Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-10-08

The truth is that he is member-and appar-
emily worthy member-of remarkable intefna-
donal family which traces its origin to the nobility
of the Baltic states in 1900. There have been
branches in Sweden, Germany and Russia OF the
Swedish branch the most famous was Admiral Carl
Gustav Wrangel, who commanded the Swedish ar
mics in the last campaign of the Thirty Years
War. OF the German Wrangels the best known
was the old Field Marshal Graf Won Wrangel,
whose military career was long and illustrious.
Among the Russian members of the family there
is that explorer who gave his name to Wrangel
island off the north coast of Eastern Siberia and
who Is linked with America through his services
as governor of Alaska.
Gen. Baron Peter Wrangal, the subject Of this
sketch, began his career in the Russian army in
1901, enlisting in the Morse Guards regiment
private after having been educated as mining
engineer He left the army year later, follow
ing promotion to lieutenancy, but re-ensted upon
the outbreak Of the ussO-Japanese war; in which
he was twice promoted for bravery. Subsequently
he graduated from the General Staff academy
and at the outbreak of the World war was cap
tain in command of a cavalry squadron.
For distinguished service with this command he
decorated with the highest Russian military
order-the Cross of ST George. Promotion to the
rank Of colonel followed he appointed an aide
to the and later became commander of the
First Trans Bakal Cossack regiment with which,
in July, 1916, he captured entire battalion He
then made major general.
AS division commander and later as COM
mander of cavalry corps he continued with the
army until the disorders of the revolution had
completely undermined its morale Then. with
many other Russian officers he fled to the Cauca-
sus He was arrested by the bosheviki and mar
rowly escaped execution The story Is told that
he escaped only through the heroic devotion of his
wife, who followed him to prison and obtained his
release after persistent appeals.
In the summer of 1918, with the growth of the
volunteer anti-Bolshevik army he got command of
brigade under General Erdel. His chief fell i'll,
and Wrangel, succeeding. to the command attained
the liberation of the whole of the north Caucasus
and the Terek state. He was promoted to the
rank of lieutenant general and given command of
the Caucasian army.
Then came his test of strength with the COM
mander in chief of the volunteer army, General
Denikne. Under Denikine, Wrange commanded
the right wing Of the southern armies. He made
the brilliant capture of Tsaritsin the Voga and
later when it was too late, took command of the
central armies, which had been beaten the front
nearest Moscow. When Denkine gave up the
struggle and departed he formally handed over
command of the southern armies to Wrangel. AS
Denikne had previously acknowledged the Kol-
chak government, Wrange stands as the success
sor of that government, which the United States
desired at one time to recognize, but whose weak
ness prevented.
General Wrangel now holds that part of Rus
STA rightly included in the government OF Taurda.
His left is protected by the wide sweep of the
Dnieper as it turns southwest from Ekaterinoslav,
past Kherson to the Black sea- His line to the east
reaches the Sea of Azov at about Mariupol, and
beyond that stretch to the east the vast territories
of the Don Cossacks hard fighting foes of the boil
shevik regime and all it stands for. To the south
of the Don Cossacks the territories of the Ku-
han Cossacks, who fought with Denikine against
the Red armies but later deserted their chief by
the thousands when they felt that their cherished
rights were being sacrificed by that leader. Wran-