The Savannah morning news., 1902-10-07
Fl. RILEY MANEUVERS.
rxe-cises Were Both Practical and
Specta euIar.


Fort Riley, Kans., Oct. 6.-While full
" as practical as any of the. pre-
cading maneuvers, to-day's exercises
.ontained a larger element of the
snactacular than any that have preced-
al them, and it is not likely that any
of those still to come will equal the
work of to-day.
Mai Leach of the engineers, COM
handing the Blues, defended a position
with what all the military critics con-
coded was very great skill. Gen. Kobbe,
leading the Browns, made dispositions
for attack that were praised fully as
biphIv as Maj. Leach's defensive dis
nosition. Moreover, Gen. Kobbe pushed
home his attack with a fierceness and
energy, which, had the combat occur
red in actual warfare, must have
caused heavy losses to both sides. At
the close of the fighting Gen. Kobbe
had been badly crippled. but he was
coming on to make final rush for
The trenches, His men were
dashing down slope fully ex-
nosed to the rifle fire of
an entrenched line, and after the de-
sending this and passing through a
ravine. his men had still 300 yards of
omen ground to cross before reaching
the entertainments. The critics say
that it was hardly possible to do this.
still, Gen. Kobbe had two full imagi-
nary regiments in reserve, and even
though repulsed the first time, his
game was far from being played to
the finish.
Gen. Kobbe commenced his attack by
sending detachments around both
tanks of the Blue line to create appre-
hension for the Blue combination,
while he pushed his artillery straight
up to Morris Hill, the highest point on
the reservation. His batteries were
seen for nearly an hour before they
opened, the delay being for the purpose
of allowing the thanking columns to
march into position. Suddenly
on the slope of Morris Hill a crimson
flag huttered in the air, indicating the
batteries were firing upon other artil-
lery. the puffs of white smoke shot in
to the air, $500 yards from the Blues,
and the battle opened. Gen. Kobbe' S
artillery kept up a rapid fire, his OBJ
ject being to provoke a reply from the
Blues and thus unmask their positions.
The Blues held quiet for a time, but
finally Menopher'S two mounted guns
opened on the left, as did the two OF
Adams Sixth battery. They fired but
a few times, however, and then were
silenced. Meanwhile the Brown in
fantry was coming in steadily across
the fields straight on to the Blues en-
trenchments. When fairly over the
crest, the Blues simply shot them into
constructive little pieces and four COM
panies of the Twenty-second were lost
to Gen. KObbe.
The Brown artillery now came fly
ing down from Morris Hill and while
part of it took position at 1000 yards,
several other guns were cleverly push
ed up behind a ridge into a splendid
position at 1200 yards. Other guns
moved on to the Brown right and came
dashing over the ridge not more than
400 yards distant. They were ali
punched in relief against the skyline.
Before they could regain the safe side
of the ridge. an entire Brown battery
and platoon, eight guns in all, were
deprived of usefulness. Other guns
were pushed forward and kept up a
steady fire on the Blue intrenchments
and then another battalion of the
Twenty-second, together with the Col
orado battalion, came forward on the
run to charge the Blue intrenchments.
They came, fully exposed, down 200
yards Of hillside and suffered fright
fully from the fire that met them.
While this fight was going on in the
center, Brown fanking parties were
making it warm on both TANKS, but
they did not secure any foothold upon
the Blue line