The Washington herald., 1917-11-25

or world wide interest, but parti-
cularly in Washington, is the an
nouncement that Charles w. Fenton,
Of the United States army stationed
at Ft. Myer, was promoted on Au-
gust last from the rank Of lieuten-
ant colonel to that OF colonel.
Col. Fenton, commandant of the Of
ficers' Training Camp at Fort Myer,
Va, has succeeded as a soldier be-
cause he was aggressive, original in
methods and a strict disciplinarian.
1t was Col. Fenton who was wide
ly quoted a month or two ago when
he said, This war will be won
with ideas" BY ideas Col. Fen
ton meant ability to outwit the en-
emy. His whole personal record
beams out the expressed assumption
that the American private is the best
soldier in the world. He is a think
ing. highly developed physically,
mentally, and morally-untt in an
army composed of similar material.
THE American soldier is amenable
to discipline and courageous. He will
be a quiet, efficient. active factor in
determining tine world war" said Col.
Fenton to a newspaper correspondent
recently.
1t was a fortunate day for this
country when the marvellous Wilson
found in Newton Baker, a real Sec
retary OF War. 1t was a happy cir
cumstance that the Secretary of War
could find at hand officers at fit as
Pershing and others qualified by age,
experience, and real ability to COM
mand the men of the selective draft.
All ~ thfa hu n int
Col. Fenton to our readers. He is
six feet three-and stately. He is a
blend OF courtesy and dignity. He Is
to his men their superior oficer and
their friend. He has just turned fifty
and looks forty. He has poise, vigor
and a charm of manner, and a some
what unusual faculty of making you
feel that you had known him an your
life.
Was Friend of Gatewood.
One of the best soldiers the West
ever produced was Capt. Gatewood,
the man who rode unarmed and alone
into the hostile camp of Geronimo
and left with him as a prisoner-turn-
ing the famous renegade over to Col.
Lawton. This act was termed by Gen.
A. NJ. d. McCook as one of the bray-
est acts in the annals Of the American
army. Gatewood was never given his
deserts as he died because he was
either too modest a man or too brave
a soldier, to demand his rights.
Gatewood and Fenton look as near
alike as two peas. Gatewood and
Fenton had almost identical Indian
experiences. Fenton has the same
characteristics Gatewood had, bigness
without bluster, courtesy without
curtness, and Withal modesty with
out knowing 1t.
When Col. Fenton was assigned to
duty at Fort Myer he had rounded
out a career Of thirty years in the
army. From West Point he went to
a heutenancy with the Ninth Infan-
try, and from there was transferred
to the Seventh Cavalry and was sta
s,~'.ad at Fort Riley, Kan, for seven
years.
1t was to the cavalry young Fen
ton wanted assignment, and 1t was to
the Seventh Cavalry, "The Fighting
Seventh" he especially desired as
sociation with. So in the first few
years following his departure from
West Point, he achieved the. distinc-
UOn SOUGHT IOr.
On Daty Mt worlds Fair.
Lieut.. Fenton was on duty dur
ing the Worlds Columbian Exposition
at Chicago in 1sss, and at that post
he had charge of the intricate prob
lens incident to packing and ship
ping and Transporting the valued loans
OF foreign shipments to the exposi-
finn--lnF Whfah "a
thanks Of the Department Of State.
AFTER few years at Fort Apache he
was transferred to the Fifth Cavalry
after promotion to q nrst lieutenancy.
Soon after he was assistant adju-
tant general. Second brigade. First
division. First corps. at chickamauga.
and very soon afterward he Has On