The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-02-04
CHAUMONT LIVELY
AS ARMY CENTER
Little City, Picked for Pershing's
Headquarters, Is Now
Americanized.
HOTELS ALWAYS CROWDED
Hurrying Officers Everywhere While
War Was on-Pershing Lived In
castIe-Founded on Place Of
Strategic Value.

L
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
CARNATIONS that go with 1.-THE nerve
center of the army. A city Of normally
about $4,000 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
Marine and the Suize, and from the
walls and towers of the old city is q
wonderful view Of the valley of the
Marine, the river here being hardly as
wide as the Marine canal that flows be-
side it between it's poplar-bordered
banks. Northward over the narrow
vale of the Suize the view takes in a
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 a
careful search of available locations.
It lies in the center of what was the
American training area, every camp,
as well as the 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 a wide
avenue. A group Of lesser buildings
and the customary iron fence and or.
namental gates in the remaining boun-
dairy. On both gate posts, fly the Tri-
color and the Stars and Stripes.
Sentries pace their posts on every
hand. the quadrangle is filled with hur.
rying officers and orderlies and clerks,
hands fash In salute, bugles give their
almost hourly calls for the various mil.
itary events and periods of the day.
STAFF cars and motorcycles roll in and
out and now, and then the sentry at
the gate stiffens even more rigidly and
brings his piece up with more snap
when great olive drab car, shining
like yacht slides in, the scarlet tab
on the windshield with four white
stars signifying the commander in
chief.
Car OFTEN Unheralded.
Frequently the generals car ap-
proaches unheralded and so swiftly |
that the sentry's cry Of ''rurn out the
guard" is too late and the commander |
In chief is gone before the guard can
tumble from the guardhouse. |
Until last spring General Pershing
made his residence In q 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
In May last to a beautiful chateau
about i've miles from the town. Here,
10 a great rambling castle, situated in
The Marne valley among groves and
vide sunlit lawns, he lived with his
personal staff. Connected by tele-
phone with every divisional corps and
lrmy headquarters, his own Offices in
and with Paris, he did his
work there when not with the army.
Chaumont itself has become almost
by the presence Of the
Its little hotels are al
Ways crowded with officers. It has
'een very hospitable to the American
Nearly every home with
! spare room is thrown open as a bill
ct for officers and many Of the finest
esidences have been taken over en-
irely BY the hundreds Of messes. In
lany Of them the. officers have install
d electricity and bathrooms, and In ,
ONE cases central heating plants. and ,
nth French servants. live comforts
", almost luxuriously as measured in
lilitary terms. Hundreds less fortu-
ate or lacking in rank take their ,
hances on whatever billet may be ,
ound In the crowded town. where q !
ed Is always at premium. Ia
UNERAL PLANS IN WILL !