Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1919-05-01
THURSDAY, MAY /, 1872
THE NINETY FIRST
DIVISION In FRANCE


A brief account of the Ninety
First division in France follows so
that those who have lost relatives
or friends may, with the aid of a
good map, trace their principal move
ments
The transports arrived about July
20. 1915, some In Scotland. some at
Liverpool. some at Southampton,
England. AT once the troops were
moved to France and landed at HAIRY
or Cherbourg. The 316th Sanitary
Train went to ST. Nazaire. in North
west France, where it remained one
month. The remaining units went
to the department of the Haute
Marine, in Eastern France, to an
area some 20 miles southeast of
Chaumont En- route happened the
Bonnieres train wreck, in which 20
men of the 362th Machine Gun Com
pany and 10 from the 362nd In
fantry Medical Detachment were
killed
Montigny-le-Roi was center of the
new area. The Sanitary Train re-
joined late in August, and except
the 346th, BAT and 34Sth Field Ar
tillery which has not been with the
division in Europe all units were
together again, ready to move
to the front.
On September they began NOV
ing north They know they were
bound for the front, but did not
know to what part of it. They
were greatly keyed up at the pros
pect of getting into the fighting fer
which they had trained so long.
AS it turned out. the part of the
front to which they proceeded was
100 miles north of Montigny-le-liio.
Their first. move was by train to
Gondrecourt, which is in the ex-
treme south end OF the department
of the Mouse and is about IS miles
north of Nenfachateau. From the
there to the front they marched,
and always at night so that the
Germans would be less apt to learn
OF their coming. Meanwhile, also
numerous other Americans divisions
we're marching up by night toward
the Argonne was about to begin.
about Is miles north of Gondre-
The second stop was in woods
court, where the divisions remained /
about Is miles north OF Gondre
court. where the division remained |
in the rain over Sunday. The third |
was in another wood around the |
villages of Void and WAGON. The
fourth was in and around Vavain- !
court. The men were now 35 miles
from the firing line. yavincourt |
is four miles northeast of Bar-le-
Due.
Most of the places mentioned
above and most of those mentioned
in casualty reports, are too small
to apear on any except the best of
French maps. The divisions jour
ney from Montigny-le-Roi to the
front may be followed fairly well,
however. by drawing a line on the
map from Montigny-le-Roi Ca point
as stated southeast of Chamont) i,
almost straight north through Neu
fchateau, Barbecue, and Clermont.
These last four towns are shown
on nearly all maps.
The mems fifth stop was series
of villages ten miles back of the
front, to which. one pitch-lark night
they made long march from Vain
court. Thence they marched a
coule of nights later to a large
woods directly back of the lines. /,
These woods are known in France
as the Forte DE Hesse They are
straight west of yerdun some Is ,
miles and about $50 miles east of !
Paris {,
The Ninety First reached the Hes [
forest before dawn on the 21st OF l
The men put up their z
pup tents. They were not allowed g
brought in their food. and other Il
supplies Under cover of night q
and even by day. hundreds OF guns {
we're being moved up and put in po- &
sition. These guns were SO clever
ly hidden that passersby on the for a
est roads could scarcely detect them h
A mile ahead Frenchmen held the Z
front line, while another mile far +
Their on we're the Germans AT h
this time that part of the front was o
very quiet and the camp was dis O
turbed but little by shells, and had A
no casualties, t,
On the evening OF September rs
The men we're ordered to strip their il
packs by which they knew they a
vera about to go into battle. The A
wrttcA watched many of them that h
And was struck by the deter Il