Evening star., 1925-05-31
bULLARD REOPENS
WAR CONTROVERSY
Book Says 26th Division
Made Complaints on 1st.
Denied by Edwards.
.ch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. May 30.-In his book
on the war Maj. en-. Robert Lee
Bullard, retired, former commander
of the 1st Division and later of the
I'd American Army in France, re-
opens one of the most bitter contro-
versies that Smoldered behind the
lines during the war and which has
remained clothed in mystery since the
cessation Of hostilities.
Gen. Bullard, in carefully chosen
phrases. as printed in the New
York Herald Tribune, refers to the
criticisms which he says were made
TO headquarters against the 1st Di-
vision, which he commanded, by the
26th (Yankee) Division, made up of
New England National Guard troops
and commandeG by Maj. Gen.
Clarence r. Edwards. now also re-
tired.
The occasion of the criticisms of
the 1st Division, which Gen. Bullard
says constituted "a vicious blow from
behind" was the relief of the 1st
Division by the Goth Division around
April /, 1918, in the formers position
down on the Alsace-Lorraine front.
following the great German drive of
March, 1918.
Explanations Were Demanded.
Despite the fact that officers of the
1st Division did everything in their
power to make their relief comfort
able, Gen. Bullard writes that the
26th Division was 80 fault-finding
and officially critical of our shortcom-
ings, made such bad reports of us to
our common military superiors, that
for long afterward we were kept eX-
planning, fighting our own people be-
bind while we fought the enemy in
front"
An attemut was made to get Gen.
Rullard to elaborate upon the nature
of the criticisms which he charges
were made against his division, but at
the Hotel Wellington, where he re-
sides, it was said he is still in the
Army hospital at Fort Totten conva-
lescing from pneumonia.
A telegram was sent to Gen. Ed
wards offering him publicity for any
reply he wished to make to Gen. Bull
ards charges. Gen. Edwards tele-
graphed the following:
Your courteous telegram came to
me today upon my return to the Com
monWealth on the eve of Memorial
day. Thousands upon thousands of
my comrades in all the divisions of
the A. E. F., will spend the day
decorating the graves of our heroic
dead, North, East. South and West
the dead of the gallant 1st Division,
the dead of the 26th Division, which
ii was my honor to command, and
the dead of all the other divisions
whose good fortune it was to fight the
war over there
81 cannot find it in my heart at
this time to say anything, even to
repel an unjust attack upon the 26th
Division. which might bring discord
among comrades who fought a great
fight together in a great and tri
umphant cause. | hope | shall never
find it in my heart to make an unjust
attack upon any other division of
the A. Z. F., for if 1 put on paper in
the years that remain to me any
memories of the great conflict, / shall
take for my guide the counsel of Ec-
clesiastes. Strive for the truth unto
death and the Lord God shall fight
for thee
Denies Any Criticism.
For your information, / am glad
to be able to assure you that l never
at any time made any report to any
authority in criticism of the 1st Di-
vision. 1 am glad also to be able TO
add the assurance that since the
armistice, | have never at any time
referred to the 1st Division except IN
terms of the highest praise of the
gallantry of its officers and men.
"The record of that division I re-
gard as part of heritage that is the
precious possession of all my coun-
trymen. North, East, South and
West, and of all my comrades in the
great war, regardless of whether they
Joined the colors with the Regular
Army, the National Guard or the Ma
tional Army.
&C. r. EDWARDS"
Gen. Billiard spoke about the mat
ter to Gen. Pershing some time later
and the latter, he states, exhibited
impatience and exclaimed, Drop it,
drop it! Don't spend your time on
it."
This reassured him, Gen. Bullard
writes, and eventually he adds,
There were signs that the reports
'boomeranged'
This last observation is interpreted
as referring to Gen. Edwards being
relieved of his fighting command by
Gen. Pershing and sent back home.
Officials of the War Department
and Gen. Pershing declined to dis
cuss the matters which Gen. Billiard
has revived in his book.
Gen. Pershing admitted that severe
criticisms of the 1st Division had
come in from the Yankee division.