Evening star., 1939-08-15
Smoke Screen Hides
Imaginary Attack
On Washington
Regular Army Seeks
To Drive Northwurd
Against 58th Brigade
BY ROBERT A. ERWIN,
Star CtofT CorreSpon6ent

noDLNl LN pvA4Ng
Star Staff Correspondent.
BRISTOW, Va, August 15.-Smoke
screens and dust billowed across the
Brentsville Cedar Run battle sector
as invading Black" forces of the
Regular Army sought to drive north
ward today against the 58th Brigade,
composed of the 1st and 5th Mary
land Infantries.
In an imaginary attack on Wash
ington, the Blacks" set off enough
smoke pots to screen a large area
with white smoke, under which two
of their companies shifted positions.
Commanding officers of the Mary
landers, under the 29th Division
command, watched the battle from
a precipice overlooking Cedar Run
south of Brentsville. Their troops
were in the center of the battle as
far as the 29th was concerned, with
the 9lst Brigade, Virginia Infantry,
held in reserve.
Several days of drought turned
the 29th Division soldiers, their COM
panions of the 28th and the regular
Army enemy" into real dust eat
ers" Every road was churned into
a rust brown cloud as scores of
Army trucks moved troops to and
from the front lines.
Located on Wooded Hill.
Twenty-ninth Division and 54th
Artillery Brigade headquarters were
located within stones throw of
each other on a wooded, rocky hill
north of State Highway %. near the
intersection of the Gainesville
Brentsville road Army trucks and
private cars of officers were cam
ouf1aged with foliage to prevent de-
lection by enemy aircraft, while
the intelligence, personnel, plans
and supply sections were we'll hidden
In the forest. Here, news from the
front was posted on large maps with
notations and sketches giving a pic
ture paper of the progress of battle.
The 58th Brigade settled into
picturesque headquarters in a barn
yard between Brentsville and Bris-
tow. in the shade of several old
apple trees. Bursts of artillery fire,
sounding through the areas, blended
with the bawling of black and
white calf tethered nearby, the
noise from a pig pen and the cackle
of barnyard chickens
Headquarters troopers, manning
field radio-telephones in the mes
sage center, occasionally reached to
the tree under which they worked
to pull down big green apples for a
mid-morning snack.
Smoke floating over the battle
area was augmented by that from
field kitchens set up in the open
spaces to feed the battle contingent
of the 29th, which included the
12lst Engineers and part of the
29th Division special troops. The
26th Coast Artillery still defended
the Gainesville rail head to the
north.
Battalion Crosses Bridge.
Early morning messages, coming
in as the battle was resumed after
a night of rest for the maneuvering
fighters, brought the news that a
battalion of BLACK" infantry had
crossed the bridge east of Spriggs
Ford on Occoquan Greek and that
"the ford under the railroad bridge
at Bristow was destroyed at 9:15
am"
Each side was especially careful
IN dispensing information and made
every precaution to prevent news of
their movements reaching the other
side through spies"
Two 29th Division intelligence Of
hcers, Capt. R. c. Connolly, Wash
ington, and Capt. H. o. Nutting, jr,
Lebanon, Pa, were questioned closely
by an aide of the colonel of the
176th when they reported there to
get the Medical Regiment. Maryland
National Guard, to minister to any
casualties of the war" including
the victims of any accident that
might occur, as well as the heat and
the inhalation of dust.
Maj. Gen. Milton A. Reckord,
commander of the 29th, cast his lot
with the dust eaters" today and
spent the morning riding through
all sectors of the 29th battle area.
On the left of the 29th was the
18th Division, Pennsylvania Ma
tlonal Guard, which was fighting a
heavy engagement with the in
vaders.
Keep Within Bounds.
One of the maneuver problems
was to keep the battle" within
bounds and off the lands of Prince
William County farmers who had
refused to sign agreements for
troops to deploy over their lands
during the four-day battle that
began yesterday.
Foreign military attaches who
have established headquarters at
the Sd Corps Area base at Manassas
continued to see the battle under
official guidance from a Prince Will
liam County school bus, their means
OF transportation among the va
rious sectors where the 28th and
18th are resisting the fictitious at
tack upon the Nations Capital from
a Black enemy that landed at
Quantico.
A farewell dinner will be held
Thursday at pm. at the Stables"
on Lee highway near the village of
Bull Run. for Col. Joseph A. Baer,
chief of staff of the Sd Corps Area,
whose tour of duty is about fin
ished His next assignment will be
officer in charge of National Guard
affairs for the I'd Corp Area, with