Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1919-12-27
IBy JAMES ~ HoRNADAY.1

z ttfiW ashtngtons--A sort or primer on
the world war, a summary that may be
used in public schools has been com
piled by the war department. 1t shows
that two out Of every three American
b soldiers who reached France took part
in battle. The number. who reached
France was 2.O84.000, and Of these
Z 1890, 900 saw active Service III the
ldIfroRt line American. combat forces
were organized into divisions! which
consisted of some $4,000 officers and
men. These were the largest on the
4 western front, since the British divi7
sion numbered, ABOUT $4,000 and those
'of the French and Germans about H.
Z 1000 each There were seat overseas AZ
American divisions rand several hun
4 dred thousand supplementary. artillery
and service Of supply troops. OF the
~ divisions that reached France %
took part In active combat service,
while the others. were used for re
iplacemehts or were just arriving dur
ing the last month of hostilities.
3YEhalbsttie record Of the United States
army in, this war is largely the his
tory OF these 20 combat divisions. Sew
en- Of them were regular army divi-
isions, IL were organized from the ma
itional guard, and IL were made up Of
national army troops
American combat divisions were in
battle for 200 days. from the 25th Of
April 1918, when the first regular divi-
sion, after long training in quiet sec.
tors, entered an active sector on the
Picardy front, until the signing Of the
armistice. During these 200 days they
were engaged in Is major operations,
Of which il were joint enterprises
with the French, British and Italians,
and two we're dlstinctively American.
ln Thirteen Major Operations.
American troops saw service on
practically every stretch of the west.
ern front from British lines In Bel
GUM to inactive sectors in the Vos-
yes. On October q, 1917, Americans
entered the line in the quiet Toul sec
tor. From that date to the armistice
American units were somewhere In
line almost continuously. It is difficult
to cut up the year and % days which
tntervened into well-defined battles,
for IL a sense the entire war on the
western front was a single battle. 1t
is possible, however, to distinguish GER
tain major operations or phases of
the greater struggle.
Thirteen such operations have been
recognized In which American units
were engaged, of which u took place
In the western front and one in Italy.
Battle clasps will be awarded to the
officers and men who participated in
these engagements. These battles and
the number OF Americans engaged are
as follows Somme, March p to April
8. 200 men engaged; Lys, April 8
to q, 500 men engaged; Aisne, May
q to June 8, 27,5OO men engaged /;
Noyon-Montdidier June to Is, 27,O0O
men engaged Champagne Marine, July
Is to is, $4,000 men engaged; Aisne-
Marine, July IS to August 6, 100000
men engaged; Somme, August 8 to
November IL, $4,000 men engaged /;
Ypres-Lys, August 10 to November H.
10000 men engaged; st. Mihiel Sep
tember 70 to 16, 100000 men engaged;
Meuse-Argonne, September 20 to Nov
ember II. 100000 men engaged, and
Vittoria-Veneto, October "a to Novem-
Der A. 1920 men engaged.
Census Machinery Ready.
The 10000 men and women who
are to begin taking the decennial
census Thursday. January i, are
now receiving final instructions from
the district supervisors throughout
the country. The government has
been hard pressed to obtain the serv-
ices Of well-equipped enumerators in
some sections OF the country, but the
force is now practically complete. The
enumerators who win enter on their
dulles January win have only their
weeks to complete the work laid out
for them where their field is in city
or large town. and 80 days where their
Held Of operations Is In the country.
The country enumerators will have
more time in which to do their work,
because IL addition to counting the
people they gather agricultural statis-
tics. One Of the reasons for changing
the date for beginning the census from
April to January ! is that the farm
ers are usually busy IN the early
spring. The government assumes that
during the month OF January its emu
merators win hnd the average farmer
at leisure and In position to supply
the information the government will
desire Of him without interfering with
bis duties
The department Of agriculture Is act
Ing IA an advisory capacity and as
sisting the bureau Of the census ia nc
qualnting farmers with what viii be
expected of them when the enumera-
tofs call Alteration has been called
50 the fact that considerable figuring
ana counting WIN have 10 Be done III
order @ answer accurately and fully
me questions which WIN Be submitted
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