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BEING THE NARRATIVE OF BATTERY A OF THE 101st FIELD ARTILLERY
Page 159
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but now, barring a reverse, it was their move. A re port came back that the Boche were in full retreat with our infantry at his heels. In the afternoon the combat train received orders to move up behind the guns so that the Battery could start at a moment's notice. On account of the constant rains and heavy teaming, the road up from the valley was in even worse condition than it was the first night. To get up the hill at all the horses had to be driven to the very limit of their endurance for they were completely fagged from over-work and under-feeding. Finally, a point about a hundred yards in rear of the guns was reached, and the horses picketed with the carriages under the trees. The drivers pitched pup-tents on the soggy ground and turned in for what sleep they could get. After two hours they were ordered to harness and hitch; tents were struck, equipment rolled, and the poor horses dragged to their feet and harnessed.
Our trip forward was a memorable one. In the first place, the difficulty of getting started was great. The horses could hardly stand on their feet, let alone negotiate the heavy going which confronted us. Our orders were to move forward at midnight, but the en tire night was spent in forcing the carriages through the mud to the solid road. It was not until after daylight that the Battery really got started, with all hands three quarters asleep. The terrain was a revelation of the terrific destructive power of our artillery. At the time it seemed to us that we had destroyed the roads a bit too completely for our own good, but the engineers were working like beavers,
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