...no sleep and just enough gas to make me very sleepy and dopey...

Convois Autos.,
S.S.U. 647,
Par B.C.M.,
France.

Sunday – Oct. 26, 1918

Dearest Mother:-

In compliance with Section order #46, I am writing you this note. The order calls for a letter but this is the best I can do now. Maybe I’ll be here tomorrow – if so I’ll write again.

Order #46 reads as follows:- In accordance with general orders from Hq. A.E.F. commanding officers of the units of A.E.F. are to be held responsible that enlisted men of their respective commands write home at least once a week.

I have just come in from 24 hours on post with no sleep and just enough gas to make me very sleepy and dopey so I’m afraid I can’t do much by way of a letter.

Tonight another big racket starts and the chances are that we shall all be called out again before morning so I must pull in for a bit of sleep.

Am enclosing a “Lettre de Félicitations” sent, I think, to all S.S.U. sections by General Pétain.  It makes a rather good souvenir.

Your letter of Oct. 1st reached me yesterday.  Pretty good time compared to the way mail has been coming during this push.

Expect we’ll be going forward again tonight.  Am very tired as is everyone else in the section but excitement keeps our minds off of such trivials.

Heaps of love,
Grant.

Apremont

And Grant's diary entry for this day:

Saturday, October 26:

Went up on post again this A.M. with Waldock for an aide and Kirkpatrick, Putnam and Gaynor as other drivers. Artillery activity is picking up on our front. Apremont is shelled every morning and night to endeavor to cripple operations on the railhead. No damage has been done so far. They are coming darn close to our mill, however. I prescribe another advance to spoil Fritz’s range on our home. Fléville is under almost constant fire. It’s an awfully good thing they moved our dressing station out and back to the farm because the old place has been hit twice and our nice little ambulance home is in ruins. 

Fléville

Fléville is lousy with artillery -- 75s, 155s and 210s. Every clump of bushed and every natural shelter the other side of Fléville bristles with howitzers and 155 rifles. Tonight the roads were so choked with guns and ammunition and we had a great deal of difficulty in getting our ambulances through. Speed left the farm for Sommerance this evening at 6:00. At 9 o’clock he hadn’t returned. We began to get worried. At 9:15 McCrackin and I went up to the ditch and barns and Fléville. Got but one patient. Things were quiet. Told Mac that I would run up to Sommerance on phone and were told that Speed had left there at 7:30 with three patients. I was just starting out when in pulled Speed. I sure was relieved because I never saw a darker night, and a heavier fog with just enough sneezing and tear gas on the roads to make things disagreeable -- and traffic! Speed had been held up all this time in traffic. Couldn’t do a thing against it. Never saw so many guns.

American artillery and ammunition