The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-29

| Christian Association TO lock the front dool
| before IL. and then to ask inviddous
questions In the morning. But. on this c.
| casion, Harries decided that all was I'd. il
| war, and it was his wish that the boys
| should be up late for once; late enough, in
deed. TO stay out the time, and yet leave
the scene before the mosquitoes go. to
| bad. or the powder began to smell.
The night waned and the frogs burbled
! The commissary supplies Of the orcumja-
cent territory we're getting low. The ST.
| lent bugles Of the waiting braves. being
forbidden to sound the retreat, blew
| themselves hoarse sounding the treat, -
| and the moon refused to respond to the
Assembly" Yet the gallant defenders
stayed on as steadily a. circumstances per
| mitted. ever supported by the thought that
their beloved Harries was Watching them
through the inpenetrabie gloom from the
| top OF the Washington Monument. All
when the order to retire was given. de-
| tachment on the Virginia side were too
far gone from the base of operations to
hear or heed the signal. Hence they were
| the onty soldiees who had a run for their
| money. They included the colored troops,
who fought nobiy.
The defe1ce having been officially ab.n-
dOoed and the doomed city left at the
mercy Of an excited and reckless horde of
invaders, tho latter began to appear on
the scene in tow OF a tug. With the most
praiseworthy dash and esprit an extremely
forlorn hope landed in the mud of the
fats under the brave but diffident Lieuten-
ant Commander Hopkins, and instantly
became engaged in saneuinary strug-
gle with the insects and the sodden soil
From that moment the fate of the bridge
was sealed! The Fern, meantime, sent
up its warning rocket, the troops in Viz
ginia fred off their ammunition, and, ev-
erythfng being closed By that time in jack
son City. started for town.
But the naval brigade had serious BUSH
ness before it, and fine large lot OF salut-
ing charges on its hands. Under the con-
ditions which prevailed 1t is astonishing
that it was able to mako such efIicient use
and took the bridge. Launches crept ST.
lently up BY the Georgetown channel and
affixed the destructive bombs to the struc-
ture. One horrible sizz and snort and 1t
was thing OF the futurei The fact that
the dauntless Hopkins found nobody to
oppose the onslaught Of his heroic men,
his expected opponents having grown
oil bod IN
the least dampen his or their courage.
They listened in ecstasy while the Fern
exhausted its ammunition chest, ard made
the whole city believe that every peanut
rooster in Washington had exploded; and
then they made ready to report on board
again. But the Fern forget them and re-
turned to its dock sad and tired boat
with heavy head of steam on. Then the
Hopkinses got up town the best way they
could very much the worse for mud and
mosquitoes
/; will be seen that the military prob
lem conceived and executed by the indon-
table Harries was one which would have
astonished either Napoleon or Hannibal.
1t would have been difficult of execution
in daylight, but at night it requires mill
tary genius OF the most unusual order to
do such things. Operations in the dark
are said to be Harries' strongest point.
The friends of Colonel May, at least. pay
him that compliment. The entire affair
was an illustration of the Welsh militia
mans conceptions of strategy and tactics.
They are completely unique. for which all
persons familiar with or interested in the
art OF war will be thankful. But it was a
at the hands of Harries. 1t made Wash
ington sit up at midnight and that was
probably what Harries has solely In view
The Intelligence Office OF the War De-
partment is preparing war map of China
and is having trouble to secure the neces-
sary geographical and typographical data.
We presume that the British military in
telligence office is encountering similar
leading powers interested in China should
not have attended to such an important
matter long ago. One would think that the
ineficiency of the British intelligence Of
ticers. illustrated in their ignorance re-
garding South Africa at the outbreak of
the war in that country, would have been
lesson We may be sure that Russia
and Germany are adequately equipped with
Chinese maps.
a brutal attempted assault upon a re-
spectacle young woman in the streets of
Washington by d wretch who is utterly I'M