The Story of General Pershing Part 16

"Is that so? Well, Kaiser w.i.l.l.y You have made a foolish bet, You have boasted, then you've roasted, But you haven't whipped 'em yet.

Let this, Kaiser, make you wiser, If you really care to know, Jack was born in old Missouri, He's a man you'll 'have to show.'"

"Pers.h.i.+ng, Pers.h.i.+ng, 'Black Jack' Pers.h.i.+ng, We are with you, one and all, We will ever pull the lever That will make the Prussians fall.

Fighting Pers.h.i.+ng,--yes, we know you, Old Missouri born and bred, Here's our motto, we will show you, 'All together! Forge ahead!'"

His determination is one of his fundamental qualities. It is seen in the very expression of his face, emphasized by the prominent nose and jaw.

Although it was doubtless a heritage, nevertheless the trying experiences of his early days intensified and aided in developing the quality.

He knew the meaning of hard work when he was a boy, as has been said, but it did not shake his ultimate purpose. He was eager to obtain an education and with this determination once fixed in his mind he never relaxed. Working, teaching, saving, when he entered the Kirksville Normal School he understood something of the price he was paying for the advantages he received. He knew what the attendance had cost him and it is easily understood why he was determined to get the worth of his money.

At West Point this same element was still prominent. It impressed his cla.s.smates and teachers. He saw what he wanted and wasted no time or effort on "asides" that might interfere. To be senior captain of cadets was to him the supreme honor--therefore it was only natural that he won the appointment.

The same spirit carried him through his campaign in the Philippine Islands. The Moros could be brought to reason, therefore the Moros were brought to reason. It animates him in France--"Germany can be beaten,"

"Germany must be beaten," and the third clause is as natural as the words of the General can make them--"Germany will be beaten." It is fitting that the commander of the best trained army America ever had should lead it in a spirit of determination that cannot be shaken.

Underneath this firmness is an unfailing spirit of fairness. After seven years of hard work he established in the Philippines a new record in diplomacy by winning the complete confidence of the natives. Said one man, "In all the Philippines there is no one so beloved for his gentle yet unrelenting manner, his absolute fairness and justice, as this soldier who had the unusual power of instilling love for himself and fear for his enmity at the same time."

In his boyhood his close friends report that this same quality often made him the protector of the younger boys when they were the victims of the school bully. "As a young fellow," states one of his early friends, "he was accommodating and never pushed himself forward. He was always ready to help other fellows who were not able to work out their problems. As a boy his decisions were always quick and accurate."

Of course the spirit of fairness implies the possession of a kindly nature as well as imagination. One cannot be fair or just to his enemies unless he can first get their points of view. This was the underlying quality in the work Lincoln did. He saw what his opponents saw but he also saw more. It is the quality which makes of a man or a boy "a good sport." He appreciates his antagonist and also--in the end--is appreciated by his antagonist.

A writer in the _Missouri Historical Review_, whose words have before been quoted, pays the following tribute to this quality in General Pers.h.i.+ng:

With his scholarly attainments, his ability as a writer and speaker and his grasp of big problems, Pers.h.i.+ng might have developed into a statesman: he certainly would have succeeded as a business man if he could have contented himself with the humdrum life in a downtown office; and with his attractive personality he might indeed have led a successful career as a politician, except for his unfortunate modesty which even in the army has frequently delayed for him a merited promotion. As a soldier, Pers.h.i.+ng's methods are those of clemency rather than ruthlessness and he makes personal friends even of his enemies.

Writing as he did before the declaration of war with Germany he adds:

Since the death of General Funston he has been in command of the Department of the South, one of the important military posts of the country at the present time. With this country an active partic.i.p.ant in the War of the Nations and the probability that a strong expeditionary force will be sent to cooperate with the Allies in France, what is more probable or desirable than that General Pers.h.i.+ng should command it? He has partic.i.p.ated in every war in which this country has been engaged for thirty years and in every campaign has added l.u.s.ter to his own name and distinction to American armies.

One has to read no more than the painstaking reports which he sent from the Philippines to the Adjutant General or to the Headquarters Department of Mindanao and Jolo to comprehend the mastery of details which has been a striking characteristic of General Pers.h.i.+ng. From his recommendations concerning military posts and the disposition of the troops in the province he turns to deal specifically with detailed suggestions about cold storage plants and to present carefully prepared suggestions to aid the quartermaster from whom "too much is expected."

It is easy for one to tell what _ought_ to be done. The world has never lacked, nor does it lack now, mult.i.tudes of men who fancy they are competent to do that. But to find one who is able to tell how to do it--he is the individual for whom the world ever has a warm welcome.

Many are officious, but only a few are competent or efficient.

Nor is this quality of mind and heart limited to details of administration alone. It applies also to his knowledge of men. The incident of the telegram to the former cook, John Kulolski, related in Chapter XVI, is ill.u.s.trative. Most men find that for which they are looking. If they expect to find evil they seldom are disappointed. If their objective is the thing worth while, that too they find. To know men as well as maps, to study soldiers as well as supplies, to grasp the varying and differing elements that compose an army--these are the essential elements in a successful leader of men. To the German war lords their men may be merely "cannon fodder." To the public a French soldier may be a poilu, a British fighter a Tommy, an American a doughboy. To General Pers.h.i.+ng every one that carries a gun is above all else a man. This is at once the basis of his confidence in and appeal to his followers. It may be because of this trait that Rowland Thomas and others have described General Pers.h.i.+ng as "the most brilliant and most dependable general officer in our army."

Like many men who are large, physically as well as mentally, he has almost infinite patience. This quality too is so closely linked to self-control that at times it is difficult to distinguish between them.

Confidence and self-possession are the foundation stones upon which patience rests. It is the man sure neither of himself nor of the goal he seeks nor of the cause for which he fights who becomes impatient. Was promotion delayed? Then he must wait with patience, first making himself fit to be promoted or doing his work in a manner that would compel recognition. Had the Moros for three centuries successfully resisted every attempt to subjugate them? Then his campaign must be so conducted that the little brown people must be made to see that the United States was seeking to help as well as to subdue. Had Germany for more than forty years been preparing armies to overthrow civilization and dominate the world? Then, "Germany can be beaten, Germany must be beaten, Germany will be beaten," is the quiet statement of the American Commander, because, having confidence in the cause for which he is fighting and faith in his fighters, he can be patient. With the end in view, there must be no hasty or impatient activity which might lead to disaster.

[Ill.u.s.tration: General Foch and General Pers.h.i.+ng.]

One distinguished writer on military topics has called him the American Kitchener, because of his ability as an organizer. Points of resemblance there may be and doubtless are, and these are not limited to any one man, British or American, but the people of the United States are well content to take him as he is. If comparisons are to be made then the resemblance should be based upon the fact that the party to which reference is made is "like Pers.h.i.+ng," not because General Pers.h.i.+ng is like another.

It is a marvelous time in the history of the world and the times require men equal to the demand. Nearly four years of the war pa.s.sed and up to that time the hearts of many were heavy because no one outstanding figure had appeared. The unspoken call was for a leader. Great men, good men and many of them were in evidence, but the Napoleonic leader had not appeared.

Then upon the insistence of the President of the United States a supreme commander, one brain, one heart, one sole power to direct, was found and the Allies were no longer separate units, each free to come or go, without adhesion or cohesion. There was now to be one plan and one planner. The world already is aware of the result, for Foch has been tried and tested. The great unifying power has been discovered. The man for whom the world had been waiting had appeared and taken charge.

Whether times make men or men make the times is a riddle as old as the one concerning the egg and the hen as to which was first produced.

Without question both are true.

But no military genius can win battles, much less win a war, unless he is supported by strong men and true. And in the number of those who are closest to Foch is the Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in France. All are rejoiced that he is where he is, but they are equally proud that he is what he is.

It is easy to paraphrase the words of the great Apostle to the Gentiles, and to say of General John Joseph Pers.h.i.+ng that he too "is a citizen of no mean country." It is also easy to say that he is no mean citizen of that country, for he is both the citizen and the general, the man as well as the soldier. And there is the strongest possible desire on the part of his countrymen, that, upheld by his armies and helped by everyone in his native land, he may speedily add new l.u.s.ter to his name and to that of his own land until the words of the greatest orator of the new world may have an added significance and a deeper meaning--"I--I also--am an American!"

CHAPTER XX

HIS MILITARY RECORD

THE complete Military Record of General Pers.h.i.+ng as it has been kept by the War Department of the United States is here presented. To the facts obtained from this Department are added a few later items, which the Acting Adjutant General kindly has provided.

JOHN J. PERs.h.i.+NG

BORN SEPTEMBER 13, 1860 IN AND APPOINTED FROM MISSOURI.

Cadet Military Academy July 1, 1882 2nd Lt. 6th Cavalry July 1, 1886 1st Lt, 10th Cavalry Oct. 20, 1892 Captain, 1st Cavalry Feb. 2, 1901 Trs. to 15th Cavalry Aug. 20, 1901 Brigadier General Sept. 20, 1906 Accepted Sept. 20, 1906 Major General Sept. 25, 1916 General Oct. 6, 1917

VOLUNTEER SERVICE

Maj. Chief Ord. Officer Aug. 18, 1898 Honorably discharged May 12, 1899 Maj. A. A. G. June 6, 1899 Honorably discharged June 30, 1901

SERVICE

Served with regiment on the frontier from September, 1886 to 1891; Professor of Military Science and Tactics at University of Nebraska, September, 1891 to October, 1895; was Instructor of Tactics at the Military Academy at West Point, N. Y., June, 1897 to May, 1898; served throughout the Santiago Campaign in Cuba, June to August, 1898; on duty in War Department, August, 1898 to September, 1899, when he left for Philippine Islands; served in Philippine Islands until 1903; member General Staff Corps 1903 to 1906; and also Military Attache at Tokio, j.a.pan; served again in Philippine Islands from 1906 to 1914; commanded Punitive Expedition in Mexico from March, 1916 to February, 1917; commanded Southern Department to May, 1917, and United States Forces in France since that date.

BATTLES AND CAMPAIGNS

Sioux Indian Campaign, South Dakota, September, 1890 to January, 1891; action near mouth of Little Gra.s.s Creek, South Dakota, January 1, 1891; Las Quasimas, Cuba, June 24, 1898; San Juan, Cuba, July 1, 1898, and was recommended by his regimental commander for brevet commission for personal gallantry, untiring energy and faithfulness; and by the brevet board convened that year for the brevet of Captain for gallantry at Santiago de Cuba, July 1, 1898; in the field in Philippine Islands, November, 1900 to March, 1901, against General Capistrano, commander of insurrectionary forces; in command of an expedition against the hostile Moros of Maciu, starting from Camp Vicars, Mindanao, September 18, 1902; action at Gauan, September 18, and Bayabao, September 19, 1902; captured Fort Moro, September 29, 1902, driving the Moros from Maciu Peninsula on that date. He attacked the Moros at Maciu September 30, 1902, capturing their two forts, and returned to Camp Vicars, October 3, 1902; was in action at Bacolod, April 6 to 8, 1903; Calahui, April 9, 1903, and Taraca River, May 4, 1903. He commanded the first military force that ever encircled Lake Lanao; Punitive Expedition in Mexico, 1916 and 1917; and since June, 1917, commanding the Expeditionary Force in France.

An additional statement by the War Department:

John J. Pers.h.i.+ng was appointed a Major General in the Regular Army, during a recess of the Senate, on September 25, 1916, with rank from that date.

His name was submitted to the Senate on December 15, 1916, for the permanent form of commission, in confirmation of his recess appointment, and the nomination was confirmed on December 16, 1916, the permanent commission being signed on December 20, 1916. He accepted his appointment as Major General on September 30, 1916.

He was appointed General on October 6, 1917, with rank from that date, for the period of the existing emergency, under the provisions of an Act of Congress approved October 6, 1917. He accepted this appointment on October 8, 1917.

Gen. Pers.h.i.+ng sailed for Europe on May 28, 1917.

Prior to that date a total of 211 officers and 919 enlisted men had embarked from the United States for Europe.