The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-01-08
Battle in Arctic
American Soldiers Win Battle in
Snow-Drive Back B0lshe-
visits and Made Advance in
Neighborhood Of Kadish.

With the Allied Army of the Dvlna,
Saturday, January 4 (By the .Asso-
ciated Press).-American troops
fighting desperately near Kadish have
driven back Bolshevik troops which
made an advance there. The Bolshe-
visits also launched attacks on the
Omega sector and bombarded the al
lied front. The Americans came into
battle along the Petrograd road and
in the frozen swamps that border 1t.
The battle was fought in snow from
two to four feet in depth.
American forces captured Kadish
last Monday after display of gal
lantry that evoked the admiration of
the allied commanders. Special care
has been taken of the American
wounded and the body of an Arnerl-
can officer was taken back 100 miles
by sledge and then shipped to Arch
angel for burial. There were some
casualties on Monday. but they were
small i'm comparison to those inflicted
upon the enemy.
On Tuesday, the Bolshevists opened
a terrific fire from three and six inch
guns and launched a counterattack
against the buildings held by Anlerl-
cans in Kadish. So hot was the ar
tillery fire that the Americans were
withdrawn temporarily from the vii
lage. The line, however, was not
taken back very far and the new po-
sitions were firmly held. The enemy
did not OCCUPY Kadish because the
barrage .ire from the American guns
made the place untenable. Shells fall
ing on the frozen ground spread their
zones of destruction twice as far as
they would under normal conditions.
Ltaer under the protection of artil-
swept forward and reoccupied the
town. The men engaged in the ad-
vance were from infantry and trench
mortar units. This morning word
came from headquarters that the
American positions are now 400 meters
south of the village, which is the line
marking the furthest advance made
by the Americans late in October, be-
fore they retired to the north Of Ka
dish. Here and there are graves
where are buried Americans who fell
Ill II6 SII QS6lS llldL WSlll Oll oQl4liS
the first advance. They are not many
in number, but for the troops ivofv-
ed, they give evidence that the Amer
leans have been. in the hardest fight
ing that las been going on here. The
Bolshevists are fighting more savage
Iy here than elsewhere to hold their
positions.
The Petrograd road leads south
ward to Plestskaya. large village on
the vologda Railway, which is the
enemy's base of operations at the Ka-
dish and Omega fronts.
Allied positions on the Omega
front rear the village of Pechura were
attacked by the enemy yesterday. This
attack was centered on Russian
naval brigade, which held it's po-
sitiors, inficting heavy losses with
out apparently losing a man. On the
Vologdas Railway the Bolshevists
have for the past three days kept up
a strong artillery fire and have brought
an armored train into action. Little
damage apparently was done to the
allied positions. On the other hama, |
an allied shell struck an enemy bar
racks, doing great damage.
In this sector allied forces advanc- |
ed on snow shoes over soft snow a |
few days ago. Beneath the snow was
an unfrozen swamp and the men often
sank into the mud up to their waists
in spite of their arctic footgear. The
battle with the elements makes the
fighting here very difficult.