To chop a tree down in the numbered forests of France was to commit a crime, so the fellows who were in billets that did have fire places faced a series of crimes to get wood. The inhabitants of such billets took it upon themselves to devise ways and means to obtain fuel. The occupants of one billet sent details out to root up old fence posts from adjacent farm-lands; while in another instance eighteen men housed in a billet borrowed several French wheel-barrows and at night made a raid on a large pile of newly cut tree trunks which was located a kilometer from the village.
The result of this night's work provided fuel and light for several days in the billet of the raiding party. Light was another essential feature. With candles selling as high as a franc apiece, letter writing home was sadly neglected in many cases. So the receipt of an extra letter written by the light of a log-blaze, kindled with wood secured through great difficulty, has had to act as savoring repentance for any misconduct employed in acquiring possession of the means of light and heat.
The battery had among its equipment dozens of new horse-blankets. With the exception of a few stray animals, no horses had been received by the battery in France thus far. Several were in care of the outfit at Ville sous La Ferte, where six horses caused as much stable detail work as a complete battery of mounts occasioned at Camp Meade. The main feature, moreover, was the distribution of the horse-blankets among the troops in an effort to keep warm at night.
There was no room in Ville sous La Ferte to do any maneuvering, so the guns and caissons were parked in a field and were not used during the stay. The time of the soldier was employed in hikes and various forms of athletics. Soccer developed as the leading sport and great rivalry resulted in games that were played on furrowed ground of a large wheat field.
War was over, so official orders again gave birth to Retreat formation, which was held with much disciplinary ado in front of the Hotel de Ville at 4:15 o'clock each afternoon. Guard mount was also decreed and last, but not least, regimental reviews came into their own with great official solemnity.
On Thursday, November 21st, a wild boar hunt that had been planned by the battery, had to be called off. A regimental review was to be held at Clairvaux that afternoon.
The 2nd Battalion formed at 1 p. m. and hiked to Clairvaux with colors flying for the big review. A mix-up in giving commands "flunked" the first attempt at passing in review. The entire ceremony of dignity had to be executed a second time. Close order drill then came into its own. The following day, November 22nd, the battalion again hiked to Clairvaux, where another review was staged and the regiment kept at battalion close-order drill until 4 o'clock.
Sunday, November 24th, reveille sounded at 6 o'clock. Orders were given to make rolls preparatory to moving. When the soldiers were ready to move the order was changed. It was discovered that the motor trucks would not arrive until the following day.
The motor transportation squad was expected to arrive early on Monday morning. It was 9 o'clock at night when they arrived. Departure was delayed until next morning, but this did not keep back an order that called the battery out in detail during a heavy rain at 9:30 Monday night to pull the guns and caissons through the mud, from the field where they had been parked to the road, so that they could be attached to the motor trucks. There was a great tendency to "duck detail" that night.
Ville sous La Ferte was finally left in the distance, Tuesday, November 26th, at 10 o'clock. The soldiers and their packs had to pile in the few motor trucks that were furnished. A few of the boys rode the matériel attached to the trucks and had a wild ride. The rolling kitchen of the battery, with ovens blazing away, covered the roads at a fine clip behind a motor truck, with George Musial having his hands full trying to manipulate the brake.