On September 11 the 13th Engineers moved to Fleury-sur-Aire, near Verdun, which was to be their headquarters for the next twenty months.

Tuesday, September 11, 1917
Up 5:00 a.m. Moving today. Breakfast, packed up, left Châlons 11:00 a.m. over Eastern railway. Went south to St. Dizier, then headed north to Fleury. Arrived Fleury 9:00 p.m. Just on the outskirts of Verdun. Guns surely sound close here. Slept on ground with Berry. Got cold in the morning early. Fleury-sur-Aire, Meuse. Five miles from trenches.

The regiment history notes that two trains of small French boxcars were supplied to move the 2nd battalion to Fleury. They bore signs reading “40 hommes – 8 chevaux,” as they each had the capacity to hold either 40 men or 8 horses.
Once at Fleury it was necessary to practically rebuild the camp to house the men. The regiment was responsible for the operation of the military train lines which ran from Sommeilles, some 20 km to the southwest of Fleury, to Souilly, which lay about 12 km to the east. Souilly was the headquarters for General Pétain (then in charge of the 2nd French Army) during the major battles of Verdun in 1916, and later for General Pershing (in charge of the American Expeditionary Forces, or “AEF”), in the final American-led Meuse-Argonne offensive in September 1918.
The French authorities insisted that the French methods for train operation be used, which was quite different from the American system. Instead of timetables and general train orders, each “chef de gare,” or station agent, had complete control of the movement of trains from his station to the next. This was the opposite of the American system of operation, but was put in place to assure the continued operation of at least parts of the line, should sections be disabled due to enemy shell fire.

Wednesday, September 12, 1917
Up early on account of cold. Walked over hill before breakfast. Large graveyard just back of barracks. Hundreds of soldiers buried there in trenches. Morgue next door to us, three dead soldiers in there now, will be buried today. Germans bombed hospital north of here night before last. Killed 19 nurses and one doctor. This is the military railway terminal. Trenches just outside the door where we run under cover when a Boche comes over. Up in the graveyard found one grave with a little American flag and the inscription:

John S Newlan
American Field Service
Mort pour la France
Mort au Champ d’Honneur

Went to morgue before breakfast, two dead soldiers laid out ready for their last home. Guns all day long incessantly. Ground shakes. Began digging bombproof trenches this morning for us at each end of barracks so can skim out in them when the Boche raid. Large crematory just back of us. Saw hands, legs, arms and fingers from hospital being burned. Saw eyes and ears there. Over to town at night, all shot up. Bed at taps.

Thursday, September 13, 1917
Up early. Almost froze, awake all night. Boche raided us at 11:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. Bomb trenches full of men. Dropped a dozen bombs on Company E, killed five men. Don’t s’pose papers at home will say a word. They missed us. Destroyed depot. Could hear them so plain. One couldn’t have been over 200 feet above us. Engines are different than French. French machines carry red and green lights at night. Guns kept us awake, so so heavy and hard. Got five or six hundred graves up on the hill all ready for use. If Americans would only wake up.

The raid noted on September 13 apparently did not kill any of the soldiers in the 13th Engineers. There were in fact only 13 deaths in the regiment during service in France (another strange coincidence involving the number 13), and only one caused directly by an enemy attack. Ten of the deaths were due to illness, and of these, six were listed as pneumonia, occurring within six weeks of the armistice in November 1918.

Friday, September 14, 1917
Woke up 3:00 a.m., raining on my face. Changed spots and put slicker over me. Rained hard. Camp floating in mud all day, made cinder paths. Had a piece of steak for dinner. First I’ve had since Chicago. Cold this morning. Loafed all day. The bluest evening I ever spent. Rained all evening hard. Beating on roof, no lights, bed 8:00 p.m. Graveyard on one side and hospital on the other. Raining hard. Sat and looked out door on hills and graves. Sure my most lonesome night.

Saturday, September 15, 1917
Up early. Still raining, played stud all morning. Won 30 francs. Walked to store at Autrecourt in the morning. Took bath, went to Waly last night. Muddy, great droves of autos. Found canteen. No cigarettes. Great activity in air. Watched several fights toward Verdun. Think they will try a raid on us tonight. Our trenches just outside the door are done. We beat it in there when we hear that diesel groan.

Sunday, September 16, 1917
Cold, foggy, misty. Up at 6:30 a.m. Played blackjack all morning until 12:30 a.m. 10 franc winner. Cleaning up some and planes are beginning to rise up. See great smoke to north and observation balloons at anchor. Big battle from noise of the artillery. Can’t write letters from here yet. Damn this idea of captain reading all the letters. Not much fun telling personal affairs to him. Can’t mail letters now. Been here a week now almost.

EP Dudley – Outside Deluxe Accommodations at Fleury

Monday, September 17, 1917
Up early. Awake during the night. Boche tried hard to raid us. Heard a dozen machine gun fights over our head. Counted 18 observation balloons on front and saw one of them in great fight with some Boche. They are sure trying hard to land on these Americans. Blackjack all day, 40 franc winner. Went to Souilly on truck. Walked through the town which was bombed last week. Graveyard was blown up on one corner. Bones of a man in a box in corner. Bomb made hole 20 feet deep. Knocked over and broke half the tombstones in the graveyard, over 200 feet back. Saw where two men were killed last week. Completely blown to pieces. Shrapnel went completely through buildings Heavy artillery fire toward Verdun. Sky aglare and guns bellowing so loud. Not much activity in the air tonight. Bummed home in box car. Bed 10:00 p.m.

Tuesday, September 18, 1917
Up early. Cool, clear, nice. Breakfast and wash. Cleaned quarters. Went to Dugny at 9:30 a.m. and walked up on hill to French fort overlooking Verdun. Could see hill 304 and Verdun in valley about one mile away. Verdun all shot to pieces. Shells still bursting in the city. French now hold 304. Berry and I sat on the hill overlooking Verdun and watched the scrap. I understand now the strategic value of Verdun. Could see trenches so plain. Going to Verdun Thursday if I can get off.

Wednesday, September 19, 1917
Up early, clear, calm. Pay today. Loafed all morning. Paid today. Got five letters from Cecil, wrote her two.

Thursday, September 20, 1917
Routine, nothing doing all day. L.O. resigned to save a G.C.M.O. for having a —– in quarters. Walked to Autrecourt and back in the evening.

Friday, September 21, 1917
Received orders this morning from Maj. to go over entire division and make recommendations about handling of trains, tonnage, helpers, etc. with Doud. Got passports, mess tickets and papers to see French officers. Given a French interpreter and full sway to go where I pleased and stay as long as I wished, gathering data and make report when I came in. Will possibly take us two weeks. Went to Souilly, stayed all day. Went to town. Entire town blown up. Caught Red Cross train back. Barracks at 10:00 p.m. Cold bed.

Saturday, September 22, 1917
Up early. Cold. Going to East today. No train until 11:00 a.m. Standing in front of barracks at 10:30 a.m. when Boche plane came over very leisurely, flying low. Could see the cross so plain with glasses. About five minutes later five French came by chasing him but he was well away toward his own. He surely caught them napping. 11:50 a.m. Saw Boche airman killed in great fight. He fell about four miles away. Back Fleury 4:50 p.m. Walked to Waly with Don. Watched great action at front. Boche destroyed ammunition depot at Landrecourt. Lighted sky for miles.

Sunday, September 23, 1917
Up early. Cold. Wrote Cecil a letter. Can’t tell her much now as company commander reads it. At 9:30 a.m. took train east with Beckwith and Koontz. Reached Dugny about 1:30 p.m., ate dinner. After dinner we walked to Verdun, my first visit to the city. We laid down crossing the plain while the shells broke over us, one falling about quarter of a mile away. Tore a hole about 20 feet wide and ten feet deep. Went on into Verdun. Such a sight, solid blocks in ruins and not a soul there except soldiers. Guards on street corners. Beautiful city in its day and its occupants moved, leaving things scattered. Big stores with boxes dumped out showed their hurried getaway. They shelled the place at 3:00 p.m. and we ducked into the underground passage under the cathedral. One man was killed on the street by a shell.

Verdun After Shelling

Walked through the deserted city. Picked up some keys and took off some door plates for souvenirs. Could you imagine a city like Denver all ruined and not a soul in the city for blocks. Uncanny and ghostlike, broken only by the hum of a shell. The shells can be heard singing and then they strike with a fearful jar. The cathedral was a mass of ruins. We started back to Dugny at 4:00 p.m. Reached there 6:30 p.m. just as train pulled out. Stuck all night for a train. At 8:00 p.m. two rockets went up from the lines and we watched for the Boche. They came in a very few minutes. Two of them above us. The land guns started the fun and the planes started their machine guns. We crawled under the train and laid between the rails on our faces. The heavy guns started working and shelled the valley for 25 minutes. One shell broke about 35 yards away and peppered the cars with shrapnel. The fight lasted 30 minutes. I’ll not be as near death again unless I’m hurt. Wasn’t scared a particle, am getting used to it. The planes dropped about 20 bombs all told. I tried to keep count of them but couldn’t. Could hear them so plain and their machine guns working like a hammer. We came out soon as we heard him start back. Am sitting writing this in French shanty with a lantern and blankets over the windows. Still hear those shells whistling. One of them struck a petrol tank at Landrecourt and lit up the country for miles around. Beck and Koontz are asleep in the corner. Caught train 2:00 a.m., Fleury 5:30 a.m.