d that they held
at every point.

In March the French had a little excitement while the battalion of
Americans were at rest in Archangel. A daring Bolshevik patrol in force
circumnavigated through the deep snow of the pine woods on skiis and
surprised the poilu defenders of their favorite howitzer on the railway
track, killing several and capturing the big six-inch trouble maker.
They destroyed it by feeding it a German hand grenade and then made
their getaway. Successes on other fronts seemed to stimulate the Bolos
to try out the defenses on this hitherto very quiet front. They gave the
Frenchies lots of trouble with their raiding parties. Whether the fact
that the French had local Russian troops with them had anything to do
with the renewal of activity is not provable, but it seems probable,
judging from the hatred seen expressed between Bolos and anti-Bolsheviks
on other fronts that winter.

And before the month of March was gone, Major Nichols was hurried back
to the Railroad Front, taking "L" and "E" Companies with him. The
French-Russian forces were in trouble. They had lost the strategic
Bolsheozerki, story of the severe fighting about which will form a
separate chapter. Rumor has it that the Russian troops on the front were
demoralized and that the enemy would strike before the Americans could
get there to relieve the French-Russian force.

General Ironside himself went to the railroad and the new Bolsheozerki
front and saw that quick action only could save the situation. He gave
Major Nichols free hand with his battalion and released "E" Company
which was on the Bolsheozerki front by sending "M" Company to the
desperate spot. Nichols with characteristic decisiveness determined to
make the relief before the set time and have his own men meet the
attack. It worked at all points. At Verst 445, the very front, "I"
Company gallantly went in to relieve the French and Russian under
artillery barrage and a heavy machine gun barrage together with a heavy
infantry attack on one flank. This company which has been unjustly
accused of having mutinied the day before at Archangel, was on this day
and three succeeding days subjected to all the fury of attack that the
Red Army commander had been mustering up for so many days to crush the
French-Russian force. And "I" Company supported by the French artillery,
by machine gun and trench mortar men, stood the Reds off with great
resolution and inflicted terrible losses. The rai