The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-03-29
ROW THE YANKS
Continued from page one)

attention to Russia. In the following
month the Germans began to occupy
parts Of Finland and again 1t became
apparent to the allied governments
that some action was necessary in ives
tern Russia. The new government OF
North Russia asked the allies for help.
England and France therefore sent
detachments OF marines TO kola, on
the Thurman coast, to protect the Muir
man railroad running frore the Muir
man coast to Petrograd, and the vast
war supplies that had been gathering
along this railroad. The Finnish White
Guards were advancing to seize this
roa7.
First " S. Marines Landed Last July.
On July a detachment of United
States marines landed at. Kola to CO.
operate with the French and British
in this work. The marines are stll
there, so far as is known.
On July 80 General Pershing cabled
that on recommendation of General
Foch he had detached the 339th regi-
ment Of infantry from the S5th divis-
ION and sent it TO Archangel on British
transport. The 339th was made uD
largely Of men from Detroit, employees
Of automobile factories, and was in
command OF Col. George Z. Stewart.
A little later Pershing reported that
he had sent on battalion OF the 310th
engineers, the 33th7 Field Hospital and
the S37th Ambulance Company to Arch
angel. These units also, came from
the S5th division and we're made up
Of men from Michigan and Wisconsin.
The total number was 1884.
A detachment of British troops also
was sent TO Archangel, and the whole
expedition was placed in command Of
General Ironsides of the British army.
Experience OF the Quartermaster
corps in supplying troops in Alaska
was called into play to equip the expe-
dition. In addition to the regular over
seas equipment the men got fur caps,
fur mittans, moosehide moccasins, fur
overcoats, fur parkas, or hooded coats
and "muckluCks" or winter SHots used
in the north country.
The Americans landed at Archangel
August . and lost no time in getting
into action against the bolsheviki who
were reinforced by German troops.
Three days after they had landed they
had begun the march southwark to.
ward Vologda and had attacked the
Bolshevik forces.
AS result of these conflicts, Pre-
mier Lenine on August issued a
Statement that the Bolsheviki govern
ment considered itself at war with the
entente. This was followed on Sen
TENDER 10 by corrobontion from AM
hassador Francis, then at Kamalaska.
He reported that the Germans and the
Bolshevid had signed a new treaty
requiring them to Join forces to expel
the allies from Russia.
In Ten Days They Advanced 100 Miles.
BY August Is the British American
expedition, accompanied by several
companies OF proally Russian troops.
had marched 100 miles southwark
along the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS railroad
without encountering any great resist
ance.
VII august 90 the allied representa-
tlves at Archangel issued proclama-
ton to the Russian people. stating that
they ha1 come at the invitation OF the
Russian government of the north to
expel the Germans from Russia and
overturn the Brest-Litovsk peace trece
! ty.
In the meantime the American fore
es were aiding refugees. American and
otherwise. to escape from Russia to
Stockholm by way OF Archangel.
The Bolsheviki were massins an ar
my along the river Dvina, which emp
ties into the White Sea at Archangel,
SO IN September an American and
Russian force was sent southwark
along the Dvina to dispense them. The
BolsheviEi had several gunboats in
the Dyina, and two OF these were sunk
by allied troops and naval units. Three
guns were also captured and several
towns were occupied
At the same time the allied troons
operating farther north at Kola penin-
sula mad driven the Finnish White
Guards back across the border and
clearned the Thurman coast and the
kola peninsula.
BY the middle of October the Bolshe-
Wiki considerably reinforced on the
Dvina. began series of heavy attacks
against The Americans. Our boys wers
outnumbered and driven from several
Of the towns they had occupied, but
heir casualties we're not heavy.
Base Established at Mouth of the Vaus
On October 16 the American Rus
sian force repulsed another heavy at
tack'and carried out an advance along
The Dvina to ths point where it meets
the river Vaga. Here a base was es.
tablished and the troops pushed on up
the river toward the city of Shenkursl,
1870 miles south Of Archangel. The en-
envy retired to Kotlas, 5 MILES south.
east.
Another battle took place at igor,
in Nologda province, and the BolshevI.
XII were driven from the town.
Everywhere they went the American
found the peasants on the verge OF
starvation, and rejoicing at their arri-
val. Great fear prevailed lest the
BelShevik come back and renew his
reign OF terror. TIE ever-present
American Red Cross sent a shipload OF
food and other supplies into the dis.
trict and relieved conditions to some
extent.
The BOlsheviki then began to en-
trench themselves along the Dvina and
on October 10 they forced the allies
to withdraw for six miles. But anoth-
er American force then started a move
ment southwark along the Omega river
which is about seventy miles south NJ