The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-02-23
ARMY OF BROWN
MET ARMY OF BLUE
IN BATTLE ARRAY AT TYBEE.
FIRST REGIMENT G. S. It. CHARGED
LINE HELD BY REGULARS.

to which Side Gained Advantage
Was Mnde-State Troops Had $50
Men in Ranks and Regulars About
2OO-Review of State Troops Fol-
lowed Battle-Chief Criticism Made
That They Had Not Utilized Cover.
The battle exercises between the
commands of the First Regiment, In
fantry, commanded by Col. G. A. Cor
don, and the three companies of coast
artillery that compose the garrison of
Fort Screven, under the command of
Capt. H. H. Whitney, took place at
Tybee yesterday afternoon, and were
an even greater success than even the
most sanguine of the officers had an
ticipated.
In all, more than 500 men took part
in the problem. $50 in the ranks of the
state troops and approximately 200 in
the lines of the regulars. The battle
lasted, all told, about an hour, and at
its conclusion the commands of the
First Regiment were reviewed on the
parade ground of the fort by Col. Alex
ander R. Lawton, after which the SOL
diers and many of their friends who
had watched the exercises, went to
Bohans pavilion, where an oyster roast
was served, and where the remainder
of the afternoon and the early part of
| the evening was spent in dancing.
The First Regiment left the city for
| Tybee shortly before o'clock. At the
| fort all persons, except the soldiers,
| left the train and went to the parade
| ground, from which the exercises could
| best be viewed. The members of the
regiment were taken to Hotel Tybee,
| where they were detrained and from
which place the march to the attack
was begun.
Army of Blue and Army of Brown.
The state troops were uniformed in
| khaki and were known as the Army
| of Brown, while the regulars, because
| of their blue shirts were termed the
1 Army of Blue The plan of the eXer-
| cises was for the state troops to at
tack the reservation of the Fort, which
was to be defended by the regulars.
| The critics, Col. Alexander R. LaWton,
| Col. Jordan F. Brooks, and Lieut..
| Prentiss, of the regulars, were with
| the attacking force. Lieut.. Col. w.
| l.. GTayson, of the First Regiment,
watched the battle from the viewpoint
of the defence. No decision as to the adj
vantage on either side was expected or
made
The attacking force consisted of two
| battalions of four companies each.
That of Maj. E. S. Elliott, was on the
| right of the line, and that of Mai.
| w. E. Coney on the left. The bat
tie took place to the south of the fort
| reservation, where, a short distance
| from the line, row of white flags
| marked a boundary beyond which the
| attackers were not to venture.
The left of the attacking force fol-
cd TIL,
| some distance until beyond the post
| office and then, there being no fur
| Their Instructions between that point
and the line of the defence, widened out
| to get in touch with the forces of the
right, which had reached the open
ground fronting the defence by another
line of march between a group of cot
tages, and the sand dunes that marked
the line of the beach. The defence had
placed outposts well in advance of their
| position, and also had lookouts posted
advantageously. These wig-wagged the
| information of the coming of the at
hackers long before they could be seen
| from the reservation.
OutpOsts Driven In.
The officers on the reservation could
also tell of the advance by seeing
small bodies of the enemy, as from
time to time they climbed a dune, or
crossed an open space to take a po-
| sition nearer the point of attack The
| game was opened in earnest when the
| attackers drove in the outposts of the
defence and shortly after their line
| became visible to the defenders, who,
| lying well covered at the edge of the
reservation. opened a brisk fire that
was returned and continued until it
| became general
The attackers continued their an
| p1oach, gliding from cover to cover as
| long as it was possible, then began to
advance by rushes, tactics that were
continued until the boundary flags
We're reached and the bugles am
nounced cease firing" This com
mand was followed by ASSEMBLY"
the regulars were marched to quarters
and dismissed, and the commands of
the regiment were marched into the
parade ground and reviewed. After
the review short addresses were made
the troops by the critics and by Col
G. A. Gordon.
Views of the Critics.
The criticisms We're to the effect that
the man had unnecessarily exposed
themselves in not taking advantage of
cover as often as 1t was possible. and
that too long an interval had been al
lowed to elaDSe between the attack of
the advance and that of the main body
Lieut.. Prentiss told the men that he
nad been agreeably surprised in their
work, and Capt. Whitney said the ad-
vance by rushes had been we'll done,
and that the men had kept a good line
for one so extended. which showed
that they had been kept we'll in hand
by their officers.
Did Not Seek Cover.
The most general criticism was due
to the failure of the men to take ad-
vantage of cover. At the water tower
some sixteen to twenty men of the
forces of the left. were fully exposed
for ten minutes, or more, and on the
right and i'm the center, the advance
Was made in ranks too close Had the
battle been real they could have been
killed by hundreds. was one officers
comment.
The LEFT of the line of advance was
not so evident, the ground being bet
ter adapted for cover. All criticism in
this respect was not directed against
the state troops, however, for though
the firing line Of the regulars kept we'll
under cover, the reserves when brought
up, were pretty we'll exposed and many
of the officers too. would have been
excellent targets for sharp shooters.
because of their position in the open.
rms was. of course. unavoidable. be-
cause of the nature of the parade
ground which, except at it's edge, offer
ed no protection whatever.
Water Prevented Better Work.