Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-15
Special Cable to Evening Public Ledge,
Copyright. 1913, bv Neto York Times Co.


Copyright, 1913, bv NetU York Times Co.
Sedan. France, Nov. 10.
How the Americans reached this his.
toric city Is one Of the greatest OF Amer
lean war stories. 1t Is that because II
illustrates not 80 much the military
science as 1t does the spirit OF the SOL
diers from the United States, which has
been such a large factor in inspiring
Germany's desire for peace.
on the night of November the Forty
second (Rainbow) Division had halted
four or five kilometers south by south
east Of Sedan. 1t was passing forward
under orders, which gave it a north
westerly direction, but with such a lati-
tude as would allow it to reach Sedan
did that seem advisable.
The Forty-second had outrun its COM
munications, having advanced twenty
hve miles and more in five days and
driven the enemy across the Meuse In
the meantime, on the theory that the
Germans might make stand on the
heights south of Sedan, General Liggett
had sent the Sixth and Second Divisions
up on the left to make sure that the
Germans had all the fight that they
looked for
To the right the fresh First Division
had been sent to a point twelve miles
east of Sedan to try and find a bridge
and cross the Meuse. The men had gone
mile after mile along the stream, only
to find all bridges blown out and the
river flooded so that crossing was i'm
possible.
Rather later on the night Of Novem-
Der 8. while still moving northwest in
a search for a bridge, the First Divi-
sion reached the area Just in front of
the Forty-second, which was headed
northwest.
The sentinels of the Forty-second at
once stopped the First Division. de-
manding where it was going They first
replied that 1t was moving under sealed
orders and would not tell the Rainbow
officers what its destination was.
Communications were poor. and the
situation could not be cleared up by
telephone.
Two Rival Divisions
An all-night discussion of the mill
tary situation ensued. In which some at
tention was made to the rivalry be-
tween the two crack American divisions
The Forty-second Division could not
decide whether its instructions per-
mitted it to allow the First to pass In
front of II, and the First could not de-
eide whether its orders instructed it to
disregard the Forty-second.
The debate was not confined to the
higher officers. but spread to the dough.
| boys one detachment Of the First
Division. patrolling in front of It's line
| found General Douglas Macarthur. OF
| tho Forty-second, accommodating in what
| these men said was their territory! The
patrol promptly took him and his orderl!
! in custody and marched them back tC
headquarters. reporting that. judgin,
from General MacArthur's distinctiv
cap, that he was a German officer.
When the dawn of the 9th canre tn
officers of the First Division announces
their intention of proceeding in north
westerly direction in search for
bridge. At this same time the Forty
seconds officers, agitated, of course, b
no spirit Of rivalry, decided that til
best thing was to advance on Sedan.
BY the time the detachment of tn
First Division was ready to start tn
Fifteenth Infantry (former Sixty-ninth
and 166th Regiment were on their wa,
The German rear guard in the pat
of the rivals were quickly dispatched
. Both divisions participated in Il
fighting at Waldincourt and on II