with pride at our accuracy, but outwardly we swore at it for causing us so much trouble now. We passed through Nesles and then struggled along toward the Bon Homme Farm. The pulling was very hard indeed. We had only four horses on each gun and caisson, and their food allowance was so small that day—our fourgon having been stuck in a mud hole—that they were really working on empty stomachs.

                In the late afternoon of August 3 after our longest advance of the drive, we placed our guns near a little town called La Tuilerie, about five or six kilometres south of Fismes. We were relieved the next day. We had gone through the whole drive—eighteen days and nights of continuous action. We had supported four divisions and we had fired 17,790 rounds against the Germans. The men were dead tired, deaf, and work­ ing on nerve alone, but the spirit was still there; no

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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