In 871 A. D., Andelot became the seat of a county, which was broken up in the course of the tenth century, and which was a dependency of the Duke of Lorraine. From 1201 to 1253 the fortifications of Monteclair were strengthened and enlarged, the town was beautified and surrounded by walls, which were demolished in 1279. Andelot became the seat of a prefecture of which Domremy, the birthplace of Joan of Arc, was a part. In 1356 and again in 1431 Monteclair was taken by the English. It was returned to France in 1434. In 1523 a German army occupied Andelot and the castle of Monteclair for a short time. There followed famine and pestilence. Francis I, King of France (1494 to 1547) repaired the fortifications and ordered a great amount of work to be done on the fortress. During the religious wars (1337 to 1453) Andelot was taken and re-taken by the Catholics and Protestants, its church was burned and its bells melted down. Monteclair came again under the authority of the King in 1594. The fortress of Monteclair was dismantled in 1635, and in the following year the Germans devastated the town of Andelot. The fortress was finally destroyed in 1697. From that time until the present Monteclair and the towns in its vicinity have been rich in souvenirs. It was among these scenes Battery D idled the Thanksgiving day. At 5 p. m. a special feed was put on in the battery mess hall in general celebration. The feasting was getting along nicely; everybody was enjoying the menu of roast pig and prune pie and nuts and candy, when it was suddenly discovered that a number of the candles used to light the mess hall had suddenly disappeared. The aftermath was felt for several days. A thorough search for the lost candles was instituted. They could not be found. An official battery order was then promulgated, stating that if the candles were not returned within a certain time a very heavy battery guard would be put on for the remainder of the stay in Blancheville. About a half dozen candles had disappeared. When the ultimatum was issued about two dozen candles of all sizes and descriptions were returned to the battery kitchen. The guard never went on. Candles continued to sell in Blancheville for fancy prices and the battery in general suffered in its letter writing for the want of light at night. Leather jerkins were first issued the battery at Blancheville on November 29th, which was the signal for horses to be received. The receipt of horses started a long and hard battle with the mud. To multiply miseries mules played an important part in the life of the battery. All told it is a long, muddy tale.