River Land—Battling For Seltso—Retire To Yakovlevskoe—That Most
Wonderful Smoke—Incidents Of The March—Sudden Shift To Shenkursk
Area—The Battalion Splits—Again At Seltso—Bolos Attack—Edvyinson A
Hero.
That dismal, gloomy day—September 6, 1915—the first battalion, under
Lt.-Col. James Corbley, spent on board transport, watching the third
battalion disembark and getting on board the freight cars that were to
carry them down to the Railroad Front. Each man on board was aching to
set foot on dry land once more and would gladly have marched to any
front in order to avoid the dull monotony aboard ship, with nothing of
interest to view but the gleaming spires of the cathedrals or the cold,
gray northern sky, but there is an end to all such trials, and late
that evening we received word that our battalion was to embark on
several river barges to proceed up the Dvina River.
The following day all hands turned to bright and early and from early
dawn until late that afternoon every man that was able to stand, and
some that were not, were busily engaged in making up packs, issuing
ammunition and loading up the barges. By six o’clock that evening they
had marched on board the barges—some of the men in the first stages of
“flu” had to be assisted on board with their packs. These barges, as we
afterward learned, were a good example of the Russian idea of
sanitation and cleanliness. They had been previously used for hauling
coal, cattle, produce, flax, and a thousand-and-one other things, and
in their years of usage had accumulated an unbelievable amount of filth
and dirt. In addition to all this, they were leaky, and the lower
holds, where hundreds of men had to sleep that week, were cold, dismal
and damp. Small wonder that our little force was daily decreased by
sickness and death. After five days of this slow, monotonous means of
travel, we finally arrived at the town of Beresnik, which afterward
became the base for the river column troops.
The following day “A” Company, 339th Infantry, under Capt. Otto Odjard,
took over the defense of the village in order to relieve a detachment
of Royal Scots who were occupying the town. All that day we saw and
heard the dull roar of the artillery further up the river, where the
Royal Scots, accompanied by a gunboat, were attempting to drive the
enemy before them. Meeting with considerable opposition in the vicinity
of Chamova, a village about fifty versts from Beresnik, a rush call was
sent in for American reinforcements.
The first battalion of the 339th Infantry left Beresnik about September
15th under command of Major Corbley, and started up the Dvina. The
first incident worthy of record occurred at Chamova. As advance company
we arrived about 1:00 a. m. at Chamova, which was garrisoned by a small
force of Scots. We put out our outposts in the brush which surrounded
the town, and shortly afterward, about 5:00 a. m., we were alarmed by
the sound of musketry near the river bank. We deployed and advanced to
what seemed to be a small party from a gunboat. They had killed two
Scots who had mistaken them for a supply boat from Beresnik and gone to
meet them empty-handed. The Bolo had regained his boat after a little
firing between him and the second platoon which was at the upper end of
the village. We were trying to locate oars for the clumsy Russian
_barzhaks_ on the bank, intending to cross to the island where the
gunboat was moored and do a little navy work, when the British monitor
hove into sight around a bend about three miles down stream, and opened
fire on the gunboat. The first shot was a little long, the second a
little short, and the third was a clean hit amid ship which set the
gunboat on fire. John Bolo in the meantime took a hasty departure by
way of the island. We were immensely disappointed by the advent of the
monitor, as the gunboat would have been very handy in navigating the
Russian roads.
This Monitor, by the way, was much feared by the Russians, but was very
temperamental, and if it was sadly needed, as it was later at Toulgas
when we were badly outranged, it reposed calmly at Beresnik. When the
Monitor first made its advent on the Dvina she steamed into Beresnik,
and her commander inquired loftily, “Where are the bloody Bolsheviks,
and which is the way to Kotlas?” Upon being informed she steamed boldly
up the Dvina on the road to Kotlas, found the Bolo, who promptly
slapped a shell into their internal workings, killing several men and
putting the Monitor temporarily _hors de combat_. After that the
Monitor was very prudent and displayed no especial longing to visit
Kotlas.
In order to better comprehend the situation and terrain of the river
forces, a few words regarding the two rivers and their surroundings
will not be without interest. This region is composed of vast tundras
or marshes and the balance of the entire province is covered with
almost impenetrable forests of pine and evergreen of different
varieties. The tundras or marshes are very treacherous, for the
traveler marching along on what appears to be a rough strip of solid
ground, suddenly may feel the same give way and he is precipitated into
a bath of ice cold muddy water. Great areas of these tundras are
nothing more than a thickly woven matting of grasses and weeds
overgrowing creeks or ponds and many a lonely traveler has been known
to disappear in one of these marshes never to be seen again.
This condition is especially typical of the Dvina River. The Dvina is a
much larger river than the Vaga and compares favorably to the lower
Mississippi in our own country. It meanders and spreads about over the
surrounding country by a thousand different routes, inasmuch as there
are practically no banks and nothing to hold it within its course. The
Vaga, on the other hand, is a narrower and swifter river and much more
attractive and interesting. It has very few islands and is lined on
either side by comparatively steep bluffs, varying from fifty to one
hundred feet in height. The villages which line the banks are larger
and comparatively more prosperous, but regarding the villages more will
be said later.
[Illustration: U. S. OFFICIAL PHOTO
_A Shell Screeched Over This Burial Scene._]
[Illustration: U. S. OFFICIAL PHOTO
_Vickers Machine Gun Helping Hold Lines._]
[Illustration: U. S. OFFICIAL PHOTO
_Our Armored Train._]
[Illustration: RENICKE
_First Battalion Hurries Up River._]
[Illustration: RED CROSS PHOTO
_Lonely Post in Dense Forest._]
[Illustration: MORRIS
_Statue of Peter the Great and State Buildings in Archangel._]
[Illustration: U. S. OFFICIAL PHOTO
_Drawing Rations, Verst 455._]
[Illustration: RED CROSS PHOTO
_Last Honors to a Soldier._]
We continued our march up the Dvina, about two days behind the fleeing
Bolo, hoping that he would decide to make a stand. This he did at
Seltso. On the morning of September 19th, through mud and water, at
times waist deep and too precarious for hauling artillery, the advance
began on Seltso. At 1:00 p. m. the advance party, “D” Company, under
Captain Coleman, reached Yakovlevskaya, a village just north of Seltso
and separated from it by a mile of wide open marsh which is crossed by
a meandering arm of the nearby Dvina. A single road and bridge lead
across to Seltso. “D” Company gallantly deployed and wading the swamp
approached within one thousand five hundred yards of the enemy, who
suddenly opened up with machine guns, rifles, and Russian pom pom. This
latter gun is a rapid fire artillery piece, firing a clip of five
shells weighing about one pound apiece, in rapid succession. We later
discovered that they, as well as most of the flimsy rifles, were made
by several of the prominent gun manufacturers of the United States.
“D” Company found further advance impossible without support and dug
in. “C” Company under Capt. Fitz Simmons hurried up and took position
in a tongue of woods at the right of “D” and were joined after dark by
“B” Company. None of the officers in command of this movement knew
anything of the geography nor much of anything else regarding this
position, so the men were compelled to dig in as best they could in the
mud and water to await orders from Colonel Corbley, who had not come
up. At eleven o’clock that night a drizzling rain set in, and huddled
and crouched together in this vile morass, unprotected by even an
overcoat, without rations, tired and exhausted from the day’s march and
fighting, the battalion bivouacked. All night the enemy kept searching
the woods and marshes with his artillery, but with little effect.
During the night we learned that the Bolo had a land battery of
three-inch guns and five gunboats in the river at their flank with six
and nine-inch guns aboard rafts. This was none too pleasing a situation
for an infantry attack with no artillery preparation, coupled with the
miserable condition of the troops.
As daylight approached the shelling became more and more violent. The
Bolo was sending over everything at his command and it was decided to
continue the attack lest we be exterminated by the enemy artillery. At
daybreak Lt. Dressing of “B” Company took out a reconnaissance patrol
to feel out the enemy lines of defense, but owing to the nature of the
ground he had little success. His patrol ran into a Bolo outpost and
was scattered by machine gun fire. It was here that Corporal Shroeder
was lost, no trace ever being found of his body or equipment.
About noon two platoons of Company “B” went out to occupy a certain
objective. This they found was a well constructed trench system filled
with Bolos, and flanked by machine gun positions. In the ensuing action
we had three men killed and eight men wounded, including Lt. A. M.
Smith, who received a severe wound in the side, but continued handling
his platoon effectively, showing exceptional fortitude. The battle
continued during the afternoon all along the line. “C” and “D” were
supporting “B” with as much fire as possible. But troops could not stay
where they were under the enemy fire, and Col. Corbley, who had at last
arrived, ordered a frontal attack to come off after a preparatory
barrage by our Russian artillery which had at last toiled up to a
position.
Here fortune favored the Americans. The Russian artillery officer
placed a beautiful barrage upon the village and the enemy gunboats,
which continued from 4:45 to 5:00 p.m. At 5:00 o’clock, the zero hour,
the infantry made the attack and in less than an hour’s time they had
gained the village.
The Bolsheviks had been preparing to evacuate anyway, as the
persistence of our attack and effectiveness of our rifle fire had
nearly broken their morale. Americans with white, strained faces, in
contrast with their muck-daubed uniforms, shook hands prayerfully as
they discussed how a determined defense could have murdered them all in
making that frontal attack across a swamp in face of well-set machine
gun positions.
However, the Americans were scarcely better off when they had taken
Seltso, for their artillery now could not get up to them. So the enemy
gunboats could shell Seltso at will. Hence it appeared wise to retire
for a few days to Yakovlevskaya. In the early hours of the morning
following the battle the Americans retired from Seltso. They were
exceedingly hungry, dog-tired, sore in spirit, but they had undergone
their baptism of fire.
After a few days spent in Yakovlevskoe we set out again, and advanced
as far as a village called Pouchuga. Here we expected another encounter
with the Bolo, but he had just left when we arrived. We were fallen out
temporarily on a muddy Russian hillside in the middle of the afternoon,
the rain was falling steadily, we had been marching for a week through
the muddiest mud that ever was, the rations were hard tack and bully,
and tobacco had been out for several weeks. A more miserable looking
and feeling outfit can scarce be imagined. A bedraggled looking convoy
of Russian carts under Lt. Warner came up, and he informed us that he
could let us have one package of cigarettes per man. We accepted his
offer without any reluctance, and passed them out. To paraphrase Gunga
Din, says Capt. Boyd:
“They were British and they stunk as anyone who smoked British issue
cigarettes with forty-two medals can tell you, but of all the smokes
I’ve (I should say ‘smunk’ to continue the paraphrase) I’m gratefulest
to those from Lt. Warner. You could see man after man light his
cigarette, take a long draw, and relax in unadulterated enjoyment. Ten
minutes later they were a different outfit, and nowhere as wet, cold,
tired or hungry. Lucy Page Gaston and the Anti-Cigarette League please
note.”
After a long day’s march we finally arrived in a “suburb” of Pouchuga
about 7:00 p.m. with orders to place our outposts and remain there that
night. By nine o’clock this was done, and the rest of the company was
scattered in billets all over the village, being so tired that they
flopped in the first place where there was floor space to spread a
blanket. Then came an order to march to the main village and join Major
Corbley. At least a dozen of the men could not get their shoes on by
reason of their feet being swollen, but we finally set out on a pitch
black night through the thick mud. We staggered on, every man falling
full length in the mud innumerable times, and finally reached our
destination. Captain Boyd writes:
“I shall never forget poor Wilson on that march, cheery and
good-spirited in spite of everything. His loss later at Toulgas was a
personal one as well as the loss of a good soldier.
“I also remember Babcock on that march—Babcock, who was one of our best
machine gunners, never complaining and always dependable. We were
ploughing along through the mud when from my place at the head of the
column I heard a splash. I went back to investigate and there was
Babcock floundering in a ditch with sides too slippery to crawl up. The
column was marching stolidly past, each man with but one thought, to
pull his foot out of the mud and put it in a little farther on. We
finally got Babcock up to terra firma, he explained that it had looked
like good walking, nice and smooth, and he had gone down to try it. I
cautioned him that he should never try to take a bath while in military
formation, and he seemed to think the advice was sound.”
Now the battalion was needed over on the Vaga river front, the story of
whose advance there is told in another chapter. By barge the Americans
went down the Dvina to its junction with the Vaga and then proceeded up
that river as far as Shenkursk. To the doughboys this upper Vaga area
seemed a veritable land of milk and honey when compared with the
miserable upper Dvina area. Fresh meat and eggs were obtainable. There
were even women there who wore hats and stockings, in place of boots
and shawls. We had comfortable billets. But it was too good to be true.
In less than a week the Bolo’s renewed activities on the upper Dvina
made it necessary for one company of the first battalion to go again to
that area. Colonel Corbley saw “B” Company depart on the tug “Retvizan”
and so far as field activities were concerned it was to be part of the
British forces on the Dvina from October till April rather than part of
the first battalion force. The company commander was to be drafted as
“left bank” commander of a mixed force and hold Toulgas those long,
long months. The only help he remembers from Colonel Corbley or Colonel
Stewart in the field operations was a single visit from each, the one
to examine his company fund book, the other to visit the troops on the
line in obedience to orders from Washington and General Ironside. Of
this visit Captain Boyd writes:
“When Col. Stewart made his trip to Toulgas his advent was marked
principally by his losing one of his mittens, which were the ordinary
issue variety. He searched everywhere, and half insinuated that Capt.
Dean, my adjutant, a British officer, had taken it. I could see Dean
getting hot under the collar. Then he told me that my orderly must have
taken it. I knew Adamson was more honest than either myself or the
colonel, and that made me hot. Then he finally found the mitten where
he had dropped it, on the porch, and everything was serene again.
“Col. Stewart went with me up to one of the forward blockhouses, which
at that time was manned by the Scots. After the stock questions of
‘where are you from’ and ‘what did you do in civil life’ he launched
into a dissertation on the disadvantages of serving in an allied
command. The Scot looked at him in surprise and said, ‘Why, sir, we’ve
been very glad to serve with the Americans, sir, and especially under
Lt. Dennis. There’s an officer any man would be proud to serve under.’
That ended the discussion.”
After this slight digression from the narrative, we may take up the
thread of the story of this push for Kotlas. Royal Scots and Russians
had been left in quiet possession of the upper Dvina near Seltso after
the struggle already related. But hard pressed again, they were waiting
the arrival of the company of Americans, who arrived one morning about
6:00 a. m. a few miles below our old friend, the village of
Yakovlevskoe. We marched to the village, reported to the British
officer in command at Seltso, and received the order, “Come over here
as quick as you possibly can.” The situation there was as follows: The
Bolos had come back down the river in force with gunboats and
artillery, and were making it exceedingly uncomfortable for the small
British garrisons at Seltso and Borok across the river. We marched
around the town, through swamps at times almost waist deep, and
attacked the Bolo trenches from the flank at dusk. We were successful,
driving them back, and capturing a good bit of supplies, including
machine guns and a pom pom. The Bolos lost two officers and
twenty-seven men killed, while we had two men slightly wounded, both of
whom were later able to rejoin the company.
“We expected a counter attack from the Bolo, as our force was much
smaller than his, and spent the first part of the night making
trenches. An excavation deeper than eighteen inches would have water in
the bottom. We were very cold, as it was October in Russia, and every
man wet to the skin, with no blankets or overcoats. About midnight the
British sent up two jugs of rum, which was immediately issued, contrary
to military regulations. It made about two swallows per man, but was a
lifesaver. At least a dozen men told me that they could not sleep
before that because they were so cold, but that this started their
circulation enough so they were able to sleep later.
In the morning we advanced to Lipovit and attacked there, but ran into
a jam, had both flanks turned by a much larger force, and were very
fortunate to get out with only one casualty. Corporal Downs lost his
eye, and showed extreme grit in the hard march back through the swamp,
never complaining. I saw, after returning to the States, an interview
with Col. Josselyn, at that time in command of the Dvina force, in
which he mentioned Downs, and commended him very highly.”
The ensuing week we spent in Seltso, the Bolos occupying trenches
around the upper part of our defenses. They had gunboats and naval guns
on rafts, and made it quite uncomfortable for us with their shelling,
although the only American casualties were in the detachment of 310th
Engineers. Our victory was short lived, however, for in a few days our
river monitor was forced to return to Archangel on account of the
rapidly receding river, which gave the enemy the opportunity of moving
up their 9.2 inch naval guns, with double the range of our land
batteries, making our further occupation of Seltso impossible.
On the afternoon of October 14, the second and third platoons of
Company “B” were occupying the blockhouses when the Bolos made an
attack, which was easily repelled. As we were under artillery fire with
no means of replying, the British commander decided to evacuate that
night. It was impossible to get supplies out owing to the lack of
transportation facilities. That part of Company “B” in the village left
at midnight, followed by the force in the blockhouses at 3:00 a. m.
After a very hard march we reached Toulgas and established a position
there.
Our position at Toulgas in the beginning was very unfavorable, being a
long narrow string of villages along the Dvina which was bordered with
thick underbrush extending a few hundred yards to the woods. We had a
string of machine gun posts scattered through the brush, and when our
line of defense was occupied there was less than two platoons left as a
reserve. With us at this time we had Company “A” of the 2nd Tenth Royal
Scots (British) under Captain Shute, and a section of Canadian
artillery.
The Bolos followed us here and after several days shelling, to which
because of being outranged we were unable to reply, they attacked late
in the afternoon of October 23rd. Our outposts held, and we immediately
counter attacked. The enemy was repulsed in disorder, losing some
machine guns, and having about one hundred casualties, while we came
out Scot free.
It was during the shelling incidental to this that Edvinson, the
Viking, did his stunt. He was in a machine gun emplacement which was
hit by a small H. E. shell. The others were considerably shaken up, and
pulled back, reporting Edvinson killed, that he had gone up in the air
one way, and the Lewis gun the other. We established the post a little
farther back and went out at dusk to get Edvinson’s body. Much was the
surprise of the party when he hailed them with, “Well, I think she’s
all right.” He had collected himself, retrieved the Lewis gun, taken it
apart and cleaned it and stuck to his post. The shelling and sniping
here had been quite heavy. His action was recognized by the British,
who awarded him a Military Medal, just as they did Corporal Morrow who
was instrumental in reoccupying and holding an important post which had
been driven in early in the engagement. Corporal Dreskey and Private
Lintula also distinguished themselves at this point.
Here we may leave “B” Company and the Scots and Russians making a
fortress of Toulgas on the left bank of the Dvina. The Reds were busy
defending Plesetskaya from a converging attack and not till snow clouds
gathered in the northern skies were they to gather up a heavy force to
attack Toulgas. We will now turn to the story of the first battalion
penetrating with bayonets far up the Vaga River.
IV
DOUGHBOYS ON GUARD IN ARCHANGEL
Second Battalion Lands To Protect Diplomatic Corps—Colonel Tschaplin’s
Coup d’Etat Is Undone By Ambassador Francis—Doughboys Parade And
Practice New Weapons—Scowling Solombola Sailors—Description Of
Archangel—American Headquarters.
With the arrival of the American Expeditionary Force, the diplomatic
corps of the various Allied nations which had been compelled to flee
north before the Red radicals that had overthrown the Kerensky
provisional government, asked for troops in the city of Archangel
itself to stabilize the situation.
The second battalion of the 339th under command of Major J. Brooks
Nichols disembarked at Smolny Quay at four o’clock of the afternoon of
September 4th, the same day the ships dropped anchor in the harbor. A
patrol was at once put out under Lieut. Collins of “H” Company. It was
well that American troops were landed at once as will prove evident
from the following story.
The new government of Archangel was headed by the venerable
Tchaikowsky, a man who had been a revolutionary leader of the highest
and saneest type for many years. He had lived for a period of years in
America, on a farm in Kansas, and had been a writer of note in Russia
and England for many years. He was a democratic leader and his
government was readily accepted by the people. But as with all newly
constructed governments it moved very slowly and with characteristic
Russian deliberation and interminable talk and red tape.