The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-01-27

10 counter ~abJdck, Inese statements
have been attributed to both Major Gen
| eral Robert L. Billiard and to Major Gen
eral Omar Bundy. Some observers have
regarded this incident as the turning
point of the war. From that time the
Americans advanced. The victory of
Chateau Thierry followed and thereafter
the German army retreated
Vice Admiral William S. Sims, COM
manding the American naval forces in
European waters, was asked when the
first Yankee warships arrived in England
early in May, 1917, when viii you be
ready for business :" He replied, 1--WE
can start at once. we made our prep
arations on the way over"
There was a dramatic moment, great
crisis in the worlds history when General
Pershing placed the American army I'M
der the command of the then General
Foch, who had just been made comman-
der of all the allied forces, but none of
the phrases that General Pershing used
were widely quoted as epigrammatic. One
which might so have been selected was
the words, "All that we have are yours.
Dispose of them as you viii"
The retort of Major Charles Whittle-
sey, commander of the lost battalion" Of
the American army in the Argonne for
est, when the Germans surrounded his
isolated command and their commander
demanded its surrender was one of the
wars historic phrases. go to hell" he
replied
The first great battle of the war, the
battle that stopped the Germans at the
Marine, elected from the lips Of Marshal
Jotfre the historic words: "The hour has
come to advance at all costs; to die
where you stand rather than to give
way"
General, afterward Marshal, Petain, in.
spired his weary troops at Verdun by an
order of the day concluding with the
words: Courage, we will get them"
General Foch, commanding the French
army in the first battle of the Marine,
had been almost overwhelmed by the on
ward sweep of the German forces. In a
memorable message to Joffre he said
My right is crushed. My left is in re.
treat. ! am attacking with my center. {"
He did attack and drove a wedge through
the German lines that started their re-
treat to the Aisne. The people of Paris
were stunned by the rapidity with which
the Germans advanced in their first rush
toward the French capital. The railway
stations were besieged but the great ma.
jority of the people knew they must re-
main. In this tragic moment General
Gallieni, military commander of the CITY,
inspired confidence and cheered the faint
hearted with his watchword, "Jusqua
bout" or ''To the very end The popu.
lace took up the cry and Gallieni, with
his army, played a signal part in hurl.
ing back the legions of Won Kluck at the
Marine.
No less inspiring but born of less trag.
ic circumstances was the saying of Cen
eral Gouraud, who upon entering Strass-
burg, after the liberation of Alsace and
Lorraine, declared, THE day of glory has
come"
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, com
mander-in- chief of the British armies in
France, gave utteranee to an appeal in
addressing his soldiers which stirred a
responsive chord in the hearts of the al
lied peoples throughout the world. For
three weeks the enemy had battered the
French lines in desperate effort to sep
arate them from the French and drive
through to the channel ports. Day after
day the British had been driven back.
On April ID, 1918, Marshal Haig called
upon his men for one last effort. Every
position must be held to the last man"
he ordered. "There must be no retire
ment With our backs to the wall and
believing in the justice Of our cause,
every one of us must fight to the end"
When Vice Admiral Sir Rosslyn
/ Wemyss went to tell the German com
mander of the naval terms of the armi-
stice one of the Teuton admirals said.
at is inadmissable that our fleet should
be given up without having been beaten. &"
ut had only to come out" was the Ia.
comic retort of Admiral Wemyss.
| Later when the surrendering German
warships were escorted by the British
fleet into British waters, Vice Admiral
Beatty's historic signal, after the enemy
feet had been moored, read: THE Ger.
man flag is to be hauled down at 1857
and is not to be hoisted again without
permission"
Premier Venizelos, spurning the Ger
man ambassadors invitation to side with
the central powers, when Monastir and A
part of Serbia were offered to Greece as
a German bride, replied; You ask me to
I dishonor my signature, to dishonor my
country and to violate its obligations to-
wards Serbia, and as remuneration, YOU
offer me part Of the corpse of that which
| am expected to kill My country, sir,