The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-04-01
$500 MISSING !. ].
GENERAL PER;SH|I|NIC
Total Compares With England's 161,-
500; Frances s0,o0o-Access to
Prison Camp Sites in Germany
Leads to Many American

washington, March Z1.-General
Pershing reported to the War De-
partment today that there are still
$500 officers and men of the expedi-
tionary forces listed as missing. This
total compares with the British Off
cial figures of 1e1,soO missing and
the French of 100000. ..s. -.
All of the $500 names have been
reported as. missing" in casualty
lists already published, the report
said. Re-interments of bodies from
isolated graves in the centralized
cemeteries is furnishing additional
Identification in a number of cases,
and for this reason the records Of the
grave registration service are being
carefully studied. = r.
Re-examination of grave. registra-
tion reports, and also Of hospital rec
.ords, referred to by Gen. Pershing,
was said by officials at the War De
4! partment to explain the 'killed in ae-
tion" and! wounded in action casu-
alties still appearing in the4 daily
casualty lists sent out by the depart
ment. ..,j-.,>, ..s..,.
The British war office, Gen. Per
shing's report said, had adopted the
policy of considering twenty-six
weeks in the case of an officer and
thirty weeks for an enlisted man as
the length of time after the. man had
been recorded as missing before
death is presumed, In the French
army, he said, hs' definite period had
been fixed. . :.
-"No accurate estimate of unreport-
ed deaths can be given, said Gen.
Pershing's report. "There are, how
ever, $500 missing to be accounted
for, all of whom have been reported
to Washington. as missing. Renter
ment of bodies removed from isolated
graves to centralized cemeteries is
furnishing additional identification
of deaths hitherto reported as miss
ing. This is especially true Of re-
burials of bodies originally buried
by Allied units to, which American
troops were attached, identifications
being either incomplete or imperfect
ly. registered at interment. >.
"Deaths Of American soldiers in
French hospitals, Of which only mea.
gre and often incorrect records on
file, are likewise disclosed by reburi-
al of these. bodies, resulting in COM
plete Identification. Access to sites
of prison camps in Germany and to
territory formerly within enemy lies
is'leading to discovery of many Am
erican' graves and Identification Of
casualties previously reported as
missing.
each company or other unit of
the American expeditionary force
have heretofore been furnished a
complete list of officers and men car,
ried as missing up to February 1. All
units are required to display such
! list in places accessible to members
of command for the purpose Of Sc
curing casualty information from ev,
cry possible source. This expedient
is resulting in locating hitherto un,
known graves and Identification show.
ing present status and whereabouts
of many battle casualties.
consideration should be given tc
the fact that methods of'warfare as
we'll as the extent of terrain fought
over lent exceptional difficulties tc
discovery and burial of dead. Buria,
parties frequently completed theil
mission under heavy fire and otter
could only be done under cover Of
darkness, thus making Identification
difficult and often impossible. ,Rebu
rials are now furnishing means Of
Identification in a great,~majo ajority- Of
such cases. For this reason grave
registration and chaplain reports are
! being again investigated. A small
percentage of such reports ,sinvesti
gated are proving to be cases of Am
ss1iea i dead prey pnf i & ftepssfa q
such. As rapidly as Identification