The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-07-21
FULLY 100000
i, s, MEN ARE NOW
ON OR NEAR FRONT
March Says Maximum
Penetration of Amer
cans Was 10 Miles.
BREATHES VICTORY
States That National
Guards Are Fighting
Side By Side With
the Regulars.
BREATHES VICTORY

Washington, July Go n a
Narch's weekly statement on the war
to-day was one of victory. The Franco
American counter of1ensiVe, which
took Rheims out of jeopardy, was
:along a front of twenty two miles, he
said The maximum penetration of
our troops was ten miles the average
was seven. The fall of scissors Is eX-
pected momentarily.
Approximately. 10000 American
troops, or six divisions. swept forward
along this front, In each division, he
explained. were about $4,000 fighting
men. A full division. including nom
com batants. numbers $4,000 men.
The six divisions were the First.
Second, Third and Fourth-regular
army-and the Twenty sixth and
Twentyei ghth-national guard.
American artillery is now lombard
ing Scissors and the lighting along
the entire line is developing in in
tensity. The capture of about 1900
prisoners and $50 guns as announced
in press dispatches. is approximately
correct
And in addition 10 all this good
news. the chief of staff announced that
the number of American troops now
In France or em barked for there had
exceeded the 100000 mark
| The general announced that a regt-
ment of coiored troops were engaged
in the present counter offensive along
with the six divisions that make up
the first army corps.
He also made known that the I'LL
nois national guard troops under com
mand OF Major General George Bell.
Jr.. who were trained at Camp Logan,
Houston. Texas, have lately been in
the thick of the fighting, though at
another point in the line. They were
the men who y short time ago went
over the top with Australian troops
in n successful advance, he said. They
are now In an English training sec
tor.
In his resume of the weeks fghting
the general declared that the scene
of fighting had shifted from the Ital-
ian to the French front, where the
enemy last Monday began an offensive
along a sixty mile front.
Brought to Standstili.
Along the Marine the Hun penetrat-
ed from four to FIVE miles between
Chateau-Thierry and Rheims, but this
movement. according to the general,
has been brought to a standstill.
The object of the entire German at
tack, said the general, was not so
Iluth Stlth Low IN a1 iS vi h1lN
channel ports as II was to apply the
nut-cracker m v m n toward
Rheims One OF the chief reasons
Rheims has not fallen is because of
its Notifications. II Is so well organ
ICED for defense. according to the gen.
eral, that It could put UP "house-to-
house resistance" Another reason 1t
has not fallen has been the brilliant
counter offensive by Foch. who has
rendered one arm OF the nut-cracker
incapable.
Franco-American artillery, he said,
now dominate the railroads that are
essential to supply the Germans In
the vicinity OF Scissors.
General March paid a high tribute
to General Gouraud. the French COM
mander in charge of the Champagne
district. II any one deserves the term
battle SCARED veteran" it is Gou
raud. He has been wounded Ave times
and has lost one arm in battle during
the war The French call him Tres
soldat," which means every inch a
soldier" and he possesses a magnet
ism and spirit, according to General
March, which makes men happy to
die for him.
In answer to questions. General
March said that the seventy-seventh
division of the national army. which
was trained at Camp Dix, is now In
the line of action at a post near Lune-
Vile. 1t is under its own commander
The Seventy-eighth division. he also
explained. has a large number of New
Jersey selects in addition to the Della
ware and New York state selects.
Thus far the war department has
received no information as to the
number of casualties among the
Americans as result Of the offensive.