The rest of the night settled down to a grim struggle against shaken nerves. Isolated shells both gas and H. E. kept falling on the position and near the road. The men worked tenaciously, spreading camouflage nets, carrying shells, running telephone lines, and establishing a kitchen. Dawn revealed the wreckage and dead horses beside the road,—but to a Boche airplane there would be no trace of the four guns crouching under their nests of green. A half hour later all the men were asleep in shell-holes. In that night they had lived a hundred years.

                The Battery remained in this position until November 1. During that time it fired harassing concentrations of H. E. in the Bois de Crepion and the Hazelle Ravine, where the Germans were massed to withstand our repeated stubborn attacks. Defensive barrages were fired on the Belleu Bois, Bois de Chenes, and Bois D'Ormont. We fired No. 7 gas (poison) on the Crepion Road.

                To understand our predicament in Haumont Ravine, an explanation is necessary of the Division's mission at this time. The Allies, to insure success for the drive in the Argonne, must cause the German High Command to dissipate its reserves along the vital gap. For this purpose many points must be savagely attacked at the same time even with no hope of success or advance, merely to draw the German resistance away from the victorious sweep towards Sedan. The fact that these attacking troops, to be fully successful in their mission, must engage a superior number of the enemy, the more the better, helps explain why the Twenty-Sixth found itself

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VIEW OF FORT DOUAMONT TAKEN FROM A BATTERY'S POSITION. THE FORT IS MERELY THE SLIGHT EMINENCE ON THE FURTHEST RIDGE TO THE LEFT. IT WAS HERE THAT THE 11TH HOUR OF THE 11TH DAY OF THE 11TH MONTH FOUND THE BATTERY FIRING ITS LAST SHOTS OF THE GREAT WAR

SECOND VERDUN POSITION SHOWING THIRD AND FOURTH PIECES IN POSITION UNDER CAMOUFLAGE. BARBED WIRE ENTANGLEMENTS RUNNING DIAGONALLY IN FRONT OF PIECES. SHELL HOLE AMMUNITION PIT IN THE LEFT FOREGROUND. OCCUPIED OCTOBER 23-NOVEMBER 1

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