Evening star., 1909-08-18
From the Boston Post.
DISTRICT TROOPS WIN
DECISIVE FIGHT TODAY
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push on northward and the Blues are
falling back toward Boston.
The baggage wagons Of the coast artil-
lery regiment. the first to take up the
line of retreat from Fiticut and Middle
boro this morning. were mired at 8
o'clock two miles south of Bridgewater.
The men took hold, dragging the heavy
wagons with ropes and gangs. like old
fashioned fire apparatus The whole bri-
gade behind the artillery was stalled.
Middlebcro between and 7:3O o'clock
this morning that made the retiring
troops quicken their pace. as far as con-
ditions allowed them to do So
Reds Are Active.
1t was announced that the Red brigades
were renewing the attacks of yesterday
Blue line along the exposed position be-
tween East Middleboro and North Gar
yer. The 1st Massachusetts, Cavalry re-
tired also early this morning from outpost
positions as far southwest as Taunton to
a position at Titicut. This indicates that
Titicut. previously the encampment center
of the right wing. is 10 become the ex-
treme right outpost Of the new line.
Along some miles of front the lines lay
down last night within rifle range of
men sleeping on their arms. thanks to
the umpires rule that attacks must
cease after I pm. The firing lines at
that hour shouldered their muskets and
marched back to their camps like SO
many hands returning from days
work. They were tired and gunsore'
and it would have gone hard with any
one who dared to intimate that the
maneuvers were not enough like real war
as it was. Overtime on the firing line
in torrents of rain did not suggest itself
as a welcome idea. 1t was plain today
that the Blue army was in a tough
position.
1st Brigade in Danger.
The 1st Brigade, forming the right halt
Of this army. had moved out far be-
yond the left of the line and was in
danger of being cut of from the I'd
Brigade should this be dislodged by the
main body of Reds opposite. In spite
of this risk and regardless of the fact
that the extended list Brigade could not
bring relief to the I'd, in case the
latter were hard pressed, Gen. Pew re-
fused to withdraw tliem. Instead, he
busted the 5th, Sth and 9th Regiments,
forming the left half of the Blue army
theoretical intrenchments, marked by lit
tie blue flags stuck up on poles amid
the cornfields and not real intrenchments
burrowing into the soil. the labor was
not arduous.
The troops put their fine new pattern
digging trenches around their tents to
drain away the water. There has been a
rule of the game that tent trenches should
not be dug for fear Of spoting potato
>Jzy DIT rrlIn 1,od orvft-
way to necessity when hour after hour
the doWnpour kept on yesterday morning
and afternoon. The interiors Of the tents
began to look like duck ponds; water
trickled in from all sides in rivulets. The
intrenching tools came out and woe to
the undug potatoes that came in their
way.
Middleboro and Bridgewater were both
typical wartime towns last evening. Their
streets were filled with soldiers and Of
ficers. stragglers, messengers and the like
The denizens Of the town were out, COM
fortably snuggled under their umbrellas
gaming at the bedraggied men in dripping
asmy outer coats and glistening. clammy
ponchos,s
War is b. said one Bridgewater
citizen. You can't get anything to eat
any more in this town. Our women folk
are out all the time looking at the SOL
diers"
Hotel Filled Up.
The hotel at Bridgewater. already full
to overfiowing before. was quite swamped
at nightfall by an inroad OF Massachu-
sets cavalrymen. Some nifty men and
horses descended on the place by twos
and threes, having found various excuses
to leave their camp quarters and get ir
out Of the vet. Some had ridden in from
the farthest outposts. a dozen miles off
to find shelter from the wet and from the
camp fare as we'll. The cavalrymen ate
ravenously at the hotel After seeing tC
their horses shelter they turned in dead
tired.
BY scores they slept In the hay of the
livery stable. over their horses heads
The Blue division hospital reported only
twelve cases today for the whole army
in spite of the hard weather. With d
rainfall of over an inch in tie pasi
twenty-four hours tents wet through and
dripping on the inside, and a temperature