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On that night of the 8th every other officer of Battery C was notified of the change in our schedule for the next day, but somehow I was not. I was billeted at a house on the outskirts of the village, the only American there. I did not hear the reveille bugle call. I was finally awakened by an enlisted man who came into my room to tell me that he had brought my horse, all saddled and ready to go. He said that the battery was moving out. The commander, Captain Woodward, had already ridden forth, but I might be able to overtake him on the road if I hurried.

I had missed breakfast. I could not even take time to shave. While I dressed the enlisted man gathered up my belongings, and I left them in his charge. Then I rode after the battery, and did manage to overtake the captain on the road. I expected a reprimand for being tardy, but he said it was someone else's fault I had not been called earlier.

The captain had a sheet of typed orders for me. He had detailed me to command the two gun crews. He rode with us off the road and posted us on that hillside. Our horses were led away. At our back were woods, in front a field sloping downward. About two miles ahead, hidden from our sight by hills, was our infantry. It was scheduled to [[strikethrough]] mo [[/strikethrough]] move out and attack some time during the day. When they moved forward we were supposed to begin firing, contributing to a rolling barrage that kept shells bursting just ahead of the infantry. We were not told when the attack was to start. We were to watch for signal roskets which the infantry would send up at the moment of starting. That required us to keep an unremitting watch for the signal. To insure against our cheating, I was required to note and record the exact time at which the signal appeared. I was further required to memorize the typed orders that Woodward had given me.

The morning passed, and nothing happened. I had set two men to watch, and told the rest to stand under the trees, for such shelter as they could find there. They tried to start a fire, but [[strikethrough]] 5+343m was [[/strikethrough]] ^[[found]] no wood dry enough. We got nothing to eat all day, and I was hungry. The men had had breakfast, but I had not eaten since mid-afternoon of the previous day (see my letter of May 6).