The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-24
nv BOsEMAS BULGER.
I'm New York Tribune.)

I'm New York Tribune.)
HE battalion commanded by
m Col. Charles W. Whittlesey
" fthen major) In the Argonne
Forest was never lost
m. term Lost Battalion" for
- N be linked with the name of
vsr,sttIesey. was a ranking sore in
~. heart of this distinguished sol
IT, that went with him to his
.-srtc end, his leap in the night
srorn a vessel at sea-
:, "a unlikely that speakers who
.,.roduced and lauded Whittlesey
md his Lost Battalion" ever sus-
a - that they were adding fresh
Sy,ings TO a hurt he suffered from
nc noment he landed in America,
bero They thought. perhaps.
ssss the silent, priestly looking
IAN beside them felt a glow in
~, eloouent praise. He was too
s,,5 a soul TO give possible Of
ssnse BY protest or correction.
pnt Il hurt Only his army as
sociates. soldiers, knew how it
hurt ,oo. ,o7.b
infantry and their superiors In
command often fared in open re-
sentment. But never could they
I've the public understand.
After the impressive memorial
services last week, | met one or
Whittlesey's men, a private, on up
per Broadway.
yves. he's gone" he said, brok-
snIv "And even when he died" he
Suddenly fiared up, 1.-The newspapers
and public speakers had to hang
that Lost Battalion on him"
Was Not Lost.
No. Whittlesey's battalion was
not lost On the contrary, it pune
tured the German line while other
units were being held up.
Carving out a difficult and spe-
ci6c assignment Whittlesey's COM
mand attained its objective. Under
orders TO hold it he held it.
II was an advance anchor which
held so that the rest of the dlyi-
sion could pull up. That is what
made his sanguinary stand against
odds such a heroic deed.
The commanding general knew
exactly where the battalion was.
He spent five feverish days trying
TO reach it with support.
II was during those five days that
war correspondents, seeking a pic
turesque catch line, and with the
best Intentions in the world, coin
ed the phrase, Lost Battalion" 1t
stuck. The harder they tried 20
drop it the harder it stuck, and
grew. Coupled, as it was, with the
unparalleled stand of the be-
leaguered little force of Americans
under Whittlesey and McMurtrey.
thu expression went around the
world-became a classic. 1t was
cruel
In so going around the words
created a gross misconception of
what Whittlesey and his battalion
really did. Lost Battalion" car
I ried a meaning that was never in
tended.
| speak of this rather Familiarity
/ because, at the time, 1 had been
! transferred from the nth Division
to the general staff and was in
charge Of the bureau through
which the correspondents were en-
able to be on that part of the
front.
The catch line aroused in other
divisions tendency toward
thoughtless criticism, even raillery
Though a unit against outsiders
soldiers are hard on each other
For instance:
A few days after the armistice
We attended a 7. NJ. c. A. show got
up by the enlisted men in one OF
the rest areas of another division
Say" said one soldier comedian
to another on the stage. I've lost
my wrist watch" (This was q
comic jab at officers, because few
prtyates owned wrist watches.)
That's nothing" replied the 9TH
er. there's major over in the 77td
who lost a battalion"
In lesser degree this idea took
root in the United States.
Gossip Hurt.
Whittlesey and his men knew al
this thinly concealed gossip and
1t hurt to the quick. or course
II he really had led his outfit into
a trap. as the unthinking ones IN
timated, he could never have got
The congressional medal of honor
But they never considered that.
To this day that picturesque ex-
preston. Lost Battalion" carries
the poison of misunderstanding
Only week ago the managing ed
tor OF New York newspaper ask
ed ne:
Tell me, how did Whittlesey
come to get lost with that bat
talion?''
IL | can make clear what really
happened in simple, non-military
terms, will feel that 1 have done
4 q. service To a man we loved and