The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1918-03-07
THE YANKEE" At THE FRONT

THE YANKEE At THE FRONT
At last the YankeeDivision Major
General Clarence r Edwards com
nand- has gone under fire on the
Western front. The New England
Guardsmen share with the Regulars,
commanded by Major Generals Bull
lard and Bundy, the precious privilege
Of holding the small sector that has
been taken over from the French by
the American Expeditionary Force
under the supreme command of Gen
eral Pershing The knowledge that
the Government withheld from the
people has been revealed in the casual
~ lists of the last few days. For
some unvouchsafed reason the Yankee
Division was denied by the censors the
spotlight which has been kept so con
stantly upon the Rainbow Division.
The Yankees were the first Guards
men to get to France. They went on
the ships which had been assigned to
the Rainbow Division The Yankees
came from the six New England
States; the Rainbow Division was
made up Of Guardsmen from twenty
seven States and the District Of Co
lumbia. The latter was heralded as
the first division of Guardsmen TO be
selected for foreign service and was
reviewed on Long Island by the Sec
rotary of War. Shortly before sailing
time arrived it was found that the di-
vision was not ready to 20; il lacked
equipment of all kinds. There was no
shortage Of ships to take them, but
the shortcomings of the Ordnance and
quartermaster generals departments
were so colossal that the departure of
the Rainbow Division had TO be post
poned II was then that the War De
partment telegraphed an inquiry to
Northeastern headquarters regarding
the ability of the Yankee Division TO
sail month ahead Of the time origin
ally set for its departure. Thanks to
the liberality with which the New
England States had appropriated mon
ey in the spring for the equipment of
their troops, General Edwards was en-
abled TO reply that the Yankee Divi-
sion could sail on the ships which
the Rainbow Division was unable
through lack of preparation to utilize.
And so the Yankees went away in
the night, for the most part, unadver-
tised and with few good-bys. They
were not mentioned in the annual re-
port of the Secretary of War, who
singled out the Rainbow Division for
compliment. They have not been
mentioned in official reports from
France, but they are on the fighting
front at last, the first Guardsmen to
20 under fire. They completed their
training ahead Of the Rainbow Divi-
sion. New England is proud of them,
proud of the opportunity they seized
TO follow the Regular Army to France
AS fast as they could get there, and
confident that the officers and men of
General Edwards command, as they
fight shoulder to shoulder with their
fellow Americans Of the Billiard and
Bundy divisions, will afford their home
folks new cause for pride every day
that they hold their trenches in South
ern France For they are not Regu-
lars or Guardsmen "over there" but
Americans all, fighting not for State
or section, but as one army, under one
flag, for one country. They are fight
ing and dying and serving and suffer
ing not for peace without victory"
bu, for the victory that alone can con
quer a peace worth having Boston
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