The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-01-28

Little City, Picked for Pershing's
Headquarters, Is Now
Americanized.
hotels ALWAYS CROWDED

alsnryins Officers Everywhere While
NHar Was on-Pershing Lived in
CastIe-Founded on Place Of
Strategic Value.
Chaumont, France.-This little city
Of the Haute Marne is the home OF
the general headquarters Of the Amer
lean expeditionary forces.
Here lives the commander in chief,
and in the buildings of the French gar
rison are housed the officers Of the
general staff and all the auxiliary Or
ganizations that go with 1.-THE nerve
center of the army. A city Of normally
about 1900 inhabitants Chaumont lies
on the Eastern railway lines, 1853 miles
east of Paris. 1t was formerly the
capital of Bassigny, and is now the
capital of the department Of the
Haute Marne.
Like most of the older cities OF
France, Chaumont seems to have been
founded on site of strategic value. 1t
crowns high plateau between the
Marne and the Suize, and from the
walls and towers of the old city is
wonderful view of the valley of the
Marne, the river here being hardly as
wide as the Marne canal that flows be.
side it between it's poplar-bordered
banks. Northward over the narrow
vale of the Suize the view takes in
wide sweep of rolling, forest-crowned
hills.
Removed From Paris.
General headquarters was removed
from Paris here in September of last
year, Chaumont being selected after
careful search of available locations
1t lies in the center of what was the
American training area, every camp
as well as tie Toul sector, in which
the American forces first saw battle,
and all the lines from Toul eastward,
where we were located, being within
reach by motor.
The French post occupied as head.
quarter Offices is typical Of French
garrisons. Three long, four-story red
tile-roofed barracks form three sides
of a great quadrangle facing wide
avenue. A group of lesser buildings
and the customary iron fence and or
snamental gates in the remaining boun'
diary. On both gate posts fly the Tri'
color and the Stars and Stripes.
Sentries pace their posts on every
hand, the quadrangleis filed with hur.
rying officers and orderlies and clerks.
hands flash in salute, bugles give thei1
almost hourly calls for the various mil.
itary events and periods of the day
s=staf cars and motorcycles roll in ano
-out and now and then the sentry at
the gate stiffens even more rigidly ano
brings his piece up with more snap
when a great olive drab car, shining
like a yacht slides in, the scarlet tai
ION the windshield with four white
stars signifying the commander il
chief.
Car Often Unheralded.
Frequently tie generals car ap'
proaches unheralded and so swiftly
that the sentry's cry of Turn out the
guard is too late and the commander
in chief is gone before the guard car
tumble from the guardhouse.
Until last spring General Pershine
made his residence in a large villa
near headquarters. He soon found
however, that so near the workshop OF
the army he could not have the quiet
and lack of intrusion necessary to his
growing responsibilities, and he moved
an May last to a beautiful chateau
about five miles from the town. Here,
an a great rambling castle, situated in
the Marne valley among groves ane
wide sunlit lawns, he lived with his
personal staff. Connected by tele.
phone with every divisional corps ano
army headquarters, his own Offices in
Chaumont, and with Paris, he did his
:, work there when not with the army.
~Chaumont itself has become almost
s,Americanized by the presence of the
headquarters. It's little hotels are al
ways crowded with officers. 1t has
been very hospitable to the American
occupation. Nearly every home with
"a spare room is thrown open as a bill
let for officers and many of the finest
residences have been taken over en-.
.tirely by the hundreds Of messes. In
: many of them the officers have install.
, ed electricity and bathrooms, and il
F; some cases central heating plants, ano
with French servants, live c0mforta.
bly,, almost luxuriously as measured in
: military terms. Hundreds less fertu-
nate or lacking in rank take their
chances on whatever billet may be
found in the crowded town, where 8
bed is always at premium.