The Ordway new era., 1916-12-08
WAR MANEUVERS AS
TOLD BY BILLIE EDGAR

Brownsville, Tex. in the army service,
has written of the practice warfare
there recently. Two armies were
lined up for battle. One, in which
George and Billie Edgar were in, was
known as the Brown Army. The
other the White Army. His letter
relating the event is as follows:
On November 16 the maneuvers
started with the Brown army situated
at Brownsville and the White army
situated at San Bineto. On the first
three days the Brown army invaded
the territory of the White army, get
ting well into the San Bineto country,
but running into greater number OF
men were compelled to retreat back
to Brownsville with the White army
in hot pursuit.
The White army having about 49,
900 men to the Browns 10000 made
it necessary for the Browns to make
strong defense in order to prevent
the city of Brownsville from being
captured by the enemy. So the
Browns took a position on the old
Battlefield of ResaCa de la Palma
which is directly in the way of the
White army.
right, the infantry in the center and
the artillery was placed in the rear.
The position was further strengthen
ed by a net work of trenches and
wire entanglements, the trenches be-
ing constructed according to the most
approved methods by the labor of the
troops. The position of the artillery
in the rear gave an overhead fire on
the ground in front. This ground in
cluded the whole of the former Bat
tlefeld of Resaca de la Palma, giving
a field of fire of about one mile to the
front over perfectly level ground.
fense and radio, telegraph and tele-
phone stations were established all
along the line.
The advance of the White force be-
gan in the morning with two brigades
in front two supporting brigades and
eleven batteries of artillery in the
rear. They emerged from the woods
and quickly drove back the Brown
outposts. 4 little further to the left
the White force encountered a very
strong position of the Browns. which
rested back of marshes and lakes.
The Whites finding this position too
strong to he taken. rushed around to
its left and emerged on the plain. The
main White line advanced by rushes.
throwing themselves down and firing.
These were followed by supports in
the rear and those in turn were fol-
lowed by the masses of infantry. The
advance was conducted in a spirited
fashion and finally reached a point
within 100 yards of the wire entan-
clements. when. in order TO prevent
hand to hand fighting in the trench
es. the Umpire stopped the battle
The question as to who won the
final battle has not yet been decided
the Whites had a great deal larger
force but the strong position Of the
Browns well evened things up.
This ended the maneuver OF nine
days duration and during this time
the men experienced all the hardshtps
Of war. They made long marches. at
tackled and defended positions and
did strenuous work night and day
They lived on meager field ratious.
often times cooking it themselves. but
in spite Of these things the spirit of
the men was good until the last
The Ist Provisional Cavalry. OF
which the Colorado troops are q pa-t.
played a very important part in the
defense of Brownsville. All thru the
maneuyers the Colorado troops were
not once captured, and they received
many points and compliments from
the regular army officers
Saturday after the uausuTers :
grand review was held on the Battle
field of Resaca de Ia Palma in which
both armies participated, In all Z5.-
600 men passed the reVieE and il vas
said to be the largest performance O1
this kind held in the United States
since the Civil war