Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1919-09-08
PERsHINc's PLACE IN HISTORY.

With the arrival home today of General Pershin
for the first time since he preceded the American troop
to France two years ago, the question is put as t.
what judgment is to be placed upon his services a
leader of the American Expedtionary Forces.
In such it would be easy to let patriotic emo
ton make the decision, suggests contemporary Eas!
but unsatisfactory.
In the first place it is we'll to recognize frank!
the fact it is pointed out that the war did not las
long enough to disclose Pershings real capacity as
military leader The bulk of competent military opin
ion around the War Department in Washington is thai
Pershing showed wonderfully WE'LL that he hit the
fundamental problems right with bull dog grit, and il
the had lasted another year he would have beer
the first military figure in Europe
= - In contrast with this, however, must be set the
French and British view, which holds that while ST. Nj
hiel well handled the technical management Of
the Argonne drive left much to be desired-that toe
many divisions were employed that they got in each
others way, that there needless confusion anc
that communications 50 badly maintained there
could be orderly direction of the movement
1t should be recalled, however that this criticism
was based four years of training and that in the
early part of the the British particular made
the plumbers on a big scale
In the Argonne Pershing got his first real lessons
in modern war Whatever mistakes were made were
retrieved by the splendid fighting ability of the Amer
an doughboy directed by the tenacity and driving
force of the COMMUNICATIVE
Impartial opinion seems likely to hold that the OPP
portunity not afforded Pershing to demonstrate
whether he possessed these qualities of generashp thai
would have placed him with the great captains of his
tory-with Napoleon, Grant, Lee and Foch.
In other directions, however, his capacity as big
far-sighted man. and a remarkable executive, was
amply proved. His early fundamental decisions were
right. He grasped the problem far better than the
administration at home. At time when SECRETARY
Baker trying to quiet dissatisfied senators by tell
ing them there occasion for haste and VIZ
should have little to do in France, Pershng was or
eanizing for an army of or 8 million men
He backed the desire of Ciemenceau and Lloyc
George for a unified command The story is told tina
when he urged this at dinner early in the war some
protested But general, where will you COM
n?" And Pershng answered that where he came il
didn't matter. He was willing to fight as private i
necessary for victory and victory was not to be ha
without unified command.
When the United States first entered the war tn
French urged that the Americans be used as replace
ment troops for the French under command of Frenc
higher officers The argument was plausible. Tn
command of troops is highly technical matter. TIL
French had plenty of skilled officers They insiste
these officers could handle our troops far more eec
lively than could handle them ourselves
But Pershing had better understanding tina
Joffre or Foch of the psychology of the American so
der He knew the doughboy would not get on we
under foreign officers and he believed that on tn
whole better results would come from building up
distinctly American force Experience indicated tn,
our lighting efficiency would have been much impare
had we acquiesced in the French opinion
Again, the foreign advice was to train Amer
soldiers for trench warfare and our training pal
laid this basis Pershing upset these plans al
directed the training to be for open warfare In OF
words he trained for victory and not for stalema
fer he took the position that the war could be W,
rot in the trenches but only in the open
Finally he had the courage and the judgment
ta,e chance on ending the war in 1918 by putting
American troops only partly trained and without t
equipment trey would have had the next spring T
details of how this question was arrived at are n
known. But eviGen,ly Pershng could have blocked
If he had 50 desireI. Caution and prudence dictat