Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-27
j. S. TROOPS SHARE
IN AMAZING EXPLOIT
Part Taken by Handful of
Railway Engineers in Recent
Battle Described.
FIRST DETAILED ACCOUNT
BY PAUL SCOTT MowRER.

By PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
CableEram to The Evening Star and
Chicago Daily Ncwx.. Copyright, 10ls.
WITH THE FRENCH ARMY. April
ga handful of American railway en-
gineers-the same regiment which
found itself suddenly in the midst of
the Cambria battle last fall-took part
in one of the most stirring episodes Of
the recent great battle. The story of
how the English Gen. Carey with 1000
men, scraped together in the most ex-
traordinary way. held a thirteen kilo-
meter CTS miles) front until the French
could arrive is briefly as follows:
On March rs the British 5th Army was
in full retreat and the Germans surg
ing after It. The British reserves were
exhausted and no reinforcements were
possible within a few days. The 9Th
Army was. nevertheless. ordered to de-
fend the line before Amiens between
the Somme and the Avre. at any price,
pending the arrival of the French. The
only defenses were the old Somme
trenches. most Of which had been lev
eled for agricultural purposes within
the last year: A battalion of Canadian
railway engineers ordered to restore
these trenches began working feverish-
ly, but there were no troops to man the
trenches when they were dug.
Gen. Carey's Plucky Army.
1t was then that Gen. Carey began to
gather his amazing force. Between
midnight and am. he succeeded in
lish army engineers, one company of
SaDDeTS. TWO rk.
men, such as b1acksmiths. well diggers
and electricians. several detachments
OF instructors and pupils from a near
by grenade school. detachments of map
makers, a few expert rifiemen and,
finally. detachment of American rail-
way engineers. The total was 1000
men.
Bugles for the rally were sounded at
the march. Their armament consisted
OF seventy-six light machine guns each,
one hundred and sixty rifles and four
teen heavy machine guns furnished by
a brigade Of Canadians in armored au-
tomobiles. The men reached their po-
sttions without difficulty. During the
afternoon Gen. Carey took command
The staff consisted of three captains
and nine mounted orderlies. who acted
as dispatch bearers. There were no
secretaries. The general and his three
captains did everything themselves.
Germans Renew Attack.
It was on the eth of March that the
Germans renewed their attack and Gen.
Carey's little force suddenly found it.
self in the midst of the battle For
two days and nights wave after wave
of Germans broke in vain against
Carey's intrenchments. In the mean
time help began to arrive. Three
hundred officers and men from a
nearby convalescent camp placed them
selves under 0arey's orders. Four
hundred Canadian engineers picked up
rifles. Some 1000 stragglers of the
shattered 5th Army rallied under
Carey, and finally fifty officers fresh
from Boves began securing the bat
tlefields behind the lines. assembling
stragglers. putting them at work dig
gtng new trenches and giving an ir-
resisttble example by themselves
welding picks.
Hold Firm in New Positions.
Gen. Carey's force was distributed in
new positions south Of the st. Quentin
Amiens road. 1t held firm and slew
many Germans. On March 80 a brig
ade of Australians arrived. counter at