American troops in France at this time numbered not more than 125,000
men -- these in addition to several detachments of engineers who had
been sent in advance to take over French railroad operations in order
to release the French for service on the fighting line. Many of the
Americans who had fought with the Allies in the early days of the
struggle, before Uncle Sam cast in his lot with them had returned to
America and joined their own countrymen in the expectation that they
would soon return to the front.
The American Army was being put in readiness as fast as possible, but
it was known that months of intensive training would be necessary to
fit it for its share of fighting at the front. Preparations were being
rushed, however, to send the national guard units across. These would
form the second contingent of Americans to reach France -- the first
having been composed only of regulars.
American troops in France so far had seen little actual fighting.
Their activities had been confined mostly to beating off trench raids
and launching an occasional bomb attack on the German dugouts so close
to them.
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