This is copied word for word from my grandfather's note book. Here and their, I added a period or comma, since a lot of the text would run the whole page as one sentence. I only did this to make it a little more readable.
I appreciate any mail with corrections on the spelling of the names of cities, towns, rivers and things of than nature.
Robert L. Dwight was born and lived his whole life in the Hornell/Canisteo, New York area.
The U.S. Transport Susquahanna formerly a German freighter belonging to the Hamburg - American Steamship Co. was about 500 feet long and 40 feet across, draws 21 feet of water, had accomodations for about 4000 officers and men, was protected by four six inch guns, two on either end and four one pounders being placed on upper decks on either side of the boat and two torpedo tubes. It was rumoured that this boat was sunk on her return trip.
Camp Pontanezan
Camp Pontanezan is named after Pontanezan barracks which were used as a prison in time of Napoleon. It is built of white stone and has a wall about 30 feet high and six feet thick enclosing an area of about one hundred and fifty yards square.
It has three entrances. The gates to same are made of bar steel about two inches square enclosing the whole entrance. The wall is arched over the gates and on each side of same and on the corners are sentry boxes.
The prison buildings are all inside the enclosure and are built of stone. The walls to same are from two to four feet thick. The prison cells are about eight feet square and have and have one heavily barred window about one foot square. Solitary confinement cells have no windows though are about the same size as the others. The floors to all cells are built of stone.
A portion of the prison yard is partitioned off for execution purposes and in it is a scaffold and gallows the same as was used years ago in the states. The guillotine for beheading criminals and all the devices for operating it are in place the same as when this mode of execution was being used. A stone about eighteen inches square stands close to the wall where the prisoners were shot and from the looks of the wall a great many were shot in that spot.
The Lorraine Front
On July 28th (1918) we were sent to the lines on the Baccarat & Luneville sector. It being our first time on the lines all were rather nervous but still we were anxious to take a shot at Fritz but weren't allowed to shoot unless we saw something to shoot at. It being trench warfare we had outguards on P.P posts as the are called. I was a Laison man used to keep up communication to the rear but after three days was made a light machine gun operator.
On Aug. 1st I was picked for a combat patrol under the lead of Lieut. Taylor who was killed near Mout Faucon and had my first shot at "Jerry" but all were shooting at once so I don't know whither I got one or not. It was the same thing over every night standing in mud up to our shoe tops looking for a "Boche"patrol and laying near their wire to find out what we could about movements etc., sleeping in a dugout which is very uncomfortable to make up your bed in.
This was for 14 days. The second time we were up it was quite a lively place or at least we thought so at the time. Nearly every night the position was shelled and just before daylight they would open up a machine gun barrage over our position but never attacked although at "C" Co. positions went over several times but no casualties worth mentioning occured.
The Verdun Front
On Sept. 26th with Montfaucon as objective the 87th Division went "over the top" under a heavy artillery barrage on on the extreme right of the Argonne Forest. This strip of land extending for about thirty miles was known to the French as Death Valley which had been taken and retaken four different times by both the French and German forces at a loss of about 100,000 men to the French alone. The Americans took this ground with a comparatively small loss of men in about ten hours which the Germans and French had fought over for four years.
We started over at daybreak and we were all rather nervous. It was real foggy and until it lifted the advance was slow on account of machine gun fire. After 9:00 AM we started in earnest taking many prisoners and captured several machine guns and automatic rifles as well as several pieces of light artillery.
We advanced about nine miles and dug in for the night on the side of a hill. It didn't happen to rain during the night but none of us rested well as the grub we had was to last us two days so the first day we went hungry.
Sept. 27th, was up before daylight and had breakfast of which I furnished a can of corned bill and Corp. Stephenson, the hard takck which was washed down with a couple of swallows of water. We were on top of the hill before daylight and had advanced within a half mile of the village of Ivoiry which after about two hours of hard fighting we took the village and about 100 prisoners, ten heavy machine guns and fourteen light machine guns and automatic rifles.
We started through the town and it there that "Fritz" opened up and we got our first real shelling. We were told to get to the far side of town the best we could. Sgt. Simeral, Corp. Stephenson and his squad took a short cut through a broken down building and the rest of the platoon followed, got to the outskirts of the village, into a trench and after walking about ten yards, we heard a shell coming which struck near enough to cover Lieut. Taylor, Sgt. Simeral, Corp Stephenson and myself with dirt. About eleven AM got my first whiff of real gas and while putting on my mask a shell struck near enough to fill my mask with dirt and bounce a piece of shrapnel off my tin hat.
We advanced about a mile to the top of a hill in the direction of Ciergis and the hill was mined but luck was with us for we did not get close enough to where the mines were planted to do any damage among us. After exploding the mines the "Jerrys" began to drop some shrapnel around us and we were ordered to retreat.
On arriving back to the town again a German was found in a church tower with an underground telephone connection with the German artillery but he will never transmit messages again. For it was on his account that the "Boche" artillery was getting so many direct hits as he was giving the information as to where we were.
We again dug in for the night. Sept. 28th was up before daylight and had a box of hard tack for breakfast which I shared with Corp. Stevenson and again I was without water and thirsty enough to drink dishwater. Nothing of note happened in the morning on account of no artillery and ammunition getting low.
I with several others were sent back with Corp. Schmidt, who was killed later in the day, for ammunition. We got back about 4:00 PM and found the company. There Corp. "Steve" and I decided we would have supper as word had been received that rations would be in during the night and to our dissappointment, his can of corned beef was spoiled so we ate two boxes of hard tack and went to bed in the hole he had already dug.
We made practically no advance during the day and worst of all it rained during the night and we woke up laying in about two inches of water.
Sept. 29th, up again before daylight and no rations had come so we went at it hungry. Sgt. Chas. Taylor, Mart Griffin and myself examined a piece of light artillery which had been left behind and with what ammunition, about twenty shells in all, we shot over at "Jerry" and although there were no sights on the piece an observer said he thought we had several direct hits on the church tower in Cierges, about three miles away.
Several French tanks came up to help us and we had a whole battery of artillery behind us. We advanced about three miles and on account of the tanks being put out of commission by anti-tank bullets we were in a bad place. "Jerry" put up a box barrage and we were pinned in. We suffered heavy losses and we were thankful when we were ordered to go in a patch of woods. We finally got the town Ciergis after a bloody fight of about two and a half hours. Got a few prisoners and three machine guns but fell off to the left of the town and dug in for the night. No water and no eats that day.
Sept. 30th we were up the same as usual and started again but before we got any headway made "Jerry" counter attacked, drove us back to the edge of the woods and after a lively skirmish he went back. We then advanced to the town and buried the German dead, got a souvenier of a cigarette holder off a German officer and a belt with a pair of field glasses.
We stood off another counter attack using the buildings for protection. Montfaucon on our right had fallen in the early afternoon. Having reached our objective we stopped the advance and buried our dead, took a survey of the ground and were relieved by troops of the 32nd Division early in the morning.
On Oct. 1st we then after getting back to Ivoiry got some water and eats which we sure enjoyed. The casualties in the Company were seventy five killed and wounded and in the regiment about nine hundred killed and wounded.
The Champagne Front
We arrived at St. Benoit on the St. Mihiel sector of the Champagne Front relieving Co. M, 356th Infantry, 89 Division. Lived for four days with "Hap" McCoy in a two man dugout or woodchuck hole as we called it. It was about eight feet long, four feet wide and three feet high. We were like a bunch of hunted criminals only allowed to come out after dark so as not to draw artillery fire.
The third and fourth platoons were attached to Co. H and were sent farther up to the firing line which was a bad place. I was first light machine gunner for patrol work and was sent out every night and outside of a few lively skirmishes nothing of note happened except a few men wounded and gassed but it rained nearly every day and my woodchuck hole got leaking and for three days was soaked through all the time. We were relieved obout 1:30 AM Oct. 18th by Co. G, 112th Infantry of the 38th Division.
The Flanders Front
Went over the top on the Flanders front, Lys River sector with the 54th French Infantry. The third and fourth platoons of Co. D were assigned to there as combat laison for the purpose of filling a gap if one happened to open in the line and to keep up comunications with the two armies.
We started over at 5:30 AM under a heavy barrage but it was nearly 10:00 AM before the Germans started to fall back. We advanced real slow on account of the heavy German machine gun fire. Somehow I got in a tight place and threw away my pack which had my two day ration in it so I thought I was in for a hungry spell and if it wasn't for raw turnips I would have sure.
We advanced about three miles and slept in a woodshed on a pile of wood it being more preferable to me than mud.
Nov 1st started in again but thanks to the turnips or it would have been no breakfast for us. During our advance in the morning the civilians were out to meet us. I asked for a canteen of water and instead of water they filled it with the best wine I ever drank, gave me four slices of bread and butter, a big piece of cheese and some apples. Later the people began to come out shake hands with all of us and all on finding we were U.S. soldiers, kissed us.
We struck no heavy fighting until we got to the city of Croyshautem where we took a few prisoners. We had no further excitement until we reached the banks of the Escaut river when "Fritz" started shelling us.
John Bain and I slept under a straw stack. We were awakened and went to the river, cut down trees.
Nov. 2nd we built the bridge with the trees we had cut down and got about 200 men across before daylight but wouldn't advance on account of shell fire keeping reinforcements back. Nothing of note happened so we slept in the mud, got more men across and stationed before daylight.
Nov. 3rd we tried to advance but shell fire kept us back. Slept in the mud again.
Nov. 4th Jerry laid down a heavy barrage and attacked. Most of the men got across the foot bridge but a shell struck it near the shore we were on and the bridge floated to the other side. All who were left who could swim threw their equipment in the river and swam across and held the far bank until dark and were relieved by the 4th Chasseurs about 9:00 PM and were relieved from duty by the 54th Infantry and rejoined the company at the small village of Apeloke.
The Co. lost about forty men killed and wounded. Among them were Capt Frishour who was shot through both arms by a machine gun and Lieut. Jones who was killed by a shrapnel wound in the head. The loss to the regiment was very heavy. No figures given out.
The Good Time in Brussels
The 37th Division was requested to send a detachment to Brussels to act as escort to King Albert and parade in the city. Each Regiment in the Division was represented and I was one of the lucky ones to be selected with ten others from Co. D.
We paraded for about five hours and were taken to the Caserne for the night. We were given liberty for 18 hours to go when and where we pleased and all the people were anxious to get souveniers from us. I have away all the coat buttons and ammunition I could without getting hell myself.
My trench knife etc. got a few souveniers, had all I wanted to eat and drink and learned through people who could speak English about the treatment the Germans gave to the civilian population and the people sure appreciated the U.S. boys for what they had done.
The King presented us with three fifty gallon casks of rum and a cask of wine. We all including the officers put on a good stew and none will ever forget the reception we had while there.
I have read both of the notebooks quite carefully. There are some inconsistencies. In the other notebook, on page 30, he states 'a Barrel of Rum which was sent us by some good hearted Samaritan'. We will never know if there was a barrel of rum or if there were three. I suppose the good hearted
Samaritan could have been the King.
The Real Flanders Front
The original Flanders Front is a strip of country extending from Nunport Belgium on the coast to the river Somme and is about 25 miles wide. It had been the battle field of four years and is at the present time of no value. It is a mass of shell holes, trenches, dug
The place where I first saw was Ypres where the Germans launched their first gas attack. It is Completely demolished. Not a whole building being left in the city. The towns of Oastbrucke, Staden, Houthulst, Hondschote all towns which were of medium size are at the present time laid low. All being left of them is a pile of brick and it will be Hundreds of years before it will be of use to man and doubtful that some of it will ever be in shape again to be used for agricultural purposes.
The Fortifications of Bergues
Bergues, a town of about 2000 inhabitants is situated in northern France about six miles from Dunkerque and is heavily fortified. There are two walls each about forty feet high.
The outer wall was built between the years of 1560 and 1563 and in some places is crumbling. The loopholes and underground passages in some places are still visible and
The inner wall was built between the years of 1875 and 1880 and has loopholes, underground passages the same as the old. We were allowed to go into the passages which are about ten feet wide and eight feet high, is about twenty five feet under ground and are ventilated by airshafts.
French soldiers told us that it was used during the present war as an ammunition dump. The fort was not used during the was as all cannons were moved to the front. It was used only as a protection against aeroplanes, anti aircraft guns being placed at about one hundred yard intervals.
Inside the enclosure is a prison building which was built in 1565. There is a high tower on the building which was used as an aeroplane lookout. Inside the building in which are the gallows, guillotine and other devices which were used for the execution of criminals in that date.
There are two entrances to the town both being protected by gates and drawbridges. The gates are built of bar steel and the drawbridges about twelve feet wide and fifteen feet long. The entrance is only large enough to allow a standard size truck to pass through.
Here the notes end. There are pages with some statistics that I am not going to try to make sense of. What I will do is scan these pages and let the reader make whatever use of them that he can. 
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