Evening star., 1923-09-12
MARINES ADVANCE
IN MIMIC BATTLE
Hills of Virginia Rocked by
thunder of All Kinds of
Gunfire Today.
Special Dispatch TO The Star.

special Dispatch TO The Star.
FORT DEFIANCE, Va, September IL.
With the same dashing spirit that
swept them through the Argonne and
the Hover of Prussia's Wanted army,
the Quantico marines today were
pushing their way steadily through
the mountain forests of Virginia In
pursuit of an imaginary enemy that
10 supposed to have been besieging
american insular cities
Under cover of their heavy and
light field artillery, /the Devildoes.
personally commanded by Brig. Gen.
Smedley D. Butler moved out in bat
Tie array just at dawn today behind
a curtain of shrapnel and high ex-
plosive shells. Long before noon
tnAy bad stormed the enemy first
line trenches and consolidated them.
HILLS Rock With Noise.
1t is scene OF actual warfare, the
only mimic" part of it being the
enemy and real bullets, and cotton
waodins replaces the latter. The hills
OF Fort Defiance fairly rock todav
Win the crashing thunder of artillery.
Lhe rat-tat-tat OF machine guns and
tie rattla OF rifle fire as the marines
push steadily forward
IT Is the climax of the Ouantjco mn
Llnes annual hike and battle nractica
Inc plan presupposes that the devil
ooss nave landed from the vessels of
an american fleet on the shores of
an american insular possession where
the cities and people have been under
eiege. The enemy, a strong force corn
poseo or every modern combat sery-
tce' Is supposed to be intrenched in
inc foTest-clad hills some distance
from the seacoast
aaVlng landed on the coast under
cover of the fleets guns the ma.
t1hes spent yesterday preparing for
tnelr bloody battle. Just as the frat
messengers ~ of dawn streaked the ekv
t dne1 heaviest guns began their
SIS symphony. simultaneously,
Lorward toward the enemy trenches.
cutllng a path for the machine gum
n'ra' ~, ana marched slowly behind nm
III points OF vantage were reached.
Force Enemy Back.
mere they built their deadly nests
ana poured their messengers of deatb
IL I.ivo t,'s me enemy trenches until. by all
ItIahSereSSor u u must have been forced
20 retlre. Then the infantry swept
IL, no5 %dru with fixed bayonets, over
HmIselrnlng the rear guard that had
nesn leIt behind to cover the enemy
Lelreat "A strong force of airulanes
directed the marine artillery Are from
HpoVe the line the enemy was sI,nnosad
10 nave re-established
Late this afternoon the enemy will
os supposed to have fed in Compare
tive disorder and the Marine Forns
VIII De divided into two groups, one
70 pursue and cut down the rem
Fx Hants OF the enemy and prevent him
IT. rom rallylng, and the other to march
once
beieaguered cities
A staff of umpires and instructors
VIII inspect every phase of the action,
eeTitlc!Sing 90 the work of all command
IS commanders of units down to the
platoon. All officers will be charged
with the work of instructing the
men men assigned to them in. the best
while the large percentage of veter-
ans Of the world war among the
members Of the Quantico, force will
also be charged with the duty of i'm
parting most expert instruction to
the younger soldiers.
Rate omcers.
Officers will receive ratings for the
proficiency shown, and explanations
and lectures will be given of the best
methods of using all arms with which
the marines are provided, and of ad-
vancing under fire with infantry with
q siliHIHuUl OF loss.
For the day the force will operate
rs unit, and attention will be de-
voted to the combined use of all of
the weapons of modern war in bat
tie between large bodies of troops
Later the instruction will include the
operation of battalions and companies,
and also of platoons. so that all of the
duties which marines are called upon
to perform will be practised under
field conditions, assimilating as near
as possible those of actual war.
Large numbers of spectators visited
the marine camp today and a feet
of busses which has followed the ma
rine column since leaving Culpeper
was busily engaged in bringing spec
tators from Staunton and from other
nearby towns. Business with the
buses has apparently been a profit
able one, as the feet has grown from
two or three to nearly a score As
the country in which the marines are
encamped is provided with good roads
the busses make good time and ex-
perience no difficulty and it is esti-
mated that in the course of a day
they carry several thousand fares
Slight difficulty with the water sup
ply made its appearance this morn
ing. when a small reservoir in the
hills near here was discovered to be
dry. This is the only water near at
hand which has been pronounced