The History of the 103rd Regiment of the 26th Division of the U.S. Army during World War I

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	It was a glorious day for the division and for the regiment. In his withdrawal the enemy had burned and destroyed as much as possible, but at that, great quan- tities of stores were found at Billy. Just outside of St. Maurice, the large German rest camp had been razed with the exception of the oHicors' quarters. Possibly the cncmy could not bring himself to quite such wuntonness as to burn these; two bungalows, mueh like hunting lodges in the Adirondncks, rcmziined standing. Excellently furnished, electrically lighted, they more nearly brought us back to civilization than anything experienced in some months. But thc regimcnt’s sojourn there was a short one, for it was moved back to take over a sector of the newly gained front, with its first-line companies holding from Saulx to Champlon—its support on thc high ground hack of Coinbrcs and its reserve near Les Esparges. Regimental Headquarters were just north of St. Remy. Though the regiment held this sector hut a short time, for the division was destined to move elsewhere, it had a hard and busy time of it. Front-line com- panies, which were on the plain, were subjected to gns; the positions in rear were frequently severely shelled; and then, toe, the support 1,re1ps were kept busy reerganizing the defenses on the hills, for the intention secured lo he to held for the present. For the first time we found ourselves in a really dominating posi- tion, though the front-line companies hardly would agree to that. Several dil·f·r— ent plans of organization were tried out before the one finally adopted was chosen ; this meant frequent changes of position and the attendant. z·l·nu·nt of uncertainty. On September 26 the lst Battalion made nn attack, known as the Riaville· Marelieviuc raid, "to make a demonstration to deceive the enemy . . . to be in the nature of a diversion to conceal from the enemy the point of real attack between Verdun and Rlneims by the lst Arn1»1·i·1m Army and the 4th French Army." The report of Lieutenant Bliss, Regimental Intelligence OH‘icer, follows: I{moouAm·aus, 103mn U. S. Imvnrmy, 28 Sept. 1918. Frum: R. I. and O, Officer, 103rd Infrmtry. T0: Chief of Staff, 26th Division. Subject: Attack on Riaville. At 14:00 o’cl0ck, 26 Sept. 1918, Colonel Hume, Major Hanson, Captains Shum- way, Bisbee and Bowen were called to Headquarters of the 52nd Inf. Brigade, where the plan of the attack of two Bnttalions on Riaville and Marchefille was given verbally. The lst Battalion, Major Hanson, 103rd Infantry, in support
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