Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-12-21

| ~~>A% eA1Ss ~ liz tAI 1CGAl llC WOulu
devote himself to his favorite &C
!; tlVltles (beSides waD-hunting, fish
ing. and sailing.
The softer side of Gen. Patton's
nature displayed him as a poet and
an intensely religious man. His
poem, God of Battles has been
set to music He was fond of Bib
lical quotations. liked to sing in
church, and knew the Episcopal
order of morning prayer by heart.
Considered one of the wealthiest
men in the Army, Gen. Patton could
have retired to a life of ease after
the European war ended. Instead
he wanted intensely to fight the
japanese. He never had the op-
portunity.
Many military men believed Sicily
would have taken much longer to
conquer than 80 days without Gen
Patton'S driving force.
Go forward-alWayS go forward"
He drilled that doctrine into his
officers. He insisted that they be
as dlsdainful of death as he and
that they 60 into battle with their
men. His grandfather was killed
in battle and Patton indicated he
would not mind such an end for
| himself.
Storm Over Cutting Soldier.
Gen. Patton was the center of a
storm in congressional quarters for
time in 1943 as the result of his
having cuffed one soldier suffering
from nervous disorder and up
braided another in what Gen. Eisen-
hover called IAN unseemly and in
defensible manner" during the
Sicilian campaign. AS a result of
corrective action" taken by Gen.
Eisenhower Gen. Patton became
perhaps the only general in history
who ever apologized to a whole
army.
Gen. Eisenhower, in a report of
the incident to the Secretary of
War, told how Gen. Patton drove
himself as hard as he did the men,
beers of his army during the cam
paign" in which he was the main
spring of the effort during the Sus-
| tanned drive of the 7th Army from
Celia all the way to Messina."
Gen. Eisenhower told of express
| ing my extreme diSpleasure' in a
letter to Gen. Patton, cautioning
him against repetition and calling
on him to make amends. The fol-
| loving action then was taken by
Gen. Patton, he said:
"He personally sought out the
individuals involved and the persons
who were present at the time the
incidents took place. To these he
made full apologies, which, it was
reported to me, were accepted.
In addition, he visited each and
every division in the 7th Army and
called together all officers, to whom
he registered his regret that he
should have been guilty of any con-
duct which could be considered I'M
fair or un-American. The officers
of these divisions in turn relayed
this message to the enlisted men"
In Hot Water in 1914.
In the spring of 1914 Gen. Patton
got in hot water again by remarking
in a speech in London that I'm
doubtedly it is our destiny to rule
the world-we Americans and Brit
1Sh and of course the Russians " 80
1t was his first public speech since |
the Sicily campaign and was made
before an American and British |
audience at the opening of United |
Kingdom service club to welcome |
American soldiers. He praised the
efforts made to welcome the Yanks |
to Britain and added facetiously:
THE only welcoming I've done for
some time has been welcoming Ger
mans and Italians into hell I've
done quite a lot in that direction |
and have got about 177,000 there"
Already in the bad graces of some
members of Congress because of the
soldier Shaping episode, his remark
about the destiny" of the Ameri-
cas-, British and Russians aroused
their ire anew.
The War Department pointedly
disowned Patton's statement, en-
phasizing that he was expressing
his own personal views"
Promotion PigeOn-holed.
A short time later the Senate
Military Affairs Committee pigeon |
holed the recommendation for Pat |
tons promotion from the perma-
nent rank of colonel of cavalry to
the permanent rank of major gen. !
eral, though recommending con-
firmation of promotions for Is other
high-ranking officers. Action on his
nomination had been delayed sew
eral months earlier because of his
upbraiding of the two soldiers in
Sicily.
But by midsummer of 1914, with
Gen. Patton leading the Sd Army
and riding roughshod over the
Germans in France, he again was a
popular hero, justifying the convic-
ton of Gen. Eisenhower that he was
one of Americas finest field COM
handlers.
The Military Affairs Committee
unanimously recommended the pro-
motion it had been delaying and
the Senate unanimously confirmed
~ ACoAQCllO IGOOSCfClI llOl1llkldGlU1l
of Gen. Patton for the promotion |
had been pending for almost year.
Senator A. B. Chandler, Demo-
crat, of Kentucky, who led the fight
in committee against the elevation
of Gen. Patton originally, came out
Fundamentally for it. He told the |
Senate that the general was leading
American soldiers to victory in arms
and described him as "the greatest
tank commander in the world"
Amazed Military Men.
The Sd Army was formed August
/, 1914, from portion of the LIST
Army and from new forces pouring
into France after the invasion. Gen.
Patton started it of with rampant
offensives.
Many military men were amazed
at his audacity as he smashed
through German lines. Frequently
american units had the enemy onl