Page:History of the 305th field artillery (IA historyof305thfi01camp).pdf/85

Rh By that time, we believed, there weren't many that didn't fall in that class. But soniehow the lists were made up, the victims equipped, the dazed exiles marched away to a new formula, to strange companions.

It happened once more just before the last infantry regiment departed. As the result of those two orders, within a few days of our sailing for France as a combat regiment we had torn from us 698 men. The Headquarters Company lost 50, the Supply Company, 27; Battery A, 93; Battery B, 119; Baltery C, 113; Battery D, 95; Battery E, 116; Battery F, 82; the Medical Detachment, 2; and the Veterinary unit, 1.

At Upton the artillery alone remained, and we stared with a sense of threading the mazes of an unpleasant dream at half filled mess halls and skeleton ranks.

Troops began to pour in from the south. Upton, we heard, was to become an enbarkation camp. Our area, however, would remain sacred to us.

The vast German offensive of the spring 1918 was dangerously under way. We could understand a stern need of infantry: yet, we argued, infantry in such a war isn't very valuable without supporting artillery. How could Europe furnish enough of that?

“We won't move before July," was the general cry. Studying our shattered regiment, that was easy of belief. The changes—the incredible changes of army life!

Coming back from town on the night of April 14th you heard October as the most likely date of our departure, yet, as it turned out, that was to be our last Sunday home before sailing.

On Monday morning the October guess continued good. A new smoke-bomb range had been designed and miles of wire laid. We were instructed to unpack a great deal of equipment. Elaborate schools were planned for the warm, favorable weather.