The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1918-08-24
OVER 100000
SAMMIES ABROAD
Gen. March Announces Total
Number Americans Now En-
barked for France.
MEN STANDING THE TEST
Chief of Staff Denies Recent
Rumors of Great Unpub-
published Casualties.

| Washington, Aug. 24,-The total
number of soldiers embarked has now
passed the 100000 mark. Gen. March,
chief of staff, announced today.
Commenting upon the military stu
| alton the chief Of staff pointed OUT that
, since last Wednesday the frencp al
vance has continued from the plateau
overlooking Noyon down to the Oise
| river, making a maximum advance
| for these troops of nine miles since
Aug. IS. This has forced the enemy
p, back across the Disc.
| The Frehch success, he said, mas
been duplicated by the British, VINO
inoururatel an attack Wednesday,
south OF Arras. Rapidly advancing,
the British reached depth Of three
miles. but their progress has been held
up by German counter attacks. Inc
railroad to Arras still is In German
hands, according to latest Official ad-
vices and the Germans are utliizing
largely in their defense the railway
embankments.
Developed Salient.
The British thrust thursday In the
Albert region resulted in an important
advance between the Ancre ana the
Somme rivers which. Gen. March sald'
has developed a new salient.
The rest of the line. since Wednes-
day. has been reasonably quiet he said.
the allied activities being confined to
"nibbling" tactics and artillery fire.
Gen. March spoke warmly OF the
achievements of the American soldiers
in France. "The American soldier de-
serves the confidence of the American
people" he said. Every time they
have been tested they have absolutely
delivered the E2a9R,
Every man w e seFyea WIN tne
American troop5~ndS absosute conn
dence in them. he added. citing the
reports made to him personally py
American officers returning from
France to take higher rank in new di-
visions. One of these described an
action in which an American division
captured sixty eight German guns and
brought them back at the rear OF army
trucks. This division at the same time
captured $500 prisoners. Another
American division, in a single action.
took ten complete German batteries
and presented them to Gen. Pershing,
Stories Wholly False.
Gen. March declared that stories Of
great unpublished American casualties
overseas are wholly false, and that all
casualties among the expeditionary
forces are given to the public as
promptly as the cables can transmit
them.
The chief Of staff, without discuss
ing in detail the great allied forward
now under way. said the
situation on the western front now
was decidedly favorable to the allies.
Further improvement in the shipping
situation was noted, and Gen. March
said the program of transporting
troops to France was going ahead
without change.
Nothing From Pershing.
No recent reports have come to the
department from Gen. Pershing re-
Garding progress in the organization
of the First field army. Gen. March
was unable to say whether the Amer
lean divisions forming this army have
been concentrated in. the American
sector
Gen. March said statements he made
recently in hearings before the Mill
tary affairs committee were the results
of cold -blooded military opinion and
were not intended to raise the hopes
of the people. He apparently referred
to his testimony that an army OF
4, ,O0O,O00 Americans could win the war |
next year.