Caissons Go Rolling Along: A Memoir of America in Post-World War I Germany

Chapter 2: The Army Artillery: Visit to G.H.Q.—Luxemburg—Hotel Staar—66th F.A. Brigade—Blercourt—Getting Back to Normalcy—Brigade Mess—Robert

CHAPTER TheArmy 2Artillery Visit to G.H.Q.—Luxemburg1—Hotel Staar—66th F.A. Brigade—Blercourt—Getting Back to Normalcy—Brigade Mess—Robert. November 22nd–November 23rd On November 22nd in accordance with telephonic instructions, I went over from Haussimont to G.H.Q., and was informed by General Leroy Eltinge, Deputy Chief of Staff, that General Pershing had given instructions that I should not return to the United States with the railway artillery being collected at Haussimont for that purpose, but should be given an active command .2 Eltinge said that he didn’t know what was meant by an active command unless it were that the fighting might start up again. He sent me to the Chief of Artillery, General Ernest Hinds.3 Hinds said he had been told to assign me to an artillery brigade, but that frankly, he was unwilling to remove one of his brigade commanders to make a place for me, as I had not been with the artillery during any of the active operations. He suggested I take an infantry brigade. I replied that I thought he was right, but that the infantry would probably object to me more than he did, as I was at least an artillery officer. “Well,” said Hinds, (we always have been good friends), “anything General Pershing assigns you to will be all right with me, but I am not going to recommend you.” This left me to make the choice myself, and I chose the 66th Field Artillery, which was to be the Army Artillery of the Army of Occupation, and was preparing to march to Germany—the best job in the A.E.F. at that moment for an artillery brigadier general.4 November 26th–December 1st My order directed me to go to the city of Luxemburg and report to General Joseph T. Dickman, Commander of the Third Army.5 I was still holding on The Army Artillery 23 to my Cadillac limousine that I had had as Chief of Staff of the S.O.S., so with my aide, Roger Wurtz, my darkey orderly, Robert, and a light truck following behind with baggage, we started out upon my new career with much more pomp and glory than was warranted by my rank or position. But I succeeded in holding on to this car, to the envy of my peers, until it broke down with me just a few days before I finally sailed for the United States. Words and music in his own hand. 24 Caissons Go Rolling Along We left Haussimont about noon November 26th and, traveling via St. Mihiel and Metz, arrived in Luxemburg just after dark.6 Next morning I went over to Third Army Headquarters and found General Dickman and General Malin Craig, his Chief of Staff. Malin suggested that I spend the morning going around with him, looking over the various division headquarters, which I did.7 We spent the night in Luxemburg at the Hotel Staar. American officers had been warned against going to this hotel, and it was hard to get rooms. The place was said to be infested with dangerous female spies, so that men hardened to such enchantments went there to test their strength.8 The Sixty Sixth Field Artillery Brigade Next morning we went to Blercourt, a dirty little French town about ten kilometers southwest of Verdun, and I assumed command of the 66th F.A. Brigade, relieving Colonel Conrad H. Lanza.9 I found the regiments commanded by Colonels Marion S. Battle and Phillip H. Worcester, both old friends of mine, (Coast Artillery men by the way), and I was glad to see them. These officers had taken command since the Armistice. During the campaign , the regiments had been commanded by their lieutenant colonels, Burke H. Sinclair of the 148th and Paul H. Weyrauch of the 146th.10 The 66th F.A. was a horsy outfit—a kind of second Rough Riders without its Teddy Roosevelt or Leonard Wood. The history of the brigade says it was composed of “buckaroos from the sage brush and cactus, who entered eagerly into the big roundup that was to make the world Safe for Democracy . They undertook this work with zest, many of them being horsemen and bronco busters of international reputation. It was a novel entertainment (for spectators) to see the quick toss of the lariat, the saddling for...