A brief history of the battery from the time it arrived in the zone of advance until November 11, 1918 , the date the Armistice became effective.

On August the 11^th, 1918 the battery arrived at Mezy, on the river Marne, in the zone of advance. Detraining was completed at 3:45 A.M. Just before leaving Mezy, we reluctantly said “Good Bye” to Lieutenants Shelby Thornberry and Edward C. Twitchell, who had received orders to return to the States for duty there. About 5:30 A.M. the battery left Mezy and started on its march across the Marne, and up over the hills to the village of Roncheres. The next three days were spent in anxious preparation for the order to go to the front. During this time the men made trips through the surrounding territory, and found the resting places of a number of their friends and comrades who had died the previous week in the advance where the 28^th division infantry had met the Prussian Guards. The night before leaving for the front they were given their first night air visit by a German Bomber who dropped several bombs in a nearby field. At 6:00 P.M. August 14^th, the firing battery and combat train with first Lieutenant Robert G. Strootman in command left Roncheres for the front, arriving at Dravegny about 8:30 P.M. Here the battery was met by Captain Clinton T. Bundy, the battery commander, who had gone ahead to reconnoiter a battery position. The night was spent in the woods above Dravegny, the men rolling up in their blankets and sleeping under the trees. The next day, August 15^th, the firing battery was taken into its first position about two kilometers from Chery-Chartreuve. The march into po9sition was made under heavy shell fire and considerable gas. The road was badly torn by shell-fire and many limber poles were broken but repairs were quickly made in many cases the man wearing gas masks, and their errand completed. The first section gun in command of sergeant Donaldson met with a mishap, a wheel was thrown and the driver, Anthony Guercio, caught between the horses and the wheel, miraculously escaped serious injury. The harness had to be cut from the horses and the section was left on the road under heavy shell-fire. Privates Houlihan and Tierney returning from placing the fourth gun in position made another trip and placed the first gun. During the first experience of real warfare, the personnel of the battery displayed the coolness and courage of veterans. On August 16^th, the battery registered on point back of the enemy line thus making their actual start in the participation in the great war. The next day, August 17^th, the first casualties occurred. During a heavy bombardment, Private John C. Young was fatally wounded by fragments of a high explosive shell. Young was on the machine gun crew stationed to the left of the battery and had just been relieved and was on his way down to the kitchen for his dinner. Captain H. D. Ryman of the Sanitary detachment, Sergeant James B. Barrigh, Corporal Henry D Lefflerm Private Harris G. Davis and Ralph J. Kletzly went to his aid. Shells were still falling about amid Young though mortally wounded realized the danger to his comrades and requested that he be permitted to lie where he had fallen until the shelling was over. While vainly endeavoring to stop the flow of blood from the wounds of Young, Kletzly was instantly killed and Captain Ryman fatally wounded. Both Captain Ryman and Private Young died in the field hospital a few hours later. Private Kletzly lies buried near where he fell. Captain Ryman and Private Young are buried in a little French cemetery near the town of Dravegny. This first loss of comrades was calmly received by both officers and men but it seemed to bring forth new and greater courage and a greater determination. Captain Ryman was loved by the personnel of the entire regiment for his solicitude for the welfare of the men at all times. In the loss of Private Young and Kletzly, the members of the battery felt that brothers ---true--- had “Paid in Full”.

From August the 18^th to September 4^th, nothing of unusual importance occurred but the gun crews were ever on the alert and were often called to their posts to fire a barrage into threatening points of the enemies lines. During this period the enemy shelled our position intermittently using considerable gas. A number of our men were slightly gassed.

On September 4^th the battery left the original position and advanced to a point in the railroad cut on the Mont-St. Courville road about 400 meters north of St. Giles. On Sept 5^th, the position was again advanced to a point about one and one have kilometers north of St. Giles along the Fismes road. In this position the enemy bombed both the gun positions and the echelon without damage. All during this day the combat train and the limbers on the guns were held in readiness in a valley below the guns. At dusk Captain Bundy ordered the horses and limbers taken back, and in all probability saved a number of his men’s lives that night. The bomber arrived shortly after dusk and dropped a bomb exactly at the spot where the men and horses had spent the day. A kitchen was located nearby, and the horses tied to it for the night were killed. Two cooks sleeping underneath were uninjured. On September 8^th, the battery was relieved, a terrific rainstorm impeding traffic, caused the drivers to stand in the heavy downpour of rain for over seven hours awaiting the opportunity to take the guns out of position. Not a man complained though, in fact during the afternoon the men had prayed for rain that night, that they could get their guns out of the position without a visit again that night from the German bombers. From this point the battery marched about five kilometers and camped in the woods west of Arcis-Le-Bomsart, resting here the following day. In the afternoon many of the men attended the funeral services by Chaplain Peters over the bodies of Privates Hutchinson and Haid of Battery “E”, who were killed while the batteries guns were being taken out of position. Here, too, many of the men visited the grave of Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt, son of former president Theodore Roosevelt, and paid tribute to his memory. Lieutenant Roosevelt ws an aviator and was felled during an air-battle a short time before.

On the morning of September 10^th, at 8:30 A.M. the never-to-be forgotten march to the Argonne was begun during a very heavy rainstorm. Everybody said “We are going for a rest”. Little did they think that the battery was headed for the Argonne to participate in the drive into the much talked of Hindenburg drive, a smash that was the turning point of the war, and one that brought home to the Germans the realization that the Americans were fighters that could not be stopped. On this great march, the battery camped at the following places on the dates given, September 10^th, Vizilly, on the Marne, September 11^th, Vinay, in the heart of the great vineyard district of France. September 14^th, Vassimont; September 15^th, Faux-Sur-Coole; September 16^th, Bassuat and September 17^th, Revigny. While here the Battery Officers first learned that instead of going for a rest as had been supposed to be the order, the battery was going to another front. Next morning September 18^th found the battery in a camp about three kilometers south of Triacourt. From September 18^th to September 20^th. The battery was camped in the forest of Argonne about three meters from the village of Futeau, and on September 20^th moved into camp on the hill above Futeau. During this march the battery covered a distance of approximately 230 Kilometers marching at night and resting at day. About half the time it rained and no billets were available so sleep and rest was almost impossible. When halts were made, the men made themselves as comfortable as possible under wagons or caissons.

On September 21^st, the battery moved into camp Cabaub, a French camp in the woods about one kilometer from the village of Las-Islettes. From here that night the firing battery was taken into its first position in the Argonne at Chalade Woods. On the morning of September 26^th at 5:30 o’clock the battery commenced firing in one of the greatest artillery actions of the war. The big guns had commenced about midnight and throughout the night had kept up an incessant roar. The Germans had responded with a few big shells and considerable gas. The battery fired almost incessantly from 5:30 o’clock until noon. Curing the morning Private Joseph Fallace was fatally wounded by enemy shell fire and died in the field hospital a few hours later. Sergeant Adam Wehrman was slightly wounded by fragments of the same shell and several others had narrow escapes. In the afternoon, the battery moved out of the Chalade woods and began the advance in the wake of the infantry, taking up a temporary position west of Varennes. After about two hours in this position, the battery advanced to a point near Petite-Bourellies. This position was under durect observation of the enemy and as the guns were being placed in position a fierce machine gun battle was taking place about a quarter of a kilometer to the left, flares lighting the adjacent territory and machine gun bullets whizzing about. During the morning, the position was heavily shelled. The next day September 28^th, the position was again advanced to La Forgem beyond Varennes. While moving into this position it was impossible to pass through Varennes on account of traffic congestion and heavy shelling. A detour was made around the town, the guns being taken over almost impossible obstacles. During this march, word was received that the commander-in-chief, General Pershing, was on the Argonne front and that afternoon many of the men had an opportunity to see him. That night, extreme difficulty was experienced in firing owing to the condition of the ground caused by the heavy rain during the day but which had not impeded the progress of the Americans. Enemy artillery kept up a continual harassing fire on positions to the rear of the battery throughout the night and the following day. A continual downpour of rain kept up throughout the night and the men were soaked where they slept. Next morning at day-

Break they were up, had a fire built and were drying their clothing, when an enemy airplane flew overhead and fired upon them with his machine gun. No one was injured. On October 1^st and 2^nd, the gun position and the echelon were shelled very heavily, almost invariably at meal-time. Many had narrow escapes. Private Charles K. Smyers was severely wounded on October 1sr by a fragment of shell, and in neighboring batteries quite a number casualties occurred. On the morning of October 3^rd, a new position was taken up about one kilometer up the valley and to the left,, of the former position. While here both the gun position and the aschelenn were shelled almost continually, it being necessary to move the escheleon at dusk that evening to a more protected place. That afternoon, private John R. Reynolds was seriously injured by shell fire, when the ammunition train was heavily shelled while delivering ammunition to the guns. It was here that Sergeant Kuhn, the in charge of the ammunition train, named the held valley “juke-em-hollow”, the name by which the members of the battery will ever remember that position. A change of position was made on October 7^th, advancing about two kilometers to a point near Mont-Blainville. October 8^th, the position was again advanced about three kilometers to La-Chene-Tondu, this point representing the battery’s most advanced position in the Meuse-Argonne drive, as the battery was relieved on October 9^th, after continuous participation in this offensive for eighteen days.

Leaving La-Chena-Tondu at 10 P.M. the battery marched back to Camp Caboub a distance of approximately 30 Kilometers. While resting at Camp Caboub, the battery received the first news of the request of the Central Powers for the Armistice on October 11^th. This caused some elation and all anxiously awaited further developments. On October 14^th, the battery was viewed by General McNair. At this time, the battery was designated as the organization to demonstrate the maneuvers connected with going into action.

On October 18^th, orders were received for movement by train. Leaving Camp Cabaub at 6:30 A.M., the battery marched about 25 kilometers though Les-Islettes, St. Menehold, to Givry and entrained. Left Givry at 5:00 P.M. passing through Chateau-Theiry, St. Denis, a suburb of Paris, Creilm Amiens, and Calais arriving at Wieljte, Belgium near Ypres, Belgium. Left Wieljte and marched about seventeen kilometers to Sleghaege and went into billets. After resting at Sleyhaege for October 20^th to October 28^th orders were received to proceed to the Lya-Scheldt front. Leaving Sleyhaege the battery marched about 20 Kilometers through Isegham, pitching tents and sleeping that night at Inglemunster. While camped here the railroad station and the town of Isegham was bombed that night by a German airman. The battery left Inglemunster the evening of October 29^th, and marched 16 kilometers took up a gun position at Evangelbloom, arriving at 11:30 P.M. While crossing over the pontoon bridge over the Lys river, enemy aviators were dropping bombs in a futile attempt to destroy the bridge. On October 30^th and 31^st the enemy artillery became very active and their planes in considerable numbers hovered over the battery positions dropping propaganda intended for our British comrades in which the United States was accused of prolonging the war, for mercenary reasons causing much meriment among the British, French and American soldiers, Also the Belgium civilians.

Evidently the knowledge of the presence of the American troops on this front had not reached the enemy. Efforts to dislodge the Huns from their positions held on October 31^st having been successful our positions were moved ahead on the night of November 1^st to a point near Peteghem. Considerable enemy shelling was experienced here during the night but with no casualties. November 2^nd, the enemy having been again compelled to retire a distance of about five kilometers, Captain Bundy received orders to accompany the 362 infantry and one platoon of the battery was placed in a position about 400 yards in the rear of the infantry’s front lines and in direct view of the enemy, this position being an entirely unprotected one. Under continuous and heavy and machine gun fire, the gun crews stuck to their posts enabling the battery commander to carry out his orders, to destroy the enemy machine gun nests which represented the greatest hindrance to the advance of the American infantry. The most remarkable fact with the activity of the battery on this front was the total absence of casualties. On November the 2^nd about noon, Corporal Andrew J. Weaver and Corporal Fred Fogle, were in charge of the telephone station near the guns. The enemy commenced shelling and shortly after the house was demolished by two shells. The two Corporals were caught in the falling debris but succeded in crawling from the wreckage and escaped injury. Chief Mechanic Greer was caught in the burst of a shell and thrown about ten feet. His clothing was torn but outside of being badly shaken up “pop” Greer was uninjured and able to continue his journey for his dinner. Many similar tales could be related of the activity here. While in this position the ciry of Audenarde was taken by the American forces and later the Brigade Commander was commended by the King of Belgium for directing the fire of the 53^rd F.A. brigade guns that little damage was done to the city by shell fire.

The battery was relieved on November 3^rd, 1918 and marched about 18 kilometers to Beveren. Resting at Beveren to November the 8^th, the battery again started for the Lys-Scheldt front. Marching about 22 kilometers, they arrived at Chrnyshautem, on the morning of November 9^th, and that evening the firing battery was taken into position at Moorghem. At this place Captain Bundy was relieved of command of the battery and assigned as Commanding Officer of the 2^nd Battalion. Lieut. Robert G. Strootman succeeded Captain as battery commander. No firing was done in this position and on November the 11^th, the battery moved from this point passing through Audenarde and Arrived at Hoorobeke-St. Maria at 10 A.M. While resting the tired horses here as they had traveled at a fast pace all morning, the automobile of General Price came swiftly up the road and stopped at the battery, Where stood Rovert G McKendrick, Major, Commander of the first battalion. Summoning the Major to his side the General ordered that runners be sent to all organizations in the neighborhood with orders that all firing cease, that Germany had accepted the terms of our Armistice as laid down by the Allied Military Leaders and that all hostilities would cease at 11:00 , Thus the War came to a close for “B” battery.

P.S. Alfred L. Fleming Sr. was wounded slightly in the Meuse Argonne offensive and

Carried a piece of shrapnel in his neck untils his death in 1951. The gas that he

Was exposed to, also contributed to his death through emphysema and heart

Disease.