Letter to General John J. Pershing from General Enoch H. Crowder - July 22, 1918
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Personal and Confidential July 22, 1918. General John. J. Pershing, Commanding General, A. E. F., France. My dear General Pershing: The reading of your letter of June 28 gave me great satisfaction and but one apprehension that there could be any misunderstanding of conditions between us. I read your letter as if it were a pending proposition whether or not I should be permitted to come to France in command of a division to engage in fighting. That has not been a proposition in my own mind since August of 1917, when I did hope to be appointed to command one of the divisions of the very large Army I was helping to raise, but with only this in view: that if I failed in competition with other men similarly assigned to get a division ready for France -- if I failed, in other words, to meet the competition in a satisfactory way -- that I would take my medicine. General Bliss told me that he recommended me for appointment as Major General, with a view to my commanding one of these divisions. The General Staff ruled against me and Secretary Baker followed that ruling, since which I have not entertained the slightest hope of such an assignment. When Ansell was about to leave on his visit of inspection, he asked me if I had any message to you on the subject I have here referred to, and I told him none at all. I hope you have not been under the slightest embarrassment by being called upon to consider the proposition. One must qualify here for command rank over there, and if he is denied the opportunity here, he can have no possible claim upon you. Should, however, an occupying force be sent to Russia to undertake to bring order out of the present chaos, and under conditions where the problem would be primarily reconstruction work and fighting of secondary importance, I shall be aggressive in asserting my right to go under an assignment that would give me responsible direction of both. I so told the Secretary of War, referring in that connection to the fact that I have had the lion
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the military and conserving the industrial man power necessary to win this war. I would like for you to see the situation as I see it, and then have the benefit of your advice on the subject. Meantime consider me as working in elbow-touch with you and in subordinate relations to your great work, with no desire on my part quite so strong as to see you succeed in a conspicuous way. This letter shall be wholly personal, but will be followed by another which will be responsive to your invitation to write to you as illuminatingly as I can about conditions on this side. Governor Gardner of our State calls every time he is in town, and on his last visit gave me an account of a Fourth of July celebration held in your honor back in Missouri, in your native town. The public sentiment there and elsewhere throughout the country all hinges about your performance, and you have to a singular and high degree the confidence of the entire country. Go to it, and let us get a result. I remain of the opinion that Germany will not commit national suicide. The recent splendid fighting of American troops in the line north of Chateau Thierry must have carried a very direct message to the Kaiser that the end is in sight, and soon. As I write the press dispatches (I never see a message of your except as published in the press) are confirmatory of a very substantial defeat of that part of the German Army that Ludendorff hurled against the French and American Forces. Our people are profoundly impressed with the fighting qualities of our troops and with your own splendid handling of them in training and in action. They are in a mood to meet any demand that is made upon them. I am chafing under delays, but my activities are all regulated and controlled. With best wishes, my dear Pershing, I am, Very truly yours,
Details
| Title | Letter to General John J. Pershing from General Enoch H. Crowder - July 22, 1918 |
| Creator | Crowder, Enoch H. |
| Source | Crowder, Enoch H. Letter to General John J. Pershing from General Enoch H. Crowder. 22 July 1918. Crowder, Enoch H. (1859-1932), Papers, 1884-1942. C1046. The State Historical Society of Missouri, Columbia, MO. |
| Description | Letter from General Enoch H. Crowder to General John J. Pershing. Crowder informed Perishing that he no longer wants to be considered for command abroad and that he was doing everything in his power to get fresh men overseas into Pershing's hands. This document is part of a collection compiled by Enoch Herbert Crowder, the Edinburg, Grundy County, Missouri native who served as Judge Advocate General. Crowder devised the Selective Service Act in 1917 which drafted America's forces during World War I. |
| Subject LCSH | Crowder, E. H. (Enoch Herbert), 1859-1932; Pershing, John J. (John Joseph), 1860-1948; United States. Army. A.E.F., 1917-1920 |
| Subject Local | WWI; World War I |
| Site Accession Number | C1046 |
| Contributing Institution | The State Historical Society of Missouri |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the State Historical Society of Missouri: 1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, Missouri, 65201-7298. (573) 882-7083. |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. |
| Date Original | July 22, 1918 |
| Language | English |