Thursday, November 14th, the regiment had the task of getting its matériel to the station at La Courtine for transportation by rail to a new billeting area of France. No one could guess where it was to be or what the future held in store for the troops in the way of service and training during the months that were sure to intervene before it was a question of homeward bound.
The regiment was well supplied with matériel, but had no horses. A number of motor trucks were sought out to haul the heavier of the supply wagons. It was necessary for the soldiers to furnish the power to drag the guns and caissons from the camp to the station, a distance of over a mile.
The matériel was loaded on flat cars at the station. Then the soldiers were ushered to side-door Pullmans once again. Bed ticks were not emptied of their straw before leaving camp. Thus the soldiers entered the box cars with their bed ticks as a mattress to recline on the floor of the car.
The first section of flat cars and box cars with Battery D left La Courtine at 2:30 o'clock. Another seeing France by box-car trip was on.
An improvement in mess enroute was experienced during this trip. A flat car was used for the rolling kitchen. Hot meals were prepared in transit. Back over the same route, through Feletin and Abusson, to the junction point at Busseau, the troop special proceeded, reaching the junction at 6:30 o'clock when mess call was sounded. Here the first section of the train waited until 8:27 for the arrival of the second section at the junction point.
It was dark when the trip was resumed. Deprived by the darkness from sight-seeing privileges, all that remained for the troops to do was to stretch out on the floor and try to sleep. The nights were long and dark while traveling in a French box car.
During the night the towns of Jarnages and Montlucon were passed. The train entered the Department of Allier, traveling Northeast, through Commentry, Villefranche, le Montel and Moulins.
Daylight was breaking by the time Moulins was sighted. Stop was made at Paray le Monial from 7:30 to 8 a. m., when breakfast was served from the flat truck dining car.
The next day, November 15th, was spent traveling through a beautiful stretch of country. The railroad ran almost parallel with the Boninoe river, a branch of the Loire. Through pasture lands and farming country, the road stretched along Palinges, Montceau, Changy, Beaune. A lay-over for lunch was made at Nuits St. Georges at 1 p. m.
In the afternoon stop was made at Dijon, where the troops got a chance to detrain and partake of refreshments that a corps of French Red Cross workers served at the station.