The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, April 17, 1931, Image 3
(I IKSESSSSS I
in tiifi World War
I By Ckeneroil Join J. Penhlng
Gen. J^hn J. Pershing.
From p.'ilnUiiu, b? Joseph CummlugN Clinic in I'lirl*, 1011).
I FOREWORD
Aj primary purposp in writing thia
ry of the American expeditionary
cos in Prance is to render what I
iceive to he an important service
my country. In that adventure
re are many lessons useful to the
icrican, people, should they ever
in be called to arms, and I felt it
luty to record them as I sow them,
lie World war found us absorbed
the pursuits of peace and quite
onscious of possible threat to our )
urity. We would listen to no
nings of danger. We had mitle
ill preparation for defense arid
>e for aggression. So when war
tally came upon us we had to *'
nge As Tory habits of our lives
I minds to meat its realities. The
v processes by which we achieved
te changes and applied our latent
rer to the problems of combat in
*ope, despite our will, our numbers
I our wealth, I have endeavored to <
cribe. Therein lie the lessons of !
ich I write.
wish to dedicate this modest
rk to the men of all ranks who
ved with me in France, and es"iullv
tu those who gave tlirii lives
the rause for which we fought.
To tny comrades of the allied ,
mies I wish to say that I am not
tempting, to write a history of the
orld war or of the epic part they,
<>k in it. I write of our own army
d for our own people^ and I have'
<1 consciously magnified or minized
the effort of any army or any
ople. There is credit for all of us
the final triumph of our united
',r*' orsunAio ITIC anrro nmr
much longer, their sacrifices very
much greater, than ours.
I am grateful to President Wilson
and Secretary Baker for selecting me
to command our armies and for the
whole-hearted and unfailing support
they accorded me in France. No com mander
waa ever privileged to lead a
finer force; no commander ever de rived
greater inspiration from the per
formanee of his troops.
I JOHN J. PERSHING.
H CHAPTER I
On Mhy 3, 1917, four weeks after
hnitetl States had declared war
Germany, I received the following
legrara from nty father-in-law, the
te Senator F. E. .Warren, In Wash gton:
"Wire me today whether and how
urh you speak, read and write
ench."
At this time 1 was stationed nt Fort
m Houston, which adjoins San An
Texas, ami was in command of
<- southern deforcement with the rank
major general. Naturally. Senator
, ;>rren's tuiogrnin stlggesteil Unit I
to rtt? * assigned to some duty in
. Bim -e, hut as no intimation had been
" ' ii out regarding the extent of our
^ i\e^participation In the war, the
was somewhat puzzling.
.". |'0wever, I telegraphed the followr"piy:
^
; sl?ent several months In France
H1" '-I'n-eight studying language.
. ??ke quite fluently; could read and
;BHte well at that time. Can easily
acquire satisfactory working knowl
Quotes Warren's Letter.
Nty reply, to be gore, was rather o^ ??istlc,
yet It wfts comparatively ae*
rate and perhaps was Justified by
[ Be possibilities to be Inferred from
^ nator Warren's telegram. A few
ys later 1 received from him the
llowlng letter:
[ "Dear Jack:
"Tbla ta what happened: Lest
night, about ten o'clock, the a*reCf?
?L w,r rmng ?P ?nd want*
:vW* lo know If X would call In and *
SiP** ",m Mils morning, and' I rsP
^ ponded that I would If I could
?* -a* X .
reach film at nine o'clock. This
Is the first time he has ever asked
nio to call for a consultation.
"When I reached him he said in
the most distant and careless way:
'Oh, by the way, before I discuss
the matter about which I asked
you to call?c(o you hupppu to
know whether Pershing speaks
French? (This is the first time
your name was ever mentioned between
the secretary of war aud
me, direct.)
"I said I was not certain about
that; that I knew he was a lln
guist along the lines of Spanish
and, to some extent, Japanese, and
all of the Philippine dialect* (a
pardonable exaggeration by one's
father-in-law)?that perhaps my
wife might know, as she speaks
French a little and reads It
ren dily.
"He said : 'Well, it is of no special
consequence, only I happened
to think of it at this moment.' I
replied: 'Well, I'll ask my wife
about it today and see whether
she knows, and will lot yon ki.mv'
He then said: 'If you don't mind,
do so.'
"And then tie proceeded to discuss
quite fully some appropriation
matters on which I intended
to go to work upon my afrivnl at
the Capitol. 7
"I hope you will wire me
promptly upop receipt of my telegram
so that I may tell the sec.?
'wtint tin*.- uu/a -tuilil ulmul
it <?).'
"Affectionately,
"F. E. WARREN."
Message Promises Command.
Shortly after the receipt of the private
wire and before the above tetter
reached me, a telegram dated May'2
came from Maj. Hen Hugh U Scott,
chief of staff, containing the opening
words, "For your eye alone," followed
by a message In code:
"Under plans under consideration Is
one which will require among oth#r
troops our Infantry regiments and one
artillery regiment from your depart- J
ment for service in France. If plans
ape carried out you will be in command.
You will be in command of the
entire force. Wire me at once designation
of the regiments selected by
you and their present stations."
I construed thijk message to mean
that these troops were to form a division.
which, tngtflher with such other
troops as might he sent over at once,
would t>e under niy command.
Within n day or so after the receipt
of Scott's telegram it was intimated
to Col. M. II. Rjirnutn, my chief of
stall, that we might he called upon
for a recommendation, nr..I after eon
sulfation with him i selected the Six
teenth. Eighteenth. Twenty-sixth and
Twenty-eighth regiments of Infantt>
and the Sixth field artillery. These
together with two other artillery regl
ments and the necessary auxiliary
units, were Inter organized as our
first division.
Surprised by Developments.
1 had scarcely given a thought to
the possibility of my being selected to j
be fn supreme command of our forces
as afterward developed, air hough my
old friend. Maj. Gen. J. Franklin Hell,
bed written uie that he \bought my
selection nlmoet certain. After I left
the Philippine*. In 1l?13. where he wjw
In command. he and I Imd kept np ati
Intermittent correspondence In which
we freely exchanged confidences on
mrmy matter*.
To"firm* mrw*r?nty~Tft April.
1ITI7, Oeneral Hell spoke of the poe
idbllity of our aendlng gn army to
France and gave a list of the geoeml
officer* who might be considered for
the supreme command. Discussing the
c heaves for ttad against mrh *?? , h
predicted. mttrh to my I He*
ell , the others, Including bimwil.
would he over and the! 1 would
be trlHrtl,
I wee the Junior on the list of nut
JoJT generals, hence I could not fully
ftccept General Hell's view, but tie urns
ee Strongly convinced that be wee
flight thut he requested eu assignment
under my command.
lite major general* senior to me at
the time were, In order of rank: I*?<?naid
Wood, General Bell, Thomua It.d
Barry, 11 ugh L. Scott and Tusker II.
Bliss. ft*1
CHAPTER II *
I arrived In Washington May ft and
the next morning culled ut the olllce of
the chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Hugh I..
Scott. He spoke of my assignment,
which, as had been my Impression
from his message of May 2, was to
command a division, ami told me that
It hud been inudo upon his recom- .
mendatton.
General Scotti outlined the general
plans In so far as unylhing definite
hud been determined. Beginning with
February 3. the war college division
of the general staff presented u number
of recommendations for uctlon In
the event of wur with the centrul
powers. One was for the enactment
of a draft law and others referred to
the size of the army to be organized
and the necessity for the procurement
of equipment and supplies.
Chagrined by Unpreparedness.
March 15, acting tinder Instructions
. of the chief of staff, the war college
division rubmltted a more detulled
scheme for raising an army of 500,(XX)
men. But these were all eleventhhour
suggestions aud no definite action
was taken on any of them until May
18, when congress passed the law
authorizing the Increase of military I
establishment through the application
of the drufl.
I vyis really more chagrined than
aatoimdied to realize that so little had
been done when there were so many
things thut might have been done long
before. It had been apparent to everybody
for months that we were likely
to be forced Into the war and u state
of war had actually existed for sev
eral weeks, yet scarcely a start had
been made to prepare for It. The War
I, department seemed to be suffering
from a kind of Inertia, for which It
was probably not altogether responsible.
But the truth is that the general
staff, at Washington had never been
organized along modern lines, Us membership
had been recently reduced by
congress, and but few of its officers
had the experience necessary fully to
understand Its functions. In this fact
we me doubt find tfee basis of many of
the difficulties thai-arose later In connection
with the preparation of our
army' at home and Its shipment and
supply abroad.
Prales for Secretary Baker.
My next call was upon the secretary
of war, Mr. Newton D. Baker. It was
a much younger and considerably
smaller man who greeted roe than I
had expected. He actually looked diminutive
as he set behind his desk,
doubled up In a rather large office
chair, but when he spoke my lmpres?slon
fhnngod Immediately.?We talkedty
;?
of my recent experience In Mexico and
of condition! on the border, which,
fortunately, were quieter than they
had been for several years.
Mr. Baker referred to my appointment
and said that he had given the
subject very careful thought and had
made the choice solely upon my record.
t expressed my deep appreciation
of the honor, mentioned the responslhnity
of the position nnd said
that I hoped he would have no reason
to regret his action.
I left Mr. Baker's office with n dis
tlnctly favorable Impression of the
man upon whom, as head of the War
department, would rest the burden of
preparing for n great* war to which
the wholly unready nation was now
committed.
Still proceeding under the assumption
that 1 was to command only n
division In Krnnce, my feelings may
well be Imagined when a few days
later, the secretary of war railed me
In to say that It had been decided by
the President to send me abroad as
commander In chief, and that 1 should
select my staff accordingly and prepare
to sail as' soon as possible.
The thought of the responsibilities
that fhla high position carried depressed
nte for the moment. Here In
the face of a great war 1 had beenplaced
In command of a theoretical
army which had yei to be const ituied,cqulpi
ed. trained and sent abroad
Still, there was no douht In t.iy mind
then or at any nth??rvtlme of my ntdl
fty to do ftir jnh, provided the gov
i ?! inn HBppgpm nil
mmucut would furnish men, equip
meui ami supplies.
Harford Chief of 9Uff.
t>bvlmjsly li was advisable to chooae
:ny staff ax anon u* prucficuhte. After
study lag the record* of several officers
of my acquaintance and of otkani who
were retHMMUMtfidod for tba position; I
cUuaa U4 Jauioa U. ilartiordL Ui*
efficiency in every grade from the day
of bio enlistment a* a private In (lie
army In January, 1899, waa not only
of record hut wee well known to those
with whoiii he had served.
Throughout the war Harkord never
hcaitated a joomem to express hi*
1 opinion with the utmost frunkueas, uo
matter how radically it might differ
from my own, nor did he ever fall to
carry out Instructions fulthfully even
when they were not In accord with
his views. (entirely uneeltiah. he labored
incessantly for what he believed
to.,be the host interests of our armies,
Ills ability, his resourcefulness. Ills
faculty for organization, and, above
all, his loyalty, were outstanding qualities,
and these, together with a compelling
personality, made him tuvaluuhle
to the nation In this Important
position.
After consultation with the pertnamunent
heads of staff and supply departments,
and with no little Insistence
on my part in more than one Instance,
the corresponding representatives to
accompany me were designated, ami
they in. turn chose their assistants.
Although the list did not Include all I
would have selected, as some were nor
rs .U'-.i- ^.jj^'i.ii'Wtae'aaBBHKaaMwaauLixwtt u?11
my two v,n\ 'tneodx>r* Hoowvelt,
Jr? aged i^nlir^nM, and Archll?*tUJ
It, Kooaevelt. BKf<) twenty*
three, both of Harvard, be allowed
to enl'#t tis private* with yon. to
ko oxer with the rtral troop*. 'I'he
fortuer I* m major ami the hitter
m eaptntri In the oftti-ern' reserve
eorp?. They are at IMuttshttrg for
their third anionier.
"My own IwMef la that emii|H?tent
men of their standing and
rank can km In very little from u
third Hummer at IMnttsbitrg and
thrt they should he ntlli/.ed as
of Veers. even If oijly a* seeond
llontenantH. lint they are keenly
dty irons to see service: ninf If
they jierve under yon nt'the front,
and are not killed, tltey will he fur
hitter aide lo instruct the drnft.
ar tv t?f \v foil or next winter, or
\vl 'hnxer they nfe fcont home, than
lit v will Ijo offer spending the
I an inner at I'hitlxburjr.
"The 1'rosldcni hue ttunonneeil
lit it onl.x rea.nlnr nllicers ore to 1*0
w i h ? on. and If I Ids is lo lie l he
In arlnhle role then I opply on
" 'Italf .oi r'.y. two soils ihot they
may se.Ke nr.-'t yon o> enlisted
men, to go to the front wl.h the
tlrst, I roups sept oxer.
"Trtistlna to lumr Ihjit tJ;|?x re
iptest iiits heen granted, 1 inn, with
({leal toKpeel,
"Very sincerely yours,
"TIIKO! n ?i: 1: it< it nKVKl.T
"I*. S, ??!f I xxere physically tit,
Instead of o|il and heavy ami stitf,
available, yet all rose to important
places Itai the final organization, except
one or two who failed in health.
The total number lit my party that
sailed on the Baltw was as follows:
Regular army officers 4S
Marine corps officers .............. 2
ORC officers In active service .... 17
Enlisted men 27
Field clerks . 32
Civilian clerks 20
Civilian Interpreters G
Civilians (correspondents) 3
Total on Baltic 100
Draft Act Passed May 18.
The method of raising our armies by
conscription wus bused on studies
made by the war college under Instructions
from General Scott. .President
Wfl8on recommended the plan to congress
April 7, 1917, but the druft act
was not passed until May 18, fortytwo
days after the declaration of war.
Roosevelt Offer Rejected.
The nppeal of Col. Theodore Roosevelt
at this time for permission to
raise jt.voUiuleer^divMea aroused ik>uular
sentiment throughout the country
in his favor, but approval would hove
opened the door for many other applications
and the policy would have
interfered materially with the orderly
and businesslike application of the
draft law.
Moreover, the regular establishment
would have suffered from the loss of
an endue proportion ef the best officers,
who Inevitably would have been
selected far Important portions (n
these special units at a time when
their services were urgently needed In
* building more largely. ^
Another ImportantVeafon for disapproving
Colonel Roosevelt's application
was that in such a war it was necessary
that officers, especially those In
high .command, should be thoroughly
trained and disciplined. Furthermore,
Colonel Roosevelt was not In the best
of health and could not have withstood
the hard work and exposure of
training camps and trenches.
The secretary of war, much to the
disappointment of Colonel lfooseveit,
wisely made an adverse decision in
his case, which was confirmed by the
President. It was evident that hotlt
Mr. Wilson and Secretary Raker were
looking for trained leaders and were
determined to avoid the embarrass
ment Resident i,m<oln experienced in
the Civil.war, when he was more or
less driven to fill niuny high position*
with political appointees who. In Hie
end, had to be replaced by men trained
In the military profession.
Roosevelt's Plea for 8ons.
The following letter from Oolonei
Roooevelt, dated May 17. 1017, will
show his own fine attitude:
"My Dear General Pershing: ^
" "I very" heartily congratulate
you, and especially the people at the
United States, upon your ae,
lection to tend the expeditionary
force to the froot. When I wus
Qdeavoring to persuade the aerte^
tary of war to |>erm1t mo to raise
a division or two of volunteers. I
stated Hint If reu, or ?nme men
like jwtx. were'to nimmand the eXped'Tlnnu.rjr
force I could rulse the j
. . HivL p - * wl'hotlt trouble. .
' i \ t?o?? to H : ? 1
' y V - ' )
1 should myself ask to go under
you In any capacity down to and
including u sergeant; but at tny
rige, and condition, 1 suppose that
I cottld not do work you would
consider worth while In the fighting
line (my only line) in a lower
grade than brigade commander."
(Continued next week)
- Secretary of War Newton D. Salter,
at Hti Daak.
General Pershing With Gen. James Q. Harbord. His Chie* of Staff.
HEADACHES
v V '
-'If I have the headache or foe!?
the need of a purgative, I take
Mack-Draught," Bays Mr. Edgar
Gamble, of 114 Fowler Ave., llopklnHVlllo,
Ky. "It in easy to take
and quick to relieve. I used to have
dull headaches. My eyes would burn
and when I would stoop over I seemed
to turn blind. This Isn't much of a
good feeling when one has to work,
and I have hud to work hard in my
time, be)ng a timber man. This work
takes me from home a good deal and
.U?4YS?" J'Kf" to get Hlck.jcsanKlttPLy
?v?txj iruin'noixte. x iiiuiiu lue dwi
way to avoid this wns to take an
occasional dose of Hlack-Draught,
and keep the system cleansed." m i '
Thedford's
BLACK-DRAUGHT
-3 For CONSTIPATION,
INDIGESTION, BILIOUSNESS
IMPORTANT
Very Liberal Week Bud and Sunday
. EXCURSION FARES
Every Friday, Saturday aod Sunday
Effective March .5*7 to O^tobOr 25, 1?3T.
One Fare Plus One-Fifth Round Trip
Between all points. Good returning
Tuesday's following
Extremely Low Sunday Tickets
Sold for morning trains to all points
within radius of l'OO miles at
One Cent Per Mile Traveled
Return limit date of sale '
Consult Ticket Agents o
SOUTHERN RAILWAY SYSTEM
Travel By Train
? Economical?Safe?Reliable
666
LIQUID or TABLETS
Cure Colds, Headaches, Fever
6 6 6 SALVE
CURES BABY'S COLD
ROBT. W. MITCH AM
| Architect
Crocker Building,
Camden,S. C.
t .. _
, A DeKALB COUNCIL Na M
Junior Order U. A. M.
month at 8 p.aa. ' Visiting Broth ran
are welcomed. A. W. MUMPIflfflS,
L. H. JONES, Councillor.
Recording 8eetp. jfifc
V' - " "
r S
Cole Blease Joins
In Rector Defense
(ireenvifle, 8. C., April 10.?'Former
Senator Oole L. Blease today became
attorney for Carlos A. Roctoi ami J.
Harmon 'Moore, convicted as acvessorie*
to manslaughter in connection
with the slaying of Sheriff Sam I)'.
Willis.
J. Frank Eppes, attorney who represented
the two men during their
trial, announced Blease would be associated
with him in carrying an appeal
to the supreme court for them.
At the same time, Solicitor J. 11.
latatherwood withdrew a motion asking
dismissal of the appeal. lie
said he believed time would Ik* saved
by the step.
Argument of his motion was scheduled
before Judge John S. Wilson today.
I Rector succeeded Willis as sheriff
after the latter was shot front
ambush one night in June, 102,7, -as
he drove into his yard. Mpgjj^erved
under Rector as'a deputy. '
Blair Rook, a neg^o, confessed to
killing Willis und said Rector aful
Moore had hired him to kill the officer.
He is awaiting trial on a
charge of murder.
Wisconsin Woman
Lost 11 lbs.
"Have been talcing Kruschen Salts
for fat reduction?am on my second
bottle?I lost 11 pounds In six weeks
and feel fine?Kruschen sure gives
you a lot of vim and pop."
Kruschen Salts arc used daily by
millions all over the world not only
to take off fut from overweight people
but to rejuvenate the entire system.
dm- hot-Jo < " Kruschen .Salts (lust*
4 weeks) costs but Hlk- and one bottle
will prove of vast benefit to pepple
who have constipation, headaches, indigestion,
nervousness, rheumatism,
depression, acidity argi ^iiuto-intoxicacation.
Not only that but one bottle will
bring about body activity?increase
in energy, vigor and ambition, sparkling
eyes and freedom from pimples
and blemishes?imillions know all this
?you ought to know it. Take one
half teaspoon in a glass of hot water
every morning before breakfast-?
walk a little each day-~-?ut down on
sweets and fat forming foods.
Sold by DeKalb Pharmacy and
druggusts America over with tne..dif->
tinct understanding that one bottle
will help you lose fat or money back.
EXCURSION
- ' V , TO
CHARLESTON, S. C.
ACCOUNT
Magnolia Gardens
Middleton Gardens
FRIDAY AND?SATURDAY
APRIL 17-18
Fares from:
Camden $4.00
Kershaw 5.00
Lancaster 5.50
Excursion tickets gold for all trains
except Crescent Limited and good returning
to* reach original starting
uoint by midnight Wednesday fol- ,
date j>t sale. _ __ _ ^ . .. i-'.
peak oi bloom. '7 .
Wdrld famous, and unexcelled in
variegated coloring and size otf piants.
"Well worth the time and small
expense to aee-^these beautiful Gardens,
as well me other interesting
places in Charleston.
Excursion tickets at one and onehalf
fare round tri|p will also be
sold on other dates.
Apply to ticket agents,
Southern Railway
NO-MO-KORN
FOR .CORNS AND CALLOUSBS
Made in Camden And For Sale By
DeKalb Phamaey?Phone #5
' i
EYES EXAMINED
and Glasses Fitted 11
THE HOFFER COMPANY I
Jewelers and Optometrists I j
R. L Chewning & Son
General Contractors
* *' ?
I tad Builders
Phene S8S Csudsp, S. G
, AUnstsi VttaUMdji AH ...
"~71n|n sf Work
Floors Sanded on Request
'
*^*vT ^ .;** -~-Y~ ,? '*>? J ? /a '-7:
^; -v*|? . ^ '? \ - * ~y "> V"Vi jfvVf* y?5 V-Vv ''