He had—two official announcements, one, that the corps commander had made me a major and the other that I had been cited for the D. S. C. Being a Major has no particular thrills to it, except no doubt when I come to sign my pay vouchers; but there is no man living who can truthfully say that it means nothing to him to receive the bronze cross and red, white and blue bar of our Army. To everybody, I think, the greatest satisfaction comes not from what it means to himself but from the gratification it will give his friends. Another feeling uppermost in my mind was one of grateful affection for Colonel McCoy because I knew that it was he who had recommended me both for the rank and the distinction. I wrote to him “The British reward their military heroes with a peerage, a pension, and a tomb in Westminster Abbey. You have gotten for me the American equivalent for two of them—the distinction and the emoluments—and it only remains for you to fix it up so that I can have a tomb in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. All that is necessary to give me a right to that is to make me Archbishop of New York; Cardinal, if you insist. I never knew you to fail in anything you went after so I shall consider this matter as settled.” We remained in Viocourt six days and then began our journey north by night marches. The 4th of September was spent in the Bois de Raidon. On the 5th of September the whole regiment was together at Bulligny. On the 6th, still marching by night, we were at Foug, and September 7th found us at Boucq, where we spent two days. Here we had the honor of a visit from the Commander in Chief. General Pershing had come on for the ceremony of presenting Distinguished Service Crosses to those who had been cited in our Division, and the ceremony took place in a field to the northeast of our village of Boucq. The recipients from our Regiment were Lieutenant Colonel Donovan, Major Reilley, who quite overshadowed me, Captain Merle-Smith, Lieutenant William Spencer, Lieutenant John J. Williams, Sergeant Frank Gardella, Corporal John McLaughlin, Corporal Martin Higgins, and Burr Finkle. Captain Ryan and others who had been cited were still in the hospital, while others were of those who had perished on the field. A complete list will be given in another place. FOOTNOTES: [5] Final figures. Killed Wounded Missing Officers 14 45 0 Enlisted Men 224 1,135 153 ——— ————— ———— Total Losses 238 1,180 153 Grand Total 1,571 Practically all of those marked “missing” were wounded men of whom no record was sent back to us from the hospitals. In the Lunéville Sector our battle losses had been 1 officer and 29 enlisted men killed; 19 officers and 408 enlisted men wounded. In the Baccarat Sector, 3 men killed and 8 wounded.