Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1918-03-14

TROOPS WILL Be
RUSHED TO FRANCE
riders Issued to Speed Move
ment of Selected Soldiers.
GENERALS IN ARMY SHAKEUP
Maj Gen. March Declares Pershino
Demands That Only Commanders
Physically Fit Be Sent
Across.

Washington, March l3.-New orders
have gone forth to speed the sending
Of troops TO France.
In consequence the drafted men are
to be dispatched to Europe as fast IA
ships are available
Seven Generals Relieved.
Sweeping changes in the command
ing personnel of the American army
We're foreShadoWed when seven gen
eral officers were relieved of field
commands and assigned 10 home duty.
The Shakeup is ii result OF the de-
nand of General Pershing that only
commanders physically lit be sent
abroad
The officers affected are:
Maj. Gen. Thomas ii. Barry, relieved
from command Eighty-sixth division.
Camp Grant, H., and assigned TO com
mand central department, Chicago, re-
lieving Maj. Gen. w. II. Carter, re-
tired.
Maj. Gen. Edward II. Plummer, 10
brigadier general relieved from com-
man Eighty-eighth division, Camp
Dodge, Ia.
,Naj. Gen. Richard W. Blatchford,
to brigadier general, commanding de-
partment of Panama.
Maj. Gen. Edwin St. j. Greble, to
brigadier general, and relieved of
command Thirty-sixth division, Camp
Bowie, Tex.
Mai. Gen. Charles c. Morton, re-
lieyed from command Twenty-ninth
division, Camp Mcclellan, Ala.
Maj. Gen. William II. Sage, to brigu-
dier general, relieved of command
Thirty-eighth division, Camp Shelby,
Miss
Maj. Gen. William A. Mann. TO brfga-
dier general, commanding Eastern de-
partment New York.
The reductions in grade We're made
because all except Barry and Morton
We're holding their higher grades only
for he period Of tie war on assign
ment to the National army.
All general officers abroad, includ-
ing Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood, it was
indicated, also must pass rigid
physical test.
National army commands were the
first affected, because of orders 10
rush the draft divisions to France.
Allies Appeal for Troops.
The orders to speed up are reported
to have resulted from fresh appeals
of the allies for more American forces
to help withstand the expected Ger
man OffenSiveS.
France, particularly, is said to have
renewed her urgngs.
''The whole movement across" said
General March, ''is being speeded as
rapidly as possible
simultaneously With the shakeup
and orders to speed up transportation
came cheering news that all records
in preparations are to be smashed.
From the shipping board and diplo-
matte sources came assurances the
transportation situation is rapidly
clearing.
Food, clothing, shells and guns are
beginning to pile up in prOdisOus
amounts.
In the next year $500,O0O,0OO is to
be spent by the war department erect
ing huge depots for the rapidly ac-
cumuIating material Six of these are
TO be erected along the Atlantic coast.
Thirty depOts are planned west of the
AlleghenieS.
All records in training men have
been broken. The draft army, after
Siy months is as we'll trained as it
can be on this side Of the Atlantic.
1t was Indicated at the war depart
ment the selects were ready for the
final training in France.
Indicative Of its tremendous prep
arations, the war department told
congress of its purpose to ask SS75,
100000 more in the huge military
budget of -S761 100000 passed by the
senate yesterday.