[Page]for him to have regain control and avoid being ditched. These poor drivers were almost worked to death moving troops this busy summer. In the forenoon we reached a village named Contrisson. Here we disembussed and were assigned to quarters in houses and barns. What a feeling of relief it was here! We were far away from the front, so far, in fact, that we heard no rumbling of the guns. This was the first time since we landed in France that we could enjoy quietness and walk out in the open daylight without danger of being observed by the enemy. I once again checked up on the time of the year. It was September 12th and the weather was perfect. We received a large number of new men (replacements) to bring our numbers back to fighting strength. Many of these men had not been in the army long. Many of them came from the Southwest, Indians and halfbreeds. We at once were put to work drilling to get our men into fighting units. The Supply Train had been left behind to travel by themselves. We had no regular cooks with us. Rations were brought, and I was given the job of dividing them to the companies. Men volunteered to cook, but the question of utensils was a difficult one. The town searched for old kettles and we [Page]found enough to get along after a fashion. In the 13th we saw in the paper the glad news that the Americans had taken the St. Mihiel salient. September 15th was the first Sunday we observed as such in France. This was also my birthday. We had religious services, after which I wrote some letters. This rest and happiness was not to last long. On the next day we received orders to move in the evening, with full pack.
⟨Finis Rest.⟩ At dusk about seven o'clock we fell in and marched off northward. The direction was significant because it indicated return to the lines and hell. About every hour we had short rests. At midnight a thunderstorm was seen ahead. It was hard to tell whether the thunder and lightning were real or th[at] of the guns. We had a rest of about 20 minutes during which time many fell asleep and had to be routed when when the whistle blew to move. We moved on and on {thru} intermittent showers. At dawn we came to a railroad just as a long American hospital train moved toward the west. It could easily be guessed- wounded from the St. Mihiel drive. We were so tired that we almost envied them. They were out of action and hardship and perhaps on their way to the States. Some of our number would probably soon pass that way- if we were lucky enough not[Page]to be turned under the sod. At 8 A.M. we reached a wet woods where we {bivouaced} for the day. We were fed and rested after the forced march of the night. We had covered about 40 kilometers with heavy pack. In the evening we again moved out for -- we know not where-- but not to a picnic. This was done as a routine for 4 days and nights. At last we again joined up with our supply co. and cooks with their rolling kitchens. We passed near Clermont-en-Argonne. At last we stopped in the Argonne [F]orest north of Les Islettes. Here we stayed for a few days.
In the Argonne Forest We received equiptment, maps and instructions for a big drive. We drilled during the day and fought cooties at the night. It was very quiet here, and we were kept concealed in the woods so as to surprise the enemy. Occasionally an enemy plane soared high overhead in the daytime to see if possible what was going on behind our lines but the dense forest shielded us perfectly. For the most part it we had rain or damp weather which was very disagreeable but, fortunately, Fritz left us alone. Not a shell dropped in our area during this stay of five or six days and we were only about two miles behind the front lines. Mimeographed instructions were issued to all officers, setting forth plans for