Page:History of the Sixth Regiment, United States Marines.djvu/54

Rh History of Sixth Regiment, U. S. Marines. 49 daybreak on the morning of the I Oth. This crossing was postponed and the troops went into bivouac. At 8:30 A.M. on November 10th the Regimental Commander and Lieut. Colonel Holcomb went to Brigade Headquarters, at Beaumont, to attend a conference relative to the pro- posed crossing of the Meuse. Upon completion of this conference the battalion commanders were assembled at the Regimental P.C. and to them was explained the tentative plan of the crossing, which was lo take place at 9:30 P.M. that night. The Brigade order for the crossing was received at 5:50 P.M. and copies were sent to the bat- talion commander in Bois de Fond de Limon. The battalions were on the march within ten minutes after the receipts of these orders. Th« enemy was shelling the roads leading to the br dge positions and the troops were forced tc make a detour of about a half kilometer, the leading battalion reaching the railroad yard near the river bank at 10:30 P.M ., where (hey were met by an officer of the 2nd Engineers who stated that one bridge was on the river bank ready to be put in position, but that the other bridge was not vet in readiness. He stated that the enemy had apparently located the bridge positions and had them well covered with machine guns. Major George K. Shuler, of the 3rd Battalion, after a conference with the other battalion commander.", detailed forty men to help the engineers, and sent the engineer lieutenant to the river bank to report when both the bridges were in position. Battalion commanders waited until 4:00 A.M . of November llth and as the second bridge was not ready at that time the troops were marched back to Bois du Fond de Limon as the day was breaking and there was no suitable cover for the troops in the vicinity of the bridge. In compliance with telephonic instructions from Headquarters, 5t Army Corps, transmitted through Headquarters, 4th Brigade, hostilities ceased at II .00 A.M., November llth. The most immediate effect that the signing of the armistice had upon the physical comtort of the men was that they were permitted to keep warming fires going nicht and day without fear of enemy observa- tion. ,, In addition to the ma ny evacua tions on account of sickness^ thifc. rejyimepr Tnst 5urajgjKe Argonne-IVieuse operation s. from~T^ vpnVL»r J ;L to November 1 lth. inclu sive, twenty-seven officers killed and wounded a nd four hundred and thirty - six men killed and wounded. ] he regiment captured great numbers of prisoners, cannon, machine guns, stores and war material of every description. A number of horses were also cap- tured. The Allied artillery had inflicted terrible damage upon th> enemy draft stock. The great number of dead horses which had not been struck also indicated that the rapidity with which the enemy re- treated had caused many of the animals to die from exhaustion. Great quantities of ammunition were left behind by the enemy.