The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-05-24
AMERICAN ,TROOP5
ORDERED TORRANCE
BY THE PRESIDENT
Division viii Be Under Command
of Major General Pershing.
LEADER TO PRECEDE HIS MEN
Others will Leave for the Front as
Soon as Possible-First Time in
History American Troops
Have Fought in Europe.

washington, May 19.-President
Wilson directed that an expeditionary
force Of approximately a division of
regular troops, under command of
Maj. Gen. John j. Pershihg proceed to
France at as early date as prac-
ticable. General Pershing and staff
will precede the troops.
A division contains approximately
$4,000 men. 1t is understood that ut
least 10000 will be infantry.
The American Al gun is first class,
and doubtless there will be several
batteries of these. E.
Probably there is no superior to the
American AS hOwitzer, and this arm
probably will be represented in the
division" f.@@ .~rs ."- VI"
Hsr Others Follow to France. Z.
The dispatch of a regular army d.
vision to France, to be followed by
others, "as fast DIS they can be got
ready" to quote the president, marks
4 historic and epochal departure from
the past policy OF the United States"
Never before have American troops
been sent to Europe. 3" 80 we
They have fought i'm Cuba, Mexico,
the Philippines and China. With the
affairs of the old world to quote
Washington, we have had no concern.
Now, however, the pressing needs of
the allies, as presented by Marshal
Jofffe and Lieutenant General Bridges,
have called for instant reinforcement
of the British, French and Belgian
armies. . 70 80 Z. 8t.'
SO Major General Pershing, with a
division of men trained and equipped,
will go abroad by Presidents Wilson's
explicit and direct orders.
Pershng to Go Ahead.
Ample transports will be available
for their transportation, and those
transports will be guarded every foot
of the way by cruisers and torpedo.
boat destroyers. s.' ID"
The troops will be preceded by Mar
jor General Pershing and his STAFF.
General PersBing will consult With
the French authorities; will arrange
for the training of his men, probably
at the great French camp at ChalOns,
and when tire division is acquainted
with modern war conditions, it will be
placed upon the firing line.
Then Americans, fighting side by
side with the allied forces for the
triumph of the principles of humanity
and democracy, will Join in the move
lnent soon to bring the imperial Ger
man government to terms and end the
war.
Nothing the president has done has
given him greater preliminary worry
than his orders to General Pershing
and his command TO go abroad. He
would not listen to the suggestion that
volunteers be dispatched to France,
that National GuardsmeR be sent or
that he wait upon the formation of
draft regiments. He believed that men
who had joined the regular army, of
their own free will, who Ind been
trained in the business of soldering,
WHO were familiar With the game,
should be the first to fly the American
flag upon the battlefelds of France
and Belgium.
Guard May Go Later. ''''
The National Guard and the con-
scripts, who eventually win be consoli-
dated into one vast regular army, TN
questionably viii 90 abroad if the war
is in progress at the time their train
ing IS completed. ri. fAii&HF .