Wild reports in the papers and wilder rumors among the troops.

"Friendly fire" is not a phenomenon that first occurred during the Vietnam War. It's probably been a factor in warfare since the beginning of the modern era when weapons advancements began outstripping military tactics. In this diary entry, Grant mentions grumblings from American soldiers about their own being killed or wounded by American gunfire.

On this day Grant had to drive 50 miles to Bar-le-Duc for supplies. Today that trip would take an hour and a half, but along the muddy war-torn roads of 1918, it took him all day to get there and back again.

Saturday, October 12, 1918:

We now hold Cornay definitely and are fighting for Marcq. On the other side of the river we are on the outskirts of Sommerance and still going. The 82nd is meeting stiff resistance and are losing heavily but progressing nobly. Great deal of complaint about our own barrages catching our own men. Doe-boys blame the artillery, the artillery blames the infantry for advancing ahead of schedule.

I took the camionette into Bar-le-Duc for supplies today. Took me all day against heavy traffic. 

Much peace talk! Wild reports in the papers and wilder rumors among the troops. However, most of us feel sure there will be no peace. Unconditional surrender is the only solution of this mess. Germany wants a chance to retire to her border, entrench and then say, “To hell with your indemnities and peace terms.” Fight ’em, kill ’em, slaughter ’em until they go down on their knees, I say. Chief Foch should deal out their old peace terms and armistices.