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Exhibition Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I

Echoes of the Great War: American Experiences of World War I

General Pershing's Diary

General John J. Pershing. Diary entry, September 26, 1918. Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (142.00.00)
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"American Troops Who Had Got the Habit of Victory," The War of the Nations: Portfolio in Rotogravure Etchings. New York: The New York Times, 1919. Serial and Government Publications Division, Library of Congress (145.00.00)
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General Pershing's Diary

General John J. Pershing's diary describes the first day of the largest and deadliest battle that the United States fought in the Great War. Not all went as planned. Pershing wrote that the failings of green troops and new staff officers who did not yet work well together hindered progress. Emphasizing the importance of transportation and logistics, he judged that the most serious problem of the day was mending the roads across No Man's Land, which had been obliterated by years of fighting.