The Benson signal., 1917-09-22

Now, in order to show that there is
no thought on the part of the writer
that he has appraised these men too
lightly he says this:
"There are two big jobs with two
big men to fill them. The dashing Per-
shing and the methodical Sibert make
a team that will be hard to beat when
their machine once starts"
American military officers from
Pershing down to the last second lieu
tenant realize that this is a war of
method. a methodfcal war in other
words, and that it is also largely an
engineering war. The picture that one
gets Of Pershing from the cabled ar"
ticle is just such as one carries in his
mind of Custer on the plains, his yell
low hair streaming in the wind, Colt
revolver in his left hand, a dazzling
saber in his right hand, charging head
long, regardless of bullets, into the
heart of Sioux horde.
In methodical war army men say
that this daredevil gallantry does not
win, and nobody knows it better than
Pershing. If the war department had
believed that Pershing was "quick on
the trigger" in the sense in which that
expression usually is employed, he
would not have been sent to France.
The campaign which John J. Per-
shing led against the enemy in the
Lake Lanac district in the Philippines
was a methodical campaign. 1t was
conducted on strict military lines, and
there was no forcing them along at
top speed" It was this campaign
which promoted Pershing from a cap
taincy to brigadier generalship. He
will not sacrifice American lives in
France by recklessness which is for
eign to his nature, and absolutely for
eign to modern methods Of fighting.
Now as for William L. Sibert, 1 have
said what I have about Pershing from
a study Of his career and from a hum
dred or more expressions Of opinion
which, concerning him, have come to
me from army men who know him well
personally.
In the recently printed, and think
misleading, although unintentionally
so, description Of Sibert's characteris-
tics as a man and a soldier, he is de-
scribed as deliberate and methodical,
giving close attention to the tiny
things and in fact having a purely
and mathematically methodical mind.
student rather than soldier.
Now for the truth of this thing.
When William L. Sibert was a junior
officer Of engineers serving in the Phil
ippines he did both engineering and
fighting work so we'll that it called
forth the praise of the general COM
manding, Theodore Schwan. The rec
ord of it is in the war department
today. General Schwan said that this
engineer insisted on having a place
on the firing line at all times.
It was William L. Sibert who stood
alongside of Reilly's battery, the Reil-
ly who afterwards was killed at Pc
king, at the front of a battlefield in
the Philippines, and there stood like
a rock against the furious close-range
fire of the enemy. 1t was Sibert who
under fire on this same battlefield,
knelt beside the gallant Maj. Wood
bridge Geary, who fell at the first fire
and died within a few moments.
The methodical Sibert is as quick on
the trigger as any man ought to be.
He is a fighter of the first rank. I do
not think that contradiction will come
from the war department if 1 should
put into words something which I long
have suspected. 1t is my belief that
a certain military report, a fighting
program report which in effect de-
clared that there was no such thing as
the impossible where a real military
end is to be gained, a report which
it is said was made by Sibert.
caused this fine junior brigadier gen
eral to be jumped over the heads of
eleven men to a major generalship
and then sent to France in command Of
the first division.