The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1919-03-22
COL. GEO. G. HOSKINS
is BACK AT HOME
A Few Statements From the
Colonel on His Arrival at
Jackson.

jackson, Miss, March 20.-"Re-
porting for duty. sir" /" said Col. Geo
tC. Hoskins, commander Of the 155th
Infantry, as he walked into the Of
nee OF Adj.-Gen. e. C. Scales Wed
nesday afternoon.
| Although bearing an honorable
discharge from the United States Ar
Imy, Col. Hoskins regards himself as
still an officer in the Mississippi Ma
tional Guard, and does not share tht
opinion of the general staff at Wash.
ington that the national guard ID
non-existent.
/ And, insofar as the military au-
thorities in this state are concerned
1t isn't. Upon Col. Hoskins will
probably devolve good deal of the
work Of perfecting new organiza-
tion to replace the troops mustered
into federal service when the United
States declared war against Ger
many. Adj.-Gen. Scales is very anx-
ious for Col. Hoskins to assume COM
mand of one of the regiments, and
he will probably do so.
Col. Hoskins was in France for
several months. but in common with
scores of colonels, lieutenant-colo-
nels and majors of the national or
ganizations. he was not given an ac-
Tive command. His regiment, the
l155th Infantry. was torn to pieces
within few weeks after arrival and
used for replacements, many of the
young Mississippians taking an ac-
tive part in the lighting at st. Mi
hiel and in the Argonne forest. Ten
divisions of freshly arrived troops
were used for the same purpose, be-
ling used to I'LL up the ranks Of reg
iments that had suffered losses on
the battle front,
my men were so widely scatter
ed that / have no way of telling how
many were killed or wounded" says
Col. Hoskins. Insofar as / have
been able to learn, however, none Of
my officers were killed. but the cas-
ualties among the enlisted men used
for requirements were rather heavy.
can judge of this only from the cas-
ualty lists. AS matter OF fact, it
was easier to ind out matters Of this
sort in the United States than in
France"
Col. Hoskins is in splendid health
and spirits, and he is being given an
ovation among his old friends IN
jackson. Naturally he doesn't feel
very well satisfied over the fact that
he was deprived OF front line action,
and perhaps he might be induced to
express few private opinions con-
corning the regular army system
that made it possible to displace SO
many commanders Of national guard
organizations, but, like a good sol
dier, he is not discussing the matter
for publication.
81 hope all our boys will soon be
back home," said Col. Hoskins. "Ap-
parently, they are getting them over
here as quickly as possible, consid-
ering the character of our shipping
facilities. OF course, you see thous-
ands of soldiers in France who are
dong nothing, and who ought to be
home and back at civilian pursuits,
but 1t took us a good while to get
them over there, and naturally we
can't get them back as rapidly as
they were sent over"
Colonel Hoskins was in Paris at
/ the time Premier Clemenceau was
wounded. and he gives a vivid de-
Iscription Of the excitement in the
French capital when the news spread
OF the attempt to assassinate the
great statesman.
I'VE heard very little in France
about the work of the Peace Confer
ence." says Colonel Hoskins. In
fact, France is a mighty poor place
/ to get news. The people Of the Unit
ed States know q great deal more
about the progress Of the conference
| than the citizens Of France, and
among the soldiers 1t is difficult to
learn anything at all.
Colonel Hoskins viii spend few
days here as the guest Of his sister,
Mrs. w. G.. Raines. before going TO
his old home in Brookhaven.
M