The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1917-06-07
EASTERN TROOPS GO FIRST
Guardsmen From Other States Win
Follow Rapidly and Then New
National Army Will
Be Sent.

will be fighting in France or Belgium
before December. They will make
Up the major portion of the second
expeditionary force that the United
States will send in a general plan OF
having between one hundred thous-
and and $4,000 Americans fighting
in the trenches before winter sets in.
As the Kansas and Missouri troops
will not go to camp until August S,
it is not probable they will be includ-
ed in the first expeditionary force OF
guardsmen. However, it is known
from the war plans being worked out
by the general staff that all the ma
tional guard regiments may expect to
be on the firing line by spring ready
to participate in the next spring Of
fensive.
While the makeup of the first ma
tional guard expeditionary force was
not divulged. it was indicated the d.
visions of the New York, Pennsyl-
vania, Illinois and Ohio guard, the
largest individual state units, will
form the nucleus for the national
guard divisions sent abroad. 10
these would be added detached units
from other states.
"The only announcement the war
Department is prepared to make IS
that troops are going abroad" Sec
rotary Baker said today. mo policy
will be laid down in advance"
Secretary Baker said the guard,
when called out. would be- sent to
state mobilization camps The pur.-
pose in this is to permit the organi-
cations to fill their ranks to war
strength by recruitment at home
The national guard organizations
then will be sent to concentration
camps in the South and Southeast,
largely in General Woods South
eastern Department, for intensive
training before they are sent abroad
as the second large American ex-
peditionary force.
The present plans of the War De-
partment for sending troops abroad
are:
I. General Pershing's division OF
infantry, supplemented by a regiment
of marines, $4,000 to $4,000 men IN
all, now under orders to sail for Eur
ope at the earliest possible moment.
2. Nine regiments OF engineers,
nearly organized, to form another
expedition for work back of the line.
This will be supplemented by addi-
tional detachments from the regular
army force.
3. Four or five divisions of the ma
tional guard, forming the second big
expedition, with additional regular
army troops. There are now sixteen
guard divisions in the process of for
nation. The guard units that get
whipped into effective shape first in
the intensive training camps will be
the first ones designated for service
abroad
4. By the time these regulars, re-
serve and guardsmen are in France
the first national army of 1-2 million
will be in training to form sixteen d.
visions. the remainder of the national
guard will be in process OF expansion
to sixteen full divisions, and the reg
ular army, by the addition of fifty
one regiments now being formed,
will be expanded into sixteen full di-
visions. Out of the three remaining
forces the third big expeditionary
force will be drawn. s.J
Plans have matured sufficiently TO
assure that General Pershing's divis-
ion, which will need but little train
ing behind .the trenches, will be in
the fighting before fall. The first ma
tional guard expedition should be
ready to 60 into the trenches by De-
cember.
The first expeditionary force from
the new National Army should be in
the trenches to join in the fighting
late next year. All the guard and
all of the regulars that can be spared
from the training of the National
Army should be-. over in France by
next summer, depending on the ship
ping available.
Secretary Baker has asked Con-
gress to raise all present major gen.
erals of the army to the grade of lieu-
tenant, general, 90 that they may
rank on equality with general officers
of the European armies and with the
navy. He is prepared to
urge this upon Congress with vigor
before large armies are sent abroad.
There is a desire for. haste in this, as
General Pershing viii need the rank
of lieutenant general when he joins
the conferences of allied general Of
ficers. -
The question Of creating fourteen
new major generals for the national
guard to command the fourteen new
divisions has not been taken up.
There are now only two guard major
New York and Penn