April 19, 1918 – Full diary entry:

“Inspection again. No duty in a.m.

Wonder when we will go over.

Rain.”

These two pictures are from History of the 322d Field Artillery by James M. Howard. They were taken during inspections just prior to this unit’s departure, about two months after Robert’s.

This picture is of the Secretary of War and other dignitaries reviewing troops at Camp Mills.

One more interesting detail I found today – I had mentioned in earlier entries about Robert’s journey by train from Camp Dodge to Camp Mills. What I hadn’t realized was the extent to which America’s preparation for war depended on the railroads. In fact, when the movement of troops and equipment across the country was determined to be insufficient, the US government took over the railroads – on December 28, 1917 – to ensure that transportation of military supplies and personnel would have the highest priority at all times.

Where was Robert today? See the timeline.