Evening star., 1912-08-27
Is FORCED TO ABANDON
RAID ON SUPPLY DEPOT.
Chief Umpire Sounds Recall and An.
nounces Masterly Retreat.
INCIDENTS OF THE WAR GAME
Blue Advance Subject to Attacks
From Red Cavalry-Hot March
Through Dusty Roads.
Strategy Feature.

CAMP oRDWAY. BOLIVAR HEIGHTS,
Va. August 27.-Because II stole away
from danger in the dead of night and
marched in a ghostly and silent column
with no other light than that OF the
moon. the Blue army. under Gen George
II. Harries, outwitted the Reds in master
full fashion. and the sound of the chief
umpire's bugle-blown recall was ex-
actly like a crow of victory when the
head of the column came safely TO this
camp long before daybreak this morning.
The situation in regard to the relative
strength of the two armies changed sud
denly yesterday at O'Clock. after Gen.
Harries had reached a point one-half
mile east of Charles Town. w. Va. There
he found that the game was TO assume
that the Reds had been strongly rein
forced, and that it would not be safe TO
raid the supply of stores as originally
planned. The chief umpire. Col. Gar
rard. issued a telegram. purporting TO
come from the commander-in chief. order
ing Gen. Harries and the Blues TO camp
where they were and to retreat early in
the mountaineering this morning.
IL was plain case of getaway il pos
sible without being delayed or without
engaging the Reds. whose cavalry. un-
der Lieut.. Overton and Lieut. Barnett,
was worrying the Blues advance guards
and TANKS by incessant raids of patrols
and by peppery rife fire every twenty
minutes
Capt Berkeley. Troop B. 18th Cavalry.
commander of the Reds. went into camp
at Boiling Springs last night, a mile and
a half away from the Blues. Nothing
was seen of the 1st Separate Battalion.
which comprised his infantry, command
ed by Maj. James Walker. nor of his ar
tillery. part of Battery f. Sd Field Ar
tillery. commanded by Capt. Austin, but
the cavalry patrols were alive all night
patrol and outposts worried at every
moment.
Skirmishing at Intervals.
They filled Charles Town with their
patrols. and several venturesome Blues
had brushes with the Red mounted men
in the streets of the county seat of JEFF
ferson county, to the great detriment OF
the nerves and feelings of the residents.
Far and away the most exciting adven-
ture in Charles Town was that of Lieut..
Stewart. commanding the Blue artillery.
two guns from Battery E. Lieut.. Stew
art sneaked into town with The Stars
correspondent and was almost out again
when Lieut.. Barnett and some mounted
Reds saw him in the shadows. Stewart
ran like the wind. with Lieut.. Barnett's
~
cavalryman cornored the artilleryman,
captured him. and took him into a back
yard and guarded him. However. Lieut..
Stewart made a sudden dash for a gate.
got away. and lay low while his would
be captors searched for him with lam
terms. They did not find him. and In
time he arrived safely in the Blue camp.
Outposts were thrown around the Blues.
Maj. Leroy Heron. adjutant for Gen
Marries. busted himself every minute
strengthening the camps position and
pre.n ring for the great piece of strategy
which later spelled victory. Lieut., Lands
and Lieut., McLennan of the signal COM
pany had their men connect up every out
post with a field buZZer and Corp Duvall.
sitting on the ground i'm front of Gen.
Harries' tent, with lantern, pencil and
field dispatch book, took down the words
from the various outposts. the messages
telling of that same mosquitolike cavalry
patrol which sang, buzzed, stung and
flew away.
The Red cavalry was very bold. IL
rode square into our camp at one time
and scared some OF the Blues into a small
sized panic for the moment. but the Reds
lost by their boldless. for handful of Sig
nal company men under Lieut. .McLen-
mar almost had fist fight with them
and actually captured two of them. These
rode home later as prisoners on the
wagon train. There was the splitting Ut
rifle fire in snatches every few minutes.
What the Reds Believed.
The Reds thought the Blues would get
up about O'Clock this morning. hight a
battle and run home. Gen. Harries' or
ders were to get away lin the morning.
The morning began at one minute past
midnight. and at that precise moment
the retreat started. The men had been
sleeping-that Is, those not acting as out
posts-and were awakened from their
blanket beds softly. There was no noise.
Talk was forbidden. No commands were
given above a whisper. Horses were sad
died. a great wagon train was loaded
with all the odds and ends OF two regi-
ments, battery and a signal company
and the thousands of necessary things
incident to a sudden move like this were
done as if by magic. One moment the
tents and men were there-the next they
were moving silently in ghostly column
in the white dust. which was made winter
still by the snow white beams of the
moon.
Ii was odd the cavalry Of the Reds
which had been SO much IN evidence ola
not catch on. 1t seems odder still when
it was recalled that just before the
column left in the darkness the cavalry
fired into the first infantry camp and
could have easily seen the preparations
for leaving, as the column was ready TO
discover that the Blues were making
away after another raid on the vanished
camp. Then they would gallop like mad
back TO their command. rouse the Red
force. which would hurry to intercept the
Blues at Halltown: and there's where
trouble was expected. but nothing hap
pened Not Red was seen. Maj. Wallace
McCathran. with the advance guard.
and Maj. Clarence Sayer. with the rear
guard, probed every road and ridge.
drew every cover and secuted every hum
mock that could contain a Red scout.
but none was found
II was considered a masterful retreat.
and a bold and original piece of strategy.
The move of the retreating Blues was
splendidly made. The column was weldeh
into a compact force The men were
alive to their job and knew exactly what
to do. 1t was a midnight move. safe
getaway without a shot. There was a
moon that must have been made for sol
diers, for il Played with the column Is II
went in and out under the branches OF
trees and did not abandon the line until
it swung into Camp Ordway. horse and