thanking
him for sending the Root Commission to Russia. The Root Mission returned
to the United States early in August, and reported to Washington August
12th. At a public reception given by the citizens of New York, Senator
Root expressed supreme confidence in the stability of the Revolution.

On July 1st, inspired by Kerensky, and under the personal leadership of
General Kornilov, the Russian army began an offensive in Galicia. It
first met with complete success, capturing Halicz, and sweeping forward
close to Dolina in the Carpathian foothills. Then under a very slight
hostile German pressure, the Russian armies, immediately to the north
and south of Kornilov's army, broke and ran. This action was directly
traced to orders subversive of discipline, emanating from the Petrograd
Soviet. Kornilov's army was compelled to retire, and by July 21st was in
full retreat from Galicia.

The Russian mutiny spread. Regiments refused to fight or to obey their
officers.

One of the most picturesque episodes of this phase of the war was the
formation of a woman's regiment, known as the "Command of Death," which
was reviewed at Petrograd June 21st, by Minister of War, Kerensky. In
front of the barracks assigned to this regiment a visitor found posted
at the gate a little blue-eyed sentry in a soldier's khaki blouse, short
breeches, green forage cap, ordinary woman's black stockings and neat
shoes. The sentry was Mareya Skridlov, daughter of Admiral Skridlov,
former commander of the Baltic fleet and Minister of Marines. In the
courtyard three hundred girls were drilling, mostly between 18 and 25
years old, of good physique and many of them pretty. They wore their
hair short or had their heads entirely shaved. They were drilling under
the instruction of a male sergeant of the Volynsky regiment, and marched
to an exaggerated goose step.

The girl commander, Lieutenant Buitchkarev, explained that most of the
recruits were from the higher educational academies, with a few
peasants, factory girls and servants. Some married women were accepted,
but none who had children. The Battalion of Death distinguished itself
on the field, setting an example of courage to the mutinous regiments
during the retreat of Brusilov.

With the army thus demoralized the Russian Revolution encountered a
perilous period toward the end of July, 1917, and civil war or anarchy
seemed almost at hand, when out of the depths of the national spirit
there arose a n