Newspaper Page Text
Dec. 5, 1917.
GEN. TASKER BLISS
'LEWISBURG BOY
United States~Chief of Staff
Brother to Camp Librarian
R. P. Bliss.
In last week’s Trench and Camp, we
mentioned the names of generals in
France and this country who were
Pennsylvania boys and among the more
noted men was General Tasker H Bliss,
chief of staff of the United States ar
my, now in Europe with the American
mission, headed by Colonel House.
General Bliss is a brother of Camp
Librarian R : P. Bliss, of Harrisburg,
and from hinf we gleaned a few in
teresting facts, concerning the career
of the man who stands next in author
ity to the president of the United States
when it pertains to military matters.
One of Twelve Children.
Sixty-four years ago, Tasker H. Bliss
saw the light of day at Lewisburg, Pa.
He was born December 31, 1853, and
was one of twelve children, being eight
years older than his brother at Camp
Hancock. There were six boys and six
girls in the Bliss family, nine of whom
are living today. General Bliss’ father
was Prflf. George R. Bliss and his
mother's name was Mary Ann Ray
mond. The father was a Baptist
preacher, a graduate of Colgate Uni
versity, and he assisted in organizing
Bucknell University, where he served
as professor of Greek and Latin for 19
years. For several months he was
acting president of the university and
in this beautiful little Pennsylvania
town, Tasker H. Bliss spent his boy
hood and youngmanhood.
In the earlier _days, Bucknell Uni
versity was known as the University
of Lewisburg and here Tasker was
educated until in his junior year, he
was appointed tto West Point. He
finished his instruction at the United
States Military Academy, the eighth
man in his class, and as a conse
quence, was commissioned as second
lieutenant in the First Artillery, his
regiment being stationed in Savannah
Ga. After serving ten years, he be
came first lieutenant and after being
transferred to the commissary depart
ment, was promoted to captaincy, be
ing stationed in Washington. D. C. For
four years he served as instructor in
French at West Point and one year in
mathematics.
At the request of the secretary of the
navy, he was assigned to Newport to
organize the department of military
strategy in the Naval War College, and
served one,term as adjutant of the ar
tillery school at Fortress Monroe. When
relations with Spain were rather stren
uous, Cdptain Bliss served as military
attache to the embassy in Spain and
when war was- declared, was the last
man to cross frontier,.. .During
the war, he was attached to General
Wilson’s staff and was promoted to
lieutenant-coloner, serving as chief of,
staff to General Wilson during the
war. I
When the war with Spain ended
Colonel Bliss was detached to go to
Havana, where he served as chief of
the customs department and re-organ
ized it for the new Cuban administra
tion. When he became hrigadier-gen
erab he w..s sent to the Philippines, to
command the District of Mindanao, and
saw a great deal of active service in
restoring order among the Moros —the
head hunters of the Filipinos.,
Soon after returning from his Phil
ippine service, he was made comman- j
d r of the department of the south and >
was in command of the cavalry divis- ;
ion Later he served at Washington j
us assistant chief of staff and when j
General Scott retired a few months,
r-o General Bliss became chief of the
entire armv- He is the highest rank
ing officer in the- American army am
is one of only six men who were made
Bliss married Miss Ellen
Anderson, of Rosemont, near Phi.a
delphia. and he was two children, a
boy and gir.l. Captain Goring Bliss
his son. is with the U. S. Engineers
General Bliss is very reticent in his
manner and is a man of few words
He is devoted to military matters and
has played a prominent part in de
veloping the United States army and
bringing it to a state of efficiency. |
Billy Armstrong
Clever Boxer
Villv Armstrong, boxing instructor of
,2 Twenty-eighth Division is one of
the cleverest boxers who ever donned
tie omrnd mitts Mr. Armstrong came
lhe r.’±n Hancock from Montreal, Can-
he had been instructing the
a - da ’ mm in the art of self-defense.
l a s Jack Scardefield, r
’’pi v Armstrong the boxing director of
me Twenty-eighth dwision, was one of
he famous lightweights of a few years
in 1*1(11 Armstrong won the cham
a*>’ of the West by knocking out
mm Parker at the Denver Athletiq Club
He i’ n native of San Francisco a town
He ,f fnmous bv the number of famou-
whFh have been born and raised
fighters winning the Pacific Coast
there. AfH- Wegtern title
hc a Tanie Bast ami fought Dal Hawkinr
h a tn the spring of 1902 was matched
m meet Mysterious Billy Smith who a’
retime "was cutting a wide swath
among the lightweights They fought a
P»"O11S twenty-round draw. .
f In 1903 he toured the country with the
Jeffries-Fitzsimmons combination; the
an vears he has been boxing in-j
structor at the Montreal Amateur Ath-
TRENCH AND CAMP
letic Association, which is Canada’s pre
mier club.
He is the originator of the boxing bill
now being so successfully carried out in
the different training camps of the Am
erican army. In the short time that he
has been at Camp Hancock he has be
come very popular with both the officers
and the men. He knows the fight game
thoroughly, both from the fighter's and
the referee’s standpoint, and he will as
sure the fans of an absolutely square
deal.
109TH M"GBAT'frLOSEB
to hi th infantry
The officers of the 109th Machine
Gun Battalion could not find the range
of the 111th Infantry, Volley Ball court
so were returned on the short end of
the score in three match games with
Colonel Ream’s infantrymen. Re/
prisals are promised when the two
teams meet in a return game to be
played on the 109th Battalion’s court
for the team led by Major Foos has
the range of their own court figured to
a nicety and they are confident that the
defeat will be wined out.
B - —|
Mess
Sergeants
If you would be popu
lar with your troop, get
them
Kenny’s High
Grade Coffee
and
Kenny’s Che-on
e Tea.
C.D. Kenny Co.
976 Broad St. Phone 601.
DRINK
Seaboard
—AND—
Milo
AT ALL
SOFT DRINK STANDS
“THEY ARE BETTER”
WHEN DOWN TOWN
ON A LARK
DROP IN
“THE
IDLE
HOUR”
1148 BROAD STREET.
For a Cold Drink and a»
Sandwich, or Cigars, Cig
arettes and Tobacco. Try
A HIRES
ROOT BEER
AT OUR NEW
SODA FOUNTAIN.
The polite F. T. Wise will
chow you every courtesy
and a good time is prom
esed you.
JAMES E. PAYNE.
Foreign Legion Jim—Harry is get
ting exclusive as the devil lately.
~F. L. Billy—You mean he doesn’t
want to associate with you?
F. L. Jim—Not that, but he refuses
to shoot anyone but Prussian officers.
I DR. LANIER. DR. MABRY. DR. DUNCAN.
UNION DENTAL PARLORS
Largest and Best Equipped Offices South.
Best Work at Lowest Prices
Gold Crowns $3, $4, $5.00
Bridges $4, $5.00
All work Guaranteed Fillings .50c, 7Jc, SI.OO
10 Years. Painless Extractions . ,50c
1052 Broad Street. Over Goldberg’s
I AUGUSTA, GEORGIA. Phone 120 G.
r’7-'TriLll I '’’’".’!.. ."J ’ r~ITTTT'HIJIITIT'IJIim.I J 1 U ' 11. .'I IIIMIIII ■■Ul*inriMmTriW- ■ I ■ ■
SOLDIERS
We Are Ready to Help You Fight the Cold.
Note the following new arrivals:
Sheep-lined Coats in all sizes $12.50 to $20.00
Overcoats, sizes 34 to 48 $32.50 to $50.00
„ French Coats, sizes 34 to 48 $27.50 to $40.00
Heavy weight Uniforms and Army Regulation
Sweaters.
MILITARY OUTFITTERS.
“Sweets to
the Sweet”
Candy is an ideal gift to make those who
have shown you courtesy during your stay
in Augusta—inexpensive, yet appreciated.
NUNNALLY’S
Delicious Candies
will be doubly appreciated. Packed in
beautiful Christmas packages. Priced
from ' ,
Forty cents to fifteen dollars.
Watson Drug Co.
912 Broad Street. Phones 637—638.
Ferdy—Hooray! the war’s gonna end
in six weeks!
William —What do you mean the
war will end in six weeks. X
Ferdy—l had a letter from my broth
er. He’s joined the army—and he nev
er held a job longer than six weeks.
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