The officer listened to him courteously and attentively and then without a smile on his face, replied, "Leave it to me. I will fix it up all right. I will communicate with headquarters and have them stop the war."
The last week in the trenches gave both officers and men new confidence and a deep sense of satisfaction for all the work done, and helped to deepen ties of friendship and personal acquaintance already strong among the men. Assisting Senior Instructor Major Cromwell Stacey in all the plans for trench work, were Major Solbert of the Engineers and Captain Georges Etienne Bertrand, whose wealth of experience and practical knowledge were a great In closing his service at Fort Sheridan and before going to Camp Grant, Captain Bertrand wrote this letter to the men of the Camp: factor in the rapid development of the student candidates. My dear Comrades:
You will soon receive your commissions. And now you, in your turn, are called to lead men into battle. You will do it with the double application of audacity and that efficiency which every American puts into practice when he treats of a business matter. You will do it also with that positive consciousness of the right road, that freshness of sentiment, that enthusiasm which characterizes your people when it concerns a moral matter. As I have w^ritten over there to my chiefs, to my friends and also to that little family which I left for a time, the officers and men of my battalion — I have no fears about seeing you at work. In fact, I am con- fident of the work which you are going to accomplish because of the results w^hich you have gained here in three months. It was not possible to do more in this space of time. I do not say that you are military experts, but this war, in its application, is not a science, it is a practical art. You will be good workmen, for you have a clear and general knowledge of your trade. You are qualified to take a command. Now you must bend your efforts toward two points. I have the privilege of giving you
this last advice. First, train yourself in leading your unit that is to say,
practice your command on the ground, make rapid decisions, and make them w^ell, because on them depends the life of the men w^ho follow^ you, and therefore they are the very element of success. Then perfect your instruction by going into details, particularly into those w^hich concern the specialties born of this war. You will see according as you study them what value they have. For him w^ho has faith, the command of a company under fire has a powerful attraction. One of my comrades said, "War would have passionate interest without shells, bullets, mud or barbed wire." He w^as right, but he could have added, at the risk of complimenting himself: "It is that which makes it inspiring."
If 1 have had some influence on the course of your military instruc- tion, I am happy and grateful. My help would have been impossible w^ithout your indulgence and good will. I thank you w^ith all my heart. I thank your instructors w^ho have made my task easy, Colonel Ryan, Commandant of the Camp; Lieut. -Col. Stacey, senior instructor, and all the officers, my comrades, with whom we have co-operated in the com- mon task. In particular the collaboration which Major O. N. Solbert and I have brought to bear on the drawing up of our lectures remains as one of the most vivid memories of my mission as a French officer in this country.
There is also something for which I wish to thank you which does not transmit itself into tangible and material form. It is the sympathy
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