The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-12-20
THE GENERAL
HEADQUARTERS
OF THE Eff.
ChaumOnt Has Been the
Home of Gen. Pershing
and His Staff
AMERICAN GENERAL
LIVED IN A CASTLE
Many OF the Officers Com
fOrtably Housed i'm
French Homes

French Homes
Chaumont, France, Nov. 20-(Cor-
respondence of the Associated Press)
This little city of the Haute- Marne
is the home of the General Head
quarters. Of the American Expedi-
tionary Forces. Until now its men,
ton has been taboo and the where
abouts of sc. H. O." one of the Sc
crets of the war
Here lives the COMMUNICATIVE chief
and in the buildings of the French
garrison are housed the offices of the
general staff and all the auxiliary or
CARNATIONS that go with 1.-THE nerve
center of the army. A city of nor
mally about fifteen thousand inhab-
itants, Chaumont lies on the East
ern Railway lines, 163 miles east of
Paris. 1t was formerly the capital
of Bassigny and is now the capital
of the Department of the Haute-
Marne.
Like most of the older cities of
France, Chaumont' seems to have been
founded on a site of strategic defen-
sive value. 1t crowns a high plateau
between the Marine and the Suize and
from the walls and towers of the ole
city is q wonderful view of the valley
of the Marne, here the river being
hardly as wide as the Marine Canal
that flows beside it between it's poplar
bordered banks. Northward over the
narrow vale of the Suize the view
takes in a wide sweep of rolling for
est crowned hills.
| General Headquarters were re-.
moved from Paris here in September
of last year, Chaumont being select
ed after. careful search of available
j locations. 1t lies in the center OF
what was the American training area,
every camp as we'll as the foul sec
tor in which the American forces frs.
saw patJie, ana all the lines from i oul
eastward where we were located, be:
ing within reach by motor, z--
The rrench post occupied as head
/ quarters: onlces is typical of French.
garrIsons5. - Ihree long, four story,
red Tie roofet. BARRACKS from .tflreI
,-~.e.5a u 4 great quadrangle racing a
W ltt,s aYea,e. group o. lc..e.
= >..-~,iii5o ,slid JiIc cejoto.ne,ry Ifva
-~---o 4s4u U4nitlncnI..r ,a.eo - IN
IcIi.tt-itnla Dounuary. Ou eItne4
sa.cpust- nles llle irIcolor anu LIN.
.1tt4tss 4Iid stripes.
st9cusrAes pave tnelr posts on ever,
| IIIt ~
nurryIng onlcers ana oruerues a..,
cIerhs, llaEuS liasn III sa.ute, bugie4
gave tnelr almost nourly cans Ior Iii.
various mI4ltary evenls ana perods o.
the uay, star cars ana mouorcycieA
ron Ill ana out and now ana unen l,ll
f1guly ana brings ms piece up WILL,
more snap When a great olive drah
car, sntnlng ike yacnt, sndes III,
tne scarlet tap on rne wlndsnlei..
with four white stars signifying the
commander-in-chl
frequently the generals car ap-
proaches unheraIded and so swiftly
tnat the sentrys cry of "Turn on.
the guard" is too late and the com
mander-ln-chief is gone before the
guard can tumble from the guara
! house.
Until last spring General Pershine
made his residence in a large villa
near headquarters. He soon found,
! however, that SO near the workshop
OF the army he could not have the
quiet and lack of intrusion necessary
, to his growing responsibilities and
!, ne removed in May last to a beauti-
.. full chateau about five miles from
town. Here, in a great rambling
castle situated in the Marine valley
: among groves and wide sunlit lawns,
he lived with his personal staff. Con-
; nected by telephone with every di-
, visional, corps and army headquar-
} ters, his own offices in Chaumont
and with Paris, he did his work there
When not with the army.
7 Chaumont itself has become almost
Americanized by the presence of the
Headquarters. It's little hotels are
always crowded with officers. 1t has
been very hospitable to the American
occupation. Nearly every home with
a spare room is thrown open as a
billet for officers and many of the
finest residences have been taken ovel
entirely by the hundreds of messes
Z In many Of them the officers have
ei installed electricity and bath rooms
e and in some cases central heating
: plants and with French servants live
e comfortably, almost luxuriously as
e measured in military terms. Hun,
i dreds less fortunate OF lacking il
O rank take tEeir chances on whatever
s billet may be found in the crowded
e town where bed is always at pre-
= MUM.