Evening star., 1939-08-05
$1,000 Troops Pitch
Camp at Bull Run
Battle Area
Two Guard Divisions
Will Defend Capital
From Attack
BY ROBERT A. ERWIN.

BY ROBERT A. ERWIN.
MANASSAS, Va, Aug. 5.-Grass-
covered hillsides of the Bull Run
battle area were converted into
cities of tents today as two National
Guard divisions totaling 1900 men
rolled in from the District, Mary
land, Virginia and Pennsylvania to
pitch camp for the Sd Corps Area
phase of the first Army summer
maneuver.
Maj Gen. Milton A. Rockford of
Baltimore, commander of the Goth
Division, of which the District Guard
is part, established headquarters
on the same hill where Gen. Stone
wall Jackson fought the Battle of
Groveton, one of the famous Bull
Run engagements of the Civil War.
Over the surrounding countryside,
as far as the eye could see, tent
floors were laid down with hammers
and nails and then squads went into
action to raise headquarters tents
for the various District Guard units
that moved into the maneuver area
from the Pennsylvania avenue arm
ory this morning.
attack" on Capital Planned.
Gen. Reckord, who commanded
the ll5th Infantry, a Maryland
regiment, as colonel during the
World War, said toaayswas the first
time the entire 29th Division. COM
prising the National Guard OF the
District, Maryland, Virginia and
part of Pennsylvania, had been to-
gether since the maneuver at In
diantoWn Gap, Pa, in 1886. Dis
cussing the real maneuver which
will begin Sunday, August 13, after
a week of preliminary training, Gen.
Reckord said "it will be conceded
that an enemy has landed above
Norfolk and plans to attack the Ma
tons Capital The 28th CPennsyl-
vania) and 29th Divisions have been
concentrated hurriedly between the
enemy and the Capital We will be
ready to go into battle when we re-
ceive orders from Sd Corps Area
headquarters
Encamped around division head
quarters were the 29th Division
special troops led by Maj William T.
Roy. with the 104th Quartermaster
Regiment. under Maj. Fletcher F.
Bernsdorf, nearby Col. John w.
Oehmann's 121st Engineers moved
into a large field on highway No
211 between division headquarters.
which are near Gainesville, and the
famous old stone house which served
as hospital during the first and
second battles of Bull Run or
Manassas during the Civil War.
Third Corps Area headquarters
were in operation at Manassas, sew
eral miles from the 29th Division
base. Despite the fact that the
war" will not begin for more than
a week, real Army atmosphere
prevailed at the headquarters.
War" correspondents and photog-
raphers were registered at the Sd
Corps press tent by Maj. Donovan
P Yeuell, the publicity officer, and
his staff. They were given informa-
ton in brief conference with Col.
Joseph A. Baer, chief of staff un-
der Maj. Gen. James K. Parsons.
commanding general of the corps.
District Troops Leave.
The troop movement, which fur
thqr rom, p1jcofo5 yNo y, iva r+op,c -. H.,
morning traffic rush, began at 7::30
am. and was scheduled to continue
well into the afternoon.
After breakfast in the local
Armory, uniformed Guardsmen be-
gan loading baggage and equipment
into the first motor truck caravan.
The 12lst Engineers, 29th Division
Special Troops, and the 104th Quar-
termaSter Regiment started rolling
out on schedule at 7:3O. The 26Oth
Coast Artillery sent an advance con-
tingent of 200 officers and men to
camp this morning, and the remain
ing 545 members of the regiment
were to depart at 10 pm.
fOllCe Detail Assigned.
Commanding officers directing the
movements were Col. John w. Oeh-
mann of the Engineers, Col. Walter
w. Burns and 1t. Col. Leroy S.
Mann of the Coast Artillery, Maj.
William T. Roy, Special Troops, and
Maj. Fletcher F. Bernsdorff, Quar-
termaSters.
A special police detail of 80 motor
cycle officers was assigned to help
move the District Guard to Key
Bridge and to convoy the Maryland
Guardsmen through the city.
The stimulation of war will be the
high light of the whole encampment.
1t will test the newly motorized units
of the provisional division in action
against far greater numbers of men
and artillery batteries. 1t will bring
National Guard and Regular Army
aircraft into the battle, with bomb
ers roaring over Bull Run in test at
tacks on headquarters, railroads and
artillery concentration.
The whole maneuver is under di-
rection of the Sd Corps Area and
(See TROOPS Pare A-3)