Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-19
DEc|PHERED CODE
CALL TO PERSH|NG
Gen. Barnum First to Give
Commander War Message
Ordering Him to D. C.
BY CHARLES M. o'NEILL.


message which summoned him to Wash
ington to be formally invested with tht
command of the American Expedition
airy Force was the pleasant privilege o.
Mai Gen. Malvern Hill Barnum
y. S. A., retired, who was Gen. Per.
shing's chief of staff in that momentous
May of 1917.
were classmates at West Point, and fol
more than a quarter of century have
shared the comradery that only sol
diers and sailors can understand.
Recalling the memorable day in the
Spring when he received the message
calling Gen. Pershing to Washington
for assignment as supreme commander
Of the American Expeditionary Forces
Gen. Barnum says:
Through Regular Channels.
'The message, in code, was received
by. me as chief of staff. 1t came, as
did all other communications, through
the regular channels. My duty was
merely to decipher it. This did, max
ing known its contents to the COM
manding general. AS I remember it
Washington, but its whole significance
was not discerned by either of U.S.
The general, in his memoirs, has
said that he then believed he was
merely to command a division which
would go to France as soon as it could
be relieved from border duty and sent
to q point of embarkation.
And as a matter of fact we con-
suited and between Us chose the units
which later comprised the First Divi-
sion of the American Expeditionary
Force. They were, / remember, the
18th, 18th, 26th and 28th Regiments of
Infantry and the 9Th Field Artillery.
Orders were Immediately promul-
gated which sent this division out OF
the southwestern department and on
Its way to France. But long before they
left, Gen. Pershing had departed. did
not see him again for more than a year,
when I went to France as commander
OF the 1880 Infantry Brigade of the 92d
Division"
Recalls villa Pursuit.
Rewriting to pre-war days, Gen. Bar
mum said in an interview yesterday:
THE pursuit of Villa into Mexico by
the punitive expedition which brought
undoubtedly was viewed favorably by
the Government at Washington. You
remember, we had not entered the
World War and there was plenty of
trouble along the Mexican border. Villa
and his bandit band were running wild
along the northern border Of Mexico,
and even raided the town Of Browns
vile, Tex.
When President Wilson decided to
end the bandit raids and still avoid
making war on Mexico, as nation, he
elected to send q punitive expedition
across the border. The man who was
our enemy was villa, not the Mexican
people. Gen. Pershing was picked to
lead that column across the border. It
was an exacting job He had to avoid
arouSing resentment Of an alien people
and still had to protect his own men
from the guerrilla bands which infested
the border territory.
The tactful-and tactical-Pershing
did exactly what he was INSTRUCTED b
do By the administration In Washing
ton. As Q soldier he obeyed his superb
oH orders implicitly, and as Q soldier
he demanded that his own orders be
oheyed. And they were.
Praises Pershiug's Qualities.
There Is nothing Of the martinez
disciplinarian in the best sense of that
word He was then, as later In France
and earlier IN his own county, a good
soldier. HIS men respected him and
his Superiors admired him. The people
Of the country should be grateful that
when their men went to France they
had as commander man of such char
acter. We who know Pershing init.
mately, served with him and under him,
appreciate him the more, of course.
because Of that knowledge.
81 remember q day In France when
he came to inspect the division of
which my brigade was a part We
talked over the old days, even as we
discussed the problems then confront
ing us. he as commander Of the Expedi-
tionary Force and as commander OF
an Infantry brigade. We spent most
OF day riding around our training
area near Bourbon-Les-B ains.
I'VE talked of the Spanish American
War. We both served in that campaign
as oncers OF the 10th Cavalry. After
the fall Of Santiago, Gen. Pershing
wanted to go, the Philippines. He had
the satisfaction of having this ambition
realized. His work there in fighting
and then placating the Moro chiefs
and their followers is part of the his
tory Of our country"
Wounded at San Juan.
Gen. Barnum, it should be inserted
here, was woun61d in the Spanish
american War. And thereby hangs a
strange tale His father, Mai Gen.
Henry A. Barnum, was wounded in
the hip during the Civil War battle at
Malvern Hill. That's how Gen. Malvern
Hui Barnum got his name. Years later,
at San Juan Hill, the then Line Oficer
Barnun was wounded, also in the hip,
on the exact date as that on which
his father sustained his wound.
You must know. Of course" Gen.
Barnum said, with a touch Of regret in
his voice, how I yearned to 60 TO
France with the general And I have
good reason to believe that he would
have been glad TO have me. But the
War Department thought otherwise.
They believed in Washington that since
! was in touch with the Mexican bor-
der situation, under Pershing and Fun
ston, I should stay there until
the crisis should have been passed.
And did. Later I was assigned to
the 92d Division as a brigade COM
mander. Not infrequently I met the
commanding general And always ]
found him to be that which he always
had been-from West Point TO the
highest point OF his military career
good comrade and kindly and con-
siderate friend.
ITO have served with and under
such man was q privilege not given
to every man. appreciate 1t, and am
glad to know that the people now are
learning from his memoirs the task
that was Gen. Pershing's and how vel
he did his duty in that exalted posi-.
ton as commander Of the American
Expeditionary Force"
(Copyright, 1891 by North American News.
paper Alisnce)