The outfit was astir at 4:45 o'clock the next morning and was moving on the road at 8:30 a. m. Stop was made at noon at Soulaincourt, where the 311th passed the 211th motorized French artillery regiment, going in the opposite direction along the narrow road. In the afternoon the regiment passed through the town of Montiers and went into park for the night at 6 p. m., at Morley. The village furnished an abundance of haylofts for the artillerymen to crawl into the straw for the night.
Saturday, January 11th, found the regiment ready to resume the journey at 7:15 a. m. The trip continued through Le Bouchon, Serenier and Stainville, the latter place being the noon-mess stopover junction. Here the train of horses were watered by bucket. During the afternoon Bazincourt, Haironville, and Bullon were invaded in order. The horses were watered in the community watering trough in the village of Combles at 3:30 p. m., after which the regiment proceeded to Veel and stopped for the night. It rained heavy during the night, but the outfit was fortunate in locating a number of army barracks in the village that furnished a night's shelter.
Sunday, January 12th, it was raining when the troops answered reveille at 5 o'clock. The rain turned into snow an hour later when the regiment was ready to resume the journey. Under a canopy of snow the troops passed through the city of Bar Le Duc. After leaving Naives in the distance, stop was made at noon at Le Petit Rumont.
The cannoneers were forced to walk a great part of the distance. They were also compelled to wear their field shoes on the march instead of the rubber boots which the drivers wore. They trudged along the slushy road with wet feet, while it grew colder and more miserable. It was welcome relief when camp was ordered for the night at Violette and the troops assigned to old hospital barracks for the night.
A farming community, named Benoite Vaux, in the Department of Meuse, about twenty-five kilometers from the celebrated American battle sector of Saint Mihiel, was selected as the new billeting district for the regiment. Benoite Vaux was reached at noon on Monday, January 13th, after the regiment had been on the road for the day since 8 a. m., passing through Belrain, Pierrefitte and Courouve.
Benoite Vaux was a quiet hamlet of a score of peasant homes and an old stone church. The 2nd Battalion was stationed in and about the town; Battery D was assigned to barracks that formerly were used as a French army hospital. The 1st Battalion was scattered here and there on the hills and in the woods outside the village.
CHAPTER XXI.
WAR ORPHANS AND HORSE SHOWS.
Almost every outfit of the A. E. F., in France, adopted a mascot--a real, live mascot, to be sure; not out of mere pet fancy, but the natural outcrop of the American spirit of benevolence. Through the Bureau of War Orphans of the American Red Cross, units of the A. E. F. made contributions to the Adoption Fund for French War Orphans. The aid in each case was administered by the Red Cross to the welfare of an orphan.