Question

The narrator states, "everybody was there, and there was a general closing up of ranks and taking stock of our losses in dead or disabled that had fallen during the past year." what does he mean by this?

Answer 1

He meant by this statement: "everybody was there, and there was a general closing up of ranks and taking stock of our losses in dead or disabled that had fallen during the past year." is everyone saw what happened but after a year, all they can do is account the people they lost and structures that were damaged. The care for the ones left behind were not present, this means that people move on so fast.