other individual equipment was gathered
together and left in the Y. M. C. A. tent, as rumor had it that the
regiment was soon to move to another billeting area and the order to
move might come when the horse convoy was on the road. Thus the extra
equipment was left with the remainder of the battery, on whose hands
evolved the task of remaining in Blancheville and caring for the
battery horses and doing the other detail work. The schedule worked
hardship both ways. There was more than enough work for those who
remained at the battery area, and those who volunteered for the convoy
were not long in realizing that they had a tough job on their hands.

The detail of one hundred men left Blancheville at 7:25 a. m.,
Thursday, December 19th, in five auto trucks. The trucks also conveyed
a saddle and equipment, also driver's roll, for each member of the
party.

The auto convoy proceeded through Chaumont; then came a pleasant ride
along the Marne river, passing through the towns of Luzy, Vesaignes,
Rolampont and Langres. Stop was made at the latter fortified town,
where the soldiers visited the town and procured refreshments. The
trip was continued and at 12:30 p. m. the party reached Remount No.
13. at Lux, situated about three kilometers beyond Is-sur-Tille.

In fighting the mud at Blancheville the battery members thought they
had struck the muddiest spot in France. Nothing could be muddier, they
thought. But this thought was soon shattered when the volunteer convoy
reached Lux. Perhaps it was due to the Remount being numbered 13, but
the mud that surrounded it is beyond adequate description.

It was raining heavily when the battery arrived at Lux. Slimy mud,
three feet thick in places, covered the territory of the remount.

The original order was for the detail from Battery D to remain at the
remount over Friday and start with the horses for the Belgian border
on Saturday morning. Arriving at the remount the battery detail was
housed in a sheet-iron barrack with corrugated sheet-iron bunks. And
everything was covered with mud.

Thursday night, while the detail lingered at the remount, official
orders came changing the plan for the convoy party. Instead of taking
horses to Longwy the detail was ordered to start the following morning
to return to the 311th Regiment with several hundred mules.

Friday morning, December 20th, reveille was held in the rain at 5:45
o'clock. Immediately after mess the auto trucks were loaded a