Evening star., 1920-02-01

| petition DelWeen ali lne DdSe ports
| in which great interest was taken
and marked enthusiasm manifested
! throughout the services of supply
! and. in fact. the entire A. f. F., Brest
| won. hands down. and was rewarded
with prize banner and encomiums
| galore.
/ Another achievement was the or
J, ganiZation of casual camps which was
done so successfully that it was i'm
| possible for an officer to be lost act
ually or on the records. Hundreds OF
| casual officers We're constantly arriV-
| ing at Brest from the United States
| and from points in France en- route
| home. for duty as instructors. TO serve
| with new organizations and the like.
, 1t was Il mans size job to keep track
] of house and provide transportation
| for these officers. but il was handled
| without a hitch.
| Branch at CherbOurg.
| A branch of Brest Army headquar-
ters was maintained at Cherbourg.
under the very careful supervision of
Gen. Harries. With Cherbourgs con-
! tribution Brest received and sent to
the front in September 1918. a total
of nearly 10000 troops.
In Il general order relinQuishin ing
command and thanking all the officers
and enlisted men for their part in a
development which proceeded far be-
yond the earlier estimates of possible
usefulness. Gen. Harries said, among
other things:
In the highly important matter
of turn-around of ships you have
esta ablished world records and may
justly be proud You have no real
competitors. AS to coaling and freight
you have wrought marvelously. You
have substituted high spirited man
power for the absent mechanical
equipment which is common to other
ports AS dauntless conquerors of
obstacles you are supreme. 1t was
never necessary to appeal to you for
increase of energy. No men ever
worked under heavier handicaps and
no men were ever more completely
victorious.
The honor of having commanded
base section No. :, will always be the
greatest honor that l have ever
known
Mai. Gen. James G. Hartford, com
nanding the services of supply. IN
letter of commendatt on to Gen
Harres. dated November %. 1918,
said:
Il take the occasion of your relief
from Brest and the command OF
base section No. 20 express to you
my satisfaction with your service
since j have been in command OF the
services of supply. Your neVer-1ali-
ing tact and optimism and your long
experience in dealing with men nave
lations between the S. o. 5. and the
Navy. as represented by Admiral VIII
son. and with the no less important
representatives of the French govern
ment. Your port had also distinguish
ed itself in the hearty co-operatlon
between the several branches OF the
staff working under you.
Your administration of Brest Will
be unique in the history OF the
world as being the successful man
agement of the port through which
great part of an army-more than
a.OOo. Oo.00o-brought a distance by sea
of more than 5000 miles. poured
through and were promptly forward
ed to tire front. j. myself recall on
one visit of inspection. seeing $4,000
men walk ashore as an incident of
the days work. that number being
twice the size of the Santiago ex
pedition which went to Cuba in 1898
and on the prompt dispatch of which
we as a nation rather prided our
selves at the time.
Il felicitate you on the good work
with which you have rounded out
your military career and wish you
all success and happiness"
The military career referred to.
however, had not yet been rounded
out"
Vice Admiral Moreau's Letter.
Vice Admiral Moreau. prefect mari
time at Rrest. expressing keenest re-
gret on learning of the impending de-
parture of Gen. Harries. wrote as fol-
lows:
in undertakings SO happily con-
ceived, SO promptly executed. of har-
bor improvements, of waterways, you
have shown the very highest en-
gineering capacities. and have en-
ployed the powerful inst trumentalit
at your disposal with as much order
and energy. In your organization for
the landing of troops, their sub
sistence. their cantonment. their hos
pitalization and their dispatch to
other points you have enabled base
section No. to attain military re-
suits such as surpass all estimates
that could possibly have been made.
You have contributed in capital de-
gree to the victory we are cele-
brating"
Informing Gen. Harries that from
the time of the latter's arrival he had
a very precise conception of the va
rious tasks to be performed and
quickly. Lieut.. Col N Laureau. chief
of the mission of the commissiariat
fairs at Brest. expressed the regret Of
all the officers of the mission at the
departure of the commanding general
He said in part:
1.-The reorganization of the port of
Brest, undertaken in accordance with
been accomplished only in part, in
terrupted by the armistice. but you
have shown us the practical way to
follow. I do not doubt but what later
the work conceived and begun by you
will receive a wide development"
Returning to Brest last September
to sail for home. there was a note
worthy demonstration in honor of
Gen. Harries. Marshal Foch was
about the only celebrity who was not
among those present. NJ. Louis Cou-
durier. editor of La Depeche, the
principal newspaper of the city, pub
lished the following over his sigma
ture:
Gen. Harries. former commander of
the American base at Brest. after
ward head of the important mission at
Berlin. has arrived in Brest and will
embark today. aboard the U. s. S.
Mount Vernon, for the United States.
| The presence of this commander with
US recalls the arrival of the splendid
American troops in Brest. 1t was dur
, ing his regime that the population
witnessed their landing. impressed by
the order, Regularity and discipline, as
well as the rapidity of their progress
toward the front.
: Triumph Over Difficulties.
; -.It was due to the excellence of the
management of Gen. Harries that
this improvised base proved satisfac-
/ tory for the enormous needs of this
Of h fnt, nj CO