The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-07

JAMES w. McANDREW,
Chief OF staff.
OFFICIAL:
ROBERT q. DAVIS,
Adjutant General
The First division Is also included
in the following citations:
"Tt fills me with pride to record
In general orders a tribute to the
service achievem cnts Of the LIST and
Bird corps, comprising the LIST, End,
8rd, 4th, 26th, 28th. 32nd and AND
divisions Of the American Expedi-
tionary Forces.
You came to the battlefield at
crucial hour for the allied cause. For
almost four years the most formidable
army the world has yet seen mad
pressed its Invasion of France and
stood threatening it's capital. At no
time has that army been more power
fui and menacing than when, on July
Is /, struck again to destroy in one
great battle the brave men opposed
to II and to enforce its brutal will
upon the world and civilization
Three DAYS later, in conjunction
with our allies, you counter attacked
The allied armies gained a brilliant
/ victory that marks the turning point
/ Of the war You did more than give
| the allies the support to which. as a
nation, our faith was pledged. You
| proved that our altruism, our pacific
spirit, and our sense of justice have
| not blunted our virilfty or our cour =
age
You have shown that American
initiative and enUrssy are as fit Tor
4 the tasks OF war as for the pursuits
| Of peace. you have Justly won I'M
| stfnted praise from our allies and the
eternal gratitude Of our countrymen.
we have paid for our success with
, the lives of many OF our brave com
rades We shall cherish their mem
! Org always and claim for our history
/ and literature their bravery. achieve
rnent and sacrifice,
This order will be read to all or
PLANTATIONS at the first assembly
! formation following its receipt.
! "PERSHING."
/ AMERICAN EXP
FORCES
/ General Orders No. 232.
Franco, Dec. 10. 1918.
It is with a sense OF gratitude for
its splendid accomplishrnent. which
1 will live through all history, that |
record in general orders a tribute to
! the victory of the First army In the
/ MtuSe~AJEp uUe pdttic-
Tested and strengthened by the re-
duction of the st. Mihia salient, for
more than six weeks you battered
/ against the pivot of the enemy line on
! the western front 1t was a position
! OF imposing natural strength. stretch
I ing on both sides OF the Mouse river
! from the bitterly contested Aills OF
! Verdun to the almost impenetrable
: forest OF the Argonne: position,
moreover, fortified by four years OF
labor designed to render IL irnpreg
I nable; position held with the fullest
resources OF the enemy This position
YOU broke utterly, and thereby hasten
ed the collapse of the enemy's mill
/ tary power.
Soldiers Of all the divisions engaged
under the First, Third and Fifth
American corps and the Second
/ Colonial and Seventeenth French
I corps--the list. End. 3rd, 4th, 5th
goth. 2sth, 2sth, 32nd. ssrd, s5th'
/ 37th, 42nd, 18th, 7sth 18th. S0th,
| s1st s2nd, seth, goth and Dist Ameri-
can divisions the 18th and 26th
French divisions, and the 10th and
! 5th French Colonial divisions-you
| will be long remem bered for the stub
/ born persistence of your progress,
your storrning of ohstinateiy defend
| ed machine gun nests. your penetra-
! ton. yard by yard, Of woods and
ravines. your heroic resistance In the
] face Of counter attacks supported by
powerful artillery fire. For more than
"a month from the initial attack of
September &c, you fought your way
slowly through the Argonne. Through
the woods and over hills west of the
! Meuse TO the east, and then, on the
! lst Of November, your attack forced
the enemy into flight Pressing his
retreat, you cleared the entire left
! bank Of the Meuse, south of Sedan,
and then stormed the heights on the
! right bank and drove him into the
plain beyond.
Soldiers OF all army and corps
troops engaged--to you no loss Of