The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-11-12
LIKE ST0NEWALL

ItuI UIUUI WILL
Concluded from Page One.)
Towers of fame rise from a score
OF great fires all over the city. In the
yeliowish light grey, old buildings
stand out in weird relief against the
darkness before the eyes of Liggett's
men.
They are the same men. or exactly
like the same men. who for forty
three days have been pushing the Ger
mans out of France. They have
reached the apex of the decisive battle
of our years OF war.
Many years separate Sedan and
Yorktown, but just as the French
ming of the decisive battle in the Amer
lean revolution. the Americans have
played an extremely important part. in
the decisive conflict for France.
Lineal descendants OF men who
fought at Yorktown with Rocham-
beau's regiment were In Sedan tonight,
with the light of the burning town
giinting on their bayonets. They are
the men of the famous Rainbow divis-
ion, drawn from nearly every state in
the union.
On the same battle line with them
is Manhattan Islands polyglet seventy
seventh division. the heroes of the
Argonne forest.
1t Is the forty-second. or Rainbow
division. however, which is actually in
the town celebrated as the place where
the German once staggered truculent-
iy as victor over France.
Long. long ago. Stonewall Jackson
put into effect the idea of using in
fantry practically the same as cavalry
without horses. pushing 1t over the
ground at great speed to the very
limit of human endurance.
There's never been any infantry like
Jackson's until Hunter Liggett's SOL
diers came along and tramped over
tw enty five miles for seven days across
man-murdering country, through a liv-
ing wall of opposition ribbed with ar
tillery upholstered by machine guns.
v. NJ. I. Man.
There liz mild looking. retiring ma n
at American headquarters named Col.
George C. Marshall. Jr.. who comes
from Pittsburg, Pa. who graduated
from the Virginia Military institute
where Stonewali jackson was a
teacher.
This man Marshall is chief Of opera
tions of Liggetts forces. 1t was Mar
shall who had much to do with the
planning of operations against Sedan
and he turned to the great master OF
all infantrymen for the general
scheme.
Drive the infantry" was the word.
They picked all of Liggetts crack
divisions for the driving. They became
In effect. flying columns. The infantry
movement Is as apparent. must be slow
on account of the difficulty Of keeping
up the supply trains.
Ligget's men were given emergency
rations and told to hang onto them
because If they didn't they might
have to go hungry
When the American soldiers goes
into battle he generally unburdens
himself and the field rations go with
the rest when he unloads Liggett's
men lugged their cuisines" on their
backs American officers figured they
had big advantage In the act that
their divisions were fresher and bet
ter than the Germans, which theory
proved correct.
Day by day Liggett's men outmarch-
ed and out fought the German Motor
trucks were constantly utilized to push
them forward. The first day this
scheme was tried II caused big sem
saticn: then~ta laugh. throught the
army. The idea of chasing the enemy
with trucks struck the american sense
of humor, but it was a big success
Play Leap Frog.
Another system Is called leap frog
cling" when one division got tagged
out or scattered so II was hard TO
handle another division was rolled up
ahead without interruption and the
tagged division followed in reserve,
Not until the night of November a..
did they have to pass the first division
through. Another was passed along
the following night. Still another
went through in daylight on the sixth,
II was this system that gained twenty
five miles toward Sedan and resulted in
the liberation OF a couple of thousand
of French citizens. who had been
penned up in the towns for months,
and even years, besides freeing 700
square kilometers of French territory.
Meantime the Americans took 5000
prisoners and vast amount OF swag
of war. When 1t first started the
American front was eighteen kilo-
meters televen and quarter miles>
wide. Now 1t is forty-eight kilometers.
or about thirty miles wide,
This Is due to the fact that II ex-
tends along the river Meuse. which
winds In and out. The mass OF the
attack was directed at Sedan. though
as n matter of fact. Sedan is not in
the American sector. 1t viii have to
be turned over to the French as soon
AZ they get there.
our men pushed up there first. Three
of Liggetts divisions. made up largely
OF veterans of the long drive up from
the Marns. converged on Sedan. They
were the famous first. the forty-second
and New York's seventy seventh.
There never was any doubt as to
the result after the first day. The de-
cisive battle of the seven days shove
was at the Bots de Barricourt, which
was taken by the eighty ninth division
The division Is made up of national
army men from Kansas and Missouri
The Jay Hawkers and Pukes had ter
rife fight. The town of Barricourt
had been taken with the bayonet
Then the drive to Sedan started.
About two-thirds or three-fourths Of
the town is north of the Mouse. Most
of the big buildings are on that side.
The river bends in n sort OF loop and in
the arm Of this loop are lot of build
ings. The Germans had destroyed all
bridges across the river and dynamited
the roads.
At O'Clock Yesterday the forty
second reached Wadelin Court, In the
southwestern outskirts Of Sedan.
There they are now. The Germans are
In the northern part. They have many
troops there. On the heights north
east Of the town is lot of artillery.
The enemy appears determined to
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