Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-10-28
DESERVED FAME
DENIED DiCKMAN
FOREMOST AMERICAN SOLDIER
WHO SAW SERVICE IN FRANCE"
HAS BEEN RETIRED.
PROMOTION NOT GIVEN HIM
Man Who Broke the German Often
sive on the Marine and Commanded
First Corps in the Argonne Receives
Small Recognition.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

4 AJlth1udL, dllCI lOIIy-uNC yCcA . u AntAA
tary service for his country, has retired
to civil life. The War department said a
few words about his good conduct and
4 the press recorded the fact that he had
left the active list and that he was
soldier in France Beyond this, moth
ing.
Break the back of major offensive
of the enemy who seems to be just
on the point of winning World war;
later thrash him thoroughly dozen
times on battle-ground of his own
choosing; and still later lead vic
torious army into the foes country
then retire from the service and you
may get s'stickful" of notice in the
American press and grudging word
of commentator from Uncle SAM
High French and British military
authorities hold that Dickman was the
foremost American soldier who saw
service on French soil. Dickman COM
manded division, corps, and an
army in succession, and yet he never
/ was made d lieutenant-ge general, as
everybody, War department officers in
Guided, know should have been the
case.
In the early summer of 1913 the
Germans forced the passage OF the
Marine river and began slowly to push
forward through the valley of the
stream on a front of about twelve
miles. It was one Of the most critical
situations of the whole war. Major
General Dickman arrived with the
Third division of the American army,
and after desperate fighting he sent
the Germans hurtling back over the
Marine He commanded his division
In the real battle of Chateau-Thierry
The Second division also covered it
self with glory in those days, but it
was fighting not at the village, but
on one of the tanks.
In his report to the secretary OF
war General Pershing wrote: ut was
on this occasion that single regi-
ment of the Third division wrote one
Of the most brilliant pages In our mill
tary annals"
This is all that Pershing said about
the matter. He did not give the
number of the regiment, nor the name
of its commanding officer, nor even the
name of the division commander, Dick
man. The regiment that wrote one
of the most brilliant pages in our milf
tary annals" was the Thirty Eighth
Regular United States infantry, COM
manded by Col. Ulysses Grant Nc
Alexander.
Wasn't Made Lieutenant General.
For his fighting quality, and the
genius of his work on the Marine,
General Dickman was made corps
commander and sent into the Argonne
where he led the First corps in the
last month of that struggle. Promo
ton was denied him, although both
Billiard and Liggett, corps COM
manders, had been made lieutenant
generals.
After Sedan, and at the time of the
armistice, General Dickman fixed his
headquarters in half ruined chateau
] just south Of Sedan. 1t happened that
the writer Of this article was with
him in the last days of the conflict.
Two days after the armistice, Nov
ember IL, 1918, radio came in or
dering General Dickman to report to
Chauraont for a conference. / had
Just enough military sense and
knowledge of the generals career to
know what this meant. / said, "You
are going to be given command of
the Third army and sent into Ger
many in command Of the army of oc-
/ cupation."
turned into my bunk on the night
of the 18th with word from the gem
eral that / was to be routed out at
4 o'clock to accompany him to Chau-
mont. We made that long ride at
first in darkness and then IN the
glories of rising sun which, to
borrow thought from Byron gave
devastation a gilded halo. We reached
Chaumont and two hours later Dick
man was an army COMMUNICATIVE
no promotion in rank.
4 Great Soldiers Unknown to Fame.
Who is there today who knows
definitely the names of the great sol
4 diers who should have won everlast-
ing fame for themselves as well as
for the American people when fighting
on the fields of France? The names of
soldiers who had the general direction
Of campaigning and who dealt out
supplies and forwarded ammunition
are known, but no American outside of
the army that have met can name
accurately the men who commanded
corps and divisions at Cantigny,
Chateau-Thierry, Fismes, Mont Faucon,
\ st. Mihiel, and in the drives through
the awful wilderness of the Argonne.
4 The men who won the right to fame,
i but who did not get II, were for the
most part the elder soldiers. They
are retiring from active service one
by one. They deserve everything Of
the people, most of whom do not know
their names.
Conference Program Complete.
Finally it can be said with
almost fixed definiteness that the