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184, New York, and Washington, detachments were told off to seize the railway yards and terminals, and to commandeer such automobiles and motor trucks as were best adapted to army transport. This was done in each case on April 1st, and early on the same day strong flying detachments, with numerous batteries of machine-guns, were rushed out by rail and by automobile to seize the bridges and tunnels on the main lines of the New Haven, the New York Central, and the Pennsylvania systems. Every few hours additional reinforcements were pushed forward to strengthen and hold these strategic points, until the several armies of occupation could be brought up from the coast by rail.

And on April 6th, the railroads being securely held, the main advance began.

From Boston a force of 5,000 men was thrown into Portsmouth, and three