The evening world. Newspaper, September 6, 1919, Page 11

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1919 Pershing, on the Big Job, ~ Looked Like Real Leader, Proved to Be Right Man To Direct Our Fighting ‘A Stickler for Military Appearance, a Whirlwind of Energy at Work, a Master of Detail and a Fund of Military Information, and Under the Sur- face Intensely Human—The Doughty Warrior the Old Regulars Called’ Black Jack,””’ Dubbed “the Old Man”’ by the A. E. F. By Martin Green. Coprriaht, 1919, ty Te» Press Publishing Co. (The Now York Brening World). HE old-timers in the army call him “Black Jack.” Col. Bill Reed, tor many years the right hand man of Gen. Pershing, told me that ia the Philippinds the name “Black Jack” was particularly appropriate. The Pershirg hair and mustache showed no streak of gray in those days, and the lean, tall officer wag tanned to the colof of old oak. Even today bo —— —————— eecaio THE BATTL _ “3 COMMANDING: 2,000,000: ONE WITH Fa GEN. JOHN | AMERICAN FIGHTING MEN “+> ¢ By Martin ‘Green,’ Evéning World’s Special War Correspondent am JOHN J. PERSHING AT HOME. Born Missouri, Sept: 13, 1860, Graduated from West Point 1886. Fought pasos and Sioux In- dians, 1886-1891. irved in Cuba in 1898, Served on. General Staff % Washington, Made Captain. in 1901 General 1908, Major General Sep 25, 1816," Commander, in €. Mey, 26, 1917, ‘General for Nites ‘Sept. 3, 1919. @oes not show his fifty-nine ‘years Geapite the strain of the war and the reat shock that was thrust uponhim @ few years ago when his wife and @0 his children save one were burned to death in a fire in the Presidio in San Francisco. “Black Jack” he is to all the old- tmers—I mean reai old-timers—sucd ‘as Color Sergte. Jack Walsh and Hardy. Dougherty of the 18th Infan- try, who wear the ribbons of service fm every campaign of the United Gtates Army im the last thirty years. ‘They wont into the infantry at about the time John J. Pershing was gradu- ‘@ted from the West Point Military Academy and chose the cavairy arm & the service. They have been in the, army ever since, and are as much @ part of it as the Commanding Gen- eral, and if you should happen to ask them they might let you know that they are a damned sight more impor- tant, taking things up and down and #i around, than “Black Jack” or any other, “hairy-chested. General.” To general run of men in the ‘army in France, Gen, Pershing was, _ of coursé, “the old man.” Hundreds ‘ef thousands of the soldiers who were over there never saw bim and never will see him. There! was nothing spectacular about Gen. Pershing, and he hail small time for display. The’ crush of work piled upon him was terrific and kept him chained most cf the time to his headquarters in| Chaumont or Paris. | ad Tt was on infrequent occasions that KE he reviewed @ division while. hostill- ties were on. After the armistice was signed and the peace negotiations were under way he reviewed many troops in the debarkation area be- tween Paris and the coast. I recall that be made a special trip to review the 27th Division, in Le Mans area, because he had heard 90 many fine re- ports trom the British about the work ot Gen. O'Ryan's-men, and other units were marked for a similar favor, but 1 should say that a majority of the troops who went to France, combat and reserve and in the service of supplies, will never see Gen, Persb- ing except in the movies, unlesg he goes into politics and travels rime the country, which is an extremely remote possibility. WAS MOST SOLDIERLY FIGURE OF ALL ALLIED GENERALS, However, Gen. Pershing will have to show himself a lot in the United States, and I take the liberty of pre- dioting that be is golmg to grow in Public favor the more widely he cir- culates. In the first place, Gén. Persh- ing ia the ideal figure of a soldier. He doesn’t show up well in photographs. Nearly all the pictures you see con- vey the idea that he wears his face in a set, frozen expression. ‘On the contrary, his features are ex- pressive, his eyes shine with sym- pathy and understandjng and he has & smile that is winning and quick to fespond to a witty remark or a mmorous incident, I saw most of the big commanders of the British Army and all the big commanders of the French Army and for soldjerly bearing, snap and general appearance of leadership and efficiency Gen Pershing had it over all of them, They were completely distanced. have heard it sald by men who were on all fromts during the war that Gen. Pershing looked more like what he was than any other officer of bigh| command on the Allied side. Qne of the Representatives who voted against giving Gen. Pershing his rank for life—Schall, I think his name is—I had never before seen it in print— said he considered Gen: Pershing cold and hard, with no sympathy for his men, Representative Schall, who was one of the visiting statesmen that went over to France during or right ‘after the war, and accumulated a mis- | joellaneous lot of information, declared the St. Mibiel salient, Vil bet my winter overcoat againi 4 straw hat Representative Schall mis- understood Gen. Pershing. From what I saw of the General in Wrance and from what I heard of him from corr spondents and scores of officers closely associated with him, and American bankers and business men who were over there helping out and were con- Unually in touch with the Command- ing General, I'd come pretty nar amending ,that bet to the extent of | registering my belief that the Genera! never said anything to Representative Schall or any other elvilian about how many men he was willing to sacrifice to pierce the St, Mihiel salient, Gen, Pershing is more than a soldier; he is @ diplomat, WOULD NOT EXPOSE TROOPS TO UNNECESSARY LOSS. Our forces faced one side of the St. willing to sacrifice 160,000 men to take | tember, 1918, Our trenches were under Mount Sec, « towering. hill which com- manded the valley for miles, No Man's |Land, between our front ne and whatever shelter could be guincd py attacking troops under the hill, was exposed to fire from every gun inthe powerful German batteries on jop of Mount See and back of Mount Bec. Gen. Pershing visited this front soon after the First Division took it over from the French, ‘The First and other divisions which succeeded {t in | the sector would have liked nothing better than to make @ dash at Mount Gen, Pershing would not allow am told that he did not even consider it until the time was ripe in October, Then the American forces, co-operating with the French, wiped out the St, Mibiel salient with loases that were negligible. ‘When I went to Europe in the win- ter of 1917 IT met knoékere against \ wats sported told him he was Mihie] salient trom January unt Sep. Gen, Pershing on the boat going. Pershing on the Border and in France cross, I met knockers agulnst Gen. Pershing in Liverpoui, in London, in Southampton, in Havre and whon I got to Paris i found the any}! chyti« was deafening. Thp knockors were | American military men ana etvillane and a few Frenchmen representing big business interests in Paris which had been paralyzed by the war, Gen, Pershing had been in France | six months. I was told in Paris op the day of my arrtval that the Ameri- cap troops had not fired a’ shot, that they had no cannon, no rifles, no ma- chine guns, no ammunition; that they were trampling barefoot over frozen roads and had no overcoats and & lot of them had frozen’ to death down along the Swiss border. & was told ; with emphasis that Ger, Pershing was | suffering from an attack of cold feet and that the whole system of trans- portation had broken down and tho | only thing we could do was tie up with the British Army or the Wrench Army and act as replacements. The confident tone of the crape hangers who unloaded hil this stuff on me was deceptiveuntil I met some people who knew the facts, Then I learned that the knockers had not been to the front and couldn't get to the front if they wanted to, and they didn’t want to: I was not long in dis. covering that the farther away trom an army you are the more people you will meet who profess to have ull the inside dope about said army. (BUILT UP SUPPLY SYSTEM WHILE TRAINING TROOPS. I found from the Military Intelli- gencd Office, ip Paris, that we had only one division at the front at’ that time—the 1st, which was holding the sector north of Toul, and that no de- cisive gction was expected up there The soldiers were in training. Stories T had heard of the breakdown of the transportation system prompted me to go down along the line of service of supplies and I hadn't been ou twenty-four hours before I was a first cousin to Alice in Wonderland. Stupéndous tasks had been accom- plished and stupendous tasks were under way.’ Insurmountable dimcul- ties had been overcome, time, but they eduldn’t shock ue any more. T knew that they were all con- sclously op uncousclously ars, insofar | As .the sfajem of, supply was con-| corned, ‘Then L went yp to Chaumont, away down In the Vosges’ Mathiet, where 1} met Gen, Pershing for the first time. | The. big French barricks, which we | had taken over for our officers, were | teeming hives of industry, Out of the regular and volunteer divisions | Gen. Pershing had mobilized at head: | quarters a collection of experts in| every line of human endeavor, which | probably could not be beaten any- where on ‘eargli for efficiency; true red tape clogged the wheels of prog- reas, but it appears to be Impossible | to run an army withoutvred tape. MADE CORRESPONDENTS DRESS AS NEATLY AS OFFICERS. Before IL went in to see Gen.| Pershing a fellow correspondent took me to a -quiet place aid chided me. He asked me if I really contemplated suicide. “Are. you. gulng in to see ‘the old man looking like that?" he asked, “Sure,” I replied, quite proud of my hew uniform and everything, “I'l I'm some class.” If you go in looking the do," said my friend, " instruct’ bis orderly to boot you for a goal, Now listen, Your shoulder strap is unbuttoned above your Sam Browne belt. Two of the pockets of your blouse are unbuttoned, You've got your puttees on wrong and your shoes are not shi and for the love of Mike where did you get that hat?” Said hat was a white sombrero I had worn on the Mexican borde with ec My friend told m the General h an ex-ray eye when it came to sizing up a soldier's dress. The correspondents were part of the army and the uniform of an yfticer and the General expected them vo be as spick and span as an officer at all times, 4 way you the #d man will t. wore I got my shoes shined and put my puttees on right, and buttoned up everything and borrowed @ regulation ‘ay and called on the General, As I entered his office he gave me the once On the first }over, In a @lance that was like a night out of Paris I was awakened | fash of lightning he assaye’ my ap- at Glevres by the riucus hoot of an|yearance. Then he arose and: held American locomotive—a big ten-Jout his hand and smiled, and the wheeler, Manufactured In the United States, assouvbled in Bordeaux and sent up, along the line haullz a long string of little French. frevg!t, cars. We hada tow of our own freight cars there also. A little study of the situation clear- ly showed why there had been seem- ing inaction at the front The basic needs of an army are supplies, weap- ons and ammunition, Without them an army cannot function Our front was on the easterly side of France, clear across the republic, and we had smile brought out“some wrinkles of | weariness at the corners of his eyes. I noticed @ big flat topped desk at which he sat. It was absolutely clear save for a stack of signed letters in & basket at the General's right. | was to know later than Gen. Pershing always kept up with his work, There was never any accumulation of up- finished business in his office, Gen, Pershing read some letters I presented, asked about Secretary Tu- multy and other mutual friends in Washington and | was about through. to improvise and build up a supply|As I was leaving Gon. Pershing system covering that distance. asked: Gen. Perdbing had atarted in with| “How old are you?", | his system of supply ‘while he direct-| I told him, Snow flurries were ed the traising of bis slowly growipg' swirling across the parade ground litte » 1 went back to Waris and overlooked by the windows of bis found knockers working ever- office, ’ part in campaign against tral Mindanao, Phitip- ment of ef the M Commande the Presidio, to. 1916. Chased March, 1216. Arrived in France at \head of A. E. F., June 13, 1917. the 8th Brigade at in Francisco, 1910 Villa’ inte Mexico, want to poses of “Dress warmly,” he advised. go0d Care of yourself,” Affairs were quite stag fronts at that time, Th were getting ready for ‘Pake | the ant ish ps th on all rans ir disturbed, Effective Fighting Force, © Then, When Chance Came, = = Struck Blows That Won Wanted American Soldiers to Fight as Army Under American Command— Way by Diplomacy Military Ability—Allies. Couldn’t Understand. « Pershing Showed Them. ba adopted and he didn't want bis soldiers to be adopted. He] Pershing bad to take up had started out from the beginning] the more serious of these on a plan to bulla up an American |himself. And right there ts Army and eventually to hold an) gets the conviction that Secretary of American sector and to fight the Ger- | War Baker, In choosing Gen. Pergh- mans with American officers tf com: mand and not associated in authority jary Force, acted unuet an with the officers of any other armyY|/WHERE PERSHING GOT HI except so far as necessary for pur- ¢0-operation, — This attitude was inexplicable to h and the British, The Brit- military leaders were especially | ‘They were distressed be- bis | cause we had no Mgoherat stawtt"'} spring drive and the Ailes wore xet-/ 1, appears that the British military Ung ready to meet it, and elsewhere as 1 be with office: ing on, 1 At Chaumont ume soasenies two who knew what was go- wathered an \dea of the | British ge ntagnitude of the Job of Gen, John J.) 0p ag Pershing pad In the first place, neither the} | rehing French nor the British entertained | any feverishly enthusiastic were particularly suspicious about | “#!ked at our officers. They were frankly ap- prehensive that we would do eome- to ourselves, Therefore both French Army and the British wanted to adopt us. the Army | cately, establishment had a general staff or doing wanted us to take over one of these | reserve duty and they neral staffs to pinch-hit,for not know whether the of- was ever made directly to Gen. but I do know that Gen. ideas | Sif Douglas Halg advocated such @| in May and July in which we played about our army or our officers; they|PI#9 to Americang with ‘whom he | @ prominent part, Sighting his headquarters, | wiah Frongh, but it. was nat until Continually involved in the build, | ber ‘that Gen, Pershing. felt or ing up of our army io France wore | enough to. go into the war “am ege —— thing dreadful and disastrous if left many questions of diplomacy whieb, | own ‘Thon “he started If not settled expeditiously and eli were likely to cause friction. comptc | botwoen wy and our allies, It ta no | direc Determination and Sheer ie Bs? i most until the close of the war en. Baty ing to head the American MILITARY EXPERIENCE.) 5% Gen. Perehi had served as mil tary attache to the basay th Yaban And ase pt ey server! with the Japanese Arty ing the Russo-Japanese Wat, had performed confidential tasks ‘in Europe. He #poxée and was familiar with ‘dt officer in the ter eauiipea to take pth, Homatie! base of _hitsi( Franeé\ On the military, net o1 War in Cuba foe vb ~e tare the Japanese .were contronted transportation oroblems paralleling, in a minor way, (he problems we had to méet In France. However, as tel transportation, Gen, Pérshing in timedger had the consideration. of» that- taste. edi! almost evtirely removed trom Bip vam mind by the expert: ratiroad ane weit transportation and construction” drafted from civil life in, the, United, pare States and vent over to take Charge oa, In March the Gormane navien thelr = spring drive and the Whole world sie a ntood aghast as the German by erie swept eastward and southward and the British and French lined ox way. At that time pa @tvisions at the front, separated sectors, but th a a iq not attack any of these, sma A critical point in the Britt fine was where-the British rignt ® the French left below Amiens, EAthe , sa. Germans could break through about wh Amiens nothing could stop them from »5@, reaching Abbeville a the eea ana eplitting the Allied armjes in North= “= ern mae ear pity yn Beer, ot jor men and Pershing. Ist Division thto ‘Ploardy pack of Montdidter and Cantigny., order that this, the first big ment of our army, should bée im adequately reported within the Mil of censorship, Gen. Pershing assigned” twenty-one correspondents to the — 1st Division, each correspondent ty a unit, “with orders to stay In’ the field one month. a - Ta Ume Gea Pershing eummoned the corgespondenta to Chaumene for a conference, “Now, gentlemen,” said Gen. Per- shing, when all the correspondcnts (gg were seated, “I have heard a lot of rumors that have no foundation 14 fact, and J know you have. te “We have in France at this ftime about 700,000 men. The British promised us unlimited shipping, the War Department has promia@ send 260,000 men a month, but & don't believe they can do it. “Our rapplies are phates over im good shape, but we Dave no artillery ime of our own and no air service to spealei >. of. They keep promising aeroplanes, and artillery, but it seema to go astray. In that respect England ee France are doing the best they od S™ © for us, = “It is my intention to form Amen armies and hold aur awn juader Americen command, but I can-do this in a way to furnish agmurance of effectiveness I am going |toput eur men in with the Freely and. Britiah wherever they are ed, Tam In position to give them the mén they want—but bear In ming thip is @ temporary arrangement, | When our force is strong euugh we |"F going into thie war on our own,” Then came the great German drive the formation of whieh had.