October 25--Preparing for action. The enemy had noted the great movement of troops in the vicinity and German planes constantly hovered over the unit dropping missiles of death upon it. The brigade supported the infantry of the division in its attacks on Eply, Cheminot, Bouxieres, Bois Frehaut, Bois La Cote, Champey, Vandieres, Pagny and Moulin Farm. Attacks of more than mediocre importance were: Pagny, November 4 and 5; Cheminot, November 6, Epley, November 7; Bois Frehaut, November 10; Bois La Cote and Champey, November 11. In addition to those attacks certain machine gun nests of the enemy were destroyed and strategic points were bombarded. During the entire advance the batteries of the brigade were in front positions and very active. The attack on Bois La Cote and Champey began at 4:30 in the morning and ended just fifteen minutes before the beginning of the armistice. During the engagement the batteries kept up such a constant fire that the guns were almost white with heat. Private Carl E. Southall of 2538 Elba street, Pittsburgh, Pa., claims to have fired the brigade's last shot. He was a member of Battery D, 351st regiment. When the watch showed the last minute of the war, he jumped forward, got to the gun ahead of his comrades and fired. Had the war continued the artillery brigade would have taken part in the offensive which was to have begun after November 11 with twenty French and six American divisions investing Metz and pushing east through Lorraine. The history of one regiment in the artillery outfit is practically the same as another, with the exception that the 351st seems to have had the most conspicuous service. This unit of the brigade was commanded by Colonel Wade H. Carpenter, a West Pointer. Owing to the technical requirements, a thorough knowledge of mathematics especially being necessary before one can become a good non-commissioned or commissioned officer of artillery, this branch of the service appeals to men of schooling. It has been claimed that the 351st regiment contained the best educated group of Negroes in the American forces; most of them being college or high school men. They were praised highly by their officers, especially by Colonel Carpenter: "When the regiment trained at Camp Meade," he said, "the men showed the best desire, to make good soldiers. In France they outdid their own expectations and shed glory for all. "We didn't get into action until October 28th, but after that we kept at the Germans until the last day. "The men of the 351st were so anxious to get into service that before they were ordered to the front they found it difficult to restrain their impatience at being held back. However, their long training in France did them a lot of good, the experience of being taught by veteran Americans and Frenchmen proving of great value when it came to actual battle.