ry camp, which was situated on high
ground outside the town. Their debarkation signalized the actual
beginning of General Pershing's command in the European theater of war
of an army in being, as yet small, but composed of seasoned troops
from the Mexican border and marines from Haiti and Santo Domingo, all
fit and ready for immediate trench service. He had been greeted in
England as America's banner bearer, was immediately received by King
George on his arrival in London, while Paris accorded him, as London
did, the royal welcome which a sister democracy knows how to extend
to the representative of a democracy bound to the Anglo-French Entente
by the grimmest of ties. The landing of the vanguard of his army
disposed of further hospitalities and brought him squarely to the
business in hand, which was to get his troops in the fighting zone.

A section of the French battle front for eventual occupancy by the
American forces was early selected after General Pershing had
inspected the ground under the guidance of the British and French
military authorities. Its location, being a military secret, was not
disclosed. Meantime the troops were dispatched to training bases
established for affording them the fullest scope to become familiar
with trench operators. The bases also included aviation, artillery,
and medical camps. Further tidings of them thenceforth came from the
"American Training Camp in France," wherever that was. Toward the
close of July, 1917, actual intensive work was under way and pursued
with an enthusiasm which warranted hopes that the troops would soon
reach a stage of efficiency fitting them for the firing zone. Trenches
were dug with the same spirit as that animating soldiers digging
themselves in under artillery fire. The trenches were of full depth
and duplicated those of certain sections of the front line, consisting
of front or fire trenches, support trenches, and reserve trenches,
with intricate communicating passages between them.

The marines--those handy men who apply themselves to every service
in warfare, as to the manner born, whenever the occasion
requires--cheerfully bent their ardent energies to spade work, which
was probably a new task even for that many handed corps. Thereafter
they wired themselves in their trenches behind barriers of
barbed-metal entanglements.

All this intensive work was performed under conditions approximating
to actual warfare. Both offensive and defensive tactics w