Evening star., 1920-01-11
PERSH|NG DENIES
SACRIFICE Of LIVES
| ON ARM|ST|cE DAY
american Commander Tells
/ of Events Leading Up to
/ and on November IL.

and on November II.
Gen. Pershirg denies the charges
that American lives were sacr1nced on
Armistice day. as was made be1ore
Eouse MISUNDERSTANDING comInlttee
by Gen. John II. Sherburne Oh bostoh
on Thursday.
This denial was made public by Rep
rcsentative Alvan T. Fuller OF Massa
cAusetts, a member of the military al
ftirs committee, who quoted from
litter of Gen. Pershing under date OF
November 21, when the same charge
had been made by Capt George n
Livermore of Winchester, Mass, LOT
,neriy operations officer of the artii
lery brigade of the 92d (negro) DiVi-
sion
Gen. Pershing says that he had nc
Knowledge that the armistice had been
signed until am. November IL, 1918
The American forces were acting un-
der general instructions issued Dy
Marshal Foch to all allied commanders
ca November 3. 1918, and orders 10Y
attacks were withdrawn as soon as
POSSIBLE after he was advised or the
signing of the armistice. He also says
statements that American troops were
ordered To the attack while French
divisions remained stationary are
wholly erroneous.
Text of Pershing Letter.
The Pershing letter follows:
Il had no knowledge before am
November IL that the armistlce mac
been signed and that firing was &c
cease at IL am. November II.
THE armistice, effective at ii am
November IL, was not signed until
am. November IL, hence the informa-
tion which Capt. Livermore states he
received about midnight of November
10 was only a rumor, although thai
rumor proved to be correct.
For several days prior to Novem-
Der IL false rumors of the signing OF
an armistice were prevalent in all the
armies. You may recall that at least
one of these rumors even reached the
Emitted States, and that November 4
/ think, was made a day of celebra-
tion on account of false report.
All armies took steps to correct
these rumors, and at S:45 p.m., No
vember 9. the following telegram was
received by me from Marshal Foch:
The enemy, disorganized by our
repeated attacks. is Withdrawing
along the whole front. 1t is i'm
portant to maintain and hasten our
action. / appeal to the energy and
Initiative of the commanders-in-
chief and their armies to secure de-
cisive results
"All of the allied commanders re-
ceived similar kilograms from Mar
shal Foch.
Firing Not stopped.
Neither British nor French head
quarters ordered firing to cease prior
to the going into effect of the arnis-
tice-that is, at II am. November IL
and in general firing by all the allie
and by the enemy continued on the
whole front from Switzerland TO the
sea until that hour. In places the
firing died away prior to IL am, and
In few places firing continued until
after that hour
THE 92d Division, astride the Mo-
selle. attacked at am. November
10, and at am, November IL, ad-
vanced short distance, but the
troops had retired to cover in the
face of reported heavy fire when the
commander of the attacking brigade
received information at 7:lS am. that
an armistice would be effective at II
am. The brigade commander reports
that he ordered all firing stopped by
1915 am. and that the firing was so
stopped. The casualty records show
that on November IL the 92d Divi-
sion lost seventeen killed and 2S6
wounded. of whom ninety-nine were
gassed. The casualty records OF the
marines show that their losses on No
vember IL were nine killed and 172
wounded.
Not Preliminary Attack.
"The attack of the 92d Division on
NE 10th OF November, continued at
am. on the morning of the l1th, was
not preliminary to the proposed at
tack of November IA.
Capt. Livermore states: Another
point OF interest in this matter Is the
fact that the s2d Division was operat-
ing under orders to advance along
the Moselle, while the French on it's
right flank Were ordered to mark
ttme until the 14th--the French we
Knowing that the chances strongly
favored a termination of hostilities
before that date. If the French work
ed on that basis, why couldn't the
American command have done as
much" From July Is to the armistice
The allies attacked in accordance with
q general plan. This plan contemplat-
ed attacks from just east of the
Moselle to the sea. From point east
Of the Moselle to Switzerland the
allies were unable. prior to the
armistice, to concentrate the neces-
sary means for the attack. Thus the
french troops holding the lines east
Of the Moselle took no part in the
reduction of the st. Mihiel salient or
the subsequent operations OF the I'd
Army.
Decision Of Commander.
sEarly in November the allied COM
Yr1ander-in- chief decided that the al
Hes were in a position to concentrate
sufficient troops for an attack east
of Moselie. These plans called for
the employment of approximately
fwenty French divisions supported
on the left by six American divisions.
ON November IL the necessary
movements of concentration of botn
French and American troops were un-
der way, but none of them were in
position. Capt. .Livermore appears 10
be under the impression that on No
vember IL Gen. Mangin was IN COM
mand of the F"ench troops on the
right of the sd Division, and that
that division was scheduled to a.taci-
ON the immediate left of the French
on November II. Both these i'm
Iressions are wrong. Zen. Mangin
would have commanded the French
attack o. the l4th, but On the li,h
none of his troops were in the H1c
nd Gen. Gerard commanded the
army on the right of the s2d Divi-
SION. The plans for the attack of the
fsth cont emplated placing two Am".i-
can divisions, the Sd ant 18th, in first
fine on the right of the ed Division
and did not contemplate an attack by
The SID Division except in the way of
To- owing up to keep IN touch ,vi.n
the advance oe the left of the Sd
and .9tk American Divisions.
Parts of Lines Advance.
"On November IL parts of the
French, British and Belgian lines, as