AMID THE RUINS
In Stenay, for the first time since landing in Europe, we came in touch with units of the
infantry brigades. Portions of the 358th Infantry were occupying Stenay when we arrived.
Stenay was the last town to be taken in operations, being captured November 11th by units of the
Ninetieth Division. Shortly after our arrival, however, the infantry moved out and began their
march toward the Rhine. In Stenay four batteries were quartered in a large military casern.
These batteries soon made themselves very comfortable. However, Headquarters and Supply
Companies and Batteries “C” and “F” had to find residences elsewhere. Battery “C” took over
the Gendarmerie; Supply Company confiscated an old partly wrecked hotel; Battery “F”
scattered itself through other available houses, while Headquarters Company divided itself
between three old chateaux.
MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE.
Again, a campaign of watchful waiting for horses was re-instituted. Horses must be had
before the regiment could move out in pursuit of the rest of the division. In the meanwhile, from
organizations moving into the back areas, sufficient caissons and other wheeled transportation
were drawn to make us fully equipped in this regard.
CASUALTIES.
The men spent their spare hours in looking for souvenirs. Many German officers’
helmets bearing bullet holes through their centers, fragments of exploded shells, shoulder-straps
from German uniforms and every conceivable thing that can be classed as a souvenir, was
garnered by those who cared for such things. The out-going mails to the States bore many
pounds of such trophies. Souvenir hunting in devastated regions is not the least dangerous thing
in the world. Despite many warnings, several soldiers were more or less severely injured by
pulling wires with mines at the end of them; or by dropping hand grenades on hard floors; or by
picking up unexploded detonators from the battlefields. Finally, the long wait for horses began
to come to an end in the early days of December. They came in rapidly – good American horses.
On December 10th two hundred animals were received, the last.
IN THE WAKE OF THE NINETIETH.
March orders were received for December 12th. Early upon that morning the regiment
was up, as it was necessary to clear the town by 8:30 A. M. It was a strenuous job as recent
heavy rains had made the gun park deep in mud. Many of the animals had never been worked in
draft. The harness had been fitted to them rapidly, as they came in. All the combat trains were
drawn by mules and no amount of harness fitting will make a French breast collar fit the narrow
shoulders of a mule. By great effort the town was cleared at the appointed hour and we were
bound at last for the Army of Occupation in Germany.
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