The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-01-13
PERSH|NC WR|TES'
De NAL THAT ANY.
A AMER|CAN LIVES.
WERE WASTED ON
ARM |ST ICE DAY

Washington. Jan. 13.--Chargcs made
before q house war investigating com
nittee that lives OF American soldiers
were wasted in needless auacks On
armisticc day, are denied in n letter
from General Pcrshing, made public
10y Representative Fuller, republican
of Massachusetts.
General Pcrshing said the American
forces were acting under general in
structions, issued by Marshal Foch
TO all allied commanders, on Nov. 3,
1913, and that orders for attacks We're
withdrawn as soon as possible after
he was advised Of the signing of the
armistice. He also said that state
ments that American troops were or
dered TO the attack while French di-
visions remained stationary wer"
"wholly erroneous. The generals let
ter is dated Nov. II, 1919, and is in
reply to charges contained in Il letter
to Mr. Fuller from Captain George
X. Lh. re of Winchester. Mass
formerly .ficer Of the 167th field ar
tilery brigade of the 92nd megro> Gi
vision. Mr.. Fuller explained that he
made the letter public in view Of state
!uentS recently made before the inves.
tIgating committee by Brig Gen. Sher,
burne, commanding the artillery bri-
Eadc of the 99nI division. about which
much Of The controversy regarding
armistice day losses had centered.
The letter follows;
Il had no knowledge before six a.
m. Nov. H. that the armist.ce had
been signed and that firing was to
cease at i a. m, Nov. II.
Tho armistce, effective at II a. m,
Nov. II, was not signed until a. m,
Nov. II, hence the information, which
Captain Livermorc states he received
about midnight Of Nov. 10, was only
a rumor, although that rumor proved
10 be correct.
For several days prior to Nov. II
inlsc rurnors Of the signing of au arm
lsticc were prevalent in all the arm
ics. You may recall that at least
one of the rumorS even reached the
United States and that Nov. Z, | think.
was made a day OF celebration on ac-
count of Il false report.
An armies took steps to correct
these rumors and at S45 p. m. Nov.
9, the following telegram was received
by Inc from Marshal Foch:
" The enemy. dsorganizcd by our
repeated attacks, is withdrawing along
the whole front it is important to
maintain and hasten our action.
orpoal to the enemy and Initiative Of
the commanders in chiefs and their
armies to secure decisive results
An of the allied commanders re.
ccived similar telcgrams from Mar
slal l'och.
Neither the British nor French
headquarters ordered firing to. cnas2
prior to the going into effect of the
rmistice, that is, at II a. M, Nov,
u. and in general firing by all the
ullics 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 II a,
m. and in few places firing contin'
ucd until after that hour.
The 92nd division astride the Mo
solle. attacked al a. m, Nov. 10 and
1t a. m. Nov. II, advanced a short
distance, but the troops had retired
10 cover in tho face OF reported heavy
fire when the commander OF the at
tacliing brigade received information
at 7:lS. a. IN. that an armistice will
be effective at II a. IN. The brigade
commander reports that he ordered
that all firing be stopped by 1915 and
that the firing was so stopped. The
casualty records show that on Nov
II. the 92nd division lost II killed and
2S6 wounded, OF whom 90 were gass
/ ed. The casualty records of the ma
rines show that their losses on Nov
Il, were 8 killed and 172 wounded.
The attack Of the 92nd division or
the 9th Of November continued ut
a. M. on the morning of the nth was
not Il preliminary to the proposed at
tack Of Nov, l4th.
Captain Llvermorc stated: Another
point OF interest in this matter is that
the end division was operating un
der orders to advance along the Mo
selc. while the French on its right
flank were ordered to mark time un
Ill the 14th--thc French well knowing
that the chances strongly favored q
termination of hostilities before that
date. II the French worked on that
basis why couldn't the Americans
have done as much?'
From July 18th to the armistlce
the allies attacked in accordance with
n general plan, this plan contemplat
ed attacks from just east Of the Mo
selle to tho sea. From a point just
east of the Moselle to Switzerland the
allies were unable. prior TO the arm
ist.ce, to concentrate the necessar!
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