SOMETHING CONCERNING CAREER
: OF AMERICA’S HONORED GENERAL
When congress conferred the per
manent title of general upon John J.
Pershing he was the fourth man to
hold that coveted title in the army of
the United States. The other three
were Grant, Sheridan and Sherman.
As the central American figure in
the world war, with the single excep
tion of President Wilson, so much has
been written about Pershing, and his
life and history are so fresh in the
public mind that it is difficult to tell
1 the average American anything new
about the man who commanded the
great army on the battlefields of
Europe.
When some of Pershing’s friends
speak of his rise to a position of great
military importance in world annals,
they refer to a story quite commonly
told of Charles M. Schwab, the iron
master, who is said to have remarked
to his old Scotch gardener, a friend
of his childhood:
“You never expected to see me in
this place, did you?”
t And the gardener is said to have
replied:
“You never expected it yourself.”
As late as the time of the Russia
Japanese war in 1904, Pershing, over
40, still was a captain in the regular
army. His associates say he never
grumbled, but always kept plugging
at his job. Reams and reams have
been written about how he took a
prominent part in the pacification of
the Philippine islands and how Pres
ident Roosevelt made him a brigadier
general, jumping him over the heads
of exactly 862 other men who were
A senior to him on the service roll.
When Pershing took the punitive
expedition to Mexico after the bandit
Villa, he became the only living offi
cer in the American army who had
commanded any body of troops so
large as a brigade in anything ap
proaching action. It is true that the
late General Funston commanded
more than a brigade on the Vera
Cruz expedition but Funston’s troops
never got into action.
From the time Pershing graduated
from West Point in 1886 he had his
full share of active and valuable ser
vice in the army. Like his class
mates he immediately was plunged
into the Indian wars. He entered a
campaign against the great Apache
chief Geronimo, who for many years
had kept the great southwestern
country almost closed to immigration
by his skill and bravery. It was in
those campaigns that many young
g American officers received that spe
cial training evolved in combat with
the wily savages which proved of
peculiar value in certain phases ot
the highly scientific modern warfare
in France and Belgium.
They were taught the art of scout
ing, of trailing and of perfect self
reliance in the school beyond the ken
Jf of any European soldier, and many a
midnight raid by the Americans into
No Man’s Land doubtless found its
inception and clever execution in the
brain of one of these one-time Indian
fighters of Pershing’s type.
It is recorded officially of Pershing
that at the beginning of his career,
for instance, he was complimented
by General Miles, his commander-in
chief in the Geronimo campaigns, for
“marching his troop, with packtrain,
over rough country, 140 miles in 46
hours, bringing in every animal and
man in good condition.” Until he
reached command rank Pershing al
ways was a cavalry officer and the
records of the war department show
more than one honorable mention of
his conduct during his ten years’ ser
k vice in the department of Arizona.
In the Spanish war, as an officer of
the Tenth cavalry, he was promoted
for gallantry at the battle of El Caney
to be a major in the volunteer army,
* and after a short detail in Washington
in the bureau of insular affairs was
sent out to the Philippines as adjutant
general of the department of Minda
nao and Jolo.
That was the turning point in Per
shing’s career. He began to take his
profession of arms more seriously
and to display the powers of concen
tration upon difficult problems that
stood him in good stead in the great
campaigns that were to follow in
Europe. Attracted by his earnest
ness and soldierly qualities, General
Leonard Wood, who was his superior
officer at the time, selected Pershing
to organize and conduct a campaign
against the Moros who for centuries
had successfully resisted all attempts
of the Spanish army to subjugate
I them.
Up to that point something of a
parallel may be found in the careers
of Wood and Pershing. Each had
made a brilliant reputation as an In
dian fighter and each had been picked
by President Roosevelt for extraordi
V
nary promotion because of his high
promise of military ability. Roose
velt had made Wood a brigadier gen
eral in 1901 and he made Pershing,
then a captain, a brigadier general in -
1906, to the absolute consternation of :£
the old line of the army because it :£
involved the “jumping” of both offi- $
r
cers over many hundreds of their :£
seniors. £
Pershing justified the confidence :£
that Wood had imposed in him in his £
Moro campaign. There was a Sultan :£
of Bacalod with unknown thousands £
of followers intrenched in the marshes
•*<
and mountains of the tropical in
lands behind heavy forts of palm ;£
w'ood, logs and giant creepers and £
thorn bushes woven into w7hat wras £
supposed to be impregnable defenses. £
Pershing had made a study of the con- £
ditions and so well had he organized £
his little force, consisting of a bat- £
talion of infantry, a squadron of cav- £
airy and a section of artillery, that in £
twro days the Moros’ strongholds were £
cleared out and the Island of Minda- £
nao was soon placed under Pershing’s •:
military governorship. £
When he returned home in 1914 he •:
was given but a short rest in San £
Francisco. Trouble began on the £
Mexican border and he w7as sent there £
in command of the Eighth brigade, £
charged with the special duty of run- £
ning dowm or driving off Villa. This £
expedition penetrated many miles in- £
i to Mexico and army officers believed £
that the ultimate capture of Villa w7as £
prevented only by recall orders from £
Washington where the authorities de- £
cided that they wrere unwilling to con- £
tinue a military policy seeming cer- £
tain to involve the United States in £
regular w7ar with Mexico.
When Pershing wras chosen to com- £
mand the American forces in France, £
he took with him many of the £
browned and hardened veterans of his £
Mexican campaign and these men £
formed the nucleus of the famous £
First division of the American expe- £
ditionary force. £
A terrible tragedy had come into £
Pershing’s life during his Mexican £
border service through the loss of £
his wife and three of their little chil- £
dren who were burned to death in £
their home at the Presidio, in San £
Francisco, during his absence. His £
life became hard and stern; not to- £
wards his soldiers, however, but in £
the regime he imposed upon himself £
! ana in me oojecis ne uau inaiKea iur
| attainment. He threw himself into
his work with a passion that com
manded success, evidently seeking re
lief from his private grief in public
! service. It was said of him in France
that he was never tired; he could
be called upon any hour out of the
twenty-four for consultation or direc
tion without complaint on his part,
in contrast with some of his famous
colleagues in the entente armies.
Pershing believed in team work; he
knew that whatever success the Ger
mans had attained was through their
unified command of the armies of the
Central Powers. So he was not only
willing but anxious to see the same
principle adopted by the entente ar
mies. He sank his private ambitions
and freely tendered the services of
the last American soldier and all his
army equipment to General Foch at
the most critical point in the cam
paign. There is said to be no doubt
that his example affected the other
commands and went a long way to
wards bringing about the unification
of the entente armies under Marshal
Foch.
It was not until Pershing was cer
tain that the plans he had made with
the assistance of his own staff for t
a successful campaign into Alsace- (
Lorraine had behind them the support
of a sufficient number of American
soldiers that Pershing felt justified
in taking complete command of an
important sector of the line of battle
with the full assent of Marshal Foch
and with the result that the Ameri
can army broke the morale of the
Germans and brought the war to an
end.
For what he did in Europe Pershing
has been praised beyond measure by
the greatest rulers and soldiers of
the world who have been glad to wel
come him and press his hand.
We have just received a line of
boys’ wearing apparel such as pants,
waists, shirts, jerseys, hose, union
suits, pajamas, shoes, etc., at the Cor
dova Dry Goods Company. 17-3
No one should be without an elec
tric plate, especially the kind with 3
different heats. Northwestern Hard
ware Company.
rU Wfe
—- '*. " .
Read the Dally Times ror the latest
and most Reliable world news.
; ' ... sar-.
..-l!
V. ••••
(Autumn
(Fashions
:::: « :'■>
.v X*
Revealed in Modes j
of Piquant
Loveliness
iMoreNew 11
i. cks If
of Unusual I I
Charm I I
X* v. X;
• *X .V *•%
Suitable for Every Occasion and |
Requirement |
Beading and Embroidery Achieve
Unusual Effects i| %
X* *%• •;»'
•:*: xj
•X .v
! %
• • • 0 0 » •
I • •
For Coming Season
;X v!
X* *•**
| Saxony Knit J |
| Scarfs and Toques |
1 JUST ARRIVED
*• ♦ *.*.
Kenyon Rubberized
| Silk Raincoats |
I IN NEW SHADES I I
• • • • • •
X* X* X’
*•*«
x*
. ——— i —
1 PHONE ONE-SEVEN-ONE 1 1
***• • •
• • • • • ♦
• ♦ • • • «
Arrived Last Boat
CHILDREN’S STOCKINGS
Plain, three pairs for $1.00
Drummer Boy, 50c
LADIES’—Silk, 50c and 75c
LADIES’—Plain, 3 for $1.00
Children’s Dresses, $2.00 up.
Tablecloths on sale yet.
THE REGENT
(MRS. JOHN NELSON)
Across St. from Modern Laundry
If you do not receive your copy of If you change your address, do not
he Times regularly, please notify the notify the carrier boy—report your
irculation manager. new address to the office.
Howard Watches, $40 to $ 1 35
Hamilton Watches, $25 to $140
Elgin and Waltham Watches
Good selection in Ladies’ Wrist Watches ||!
PAUL BLOEDHORN
Watchmaker and Jeweler
Watch Repairing Phone 223
... - ~
JUST RECEIVED, A LINE OF
MASTER-MADE
D RESS SHOES
FOR MEN. CALL AND GET THE PRICES AT
THE BARGAIN STORE
JOHN RAWSON
— ■ .—1 ■ ■ . ■ 1 --—I
I
Emergency
Remedies
Bandages and Cotton Should Al
ways Be in Your Household
Many a doctor’s call can be saved and relief
given to any cut or bruised member if you
have the necessary liniments, etc. Children
are always hurting themselves, and it is for
their sake we ask you to stop in for these
things while you think of it
NORTHERNDRUG CO.
“THE DRUG STORE OF ALASKA”
“SERVICE” is our motto
«
______
“Bevo” Is Here
t * X J
It’s a drink that surely fills the bill.
Delivered to the trade or families in
large or small quantities
i M.'fejnl
FRED HAEF, Distributor
7 t
\--- «
'•>>v.>%v.v.\Ny.v.\v.\y.v/.v.\y.v.v.v.\v.\v.v.v.v.v.\v.\v.v.\\v.v.v.v.\v.v.v.\\\\\v.\\v.v.v.v.v.\\\
I*—. !
V#
*.%
•x
3 *i
£: 8
8 *:
•x i
. *:
xi - ix
••••
••••
*.*. X*
V.
x: :x
•V
*x
v. i X*
v.
x* x
•X 'X
•V •,*,
:j: 1 x;
•V • ,*
:X _
$i -x
:::: _ ❖:
of any kind ^ |
$: x:
•X
I 1
1 I
•x
ix ix
If so, the Daily Times
•X X*
| is prepared to do your | I
v. I
| work promptly and in a |
:i;i
I manner that will be
I . 1
j satisfactory.
i !v ;X
1 ' I
8 8
Phone us your
I |
wants and we’ll
do the rest
x* ix
i 1
>>
X: ::::
TIMES ADS FOR SURE RESULTS