Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1917-07-04
IS OUR HA|G HERE?
FUTURE GREAT CON-
MANDER PROBABLY AMONG
NEW GENERALS.
PROMOTIONS SEEM JUSTIFIED
Personal "reminiscences of Morrison,
Sibert, Morton, Shanks, Sturgis,
Bundy and Hale-Their Careers
Will Be Watched With Interest.
By EDWARD 3. CLARK.

Washington.-Who to be who in
the army?
Somewhere in the list of officers
who were designated by the president
for promotion recently probably is the
name of an American Haig, Joffre,
Petain or Nivelle.
There seems to have been some mis-
understanding about these promotions.
1t has been made to appear that the
officers advanced are to take command
in the new army. They are all othcers
of regulars and, so far as the major
generals and the brigadier generals
are concerned, they almost unqueston-
ably Will be in command of divisions
and brigades of regular forces in the
fields of France--and that soon.
The American people will watch the
careers of these general othcers OF
their army. There probably VIII De
personal interest in them that was
shown by the people of Great Britain
in their general officers during the
| first year of the hostilitieS in France.
The British knew that commanders
| werG to be made and unmade by the
| force of battle events.
Your correspondent knows personal
ly many of these newly made major
generals and brigadier generals. win
some of them he has close personal
| friendship dating back to West POINT
| days. Several of the men soon TO see
service in France were classmates OF
mine and majority of those named
were students at the academy during
the time Of my cadetship.
New Generals Have Fine Records.
There is perhaps not one of the new
ly appointed general officers whose
army record does not give justification
for his advancement. Opinions on
this, of course, will differ in the army,
but in the main the list is one which
| shows more careful selection and an
avoidance of that army devil, favorit-
ism.
1t is as boys that I remember fully
one-half of the newly promoted. with
others [ have kept up close personal
relations whenever the wanderings OF
their army career would allow close
association. LAS the boy, the man.
The three new major generals of the
army. John F. Morrison, William l..
Sibert and Charles 6. Morton, all were
at the academy together, although no
two of them graduated in the same
wear. Morrison was an 81 man, Nor
tOn an 'S3 man and Sibert an "a man.
Let us take them in the order OF rank.
John F. Morrison was known at the
academy as Babe" not because he
was babyish, but because he was small
of stature, a characteristic of physique
which has not changed with the years
except little laterally.
Babe" Morrison's Close Call.
I do not know Morrison well, for he
was an upper classman when l was q
plebe. but l remember one incident
in his cadet career which filled me with
admiration for his pluck, and which
came near ending his career as a sol
der before ne could so much as dream
of being a major general with prospec-
tive service against the Germans III
France.
In the riding hall one day vicious
|
Morrison, who received it in the pit OF
the stomach. Luckily for him, the
force of the kick when he received II
was like that of spent bullet, for the
receiver was just an inch beyond the
extreme limit of the kicking endeavor
AS it was, Babe" Morrison fell
over and every cadet present thought
he was dead He came to in a minute
declined trip to the hospital, mount
ed the kicker and went through the
strenuous drill with nothing more than
pain in his stomach to remind him
of salvation from death simply be-
cause the enemy did not quite have the
range
Goliath" Sibert a Sticker.
Mai. Gen. William L. Sibert was 6
classmate of mine at the Military
academy, and~for years he has beer
one of my closest personal friends
Sibert. because of his size, was known
as Goliath" SO soon, side by side OF
the battle front of France, will appear
Two American major generals who re
ceived their cadet nicknames for dia
metricaIly opposite physical reasons.
Sibert's roommate at the academ,
for two years at least was David d.
Bose. Gaillard, who dug the GaillarC
cut at Panama and died q martyr Il
his work just as he had completed tn,
great task. The fact that Gaillard'
first name was David tickled the fame!
of the cadets immensely baceuse hi
roommate was Goliath. No hickman,
ever was given Gaillard, the cadet
sticking to David" solely because o
The fact That his room mate MIS-