New-York tribune., 1908-06-16
FIRST BATTLE In WAR
ATTACK By j. PLUVIUS.
Soldiers Who Are to Defend City
Routed in Water Fight.

Dismal. drenching rain poured down the SOL
diers engaged in defending New York City from
the enemy in the game yesterday, and by
the time night the amateur soldier boys,
wltb had drilled, marched taken instructions in
the handling of heavy guns and dug trenches to
prevent tent flooding. willing to believe that
they had undergone ali the deadly distresses Of
real
At Forts Hamilton and Wadsworth, where the
18th and 47th regiments of Brooklyn and the 9th
of Manhattan. duty with the regulars. the
day spent in preparing for the expected attack
Of the enemy tomorrow. The crack 18th went
TO work with the regulars early. Its men were
taken into the batteries and instructed in the act
ual handling of the big guns Meantime the bat
TALON of the 47th assigned that side of the Mar
rows was getting lessons in the proper method OF
supporting the artillery regiment
This drilling all fine until about noon. when
the rain really began t1 descend if J. Puvius
wanted to show how water could put even the
thunderbolts of the god out of business. After
that drilling and mannuvring with dripping
clothing. soddeu earth fast turning to squashy
distance. But the worst part of the day came
when the 13th-with members most of whom
manual labor of degree harder than that re
quired to tinker into shape refractory automobile
or steer power boat-got orders to dig q set of
trenches around the encampment to prevent the
tents from being foated down the hill
The 18th was camped the west side of little
hill on the reservation. On the side the
large. healthy territory be embraced by hand
dug bitches, especially when the hand power came
from amateurs. But the guardsmen were game,
and while the trenches became realities in the
course Of the afternoon, there scores of bis
tered hands and lame backs The regiments at
evening parade showed the effects of a gruelling
day The soldiers, despite their efforts, looked tired
and draggled. and the jaunty bearing with which
they marched away to the wars had gone down
before the mud and water
At Fort Wadsworth the 9Th and the other bat
talon of the 47th spent DAY battery drilling
and infantry manPuvrins. because of the heavy
rain the night work abandoned except about
an hours searchlight practice Then most of the
soldiers. those guard. went TO bed early
and tried get to sleep without having stray
raindrops wagging playfuly through the tents
The men We're wet to the skin when they got 10
the camps last evening after the days work and
some of them cold that fires had TO be
lighted in the company streets and oil stoves
taken into the tents. Adiutant Thiery of the 9Th.
and Major Baldwin. Of the 47th, reported that
their men were all in good health and that so far
there had not been hospital
AT these forts and at Forts Totten and Schuyler
on the Sound, to-day will he devoted TO further
drilling the militiamen taking instructions in the
working OF the big guns from the regulars. AT
Fort Wadsworth there will be battery drilling all
the morning and target practice.
The attack is not expected until some time to-
morrow. Then the two torpedo planter tugs. un-
der command Of Captain Maudin, of the coast ar
tillery. which will represent the "enemy's'' fleet,
will show up somewhere in the o1ng. scout boats
will send IN warning by wireless telegraph mes
sages. and the big guns will be trained the
invaders in an effort To blow them out of the
water. The general expectation around Fort Ham
ilton is that all the wi ndows radius Of miles
will be blown out whether the invading
fleet IS destroyed.