Sidney D. Light's WWI Diary, Postcards & Letters, 329th Battery Book Accounts

With drills of various kinds to keep us busy, the time passed quickly until Christmas was at hand. Of course everyone was hoping that he would be lucky enough to get a pass which would enable him to be with his folks for the festive season; and our feelings can be better imagined than described when an order came through advising that, owing to the congestion of the railroads, no passes over Christmas would be allowed. However, about the time everyone was beginning to feel desperate, the order was changed making it possible for twenty-five per cent of all organizations to be absent at one time. Then there was a wildly exciting time until we found out who would be the ones lucky enough to get the Christmas period. The seventy-five per cent who had to remain in camp were admirably fed up by our excellent Mess Sergeant Russell W. Lally. Following is the menu which he provided for dinner:

Blue Points    Celery    Sweet Pickles     Nuts      Queen Olives

                                         Roast Turkey

                    Sage Dressing                        Cranberry Sauce

Candied Sweet Potatoes   American Peas     Asparagus

                               Salad                                  Saltines

Mince Pie                       Vanilla Ice Cream                        Cake

                             Cigars                                  Cigarettes

After dinner we were provided with music by some friends of his who kindly came out from Battle Creek.

The next event of importance was the famous blizzard of January 11th, 1918. There was never another one like it so far as the weather man was able to find out. Snow fell mountain high in places and the thermometer dropped clear out of sight. Over in front of regimental headquarters the little red column registered 22 below zero around breakfast and was said to have reached 30 during the night. Wild rumors came in of sentries frozen on posts, telephone lines down, traffic blocked and whatnot. We were fairly comfortable in barracks–using everything from shoes to raincoats as bunk covers–and only had one scare when the steam quit for thirty minutes or so due to a frozen water intake. Every once in a while some voyager would return with whatever part of his anatomy had been exposed frozen a bleak white. We ALL got ours when it came to watering and caring for the horses.

It was too cold for even a blanketed horse to stick his head out, so we had to carry water to them in pails. Suffering criminy, what a job! The wind was running wild and our raincoats were soon a mass of sheeted ice. Our gloves caked up and our faces lost all semblance of feeling. But we finally got the brutes filled up and went back to sympathize with the poor stable police. We will never forget that blizzard as long as we live. It took days to get the snow shoveled away and longer than that for camp activities to get back into shipshape again. The only place we could find a jitney for a day or so was stalled somewhere on the road. Those who were out of camp that night had a large time getting back. Captain Bowen, for instance (he was then acting Battery Commander), had a hard time keeping a private A.W.O.L. of his from looking like desertion. Some of the boys on pass got an idea they’d never have a chance to come back.