Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-07-26
WAR HISTORIES
BY ARMY, NAVY
AND CIVILIANS
Events Of Recent Conflict Being
Written Up by Many Officially
and Un0f1ciaIIy.
By FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN.
Especial Washington Service.)

Those battles that have been
fought on the many fronts in Eu-
rope are already being reenacted
IN tnnumerabIe studies of men
whost business or pleasure 1t is
to write history. The strategy, the
diplomacy. the tragedy, the ro-
nance, the results of the stupen-
dous struggle are as grist to the
mill of the historian and he is
busy making his record for pos
terity.
The literary talent of the nation
which heretofore burned its mid
night electricity composing poems
or moving picture scenarios, now
turns to interpretations of the war
as an outlet for its emotions and
the call Of the divine effIatus. Sol
diers returned from the front who
have found that their best stories
are growing stale in their narrow
social circle seek larger audi
ence via print; while there is
scarcely college professor or
teacher of history but has a half
finished Complete History of the
World War" tucked away in a hid
den drawer
President Wilson May Write.
In this last scholarly gsoup may
be included President Wilson. The
president has not yet announced
whether he will write a war his
tory or the story of his own war
experiences, but it has been ru-
mored from time to time that he
is considering the matter and that
he will make it his chief interest
after retirement.
A war history by the president
would undoubtedly be a record of
great possibilities, for President
Wilson is already a historian of
recognized ability, writer of very
excellent English, and one who
would bring to the task unusual
training ana talents. Never before
has a historian been so closely in
touch with the inner workings OF
so great a war. julius Caesar is
the best example in the past of on3
who governed nations, fought wars
aud made the record of them from
his own experience. But Caesars
wars sink into insignifcance be-
side the war of p nations in which
ten million men were killed and in
which late entry like the United
States spent $50, 600, 100000.
If the president is expected to
write the most remarkable war
history, the historical section of
the general staff Of the army is at
work on the most exhaustive. One
thousand steel fling cases, eacn
containing four drawers, hold the
army college records of the
war. Using this mass of informa-
ton, the historical section expects
to turn out a 17-vOlume official war
history, to include all phases of
the conflict as far as the army is
concerned.
War College, Too.
The historical section of the war
college, that depository of the Sc
cret archives of the nation which
sits in solemn isolation on it's point
of land jutting into the Potomac
mile below Washington, is com
posed of a group of carefully Sc
lected specialists. The historical
officers overseas were chosen by
General Pershing and are attach
ed to his head quarters. They have
made trips to the front to study
the field under varying conditions
they have collected original docu-
ments and maps, have made rec
ords in the very midst of great
events. At all times they have
maintained close relations with the
allied general headquarters and
the English and French historical
bureaus.
This is the first time in the his
tory of the United States that an
official history of an American war
is to be written. Records pertain
ing to wars in which the United
States has taken part have been
kept by the war department, and
some have been gathered into book
form and published by the govern
ment, as in the case of the Civil
war records. These ponderous
works are not. however, histories.
They are merely compiled records,
uninterrupted.
Other countries have for decades
maintained official historians at
fached to their armies to write au-
thoritative stories of their wars.
Besides regarding her own wars,
Germany went step farther and
adopted the policy of having the
general staff historians represent
ed on each side during wars be-
tween other iountres. Germany's
1IlEldA dGCO4AlG III AC4 y VII " GA =
are regarded by other nations as
pieces of propaganda-facts cor
rect in the main, but with distort-
ed conclusions. On the other hand,
the German military history of the
Russo-JaDanese war is considered
by army officers as an unprejudic-
ed account and the most authentic
published.
Army Histories Authentic.
The value of army histories lies
in the fact that they are written
from first hand information, or
from government records, and by
specially selected army officers.
Private individuals engaged in writ,
ing history ordinarily have to de-
pend on source books and other
persons accounts for their data,
and the results are often far from
accurate.
This is plainly illustrated in our
histories of the American revolu-
tIon. Most of these narratives give
the American army credit for vic
tory over the British in every bat
tie, whereas such official records
as we have show that this was not
the case. Despite this, unofficial
histories have their plate in filing
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