and bake bread and dig trenches for the
triumphant and boastful Red Guards.

This was an intense little civil war. No mercy and no quarter. The Reds
inflamed their volunteers and conscripts against the invading Americans
and the Whites. The White Guards gritted their teeth at the looting Reds
and proudly accepted their new commander's motto: White Guards for the
front; Americans for the city and the lines of communication.

And this was good. During the nine weeks of this successful defense of
the city the Russian White Guards stood all the casualties, and they
were heavy. Not an American soldier was hit. Yankee doughboys supported
the artillery and stood in reserves and manned blockhouses but not one
was wounded. Three hospitals were filled with the wounded White Guards.
American soldiers in platoon strength or less were seen constantly on
the move from one threatened spot to another, but always, by fate it
seemed, it was the Russian ally who was attacked or took the assaulting
line in making our advances on the enemy.

On January 8th and again on January 29th and 30th we tried the enemy's
works at Ust Pocha. Both times we took Priluk and Zapocha but were held
with great losses before Ust Pocha. At the first attempt Pochezero was
taken in a flank attack by the Soyla Lake two-company outguard of Soyla.
But this emboldened the Reds to try the winter trail also. On January
24th they nearly took our position.

News of the Red successes at Shenkursk reached the Pinega Valley. We
knew the Reds were now about to strike directly at the city. Capt.
Akutin's volunteer force, although but one-third the size of the enemy,
was ready to beat the Reds to the attack. With two platoons of Americans
and seven hundred White Guards the American commander moved against the
advancing Reds. Two other platoons of Americans were on the line of
communications and one at Soyla Lake ready for counter-attack. Only one
platoon remained in Pinega. It was a ticklish situation, for the Red
agitators had raised their heads again and an officer had been
assassinated in a nearby village. The mayor was boarding in the American
guardhouse and stern retaliation had been meted out to the Red spies.

The Reds stopped our force after we had pushed them back into their
fortifications and we had to retire to Peligora, where barbed wire,
barricades, trenches and fortified log houses had been prepared for this
rather expected last stand before the city of Pin