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10-03-2015, 01:34

Retirement Through The Argonne

At 0200 on September 12, I reported to the regiment for orders. A few hundred yards behind the 2nd Battalion, in a poorly constructed trench covered with doors and boards, Colonel Haas issued his orders by candlelight: —Evacuate positions before daybreak; retire on Triancourt; 2nd Battalion as rear guard holds the hills eleven hundred yards south of Sommaisne with the companies until 1100 and then follows the regiment.”

On the one hand we were heartily glad to get out of this devil's cauldron, yet on the other we could not realize that we were to retreat. Certainly pressure on our front was not the reason. What a shame that the Fortress of Verdun, which lay twenty miles to our rear and was cut off from rail connection with the rest of France, was to be given a breather. Well, the High Command had the big picture and must have had its reasons. Perhaps we were needed somewhere else.1

Before dawn the 2nd Battalion broke contact with the enemy. Our clothes were crusted over with a thick coat of dried mud and this, together with our lowered physical condition, made marching very hard. We left two companies as rear guard on the heights a mile and a quarter north of Rembercourt. At dawn, to our immense satisfaction and glee, the French artillery gave the empty positions a good pasting. This provided the Battalion wits with some material to work on.

We assembled in the woods west of Pretz and ran into our outposts at Triancourt. Captain Ullerich and I rode ahead to look over the situation. The rain was coming down in buckets again, and I was glad to be on horseback once more. The 5th and 7th Companies were assigned to the outpost, with the remainder of the battalion going into outpost reserve at Triancourt. After an afternoon inspection of the outpost, I returned to battalion headquarters and fell into a death-like sleep from which I could not be roused either by shaking or shouting. My battalion commander tried to wake me so that I could draw up my complete report. On September 13, I was called on the carpet because of this incident, but I had no recollection of their trying to wake me.

At 0600 on September 13, we were on our way back to the regiment. After passing Briceaux we headed through the Argonne. The sun shone brightly for the first time in days. Heavy supply columns had turned the roads into bottomless mud holes. The column halted at the entrance to the Argonne a mile north of Briceaux. Most of the artillery and trains were stuck in the mud, and double teams were required to get each piece and vehicle through. It was lucky for us that the enemy was not pressing the pursuit or shelling us with long-range artillery.

We were stalled for three hours. Moving over the soft forest road behind artillery that is continually getting stuck is more than exhausting. The troops were called on at frequent intervals to lend a hand on the wheels. It was evening before we reached Les Ilettes, where we had a brief halt for food and rest before continuing the march to the north through the Argonne. The twelve-hour march and the miserable road had nearly exhausted the troops, but in spite of this we continued the march through the dark night, our unknown objective apparently still far away. Exhausted men were beginning to drop out with increasing frequency. At every halt the men dropped in their tracks, and in a moment were sound asleep. Then when we were ready to move again, every one of them had to be shaken awake.

We marched, halted, and marched again. I was constantly going to sleep and falling from my horse.

It was past midnight as we approached Varennes. The city hall was on fire—a fearful yet beautiful sight. I was given the mission of riding ahead to look for quarters in Montblainville, but the little town had only a few beds and no straw.

At 0630 on September 14, the silent and exhausted regiment stumbled through the dark streets. Billeting took little time, and within a few minutes Montblainville was again as silent as a grave. Everyone was fast asleep and quite unconscious of the hardness of his bed.

The same day, Major Salzmann took command of the battalion. In the afternoon we marched to Eglisfontaine, where we found cramped and dirty quarters. The battalion staff was quartered in a small verminous room but this was better than being out in the heavy rain which had just started again. My stomach was now in a terrible condition both day and night. I lost consciousness frequently.

During the succeeding days and nights, the French artillery bombarded all villages behind the front, including Eglisfontaine. We dug in near the town. On September 18, we marched to Sommerance to get a few days' rest. I was given quarters with a bed and I hoped to get my stomach in a little better shape. The opportunity to wash and shave, as well as to get a change of underwear, seemed the height of luxury.

During the first night we were alerted at 0400 and marched off to Fleville where the battalion went into corps reserve. There we stood in a pouring rain for three hours, after which we returned whence we came. On September 20, we had a real day of rest. Our men got their arms and equipment in shape.

Observations: Contact was broken off during the night of September 11 and 12 without the enemy's knowing it. Even on September 13, the enemy failed to pursue. Had he done so, our entry into the Argonne defile would have been most disagreeable. In the retreat on September 13, a march of twenty-seven miles was planned for troops who had been on outpost duty the previous night. The many halts and the assistance required by the bogged-down trains and artillery made this movement all the more difficult. The battalion was continually on the go for more than twenty-four hours.



 

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