The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-01-10

1 ANA4 SAAC visit VI 1ClSI61 q S411Le3
in Topeka Sunday there comes to light
fund OF soldier lore regarding the
leader of the American expeditionary
forcesA-stories of the American SOL
diers. Then there are also the fairy
| tales, the myths, the folklore of a
mighty army. Despite the doubters
there are many incidents that can be
proved. If one who saw the incident
| cannot be found, there are others.
hundreds of them in the A. E. F. who
know some one who knew another
buck who saw it with his own eyes.
| 1t was several months after the
| signing of the armistice that Gen.
John J. Pershing went to Commercy
| to review the 35th division He is
credited with saying that the 35th di-
| vision was 80 per cent fighting men
and 1 per cent military discipline as
compared with another division which
he characterized as 80 per cent mill
tary discipline and 1 per cent fighting
men,
t'They picked out a nice, sweet
swamp" in the words of buck who
was there, '-in which to hold the re-
view. Headquarters always picks out
a swamp for reviews if one can be
| found. If they can't find one they
have the engineers dig up field and
then run water in on it until the water
is foot deep and the mud about the
4 same. Then they call out all the
bucks the day before, get them set in
the water and wait until the reviewing
| officer comes along"
But in reality some of us marched
to the review and many rode in motor
trucks About six hours before the
| review we were lined up in the swamp
about 10000 of u.s. Yelling and
4 cheering told us that the officers were
| coming.
| General Pershing had a whole
gang of celebrities with him, includ-
ing the Prince OF Wales. They left
their horses down near where the
headquarters company of the 13oth
| field artillery was parked, so we had
a good view. 1t was raining. 1t al
ways rained in France. General
Pershing did not even have on rain
coat. In just his uniform he walked
| thru about eight miles of mud and
water reviewing the gang. 1t is said he
shook hands with a lot of men wear
ing woun1 stripes. Near the close OF
the review the party came to little
ditch full of water. Pershing jumped
it. The Prince of Wales tried to jump
it. His foot slipped AMI he fell in the
water. Forty thousand men went
wild. They cheered and laughed
Imagine British army doing anything
like that. A general helped the prince
lHLO Ills Sduul6a anu tuChtQ 1AAh III
Soon after his horse began to jump
around and the prince dropped hi:
riding crop. General Pershing got of
4 his horse, picked up the crop an6
handed it back to the prince. Attic
ranking everyone there the prince. rode
on the left Of the general IN charge
For the six hours that the Thirty-fiftf
division stood in the rain, Genera
Il Pershing lost 40, 600 votes if he should
Il aUQr RIM for a fIVthinpp
4 1t was during the famous thirty-day
hike of the Thirty-fifth division lead
ing up to the Argonne front. The one
road was jammed with traffic. Right
side going to the front, on the left
traffic to the rear. The 130th field
artillery was lined up along the right
side of the road in the pitch darkness
of night. One of the 1858 belonging
to a Wichita battery had strayed over
to the left side of the road. Presently
a tall, stern officer was heard de-
handing in no mild terms who owned
the big gun. When he found out
Get that gun back on the right side
of the road and keep it there" HI
ordered. The officer was Genera
Pershing up there in the night direct
ing the movement of the division and
trying to bring order to the disruption
of congested traffic on the one and
only ROAD leading TO the 'front.'
Later when the Argonne battle was
in full sway, a group of shot-uI
doughboys was moving back to the
>. rear dressing stations. The road wa:
under intermittent shell fire. Motor
cars always proved etfectua1 in draw
ing fire. A big motor car was drawn
up alongside the road. Several Off
GERS sat in the car hurriedly looking
over some maps.
; .'Say mister" sung out one of tn,
! doughboys. You better get that damn
gas wagon off the road or you're ap
to get blown all to hell in about {
? minute" The officers just laughed
And then the doughboy observed tina
General Pershing was in the car.
Again during the height of tn
Argonne conflict, motorcycle dis
patch bearer with a message for Gen
eral Pershing drove right up to tn
spot on which the general was stand
n