New-York tribune., 1919-12-27

OUR GREATEST BATTLE By Frederick
Palmer. Dodd Mead & Co. New York.
WADE IN SANITARY. BY Richard Derby.
q. z. Putnam's Sons. New York.
AMERICAS RACE TO VICTORY BY E.
Requin. Frederick A. Stokes Company
New York.
THE STORY OF THE GREAT WAR. By
Roland c. Usher. The Macmillan Com
pany, New York.
Mr.. Coningsby Dawson recently COM
planned that publishers are now refus-
ing to publish books dealing with. the
war. regardless of their merit, on the
assumption that the reading public is
stated with works or this type. Mr.
Dawson's complaint is scarcely war
ranted in the light OF the facts. War
books of all kinds are still appearing
almost as plentiful as in the days when
we read the daily communicates from
the Western front. More writer's are
now considering the war in it's Jroad
historical aspects; and there is perhaps
a falling off in the stories of personal
adventure which derived much of their
interest and appeal from the actual
presence and reality of the world con-
f1ict. But any man who has something
I,
who knows how to tell it, may be con-
tident OF receiving very fair considera-
tion from publishers and readers alike.
Frederick Palmer may be called the
dean of American war CORE spondents.
Theodore Roosevelt once said of him
that he had seen more war than any
other living American writer. He de-
scribed the Russo-Japanese War, the
largest international conflict since 1871,
in with Kuroki in Manchuria." Since
1914 he has been close observer Of
Allied strategy and has spent much of
his time on the Western front AS a
staff he enjoyed ample facilities for
moving about among the various divi-
sions of the American army and study
ing their work both as individual units
and as component parts of a great mill
tary machine.
AS result of the authors excep-
tional qualifications and opportunities
for close observation, "Our Greatest
Battle" stands out as the most eX-
haustive, thoroughgoing and accurate
account of the Argonne Meuse often
sive that can be gained anywhere out
side of the official military reports.
And Mr.. Palmer's work is altoge her
free from the technical phraseology
N!liCu lli liSlllSuS IHC dNC1d6C Aoy AAAe' II
away from these original sources OF
military information. 1t is a strongly
written, vivid and intensely human
account of the experiences of the
American troops from the time they
went over the top on September 26
until the enemy surrendered on No
vember H. The work of the several
divisions is reviewed in detail; any
one who is interested in the men from
Wisconsin, or from Oregon, or from
New York, can learn just where they
fought and what contribution they
made to the final victory.
By concentrating his attention upon
single battle the author is able to
cram an immense amount of detail
into his six hundred pages. At the
same time he does not lose sight OF
the general characteristics of the cam
paign. He points out that the gigantic
offensive was an Improvisation rather
than a long preconceived plan. that the
original design of outstanding the
American strength for 1919 was only
modified in September, when it became
evident that the German lines were
cracking and that there was an excel
lent prospect of bringing the war to g
conclusion before winter. Irrespective
of humanitarian considerations, Mr.