Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1919-02-14
FAMOUS SAYINGS
OF THE GREAT WAR

terse epigrams, or laconic statements. |
four years of fighting 1t appears that
the majority OF these grew out of
tense crisis nj battles, or naked his
toric moments when the fate of ma
tions hung in the balance.
Take for example the slogan,
They shall not pass" During the
tremendous lighting in front of Yer
dun when the Germans made their
great desperate drive to break thru
the French battle lines in 1916 this
the French soldiers gathered there
in a long-drawn battle to check the
terrific onslaught of the Germans.
How 1t originated is not clear. Some
have attributed 1t to Marshal Joffre.
others to Marshal Petain, who was in
command of the French lighting for
ces at Verdun. Others believe the
saying originated with the men in the
ranks. At any event they adopted 1t
and for months while the Germans
vainly threw their battaIions upon
the stubbornly defended forts around
the French city. the saying. They
shall not pass" became the watch
word at Verdun. And they did not
! pass.
To Americans the sententious ut
terance of General Pershing when he
placed a wreath on the tomb Of La
fayette in the Picpus cemetery in
Paris conveyed significance and an
inspiration. Lafayette, we are
here" was all he said but to the
American as well as to the French
man it was better than oratory. 1t
meant to the American, I'VE are here
for business and our business is to
fight" 1t thrilled the hearts Of Gem
era1 Pershing's people at home and
the modesty of 1t filed them with a
glow Of satisfaction.
Another dramatic phrase which
\ stirred the patriotism Of the Ameri-
can people was that attributed to an
American commander at Chateau
Thierry when he responded to the ad-
vice of French commanders to re-
treat by declaring: THE American
flag has been compelled to retire.
This is uncomfortable. We are going to
!, counterattack." These statements
!, have been attributed to both Major
General Robert L. Billiard and to Ma
:. jor General Omar Bundy. Some OBJ
= servors have regarded this incident
. &c ha ,f,,ny -, -
that time the Americans advanced.
:. The victory at Chateau .Thierry fol
lowed and thereafter the German ar
/. my retreated.
Vice-Admiral William S. Sims com
= handing the American naval forces
I in European waters was asked when
4 the first Yankee warships arrived in
, England early in May, 1917, when
# will you be ready for business?" He
o replied, I'VE can start at once. We
made our preparation on the way
:. over"
That was a dramatic moment, a
great crisis in the worlds history
when General Pershing placed the
American army under the command
of the then General Fooch who had
just been made commander of all the
allied forces, but none of the phrases
that General Pershing used were
widely quoted as epigramatic. One
which might SO have been selected
was the words. "All that we have are
= yours. Dispose of them as you will.
The retort of Major Charles Whit
tlesey, commander of the lost bat
TALON" of the American army in tn,
'e Argonne Forest when the Germans
u surrounded his isolated command anC
their commander demanded its sur
render was one of the wars historic
Is pharases. Go to hell" he replied.
~ The first great battle of the war
= the battle that stopped the German
at the Marine elected from the lips o
" Marshal Joffre the historic words
y THE hour has come to advance at al
~ costs; to die where you stand rathe
VI than to give way"
" General, afterward Marshal Petain
- inspired his weary troops at yerdur
+ by an order of the day concluding
ct with the words: Courage, we will
get them"
General Foch, commanding tn,
French army in the first battle OF tn,
~ Marine, had been almost overwhelm
~ ed by the onward sweep of the Ger
man forces. In memorable messag
to Joffre he said. my right is crush
e ed. My left is in retreat. l am at
~ lacking with my center" He did at
" tack and drove wedge through tn
German lines that started their re
treat to the Aisne. The people O
2. Paris were stunned by the rapidit,