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101st Field Artillery, left camp for Hoboken, the port of embarkation, and sailed to Liverpool, the transports stopping at Halifax to pick up the convoy. Without delay the regiments crossed Eng­land to Southampton and immediately embarked for France, land­ing at Havre about Sept. 20. The other regiments of the Division followed in quick succession.

The infantry training camp was at Neufchateau, in eastern France, while the artillery units were stationed at Coetquidan, near Rennes in Brittany, an ancient artillery training camp, estab­lished by Napoleon. The work was severe, relentless, but the results showed the wisdom of the hard, well-directed training, in which French officers played important parts as instructors. The infantry was as highly skilled as any in any army of any nation in all France.

The artillery had won a name for itself for rapidity and accuracy of fire even before it left Coetquidan. As most people know, the American army guns had been left at home, and the task was to master the French 75s and the heavier 155s, and to equal the French standard of fire. No greater accuracy than that of the French could be achieved, but for speed the Yankees went them one better, by mastering the difficult and dangerous, but speed-increasing method of loading on the recoil, which is held to account for the oft-encountered illusion of German officers that the Americans were using a 3-inch machine gun. The artillery of the 26th won high enconiums from the officers of all the Allied armies with which they fought, but best of all from their own infantry, whose saying was: 'We'd charge into the jaws of Hell behind a barrage from our batteries.'

The engineering contingent, the 101st Engineers, gained en­during fame, not only for its specialized work, but for its fighting ability, as well. The deadly skill of the Machine Gun Battalions and the Trench Mortar Battery won for them their laurels. The Field Signal Battalion, ever alert and efficient, often under most difficult and hazardous conditions, rendered conspicuous service. The Ammunition Train, Supply Train and Sanitary Train functioned smoothly in the Divisional machine, often in spite of almost insuperable difficulties and grave peril. The Military Police were the pride of Gen. Edwards. Of the Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals of the Division no praise could be too great. Noncombatants, in action they were always compelled to receive punishment and never permitted to retaliate. They had much work to do, and they did it well.

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