The Crown Prince
On October 14, they continued on to Valjevo (V on the map), where they were formally presented at a reception to the dashing Crown Prince Alexander, regent and de facto leader of Serbia. They also met his elderly father, King Peter, who because of his age had recused himself from wartime duties, but who occasionally still made ceremonial appearances.
At the reception, Alexander raised the possibility of the Americans setting up their hospital somewhere safer than Belgrade, but the Red Cross group declined his offer, saying that they all had resolved to face the dangers before sailing from New York. Showing only a little surprise, the Prince accepted their decision, and he authorized their use of a complex in Belgrade that had been erected c.1908 for use as a military hospital. Its nine buildings were suitable, although not furnished with a full complement of modern medical equipment. Hypothetically, this was a shortcoming, but even if it was, it was irrelevant. There was no electric power anywhere in Belgrade, thanks to the continuing bombardment, so new electrically powered equipment would be useless.
And so, the following morning, the Americans emerged from their overnight train, five full weeks after departing from New York, but they were not quite in Belgrade. The main railway station, and the rails leading to it, had been rendered unusable by artillery shells. To make things worse, it was raining, as it had rained for the eight preceding days. As their wagons slogged several miles through the mud, the newcomers faced an oncoming swell of refugees who were fleeing Belgrade; the people they saw carried wooden chairs, cradles, and other poignant remnants of their forsaken homes.
