Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-08
Was Almost a Failure.

Was Almost a Failure.
dragons. this Petaif.. One hears that
he was about to be retired. That he had
reached no higher rank in the thirty-six
years of his service is sufficient proof
that he had not been regarded as q
highly efficient officer. The moment the
war opened he began to go up. Sixty
years old he is now. and he may go high
er than his present rank OF commander
of an army. His story would mt well
in the history Of the Napoleonic times.
He charges at the head OF his men
whether with whip in one hand and pis-
tol in the other, as he did when he led
his riders into the German ranks at
Dinant, in August, 1914, or with knife
and pistol, as when he cut through the
ring by night and rescued half a regiment
that had been cut OF in the Artois in
May, 1915.
lone does not win such stars as his
| in command of an Office says the French
soldiers.
Above every other general in the French
been informed-Petain adheres to the old
tradition of personal leadership. He lives
with his men. In the battle at Verdun
he spent his time in a motor car. He
order that he may ride more furiously to
an observation point. His chauffers are
picked men, who have been selected for
their recklessness. After a short expe-
rience with this man they often ask to be
returned to the trenches.
lone might as well die comfortably by
SHE'LL they say, 'tas to be ditched on
| muddy road"
So far as one can get the story Of the
Verdun Highland this story as yet rests
upon military gossip only-Petain was
given command of that situation after
he had already taken it. He was in COM
mand of an army, but not in command
of that sector Of the front. There are
wrong or had been wrongly drawn. One
hears that under the utterly inconceivable
hammering of the big German guns the
French troops at one point in the line
began to waver. That the situation was
bad one for a few moments on Feb
ruary % seems hardly to admit of
doubt. Then. as the story goes, Petain
hurled himself to the point OF danger in
his motor car.
"Give me 1900 men and I will take
those positions back!' he shouted.
Small and Calm.
A slender little chap is this general
of the French army. A rather heavy
mustache. a round face. pleasant, kind
ly eyes, an expression Of good humor.
His uniform always bears the least
possible amount of gold lace that his
rank permits. In bad weather he wraps
himself in a cloak as bare of bars as
that Of a private soldier. 1t is not vet
reported whether he was given the
$4,000 men or whether he took them.
But the story goes on that Petain put
himself at their head and swept down
upon the posts that had been taken by
the Germans. He turned the enemy out
of position after position. It was after
this that he took command at Verdun.
1t seems to have been an affair of mu-
tual consent. Two papers have been
temporarily suppressed in Paris for
asking why the men who were at
fault have not been named as we'll as
the man who succeeded.
He was utterly unknown to the
French public when the war began.
He had passed what seems to have
been a somnolent life in one or another
branch Of the army. For a time he
suspected him Of possessing the poten-
tialities of greatness. 1t seems certain
that he was on the eve of retirement
in 1914. He had even picked out the is
planned to go and raise olives. Like
Joffre. the old soldier yearned for a life
of quiet on some distant farm Joffre,
it will be recalled. proposes to go to
raising roses as soon as the Germans
have been swept out of France
In the confusion Of the first days of
the war little became known of Pc
tain's movements. He had been in
command of a regiment of dragons
and stationed at Mezieres just before
the outbreak of hostilities. It was a
fortunate opportunity. for 1t can hard
ly be expected that this unknown
country colonel would have been sent
to the front at the outset. AS 1t was,
he had but to wait and the front came
to him. There came a day when the
advance of the Germans must be
stopped. and Petain was ordered to
stop it. His was one of the few cav
airy charges in the western theater Of
war-one of the fewer successful
charges. With whip in one hand and
pistol in the other he rode through the
German ranks and into the hearts Of
his men. More than any other people.
perhaps, the French adore tho sort Of
dashing courage that Petain showed.
That ride OF his had an epic quality
that sounded through the army.
He Led the Moroccans.
BY May. 1915, Petain had been given
the command Of the 33d Corps. It was
about this time that the legend of the
Iron Moroccans began to gain q hear
ing. Some portion Of that SD Corps
were Moroccan soldiers. of whom come
at least ware sea soned yeterans Thew