Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-11-17
! NY DAMON RUNYoN.

1918. by Universal Service
WITH THE AMERICAN FIRST
shade OF old Stonewall Jackson must
nave gazcd down on the burning town
IL 81 sedan tonight with grim satlsfac-
The military tactics evolved by the
bulldog Of the Confcderacy. and passed
On by him through the Virginia Mill
AIRY institute TO this generation of
the mud-caked doughboys from God's
t,ountry to the outskirts of the ancient
/. Even as the German agents were
nnurrying from Berlin with their white
w nas, Hunter Lisgetts iron brigades
ola e sa s1ajnp daG ,rlunEhan'y oyer the
eagerly at the historic city itself
Now they lie in Sedan. awaiting an
Towers OF fame rise from scoro Of
ss sSHat fires all over the city. In the
Seilowish light gray old buildings
S stud OUT IN weird relief against the
men.
SAME MEN WHO HAVE DEI3N
PUSHING FOE OUT OF FRANCE
,,,,lhcy arc the same men. or exactly
IKE the same men. who for forty
snree days have been pushing the 6
mans out CT France They hacc reached
inc apex OF the decisive battle of four
years of war.
yorktown. but just as the French
f-niayed an important part in the win
nlhs OF the decisive battle in the
american revolution. so the America MS
nave, played an extremely important
part in.the decisive conflict for France
Lineai descendants Of men who
oeau's regiment were in Sedan to-
night. with the light of the burning
town giinting on their bayonets. They
are the men OF the famous Rainbow
state In the Union.
On the same battle line with them
is Manhattan Islands polyglot Seventy
seventh Division. the heroes OF the
Argonnc forest.
II Is the Forty-second. or Rainbow
Division. however. which is actually
: In, the town celebrated as the place
where the Germans once staggered
trqculentiy as victor over France;
pu, into effect the idea OF using in
fantry practically the same as cavalry
without horses. pushing II over the
ground at great speed. to the very limit
OF human endurance.
There's never been any infantry
Ike Jackson's until Hunter I.igCett's
soldiers came along and tramped over
twenty-five miles for seven days across
man numbering country. through lv
ing wall OF opposition. ribbed with
artillery and upholstered by machine
GRADUATE OF V. MI.
PLAYS LARGE: PART
There Is a mild looking. retiring man
at American headquarters named
Colonel George 6. Marshall. Jr..% who
comes from Pittsburgh. Pa. who
graduated from the Virginia Military
Institute. where stonewall Jackson was
teacher. -
This man arsholl IL chief OF opera
Tons OF L!gGctts forces. IT WAS Mar
shall who had much to do with the
planning OF operations against Sedan
and he turned to the great mastc: OF
al infantrymcn for the general scheme.
Drive the infantry" was tho word.
They picked all Of Ligge,ts crack di-
vision for the driving. They became.
IN effect, hying columns The infantry
movement it is apparent, must be slow
on account of the difficulty of keeping
up the supply trains.
kiggetts men were given emergency
Iations and told TO hang OF 10 them.
because. II they didn't they might have
TO 70 hungry
When the American soldier goes into
battle he generally unburdens himself
when he unloads. LiGgctt's men lur-ed
their cuisines" on their backs. Ameri-
can officers figured they had big adj
vantage In the fact that their divisions
were fresher and better than the Ger
mans. which theory proved correct
Day by day l.iggetts men outmarch-
ca and outfouSht the German. Motor
trucks were constantly utilized TO push
them forward The first day this scheme
was tried u caused big sensation:
idea OF chasing the enemy with trucks
struck the American sense OF humor
but II was big success
aLEAP-FR0Gt.iNG" TACTICS
PROVED SUCCESSFUL
Another system is called "lear-frog-
| ging. When one division got tagged
| out or scattered so Il was had to handle
| another division was rolled up ahead
| without interruption, and the tagged
| division followed in reserve
Not until the night Of November 4
> did they have TO pass the first d.
| vision through. Another was passed
| along the following night. Still am
| other was passed along the following;
night. Stili another went through in
| that gained twenty-five miles toward
| Sedan and resulted in the liberation of
couple OF thousand of French citizens
VINO had been penncd up in the towns
| for months. and even years. besides
| freeing 700 square kilometers OF French
| territory.
! Meantime the Americans took 5000
/ prisoners and a vast amount OF swas
OF war. When il first started the
American front was eighteen kilome-
! ters eleven and a quarter miles) wide
Now II is forty-eight kilometers (or
| about thirty miles) wide
This Is due to the fact that It ex-
| tends along the River Meuse. which
| winds in and out. The mass of the
| attack was directed 1T Sedan though
! as a matter of fact Sedan is not in the
! American sector 1t will have to be
turned over to the French as soon as
they get there.
Our men pushed up there first. Three
6