Norwich bulletin., 1919-11-22
WITH AMERICAN EXPEDITION IN RUSSIA

some barbed wire entangiements. |
 The blockhenses each sheltered two
 or three machine guns and a detach J
 ment of Russian artillerymen mannedl the two three-inch field pieces, which were in position. Against these po | sitions, 9 force estimated at not less than 4,000 bolsheviks threw themselvesi supported by fourteen pieces of heavy
 artillery Through four cold days and as many nights that were dark and long the Americans defended theiri 1 positions. Two platoons were shat 1 tered before the British command or dered retreat. This was carried out
 in an orderly movement, the wounded 1 going by open sled, and some even travelling the entire distance of 250
 miles to Archangel in this manner.e l On every front the allied forces were badly outnumbered, the long, Wavering lines of communication were l threatened, and, as one passed from l village to village and found from three1 | to ten Americans in defense of them the wonder was that they were able 1 to hold out.
 Winter and spring passed in turn, 1 and in June the first Americans sailed from north Russia The American was
 anxious to go and the Russian in most ] cases did not seem to mourn his de- 1 parture.
 l To do justice to the feelings of. al
 most every American in the expedi-
 ton it would be hardly fair to gloss
 over the fHct that the average
 American cha,ed under English com
 mand. The English rations of billy
 fgoat" (mutton stow) with tea and jam were not to his liking, he re scented the strict censorship, and was generally disgusted with the attitude
 and policies which the high command
 called on the Americans to carry out. , Our introduction to the Russian peasant and his customs was by far l the most interesting feature of the experiences we had. The peasants, : in the part of Russia we visited, l group themselves together in country ? villages, which almost always cluster along the course of navigable rivers or I streams. The typical Russian peasant l home has a single story, and it's con t struction is of heavy logs we'll put e together. Under single roof one fnds
 both the house and barn, with an in r cline at the side leading into the loft = of the barn where hay and grain is n stored, and passageway separating | house and barn through which entrance : to the main living room is gained d The furnishings of this room are rath- I CT meager. Along the walls run low a benches and there is bare wooden ., table in one corner on which is the y well polished samovar symbol of hos. 5 pitality and the object of admiration - to every tea drinking Russian. Int } great Russian stove occupies the mos d prominent place of all. It has man! $ uses for it is the means by which, tn,
 peasant heats his house and cooks hi Il food. The opening beneath the over ,fi is the family chicken coop, while a ,f night time the peasant himself lie l. down on the broad fiat top of tn ssi stove to sleep.
 yt I was surprised to find the walls o
 the peasant homes secured and scrub le bed, while the floors were spotless an le the; ceiling shining. The Russian le peasant women in summer and winte -yt carry their clothes down to near b IS streams where they wash them il
 running water. With the thermome ct ter far below the zero mark they ma h be seen doing the family washing Llli through a hole broken Ea the ict AtI with hands that are red and raw fror " cold. It falls to the lot of the peas If ant women to row the fishing boat lg in summer, to sweep the streets c i'd Archangel, to load the frewood on tn ed engines to saw and split logs for win s ter use, to spin the raw fax and mak 1el home-sp spun clothes for the family, an Ill in between times they dress up for tn ,. hundred or so holidays that grace th nri calendar each year.
 ,y Throughout all of last winter Arch ly angel had the appearance of being of stage on which scenes of a comic or oh era were being acted, so varied an
 colorful were the varying uniforms ( A the men, so striking the odd dress IT, the peasants. together with the que at combination of the out-of- date ar d. the up-odate that clashed on evel Ind hand.