| Show desserts in 11 II count lie by th mhd north america a Q 3 apy I 1 L afi alie tyll le ao alm eo F berv aca wora borla arved adin edina bights vi anat R re to re lh production in III whole or in pert part prohibited y gen johnj ohn f pershing service CHAP CHAPTER TER LI continued the enemy made a determined stand along it the e river and some of the hardest fighting of the period occurred at this time thue august 8 the fourth division relieved the forty second the third corps bullard nul lard with the american twenty eighth and thirty second divisions relieved tile the french thirty eighth corps on the right of gilr our first corps once established beyond the lie our two corps advanced rapidly toward ta the e vesle river meeting with will little opposition we had bad tit in oil all nine american divisions emurl toi to eighteen french divisions engaged in this second battle of the marne this force together with tile the staff supply medical troops find aviation amounted to a total force of nearly actively employed during chrit period we suffered casualties CHAPTER I 1 attended a conference of commanders in chief at general coclis headquarters wednesday july 24 1018 1918 to discuss plans for offensive operations present were generals foch Iet and buat field marshal halg haig and general lawrence and general conner chief of operations boyd bold and hughes and myself there was pronounced good feeling and confidence general foch gave a resume of the general situation he proposed no definite plan hut but submitted his remarks as the basis of discus slon ion the main point was that the fifth german offensive of the year had been checked and the allied counteroffensive beginning july 18 had transformed it into defeat it was the general opinion that every advantage be taken of this fact and that the allies should continue their heir attacks as much vigor as possible on par with enemy general gener at foch said with satisfaction that we had now reached an all equality in numbers of combatants and tin an actual superiority in I 1 le es serves erves As the enemy would soon be required to re bileve a considerable number of tired divisions from the active front the 1111 ia s would rapidly gain further lier supe ty through the constantly increase ing number of americans all information went to show that the enemy had two armies arin fes so to I 1 speak foch continued one an exhaust exha ed holding army and the other a shock army already weakened maneuvering behind this frail front unquestionably we had material mate ilal advantage in aviation slid and tanks and to a smaller degree in artillery ond and this would be augmented by the arrival and armament of Anler american lerin artillery personnel As to tile reserve strength behind the allies it would soon be powerful powei ful indeed if the rate of per month at which the americans were pouring lu in could be maintained one could sense an approaching crisis on tile the en side possibly not so very re mote because of tile the difficulty lie he was having in keeping up the effective strength of his fits units allies now hold initiative beyond these advantages of mate raal force in our favor there was also the moral ascendancy we had gained by our recent victories and ills his failures foch felt as we nil all lid did that the fill allies now held the initiative and that thai from this time on they should aban lon the defensive attitude that had been so long imposed upon them and continue nue the offensive without cessa tion ile he then pointed out the following offensives which it was has evident would be indispensable to later operations the release role iise of the railroad ila carls als aarl court tit in the marne region by the F rench french the parts allens amiens railroad by a concerted conceited action of the ilia british and french the carls agricourt avricourt railroad in the region of Coni mercy by the reduction of the st salient by tile the american briny which by reducing tile tha front would bring us within reach of the brley region and permit notion action on a larger scale between the ilie mouse meuse and moselle further offensives were foreseen having in view the release of the mining sections to the north by definitely driving the enemy front from the region in of dunkirk and Cal oils no idea of ending war in 1918 no one suggested that the plans of the moment or those to follow might lie be carried so far its as to terminate tile the war in 1018 1918 concerning the part earn each should play foch asked expressions of 0 opinion of the respective commanders in V chief its as to how these or any other operations we might propose should be conducted marshal haig gave ills his views and plans which agreed with the lie general outline suggested as did general te ile tain who wanted further to consider the possibilities As far as these preliminary lini duary operations applied to the americans they were simply a restate chent anent of the plans we had been leading up to ever since our entry into the war I 1 therefore advised that det details tills of organization and supply were receiving every conal consideration de ration lu in the preparation of the Awe american urmy army to co do its part while at general fochs headquarters I 1 arranged with general petain for the expansion of the first corps then operating in the marne sector by which tour four american divisions were to be placed in the title line with two tit in reserve it was my hope chrit this would be the basis bails for the preliminary formation of an american army oil this front en route to chaumont I 1 stopped to call on liggett and apprise him of the possibility of additional american divisions tor for tits his corps expedition to russia the supreme war council wits was prone to listen to suggestions tor for tile the use of allied troops at various arlous places other than the western front one of these on which tile british seemed to be especially insistent was to send troops to help the so called white army in russia to keep open the communications through Mur mansk in tile the arch anscel 1 I was opposed to any such idea as it would simply mean scattering our resources all of which were needed on the western front but president wilson wits was prevailed upon to help and I 1 was directed to tend a regiment provided general roth foch lind had no object eions As apparently lie he had already considered the question lie gave chiq hi approval and a regiment was accord angly sent delit the three hundred thirty ninth infantry tri aleut col george U E stewart commanding together with one battalion of engineers and one field hospital were designated tor for tills this service sen ice first field army in view of the prospect for the early assembly of corps and divisions to form our army it became urgent that the organization be hastened with ft ath all possible speed the outlines had been determined and members of the first army staff were at work on the details my formal order creating the viat field army wits was issued july 24 to take effect august 10 with headquarters at lot la forte ferte sous sons jouarre immediate consideration honsl was g given ken the improvement of the hie general supply u system although the recent reorganization find helped it had been my ID purpose for some time to make changes chances la in personnel in tile S 0 S particularly in the position of chief which demanded great gibat administrative ability after much thought the ell thoice ice fell to general harbord ills know edge of organization his fits persona ity tits his energy and ills loyalty made ailin the outstanding choice reluctance to lose ills services in command of troops where lie he had shown himself a brilliant leader caused me to delay until his bis oll dl vision could be relieved front from the active front CHAPTER till early in august 1818 1018 1 I made an inspection tour of tile service of supply to note the progress find and acquaint myself the chief of staff and 1 general harbord by actual observations with conditions tile the tour was made also with a view vie to such changes in personnel and tin in methods us its would in sure complete fulfillment of the increased obligations imposed upon the service of supply by the tremendous task of receiving storing and transporting pol tang the enlarged troop and supply shipments our first stop was tours which being the location of the headquarters of the S 0 S with a huge american military garrison of 2400 officers and men had become a beehive of activity we visited every activity at tours beginning with the central records office a branch of the adjutant gen brals obilee e of large proportions where the personal records of every man in tile the A E F were kept we found that the railway operators numbering thousands comfortably situated in por portable tuble barracks at camp de grasse were putting every energy into the service certain engineer troops were kept at this central point for railway work ready to respond to calls calla frodi any direction the hie well managed camp of german prisoners prisoner under tinder col onel GrOnI oronne LP of the military police contained hundred men used as laborers A number dumber of british women known as the auxiliary aid corps were lent to us by their government tr to assist in clerical work the worn en ell located at tours occupied neat ecat anol temporary barracks birra iks and pre presented rented n very military appearance on parade some fifty of thein were III in quartets quarters at the time and I 1 gave in that they should be trans berred to our hospital resides besides dally these fine women under the proper restrictions that pr prevailed he be came a valued addition to tile the social side of life where they were stationed tills this force with us eventually nuni num bared about speaks tc men in hospital the base hospital at tours was v as then filled with men wounded in the recent engagements they were receiving the best of care under tinder col A SI smith and tits ills efficient group of medical officers and nurses passing through the various wards of tills this hospital I 1 spoke to a tine fine look ing young soldier who wils was sitting up in n bed mid and asked him where he was wounded inclining Ine aning to inquire inquiry the no na 1 g I 1 serving a field aun lure of ills hla wound in reply lie he sald said do you ou remember sir just ft where here the rond skirts a small grove and turns to tn t the lie left ucross a wheatfield and tile then leads it up p over the brow of the hill well right there sir lie was clearly describing the nd ad vance south of soissons Sols sons which pierced the chateau thierry salient of course I 1 was not there at the time but it touched me that he should feel that I 1 must tune have been very close to him at the base hospital in bordeaux then under the effi efficient clent supervision of col U A shaw chief surgeon of the base section we found about of our wounded most of them soon to be sent kome home no mutter how severely wounded they were I 1 never iniard auard a word ol of complaint front from anny of oui one men there could not have been found in the hos of any army a more cheerful lot it was alesson a lesson in fortitude an inspiration to see their fine courage some would never again see others would never be able to walk again n 1 i 1 I 1 but they ig lu ic all seemed proud of h e 1 r s W which litch many of their countrymen country men are often prone to forget all too soon we arrived at brest august 2 and found the commanding general G 11 harries an and start staff tit at the station to to meet us base section no 5 was built around brest our lending leading port of debarkation bar kation the section included four french territorial departments another landing port for troops wits was cherbourg Cher bourg A large locomotive terminal and repair shop were located at rennes and a coal port at granville major onella ON eils secret after an inspection ot 0 the storehouses and the construction for DAM lional storage on the piers I 1 asked for the chief ste stevedore edore major onell oneil who came up apparently quite embarrassed to put him at ease I 1 took him by y th alie arii arm mid and we walked together to wit ft here ere some lighters were being unloaded As the port hird had made tile hie record of ban arriving troops and their baggage in one ne day tiny may 24 entirely with lighters I 1 asked film to tell me die nebout it by bv tills this time he had overcome ove nome hla his fright and pointing to two officers each down tit in the alie bottom of a lighter directing the work lie said sir do you see those two captains down there in fit their shirt sleeve nl revea sl well ell the secret I 1 amny to them vont dont stand ot if soine where here and puff your selves up in your our uniforms 1111 forms but take oft off sam brownes and your our coats and get flown close to your tuen men of course those liue have now become experts I 1 lid the sit tile thins thing when I 1 started but since tiny they are trained I 1 ina manage tinge things generally gem ralli and they carry cany out my in orders I 1 enn can wear my uniform now that I 1 have von the right to wear it well I 1 said onell oneil youre just the nian man I 1 liae have been looking for and I 1 am going to send you iou to every po port rt we use to show them your secret CHAPTER LIV the french government had expressed a desire it hire to bestow their decorations on Anier icim officers lind and men and asked if I 1 would accept sin an appointment in the legion of honor with the grade of grand officer As congress had recently giantel permission for members of our forces to recelle foreign decorations the french government go eminent was advised accordingly and it was to confer this lionor honor upon me that president coln care paid tits his brief visit to chaumont august 0 6 1918 I 1 met film at the station with a military escort and conducted him to my mj headquarters where the senior olli cers of the staff were presented after that formality we repaired to the small area of barracks where the headquarters troup and hand band were drawn up in line for the ceremony er emony I 1 was not insensible to the high personal son at lionor but regarded it mainly as an 11 appreciation on ane part vt of the french government of the assistance america ila ind already glen given to the cause pershing takes command As the american army was now an accomplished fait fact it seemed advisable to begin preparations immediately to carry outtie out the plan of campaign adopted july 24 providing for a distinctive american Ameil can operation against the st hibbel salient I 1 motored to sarcus august 9 and after discussing with marshal foch tile changed situation in the marne sector and the practical stabilization of tile front on the vesle I 1 suggested the transfer tian of the first army head quarters qu niters to the st region where it could begin immediate preparations for the proposed offensive wf we considered the outline of my plans anil without hesitation marshal roch foch acquiesced in the transfer returning to parts paris the same afternoon I 1 went to provins to talk the matter over further with general pe maln we took stock of available divisions for the st operation and lie he said I 1 could count on him deft bitely to do everything in tits his power to furnish whatever we might require having thus reached a general un der standing regarding the preliminary details of the move I 1 drove the fol lowing morning to la ferte sous aouane to take formal command of ibe the first army and to give instructions to my mv staff regarding the movement of headquarters to Neut chateau TO BE BB CONTINUED confederate constitution Contti tuti on the confederacy had a written constitution ution it was adopted by the congress of the confederate states of so south 11 tit carolina georgia floridi florida alabama mississippi Loul louisiana slana and |
