The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1919-11-13
Generals Personal Chauffeur Declares He Spent More Time Under
Fire Than Any Officer or Enlisted Man of the American
Expedtionary ForCes-AWays in Advanced Post
Directing Major Operations.

New York--Gen. John J. Pershing
was the hardest working man of the
American expeditionary force and was
under fire greater number of hours
during the war than any officer or en-
listed man under his command, ac-
cording to Sergeant Cesar Santini,
who was the generals personal chauf-
feur throughout the entire length of
Americas participation in the war.
The general worked late and was al
ways in the advanced post command
directing the movements of troops dur
ing major operations.
General Pershing personally direct
ed the st. Mihiel fight, was in the Ar
come forest commanding operations
for nearly two months and mingled
with the advanced troops at Cantigny
and Chateau Thierry. He questioned
prisoners brought in by the doughboys
at Cantigny and Chateau Thierry and
in the latter operation walked into
the wheat fields to the gun positions
to personally commend their crews
and to tell them how proud he was
of them.
Sergeant Santini, who reveals these
hitherto unpublished facts of the do
ings Of General Pershing in France,
Is a Frenchman by birth and enlisted
in the United States army as. an auto
mobile chauffeur and engineer at Gov
ernor's Island on April 23, 1917. His
knowledge of the French language and
his ability as chauffeur led TO his
selection as the commander in chiefs
personal chauffeur. Sergeant Santini
sailed from the United States with
General Pershing, he drove the gen.
eral over forty thousand miles of
French roads during the more than
two years he was in France, and he
Leviathan with the commander in
chief.
Awarded Citations for Bravery.
The general has given Sergeant
Santini gold cigarette case as a
token of his appreciation Of the chauf
geant holds a citation personally
awarded him by the commander in
chief for bravery under fire. The CT
tation stands as mute evidence of the
hazardous situations General Pershfng
found himself in at times, as Sergeant
Santini was virtually never out of
close touch with his commander, and
they both naturally suffered the same
ordeals from shell fire.
Sergeant Santini was recently mus
tered out of service and has taken it
upon himself to tell of his association
overseas with General Pershing.
Long before American troops reach
ed the front General Pershing went
through the rigors and strain of in
tenSive shell fire. In the summer of
1917 he was the guest of the French
commanders and witnessed the attack
on Chemin des Danes. On this Oc-
casion the commander in chief rode
right up to the barbed wire entapgle-
ments in his automobile and crossed
the German trenches directly behind
the lines Of French infantry.
Again in the Luneville sector where
the first Americans fell in the war,
General Pershing went into the line.
He donned hip boots and traversed
several miles of trenches during an
enemy bombardment. On this occa-
sion Sergent Santini waited in COM
munication trench until the general re-.
turned, and admits the Jerry" was
using his high explosives to COMPARE
tivelv good advantage
Shell Just Misses Car.
Of the numerous narrow escapes
General Pershing had in his time at
the front the narrowest was, accord
ing to the best recollection of Sergeant
Santini, the day before the battle Of
Cantigny. The general was riding
along a road toward the advanced