Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-08-13
(From Providence Journal.)
BY Rifleman Patrick MacGill.

10 the British or French it would
nave been an ordinary march to the
trenches Of war, but to the Americans
1t was something more than that. The
maTfh was the,u usual one, along cob.
oled~ roads, the top-sergeants in front
of each platoon, the men smoking the
everlasting cigarettes or chewing the
ordinary American plug, the feet In
n held boots aching and the
shoulders bending down beneath the
burdens which they bore. 4
The men had often marched in the
same manner before, hiking out from
their camp at dawn and hiking back
again to supper and bunk when the
darkness fell. 1t was then a days
march. and even now it was only q
days march. But there was a Differ
ence. When the soldiers, on previous
occasions, left the town in which they
were quartered they knew that they
Would cenle back there again when
the days work was done. But now
they knew that they were out on the
great hike, the hike to the trenches
and the fields of war. To the British
pr French a similar march would be
an ordinary affair, but to the Ameri-
cans 1t was different. It was a march
which these men would never do
agaln-the' first march to battle. They
were bound for the Big Job, the safe
guarding of civilization in the grim
and prosaic way in which the soldiers
of France and Britain had beer safe
guarding civilization for the past
three years.
The regiment, one of the first to
come rom America to France. had
been bllleted in. a town which the men
Mud.wallow. a town which
was old before America was discover
ed. Here under the instruction of
French officers, the men learned the
rudiments of trench warfare, the use
or bombs, rifles and gas masks; but
all the time they waited in a state of
expectancy for the day when they
should go forth and get into the line
of battle. Now the day had arrived.
They set forth in the early morning
singing at the top of their voices, GAL
liant boys filled with a zest for war and
a determination to make good against
the German hordes. The day was a
wet and colo one with the tempera-
ture at freezing point and q heavy
sleet falling on the roads and beating
against the soldiers as they started on
their march. Fifteen miles had to be
covered on the first day, under the
weight Of a 60-pound pack and rifle.
All the appurtenances of a soldier
were packed with care and distribute
y" SsSAAS VsCI lHe DOOyv COn0lfnenC
can, bacon can, field belt with. cart
ridges. knife, fork, spoon. rifle, bay
onet. front. sight cover. gunsling meat
can, oiler and thong case, first aid
packet, shovel and shovel carriers.
gas mask and trench helmet. On the
march a soldier. like a snail, carries
his house on his back.
They left the town and went out
into thes country. Here it was
impossible to keep step and maintain
ordinary column Of four formation. A
wet. treacherous ice covered the road
way and men stumbled and fell, rose
and fell again. Now and again when
a man ben to help a mate to his feet
both fell together and lay kickingain
the slush Of the roadway. And The
other soldiers glanced back at the
fallen and laughed. The temper Of
the marching men was admirable. De-
spite the wet day with its cold and
slleet their spirits rose with every sue
ceeding step of the Journey. They
were pleased to escape from Mud-wal-