Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1919-02-12
France. Dec. II.

OAdueS, christmas cards, handker-
chiefs, paper, envelopes, stamps and
gum. Made some day for me. Ny
christmas box hasn't arrived vet. A
rev or them came through in the reg
ular mail. | understand the bulk will
come in a special ship.
You speak of the Iowa papers
printing so much of the Rainbow Di-
vision (42nd) and imagine we have
been with them. We have, in fact
we have fired for 16 different Div. on
nve distinct fronts and are termed
Army Artillery, which is shock ar
tlllery or sort of graduate artil-
4ery. We rank above Divisional Ar
tlllery in action. We hit the "hard
spots" break through, then leave the
cleaning up of the job to the division
al outfits, we retire. So that is par
TALLY the reason we are in France
while you folks think we are in Ger
many. An infantry hitch up on the
line is about IA days, artillery hitch
about Fl, then they are supposed to
get rest, requirements, clothes and
food. In this last drive our outfit
was in for 43 days, hard strain. but
It broke the Hindenberg line, cleaned
the Argonne and forced the immedi-
ate evacuation of Belgium. 1t was
evacuate or be annihilated. Don't
Kid yourself that we are having an
easy time now that the war is over.
We are drilling and getting all sorts
OF training camp stuff and that is
tlresome, also scrubbing and polish
ing our equipment, so that we don't
know ourselves. We have lost our
near and dear companions" who
have occupied our shirts all summer.
Never no more do we go to sleep
with their little feet tickling our anat-
omy, in fact it begins to look as if
we will return with hardly a mark of
service. Received the postals of
Peace Celebration. Some joy-what?
It was pretty tame for us up on the
front. Burned up a bunch Of colored
signal lights and ammunition. 1t was
dark and rainy weather but we had
the country lit up so that moonlight
on the Wabash" looked like soc. The
boys in Paris and large cities who
never heard gun got all the joy.
The fellows returning from permits
sion state that they dare not wear
their caps as the girls steal them
for souvenirs, hug and kiss them on
the streets-in general are shown the
time of their life. Pres. Wilson is a
demi God amongst the really intelli-
gent classes. His picture is every
where and at night is thrown on the
walls of high buildings. The boule-
wards are dance halls and damned
all night. One of our chaps tells me
ne danced till daylight to the tune
of an accordian and drum.
Thursday Eve.-Well a bunch of
Christmas boxes arrived today, mine
amongst them, so l am full of cake.
First piece of cake I've had over
here The box came through unbrok-
en- Many thanks for the good things
it contained. 1 suppose you think
should have waited until Christmas
before opening it. "There might be
something in there that would spoil"
and besides no telling when orders
will come to move and such box
doesn't fit we'll in a pack, so we OPP
en- and sort over the stuff where it
belongs, The mittens and sacchar-
inc are fine, can use both to advan-
tage Now / can use saccharine in
my coffee and have my spoonful OF
sugar on my bread-yum yum-think
of that, bread and sugar three times
day. We are getting brown sugar
of late. Our mess has been greatly
improved since leaving the front
getting fresh vegetables instead OF
dehydrated, or none at all, also oat-
meal and corn meal mush. On Sun
day and Wednesday we get specials,
purchased out of our company mess
fund-olives and grapes. Last Sun
day we even had pork. We bought
4 pigs, ate three of them, the other
was in luck-was sick. | don't know
what to do about the candy Can't
carry it with me nor leave it behind,
so strictly under objection I'm forced
to eat it. Oh, it was a great box, and
only wish Christmas came every
week.
Bob is giggling to himself so | in
uuired the reason. He read few
lines he's writing his fiancee. We
have a custom of falling in single
file for mess and Y. M. G. A. supplies.
On the front we were always short
of Jam so it got to be a common say
ing. A can of jam to every third
man" So one night while loafing
around we heard Fritz coming over
with his bombs. Someone said, He
has a can of jam for every third man"
One of our wits said mo, no jam to-
night, he's got peaches" Just then
Fritz spilled the eggs, and the very
bowels of the earth shook-so did
the wits.
You may not appreciate this, but in
"our little world" it's funny.
You ask just what | was doing on
Nov. 18th. so word for word / quote
my diary: Location-barracks in
clump of woods near Brocuort, Their
mometer So weather so so, cold and
damp; have good warm bed, two
meals a day-S:3O and p. M; letters
and thread from home. Now isn't
that exciting? Perhaps Nov. 10 will
be better: Thermometer so; weather
clear, much cooler, heavy frost;
breakfast at 8; played church 1890;
short concert at 2 p. M; Fine La
Guerre official wireless received at
6:15 D. m. armistice with Germany
signed at 4 p. m. RAISED abdicates.
Band plays and breaks up the "ev-
ening circle" gathered around the
bacon grease lamp and gasoline can
stove. Would like to be home when
the news comes. Oh boy
No. VY0fa Won fou DAVIS 0O