Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-17

of hospitals and feeding points for
the sick and wounded. Early in Oc-
tober it did its first work with one
relief of Lovitch. At a critical mo-
ment. when the enemy had broken
through the Russian lines in two
places, the column took up its task
on its own initiative. The comman-
der, at that time Bashkiroff, dis
patched two sections to a neighboring
village in charge of Terotinin, son of
the Emperor's physician, and myself.
"A diplomat and a student neither
of whom had even been in war before,
could not judge the danger and we
rode boldly into the village, half of
which had already been occupied by
the Germans. The latter opened fire
on our sanitary carriages with rapid
fire guns. Part of the carriages were
destroyed. We recalled our men and
started back as fast as we could. The
Germans shelled the road over which
we rode to our headquarters, but
found that the road from Lovitch had
been cut. With the wounded we had
picked up we had to make a retreat of
thirty-five miles in one night, most of
the way under the shell fire of the
Germans, to Skiernivitze. There we
found that the town had been ordered
evacuated by the Russian troops and
we were practically the only ones
left there. A hot fight was in prog
ress outside the city. At the last mo-
ment a Russian success on one of the
flanks saved the city and enabled the
Russians to repulse the Germans. Be-
ing the only Red Cross unit on the
grounds, as the result of a mere
chance. we bopnd and fed, in two
days, 3,017 wounded.
Repulse Entire Attack
nd IN
with the corps of the famous General
Mishenko, known as the Cossack
Raider of the Japanese war. We took
up our work in his advance lines Just
at the time the Germans made their
second dash on Warsaw. Our corps
stood firm for nine days, repulsing at
tack after attack. This nine days
among the Caucasian heroes was the
most trying and dangerous, but at the
same time the most instructive, of our
experiences. In one night seven hun
dred wounded were found and cared
for. the greater part in the trenches
under heavy artillery fire. Several
sanitars were wounded.
When new corps came to the res
cue the Caucasians were ordered to
make rapid move back to join fresh
troops and begin an advance to-
gether The move was executed so
suddenly and rapidly that the military
sue ldu no llIlle TO take out the
wounded lying in several villages near
by. The last section of the column
volunteered to creep into the village
and rescue the wounded who other
wise were threatened with being
burned. fire having broken out in sew
eral places. Through the blackness
of the night, lit only by the bursting
shells. we made our way into the VIII
lage and removed eighty men from
the danger zone. The staff considered
them lost and upon learning of their
rescue General Mishenko called out
the heroes of that night, thanked. them
for their work and made them the
subject of a flattering order to his
regiment. Immediately after that the
commander of the column fell i'll and
l was left in command.
Aid Wounded, Too
Among the troops whose gallantry
stopped the Germans a second time
from coming. to Warsaw were those
of the First Siberian Corps.
For the first time having seen the
magnetic Siberian officers" said Kali
paschnikoff Il decided to offer the
services of the column to that brill
liant corps. I went to the commander
of the corps. General Pleshkoff, who
accepted my services. was fas-
cinated by him, and my impression of
him, gained that day, as a man be-
loved by his soldiers, ig-hearted and
fatherly, has never changed"
During the long tenure of the line