After the lunch was served by the Red Cross in Chicago, the French soldiers left again to continue on their journey and before making another stop at Clinton, Iowa:
`Here we had an hour break, which was a boon for us as we could execute a parade around the town where we were cheered all along the way, mostly our brass band. We got then photographed`
On Wednesday 27 November 1918,  The Clinton Advertiser wrote:
`French Heroes fresh from the Trenches Pass through city.
Viva la France
These words were shouted by crowds of Clintonians at noon today as several French soldiers, helmeted and tied in blue grey uniforms of the Army of the Republic marched through the street of the city.
The troops, in command of Col. Voisin, are on their way west, with San Francisco as their immediate objective destination. There were 500 soldiers in the procession which made its way from the Northwestern depot up Second Street, down fifth avenue to Silver Front Park and back to the station.
All along Second street crowds of people gathered to great the brave French soldiers, many of whom have seen the hardest kind of service in the trenches of France. The people applauded and cheered. Groups of girls (…) turned up waving flags and cheering. The Police seemed to enjoy the (…) reception they received, many waving and smiling.
Many of the soldiers are young, some appearing to be mere boys. Others inched like armored veterans of many campaigns and the Croix de Guerre was to be seen on many  lapels.
The soldiers are travelling via the Northwestern trail. They have their own diners, so the  local was not called upon to furnish them with lunch.
A brief halt was made at Silver Front Park, and the officers and men chatted with the people. Many of the soldiers speak the English language well.`

As for me, I arrived in Clinton, Iowa on Thursday morning after a bus ride of 3,5 hours from Chicago to Davenport and a taxi ride of an hour from Davenport to Clinton as the train does not stop in this town anymore. I am glad to tell you that I have made some new friends in that town. First of all, Mr Robert Davis who kindly drove me to my end destination while chatting about history, politics and life in general. Then I met my host, Kelli Samson. It was like visiting an old friend. She is such a colorful and happy person. I felt so welcome! She showed me around town and drove me to her favorite places. I do not know what I would have done without her. 14 inches of snow had fallen the previous days and all the streets were very slippery.
While I was there I got to see the old train station, the Mississippi River which is shared with Illinois, the Clinton County Historical Society Museum & Library and the Cody Road Bourbon Whiskey – Mississippi River Distilling Company in Le Claire, Iowa. While I was at the local Museum I was hoping to find some of the pictures that Robert Meyer is mentioning in his writings but unfortunately, there were none. These are probably privately owned. The Museum is looked after by the locals and is very interesting to visit as it gives a really good idea of the history of the county and the old way of life.
You can see some of the pictures I have taken during my stay and the newspapers articles from The Clinton Advertiser and the Clinton Herald.