The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-12-20
CHAUMONT CONTAINS
U. S. HEADQUARTERS
II Lies in the Center of What Was the
American Training Area-Pershing
Located There Early in
September, 1917.
September, 1917.

Chaumont, France, Dec 20 GORE
spondence of the Associated Press -
This little city of the Haute Marine is
the home of the general headquarters of
the American eXpeditionary forces. I'm
til now its mention has been taboo and
the whereabouts of &c. Fl. O." one of the
secrets of the war
Here lives the commander in-chief and
in the buildings of the French garrison is
housed the offices of the general staff and
all the auxiliary organizations that go
with 1.-THE nerve center of the army.
city of normally about $4,000 inhab-
itants, Chaumont lies on the eastern
railway lines, 1863 miles east of Paris. II
was formerly the capital of Bassigny and
is now the capital of the department of
the Haute Marine.
Like most of the older cities of France,
Chaumont seems to have been founded on
site of strategic defensive value. IL
crowns high plateau between the Marine
and the Suize and from the walls and
towers of the old city is wonderful
view of the valley of the Marine, here the
river being hardly as wide as the Marine
canal that flows beside it between its
poplar bordered banks. Northward over
the narrow vale of the Suize the view
takes in wide sweep Of rolling forest
crowned hills.
General headquarters were removed
from Paris here in September of last
year, Chaumont being selected after
careful search of available locations. 1t
lies in the center of what was the Amer
lean training area, every camp as well
as the Toul sector in which the Amer
lean forces first saw battle, and all the
lines from Toul eastward where we were
located, being within reach by motor.
The French post occupied as headquar-
tiers offices is typical of French garrisons.
Three long, four story, red tile rooted
barracks form three sides of great
quadrangle facing wide avenue. A
group of lesser buildings and the GUS
tomary iron fence and ornamental gates
is the remaining boundary. On either
gate post flies the Tricolor and the Stars
and Stripes.
Sentries pace their posts on every
hand, the quadrangle is filled with hurry
ing officers and Orderlies and clerks,
hands fash in salute, bugles give their
almost hourly calls for the various mill.
tary events and periods of the day, staff
cars and motorcycles roll in and out and
now and then the sentry at the gate
stiffens even more rig.lly and brings his
piece up with more snap when a great
olive drab car, shining like yacht, slides
in, the scarlet tab on the wind shield
with four white stars signifying the com
mander in-chief
Frequently the generals car approaches
unheralded and so swiftly that the SEN
J try's cry OF, Turn out the guard" is too
4 late and the commander. in chief is gone
before the guard can tumble from the
guard house.
Until last spring General Pershing
made his residence in a large villa near
! headquarters. He soon found, however,
that so near the workshop of the army
he could not have the quiet and lack of
intrusion necessary to his growing re-
| sponsibilities and he removed in May,
last, to beautiful chateau about FIVE
4 miles from town Here, in a great, ram
I bling castle situated in the Marine val
/ ley among groves and wide sunlit lawns,
he lived with his personal staff. Connect
ed by telephone with every divisional,
corps and army headquarters, his own