The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1919-05-28
D|CKMAN HEAD OF
IMPORTANT BOARD
APPOINTED TO CONSIDER WARS
LESSONS CONCERNING ORGAN.
IZATiON AND TACTICS.
HIS FINE RECORD ABROAD
Commanded Third Division on the
Marine, First Corps in the Desperate
Araonne Forest Fighting, and Then
Army Of Occupation.
ev EDWARD 3. CLARK.

NiHy W SSSNf0ssS"
By EDWARD 3. CLARK.
Washington.-Maj. Gen. Joseph T.
Dickman has been appointed president
Of a board which will meet In Chau-
mont. France, to consider lessons
learned from the war in so far as they
concern tactics and organization.
Prior to the outbreak Of war, any
American army board with anything
Of importance to consider was certain
to have Joseph T. Dlckman as one OF
its members. War department authori-
ties always insisted on Dickman, and
Dickman always responded. Now this
Ohio soldier has the presidency of the
most important board convened for
many years.
General Dickman has been in com.
mand of the army of occupation in
Germany. He is succeeded in that
command by Lieut.. Gen. Hunter Lig-
gett. Just prior to taking command
Of the army of occupation General
Dickman was in command of the First
corps, fighting in the Argonne.
No one has been allowed to know
much about the work of our army
officers in France. All Of the ranking
officers doubtless deserve columns OF
space for the detailing Of the deeds
which they did when driving the Huns
back from their advanced positions in
France, but the exigencies Of warfare
or something else prevented the proper
blazoning Of the fighting qualities and
battling accomplishments of these
men.
Dickman's Division at the Marine.
One can write only concerning those
of whom he knoSvs something at first
hand. Dickman has been appointed
president Of high military board and
Of Dickman's deeds l know something
personally, for l was attached to his
headquarters during the closing days
OF the war.
In General Pershing's report to the
secretary Of War, dated November 20
1918, this paragraph occurs:
THE Third division was holding the
bank Of the Marine from the bend east
Of the mouth Of the Surmelin to the
west Of Mezy, opposite Chateau-Thier
~, where large forces Of German in:
fantry sought to force a passage I'm.
der support Of powerful artillery con
centrations and under cover Of smoke
screens. A single regiment of the
Third wrote one Of the most brilliant
pages in our military annals on this
occasion. 1t prevented the crossing
at certain points on it's front, while OF
either flank the Germans who hac
gained a footing pressed onward. OuI
men fired in three directions, met the
German attacks with counter-attacks
at critical points and succeeded IL
throwing two German divisions into
complete confusion. capturing 6W
prisoners"
Joseph T. Dickman was in command
of the Third division on this occasion
In fact, most military men give the
high honor Of driving the Germans
back across the Marine, and Of saving
the situation, to Dickman's troops.
The Third pursued the enemy across
the Marne, took the heights Of Mont
st. Pere and the villages Of Charteves
and Jaulgonne in the face Of the heav-
lest machine gun and artillery fire, ane
from there 1t advanced into ROncheres
wood.
St. Mihiel and the Aruonne.
General Dickman was ordered to thu
st. Mihiel section, where he took com
mand of the Third corps, comprising
the First, the FOrty-secOnd and the
Eighty-ninth divisions. There the
American troops drove the Germans
from the salient. took $4,000 prisoners
and 443 guns. captured an enormous
quantity Of material. released the in
habitants Of many villages and es
tablfshed our lines in a position te
threaten Metz.
In the Argonne forest, when the
commander of the First corps was
promoted to the command Of an army
General Dickman succeeded him. Fol
weeks Of unceasing anxiety, unceasine
fighting and unceasing mastery. Inc
First corps under Dickman drove
through the hardest parts of the Ar
come forest, never for an instant fall
ing to make the offensive at every
A day or two before the armistice
went into effect, a day when l was
with General Dickman at his head
quarters, he said to me:
'This fighting is a little different
from that of which you and l knew
something on the border q quarter
Of a century ago."
Yes, there was a difference. II
seemed almost impossible to realize
that this general fighting one OF the
hardest battles Of the war was the
young first lieutenant whom l had
known years before when he was chas.
ing renegades in and out Of the chap
arral in the borderland Of Texas.
I know something Of General Dick.
,,cc,c xx,Dvly In tho 6o1d wa1 with