Evening star., 1909-08-18
DISTRICT TR0OPSW|N
DEC|S|vEF|CHT TODAY
Gen. Harries Helps Turn Flank
of Blue Army Defend
ing Boston.
"SAVES" REGULAR CAVALRY
Battle of Plympton Green" RACES
Three Hours.
PEW'S FORCES IN RETREAT
Desperate Effort Being Made to In
terpose Barrier Before Bliss
Advancing Legions.
''SAVES" REGULAR CAVALRY
Battle of Plympton Green Rages
Three Hours.
PEW'S FORCES IN RETREAT
Special From a STAT Correspondent.

Special From STAT Correspondent.
PLYMOUTH. Mass, August
I8.-Meeting large detachment
OF the Blue army at Plympton
Green, twelve miles west OF
Plymouth. this morning, the
District brigrade, under Gen.
Harries. fought decisive en-
gagement, sending the retreat
ing army toward Plympton
station and Halifax. The fight
ing was begun by a battalion un-
der Maj. George L. TAFT, who
had been ordered to rush his men
into action to save a troop of the
1o.h Cavalry, which had been sur
prised at Plympton Green.
For more than three hours the
battle ragged, and in it the entire
brigade figured, including the
field battery. Today's battle will
probably be the deciding one o;
the mimic war. and while no de-
cision has yet been rendered the
impression prevails that the vic
tory will be awarded to the Red
army, inasmuch as the left wing
CT the defending force was turned.
Col. Simms Leads Attack.
After particularly trying night, spent
in wet clothes and under wet blankets the
District brigade was ordered to break
camp shortlysafter o'clock. Col. Simms,
with Majs. Stenha.p and Hodsson, led the
advance guard, composed, for the most
part. of the I'd Regiment and part of the
lst Separate Battalion. :,
Moving rapidly on Piympton Green.
where brisk exchange OF rifle fire was
reverberating through the hills. the troops
were deployed across half mile OF terri
tory, and after some sharp fighting drove
into the rear guard of the Blues. In the
fighting which followed the entire brigade
came into action.
The men acted splendidly. showing every
evidence Of their soldierly training.
The battle. which will be oficially
Green involved Gen. Bliss entire di-
vision. composed of. in addition to the
District brigade the Essex Troop of New
Jersey, Squadron A of New York, four
troops of the 10th Regular Cavalry and
the 1st and I'd Connecticut regiments,
the last-named command acting as the
reserve.
Suffer From Rains.
The guardsmen, unused to the rigors
of stiff campaign. suffered considerably
from the heavy rains which fell all day
yesterday. When they went into camp
on the Plymouth road. about twelve
miles west of that town. last night there
was no one who had not been thoroughly
back to the division hospital. Condi-
tions are greatly improved today, the
rain having ceased.
When the men go into camp this after
noon their discomforts will be fewer
While no camp site has at this hour been
determined upon. it will probably be not
far from P1ympton station.
slaughter Of the Innocents."
Special Dispatch to Tho Star
MIDDLEBORO, Mass, August 1s.-One
of the spectacies of Gen. Bliss early
morning assaults on Pews left and CEN
ter was sight of the colored 10th Cav
airy down the Plymouth road after half
company of swagger Massachusetts
citizen soldiers. The captured were taken
in a pretty skirrnish at Porter Farm
South Halifax
They had already captured a Connec-
tcut artillery, and the colored cavalry
men not only released their own cap
tured but took their captors in. The
Massachusetts men were mostly Har.
ward graduates and belong to G. Company
of the Sth Regiment OF Boston.
The advance Of Gen Bliss is styled
within his own lines 'the slaughter of
the innocents." Driving the Blue cen
ter and left wing before him on both
tanks. he forced the left wing back
northeast from Eddyville. through
Plympton, on toward Halifax At eyery
point of coatact the Red army was
able to mass three to Pew's one and
throw Gen. Pew's whole left wing I'm
precipitate retreat
As this Is filed the 10th Cavalry have
scattered ahead of his lines into Hall
fax The men are fighting under Il
leaden sky and driZzIe of rain which.
however. is nothing compared with the
rain which drenched the camp yester-
day.