New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-06-18
Men Sent TO Meet Reds.

A thrill shot through the group OF
officers who read the message. There
was a hurried conference. Then the
commander of the Blues decided to
withdraw the Fifth Division, which mad
won such splendid victories on the two
previous days.
Up to that point in the advance
everything had been hypothetical and
had been executed without single
man turning his hand over. But as
soon as news of the landing Of the new
division arrived real events began.
At o'clock in the afternoon the ga
Regiment, n. G.. n. Y. marched on TO
the national guard camp ground AT
Van Cortlandt Park 500 strong. they
pitched their dog tents, flung sentries
about their camp and in every way pre-
pared for action. Company Il, under
The command of Captain HUMPHREYS,
was sent northward to fill the shoes OF
the attacking Red army. His force rep
resented an army of at least 10000 men
thrown in battle array from Eastches-
ter Bay to the Hudson River.
Warned of Coming Foe.
The remaining companies constituted
the central wing of the defending
Blues, representing two brigades. Just
after they had finished their camp TINS
message came to their commanding Of
fcer from the commanding general:
Move out at once to occupy and
fortify position extending from East
24Oth Street and Van Cortlandt Park,
east TO the New York Central Railroad
/ tracks near Lincoln"
! There was nothing Hypothetical
about that message II meant real
trenches and real service IN densely
tangled wood that had a few hours
earlier been drenched by the violent
rain.
Dusk was just settling as the centre
wing Of the Blues plunged into the
woods to intrench. They worked like
/ beavers. The flashes from their Ian
( terms, swung from the boughs above or
held high by soldiers, cast weird shad-
/ ows through the dense wood.
/ In a remarkably short time the en-
tire stretch OF land between the Park
and Lincoln was under actual tortitica-
ton. The men crawled into their
muddy trenches, with their guns TO
their shoulders, and awaited the at
tack.
Return Fire Betrays Trenches.
The company representing the Reds
had no trenches to dig, but the men
were as busy as the Blues. To learn
where the defending army had in
trenched itself its sentries stopped
hundreds of Automobiles at the points
of rifles to inquire about the defending
force.
Information varied. So the Reds re-
solved on more desperate move
ment. They crept through the woods,
then opened FIRE, hoping to locate the
defending trenches by the fash of the
return fire. Their ruse succeeded, as
the Blues sent a volley in reply to
that of the invaders.
Intrenching in the woods by the
Blues offered a great disadvantage to
the Reds. since observers in their aero
planes Gf there had been any, couldn't
watch the effect of the Reds fire. The
lesson of concealing Notifications from
aircraft by a wood had been learned
bv the Blues from the European war.
By 1880 last night the city had been
saved for one more day at least. The
Reds. although they had found the de-
tenders trenches, had been so ham
pered by darkness and by entangle-
ments thrown out that they had been
unable TO capture them. 1t was dark
and muddy, and everything was damp.
So shortly before midnight invaders
and defenders returned 10 camp to-
gether, to sleep side by side in their
dog tents.
About 500 men took part in the ma
neuvres last night. They were under
the direct command Of Lieutenant Colo
mel Lucas, commander OF the regiment.
Most of the officers who directed the
defence and attack are professional
civil engineers. The work was OBJ
served by corps of sixty prominent
engineering men from the city, who
have enrolled in course of lectures
on military engineering during the last
year.
General Organ will review the regi-
ment AT Van Cortlandt Park to-day.