The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-02
The Soldiers Denial Of the War
Departments Statement.

Departments Statement.
When some 1900 members OF the
339th Infantry returned from Russia
on Monday two of their officers made
statements indicating that either there
was no mutiny by men of that regi-
ment in the Archangel region last
March or that the reports which
reached the United States at that
time were badly twisted. Major ].
B. NICHOLS put It this way:
Il have heard more bunk about
this alleged mu;iny than could be
written IN a dozen books. The Incl
dent which gave rise to the rumors
was a misunderstanding between a
Sergeant and ore OF the privates.
The men of the 33sth are the bes.
disciplined and the most courageous
of any outfit know. and all any
officer could desire"
\ more emphatic statement came
from Captain WISsLOw OF Company
!, the company in which the mutiny
was alleged TO have occurred;
The argument between the Ser
geant and the private. which started
the mutiny story. was a trivial Incl
dent The non-commissIoued officer
ordered Polish boy to load truck.
Because OF his lack OF knowledge OF
the English language. the boy mis-
understood the Sergeant and refused
to obey the orders which had been
given to him. Later. after the order
had been explained to him By officers
Of the company. the soldiers readily
loaded the truck That was the near
est 10 a mutiny that We had"
Lest an impression prevail among
soldiers or civilians that the news
papers of this country uttered false
news regarding the Archangel Incl
dent, it is well to recall that while the
first news of the unrest among the
men Of Company 1 came through the
Associated Press, 1t was almost I'm
med,ately confirmed by the War De
parrment, which on April 8 issued In
Washington the paraphrase OF a code
message received from an army Off
cial in Russia under date of March
81. The text Of this paraphrase was
as follows:
Yesterday morning. March 40, a
company Of infantry, having received
orders TO go to the railroad front,
was ordered out OF barracks for the
purpose OF packing sleds for the trip
across the river to the railroad sta
ton.
The non-com missloned officer who
was in charge OF the packing soon
reported to the officers that the men
refused to obey. At this some OF the
officers took charge. and all except
one man began reluctantly TO pack
after a considerable delay. The SOL
der who continued to refuse was
placed in confinement. Colonel STEW
ART, having been sent for. arrived and
had the men assembled to talk with
him.
Upon the condition that the pris-
oner above mentioned was released
the men agreed TO go. This was done
and the company then proceeded to
the railway station and entrained
there for the front. That they would
| not go to the front line positions was
openly stated by the men. however.
and they would only go TO Obozer-
skaya. They also stated that general
mutiny would soon como II there was
| not some definite statement forth
coming from washington with regard
| to the removal OF American troops
from Russia at the earliest possible
| date
II Major NICHOLS has evidence that
{ the reports Of the Incident were ex-
aggerated; II Captain WINsLow has
proof that "there was positively no
mutlny,' then these officers would do
well to take up with the War De-
partment, in the proper way, the mat
ter OF the official announcement made
by the War Department. This state