The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-11-29
MET IN SHAM FIGHT
ROAR OF BATTLE AwOKE ECHOES
AT HkRMON'S RANGE.
MANY TROOPS WERE ENGAGED
CROWDS OF INTERESTED sPECTA-
TORS SAW THE EVENT.


Plan of the FiGht-Attacking
Force Carried the BreastwOrks
After Having Been Once RepuIs-
edit Is Believed That the Troops
Engaged PrOhted by the Expert
ence- Officers the Guest of Col.
WyIIy After the Event.
The battle exercises engaged in by
several of the military commands OF
the city yesterday afternoon afforded
entertainment for a great crowd of
spectators. IT would be difficult to
make safe estimate of the number
that watched the sham battle, but
there were quite enough to afford the
soldiers the inspiration of large gal
lery" and to encourage them in their
maneuvers.
East Of The Meadows there is an old
field. grown up in coffee weeds, that
was the theater of military action dur
ing the Civil War. Thrown up here
and there are breastworks behind
which Confederates were posted for
defense against the Federals. For the
first time since those stirring closing
days of the war. the rattle of musket-
ry and the detonations of heavy guns
yesterday set the echoes flying about
the field.
From several points of view the
sham battle was a distinct success,
and with officers and men the battle
of Harmon's Range will long be re-
membered. So successful, in fact, was
the battle that 1t is by no means inn
probable that the military may here
after devote some of the occasions
that have been signalized by street
parades to the more important, If not
more spectacular, exercises in the field,
wherein practice is secured for those
duties to which a soldier must look
forward as one of the possibilities that
always confront him.
Valuable information was gained by
the troops from their experience. They
know more now than they did before
of just what constitutes a battle, for
there was enough of the element of
the real thing about the exercises to
impress them. Moreover, the event
was enjoyed by officers and men, even
those who had fancied that they could
have had a better time in other ways
agreeing that they had spent the after
NUN NCly PlCdSduliys OOiilE lldQ QE-
INJURED about having their holiday, or
a portion of it, taken up by military
duty, though they had responded to
orders. The officers responsible for
the exercises were gratified to learn
that the experience had been found
rather pleasant than otherwise, even
by those who had said they did not
want to participate.
The six companies of the First In
f.xa 49, -.
nah Volunteer Guards. a detachment
from the Chatham Artillery and the
division Of Naval Militia, participated
in the exercises. The several COM
mandS assembled at their respective
armories early in the afternoon,
whence they marched to the battle
field. The service uniform was worn,
with the addition of the blouses. which
suffered somewhat through contact
with barbed wired fences, through
which the attacking force had to
charge the enemy.
Commanding the attacking force.
which consisted of two battalions of
the First Infantry. was Lieut.. Col.
G. A. Gordon. Maj. w. l.. Grayson
was in command of the First Battal-
ion, and Mai. Edward S. Elliott of
the Third. In Maj. Grayson's COM
mand were the Savannah Cadets and
tic OSielHOii't blBnt infantry. while
Maj. Elliott commanded the German
Volunteers and the Emmett Rifles.
Disposed behind breastworks were
the other forces. The Chatham Artil-
lery detachment was under Lieut.. A.
ID. Krenson. and the artillerymen serv-
ed their Calling gun. Behind their
Hotchkiss gun were the Naval Mill
tia commanded by Lieut.. A. c. Carter.
The detachment of the Guards was
also under command of Lieut..
Krenson, being attached to his force
The Republican Blues, under Lieut.
George j. Barthelmess, and the Irish
Jasper Greens, under Lieut.. ]. f. Nc
earthly, were also entrenched to repel
the attack. In the ranks of the Blues
was Private w. H. Smith. who, by
singular coincidence. fought a sham
battle on the very ground where thirty
six years ago he did picket duty.
Maj. Elliott's battalion was marched
out Henry street, while that of Mai.
Grayson went out Bolton until the bat
lie field was reached. There line was
formed, and the extended order follow
ed, the companies being first broken
into squads and squads being deployed
as skirmishers as they approached the
enemy. This was after scouts. detailed
TO precede, the attacking force, had re-
turned 20 report upon the location of
tlle enemy. Inc reconnaissance haQ not
been unattended by firing. for the scouts
had approached close upon the enemy
before they Were discovered. Then a
brisk engagement began, the exchange
Of shots giving the spectators, who
stood close at hand, just off to either
side of the breastworks, an inkling of
the almost continuous rattle of shots
that was to follow The scouts with
stood the fire of the enemy until the
Calling gun opened upon them, when
they retreated in good order. The
burr-r-r-r of the Calling caught the
ear Of the crowd and intermittenly IL
was heard throughout the engagement.
Had the battle been real, it would have
done effective work
The order for the advance was given
upon the report Of the scouts having
been received by Col. Gordon and the
two battalions moved forward in squad
formation. Upon the first halt the
firing opened up. the force firing by
squads and the enemy answering from
his position. The Hotchkiss gun here
was called into action, and careful aim
was taken al the squads by the gun
nerf. Some thirty rounds Of ammu-
milton for the one-pounder were at
hand, but only twenty-five were fired.
Plenty ~ ammunition for the small
arms was IN the belts Of the men. and
they used IL unsparlugly. only seeing
tnat they took time ~ get good aim.
Zach man was supplied With forty
rounds, AMI Il number fired not more
than half thar many.
Upon reaching closer range the
SQUADS were deployed 49, Hkirrnlfhers
Jhnf wac foloWed by ADVANCE BY