We are out where the ground is well plowed and the hardware flying thick and fast.

On April 15, 1918, SSU 647 moved from the relative safety of its base at Neufchâteau to a new post at Vignot and was assigned to the 26th Infantry Division of the United States Army. After a few days in camp, he wrote home to Mankato.

Convois Autos.,

S.S.U. 647,

Par B.C.M.,

France.

Friday, Apr. 19, 1918

My dear family:-

Sometime ago (7 days) I started a letter to you all. While in the midst of it an order came in for movement within 24 hours. Wow, such a racket as was set up! Needless to say that letter was postponed. Not until today have I had a chance to continue and now only to begin over again as I left my own writing paper with the uncompleted letter back at our base.

We are no longer at Base #66 but out where the ground is well plowed and the hardware flying thick and fast. Gee! But it seems good to be back where you can “hear ‘em” again. We are not far from where we were in September – quiet compared to August but loud enough.

The section has been separated – ten cars are here in this sector, five in another sector and five idle. We have been up here five days, quite busy, and expect relief soon. Hap is with us. Astlett, another old 61 man, is also here. Johnnie and Fraser the other two 61ers are elsewhere – Johnnie is driving the staff car for the Lieut.

The announcement of Miss Mullen’s death on Good Friday knocked me cold and I haven’t quite recovered yet. She was like a mother to many of us and we will miss her more than I can tell. She was always working for others’ interests than her own and sacrifice on her part was a pleasure for her. She’s a great loss to us as well as to the work she was doing.

I am awfully glad that Mother and Tib got off to California all right. She needed the rest and the change ought to be good for Tib. A letter from her from Ontario [California] said they were enjoying their stay very much. She spoke of violets and roses in bloom. Even gorgeous France can’t boast of roses in this section but violets are plentiful. The woods are full of little white flowers, corresponding to our May flowers and the lilacs are beginning to bloom.

SSU 647 on the move

Was sitting in my car yesterday enjoying the first sunshine we had seen for weeks when a big, husky, burly American soldier passed down the street. He looked like someone I had seen before and sure enough when I called “Boots” he turned around and there stood “Boots” Wiederman in all his glory. The first man I have met over here from home. He was as surprised as I was. He is stationed with the engineers just a short way from our base and last night we had a long talk. Boots has been over just a month and so has met none of the other boys from home. I expect to run on to them most any day. Most of the boys we are working with around here are from the east and I haven’t met anybody I know yet.

Haven’t heard from you all now for about a month. Not a letter. But I know everything is all right at home as it is with us over here. The Saturday Evening Post has long since stopped coming as has the Literary Digest. The mails are probably very congested. Would suggest that you use my French address in your correspondence, as there is less congestion that way.

Hope mail begins coming in soon.

Much love,

Grant.

Our boys got one call last night and that was indigestion.

In his April 17, 1918, journal entry, Grant writes judgmentally of his comrades' excessive drinking, calling it "cuffing the bottle." He probably came by this attitude naturally. His dad, W.D. Willard, was a lifelong teetotaler, having grown up with an alcoholic father.

Tuesday, April 16, 1918:

Vignot, France, 2010

Yesterday, Apr. 15, we moved to Vignot to be attached to the 26th Division. A funny thing happened when we got [here] expecting some kind of a reception in the way of an officer to tell us where to go and what to do. Headquarters didn’t even know who we were nor did they know we were coming. How’s that for efficiency? Now in the French Army, never did such a thing happen. Our trip from Dijon to Rupt, for instance, we were a day early on arriving at Rupt having made the trip down in one instead of two days. But everything was ready for us.

War memorial in Vignot

At Vignot our Lieut. offered his services to the 26th whenever they would have us. With Colonel Starks’ permission we were allowed to stay and do what work we could find until further orders. Ten cars were sent on to Ménil-la-Tour and the remaining cars stayed in Vignot. I was one of the ten lucky ones and I am now writing in the loft of a fragrant barn where we spent the night on hay. Four cars: Happy, Astlett, McGuire and McEnnis went up to the posts last night about 10 o’clock with Sarg. Kendrick. Swain, Dunlap, McCrackin, Gaynor, Risley (mechanic), Signer and I stayed here “on call.” I was unlucky coming up. Broke a truss-rod or I would have gone up in place of Hap. The boys around here seemed glad to see us--especially the ambulance boys--who filled us full of wild tales about what a hard time they were having and how many cars they had lost, etc. Imagine it! Here we are 7 km from the line in a town which has never been bombarded and only occasionally hearing a gun and then these boys springing tales about “dead-man’s corner,” and “hell’s-half acre.” Our boys got one call last night and that was indigestion.

Wednesday, April 17:

Things are as quiet as usual. We could hear what the Americans call a heavy barrage last night. The boys up at the posts report no excitement and nothing to do. Signor, McCrackin and I are here alone now in our loft. The rest of the cars are up on posts. Sarg. Kendrick was just down and told me my truss rod would be up tomorrow and that I will relieve McEnnis as soon as I am fixed up. Signor and McCrackin will probably go up tomorrow. None of the boys have carried any wounded except Speed who just brought down a Frenchman who had a piece of éclat in his shoulder from a 77 which broke just outside of the Mandres[-aux-Quatre-Tours] dressing station. There are a good many 77s breaking around this post. Our boys are the only ones in the town who are sleeping above ground and the people think they are crazy. They have a very good room there with a stove and table and they aren’t “going down” until they have to. Hap scared the pants off an Am. sergeant this A.M. by driving through the smoke of a 77 which landed in the middle of the road about 100 yds. in front of them. They can’t make us out up here. They think we are crazy, I guess, and perhaps they are right. But they haven’t been through the period of idleness which we have.

Five more of our cars have left Vignot for another front. Fraser, Snader, Kerr, Luys and Stender. “M. Richard” and Tod Gillet I imagine are very glum these days. Maybe it will teach them a lesson. I wonder if they are still “cuffing the bottle.” Johnnie was up with the Lieut. yesterday and is not very well satisfied with his lot at staff car driver. He had rather be up in it.

Have had no news from western front and no mail for two weeks from the States.