Evening star., 1939-08-11
BY ROBERT A. ERWIN,
Star Stan CORRESPONDENT.

GROVETON, Va, Aug. 11-Vir-
ginia National Guard troops waded
through the muddy waters of Bull
Run at Halls Ford shortly before
noon today as troops of the 29th
Division simulated an attack toward
Washington.
Capt. Walter C. Roberts and Sec
ond 1t. John A. Arnold led Com
pany l, lsI Virginia Infantry. from
Alexandria down from a high en-
bankmeI.t near old Civil War
trenches and across the run in an
advance on the only unit assigned
to defend the Capital
The defending unit was the 1st
Battalion, lst Maryland Infantry,
spread out over a wide area to rep
resent a brigade
AS the division problem prog
reSSed rapidly over an area of sew
eral square miles of Bull Run
Battlefield, Maj. Gen. Milton A.
Rockford. 29th commander, and his
staff officers prepared to move di-
vision headquarters from Division
Hill at Groveton to point three
quarters of mile southwest of the
old stone house and toward Manas-
saS. Tents of the fourth general
staff sections were pulled down on
the hill, and staff officers set up
their field headquarters under trees
alongside the fence that separates
Division Hill" from an old ceme-
terry.
Intelligence Officer Bagged.
The defenders, the Maryland bat
talon, captured Capt. C. R. Connolly
of Washington, Reserve officer at
tached to the Division Intelligence
section. He was turned over to a
Regular Army umpire and then was
allowed to return to his headquar-
tiers. The Marylanders also made a
temporary capture of Capt. w. H
Jorgensen. l2lst Engineers. District
National Guard. three other officers
and a repair group bound eastward
on truck to repair one of the
vehicles of the attacking force.
Capt. H. D. Ives OF Company L.
5th Maryland Infantry, part of the
attacking force. also was captured
by the Washington defenders,
Using the ruse of asking an en-.
listed man to look at the tire of q
station wagon, he slipped unnoticec
behind the steering wheel and drove
away in an attempted escape. He
was captured again at Stone Bridge
few minutes later in a brief chase
and later was released in the Gus
tomary way.
The 29th Division S force of severaI
thousand men was advancing toward
Washington on two roads, Lee high
way and State highway No. 621,
miles to the south.
Machine gun batteries broke the
still air of the battlefield all morn
ing long as the Virginians advanced
toward Bull Run, later crossing it
against Company D, 5th Infantry
from Bel Air, Nd Many of the gun.
were camouflaged in the underbrusf
and wooded areas along Bull Run
A herd of cows with an appetite fo1
white cotton cloth temporarily dis
rupted airplane operations in a bri-
gade maneuver yesterday.
The cows were grazing peacefully
on the green banks of Bull Rur
when Capt. Paul Sutherland of the
5th Maryland Infantry invaded the
Stone Bridge area with his men az
they helped defend Washington
against its invaders"
The panel system is used by lane
forces to signal their aviation above
and this is where the cows of Bull
Run come in. Capt. Sutherland di.
rected the signal he wanted to give
to the Maryland National Guare
plane reconnoitering above and the
men spread the panels of cloth or
the battlefield.
Turning his eyes skyward. Capt
Sutherland saw the plane loopinf
the loop. Capt. Sutherland looked
on the ground and saw the COW.
quietly but surely devourlng tn,
white cloth signals.
Draws Attention to Interference.
Regular Army officers who dis,
cussed the incident expressed tn,
opinion the pilot had looped tn,
loop in order to inform Capt
Sutherland his signals were bein,
garbled by COW herd interference.
The 12lst Engineers of the Dis
trict Guard, commanded by Co
John w. Oehmann, were to build
bridge over Cedar Run near Brents
vile this afternoon. The bridg,
approaches were to be constructet
by the 103d Engineers, Pennsyl
vania National Guard, also unde
Col. Oehmann's command for tn
afternoon. The structure will b.
preserved for use next week durinj
the big maneuver.
District Commissioners Melvin c
Hazen and It. Col David McCoach
jr., were to arrive at some time dur
ing the day, but it was not certai,
they would arrive in time for tn,
bridge building. The two Commits
sioners will be quartered for tn,
night in Col. Oehmanns trailer O,
a hill overlooking Lee highway an,
Tomorrow will join the military am
Ycivil officials of three States and tb
District reviewing the 29th Division