The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-07
THE WAR AT FORT RILEY
OPERATIONS AGAINST INTRENCH-
MENTs BRILLIANTLY CONDUCTED.
Fine Piece of Engineering i'm Making
Concealed FOrti6cations-Specta
ular Series of Maneuvers.

FOR RILEY. Kan, Oct. 6.-While fully
as practical as any of the preceding maneu-
vers, to-day's exercises contained a larger
element of the spectacular than any that
have preceded them, and it is not likely
that any of those still to come will equal
the work of to-day.
Major Leach, of the engineers, command
ing the blues" defended a position with
what all the military critics conceded was
very great skill General Kobbe, leading
the browns made dispositions for at
tack that were praised fully as highly as
Major Leach's defensive dispositions.
Moreover. General Kobbe pushed home his
attack with fierceness and energy that
had the combat occurred in actual warfare
it must have caused heavy losses to both
sides. At the close of the fighting General
Kobbe had been badly crippled, but he
was coming on TO make final rush for
the trenches. His men were dashing down
a slope fully exposed to the rife fire of an
intrenched line, and, after descending this
and passing through a ravine, his men
had still 800 yards of open ground TO cross
before reaching the intrenchments. The
critics say that this was hardly possible.
Still, General Kobbe had two full imag-
mary regiments in reserve, and, even
though repulsed the first time, his game
was far from being played to the finish.
The plan of the maneuver was given in the
orders for the day as follows:
"a western force of the blues is oper-
ating against a brown force i'm the east
located northeast of St Mary's Kan. The
road for supplies. The main force of the
blues beyond ST. Mary's has met with a
serious reverse, and has been temporarily
thrust off its line of direct communication
with Fort Riley. Owing to the reverse of
the main army Of blues the blue force
at Fort Riley cannot expect outside aid
from any direction. A strong force of the
browns Is advancing to seize the impor-
stroy the stores and cripple the Union Pa
cific Railroad for several days
The attacking force of the browns was
made up of the Eighteenth Infantry. Twen-
ty-second Infantry, Colorado battalion,
eight troops of the Fourth Cavalry and
three troops of the Eighth Cavalry. There
were also two imaginary regiments. The
Seventh, Nineteenth and Twentieth bat
teries made up the artillery.
The blues under Major Leach consist
ed of the Sixth Infantry. the First bat
talon of engineers acting as infantry. the
Sixth and Twenty-eighth batteries, the lat
ter being another mountain battery, OF
much lighter weight and shorter range
than the other batteries in the field and
Troop A, of the Eighth Cavalry. under
Captain Donaldson.
The intrenchments for the defense were
made under the direction Of Capt. ]. b.
Cavanaugh. of the engineers, and were
most skillfully constructed The loose
earth thrown up In creating the trench
was covered with grass. placed at right
angle to the line OF the trench. This gave
to the eye at distance of 100 yards very
little indication of the location of the
trenches. When the brown army moved
out from camp to take the position from
which 1t later advanced to the attack, il
passed, greatly to the disgust OF the um-
pires. within leo yards of the blues, -
who were at the time throwing up dirt for
dear life. The location OF the intrench-
ments was in plain view, and the officers
OF the browns could not avoid seeing
the blues" at work Later In the morning
they were unable 10 see these very same
trenches and their men suffered heavily in
front OF them