Evening star., 1919-05-11
NWO events apparently Of little
relation to each other have con-
tributed in no small degree to

Il
the success of the American
expeditionary force. One was the fuss
on the Merican border in 1916 and the
other was the birth in the city of
Washington away back in June. 1867.
of little chap whom his parents
named Harry L." In that peaceful
expedition to the border Army men
learned in practical way many
things military that they had not
known before; and in the meantime
Harry L." had grown to be Col.
Harry l.. Rogers supply officer Of the
Southern Division. and later to be
made quartermaster general of the
A. E. f., where he fed and clothed
Gen. Pershing's army.
Gen. Rogers was educated at the
Boston Tech" and entered the Army
as so many others did who have dis
tinguished themselves in the present
war, through the door opened to them
at the time OF the Spanish American
war. Entering the Quartermaster
Corps. he showed a genius for organi-
cation, and that is why he early came
to the front The border fuss gave
him the opportunity. There he had to
find transportation, supplies Of food
and clothing for the entire expedition,
and there lie made, perhaps uncon-
sciously, the inventory of the qualities
of the supply officers of the Army. His
job there was pronounced the biggest
thing Of the kind done in the Army
since the civil war. BY way of conf
pairing that undertaking with his war
job. observe that the number of quar-
termaster officers and men under his
command in France exceeded the total
number of troops under Gen. Pershing
al the border.
* x X X
Another thing that connects Cen.
Rogers and the Mexican border is that
while he was there in charge OF the
supply of the troops the commanding
officer of that expedition. Brig. Gen.
Pershing observed his way OF getting
results
Now, Gen, Pershing when appointed
to command the American forces in
France had the selection OF the little
band Of officers upon which he must de-
pend to form new and improvised
organization for the Army to be created
and placed under his charge. There
was no general staff on the other side.
and the Army could not be created
without one. so the creation OF a war
organization was up to PerShing.
men had reached the other side. and
they were only there to show to the
hard pressed allies that their old Uncle
Samuel had shaken Off his two years
slunber and was really to "set about
doing something he didn't
know exactly what. 1t Is almost inn
possible to visualize the situation OF
Gen. Pershing at that time He was
5000 miles from his base OF supplies.
The War Department was disorganized
rather it had not yet organized. The
country. which had been OH a strictly
peaceful basis. had not bogun to con-
tribute war supplies to the great Army
to be. Except In the peac0ul Mexican
expedition Gen. Pershing aAd his staff
had never seen complete United States
division OF troops. Yet THEY suddenly
found themselves the organizing center
of any army destined to approximate
2,00O 900 Of men to enter combat along
side seasoned veterans OF France and
England and against the highly organ
lied forces of the Hun.
Undoubtedly Gen. Pershing's mind ran
over his difficulties and re knew that he
must find many American officers able
to conquer any and all obstacles in their
way One of the great obstacles was
need Of food, clothing, fuel and trans
portation. 1t is not singular that in
going over the list of available men
memory called before his mind the pic
ture Of the officer who had supplied the
little army down in Texas and New
Mexico. Col. Harry l.. Rogers
Then a coded message told Washing
ton that Pershing wanted Rogers-Rog-
srs down in the Southern Department
Rogers who had been with him down on
the border
SO an order was flashed over the
wire directing in formal language
that Col Rogers proceed to Paris
with all dispatch and there report to
Pershing for further orders He took
tho next steamer and when he