311th Field Artillery 38
310th Field Artillery 29
315th Infantry 25
313th Infantry 15
304th Signal Battalion 10
304th Sanitary Train 8
154th F. A. Brigade Hqrs. 6
Headquarters Troop 6
314th Infantry 6
79th Military Police Company 5
311th Machine-Gun Battalion 5
316th Infantry 3
312th Machine-Gun Battalion 3
158th Infantry Brigade Headquarters 3
304th Ammunition Train S. O. L.
The Ninth Army Corps held a Horse Show at Lerouville, March 21, 1919, with the 79th, the 88th and the 9th Army Corps Detachment, competing. Honors were awarded as follows:
79th Division 137 points
88th Division 87 points
9th Corps Det. 26 points
At this show Jones, of Battery D, won third prize in the quarter mile race.
The horse shows entailed a large amount of work. The soldiers were kept busy shining harness, grooming horses and painting matériel. The road between Benoite Vaux and Issoncourt, where the battalion and regimental shows were held, was a stretch of mud. It was a serious proposition to get the horses to the show-course without having them look as if they had taken a mud bath.
In the regimental show Arthur H. Jones, familiarly known to the battery members as "Boundbrook," the name of the New Jersey town he claims as home, had entered the battery water cart in the show. The water cart was one of the most valuable of battery vehicles. While at Benoite Vaux all the water for drinking and cooking purposes had to be hauled to the battery kitchen from a well about a kilometer distant.
"Boundbrook" Jones had charge of the cart, driving to the well for water several times each day. "Boundbrook" also prided himself as having the best horse of any of the water carts in the regiment. When it came time for the regimental horse show Jones was certain that his charge would carry off first prize in the water cart entry.
To the great chagrin of "Boundbrook" Battery D's cart was disqualified by the judges because it did not have the proper spigots attached to the water tank. Jones drove back to Benoite Vaux in a dejected mood. Meeting Lieut. Bailey he exclaimed: "Say, Lieutenant, I thought this was a horse show and not a plumbing show."
During the stay in Benoite Vaux the Battery members took advantage of every opportunity afforded to visit battle sectors. St. Mihiel was visited by many, while Verdun, with its underground city, and the country in that vicinity was also explored to great extent. The soldiers were granted mounted passes at times, which entitled them to saddle battery horses to go on a day's sight-seeing trip.
During the latter part of February Capt. Smith was ordered to Paris on temporary duty in the Inspector General's Department. Lieut. Yeager and Lieut. Julian were also detached from the battery at Benoite Vaux. Lieut. Yeager gained admission to an English University, while Lieut. Julian was admitted to a French institution under the A. E. F. educational plans.