General Situation—Hunterstown Sheet.
The Harvard Regiment camps the night of May 31-June 1 on Opossum Creek just west of Friends Grove S.H. (A-7) in hostile territory. The regiment is part of a brigade, the remainder of the brigade being in camp one day's march north of Center Mills.
Problem I: An Advance Guard Point:
At daylight of June 1st the regimental commander receives the following message from brigade headquarters: "Our aeroplanes report a large force of the enemy near Hunterstown. Move at once on Hunterstown. Develop the strength of this enemy and locate his exact position. I will send reinforcements to you by motor-train if necessary."
Officers call is sounded, and this information transmitted to all the officers of the regiment. The First Battalion is designated as advance guard and ordered to move out at once by crossroads 554 and 561, and road forks 535 and 552 towards Hunterstown. Major A, commanding the First Battalion, designates the first two platoons of "D" company as advance party and C company and the remainder of D company as support.
Lieut. X, commanding the advance party, calls up all his non-commissioned officers and explains the situation to them. He then says: "Sergeant Mason, take 4 men and move out on that road (pointing) as the point. At crossroads and road forks semaphore W.W. and I will indicate the direction. The remainder of these two platoons will be the advance party. I will be with it. Move out."
You are Sergeant Mason.
(a) What instructions, and information do you give the point before you reach crossroads 554?
After passing crossroads 561 about 300 yards one of your men reports about a squad of hostile cavalry on the road south of road fork 544, 1500 yards east of you.
(b) What do you do?