TRAINING
At 9 o'clock on the morning of November 2 the Battalion detrained at
Neufchateau with hungry, travel-worn men willing to unroll their packs
in any place having the slightest appearance of being a stationary
camp, but it took all their optimism to greet enthusiastically the
mud-surrounded barracks provided for the Company about three and a half
miles southeast of Neufchateau near the village of Certilleux, in the
department of the Vosges.
Surrounded as it was by hills characteristic of that part of France,
and isolated from the other units of its command, A Company developed
its community along lines approved by itself. The barracks, of which
there were four on the east side of the road and one on the opposite
side, all of that temporary type of structure manufactured in sections
and reared without much attempt at making them comfortable, were
connected with wide stone walks. The material for these walks was
brought from the hill near at hand after hours of labor which took the
kinks out of unused muscles and increased appetites, which were far
from being satisfied because of the addled condition of the supply
service then prevailing with the American Expeditionary Forces.
Three of the group of four barracks were adopted for the use of the
Company, floors were laid, bunks of heavy green wood which had to be
carried from the railroad station nearly a mile distant were gradually
put into place, the kitchen was installed in one of the barracks with
the mess hall as an adjunct and the orderly room occupying a small
space near the end of the latter. Finally the small cylindrical stoves,
the only available means of heating the barracks, were installed, three
to a building. The single barracks on the west side of the road was
fitted up for a guard house and supply room until the horses, mules and
gun carts claimed it for their own.
Detail work was plentiful, for water was supplied by a small brook
originating in springs near the top of the hill and it was necessary
to carry it a hundred yards to the kitchen. Coal for the barracks
stoves was only obtainable by carrying it from points of distribution,
for transportation was scarce early in the fall of 1917. To supply the
kitchen with wood, chopping details were sent into areas designated
by the French authorities and the sticks were carried to camp by the
Company.
Getting settled in the barracks was a comparatively short operation,
for the men had been making new homes during the past month under more
trying conditions each time, until they considered board floors and
more or less dependable roofs downright luxuries. The bunks, most of
which were of the "double-deck" variety, that is, one superimposed over
another, with staunch wooden posts, were finally arranged in double
rows on each side of the barracks, leaving a broad aisle through the
center of the building. Sergeants who were fortunate enough found small
single bunks which they placed in the middle of the barracks clustered
around the stove which occupied the aisle there. These bunks also made
seats for the rest of the men when winter nights made the space around
the stove a coveted commodity.
Upon invitation the 102d Regiment Band came to the mess hall the Sunday
following the Company's arrival at Certilleux and raised the spirits of
the men with a concert. Tuesday a march was made to Neufchateau where
steel helmets and full machine gun equipment, as far as the guns and
carts were concerned, were drawn from the French ordnance depot there.
The equipment was hauled back to camp on a hike memorable for its
strenuous character.
Spare time had been curtailed in attempts to make the camp tenable,
but now was spent in gaining a first-hand knowledge of the surrounding
territory. These walks of exploration were cut short by the
announcement, November 10, that Mechanic Curtiss had developed a case
of measles and been sent to the hospital. His case was followed by
others, so the quarantine, applied immediately, hedged in the Company
and prevented it from passing the borders of the little camp for nearly
a month. First Sergeant Bell, whose boundless energy was responsible
for the improvements made about the camp, took command of the situation
and did all within his power to add to the meager pleasures of the men
by holding impromptu entertainments in the mess hall. The first of
these was his trial and conviction by a mock court on serious charges
preferred by Dockendorff; the sentence recommended by the jury, of
which Captain Wolf was foreman, involved the loss of his whistle. Judge
Carroll suspended execution of judgment in view of the accused's early
record and Tony Scandore's band completed the program.
Other gatherings of equal interest were arranged, during which
the _Morning Scratch_ was presented with its ephemeral owners and
contributors and its policy of "charity to none and malice toward
all." This remarkable paper not only attracted the attention of
the divisional censor, but outlived three editions in which plain
fabrication vied with outspoken truth in ferreting out the peculiar
qualities of well-known men in the organization. Sergeant McCarthy and
Corporal Malone acted as editors of this worthy "sheet" but shielded
the names of contributors to the last.
Robinson and Stearns valiantly attacked the "general's march"
unceasingly when the word was passed down that General Pershing was
coming to inspect the Company on November 11. Clothing and equipment
were scrubbed as never before, but the stigma of a quarantine saved
the men the nerve-racking experience of an inspection by the General,
and the only sight they had of him was when his car flashed past to
Landaville where the headquarters of the 102d Regiment was located.
After patiently translating most of the French handbook on the
Hotchkiss machine gun which was issued to the Company the previous
week, Lieutenants Carroll and Nelson transmitted their information to
the rest of the Company officers and the men were called out for the
first demonstration. Described as being "air-cooled, gas operated and
strip-fed," the gun was extremely heavy but at the same time one of the
most dependable machine guns used in the war, and its comparatively
simple mechanism soon was well known by most of the men.
All during this time of acclimation "chow" was as scarce as Mike Shea's
speeches, kitchen police was a detail for which first class privates
strove and methods of adding to the slender rations were many as well
as devious. Matches were unheard of things, cigarettes priceless
luxuries. There were few men in the Company who would not have pledged
at least half of their next month's pay for a satisfying supply of
chocolate.
All company officers being quartered in barracks a quarter mile
down the road with the exception of Captain Wolf, who enjoyed the
distinction of a clean, dry room with one of those slumber-provoking
French beds in a house in the village of Certilleux, were relieved
from quarantine restrictions, as were Lacaillade and Hobart, who found
refuge with the second battalion of the 102d Regiment while measles, or
the threats thereof, held the camp in their grasp.
Drills in the handling of machine guns took up the attention of most of
the Company during the ensuing weeks, while the headquarters section
was trained in signalling and general liaison work. Lieutenant Dolan
was assigned to the Company as an instructor and began his work with
an interesting lecture on "Gas in Modern Warfare," and the general
atmosphere of war was heightened by planes passing over the camp at
all hours. Columns of French artillery travelled in seemingly endless
procession in the direction of Epinal and the occasional booming of the
anti-aircraft guns in the defense of Toul and Nancy far to the north of
the camp came in intermittent echoes.
With a concrete floor, constructed by Shea and Delaney, and equipped
with a French type of water heater, consisting of a large cauldron set
over a very small fire box in which wood was used as fuel, the company
bathroom erected in the rear end of barracks No. 222 was opened for
general use on November 24. Popular from the first day, this addition
to the conveniences of the camp was kept in operation by a company
order decreeing that each man must bathe at least once each week or
as many more times as he had the opportunity. One man was detailed to
keep the water at the right temperature and level in the heater, so
facilities for bathing were never lacking.
Arguments on the war, its probable end, the chances for the Company to
get to the "Front" and other topics fully as engrossing were discussed
about the fires at night until a seeming lack of military knowledge
among the men prompted an order which brought about evening schools
on "Drill Regulations" and other phases of army life. A study of
these tactics was pursued with a thoroughness which would have been
impossible to acquire under the more distracting conditions at the camp
back in Niantic.
Boundless good fortune struck camp the day before Thanksgiving. Turkey
and special rations were issued and freight containing cigarettes,
tobacco and the company phonograph arrived. Measles had entirely
disappeared, so the quarantine was lifted and allowed the men a freedom
which had not been theirs since the arrival in France. All night the
kitchen police and cooks toiled to make the holiday dinner one to be
remembered, and their efforts were rewarded, for they presented the
Company with a feast which in amount and variety would have satisfied
the wildest wish. Turkey and cranberry sauce reigned supreme, severely
crowded for popularity by sweet potatoes and other vegetables, pumpkin
pies, coffee and a barrel of beer.
In a program of athletic events arranged for the day, all but
necessary duties being suspended, the officers' race showed Lieutenant
Nelson to be the fleetest with Lieutenant Bacharach a close second;
McLaughlin bested the efforts of the sergeants, with Curtiss but a few
feet behind; Poirier grabbed the corporals' contest, as well as the
"free-for-all"—and Malone travelled next. Cook Conroy running against
the privates first class took first prize and Johnson took second;
Nutile, Rourke and Hannon finished in that order when the privates
took their turn on the field. Thirty-two points was the total of the
third platoon's efforts when men from that group took the gun-squad
competition and the relay race. In the team scores they were followed
by the first platoon with nineteen to its credit, while headquarters
with seven points and the second platoon with five brought up the rear.
Following dinner, which was served at the conventional hour of 6
o'clock and for which the third platoon, in recognition of its prowess
on the athletic field, stood first in line, prizes were distributed
to all successful contestants. The double quartette which had been
under the tutelage of Lieutenant Bacharach for some time made its
first appearance, the _Morning Scratch_ was heard through its second
edition, and each of the officers gave a short talk. Sergeant Bell bade
farewell to the Company because of his impending departure for the Army
Candidate School.
A succession of acting first sergeants followed when Sergeant Bell left
and Curtiss was finally picked for the permanent position. Automatic
weapon schools were patronized by Sergeants Cramer, McLoughlin and
Reilly and Corporals McKiernan and Viebranz during the following month
while the Company was getting first experience in target practice under
the guidance of instructors assigned from the French Army.
On December 6 the first letters from home were received, and four days
later information was eagerly sought concerning the French monetary
system, for Lieutenant Nelson, as Battalion Paymaster, gave out the pay
due the Company in francs. For a few days the shops of Neufchateau were
deluged with chocolate and souvenir seekers. Meager stores of French
were overhauled in the attempt to express needs to the merchants and
the services of French-speaking members of the outfit were rewarded
with liberal amounts of wine and all the eatables procurable.
[Illustration]
Lieutenant Chester C. Thomas was assigned to the Company from C Company
of the Battalion. His original organization was the Vermont regiment
of which Lieutenant Nelson and various enlisted men in the Company
had been members. His addition brought the number of officers in the
Company to seven, one in excess of the requirements of the tables of
organization and was the preparation for the removal of Captain Wolf,
which took place during the following month.
Christmas day brought more festivities. A tree was set up in the mess
hall and decorated in the approved manner with candles and tinsel, the
hall itself being transformed into a bower of green and red through
the efforts of the committee appointed to care for the arrangements.
Turkey was again issued and the supplies augmented by purchases at
the commissary in Neufchateau. Christmas packages from home which had
been arriving for some time were distributed by Captain Wolf and every
member of the Company was presented with a gift bought from the Company
fund. The Company in turn presented its commander with a fur coat to
aid him in withstanding the rigors of a winter which was at no time
gentle.
The day was enjoyed to the utmost. Buglers were silenced so that the
unusual pleasure of lying luxuriously in bunks could be enjoyed for the
first time. Much of the day was spent in revelling in the contents of
the boxes received from home. No Christmas stocking of childhood ever
held half the fascination of those little packages. Everything brought
back cherished memories and the enjoyment was doubled by the fact that
no duties disturbed the calm of reflections. Following the dinner that
night the mess hall was cleared and a stage set up over the serving
tables in the kitchen, complete with an artistic backdrop decorated
in conventional style by Guerrant, a curtain which would open in the
center after sufficient coaxing, and footlights patiently manufactured
by Saddler Thompson from tobacco cans and candles.
After Lieutenant Bacharach's orchestra had played an "overture" and the
Company filled mess hall seats, the double quartette occupied the stage
and gave a few well-received selections. "Rubber" Callahan furnished
the next feature, winning applause by his nimble dancing. Then, with
a setting almost theatrical, McCarthy as cub reporter was ordered
by Malone, as city editor, to read certain excerpts from the third
and final edition of the _Morning Scratch_. News was plenty for this
edition and scandal was related with a true flavor, outdoing previous
attempts by so much that serious consequences threatened for a time
after the edition appeared in public.
After the quartette had again offered its best to the audience,
Poirier, Foster and Hunihan presented a melodramatic sketch in which
Poirier played the part of the villain, Foster that of the trusting
wife and Hunihan that of the honest young workingman who was tempted
but thought better of it and sold the old pistol to buy chocolate for
the baby, putting an end to a situation which threatened to become
painful. Eddie O'Neill entertained with his best steps and then
Hobart and Cath appeared on the stage, the former in the garb of a
Scotchman (or so it was said to be) and the latter in a combination of
attire which surpasses any power of description because of its varied
character. After a brief and wholly unnecessary bit of persiflage
these ambitious entertainers broke forth in song which would have been
passed on mercifully by those present had not Hobart essayed an encore
which was more than the audience could stand and they exhibited their
disapproval by showering the stage with all movable objects.
Eddie Malone added to the interest of the day by vanquishing three
visitors from a neighboring camp in such a manner that they promised
revenge, and began a return with augmented forces, but abandoned their
enterprise before they reached the camp and returned to their own
barracks.
No turkey was repeated for New Year's Day, but a pig was purchased from
a nearby farmer and proved a welcome addition to the rations.
British and French gas masks issued the day before Christmas were
used constantly in drills. Two long, tiresome days were spent in the
drillgrounds of the infantry, where trenches were simulated by paths
through the snow and where the inactivity produced severe trouble with
frostbitten feet, forcing Ralph Moore to go to the hospital for a
considerable stay.
Lieutenant Condren assumed command of the Company when Captain Wolf
left to become divisional billeting officer on January 13, inaugurating
his reign by confining all members of the Company to camp and advancing
the hour of reveille forty-five minutes because of the disappearance
of two cans of milk from the kitchen. The mystery of the milk remained
unsolved, however, and five days later the regular schedule of calls
was resumed. All during the following month Sundays were taken up with
drills or fatigue work, not to mention the endless inspections which
make the lives of all soldiers miserable.
Major Howard, in command of the Battalion during all this time,
graced the company with visits only on two occasions. Orders were
received from the headquarters of the 101st Machine Gun Battalion,
but it soon became evident that the identity of Company A was to be
changed, for orders were issued causing that organization to be placed
under the command of the major of the 102d Machine Gun Battalion for
"instruction and training." These orders were never rescinded and in
due time D Company of the 102d Machine Gun Battalion was designated
as a permanent title and A Company of the 101st Machine Gun Battalion
passed into oblivion, along with Troop A, Connecticut National Guard.
In accomplishing this stroke, Major Howard also succeeded in having D
Company of his battalion transferred to the 103d Machine Gun Battalion,
leaving him in command of the two Hartford companies which now became
the divisional reserve, equipped with motor transportation and held out
of the line during the greater part of the campaigns which followed.
[Illustration: ONE OF THE PIGS SLEPT WITH DUGGAN]
Final preparation for the first trip to the trenches which the men
were told would take place early in February consisted in training the
mules issued to the Company to haul the gun-carts, ammunition carts,
caissons, rolling kitchens and escort wagons, inspections without
number, trips to the machine gun range where all the guns in the
division were assembled for practice, and the policing ever necessary
before an organization could leave a camp it had occupied.
Pay and mail brought more joy to the camp on January 23 and the
following nights were spent visiting the nearby cafés or, when
opportunity offered, taking the quaint train which conveyed the men to
and from Neufchateau at a cost of two cents per trip in real money. The
fate of five small pigs dropped from a train in the vicinity of camp
was promptly decided by Minor and Parmalee, who captured them and after
a night spent by most of the Company trying to keep the porkers in
captivity, they were killed and served at mess the following day.
Trips to the machine gun range laid out by one member of the Company
in coöperation with a man from Battalion headquarters near Prez sous
Lafauche, southwest of Neufchateau, were made by French motor truck.
There the men had their first demonstration of barrage fire over the
heads of friendly troops, were addressed for the first time by Major
General Clarence R. Edwards, commander of the Division, and Colonel
Parker, famed throughout the army for his work in connection with the
development of the machine gun and at that time the energetic commander
of the 102d Infantry Regiment, who, in his direct manner described
vividly the part machine guns were intended to play in the war.
Interspersed with machine gun work was instruction in grenade throwing
and the final test of the gas masks when the entire Company passed
through a chamber filled with chlorine gas.
Farewell was bade the camp which had served as a home for more than
three months on February 7, when after a final and extensive policing,
the Company slung packs and began the hike over the hill leading to
Chatenois and eventually to the trenches.