On August 28th the battalion moved around Chéry-Chartreuve to a position east of Le Prés Farm. September 1st we again shifted, this time crossing the Vesle and relieving the Third Battalion, just east of Bazoches. Here we repulsed a raiding party, inflicting heavy losses upon the enemy. We were then moved to a ravine, which gave us the opportunity of taking a two-day rest. Our next move brought us to face with the enemy just south of Merval, where we took a position in an exposed field, our only protection being the individual "funk holes" which had been deserted by the retreating German troops. After three days of little water and practically no food, at 5:30 on the afternoon of September 8th--still brilliant daylight--we crawled from our funk holes and, each squad in single file in formation known as "squad columns", we advanced against German artillery in an effort to straighten the line. As we reached the outskirts of Merval we were subjected to an intense barrage of H. E.'s, suffering the loss of four men killed and five injured. [Illustration: _Our Path Thru the Argonne_] No gain was made by this sortie and we drew back to our funk-hole position awaiting further developments. Early on the morning of September 14th, supported by a barrage laid down by combined American, French, and Italian artillery, we attacked the enemy position that lay on the far side of the Ravine Merval. The advance was made down the side of the valley in the face of a withering fire of enemy machine guns. Tho suffering heavy casualties, our progress was unchecked and we swarmed up the opposite slope with undiminished vigor. So rapid were our gains that we had to pause to allow our flanks to catch up. Our Third Platoon was so far ahead of the line of advance as to be mistaken by the commander of the cooperating French forces for a body of the enemy and it required considerable persuasion to correct his misconception. The day's end saw the German horde driven across the Aisne, and we were well beyond our original objective. But we had advanced true to form. Commenting on a previous attack made by another American unit, a French officer had remarked: "The Americans,--they are fools. Tell them to take one trench,--and they take _three_!" We had been operating on the line of the Vesle with several divisions but the 77th was the only American division to drive its way to the Aisne. Our gains were paid for with numerous casualties and when we received our relief it was thoroly welcome. It had been our longest consecutive stretch in the front line and we suffered not only from battle losses but we had also endured the utmost privation. Short rations, little water, exposed positions, and the constant necessity for watchfulness had undermined our strength to an unusual degree. We had been operating on the will to accomplish rather than on food and water.