The Washington herald., 1909-08-17
BLUE ARMY KILLS
TEN ESSEX SCOUTS
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Continued from Page One.
tering down the road into the main street
Of the town. The aid yelled for the gov
ernor, and before the enemy's scouts had
time 70 recognize the parsonage ahead OF
them, Gov. Draper had skipped into his
car and was away down the road. II was
an escape by an eyelash.
Il was all along this fifteen miles Of
dehatabIe territory between the main
forces Of the opposing armies that things
were happening to-day while the main
bodies of heavy artillery and infantry
were jockeying for position. From Lake
Vile and Taunton. on the extreme left
wing Of the Red army, and from the King
Phillip Tavern, where the wives Of some
Of the regular army umpires have taken
up their abode, came vague reports and
piecemeal tales OF sudden dashes. cap
lures. escapes, and mad adventures.
over IN Taunton. which Is IN the very
heart Of the Blue army's lines, three
spies Of the Red army were rounded up
in a restaurant by soldiers OF Company
=. OF Eolyoke. and the RoXbury Horse
Guards. and another was picked of q
trolley car while he was trying 10 make
his way back into the sheltering advance
guard Of Gen. Bliss left wing. At Rock
Station there was a sharp brush in the
early morning. and fifty scouts Of the
Red advance guard were gathered into
the Blue net.
The First Battalion Of the Twenty
second Engineers OF New York. detached
as a -wrecklng squad, took a little
d Ill. n
Murphy. headed straight across country
from the brigade camp al East Free
town toward the site Of the Berkely
Bridge across the Taunton River. which
wa9 officially blown up by the Blue
army engineers yesterday The New
York engineers failed ID construct a pom
toon in place Of the bridge supposed 20
have been dynamited. but crossed the
river IN boats and theoretically, at least,
established a base for holding this key
10 the enemy's position on the west bank
Later they did a little bridge wreclSing
OF their own in Plymouth COunty-enough
70 hinder the progress Of the Blues to-
ward the position Gen. Bliss has taken
up
Bad Roads CIOEEed Advance.
Bad and crowded roads clogged the adj
vance OF the two divisions into which
Gen. Bliss split his forces for almost
every hundred yards OF a ten-mile march
Two roads led from the site OF last
nights alignment UP 10 the advanced
front that Cen Bliss had decided 10 hold
The spruce road. a deep. sandy gully
that led FOR more than three miles along
low bottom land before climbing the hills
ahead and one other about two miles TO
the east and paralleling the first were
the avenues for the advance. Into these
were piled infantry, artillery. and the
slow moving commissary trains that
necessarily measure by their own speed
the speed Of the whole army
First over the spruce passed the COM
manding general and his stan with their
escort Of negro troopers OF the Tenth.
After them the Seventh New York. acting
as a screen for the valuable artillery and
wagon trains behind. Then came long
lines Of straining horses head down be-
fore the heavy guns Of the New York
and Connecticut Field Artillery.
Before one of the big auto trucks of
the quartermaster's department at Wash
ington had gone quarter OF a mile from
the East Freetown camp ii sank into
swale Of sand, and had 10 be dug out by
the cursing escort. Ahead an ancient
army mule wagon OF the old-fashiOned
type broke an axle. Pals, bags Of feed.
camp kitchens, and officers suit cases
cluttered the road for ten feet around.
The calls upon all the ancestors Of all
mules were put up without feeling by the
wranglers. even though the mules them
selves had not been responsible for the
broken axle. But mules Ike that sort
Of thing. as is we'll known.
II was at a cross road Just about due
east OF Assawampscott Pond that Gen
Bliss dropped or the Second Brigade,
comprising the Seventh and Fourteenth
infantry Of New York, and the Twenty
second Engineers. They turned down the
highland road TO three broad fields that
lay in the heart Of the woods about a
lonely schoolhouse, and there, with the
New York field artillery, they made their
camp.
Line in Compact Formation.
Tonight, as far as can be ascertained
Gen. Bliss line lies in a compact forma-
ton on both sides Of Assawampscott
Pond. with that body of water piercing it
about in the middle. He has withdrawn
his right and left wings to close forma-
ton on the center. and South NIiddleboro,
his present headquarters. lies on the ex-
treme right Of the line. Where the cav
airy are stationed is kept severely Sc
cret. 1t is believed that a large body Of
the horsemen has been moved up around
the right Hank Of the Blue army. the
main forces OF which are distant not
more than three or four miles from
South Middleboro.
Gen. Bliss said this afternoon that he
had pretty definite information that the
major portion OF the Blue army is await
Ing attack behind strong intrenchments
at the upper end Of this same body Of
water that pierces the Red lines
The First Brigade. comprising all Of
the District of Columbia troops, is camp
ed directly below the position that the
Blues are supposed 10 hold, their posi-
ton tonight being on the west side OF
the Asswampscott pond. A part of the
Seventh. Of New York. and Of the Four
teenth, OF New York. are doing outpost
duty tonight at Rock Station in the de-
batable territory. They expect a clash
the first thing In the morning.