Continuation of Second Diary

We remained here until the morning of Aug. 17th. when we were notified we had a forced march to Le Tracy 44 kilos to the north. As per orders, we discarded our barrack bags and were forced to carry all our belongings in our field packs. These packs when made weighed about #80 pounds each. We departed from Benureve 6 a.m. marching 22 kilos to Denude arriving there 3 p.m. where owing to the exhaustion of men and animals we called a halt for the rest of the day and night. The next day we started on to Le Tracy, marching another 22 kilos and arriving at 3 p.m. here we found the larger part of the division awaiting us. We rested on the grass until six p.m. Aug. 20th. when we were loaded on a freight train and at 9:15 p.m. started for the front lines arriving in the city of Toul 6:45 a.m. August 21st. Here we unloaded and marched three miles without any breakfast, to again go into billets. We rested here until August 22nd. 8:15 p.m. when we started for the front in trucks. We rode until 10:30 p.m. when we arrived at St. Etienne where we rested for the remaining part of the night, and next day departing at 9:00 p.m. August 13rd. hiking 25 kilos to the north of Jacainville where we landed in the second line trenches. We remained in these trenches until Aug. 31 when we marched 3 kilos into the woods north of Montville taking over the first line trenches. We were now within 1,500 yds of the Germans and everyone was on his toes and ready to go, but nothing of importance happened with the exception that Fritz sent over a few shells every evening and morning, but our boys sent back three for every one they sent and it didn't take Fritz long to close up. We held this position until the night of Sept. 10th. when we withdrew to the second line again remaining there over night. The next day we
moved three miles to the rear into the woods west of Jacainville. Here we received news that at 1:00 p.m. Sept. 12, 1918, the barrage for the St. Mihiel drive would start. You may depend as the hour of one drew near we were excited. Sharp at 1:00 the big guns that were in front, in rear and on both sides opened up with a tremendous roar, and you will never know the feeling of men as they lay in their bunks with sleep a thousand miles away.