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diff --git a/old/53736-0.txt b/old/53736-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ed2acd6..0000000 --- a/old/53736-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4832 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Fighting Retreat To Paris, by Roger Ingpen - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Fighting Retreat To Paris - -Author: Roger Ingpen - -Release Date: December 15, 2016 [EBook #53736] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FIGHTING RETREAT TO PARIS *** - - - - -Produced by Brian Coe, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - - The Daily Telegraph - WAR BOOKS - - -THE FIGHTING RETREAT TO PARIS - - - - -The Daily Telegraph - -WAR BOOKS - - - =HOW THE WAR BEGAN= - By W. L. COURTNEY, LL.D., and J. M. KENNEDY. - - =THE FLEETS AT WAR= - By ARCHIBALD HURD. - - =THE CAMPAIGN OF SEDAN= - By GEORGE HOOPER. - - =THE CAMPAIGN ROUND LIEGE= - By J. M. KENNEDY. - - =IN THE FIRING LINE=: Stories of Actual Fighting by the Men who - Fought. By A. ST. JOHN ADCOCK. - - =GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD= - By STEPHEN CRANE, Author of “The Red Badge of Courage.” - - =THE RED CROSS IN WAR= - By Miss M. F. BILLINGTON. - - =FORTY YEARS AFTER=: The Story of the Franco-German War. - By H. C. BAILEY, with Introduction by W. L. COURTNEY, LL.D. - - =A SCRAP OF PAPER=: The Inner History - of German Diplomacy. By Dr. E. J. DILLON. - - =HOW THE NATIONS WAGED WAR= - By J. M. KENNEDY. - - =BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT= - The Glorious Story of their Battle Honours. - - =HACKING THROUGH BELGIUM= - By EDMUND DANE. - - =AIRCRAFT IN WAR= - By ERIC S. BRUCE. - - =FAMOUS FIGHTS OF INDIAN NATIVE REGIMENTS= - By REGINALD HODDER. - - =THE FIGHTING RETREAT TO PARIS= - By ROGER INGPEN. - - =MOTOR TRANSPORT IN WAR= - By HORACE WYATT. - - =THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE= - By MARR MURRAY. - - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - - - - - THE FIGHTING - RETREAT TO PARIS - - BY - ROGER INGPEN - - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO - MCMXIV - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I - - PAGE - - Mobilisation and transport of the British Expeditionary Force—The - King’s message to his troops—Sir John French’s order of the - day—Lord Kitchener’s address—Death of General Grierson— - Disposition of the French Forces in the North—Advance of the - Germans—Sir John French on the movements of the British troops - —Fighting at Mons—The Kaiser’s Army Order 9 - - - CHAPTER II - - The Battle of Mons, August 23rd—Sir John French’s despatch—The - West Kents in action—An aeroplane duel—A Royal Engineer’s - experience—Missing their regiment—Royal Field Artillery and - German shrapnel—Captain Grenfell 22 - - - CHAPTER III - - Fighting at Charleroi in the French lines—A railway official’s - adventure—A Zouave officer’s impressions—French artillery - —Heavy German casualties—The fall of Namur—A Belgian - soldier’s tribute 45 - - - CHAPTER IV - - The British troops retire into France—The adventures of a - Chaplain to a field ambulance—The Royal Field Artillery—A - wounded gunner—Losing his regiment—A Gordon Highlander’s - experiences—Operations of the French troops—British versus - German cavalry—Sir John French’s account of the events of - August 25—The Battle of Cambrai—The Rev. Owen S. Watkins’ - adventures—Mr. Asquith announces a wonderful feat of arms 63 - - - CHAPTER V - - Sir John French on the operations of the British Army to August 28 - —Lord Kitchener on the four days’ battle—Fighting in the - Valley of the Meuse—Charleville 106 - - - CHAPTER VI - - The French Army on the Oise—Sir John French on the operations of - the British troops on August 28—The fight at St. Quentin— - A sharp action at Compiègne—At Chantilly—English soldiers - shopping—A quiet day—British losses and resources—The - enemy at Senlis—The end of the retreat—A view of a great - military feat—Sir John French’s despatch 123 - - - CHAPTER VII - - The German advance on Paris—the Government quit the Capital for - Bordeaux—The fortifications of Paris—Preparations for a - siege—The German change of plan—Sir John French’s despatch - —German vengeance—The failure of the Crown Prince’s Army— - Declaration of the Triple Entente—Conclusion 160 - - -[Illustration: WAR MAP DRAWN BY G. W. BACON AND CO., LTD., 127, STRAND, -W.C. - -POSITIONS OF THE BRITISH FORCES IN THE RETREAT TOWARDS PARIS.] - - - - -The Retreat to Paris - - - - -CHAPTER I - - MOBILISATION AND TRANSPORT OF THE BRITISH EXPEDITIONARY FORCE—THE - KING’S MESSAGE TO HIS TROOPS—SIR JOHN FRENCH’S ORDER OF THE - DAY—LORD KITCHENER’S ADDRESS—DEATH OF GENERAL GRIERSON— - DISPOSITION OF THE FRENCH FORCES IN THE NORTH—ADVANCE OF THE - GERMANS—SIR JOHN FRENCH ON THE MOVEMENTS OF THE BRITISH TROOPS - —FIGHTING AT MONS—THE KAISER’S ARMY ORDER. - - -By the middle of the third week of the war, the British Expeditionary -Force—three army corps and a cavalry division—had been mobilised and -sent across the Channel to France. Sir John French’s force was the -largest army that England had ever sent into the field at the outset of -a campaign. Its mobilisation, concentration, and transport across the -narrow seas had been carried out with silent efficiency. England waited -confidently and patiently for the tidings of its entry into the battle -line. - -On August 9 the King had issued to his troops on their departure for -the front the following message:— - - BUCKINGHAM PALACE, - _Aug. 9, 1914_. - - You are leaving home to fight for the safety and honour of my - Empire. - - Belgium, whose country we are pledged to defend, has been attacked, - and France is about to be invaded by the same powerful foe. - - I have implicit confidence in you, my soldiers. Duty is your - watchword, and I know your duty will be nobly done. - - I shall follow your every movement with deepest interest, and mark - with eager satisfaction your daily progress; indeed, your welfare - will never be absent from my thoughts. - - I pray God to bless you and guard you and bring you back victorious. - - GEORGE R.I. - -Lord Kitchener also addressed to the forces these instructions, -to be kept in the Active Service Pay-book of every soldier in the -Expeditionary army: - - You are ordered abroad as a soldier of the King to help our French - comrades against the invasion of a common enemy. You have to - perform a task which will need your courage, your energy, your - patience. Remember that the honour of the British Army depends on - your individual conduct. It will be your duty not only to set an - example of discipline and perfect steadiness under fire, but also - to maintain the most friendly relations with those whom you are - helping in this struggle. - - The operations in which you are engaged will, for the most part, - take place in a friendly country, and you can do your own country - no better service than in showing yourselves in France and Belgium - in the true character of a British soldier. - - Be invariably courteous, considerate, and kind. Never do anything - likely to injure or destroy property, and always look upon looting - as a disgraceful act. You are sure to meet with a welcome and - to be trusted; your conduct must justify that welcome and that - trust. Your duty cannot be done unless your health is sound. So - keep constantly on your guard against any excesses. In this new - experience you may find temptations both in wine and women. You - must entirely resist both temptations, and, while treating all - women with perfect courtesy, you should avoid any intimacy. - - Do your duty bravely, - Fear God, - Honour the King. - (Signed) KITCHENER, Field Marshal. - -On the day before the Expeditionary Forces were announced to have -landed safely in France, the British Army sustained a severe loss -through the sudden death, on August 17, of Lieut.-General Sir James -Moncrieff Grierson. This brilliant and accomplished soldier, who was -to have commanded the Second Corps (third and fifth divisions), was -succeeded by General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien. The First Corps (first -and second divisions) was commanded by Lieut.-General Sir Douglas -Haig, the Third Corps (fourth and sixth divisions) by Major-General -W. P. Pulteney, and Major-General Edmund Allenby was in command of the -Cavalry division. - -After the lapse of nearly a hundred years, then, the British troops -found themselves once more on Belgian soil with a heavy task in front -of them. As in 1815, the object of the Allies was to liberate Europe -from the domination of a military despot. In the present conflict the -Prussians, whom we had so often supported on the field, were against -us, while we were ranged on the side of our old foes at Waterloo. - -Our forces were placed on the left of the line on which the Allied -Armies advanced to the help of Belgium. Liège had fallen, but Namur was -holding out. The plan of campaign was that of the French staff, under -the command of General Joffre, and was based on the general idea of -a march across the Belgian frontier on the west of the Meuse with the -left towards Tournai. It was expected that, after a first battle with -the German army in Belgium near the border, the enemy would be driven -back to the north-east, hands would be joined with the heroic Belgian -army, Brussels abandoned by the invaders, and the siege of Namur raised. - -Sir John French issued a stirring “order of the day” to the British -Expedition at the moment, when our forces were complete, and our -columns formed for advance. In the course of “a few brief words to the -officers, non-commissioned officers, and men I have the honour and the -privilege to command,” the Commander-in-Chief said:— - - Our cause is just. We are called upon to fight beside our gallant - Allies in France and Belgium in no war of arrogance, but to uphold - our national honour, independence, and freedom. - - I have in peace time repeatedly pointed out to you that the - strength and efficiency of a modern army in the field is to be - measured more by the amount of individual intelligence which - permeates throughout its ranks than by its actual numbers. - - In peace time your officers and non-commissioned officers - have striven hard to cultivate this intelligence and power of - initiative. I call upon you individually to use your utmost - endeavour to profit by this training and instruction. Have - confidence in yourselves, and in the knowledge of your powers. - - Having, then, this trust in the righteousness of our cause, - pride in the glory of our military traditions, and belief in the - efficiency of our Army, we go forward to do or die for GOD, KING, - and COUNTRY. - -The disposition of the French forces was described by a statement -issued from the War Office at Paris as follows: - - An army starting out from the Wavre in the north, and going in the - direction of Neufchâteau, is attacking the German troops which have - been pouring down the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg along the western - bank of the Semoy, and going in a westerly direction. - - Another army which left from the region of Sedan and crossed the - Ardennes is attacking several German army corps that were on the - march between the Lesse and the Meuse. - - A third army from the region of Chimay has been moved forward to - make an attack on the German right between the Sambre and the - Meuse, and is supported by the English army which set out from the - region of Mons. - - The movement of the Germans who had sought to envelop our left - wing has been followed step by step, and their right is now being - attacked by our army forming our left wing, in junction with the - English army. At this point the battle has been raging violently - for more than a day. - -The Germans had concentrated a huge mass of men for the attack on the -left of the allied lines, held by the British troops, with the object -of dealing them a smashing blow and of forcing their way south. They -were determined to carry out the Army Orders of August 19 in which the -German Emperor declared with characteristic assurance that: - - It is my Royal and Imperial Command that you concentrate your - energies, for the immediate present, upon one single purpose, and - that is that you address all your skill and all the valour of my - soldiers to exterminate first the treacherous English and walk over - General French’s contemptible little army. - - Headquarters, - Aix-la-Chapelle. - -Men and guns were not wanting for this assault. The shrapnel was deadly -in its effect, but the marksmanship of the German rifles is stated to -have been uniformly poor. To make assurance doubly sure, the troops -pitted against our men were some of the best, as testified by the -statement of a wounded Belfast man:— - - You must remember that for almost twenty-four hours we bore the - brunt of the attack, and the desperate fury with which the Germans - fought showed that they believed if they were only once past the - British forces the rest would be easy. Not only so, but I am sure - we had the finest troops in the German army against us. - - On the way out I had heard some slighting comments passed on the - German troops, and no doubt some of them are not worth much, but - those thrown at us were very fine specimens indeed. I do not think - they could have been beaten in that respect. - -“It was like a great river bursting its banks. The moment the Belgians -were forced to retire to their entrenched camp at Antwerp,” wrote Mr. -William Maxwell, on August 21, from Mons, “the Germans swept over the -country without check west toward Ghent, south toward Mons. The enemy -was committed to a great turning movement. It was striving to hold the -French along the Meuse between Namur and Dinant, while its armies west -of the river were marching south along a front of many miles. One army -threatens Mons with the object of penetrating the French frontier and -descending on Maubeuge and Valenciennes, another army was advancing -toward the line of Tournai—Coutrai which covers the great city of -Lille. At Ath there were indications that the enemy was advancing south -along the Enghien—Soignies, though he seemed to avoid the main road -at Jurbise. By deserted country paths from this point I came to Mons.” -Here as everywhere great fear was manifested by the citizens at the -approach of the Uhlans. The authorities had been warned by telephone -that they were near. “They pretend that they are English and then when -the villagers cry ‘Vive l’Angleterre,’ they find out their mistake.” - -On the same day, a French witness, the correspondent of a Paris paper, -spoke of the German advance as extending “over a line of nearly 100 -miles, spreading out in a formidable fan-like movement, preceded by -a swarm of scouts in all directions, which sweeps over the country -from Brussels to Arlon. The German hordes are on the march over five -different routes towards France. They will find men to meet them.” - -M. Auguste Mellot, deputy of Namur, saw in that town on August 21 -eleven German Army Corps “pass the Meuse coming from Visé, a powerful -force being detailed to mask their march.” The German troops engaged -in this action probably amounted to fewer than half that number. - -The lines of the Allied Armies practically covered every assailable -point from Condé to Dinant. Mr. Maxwell thus described the position -of the British forces just before the great battle which began on -Saturday, August 22:— - - The 1st British Cavalry Division (General Allenby) had its - headquarters at Givry, close to the frontier, and was moving north - in the direction of Binche. Cavalry covered the south-east of - Mons. It was pushed forward also toward Fontaine l’Evêque, west - of Charleroi, and, generally speaking, threatened to raid the - left flank of the Germans advancing rapidly from the direction of - Brussels. - - An immense army was gathered on the frontier, and had passed - into Belgium. Mons was the point of greatest concentration of - the British. It was an army marching to attack, for there was no - attempt at making defensive works. From Mons the British army - extended west along the canal from Mons, from Maubeuge through - Bavay, on to Valenciennes, where the Highland regiments created - immense enthusiasm. From the western end of the canal at Mons, - Belgian territory has few defenders. Most of the men have been - withdrawn from that side. Prussian patrols swarm over the country, - and it is clear that behind them is a great army. - -Sir John French, in his first admirable despatch, gives a history of -the activities of the British Expeditionary Force during that eventful -week in August from the 21st to the 28th when our troops were fighting -against overwhelming odds. We will divide the despatch into sections, -which will fall into place as our story proceeds. He says:— - - The concentration [of the troops] was practically complete on - the evening of Friday, August the 21st, and I was able to make - dispositions to move the Force during Saturday, the 22nd, to - positions I considered most favourable from which to commence - operations which the French Commander-in-Chief, General Joffre, - requested me to undertake in pursuance of his plans in the - prosecution of the campaign. - - The line taken up extended along the line of the canal from Condé - on the west, through Mons and Binche on the east. This line was - taken up as follows:— - - From Condé to Mons inclusive was assigned to the Second Corps, and - to the right of the Second Corps from Mons the First Corps was - posted. The 5th Cavalry Brigade was placed at Binche. - - In the absence of my Third Army Corps I desired to keep the Cavalry - Division as much as possible as a reserve to act on my outer - flank, or move in support of any threatened part of the line. - The forward reconnaissance was entrusted to Brigadier-General - Sir Philip Chetwode with the 5th Cavalry Brigade, but I directed - General Allenby to send forward a few squadrons to assist in this - work. - - During the 22nd and 23rd these advanced squadrons did some - excellent work, some of them penetrating as far as Soignies, and - several encounters took place in which our troops showed to great - advantage. - -The scouting operations of the British cavalry extended south-westward -of Brussels and south-east as far as Charleroi. The German cavalry -were well-nigh exhausted by their ceaseless exertions, but a rapid -advance was necessary for their success, and it was clear that they -would proceed without delay; while our cavalry scoured the country for -any signs of the German advance. The French were coming up from the -south. A wounded soldier in the British hussars stated that on Friday, -August 21, his party encountered some of the 4th Cuirassiers. The two -forces without any warning came face to face round the turn of a small -village street. They immediately attacked one another as quickly as -their horses could move, much to the alarm of the village people, who -made for their houses, screaming with terror. It was a genuine cavalry -charge without the discharge of a gun. The hussars were the lighter, -consequently they had the advantage as regards speed, for the horses -of the Cuirassiers were dead beat. The result of the encounter was 27 -Germans killed and 12 taken prisoners. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - THE BATTLE OF MONS, AUGUST 23RD—SIR JOHN FRENCH’S DESPATCH—THE - WEST KENTS IN ACTION—AN AEROPLANE DUEL—A ROYAL ENGINEER’S - EXPERIENCE—MISSING THEIR REGIMENT—ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY AND - GERMAN SHRAPNEL—CAPTAIN GRENFELL. - - -In the following section of Sir John French’s despatch he describes the -position on Sunday, August 23:— - - At 6 a.m. on August 23 I assembled the Commanders of the First and - Second Corps and Cavalry Division at a point close to the position, - and explained the general situation of the Allies, and what I - understood to be General Joffre’s plan. I discussed with them at - some length the immediate situation in front of us. - - From information I received from French Headquarters I understood - that little more than one, or at most two, of the enemy’s Army - Corps, with perhaps one Cavalry Division, were in front of my - position; and I was aware of no attempted outflanking movement by - the enemy. I was confirmed in this opinion by the fact that my - patrols encountered no undue opposition in their reconnoitring - operations. The observation of my aeroplanes seemed also to bear - out this estimate. - - About 3 p.m. on Sunday, the 23rd, reports began coming in to the - effect that the enemy was commencing an attack on the Mons line, - apparently in some strength, but that the right of the position - from Mons and Bray was being particularly threatened. - - The Commander of the First Corps had pushed his flank back to some - high ground south of Bray, and the 5th Cavalry Brigade evacuated - Binche, moving slightly south; the enemy thereupon occupied Binche. - - The right of the 3rd Division, under General Hamilton, was at - Mons, which formed a somewhat dangerous salient; and I directed - the Commander of the Second Corps to be careful not to keep the - troops on this salient too long, but, if threatened seriously, to - draw back the centre behind Mons. This was done before dark. In the - meantime, about 5 p.m., I received a most unexpected message from - General Joffre by telegraph, telling me that at least three German - Corps, viz., a reserve corps, the 4th Corps, and the 9th Corps, - were moving on my position in front, and that the Second Corps - was engaged in a turning movement from the direction of Tournai. - He also informed me that two reserve French divisions and the 5th - French Army on my right were retiring, the Germans having on the - previous day gained possession of the passages of the Sambre - between Charleroi and Namur. - -An official statement issued by the Press Bureau announced that the -British troops took an active and meritorious part in the great battle -which began on Saturday, August 22. Throughout an engagement on Sunday -near Mons they held their ground, and they had successfully reached -their new position. Fighting had gone on more or less continuously, -but the enemy had not harassed our operations and the movement was -executed with great skill by the Commanders of the First and Second -Army Corps. Casualties could not be estimated exactly, but were not -heavy. Our forces were opposed by two German army corps and two cavalry -divisions. The enemy suffered very heavily. The position now occupied -was well protected. The general position showed that the Allies -continued the action in Belgium on Sunday and Monday, August 23 and 24, -but in presence of the considerable forces which the Germans had massed -the French Commander-in-Chief decided to withdraw his troops to the -original line of defence arranged, where they were firmly established. -Two French divisions suffered somewhat severely, but the main body -was not touched and remained full of enthusiasm. The German losses, -particularly in the corps d’armée of the Guards, were considerable. The -_moral_ of the Allied troops was excellent. - -This statement was supplemented by a statement issued from the French -Embassy:— - - To the west of the Meuse the British army, which was on our left, - was attacked by the Germans. Admirable under fire, it resisted the - enemy with its usual coolness. - - The French army which was operating in this region advanced to the - attack. Two army corps, which were in the first line, spurred on by - their dash, were received by a very murderous fire. They did not - give way, but, being subjected to a counter-attack by the Prussian - Guard, they ultimately had to fall back. They did not do so until - they had inflicted enormous losses on their adversaries. - - On the east of the Meuse our troops marched forward through a very - difficult country. Vigorously attacked on the outskirts of the - forest, they had to fall back after a very lively fight to the - south of the Semoy River. - - On the orders of General Joffre our troops and the British troops - took up positions on the covering line, which they would not have - left had not the admirable Belgian effort enabled them to enter - Belgium. They are intact. - - Our cavalry has not suffered at all. Our artillery has affirmed its - superiority. Our officers and our soldiers are in the best physical - and moral state. - - In consequence of the orders given the fighting will change its - aspect for some days. The French will remain for a time on the - defensive. At the proper time chosen by headquarters it will resume - a vigorous offensive. - - Our losses are considerable. It would be premature to enumerate - them. The same holds good for those of the German army, which - has nevertheless suffered so much as to be obliged to arrest its - counter-attack movement in order to take up fresh positions. - -Although some vigorous fighting had been going on during Sunday -morning, August 23, the extreme peril of our troops was not realised -until late in the afternoon, when Sir John French received tidings of -extreme gravity that large reinforcements of the enemy were advancing -towards the British lines. This enormous host of Germans, strengthened -no doubt with troops released from Namur, was hurling itself forward -furiously, and the British left wing on the west was especially -threatened with a dangerous flanking movement from the enemy. On the -east towards Charleroi the position was equally perilous, because no -support could be expected in that direction, as the French troops had -already withdrawn. Sir John French therefore ordered a retirement, -which began on Sunday evening and continued till the following morning. -But the men fell back unwillingly, while they engaged in a terrific -conflict with the oncoming forces of the enemy. Everything possible -was done by the Germans to harass the British and to convert their -withdrawal into a rout. With the aid of powerful searchlights, which -continuously swept towards the country selected for the retirement of -our troops, the enemy endeavoured to deprive them of the advantage of -the night, and covered them with a murderous hail of shot and shell. -But, as we know, the plans of the Germans failed owing to the skill of -our Generals and to the splendid nerve of our men: our lines remained -intact and their spirit unbroken. - -Mr. Alfred J. Rorke, special correspondent of the Central News, sent -the following early account of the fighting at Mons:— - - PARIS, Monday (received per Courier, Tuesday). - - Graphic stories of how the British troops at Mons fought during the - two days in which they bore the brunt of the main German advance - reached Paris in the early hours of this morning, when officers - arriving from the front reported at the War Office, and, in - subsequent conversation with their closest personal friends, told - of the wonderful coolness and daring of our men. The shooting of - our infantry on the firing line, they said, was wonderful. Every - time a German’s head showed above the trenches and every time the - German infantry attempted to rush a position there came a withering - rifle fire from the khaki-clad forms lying in extended formation - along a big battle front. - - The firing was not the usual firing of nervous men, shooting - without aiming and sometimes without rhyme or reason, as is so - often the case in warfare. It was rather the calm, calculated - riflemanship of the men one sees on the Stickledown range firing - with all the artificial aids permitted to the match rifle expert - whose one concern is prize money. - - When quick action was necessary the firing and the action of the - men was only that of prize riflemen firing at a disappearing - target. There was no excitement, no nervousness; just cool, - methodical efficiency. If the British lost heavily heaven only - knows what the Germans must have lost, because, as one of their - wounded officers (whom the British took prisoner) remarked, “We had - never expected anything like it; it was staggering.” - - The British troops went to their positions silently but happily. - There was no singing, because that was forbidden, but as the - khaki-clad columns deployed and began to crawl to the trenches - there were various sallies of humour in the different dialects - of English, Irish, and Scottish counties. The Yorkshireman, for - instance, would draw a comparison between the men they were going - to fight and certain dogs that won’t fight which the Yorkshire - collier has not time to waste upon at the pit-head; the Cockney - soldier was there with his sallies about “Uncle Bill,” and every - Irishman who went into the firing line wished he had the money - to buy a little Irish horse, so that he could have a slap at the - Uhlans. - - And the cavalry! Officers coming from the front declare that our - cavalrymen charged the much-vaunted German horsemen as Berserkers - might have done. When they got into action with tunics open, - and sometimes without tunics at all, they flung themselves at - the German horsemen in a manner which surprised even their own - officers, who had themselves expected great things of them. The - Uhlans, whose name and fearful fame had spread terror among the - Belgian peasants and the frontier villages of France, were just the - sort of men the British troopers were waiting for. The Britishers, - mostly Londoners, who, as Wellington said, make the best cavalry - soldiers in the world, were dying to have a cut at them; and when - they got into clinches the Uhlans had the surprise of their lives. - - From the scene of battle, the point of interest in the European war - drama, as far as England is concerned, shifted in the small hours - of this morning to the railway station at X, where officers and men - of the Army Service Corps awaited the arrival of the wounded—the - British wounded from the firing line. Everything was perfectly - organised; there was no theatrical display; the officers and men of - the British Army waited silently and calmly for the toll of war, - which they had been advised was on its way. - -The West Kents were one of the first of the British troops to come -under fire at Mons, in which they lost four officers killed, including -Major Pach-Beresford, and four officers and seventeen men wounded. A -wounded lance-corporal of this regiment says:— - - We reached Mons on Saturday afternoon, August 22, the day before - the battle. We at once commenced to entrench, and were still - engaged on this work when the Germans fired their first shell, - which wrecked a house about twenty yards away. Then we got ready - for the fight. We made loopholes in a wall near the house, and - remained there for fifteen hours under a heavy fire of shrapnel. - The Germans came across the valley in front of us in thousands, - but their rifle fire was absolutely rotten, and such damage as - they did was caused by the big guns which covered their advance. - Numerically the Germans were far superior to us, and as soon as one - lot was shot down another took its place. - - We retired from Mons about four o’clock on Monday morning to a - little village on the borders of France. We kept up a rearguard - action all the way, and it was in this that I was wounded. A shell - dropped close to me, and some fragments penetrated my left leg. I - was thrown to the ground, and for a time lay unconscious. When I - recovered I found my rifle and ammunition were missing, having, I - suppose, been taken by the Germans, who evidently thought I was - dead. - -The lance-corporal eventually managed to reach St. Quentin. - -A private of the same regiment told a thrilling story of the battle:— - - It was Sunday, August 23 (he said), that we were at Mons, billeted - in a farmyard, and we were having a sing-song and watching people - home from church. The Belgian ladies were very kind-hearted, and - we were given their prayer-books as souvenirs, and they also went - to the shops and bought us cigarettes, which were most acceptable - to the troops. At about 12.30 an orderly had gone down to draw - dinners, when an aeroplane appeared overhead, throwing out some - black powder. After this shrapnel burst overhead, acquainting us of - the fact that the Germans were in the vicinity. - - All was confusion and uproar for the moment, because we were not - armed, and our shirts and socks were out to wash, that being the - only chance we had to get them washed. It did not take us long, - however, to get in fighting trim and to go through the town to - the scene of operations, which was on the other side of a small - canal that adjoined Mons. Here we found the A Company of the Royal - West Kents engaged in a hard tussle in keeping off the enemy until - support arrived. The A Company had been engaged in outpost duty, - so that they were the first to meet the enemy. Their casualties - were very heavy, and they lost all of their officers except Lieut. - Bell, who showed great valour in going out to bring in the wounded. - Most of the damage was done by the shells, although at times the - enemy were within 300 yards of our troops. We arrived in the nick - of time, and took up position in a glass-blowing factory. We - loop-holed the walls and held that position until darkness set in. - With darkness upon us we fixed bayonets, and lay in wait in case - the enemy made an attempt to rush us. - - About eleven p.m. we received orders to retire over the canal. Two - sections of C Company were left to keep the enemy in check, whilst - the remainder of the battalion retired. After all had crossed the - bridge was blown up, so that we were likely to be left in peace - until the Germans could find a means of crossing the river. The - two sections of C Company that had been left behind, unfortunately, - were unable to retire over the bridge before it was blown up, and - they had to find their own ways and means of getting across. Most - of them managed to do so. We retired from the town of Mons, and - got into open country, but we still kept on moving throughout the - night. When daylight arrived we saw that Mons had been practically - demolished, and that the Germans were also firing at times at the - hospital. Throughout the morning we continued to fight a rearguard - action. We did not leave off trekking until six in the evening, - when we found ourselves well out of the range of the German - artillery in a valley surrounded by large hills. Here all the - troops were glad to lie down and get something to eat, as we had - been without food since the previous morning. - - Hungry soldiers were thankful to go into the swede and turnip - fields and make a meal of these roots as though they were apples. - We found the French and Belgian people very kind to us on the line - of march. They would stand at the wayside and give us fruit, and - they had large tubs of water ready, and this the troops very much - appreciated. - - About eight o’clock all lights were ordered to be put out and no - noise to be made, and we all lay down for a well-earned rest after - two trying days, putting out pickets in case of surprise. About - an hour before dawn we were all ordered to stand to arms, and the - column was once more engaged in a retiring movement. - - As the column was on the march, I saw a duel in the air between - French and German aeroplanes. It was wonderful to see the Frenchman - manœuvre to get the upper position of the German, and after about - ten minutes or a quarter of an hour the Frenchman got on top, and - blazed away with a revolver on the German. He injured him so much - as to cause him to descend, and when found he was dead. The British - troops buried the airman and burnt the aeroplane. - - During that day we were not troubled by any more German aeroplanes, - and about five p.m. a halt was ordered, and we took things - comfortably, hoping to have a rest until daylight came again. We - were fortunate enough not to be disturbed that night, and at dawn - we again stood to arms, and we found the Germans close upon our - heels. The column got on the move, and several regiments were - ordered to entrench themselves. We found it very hot and fatiguing - work with such small tools to use. We soon found, however, that - “where there’s a will there’s a way,” and quickly entrenched - ourselves so as to be protected from the artillery fire. It was not - long before the German artillery found our trenches and gave us - rather a warm time. Our own artillery had to open fire at 2,100 - yards, which was very close for artillery. I saw a battery in - front of us put out of action. There were only about six men left - amongst them, and they were engaged in trying to get away the guns. - This disaster was due to the accurate shell firing of the German - artillery. - - In their efforts the brave gunners were not successful, owing to - their horses being killed. It was interesting to see an officer - engaged in walking round the guns and putting them out of action, - or in other words seeing that they would be of no use to the - Germans. This action required a great deal of bravery under the - circumstances, because the enemy continued to keep up the heavy - firing. Much bravery was also displayed by wounded comrades of the - battery helping one another to get out of the firing line. - - About this time the enemy were advancing, owing to the superiority - of numbers, and hand-to-hand fighting had taken place in the right - trenches. Owing to the artillery firing being so heavy, and the - British being in such comparatively small numbers, the officer in - charge of my company deemed it wise to retire. It was rather late, - however, and he said to the men who were in the trenches: “Now, - boys, every man for himself.” Having got these orders, we were not - long in doing a retiring movement and trying to save our own skins. - It was hard to see my own comrades being cut down like corn owing - to the deadly shrapnel firing. - - I was wounded at this point by a bullet from a maxim gun. I - staggered at the time, thinking my hand had been blown off; but - I recovered and kept on the run, and got in a trench, where I - bandaged myself up. From there I continued to retire on my own, - as I had lost touch with my section. I ran into the general - commanding, and he asked me what was the matter with me. I told him - I was wounded, and he said, “For God’s sake, man, don’t go into the - hospital; they are blowing it up now.” I did not want telling that - twice, and I started to track down country to get into touch with - the column, where I knew the ambulance men were, and they would - dress my wound. - - When I got to the ambulance wagons I found they were mostly full - with wounded who were in a far worse plight than I was. So I went - along with the column, and a motor lorry came by and I got a lift - to St. Quentin. - -“So awful was the fighting that it is wonderful that anybody ever -came out of it alive. I have no idea how we did come through,” said a -wounded corporal of the Royal Engineers. - -The corporal and his comrades were ordered to build a pontoon bridge -over the Mons Canal. This work was begun early on the Sunday morning, -August 23, in the face of a murderous rifle and shell fire. Gradually -the bridge was pushed over, until it was almost within touch of the -bank held by the enemy. Man after man of the British Engineers was -hit, but still the rest stuck to their task, heedless of the rain of -missiles all around. - -Late in the afternoon the corporal was standing in the water assisting -in the construction, when a shrapnel shell wounded him in the right -arm. He made for the bank, only to find that his boots, which he -had removed, had disappeared. He bound up his wounded arm with his -handkerchief, and soon afterwards work on the bridge was abandoned. - -Orders were given to get to cover the best way possible, and to -wait until darkness fell. Then our troops fell back owing to the -overwhelming numbers of the Germans. The corporal removed his putties, -bound them round his feet, and started to retire. In the darkness, -however, he lost the main body of the British, and wandered away to the -west. - -After a while he met a wounded Gordon Highlander, who had had his teeth -shot away, and was also lost. The Highlander bound up the Engineer’s -arm with his first field dressing, and the two men snatched what sleep -they could under a hedge. Their breakfast next morning was a raw swede, -pulled up from one of the fields. - -Throughout that day they trudged on and on through a deserted country, -but as night fell they came to some cottages scattered on the roadside. -The inhabitants, recognising them as British, welcomed the wanderers, -and gave them a good meal of bread and butter, cheese, and rabbit. They -also allowed the soldiers to sleep there that night, and early in the -morning directed them to Boussu, a town some miles further on in the -direction of Lille. - -Creeping slowly and painfully along, under cover of the hedges as far -as possible, the men saw large parties of Uhlans scouting a short -distance ahead. Fortunately a small wood was near by, and, turning -into it, they lay concealed under some bushes for nearly eight hours. -Several times the enemy approached within fifty yards of the fugitives, -who almost feared to breathe. At length, towards evening, the coast -became clear, and the two men were able to continue their journey. - -After another night in the open air Boussu was reached on the following -morning. From there they were sent on to Lille, and afterwards to Le -Havre and England. - - * * * * * - -Sergeant Bird and Private Woolgar, of the 4th Dragoon Guards, also had -the misfortune to miss their regiment. They said:— - - It was when we were sent out under General Allenby to help the - left wing, which was hard pressed, that our misfortunes began. Our - horses were shot under us, but we struggled after our men as best - we could until we picked up some German horses, all of which bore - the mark K 4 on the reins. We had hardly got going again when we - had these shot under us by the German artillery, with the result - that we were stranded absolutely on our own, and you can guess our - feelings as we saw our squadron moving away on the right. We were - all more or less injured. One of our chaps had his arms split right - open, and calmly said, “I say, boys, do you think I’m hurt?” - - We endeavoured to get the wounded to a neighbouring farmhouse, and - succeeded in taking several there, but on going back with the last - batch were refused admission, as by this time the occupants could - see the Germans bearing down in that direction in force. We then - made for the fowlhouse and hid there, but our position was very - dangerous, as it was not long before the Germans began to enter in - order to wash their wounds at the little well in the corner. - - It was pitch dark at the time (continued Sergeant Bird), and I - found the most comfortable position for me was sitting in a basket, - which, I realised after a few moments and by certain signs, had - contained a dozen eggs in the straw. The artillery were now in - action, and the British seemed to have found the spot, as the tiles - of our hiding-place began to fall in, and we found it advisable to - put baskets over our heads as well; otherwise they would have been - split open by the flying tiles and fragments of shells. - - When night came we decided to endeavour to escape from our perilous - position, and just outside the door we found a German sentry, who - seemed to be scouting for British fugitives. We passed quite close - to him, but didn’t stop to say “Good-night.” How we did it I can’t - for the life of me tell you, but we did it, and then made off as we - thought towards the British lines, but to our disgust found we were - going right into the German lines. We decided, therefore, to anchor - there for the night and get away in the morning. We found this was - the German Headquarters Staff, so that we can say we dined with the - German generals that night, the only difference being that they - were inside and we were outside; they were having wines, &c., and - we had swedes and no &c. - - In the morning we had to dodge sentries, but found that presented - little difficulty. We decided then to travel south-west, with the - sun as our guide. To do this, however, was impossible, for in our - wanderings we had day after day to dodge German troops, who were - continually marching across our tracks. We can hardly describe what - happened during this time, but the harrowing sights we saw will - never be effaced from our memories. Our condition was terrible, - for we were at one time reduced to five biscuits between three of - us, and these had to suffice us for three days. Sometimes we were - afraid to drink water because we heard it was poisoned. At last we - met the British. - -Private Alexander Andrews, of the Royal Scots, spoke of the deadly -havoc of the shrapnel:— - - But the German infantry could not hit the place they belong to. - We could not help hitting them. We saw them first about 800 yards - away, and they came along in bunches just like a crowd leaving a - football match. Our Maxims simply struck them down, and I will - guarantee that for every one that fell on our side they lost ten or - twelve. It was “rapid firing,” and we gave it them hot. None in our - trench was killed, and we had only five or six, including myself, - injured with shrapnel. A piece of shrapnel struck me on the top - of the left ankle about half-past seven o’clock, cutting through - my boot and making me feel a little queer. I bandaged it up, and - went off with the others when the order came to retire about one - o’clock on the Monday morning. Mons was in flames by that time, - and the German big guns had been blazing about all night. We had - been in a tight corner—two regiments against thousands, as most - of us believe—and I would like to say a word for our captain, - Captain Hill Whitson. In the trenches on the Sunday night, August - 23, he was walking about with his revolver, ready for anything, and - cheering us up while the shrapnel played about our position. Well, - as I said, we had to retire. We went back three or four miles. The - first regiment we saw was the Gordons, and I took particular notice - that they had a German prisoner in the front of their ranks. - -The aeroplanes were employed with great skill by the Germans, before -opening fire, to take observations for the range of their artillery, -and the precise locality of our soldiers. It was, moreover, evident -that they possessed an intimate knowledge of the country where the -fighting took place. Owing to the enormous number of the German -reserves, when one regiment was vanquished another was always ready to -take its place, and so they advanced like an avalanche. - -The slaughter was awful: the British suffered terribly, but the German -losses were appalling. It is stated that in some places the dead of -the enemy was piled up to a height of six feet, and that to pass over -them the Germans made bridges of the corpses of their own men. - -Here, as elsewhere, the Germans resorted to cowardly brutality. Their -cavalry are said to have driven women and children in front of them in -the streets, to protect them from the British fire. But the enemy lost -as well as gained reputations: Sir Philip Chetwode, the cavalry leader, -after fighting without ceasing for ten days, with odds of five to one -against them, said, “We have been through the Uhlans like brown paper.” - -Innumerable cases of personal heroism have been recalled. That of -Captain Grenfell must not be omitted. Although suffering from two -severe wounds, he participated in the rescue of two British guns, after -shrapnel shell had burst over them and struck the artillerymen who were -serving them. This act enabled troopers of the 9th Lancers under his -direction to get away. - -According to the statement of the Paris correspondent of the _Daily -Telegraph_, gathered from the reports of Belgian and British fugitives, -between Saturday and Monday, August 22–24, the British Expeditionary -Force bore the brunt of six furious attacks made by six distinct -German columns, which were all repulsed successfully, though with -considerable loss. The Allies raised a veritable hecatomb of German -corpses near Mons. At different points on the battlefield, the bodies -of Germans were heaped up so that in the course of their furious charge -the Turcos experienced great difficulty in coming into contact with the -enemy. - -We can picture our men fighting doggedly on, in the din and carnage of -the engagement, during those hot August days and calm clear nights, -with the never-ceasing crack of rifle-shots, the boom of the artillery -fire and the scream of the shells, while the enemy came on with -relentless and unending regularity. - - - - -CHAPTER III - - FIGHTING AT CHARLEROI IN THE FRENCH LINES—A RAILWAY OFFICIAL’S - ADVENTURE—A ZOUAVE OFFICER’S IMPRESSIONS—FRENCH ARTILLERY - —HEAVY GERMAN CASUALTIES—-THE FALL OF NAMUR—A BELGIAN - SOLDIER’S TRIBUTE. - - -Shifting the scene for a time to the operations on the French lines, we -obtain a view of the fighting in the neighbourhood of Charleroi on the -eve of the great battle on the Belgian frontier, from the description -of a correspondent to a Paris paper, and communicated by Mr. A. -Beaumont:— - - Our troops, he said, in conformity with the plan laid down for them - are harassing the Germans on the right and the left banks of the - Meuse, keeping in constant contact with them, killing as many of - their scouting parties as possible. - - I witnessed on Friday morning, August 21, a series of engagements - of this kind outside the suburbs of Charleroi. I saw our outposts - everywhere, and heard rifle fire here and there, with now and then - troopers coming in and bringing prisoners with them. - - Our cavalry was in splendid form, and eager for action. Two hundred - yards from a certain bridge I saw seven Uhlans coming out of a - wood. Three of them were shot down at once, and the remainder - hurriedly fled. - - On my return to Charleroi I learn that a detachment of twenty - Hussars of the Death’s Head, led by an officer, had entered the - upper town at seven in the morning. They proceeded towards the - Sambre, and quietly said, “Good morning” to the people at the - doors. “Bon jour, bon jour,” they said to the housewives, who were - looking on in wonder, and who, mistaking their khaki uniform, took - them for English soldiers. - - People even enthusiastically raised cheers for England. The - soldiers, also misled, allowed them to pass. An officer finally saw - them from a window, and rushed down to a detachment on guard in the - Rue Pont Neuf, and gave the alarm. A number of infantry soldiers - at once opened fire on them. It was at the corner of the Rue de - Montigny, where the tramway and railway lines pass. - - Three of the intruders were shot down, and the rest, with their - officer, took to flight. It was not believed that such a thing - would be possible, but it proved that the Germans are capable of - anything. They did the same thing many a time in 1870. - - At two in the afternoon the guns were heard in the north. The - Germans, coming from Eghezee, had placed heavy batteries and siege - guns in position before Namur. But the Namur forts immediately sent - such a murderous and accurate fire in reply that, in less than - half an hour, the German battery was silenced, and half the guns - demolished. - - Another line of attack chosen by the Germans was between Brand - L’Alleud and Genappe, over a front of some ten to twelve miles. The - German batteries here met with the same fate. - -A day later the same writer said, in writing from Jeumont:— - - I left Charleroi last night for Jeumont, on the French frontier, - but not a bit too soon. It was high time. This very morning the - engineers of the Northern railway line witnessed the attack on - Charleroi. - - The Germans, from the outskirts of the upper town, were sending - shells on the railway station and on salient parts of the lower - town. They were trying to force a passage across the bridges over - the Sambre. Fugitives from all sides arrive here (at Jeumont) by - the last trains. After two o’clock in the afternoon the guns were - distinctly heard, first from the direction of Charleroi, then from - Thuin. - - The Germans are being met by the English. This is the beginning of - the great battle which has been expected. - -An account of the French operations on Saturday, August 22, was printed -in _La Liberté_ from the description of a railway official on the -Belgian frontier. The official said:— - - It was on Saturday, towards nightfall, that we heard the first - sound of the cannon. We had known, however, for several hours - that strong German forces were preparing to attack the allied - armies massed on the banks of the Sambre, and that a great battle - was imminent. All night long, without cessation, the cannonading - continued. Till dawn we had no news of the battle. On Sunday - morning we learned from wounded soldiers on their way to Maubeuge - that the battle was engaged all along the line, and shortly - afterwards we heard the sound of heavy firing to the north. From - noon onwards we could distinctly see the flight of shrapnel through - the air, and from the top of the motor-house, situated on rising - ground, could follow the phases of the artillery duel. - - We soon saw that the Germans’ fire was badly directed. They rarely - hit their mark. On the other hand, the English artillery fire, - which held the heights round Mons, was admirable in its precision, - and wrought terrible loss among the massed German troops. We - remained all Sunday night on our observatory, and at dawn we had - the conviction that the English very definitely had the upper hand, - and that the German attack had been repulsed. - - However, the news which reached us during the evening from environs - of Charleroi was anything but good. It was said that the town had - been taken and retaken several times, and had been subjected to a - terrible bombardment, which had reduced it practically to ruins. - At two o’clock on Monday morning a cyclist messenger informed us - that the French had once more occupied the town. He said that the - Germans before leaving it had set it on fire, and that the French - troops would find it difficult to maintain their position there. - In any case, the cannonade became louder during the night, and at - daybreak shells were bursting within a quarter of a mile of the - station. - - Later in the morning of Monday we received orders to evacuate the - station, which was now becoming untenable. We were told that, the - French having been outnumbered on the east of Charleroi, the allied - troops had been compelled to retire on the frontier. When we were - leaving the station and getting into the carriage, we heard the - sound of joyous shouts from the road. We went out to see what had - happened, and to our stupefaction saw a detachment of seven Uhlans - commanded by an officer. The inhabitants, unfamiliar with foreign - uniforms, had taken them for English cavalry. The error was soon - discovered. A French captain on service in the station shot the - German officer through the head, and a patrol of mounted Chasseurs - rode up and took the men prisoners. - -The defence of Charleroi by the French against the overwhelming hosts -of the Germans was a marvel of audacity and courage. - - Two inhabitants of Auvelais, a straggling village with a population - of about 8,000, situated between Charleroi and Namur, gave the - following account of what they have witnessed:—Our village (they - said) occupies both banks of the Sambre, the portion on the left - bank being divided into two by the main road leading from Genappe - to Eghezée. Since Sunday week German aeroplanes have been flying - over the country, and one was pursued, though unsuccessfully, by - a French machine. Many French troops passed and were received - with enthusiasm. On Thursday evening, August 20, a patrol of - Uhlans suddenly appeared on the road. The French horsemen were in - their saddles at once, and left the village at full gallop, their - swords flashing in the air. They overtook the Uhlans at Balatre, - and attacked them, killing six and returning without any loss to - themselves. - - At eight o’clock next morning firing began. The Germans advanced by - the main road, literally crawling along the ground, and stopping - now and then to fire. Just at this time a German aeroplane dropped - a bomb on a factory, but without doing any damage. By ten o’clock - the firing on both sides was terrific. From where we were we saw - six French soldiers fall. Suddenly the French artillery came into - action, and until midday the guns fired continuously with terrible - effect. On the other hand, a German shell, which struck the roof of - a house opposite us, rolled into the road without exploding, and - we saw many others which also failed to explode. The Germans took - shelter in the houses on the left bank, and the French infantry - were ordered to retire in order that the artillery might dislodge - the enemy. - - In five minutes everything was burning. Other Germans came through - the woods and entered the town, where they behaved like madmen. - They smashed in doors with their rifle butts and threw special - burning cartridges into the houses. We were warned that it was time - for us to escape, but we saw some terrible scenes. A woman who had - forgotten to bring some clothing for her baby, and who returned to - obtain it, was seized by the Germans. They made her march before - them, and at the end of about 200 yards killed her. The French, - though inferior in numbers, resisted splendidly, and the Germans - were compelled to halt. - - The artillery duel was then resumed. Everything round our house - was burning furiously, and we had to abandon all. When we arrived - at Esau the soldiers made us crawl along the edge of a wood. The - bullets were whistling above us, and of the forty people in our - party only three dared to pass. At Chatelet we met strong bodies of - French troops, and at eight in the evening we left for Charleroi. - - The fighting, however, had spread, and we had to go further. At - 8.30 the last train left. A German aeroplane dropped a bomb within - twenty yards of us, and though all the glass in the station was - broken, no one was hurt. We thought we might reach Mons, but there - was fighting there, and we were taken to the frontier and thence to - Paris. - - A criticism came from a wounded gunner. “If we lose many men,” he - said, “it is the fault of the infantry. They go ahead too quickly, - and end by interfering with our fire.” - -A French Zouave officer, who returned wounded from the front, related -the following. His regiment took part in the fighting round Charleroi -when the Prussian Guard Regiments suffered so severely. - -Describing the effect of the German artillery, the officer said that -the shells when they burst produce a series of terrific explosions, but -do comparatively little damage. The soldiers quickly perceiving their -chief characteristic is noise soon get accustomed to them. One man who -was struck in the back by a splinter of shell was merely bruised. - -On the other hand the French artillery fire had a deadly effect. Its -accuracy was little short of marvellous. For instance, he saw a German -battery appearing in the distance, and even before it could unlimber it -was destroyed by the French fire. - -The ravages caused by the French artillery were enormous. Whole ranks -of infantry were mown down by the shrapnel, some of those shot dead -remaining standing owing to the numbers of bodies accumulated round -them. - -The officer estimated the German casualties during three days of -fighting at between 50,000 and 60,000, far exceeding the French losses. -He confirmed acts of untold cruelty perpetrated by the Germans. The -French soldiers were enraged by their practice of finishing off -the wounded. One officer, severely wounded while his regiment was -retreating, was so convinced of the fate in store for him that he blew -his brains out. - -The Germans seemed to delight in wanton destruction. At nightfall their -lines were lit up by burning villages on the horizon. - -When asked his opinion regarding the military value of the German -troops, the officer said that their bravery was wonderful, especially -that of the Imperial Guard, which did not flinch before a most -murderous fire. - -On the other hand, the _moral_ of the French troops was splendid. -They were not in the least disheartened by a temporary check, and were -convinced that if well led they would achieve wonders. - -A number of French soldiers wounded in the battle of Charleroi reached -Chartres soon after the battle. A soldier in the Colonial Infantry -gave his impressions of his part of the fierce fighting—naturally a -restricted part. “I only saw a tiny morsel of the battle,” he said. -“With our African comrades we advanced against the Prussian Guard. The -bullets sang continuously above our heads. We advanced by short rushes, -taking advantage of the smallest cover. We were as if intoxicated by -the wine of battle. I do not know how long our advance lasted. All I -remember is that our last shots were fired at fifty yards distance from -the enemy. Then we rushed forward and attacked them with cold steel. -Had we been more fortunate our attack would have given us the victory. - -There are no troops in the world, however courageous they may be, who -can stand against a bayonet attack of our African soldiers. Unhappily, -our charge was broken by a withering fire from machine guns which the -Germans had concealed in the ruins of an old factory. We had to retire -with severe loss, but it is consoling to think that the Prussian Guard -must have suffered at least as heavily.” - -Several wounded soldiers of an infantry regiment also gave their -impressions on that part of the Titanic struggle in which they were -engaged. They said that the Prussian marksmanship was not good. They -fired too low. Besides, when the French advanced in skirmishing line, -they protected their breast with their packs. These improvised bucklers -deadened the force of the enemy’s bullets. The German practice with the -machine guns, on the other hand, was deadly, but the position of these -guns was easily discovered, and when discovered they were speedily -silenced by the French seventy-fives. The Turcos, who, though the most -formidable of fighters, have an ineradicable strain of childishness -in their nature, seem to have supplied very helpful comic relief. One -of them captured a German officer, carefully disarmed him, and was -leading him off to the rear, when the officer began cursing him in -broken French. Our Turco’s first impulse was to kill his prisoner, but -he thought better and more wisely of it. He decided to humiliate him. -Accordingly, at the bayonet-point, he compelled the officer to carry -his pack, and, to put the finishing touch to the humiliation, placed -his regimental gamelle, or saucepan, on the prisoner’s head. The entry -of the Turco into camp, preceded by a Prussian major, crowned with a -saucepan and performing an impromptu goose-step at the point of the -bayonet, was highly successful. - -While the British troops were fighting at Mons and the French were -engaged at Charleroi, Namur was in the last throes of siege. The -strategic value of its position at the confluence of the rivers Sambre -and Meuse rendered it of supreme importance to the Allies, and the -fame of its forts was such as to raise high expectations as to their -powers of endurance. The unexpected news, therefore, of the fall of -Namur on August 23 was received with dismay, because it was believed -that after the siege of Liège it could make a stout resistance with the -support of the Allied Armies. But for several days the fortress had -been practically isolated as the French were not sufficiently advanced -to render it much aid, and its fall was due to the tremendous fire of -the German siege guns. Some of these howitzers were stated to have been -11 inches (28 cm.) calibre, and to have required teams of 35 horses to -move them. Of these guns there were some thirty batteries in action, -with one or two guns to a battery. A number of howitzers concentrated -simultaneously on each fort and smothered it with fire. The Germans are -said to have attacked in a formation three ranks deep, the front rank -lying down, the second kneeling, and the third standing. They afforded -a target, which was fully used, for machine-gun fire. The Turcos fought -well against the German Guard Corps, but while attacking they were -trapped by Germans sounding their charge at 600 yards, and they were -“badly mauled” at 300 yards from the German position. - -The inhabitants of Namur, said M. Auguste Mellot, the deputy of the -town, had hopes until Thursday, August 13, that the Belgian army, -joined by the French and English, would meet the forces of General -von Emmich and rout them before they reached Namur. But on that day -the Belgian horsemen met a detachment of Uhlans who were much more -numerous than usual. Although they were repulsed, not without a hard -struggle, by the Belgian lancers and carbineers, they did not doubt -that the Germans would return in greater force. Preparations were -therefore made in Namur for a strong resistance. But while they were -thus occupied, the first three shells burst over the town on August 14. -One of them struck the bridge of Salzinnes in the midst of a gathering -of onlookers, five of whom were killed. From that moment they received -shells every day. There were more killed in consequence, not to speak -of the material damage done. On Saturday, August 15, the cannonade was -distinctly heard at Dinant, where the Germans were trying to force -the passage over the Meuse, and were repulsed by the fire from the -French machine guns. After this it was thought that the Allied armies -would be able to drive the Germans out of Belgium. However, the German -cavalry came nearer and nearer to Namur every day. Information was then -received that the railway line was cut. The mail from Brussels failed -to arrive regularly. - -On August 18 the anxiety of the inhabitants increased. The German -cavalry had been seen at a place in the neighbourhood and it was -evident that they were being surrounded. On Thursday, August 20, their -fears became still greater. They gave up hopes of hearing of a decisive -battle north of Namur. News had arrived of the occupation of Brussels, -and no one was permitted to pass between the lines of the forts, even -with a permit. - -During the night the cannonade began all around Namur. On August 21 the -battle around the town became general and lasted all day. While eleven -German Army Corps were passing the Meuse, coming from Bisé, a powerful -force was detailed to mask their march, and kept up a heavy fire on -our positions. The German attacks were multiplied the whole time, and -their fire extended over a line of some ten miles on the left bank of -the Meuse, and over a similar line of the right bank of the same river. -During that time the French forces sent to meet them tried to check the -German advance. - -By five p.m. on August 23 Namur was completely evacuated, the defenders -finding themselves unable to support the heavy artillery fire. - - * * * * * - -A Belgian soldier, who pays a high tribute to the courage of our men, -in a letter to a relative in England says:— - - Many of us have been able to see for ourselves the wonderful phlegm - of the British soldiers. They are born warriors. They are soldiers - by predilection as much as by trade. Most of them have taken part - in numerous campaigns, and many fought in the Boer War, in which - they gained precious experience. We have listened with admiration - to the glorious accounts which our chivalrous French neighbours - have given to the world of the British soldiers’ coolness and - tenacity in the fight near the village of Quaregnon, where - twenty-six Britishers routed more than 3,500 Germans. The fight was - witnessed by some of our own staff, and the story is absolutely - authentic. - - It happened after the different battles which resulted in the - evacuation of Mons. The Britishers, who had fought like heroes, - must have retreated with reluctance in obedience, it is true, - to orders received from the military authorities. As they were - only giving ground step by step twenty-six Fusiliers entrenched - themselves in a farm overlooking the long, straight road leading to - Quaregnon. They were in possession of several mitrailleuses, and - they made holes in the farm door, three lines of three holes in - superposition, and placed their mitrailleuses in position. - - “Now, boys,” shouted one of the twenty-six, “we are going to - cinematograph the grey devils when they come along. This is going - to be Coronation Day. Let each of us take as many pictures as - possible.” - - As soon as the Germans appeared on the road and started attacking - the canal bridge the Fusiliers very coolly turned the handle of - their deadly guns, commencing with the lower tier, and with the - same placidity as a bioscope operator would have done. - - The picture witnessed from the farm on the “living screen” by the - canal bridge was one that will not easily be forgotten. The “grey - devils,” as the Germans are now commonly called, dropped down - in hundreds like those tin soldiers (made in Germany) which our - children arrange in long lines on the table and which fall in one - big mass when the first one is slightly touched with the finger. In - a few minutes the corpses were heaping up. Then followed another - onslaught by the mitrailleuses placed against the upper part of the - door, followed immediately by a fresh deadly sweep and by another - one. - - The Germans, however, found out their difficult position, which - exposed them to this destructive fire, and they resolutely took a - turning move, and made straight for the farm. When they got there - they found neither guns nor Fusiliers, but only an opening in a - party wall, through which the plucky operators had disappeared with - their apparatus. - - There was nothing left for the Germans but to continue their - march along the road, which gets narrower just before entering - the village. They had not gone more than 200 yards before a fresh - rain of lead, which was kept going for a long time, and mowed them - down like grass, and in still more considerable numbers than at - the first fight. With a wild rush the remainder of the Germans, - about 150, stormed the door of the new farm which sheltered the - enemy, but found only the mitrailleuses, conscientiously put out - of order. As for the twenty-six heroes, they had disappeared like - a conjurer’s rabbit, to rejoin their regiment, without having - sustained the slightest injury, after having routed 3,500 Germans. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - THE BRITISH TROOPS RETIRE INTO FRANCE—THE ADVENTURES OF A - CHAPLAIN TO A FIELD AMBULANCE—THE ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY—A - WOUNDED GUNNER—LOSING HIS REGIMENT—A GORDON HIGHLANDER’S - EXPERIENCES—OPERATIONS OF THE FRENCH TROOPS—BRITISH - _versus_ GERMAN CAVALRY—SIR JOHN FRENCH’S ACCOUNT OF THE - EVENTS OF AUGUST 25—THE BATTLE OF CAMBRAI—THE REV. OWEN S. - WATKINS’ ADVENTURES—MR. ASQUITH ANNOUNCES A WONDERFUL FEAT OF - ARMS. - - -We now return to Sir John French’s despatch and quote that portion -in which he describes the causes that forced him to retire to the -Bavai—Maubeuge line on Monday, August 24:— - - In view of the possibility of my being driven from the Mons - position, I had previously ordered a position in rear to be - reconnoitred. This position rested on the fortress of Maubeuge on - the right and extended west to Jenlain, south-east of Valenciennes, - on the left. The position was reported difficult to hold, because - standing crops and buildings made the sighting of trenches very - difficult and limited the field of fire in many important - localities. It nevertheless afforded a few good artillery positions. - - When the news of the retirement of the French and the heavy German - threatening on my front reached me, I endeavoured to confirm it by - aeroplane reconnaissance; and as a result of this I determined to - effect a retirement to the Maubeuge position at daybreak on the - 24th. - - A certain amount of fighting continued along the whole line - throughout the night, and at daybreak on the 24th the 2nd Division - from the neighbourhood of Harmignies made a powerful demonstration - as if to retake Binche. This was supported by the artillery of - both the 1st and 2nd Divisions, whilst the 1st Division took up - a supporting position in the neighbourhood of Peissant. Under - cover of this demonstration the Second Corps retired on the line - Dour—Quarouble—Frameries. The 3rd Division on the right of the - Corps suffered considerable loss in this operation from the enemy, - who had retaken Mons. - - The Second Corps halted on this line, where they partially - entrenched themselves, enabling Sir Douglas Haig with the First - Corps gradually to withdraw to the new position; and he effected - this without much further loss, reaching the line Bavai—Maubeuge - about 7 p.m. Towards midday the enemy appeared to be directing his - principal effort against our left. - - I had previously ordered General Allenby with the Cavalry to act - vigorously in advance of my left front and endeavour to take the - pressure off. - - About 7.30 a.m. General Allenby received a message from Sir George - Fergusson, commanding 5th Division, saying that he was very hard - pressed and in urgent need of support. On receipt of this message - General Allenby drew in the Cavalry and endeavoured to bring direct - support to the 5th Division. - - During the course of this operation General De Lisle, of the 2nd - Cavalry Brigade, thought he saw a good opportunity to paralyse the - further advance of the enemy’s infantry by making a mounted attack - on his flank. He formed up and advanced for this purpose, but was - held up by wire about 500 yards from his objective, and the 9th - Lancers and 18th Hussars suffered severely in the retirement of the - Brigade. - - The 19th Infantry Brigade, which had been guarding the Line of - Communications, was brought up by rail to Valenciennes on the 22nd - and 23rd. On the morning of the 24th they were moved out to a - position south of Quarouble to support the left flank of the Second - Corps. - - With the assistance of the Cavalry Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien was - enabled to effect his retreat to a new position; although, having - two corps of the enemy on his front and one threatening his flank, - he suffered great losses in doing so. - - At nightfall the position was occupied by the Second Corps to - the west of Bavai, the First Corps to the right. The right was - protected by the Fortress of Maubeuge, the left by the 19th Brigade - in position between Jenlain and Bry, and the Cavalry on the outer - flank. - -General French crossed the Belgian frontier into France when he retired -to the position, already reconnoitred, resting on Maubeuge. This town -is situated on both banks of the river Sambre, and is protected by a -fortress of the first class. From the statement of a refugee, it would -seem Maubeuge can show evidence that the German attack on France had -long been premeditated. All the German heavy artillery, he says, was -placed on platforms of concrete built on sites carefully selected by -private individuals some years ago as the foundation of factories which -were never completed. - -Fighting, as Sir John tells us, continued on Saturday night, the 22nd, -and early on Sunday morning along the whole of the British lines, which -were unsupported by the French troops. Mons fell into the hands of the -enemy, who were piercing our extreme left, but a cavalry attack on -their flank under the direction of General de Lisle checked the further -advance of the Germans, and by a tactical feat of great skill, but not -without severe losses, Sir John French effected a successful retirement -by Sunday night, August 23. - -Of the achievements of the three regiments of General de Lisle’s -command, most is known of the doings of the 9th Lancers, but both the -4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards and the 18th (Queen Mary’s Own) Hussars -covered themselves with glory. - -The brigade commenced operations in Belgian territory towards Namur, in -its own allotted zone. A carefully organised and extensive system of -reconnoitring detachments was instituted. Officers’ patrols were pushed -forward, supported by contact troops. The patrols were also assisted by -motor scouts. There was also a concentrated group of squadrons, with -two batteries of Royal Horse Artillery, which moved out to meet the -enemy at break of day. - -Information came to hand of the artillery positions of the Germans, -and of preparations being made by them for a general advance. The -cavalry field guns were early engaged in operations against the enemy’s -cavalry, followed later by a _mêlée_, in which the German dragoons got -much the worst of it. Fighting took place practically every day, as the -British troops were compelled to fall back. The German cavalry were -sought for and engaged, in the hope that the enemy’s artillery might -be captured. There was a fixed desire on the part of our men to get -hold of the guns which have played such havoc with shrapnel. A wounded -cavalryman says that they have “knocked the stuffing out of the German -cavalry.” - - “At first,” he says “they came for us, and we put case shot into - them at 500 yards, and then dismounted squadrons, and stopped their - advance with the rifle, throwing them into confusion. We then - mounted and rode straight at them. They opened out and let us ride - through them, and it was then we emptied their saddles. They don’t - appear to like personal encounter. Some were dragged from their - seats and pegged with the lance. They don’t come for us now, and - directly we see them we make for them. We have galloped for a mile - to get at them. Once they drew us on to the fire of their infantry. - We were only 200 yards away when they fired on us, but we were - going too fast for them to hit us. - - “Our echelons came up into line at the time, and we spread out as - we met them hand to hand. Many surrendered without fighting, and - those that made off came under the fire of our guns. The German - cavalry have excellent mounts, and the horses are well trained. - Somehow the men haven’t got the same grit as our chaps. When they - hear our yell and see our swords they turn pale, and want to be - off. If it wasn’t for their officers I believe they’d never face - us.” - -The Rev. Owen Spencer Watkins, who was one of the chaplains attached -to a Field Ambulance of the British Expeditionary Forces, contributed -to the _Methodist Recorder_ a story of the retreat with the army from -Mons to Paris in care of the wounded. We have ventured to quote from -Mr. Watkins’s article a few passages:—He left Dublin on August 16 and -embarked on the transport _City of Benares_, which carried, besides -himself, three Anglican and one Roman Catholic chaplain. During a -voyage of forty-eight hours, they were “convoyed” from Ireland to -Land’s End by British men-of-war, and through the English Channel by -French warships. At Land’s End the British ship that had been watching -over them passed within hailing distance, and the “blue-jackets” -crowded to the ship’s side shouting their good wishes, to which the men -on the outgoing boat responded with ringing cheers. - -After a train journey from Havre of twenty hours, they reached -Valenciennes on Sunday morning, August 23. “With as little delay as -possible,” said Mr. Watkins, “we detrained, for we were told the -great fight at Mons had already started, and we were urgently needed -in the fighting line. Then followed a twenty miles’ march, almost -without a halt, through villages where the population received us -with enthusiasm—showered flowers upon us as we passed, pressed gifts -of fruit, wine, cider, tea, and coffee upon the troops, whilst our -men, to show their gratitude, shouted ‘Vive la France,’ chanted the -Marseillaise, and cheered until they were hoarse. Then the dark and -sleeping villages were suddenly awakened by the tramp of men. The -troops were now marching doggedly and silently, the monotonous tramp, -tramp almost sent me to sleep in the saddle, and would have done -so but for the aching of bones and muscles which for long had been -unaccustomed to so many hours on horseback. - -“Towards the morning of August 24 we halted in the little town of -Bavai, and bivouacked in the main square. Here we found a Red Cross -Hospital in charge of a priest and a few sisters, and in it were -already some of our men; one, a man of the Dorset Regiment, was -apparently dying of pneumonia; another, a Royal Engineer, smashed in -a motor accident, had just died, and, at the request of the Sisters, -Mr. Winnifrith, the Church of England Chaplain, held a little service, -where he lay in the mortuary. Then, fully dressed, we threw ourselves -down on vacant beds in one of the wards and snatched a couple of hours’ -sleep. - -“We wakened just after dawn on August 25 to the sound of heavy firing, -and without waiting even for breakfast we at once moved off. Early in -our march we learned from a Staff Officer, who passed us at the gallop, -that the British had fallen back, and were now holding the line of the -Mons Canal, and that the odds against them were simply overwhelming. -He urged us to push on, as there was a shortage of ambulances, and the -casualty list was already very heavy. Shortly after we crossed the -Belgian frontier, and there were met by the transport of our Division -(the 5th) returning into France. As we urged forward our weary men -and horses, our progress was constantly impeded by pathetic crowds of -terror-stricken refugees—women, children, old men—coming along the -road in droves, carrying their few valuables on their backs, weeping -piteously, some dropping exhausted by the roadside, and all telling -heart-rending stories of homes in flames, and some of outrages which -made the blood run cold, and caused men to set their lips tight and -talk in undertones of the revenge they hoped to take. I cannot describe -it; it will not bear thinking about; but it has left a mark on our -hearts and memories which nothing can efface.” - -The desperate character of the fighting at Mons is admitted by every -survivor of that fierce struggle. Those who had also served in the Boer -War say there never was any fighting in South Africa to compare with -it. A sergeant gunner of the Royal Field Artillery, wounded in the jaw -at Tournai, stated that he was on a flank with his gun and fired about -sixty rounds in forty minutes. “We wanted support,” he said, “and could -not get it. It was about 500 English trying to save a flank attack, -against, honestly I should say, 10,000. As fast as you shot them down, -more came. But for their aeroplanes they would be useless. I was firing -for one hour at from 1,500 yards down to 700 yards.” - -Driver W. Moore, also of the Royal Field Artillery, wrote:— - - It was Sunday night, August 23, when we saw the enemy. We were - ready for action, but were lying down to have a rest, when orders - came to stand at our posts. It was about four a.m. on Monday when - we started to fire; we were at it all day till six p.m., when - we started to advance. Then the bugle sounded the charge, and - the cavalry and infantry charged like madmen at the enemy; then - the enemy fell back about forty miles, so we held at bay till - Wednesday, when the enemy was reinforced. Then they came on to - Mons, and by that time we had every man, woman, and child out of - the town.... We were situated on a hill in a cornfield and we could - see all over the country. It was about three p.m., and we started - to let them have a welcome by blowing up two of their batteries in - about five minutes; then the infantry let go, and then the battle - was in full swing. - - In the middle of the battle a driver got wounded and asked to see - the colours before he died, and he was told by an officer that - the guns were his colours. He replied, “Tell the drivers to keep - their eyes on their guns, because if we lose our guns we lose our - colours.” - - Just then the infantry had to retire, and the gunners had to leave - their guns, but the drivers were so proud of their guns that they - went and got them out, and we retired to St. Quentin. We had a - roll-call, and only ten were left out of my battery. This was the - battle in which poor Winchester (an old Cornwall boy) lost his life - in trying to get the guns away. - -When the order came to retire it was received by a disappointed force. -Such a one was a private in the Middlesex Regiment, who wrote as -follows:— - - It was somewhere in the neighbourhood of Mons, I believe, that we - got our first chance. We had been marching for days with hardly any - sleep. When we took up our position the Germans were nearer than - we thought, because we had only just settled down to get some rest - when there came the blinding glare of the searchlight. This went - away almost as suddenly as it appeared, and it was followed by a - perfect hail of bullets. We lost a good many in the fight, but we - were all bitterly disappointed when we got the order to retire. - I got a couple of bullets through my leg, but I hope it won’t be - long before I get back again. We never got near enough to use our - bayonets. I only wish we had done. Talk about civilised warfare! - Don’t you believe it. The Germans are perfect fiends. - -We have already given the experiences of some of the West Kents, who -were in the thick of the fighting from the beginning. The following is -an account by another man in this regiment, who said:— - - “We were in a scrubby position just outside Mons from Saturday - afternoon till Monday morning. After four hours of action each of - our six big guns was put out of action. Either the gunners were - killed or wounded, or the guns themselves damaged. For the rest of - the time—that is, until Monday morning, when we retired—we had to - stick the German fire without being able to retaliate. It was bad - enough to stand this incessant banging away, but it made it worse - not to be able to reply. - - All day Sunday and all Sunday night the Germans continued to - shrapnel us. At night it was just hellish. We had constructed some - entrenchment, but it didn’t afford much cover, and our losses were - very heavy. On Monday we received the order to retire to the south - of the town, and some hours later, when the roll-call was called, - it was found that we had 300 dead alone, including four officers. - - Then an extraordinary thing happened. Me and some of my pals began - to dance. We were just dancing for joy at having escaped with our - skins, and to forget the things we’d seen a bit, when bang! and - there came a shell from the blue, which burst and got, I should - think, quite twenty of us. - - That’s how some of us got wounded, as we thought we had escaped. - Then another half-dozen of us got wounded this way. Some of our - boys went down a street near by, and found a basin and some water, - and were washing their hands and faces when another shell burst - above them and laid most of them out. - - What happened to us happened to the Gloucesters. Their guns, - too, were put out of action, and, like us, they had to stand the - shell-fire for hours and hours before they were told to retire. - What we would have done without our second in command I don’t know. - - During the Sunday firing he got hit in the head. He had two wounds - through the cap in the front and one or two behind, and lost a - lot of blood. Two of our fellows helped to bind up his head, and - offered to carry him back, but he said, ‘It isn’t so bad. I’ll be - all right soon.’ Despite his wounds and loss of blood, he carried - on until we retired on Monday. Then, I think, they took him off to - hospital.” - - Some further battle stories from wounded men relate to the fighting - round Mons. One of the Cheshires said:—“Our chaps were also badly - cut up. Apart from the wounded, several men got concussion of the - brain by the mere explosions. It was awful! Under the cover of - their murderous artillery fire, the German infantry advanced to - within three and five hundred yards of our position. With that we - were given the order to fix bayonets, and stood up for the charge. - That did it for the German infantry! They turned tail and ran for - their lives. - - Our captain cried out, ‘Now you’ve got ’em, men!’ But we hadn’t. - Their artillery begins with that to fire more hellish than ever, - and before you could almost think what to do, fresh lots of the - ‘sausages’ came along, and we had to beat a retreat. - - During the retreat one of our sergeants was wounded and fell. With - that our captain runs back and tries to lift him. As he was doing - so he was struck in the foot, and fell over. We thought he was - done for, but he scrambles up and drags the sergeant along until a - couple of us chaps goes out to help ’em in.” - -How a number of British troops made a dash in the night to save some -women and children from the Germans was told by Lance-corporal Tanner, -of the 2nd Oxfordshire and Bucks Light Infantry. “On Sunday week,” he -said, “the regiment arrived at Mons.” - - “We took up our position in the trenches,” he said, “and fought for - some time. In the evening the order came to retire, and we marched - back to Condé, with the intention of billeting for the night, and - having a rest. Suddenly, about midnight, we were ordered out, and - set off to march to the village of Douai, some miles away, as news - had reached us that the Germans were slaughtering the natives there. - - “It was a thrilling march in the darkness, across the unfamiliar - country. We were liable to be attacked at any moment, of course, - but everyone was keen on saving the women and children, and hurried - on. We kept the sharpest look-out on all sides, but saw nothing of - the enemy. - - When we reached Douai a number of the inhabitants rushed out to - meet us. They were overjoyed to see us, and speedily told what the - Germans had done. They had killed a number of women and children. - With fixed bayonets we advanced into the village, and we saw signs - all around us of the cruelty of the enemy.“ - - Private R. Wills, of the Highland Light Infantry, who also took - part in the march to the village, here continued the story. “We - found that most of the Germans had not waited for our arrival, and - there were only a few left in the place. However, we made sure that - none remained there. - - We started a house-to-house search. Our men went into all the - houses, and every now and then they found one or two of the enemy - hiding in a corner or upstairs. Many of them surrendered at once, - others did not. - - When we had cleared the village, some of us lay down on the - pavements, and snatched an hour’s sleep. At 3.30 we marched away - again, having rid the place of the enemy, and, getting back to - camp, were glad to turn in.” - -A gunner of the Lancashire Fusiliers, who was injured by the -overturning of his gun, gave his experiences of fighting for -seventy-three hours in the neighbourhood of Mons. He spoke of the -surprise of some Germans who, while they were being shelled, suddenly -received a bayonet charge from a body of men the advance of whom they -had not observed as they had crept up under cover. The enemy quickly -retired, having lost about 250 men. The gunner expressed a poor opinion -of the Germans as shots, who “are frightened of the bayonet, and when -charged run faster than our men can pursue them,” but he praised their -artillery. Speaking of the strength of the Germans, he said there -were nine of them to every Englishman. As fast as they were killed, -others replaced them, but they succeeded in reducing their numbers. The -Fusiliers retired to Donicourt, and on ascending a hill the gunner was -so injured as to be unable to move; he was fortunately picked up by a -Frenchman, who conveyed him to the hospital at St. Quentin. The Germans -have a trick of disabling the wounded from using rifles again by -injuring their wrists, jamming them on the ground by the butts of their -weapons. - -It is not an uncommon thing for men to get separated from their -regiments; it is often the fate of those who are reported missing or -lost. At Mons the enemy cut off some of the Somerset Light Infantry, -most of whom hid themselves until dark, and then throwing away their -rifles managed to crawl between the German pickets. They did not, -however, succeed in regaining their regiments, but made their way to -the homes of peasants, who supplied them with civilian clothes. They -had some narrow escapes from being arrested for German spies, as they -could speak no French, but eventually they reached Boulogne, where they -obtained a pass to England and were able to rejoin their depôt. - -The following stories also illustrate the perils attending missing -troops and their endeavours to regain the British lines. The first, -from a letter of a non-commissioned officer of Dragoons, tells of the -adventures of himself and a companion who lost their regiment on the -Belgian frontier:— - - We struck, after a very sharp and dangerous engagement, a tiny - village, where the priest was absolutely an angel, and gave - us—the four who got there—food, shelter, and clothing, and hid a - corporal and myself in an old belfry, and a couple of infantrymen, - wounded at Mons, in a secret crypt. Since then much has happened. - A veterinary officer and sergeant of Hussars, who had lost their - way and could not speak a word of French, happened to hit the - next village, and an old hawker managed to induce them by signs to - follow him to our lair. - - “What was he to do?” asked the officer. “Had the Uhlans gone west - or east? Should they disguise and risk it, or face the certainty - of being made prisoners if caught in uniform?” We settled it by a - compromise, which has so far answered, for no Uhlans have appeared - to molest us on the road, though we saw on the skyline about thirty - trotting in the direction of ————. If they saw us through their - field-glasses we should only appear to them as market gardeners - or agricultural labourers, taking in a heavy load of potatoes, - turnips, and garden produce, and suitably attired. - - All our kit and arms had been sent on in advance in a donkey-cart, - driven by an old woman, and in such a broken-down condition that - even a keen-eyed Prussian would not have detected the false bottom - we spent a day in making for the purpose of secreting Government - property. The old curé roared with laughter at the ingenuity of the - veterinary officer who designed the dodge and helped to make it. - - The carrier’s wagon, in which we drove two horses, was now flanked - by two pack horses with saddlebags on each horse (we had four - altogether), stuffed with tomatoes and artichokes, on a French - country saddle. I rode one and the officer rode the other. - Peasants we met told us that all along the road ———— small parties - of strangers had been passing whom they thought must be soldiers, - but they were not dressed in uniform. So it seems clear that many - of our men have been cut off from their units and are moving - towards the coast. - - Our first night after leaving ———— was at a village where there was - a delicious running stream, and we bathed to our hearts’ content in - a secluded bend away from the public gaze. The people were shy and - seemed alarmed, so the officer showed them a letter from our dear - old friend the priest, which served as an informal passport during - our journey. - - The Uhlans had been there and paid for some food, cleared the - chairs away from the church and turned it into a stable, and - although the people had shown them every civility the Germans - threw manure into the holy water stoup, smashed the head of the - blessed Virgin statue, and wilfully disfigured the shrine of St. - Louis de France in whose honour a small chapel had been erected. - There were no houses damaged, and it is a curious fact that in - this particular instance the Uhlans had behaved as religious - maniacs of a peculiarly disgusting type, breaking the glass of the - church windows, tearing the lace altar frontal, breaking every - candlestick upon the altar, and using the vestments of the priest - for horse-rubbers. - -The other account, like the first, communicated to the _Daily -Telegraph_, is from Lieutenant F. V. Drake, of the 11th Hussars, -and tells of his escape after the fighting at Mons. Speaking of the -retiring movement, he says:— - - After six days I was left with thirty-six men to hold the Germans - back while the others got away; but we were surrounded by a brigade - of German cavalry. First of all we tried to get across country, and - were caught up in barbed wire, and they turned two machine guns on - us. They killed a lot of horses, but not many men. We then fought - our way on to the road which leads into the village of Honcourt. - The village was held by the Germans, and barricaded. We were being - shot at from behind and in front, and there was barbed wire on both - sides of the road. - - We charged the barricade. My horse was shot about 200 yards before - I got to the barricade, and I was stunned a bit. When I got up - again I found all the other fellows swarming on the barricade. I - “joined in the hunt,” and eight others and I eventually got out of - the village on foot into a wood, where I divided the men into twos, - and told them the direction in which to go and left them, telling - each pair to hide in different parts of the wood. - - We spent two days and two nights in that wood, with the Germans - absolutely round us: they were so near, in fact, that we could - hear every word they said. Leaving the wood by night, we pushed on - to where we heard the English were: at Cambrai; but when we got - there we found they had left the day before. We then hid in a wine - cellar, and the Germans came and burnt down the house above us. We, - however, escaped through a ventilator. We crawled out through the - kitchen garden and hid in some wheat sheaves for the rest of that - day, and at night we moved south, where we heard firing going on. - - We averaged every night about twenty-five kilometres. We always - marched by compass, and always went absolutely plumb straight - across country. Each day we hid in hen-houses, outbuildings, or - wherever we could, and marched by night. We found the inhabitants - extremely nice. Wherever possible they gave us food—if the Germans - had not taken it all. - - Later we secured a motor-car, and proceeded towards St. Pol, but - when we had proceeded about half-way we found a German sentry - outside a house. We raced past him, and he fired a shot or two, - but missed us, and we got safely through the village. Boulogne was - eventually reached without further adventure. - -One of the most graphic descriptions of the five days’ fighting at -Mons is contained in a letter from a wounded Gordon Highlander. He -relates that on Sunday, August 23, his regiment rose at 4 a.m., and -marching out 1,100 strong took up ground on the extreme left flank of -the British force and made good trenches, which apparently was the -reason that they escaped with comparatively few casualties. “Later -in the day a hellish tornado of shell swept over us, and with this -introduction to war we received our baptism of fire. We were lining the -Mons road, and immediately in our front and to our rear were woods. In -the rear wood was stationed a battery of R.F.A.” The German artillery -he spoke of as wonderful, and most of those do who have had experience -of it. The first shot generally found them, as if the ranges had been -carefully taken beforehand. But the British gunners were better, and -they hammered and battered the Germans all the day long. - - They were at least three to our one, and our artillery could not - be in fifty places at once, so we just had to stick it. The German - infantry are bad skirmishers and rotten shots, and they were simply - mowed down in batches by our chaps. They came in companies of, I - should say, 150 men in file five deep, and we simply rained bullets - at them the live-long day. At about five p.m. the Germans in the - left front of us retired, and we saw no more of them. - - The Royal Irish Regiment had had an awful smashing earlier on, - as also had the Middlesex, and our company were ordered to go - along the road as reinforcements. The one and a half mile seemed - a thousand. Stormed at all the way, we kept on, and no one was - hit until we came to a white house which stood in a clearing. - Immediately the officer passed the gap hell was let loose on us, - but we got across safely, and I was the only one wounded, and that - was with a ricochet shrapnel bullet in the right knee. - - I knew nothing about it until an hour after, when I had it pointed - out to me. I dug it out with a knife. We passed dead civilians, - some women, and a little boy with his thigh shattered by a - bullet. Poor wee fellow. He lay all the time on his face, and - some man of the Irish was looking after him, and trying to make - him comfortable. The devils shelled the hospital and killed the - wounded, despite a huge Red Cross flag flying over it. - - When we got to the Royal Irish Regiment’s trenches the scene was - terrible. They were having dinner when the Germans opened on them, - and their dead and wounded were lying all around. Beyond a go - at some German cavalry, the day drew in, and darkness saw us on - the retreat. The regiment lost one officer and one man dead, one - officer and some men severely wounded. - - We kept up this sort of game (fighting by day and retiring by - night) until we got to Cambrai, on Tuesday night. I dare not - mention that place and close my eyes. God, it was awful. Avalanche - followed avalanche of fresh German troops, but the boys stuck - to it, and we managed to retire to Ham without any molestation. - Cambrai was the biggest battle fought. Out of all the glorious - regiment of 1,100 men only five officers and 170 of the men - answered the roll-call next day. Thank God, I was one of them. - - Of course, there may be a number who got separated from the - battalion through various causes, and some wounded who escaped. - I hope so, because of the heavy hearts at home. I saw the South - Lancs, and they were terribly cut up, only a remnant left of the - regiment. - -Operations of the French troops at this date are described by the Paris -correspondent of the _Daily Telegraph_, who stated that:— - - Incursions of the German cavalry forces had been made into the - district of Valenciennes, Lille, and Douai, in the North of - France, with the result that they got a bad reception and were cut - up. The raid was carried out by three separate columns, one of - which started in the direction of Lille, the second swept around - Valenciennes, and the third advanced in the direction of Cambrai. - - The first column crossed the frontier line and headed for Lille, - but before it got to Lille it had a sharp encounter with the - French. The column fell back, and finally moved on towards Douai. - In its zigzag course it left a number of prisoners. - - The second cavalry column, which was more important, crossed the - French frontier on Monday evening, August 24. Faithful to their - cruel practice, they compelled, under threat of instant shooting, - a number of women and children to walk in front of them. Towards - morning a battery of artillery, which had taken position and was - concealed in a wood, opened fire on the enemy and caused great - slaughter. - - Eye-witnesses of the action relate that the column was entirely - broken up. The few survivors who escaped fled, but were captured. - -The British made a stout resistance in their position against Maubeuge, -while the rest of the forces at Mons fell back. The pressure from the -Germans increased in severity. Not only were their numbers vastly -superior to ours, but they were said to comprise a body of their best -men, animated with a determination to crush our lines. In those places -where the strain was felt to be overpowering, especially on the left, -some further support was given by our cavalry, who did splendid service -in checking the enemy’s advance. When a battery of heavy German guns -was playing havoc with our trenches, and the force of our artillery was -beginning to lose effect, an order was given to the 9th Lancers to put -the enemy’s guns out of action, and under a terrific storm of shell -and shrapnel the order was carried out by a daring cavalry charge. The -French were still retiring, and it was now evident that the position -occupied by our troops was without sufficient advantage to enable them -to make a further stand against the foe with any prospect of success. -Dangerous as the operation was, Sir John French decided to retire, and -to meet the Germans in what proved to be a most deadly conflict. - -Sir John French continues the story of his retirement, and deals with -the events of August 25, in the following section of his despatch:— - - The French were still retiring, and I had no support except such - as was afforded by the Fortress of Maubeuge; and the determined - attempts of the enemy to get round my left flank assured me that it - was his intention to hem me against that place and surround me. I - felt that not a moment must be lost in retiring to another position. - - I had every reason to believe that the enemy’s forces were somewhat - exhausted, and I knew that they had suffered heavy losses. I hoped - therefore that his pursuit would not be too vigorous to prevent me - effecting my object. - - The operation, however, was full of danger and difficulty, not - only owing to the very superior force in my front, but also to the - exhaustion of the troops. - - The retirement was recommenced in the early morning of the 25th to - a position in the neighbourhood of Le Cateau, and rearguards were - ordered to be clear of the Maubeuge—Bavai—Eth Road by 5.30 a.m. - - Two Cavalry Brigades, with the Divisional Cavalry of the Second - Corps, covered the movement of the Second Corps. The remainder of - the Cavalry Division with the 19th Brigade, the whole under the - command of General Allenby, covered the west flank. - - The 4th Division commenced its detrainment at Le Cateau on Sunday, - the 23rd, and by the morning of the 25th eleven battalions and - a Brigade of Artillery with Divisional Staff were available for - service. - - I ordered General Snow to move out to take up a position with his - right south of Solesmes, his left resting on the Cambrai—Le Cateau - Road south of La Chaprie. In this position the Division rendered - great help to the effective retirement of the Second and First - Corps to the new position. - - Although the troops had been ordered to occupy the Cambrai—Le - Cateau—Landrecies position, and the ground had, during the 25th, - been partially prepared and entrenched, I had grave doubts—owing - to the information I received as to the accumulating strength of - the enemy against me—as to the wisdom of standing there to fight. - - Having regard to the continued retirement of the French on my - right, my exposed left flank, the tendency of the enemy’s western - corps (II.) to envelop me, and, more than all, the exhausted - condition of the troops, I determined to make a great effort to - continue the retreat till I could put some substantial obstacle, - such as the Somme or the Oise, between my troops and the enemy, - and afford the former some opportunity of rest and reorganisation. - Orders were, therefore, sent to the Corps Commanders to continue - their retreat as soon as they possibly could towards the general - line Vermand—St. Quentin—Ribemont. - - The Cavalry, under General Allenby, were ordered to cover the - retirement. - - Throughout the 25th and far into the evening, the First Corps - continued its march on Landrecies, following the road along the - eastern border of the Forêt de Mormal, and arrived at Landrecies - about 10 o’clock. I had intended that the Corps should come further - west so as to fill up the gap between Le Cateau and Landrecies, but - the men were exhausted and could not get further in without rest. - - The enemy, however, would not allow them this rest, and about - 9.30 p.m. a report was received that the 4th Guards Brigade in - Landrecies was heavily attacked by troops of the 9th German Army - Corps who were coming through the forest on the north of the town. - This brigade fought most gallantly and caused the enemy to suffer - tremendous loss in issuing from the forest into the narrow streets - of the town. This loss has been estimated from reliable sources at - from 700 to 1,000. At the same time information reached me from Sir - Douglas Haig that his 1st Division was also heavily engaged south - and east of Maroilles. I sent urgent messages to the Commander of - the two French Reserve Divisions on my right to come up to the - assistance of the First Corps, which they eventually did. Partly - owing to this assistance, but mainly to the skilful manner in - which Sir Douglas Haig extricated his Corps from an exceptionally - difficult position in the darkness of the night, they were able at - dawn to resume their march south towards Wassigny on Guise. - - By about 6 p.m. the Second Corps had got into position with their - right on Le Cateau, their left in the neighbourhood of Caudry, - and the line of defence was continued thence by the 4th Division - towards Seranvillers, the left being thrown back. - -A _communiqué_ issued by the French War Office on September 1 explains -the forced retirement of the French from their position near Givet, -and the consequent withdrawal of our troops from Cateau and Cambrai -on August 25. The prompt action of the British troops at this very -critical stage undoubtedly saved the French from disaster:— - - The Franco-British forces were originally engaged in the region of - Dinant, Charleroi, and Mons. Some partial checks were suffered, and - the forcing of the Meuse by the Germans near Givet on our flank - obliged our troops to fall back, the Germans all the time trying to - approach by the west. - - In these circumstances our British Allies, attacked by superior - numbers in Cateau and Cambrai, had to retire towards the south - when we were operating in the region of Avesnes and Chimay. The - retreating movement continued during the following days, although a - general battle took place during its progress. This engagement was - notable for an important success on our right, where we threw back - the Prussian Guard and the Tenth Corps on to the Oise. - - As a set-off to this, and because of the progress of the right - German wing, where our adversaries concentrated the finest army - corps, we had to record a new withdrawing movement. - - To sum up, on our right, after partial checks, we had taken the - offensive, and the enemy was retreating before us. In the centre - we had alternative successes and checks, but a general battle was - again in progress. The _moral_ of the Allies’ troops continued to - be extremely good in spite of their losses, which were made good - from the depôts. - -We will now quote again from the narrative of the Rev. Owen Spencer -Watkins, whose courage was worthy of the army to which he was attached. -He had a narrow escape of being taken prisoner. After leaving Villars -Sal he learnt from a motor-cyclist who passed them that the Germans had -entered on one side of the village as they went out of the other. At -Villersan they halted. - - Horses and men (he said), transport and guns, an endless procession - they passed, blackened with grime, bearing evident signs of the - past few days of fighting. And behind were the infantry still - fighting a rearguard action. But the men were in good spirits; they - were retreating, but this was not a defeated army.... The town of - Cambrai was now in sight, and we were told that just beyond it, at - a place called Le Cateau, was a position we could hold, and here - we should entrench and make a stand.... Once I passed through a - division of French Cavalry, who greeted me most courteously, and - were very curious to know exactly what my duties with the Army - were. A great contrast they presented to our khaki-clad troops in - their blue and red and gold, but it struck me that such finery was - hardly likely to be so serviceable as our more sombre khaki. - - On the morning of Wednesday, August 26, after four hours’ sleep - in the rain, I was awakened by the sound of heavy guns, and rose - from my bed of straw to realise that the battle of Le Cateau had - begun. As I had slept booted and spurred, no time was wasted in - toilet, and I was able at once to ride off to the scene of action, - whilst the ambulance wagons and stretcher-bearers were making ready - to do likewise. I visited the infantry lining their trenches, but - they had not yet come into action. As I talked with them I little - thought how many hundreds of these lads of the 14th Infantry - Brigade (Manchesters, Suffolks, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, - and East Surreys) would be lying low before the end of day. Later - I was for a while with the 108th Heavy Battery, whose guns were - masked with corn-sheaves to hide them from the German aeroplane, - and who even, whilst I was with them, did terrible execution. The - great 60-pounder shells were burst with wonderful precision and - deadly effect, and before the day was over this battery alone had - completely exterminated two batteries of German artillery. My next - move was to the 15th Brigade Royal Field Artillery, which had just - come into action. The story of these batteries is one of the most - moving and heroic in the war, and perhaps some day it will be fully - told. The losses amongst both men and horses were appalling, yet - still they worked their guns. In one battery only a junior officer - and one man was left, but between them they still contrived to keep - the gun in action. - - Now the battle was in full swing, the noise was deafening; the - whole can only be realised by one who has himself passed through a - similar experience—I cannot describe it. - - ... The casualties were pouring in upon us now, and the worst - cases still lay in the trenches, from which they could not be - moved until the fire slackened, or darkness came. The injured men - told of brave and dogged fighting in the trenches, of an opposing - host that seemed without number, of casualties so numerous that - they seemed to us an exaggeration, and later of trenches that were - being enfiladed by German shrapnel. Evidently the French, who, we - understood, were on our flank, had been late in arriving, or else - they had retreated, leaving our flank exposed. By this time other - batteries were taking up their positions in our vicinity, and it - soon became evident that the position was becoming impossible for - a dressing station. But how to move? that was the question; for - we had far more wounded than it was possible to carry in our - ambulance wagons. So we sorted out all who were able to hop, or - walk, or be helped along by comrades, and they were told that they - must walk to Busigny as best they could. Meanwhile the operating - tents were being pulled down and packed upon the wagons, and as the - last were being loaded shell was bursting over our camp. To me was - delegated the task of shepherding the wounded who were walking, and - seeing them safe to Busigny railway station, where it was hoped - they would get a train to take them down country. I never want - such a task again. Up and down that road I galloped, urging one - poor fellow to hop faster, expostulating with another who, seated - by the roadside, declared he could go no further, and that to fall - into the hands of the Germans would be no worse than the agony he - endured as he walked. At last I came across a farmer’s cart, and - taking the law into my own hands, commandeered it, and made the man - come back with me and pick up all who could walk no more. Time and - again there would be a burst of shrapnel in the road, but as far as - I could see nobody was injured. Just off the road the cavalry were - at work doing their best to guard our flank as we retreated—for - now I learned we were in full retreat—and amongst them the - casualties were heavy. Such as we could reach we carried with us. - At last, to my infinite relief, Busigny was reached, and I was - relieved of my charge. - - At Le Cateau the 5th Division lost probably more heavily than any - other portion of the British Forces. It was entirely due to the - splendid generalship of Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien that we had not to - record a great disaster; ever since then we had been in retreat, - but it was not a beaten or even a seriously discouraged army. - -Fighting on this day is described by some who were present at the -battle. The following related to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers:— - - Captain Trigona said that on August 26 the main body of the Allies - was in the district of Mons, and in the direction of Cambrai his - battalion formed a portion of the rearguard, and were continually - being harassed by the enemy. An order, which they should have - received to retire, miscarried. This, in his opinion, was due to - despatch riders falling into the hands of the enemy. - - The regiment was left unsupported, and an overwhelming body of the - enemy attacking them, they were obliged to retreat. The Germans - moved forward in dark, thick masses, and the British rifle did - terrible havoc among their closely-packed ranks. The enemy’s ranks - in places were blotted out by the withering leaden blast which the - Fusiliers kept up with that dogged determination which has won - for the regiment in past wars many golden laurels. The German loss - was much greater than ours. This is accounted for by the close - formation adopted by the latter. - - At one time the regiment had fallen back on a large farmhouse, but - a number of shells from the German artillery quickly reduced the - building to a heap of _débris_, and they were forced to evacuate - the farm. During the succeeding night Captain Trigona and a small - body of men got separated from the other portion of the troops. - When daylight broke they found themselves wandering in a country - swarming with the enemy’s cavalry. They were completely cut off - from the Allies’ forces, but succeeded in reaching a French - village without being molested by the Germans. They were received - with every kindness by the villagers. Food was supplied to the - well-nigh famished men, and welcome rest was obtained in barns and - farmhouses. After eight days’ travelling by night and hiding by day - they reached Boulogne. - -Another officer, in the Irish Guards, wrote a vivid account of the -Titanic struggle in the neighbourhood of Cambrai:— - - We had a very bad night on Tuesday, August 25, he said, when our - billets were attacked by the Germans, and a situation arose which - at one time looked very serious for our brigade. However, we held - our own, and simply mowed the Germans down. The doctors counted - over 2,000 of their dead outside the town next morning when they - were collecting our wounded. - - I must say now none of us expected to get away. I, with about - thirty men, was given a house to defend which commanded two main - streets, and we worked away at it from about 10 p.m. until about - 1.30 a.m., when we were called out to join the battalion who were - going out to attack the Germans with the bayonet. But when we got - to the other side of the town we found they had had enough of it, - and gone. - - I think I shall never forget that night as long as I live. We all - had wonderful escapes, with shrapnel shell bursting continuously, - high explosive shells, also; houses burning and falling down from - the shell fire; the intermittent rifle fire, with every now and - then furious bursts of fire when the Germans attacked. - - Our biggest fight so far took place at Landrecies. The Germans - attacked us in the town furiously. They brought their guns to - within fifty yards of us in the dark on the road, and opened - point-blank fire. Our gunners brought up a gun by hand, as no horse - could have lived, and knocked at least one of the German guns out - first shot. This all at about sixty yards. - - Notwithstanding the fury of the engagement, the enemy found - opportunities to outrage the non-combatants for their own ends. A - private in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers related that between - Mons and Cambrai he had his glengarry torn to shreds with shrapnel. - Before he was hit he saw from 600 yards’ range Belgian women tied - to the German guns, and this prevented the Coldstream Guards - returning the German fire as they retreated in the neighbourhood of - Cambrai. - -The following is the description of another eye-witness:— - - It was on August 26 that we suffered most. Our little lot was - waiting for the Germans in a turnip field. We were lying down, - and on they came. We let fly, and numbers of them went down. They - cracked at us then with their machine guns, and did us a good deal - of damage. We were obliged to retire, but there was an off-and-on - fight for at least twelve hours. We would get cover and have a - smack at ’em, and with their great numbers and our good shooting we - did tumble them over. But, my goodness, the numbers did keep coming - on, and we had to go back. Our fellows were falling here and there, - principally as results of their machine guns, which were doing - nearly all the damage. We did not worry a lot about their rifle - fire, which was faulty; but we got them every time. - - It was the time that we were having a great slap at a bunch of - them that we were really tried. We advanced, and pushed them back, - but we were outnumbered again. We fell back, and a crush of us - got separated from the rest. There were about sixteen of us, and - we found ourselves beyond the German lines. In the morning it was - “cut and run for it,” for everywhere there were Germans about. We - got to a village and hid, the French people taking every care of - us. We concealed our arms, and changed our khaki uniforms for any - clothes that we could get. In the day-time we hid in barns, under - haystacks, or in the homes of French villagers, who were most kind - to us. - -At Landrecies the Coldstream Guards put up a heroic defence, said a -correspondent to the _Daily Telegraph_, when suddenly attacked by the -Germans. - - Dealing with the operations which led up to the skirmish (the Guard - says), owing to the enemy being five or six times our superior in - numbers, and attacking from all quarters fiercely, Sir Douglas Haig - had to keep his men on the march almost night and day. We had a - rough time of it. Our boys were as lively as crickets, but under - fire as cool as you could wish. It was getting dark when we found - out that the Kaiser’s crush were coming through a forest, and we - soon found out their game. - - It was to cut off our force, who were retiring on to Le Cateau - covered by our cavalry. We had not long to wait before they swarmed - out of the forest and entered the small town from different - directions. But we got them everywhere and stopped them, not a man - getting through. - - About 200 of us drove them down a street, and didn’t the devils - squeal when at close quarters. They fell in their scores, and we - jumped over them to get at the others. At the corner of the street - which led to the principal thoroughfare we came upon a mass of - them. At this point we were reinforced from two directions. We were - pressed for a time, but they soon lost heart, and we actually had - to climb over their dead and wounded, which were heaped up, to get - at the others. Then we had to race away to another point where they - were hurling their masses at us. Those who did not get back to the - forest were knocked over. - - It looked at one time as if they would get round us, but they got - a surprise packet, for we cleared the town and drove them back. I - don’t know how many we accounted for, but I saw quite 150 heaped - together in one street. - - We had to continue our retreat, and had little rest until we got to - Compiègne on September 1. Here the brigade had a shaking up. It was - the Germans’ last desperate attempt to get through. - - What really happened I hardly know. Never before did the Guards - fight as they did that day. We are having reinforcements, and we - shall then have a chance of getting our own back, for when pressed - they will not stand up to us. - -On August 29 Mr. Asquith in the House of Commons announced a wonderful -feat of arms by the British army. It was with reference to the -engagement in the neighbourhood of Cambrai—Le Cateau on Wednesday, -August 26, which Sir John French described as “the most critical day -of all.” There must have been at the lowest computation 300,000 German -troops (five German Army Corps, two Cavalry Divisions, and a reserve -corps, with the Guard Cavalry and the 2nd Cavalry Division) opposed -to two British Army Corps and a Division. The total strength of our -forces cannot have exceeded 100,000 men. In other words, the odds were -three to one, and were probably much heavier. Our 2nd Army Corps and -4th Division bore the brunt of the cavalry attack, whilst our 1st Army -Corps was attacked on the right and inflicted very heavy loss on the -enemy. Our casualties were also heavy. General Joffre, in a message -published that morning, had conveyed his congratulations and thanks for -the protection so effectively given by our Army to the French flank. - - - - -CHAPTER V - - SIR JOHN FRENCH ON THE OPERATIONS OF THE BRITISH ARMY TO AUGUST 28— - LORD KITCHENER ON THE FOUR DAYS’ BATTLE—FIGHTING IN THE VALLEY - OF THE MEUSE—CHARLEVILLE. - - -The following extract from Sir John French’s first despatch brings -it to a conclusion as far as the operations of the British army are -concerned:— - - During the fighting on the 24th and 25th the Cavalry became a - good deal scattered, but by the early morning of the 26th General - Allenby had succeeded in concentrating two brigades to the south of - Cambrai. - - The 4th Division was placed under the orders of the General Officer - commanding the Second Army Corps. - - On the 24th the French Cavalry Corps, consisting of three - divisions, under General Sordêt, had been in billets north of - Avesnes. On my way back from Bavai, which was my “Poste de - Commandement” during the fighting of the 23rd and 24th, I visited - General Sordêt, and earnestly requested his co-operation and - support. He promised to obtain sanction from his Army Commander - to act on my left flank, but said that his horses were too tired - to move before the next day. Although he rendered me valuable - assistance later on in the course of the retirement, he was unable - for the reasons given to afford me any support on the most critical - day of all, viz., the 26th. - - At daybreak it became apparent that the enemy was throwing the bulk - of his strength against the left of the position occupied by the - Second Corps and the 4th Division. - - At this time the guns of four German Army Corps were in position - against them, and Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien reported to me that he - judged it impossible to continue his retirement at daybreak (as - ordered) in face of such an attack. - - I sent him orders to use his utmost endeavours to break off the - action and retire at the earliest possible moment, as it was - impossible for me to send him any support, the First Corps being at - the moment incapable of movement. - - The French Cavalry Corps, under General Sordêt, was coming up on - our left rear early in the morning, and I sent an urgent message to - him to do his utmost to come up and support the retirement of my - left flank; but owing to the fatigue of his horses he found himself - unable to intervene in any way. - - There had been no time to entrench the position properly, but - the troops showed a magnificent front to the terrible fire which - confronted them. - - The Artillery, although outmatched by at least four to one, made a - splendid fight and inflicted heavy losses on their opponents. - - At length it became apparent that, if complete annihilation was to - be avoided, a retirement must be attempted; and the order was given - to commence it about 3.30 p.m. The movement was covered with the - most devoted intrepidity and determination by the Artillery, which - had itself suffered heavily, and the fine work done by the Cavalry - in the further retreat from the position assisted materially in the - final completion of this most difficult and dangerous operation. - - Fortunately the enemy had himself suffered too heavily to engage in - an energetic pursuit. - - I cannot close the brief account of this glorious stand of the - British troops without putting on record my deep appreciation of - the valuable services rendered by General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien. - - I say without hesitation that the saving of the left wing of the - Army under my command on the morning of the 26th August could never - have been accomplished unless a commander of rare and unusual - coolness, intrepidity, and determination had been present to - personally conduct the operation. - - The retreat was continued far into the night of the 26th and - through the 27th and 28th, on which date the troops halted on the - line Noyon—Chauny—La Fère, having then thrown off the weight of - the enemy’s pursuit. - - On the 27th and 28th I was much indebted to General Sordêt and the - French Cavalry Division which he commands for materially assisting - my retirement and successfully driving back some of the enemy on - Cambrai. - - General d’Amade also, with the 61st and 62nd French Reserve - Divisions, moved down from the neighbourhood of Arras on the - enemy’s right flank and took much pressure off the rear of the - British Forces. - - This closes the period covering the heavy fighting which commenced - at Mons on Sunday afternoon, 23rd August, and which really - constituted a four days’ battle. - - At this point, therefore, I propose to close the present despatch. - -Lord Kitchener pointed out in his first speech to the House of Lords, -on August 25, while the battle was still waging, that European fighting -causes greater casualties than the campaigns to which we are accustomed -in other parts of the world, but in spite of hard marching the British -Force was in the best of spirits. The casualties to the British troops -were very heavy, but the losses inflicted on the Germans, who were -always on the offensive, were enormous. - -The battle was beyond all comparison the greatest in which our troops -had been engaged; although it is not to be compared in point of -duration with the tremendous conflict on the Aisne. No officer or man -now with the colours had ever known the sort of warfare as that which -was waged on the Belgian and French frontiers. - -Correspondents found it difficult to obtain from the French -descriptions of the recent hard fighting, and Mr. W. T. Massey, of -the _Daily Telegraph_ staff, wrote that great care was exercised that -wounded should not meet and discuss the situation with civilians. Here -and there one finds, he said, a non-commissioned officer or private -who has been in the fighting line, but they tell you they really know -little of what is going on. A Hussar he talked to said he had not -been in any serious fighting, but he regarded the “charge” as the -principal _rôle_ of cavalry, because he admitted that he was frequently -within rifle shot of the enemy and had been under fire six times for -considerable periods. - -The cavalry, the Hussar said, had kept the Germans in a state of great -activity, for directly a cavalry brigade was on the move the enemy -seemed instantly to prepare for battle. Over and over again our cavalry -would change direction and halt to dig trenches which were never meant -to be occupied. The Germans did the same, and tired infantry were -continually kept on the move. This Hussar described the German field -uniform as very difficult to pick up at long ranges, even with field -glasses. The French uniform was a much easier target, and khaki did not -blend very well with the green of the French landscape. - -He had a long talk with a civilian who had been in close touch with one -French army corps during the battles in the valley of the Meuse. All -through, he was told, it had been a case of fighting against odds, but -often bravery and dash overbore superior numbers and caused the German -advance to be stayed while a pushed-back line was being strengthened. -For instance, at Marville, a French force of 5,000 men of all arms -of the 2nd Army Corps not merely stemmed the strong German tide, but -rolled back a force of 20,000 men from point to point continuously for -twelve hours, and it was not until there was a risk of the French -losing touch with their supports that they retired. - -All down the Meuse the French destroyed the bridges; this informant -said thirty-three bridges had been blown up, and he was given a vivid -picture of one of the scenes which followed the destruction of the -means of crossing the river. This was at Charleville, an important -position on the Meuse, quite close to the fortified town of Mézières, -and within a field gun’s call from Sedan. Here the French tactics of -Sedan were reversed. The _trou_ of Sedan is engraven on the memory of -every French soldier, and the danger of being caught in a hollow is -ever present to officers. The Germans, bound up by military history, -and confident that what happened in 1870 would occur again, fell into a -trap which cost them dear. - - Last Tuesday (August 25), he said, the French decided to evacuate - Charleville, and sent round to the inhabitants to clear out. Trains - took away many civilians, but a number had to travel on foot, and - the roads in the early morning were covered with a long line of - stragglers toiling under the burden of the few household treasures - they had saved from the threatened destruction. - - As the civil population left, a small party of French riflemen - marched into the town to play a part worthy of the traditions of - their army. I did not realise until the action developed that their - duty involved enormous risk and that it was almost in the nature - of a forlorn hope. They were sent to occupy a few houses which - controlled the roads through the town, and though these houses were - marked out to the French artillery when the guns began to bark, - the lives of the members of this party were always in danger. If - any survive they will have earned any decoration for bravery, for - their ambush assisted in the complete destruction of a considerable - German force of cavalry and infantry. - - Around Charleville is a semi-circular sweep of hills. On these - the French artillery was posted, the guns being dug in and hidden - from the eyes of German scouts. The Germans were seen coming over - the three bridges leading into the town. They were not opposed for - a long time, and their numbers grew rapidly. Suddenly the three - bridges were blown up, and the retreat was cut off. The destruction - of the bridges was the signal to the guns on the high ground to - begin, while the riflemen in ambush poured a terrible fire into - an enemy who had a moment before believed they were occupying a - deserted town. They were also raked by an awful fire from half a - dozen batteries. - - Into all parts of the town, save in the particular quarter in - which the gallant French riflemen were doing their country’s work, - there was a tornado of bursting shells, houses falling into the - streets, and clouds of dust rising from the shrapnel bullets as - they rained in a pitiless mass upon broken plaster and bricks. In a - few minutes—ten minutes, I should say—the town was destroyed, and - the whole German force must have been annihilated. I can imagine - how completely the Germans were taken by surprise. Directly they - got across the bridges they must have thought they had, indeed, got - a prize. Charleville had been made the depôt for captured German - cannon, and in the gun park there were, I am told, ninety-five - field guns taken at God knows what sacrifice by the Allies. I saw - the guns, but though I cannot vouch for the number, I can say there - were very many. Twelve had been added just before the town was - evacuated. - - Of course, the breech blocks and mechanism had been so burred - and damaged that the guns, as they stood, were useless, but the - recovery of even useless weapons would give encouragement to an - enemy, and, no doubt, many German soldiers were contemplating their - restoration to their army when the bursting shells cried out, “Not - yet.” That scene, so triumphant for French arms, was awful, and I - went away before the remnant of the riflemen was collected from the - ruined town—that is, if there were any survivors; I devoutly pray - there were many—and Charleville and the gun park were left for - other German eyes to look upon as an example of what war is. - - I asked my informant, who expressed a wish that I would say nothing - to give a clue to identification, whether he had seen any German - prisoners. He replied, “Yes, a large number. They complain that - the transport line is mainly occupied with war material, and that - the food supply is neglected. All the enemy’s soldiers, they - say, are hungry, and some of the men in the firing-lines have - been without food for two days. On the other hand, the French - soldiers—I have not been with British troops, but have seen their - commissariat columns proceeding regularly and quickly backwards and - forwards—have always plenty.” - -As the road from Abbeville to Amiens approaches the latter picturesque -town, it runs for a considerable distance alongside the railway. Mr. -Massey was in the district on Friday afternoon, August 28, and when in -the neighbourhood of Picquigny he found the railroad congested and the -highway almost full of people proceeding south. Here and there, hidden -in hedgerows, were files of French territorial infantry, and dotted -over the countryside to the north sentries were vigilant. An officer -stated that the latest report which had come in warned him that a Uhlan -patrol was less than six kilometres away, and the presence of the enemy -so far south suggested that a bold attempt was being made to cut the -railway and destroy the utility of Boulogne as a base. The Germans -probably did not know that at this time the British had ceased to -employ Boulogne as a port for the disembarkation of men and stores, and -that no British troops remained at Boulogne. - -The last train that was running out of Boulogne for Amiens was before -him, and he knew that little rolling-stock remained at the port. The -service both ways had been cut off, but the Boulogne-Folkestone boats -were running. While he watched a fast train ran by towards the coast, -and succeeding it came four big engines coupled together. Presently one -of them returned with two trucks, holding eighty French soldiers, who -were deposited on the line, half of them guarding the passenger train -and the remainder reinforcing the guards on the line of communications. -By and by word was passed along to keep the road clear for troops, and -carts pulled on to one side. In a few minutes some khaki-clad soldiers -swung round a bend. Their gait showed they were not Britishers, and -the kepi or fez indicated their origin. - -They were two companies of French Algerian troops, the “Turcos,” -as they are called. They advanced rapidly, shuffling along rather -than marching, carrying their equipment easily. With them were three -ammunition mules, entrenching tools carried in a mule pack, and two -light carts. Officers showed their delight at the prospect of getting -into touch with the enemy by waving their hands at cheering people, -while the rank and file raised their arms, palm of the hand uppermost, -and acknowledged the salutations by opening and closing the hand. They -were a happy party, and they brushed past the villagers and quickened -their pace to get to the point assigned to them. - -The villagers were satisfied that the coloured troops would stand till -the last man, but there were many of their compatriots moving forward -with their families to places more secure. Generally these fugitives -were of the farming class, and each of the long, low farm wagons was a -tale of tragedy of the war. Weary horses hauled vehicles piled up with -household goods. The drivers were mere lads or old men, whose years -unfitted them for military service, and packages of all sorts, and -perambulators in some cases, occupied one-half of the space, and women -and children, seated on hay and straw, the remainder. Nobody seemed -to speak; abandoned homes and the fear that all was not well with the -army in which their menfolk were serving made them dumb. But if there -was panic, nobody showed it, for all met the situation with stolid -countenances and were apparently ready to accept what the fates decreed. - -Passengers on the train were more alarmed. They, too, had heard that -German cavalry were near, and they chafed at the vexatious stoppages -every couple of hundred yards. But every move forward was nearer -safety, and all seemed pleased that French infantry marched by the -side of the train. A progress of a mile an hour for the last three -miles satisfied nobody, and when Amiens was reached the summons given -to passengers for Paris to change caused some concern. The lines were -mainly occupied by troop trains, as they had been for eighteen hours. -The French wastage of war has been more than made good in this region. - -You meet refugees by the thousand, and a man with a heart of flint -would be sorry for them. On every grim visage is written the stern -realities of war. Infinite suffering, aye, and splendid courage and -patriotism, is lined on every face, and you feel when they pass you by -that heroism is shared almost in an equal degree by most civilians and -fighting men. - -Old Frenchmen, who have left behind them the fortunes they have built; -children, who were learning to hope they would follow in worthy -footsteps; dames who had earned repose by reason of arduous and -thrifty years of activity, and younger women who gloried in husbands’ -commercial enterprise and success, passed you, not broken people, but -a crowd who will have to begin life anew when the scourge of war has -ceased scarring the land. - -Of all the people moving in advance of the brutal German line, one’s -sympathies must go out to the women. “It has been my good fortune -(continues Mr. Massey)—for though it was a sight which made one feel -the terrible penalties inflicted by war, it brought out vividly the -nobler side of humanity—to be very near the fighting line in the -past two days, and I have watched many a case of women’s heroism. It -was not the self-denial of Red Cross nurses that impressed me most. -To that one is accustomed. But the long procession of weary women, -cheerfully encouraging children, hungry and tired and footsore, or with -bones aching from the jolting of farm carts, was a picture of splendid -courage, which made you understand how a nation becomes resolute in -face of war. The women play their part silently and without complaint. - -Of the thousands of big-hearted women I have seen during the past -sixteen days in France, I need only refer to one. She is an example -of the patriotic Frenchwoman of to-day. I met her at a town which was -evacuated, and she was proceeding with a splendid son of France, aged -ten, and a delightfully talkative little girl of eight, to a place -where her children would be safe from the oppression of an enemy. -This cultured lady is the wife of a captain of cavalry who is doing -a patriot’s work. As she looked back at her home at Longwy she saw -a lifetime’s treasures burnt, but the sadness of her heart was not -betrayed to her children. To them she merely indicated that a gallant -father’s regiment would see to it that they returned home soon. - -Horses and vehicles were required for the country’s service, so the -mother and children walked through French lines to where they thought -they would be safe. They proceeded west, and went through Marville -(where “Daddy” was fighting), on to Charleville. Here they rested -and waited, not dreaming that a weakened left wing would cause the -whole French line to retire and force a re-assembling on positions -further south. But strategy is left to men in France, and when word -was sent round that the inhabitants of Charleville should leave their -dwellings, the cavalry officer’s wife and children gave up seats in the -last south-bound train to old people and trudged over rolling ground -for thirty kilometres before they reached a railway line which still -provided a train for civilians. - -When I saw this family the mother had not tasted food for three days, -and the children did not want to eat while the mother starved. The -bright eyes of the boy were not dimmed by the exhaustion of bearing his -part in carrying a bag too heavy for his immature shoulders, and it was -glorious to see the comfort he was to his mother. - -You got a true insight into French patriotism when, instead of hearing -complaints of hardships, you were questioned as to the latest news -from the battle-line. And if you knew less than mother and boy you -forgave the look of pity which followed your answer. You, they thought, -should be where the British soldiers were. And this small family, -which I watched for eight hours during a dreary progress away from a -sternly-fought area, was but a type of thousands of others. Truly war -brings out the best, as well as the worst, of humanity.“ - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - THE FRENCH ARMY ON THE OISE—SIR JOHN FRENCH ON THE OPERATIONS OF - THE BRITISH TROOPS ON AUGUST 28—THE FIGHT AT ST. QUENTIN— - A SHARP ACTION AT COMPIÈGNE—AT CHANTILLY—ENGLISH SOLDIERS - SHOPPING—A QUIET DAY—BRITISH LOSSES AND RESOURCES—THE - ENEMY AT SENLIS—THE END OF THE RETREAT—A VIEW OF A GREAT - MILITARY FEAT—SIR JOHN FRENCH’S DESPATCH. - - -The Press Bureau supplied, on September 7, a survey of the activities -of the British Expeditionary Army which has, it stated, conformed to -the general movement of the French forces and acted in harmony with the -strategic conceptions of the French General Staff. - -After the battle at Cambrai, on August 26, where the British troops -successfully guarded the left flank of the whole line of French armies -from a deadly turning attack, supported by enormous force, the 7th -French Army came into operation on our left, and, in conjunction with -the 5th Army on our right, this greatly relieved our men from the -strain and pressure. - -The 5th French Army, in particular, on August 29 advanced from the -line of the Oise River to meet and counter the German forward movement, -and a considerable battle developed to the south of Guise. - -In this, the 5th French Army gained a marked and solid success, driving -back with heavy loss and in disorder three German Army Corps, the 10th, -the Guard, and a reserve corps. - -It is believed that the commander of the 10th German Corps was among -those killed. - -In spite of this success, however, and all the benefits which flowed -from it, the general retirement to the south continued, and the German -armies, seeking persistently after the British troops, remained in -practically continuous contact with our rearguards. - -Sir John French’s despatch of September 17 describes the operations of -the British Forces on August 28 and 29:— - - On that evening, he says, the retirement of the Force was followed - closely by two of the enemy’s cavalry columns, moving south-east - from St. Quentin. - - The retreat in this part of the field was being covered by the 3rd - and 5th Cavalry Brigades. South of the Somme General Gough, with - the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, threw back the Uhlans of the Guard with - considerable loss. - - General Chetwode, with the 5th Cavalry Brigade, encountered the - eastern column near Cérizy, moving south. The Brigade attacked - and routed the column, the leading German regiment suffering very - severe casualties and being almost broken up. - - The 7th French Army Corps was now in course of being railed up from - the south to the east of Amiens. On the 29th it nearly completed - its detrainment, and the French 6th Army got into position on my - left, its right resting on Roye. - - The 5th French Army was behind the line of the Oise, between La - Fère and Guise. - - The pursuit of the enemy was very vigorous; some five or six German - corps were on the Somme, facing the 5th Army on the Oise. At least - two corps were advancing towards my front, and were crossing the - Somme east and west of Ham. Three or four more German corps were - opposing the 6th French Army on my left. - - This was the situation at 1 o’clock on the 29th, when I received a - visit from General Joffre at my headquarters. - - I strongly represented my position to the French - Commander-in-Chief, who was most kind, cordial, and sympathetic, - as he has always been. He told me that he had directed the 5th - French Army on the Oise to move forward and attack the Germans on - the Somme, with a view to checking pursuit. He also told me of the - formation of the 6th French Army on my left flank, composed of - the 7th Army Corps, four Reserve Divisions, and Sordêt’s Corps of - Cavalry. - - I finally arranged with General Joffre to effect a further short - retirement towards the line Compiègne—Soissons, promising him, - however, to do my utmost to keep always within a day’s march of him. - - In pursuance of this arrangement the British Forces retired to a - position a few miles north of the line Compiègne—Soissons on the - 29th. - - The right flank of the German Army was now reaching a point which - appeared seriously to endanger my line of communications with - Havre. I had already evacuated Amiens, into which place a German - reserve division was reported to have moved. - - Orders were given to change the base to St. Nazaire, and establish - an advance base at Le Mans. This operation was well carried out by - the Inspector-General of Communications. - - In spite of a severe defeat inflicted upon the Guard 10th and Guard - Reserve Corps of the German Army by the 1st and 3rd French Corps on - the right of the 5th Army, it was not part of General Joffre’s plan - to pursue this advantage; and a general retirement on to the line - of the Marne was ordered, to which the French Forces in the more - eastern theatre were directed to conform. - - A new Army (the 9th) had been formed from three corps in the south - by General Joffre, and moved into the space between the right of - the 5th and left of the 4th Armies. - - Whilst closely adhering to his strategic conception to draw the - enemy on at all points until a favourable situation was created - from which to assume the offensive, General Joffre found it - necessary to modify from day to day the methods by which he sought - to attain this object, owing to the development of the enemy’s - plans and changes in the general situation. - - In conformity with the movements of the French Forces, my - retirement continued practically from day to day. Although we were - not severely pressed by the enemy, rearguard actions took place - continually. - -On August 30 and 31, the British covering and delaying troops were -frequently engaged. In the districts of St. Quentin—Verdun and -Ham—Péronne a battle was fought lasting some days. The special -correspondent to the _Daily Telegraph_ wrote:— - - St. Quentin, the scene of the British fight on Sunday, August - 30, was ready for evacuation a couple of days previously. On the - British right the French force, under the gallant General Pau, - scored a distinct success. On Sunday and Monday the Germans were - hotly pressed near Guise, and the French, once getting the upper - hand, hammered away at the enemy, and completely demoralised them. - One German army corps was completely broken and thrown into the - Oise, and, being cut off on both sides from their supports, lost - fearfully, a remnant withdrawing and leaving enormous numbers of - dead, wounded, and prisoners in the valley. - - A captain of a French infantry regiment reached the Gare du Nord - yesterday, with his left leg shattered by a shell; but the severity - of his wound did not prevent him describing the battle of Guise as - he saw it. “The Germans who engaged us were,” he said, “the _élite_ - of their army—the 10th Corps and the Imperial Guard—but our - troops gave proof of their extreme bravery and of their marvellous - dash. They received heroically the German thrust, and very soon - took a vigorous offensive, which was crowned with success. The - German masses were forced to bend back, and their losses were - enormous. I am certain of that. When I fell, the German retreat - increased, and our offensive movement claimed victory. But on our - left the line was bent back to La Fère, and the offensive could not - therefore be persisted in.” - -The correspondent to the _Daily Telegraph_ stated that at St. Quentin, -when he retired from Landrecies, General French established himself -temporarily in the Lycée Henri-Martin, named after the most patriotic -historian of France. The English artillery covered the heights that -command the town. It was a repetition of the battle of Saint Quentin -of 1870, with this difference—that the enemy approached the town -from another direction. For the space of ten days or so fierce and -uninterrupted fighting took place between Saint Quentin, Péronne, and -Vervins. A French artillery regiment was at a place called Catelet, -between Cambrai and Saint Quentin. However, the German column, in spite -of these attacks on both its flanks, one of which was driven back on to -Guise a week ago, continued to force its way towards the Oise valley, -and General French moved his headquarters first to Noyon, and then to -Clermont. - -The English troops were then deployed all the way between Clermont and -Soissons. - -On Monday, August 31, the Allies’ left was brought round and -southwards, their headquarters being at Aumale, where General d’Amade, -the hero of the French Morocco campaign, was with his staff. - -A very vigorous effort was made by the Germans on September 1, which -brought about a sharp action in the neighbourhood of Compiègne. The -action was fought principally by the 1st British Cavalry Brigade and -the 4th Guards Brigade, with a body of German cavalry, preceded by a -light scouting column in the forest of Compiègne, and was entirely -satisfactory to the British. The German attack, which was most -strongly pressed, was not brought to a standstill until much slaughter -had been inflicted upon them, and until ten German guns had been -captured. The brunt of this creditable affair fell upon our Guards -Brigade, who lost in killed and wounded about 300 men. - -Another corps of German cavalry advancing on the opposite flank of the -column pushed its line to the railway station at Anizy-le-Château, -between Laon and Soissons. The enemy, however, found that the railway -line had been rendered useless. - - * * * * * - -We venture to quote the fine account of fighting at Compiègne which was -given by a wounded Guardsman in the _Evening News_. In this action ten -of the enemy’s guns were captured. - - “We were in a field when the Germans dropped on us all of a sudden. - The first hint we had of their presence was when a battery of guns - on the right sang out, dropping shells into a mob of us who were - waiting for our turn at the wash tub—the river. - - “There was no panic as far as I saw, only some of our fellows who - hadn’t had a wash for a long time said strong things about the - Germans for spoiling the best chance we had had for four days. - - “We all ran to our posts in response to bugles which ran out all - along the line, and by the time we all stood to arms the German - cavalry came into view in great strength all along the left front. - - “As soon as they came within range we poured a deadly volley into - them, emptying saddles right and left, and they scattered in all - directions. Meanwhile their artillery kept working up closer on - the front and the right, and a dark cloud of infantry showed out - against the sky-line on our front, advancing in a formation rather - loose for the Germans. - - “We opened on them, and they made a fine target for our rifle fire, - which was very well supported by our artillery. The fire from our - guns was very effective, the range being found with ease, and we - could see the shells dropping right into the enemy’s ranks. - - “Here and there their lines began to waver and give way, and - finally they disappeared. Half an hour later more infantry appeared - on our right front, but we could not say whether it was the same - or another body. This time they were well supported by artillery, - machine guns, and strong forces of cavalry on both flanks. All came - on at a smart pace with the apparent plan of seizing a hill on our - right. At the same moment our cavalry came into view, and then the - whole Guards Brigade advanced. - - “It was really a race between the two parties to reach the hill - first, but the Germans won easily, owing to their being nearer by - half a mile. - - “As soon as their guns and infantry had taken up a position, the - cavalry came along in a huge mass with the intention of riding down - the Irish Guards, who were nearest to them. When the shock came - it seemed terrific to us in the distance, for the Irishmen didn’t - recoil in the least, but flung themselves right across the path of - the German horsemen. - - “We could hear the crack of the rifles and see the German horses - impaled on the bayonets of the front ranks of the Guardsmen; then - the whole force of infantry and cavalry were mixed up in one - confused heap like so many pieces from a jig-saw puzzle. Shells - from the British and German batteries kept dropping close to the - tangled mass of fighting men, and then we saw the German horsemen - get clear and take to flight as fast as their horses would carry - them. Some had no horses, and they were bayoneted where they stood. - - “While this was going on there was a confused movement among the - German infantry, as though they were going to the assistance of the - cavalry, but evidently they did not like the look of things, for - they stayed where they were. After this little interruption the - whole of the Guards continued their advance, the Coldstreamers - leading this time, with the Scots in reserve and the Irish in - support. - - “Taking advantage of the fight between the cavalry and infantry, - the German artillery had advanced to a new position, from which - they kept up a deadly fire from twelve guns. Our infantry and - cavalry advanced simultaneously against this new position, which - they carried together in the face of a galling fire. - - “In the excitement the enemy managed to get away two of their guns, - but the remainder fell into our hands. The infantry and cavalry - supporting the guns didn’t wait for the onslaught of our men, but - bolted like mad, pursued by our cavalry, and galled by a heavy fire - from our infantry and artillery, which quickly found the range. - - “We heard later that the Germans were in very great force, and - had attacked in the hope of driving us back, and so uncovering - the French left, but they got more than they bargained for. Their - losses were terrible in what little of the fight we saw, and when - our men captured the guns there was hardly a German left alive or - unwounded. Altogether the fight lasted about seven hours, and when - it was over our cavalry scouts reported that the enemy were in - retreat.” - -A Coldstream Guardsman, writing of the fighting near the forest of -Compiègne, compares the sight of the Germans issuing from the trees to -a cup final crowd at the Crystal Palace. - - “You couldn’t miss them,” he said. “Our bullets ploughed into them, - but still they came for us. I was well entrenched, and my rifle got - so hot I could hardly hold it. I was wondering if I should have - enough bullets when a pal shouted, ‘Up, Guards, and at ’em!’ The - next second he was rolled over with a nasty knock on the shoulder. - He jumped up and hissed, ‘Let me get at them!’ His language was a - bit stronger than that. - - “When we really did get the order to get at them we made no - mistake, I can tell you. They cringed at the bayonet, but those on - our left wing tried to get round us, and after racing as hard as we - could for quite three hundred yards we cut up nearly every man who - did not run away.” - - Referring to the cavalry, he writes:—“You have read of the charge - of the Light Brigade. It was nothing to our chaps. I saw two of - our fellows who were unhorsed stand back to back and slash away - with their swords, bringing down nine or ten of the panic-stricken - devils. Then they got hold of the stirrup-straps of a horse without - a rider, and got out of the _mêlée_. This kind of thing was going - on all day. - - “In the afternoon I thought we should all get bowled over, as they - came for us again in their big numbers. Where they came from, - goodness knows; but as we could not stop them with bullets they had - another taste of the bayonet. My captain, a fine fellow, was near - to me, and as he fetched them down he shouted, ‘Give them socks, my - lads!’ How many were killed and wounded I don’t know; but the field - was covered with them.” - -Private Walter Morton, of the 1st Battalion Black Watch, gave a -description of a magnificent charge by his regiment at St. Quentin to -the _Scotsman_. Private Morton, who is only 19 years of age, belongs to -Camelon, Falkirk:— - - We went straight (he said) from Boulogne to Mons, being one of the - first British regiments to reach that place. Neither army seemed - to have a very good position there, but the numbers of the Germans - were far too great to give us any chance of success. We were - hard at it all day on the Monday, and on Tuesday, as the French - reinforcements which we had been expecting did not arrive, the - order was given to retire. - - In our retreat we marched close upon eighty miles. We passed - through Cambrai, and a halt was called at St. Quentin. The Germans, - in their mad rush to get to Paris, had seldom been far behind us, - and when we came to St. Quentin the word went through the ranks - that we were going into action. The men were quite jubilant at - the prospect. They had not been at all pleased at their continued - retirement before the enemy, and they at once started to get - things ready. The engagement opened briskly, both our artillery - and the Germans going at it for all they were worth. We were in - good skirmishing order, and under the cover of our guns we were all - the time getting nearer and nearer the enemy. When we had come to - within 100 yards of the German lines the commands were issued for - a charge, and the Black Watch made the charge along with the Scots - Greys. Not far from us the 9th Lancers and the Cameronians joined - in the attack. - - It was the finest thing I ever saw. The Scots Greys galloped - forward with us hanging on to their stirrups, and it was a sight - never to be forgotten. We were simply being dragged by the horses - as they flew forward through a perfect cloud of bullets from the - enemy’s maxims. All other sounds were drowned by the thunder of - the horses’ hoofs as they careered wildly on, some of them nearly - driven mad by the bullets which struck them. It was no time for - much thinking. Saddles were being emptied quickly as we closed on - the German lines, and tore past their maxims, which were in the - front ranks. - - We were on the German gunners before they knew where they were, and - many of them went down in their gore, scarcely realising that we - were amongst them. Then the fray commenced in deadly earnest. The - Black Watch and the Scots Greys went into it like men possessed. - They fought like demons. It was our bayonets against the Germans’ - swords. You could see nothing but the glint of steel, and soon even - that was wanting as our boys got well into the midst of the enemy. - The German swords were no use against us, and just clashed against - the bayonets as the now blood-stained steel was sent well home time - and again. They went down in hundreds, and still the deadly work of - the bayonet continued. - - The enemy began to waver as the carnage amongst them increased, and - they soon broke and fled before the bayonets like rabbits before - the shot of a gun. Still the slaughter went on, with here and there - a fierce hand-to-hand exchange, where Germans with their retreat - cut off fought to the last. We knew what our men had come through, - and we did not forget them. - - There were about 1,900 of us in that charge against 20,000 Germans, - and the charge itself lasted about four hours. We took close upon - 4,000 prisoners, and captured a lot of their guns. In the course of - the fighting I got a cut from a German sword—they are very much - like saws—and fell into a pool of water, where I lay unconscious - for twenty-three hours. I was picked up by one of the 9th Lancers. - -The _Liberté_ gives the following details of the German occupation of -Péronne:— - - The Germans arrived outside Péronne on August 28, at five in the - afternoon. French Dragoons and Alpine regiments fought with the - greatest courage to oppose their advance, and enabled the French - troops to retire in good order. The Germans had guns in position in - the woods at Racogne, overlooking Péronne, and from the east, on - the left bank of the Somme, they shelled the town, which greatly - suffered. - - The enemy entered Péronne at 5.30. The soldiers behaved - disgracefully, shouting madly and firing shots at windows, in - order to terrorise the inhabitants. At the Town Hall they summoned - the authorities, and as none came forward the Germans burned the - sub-prefecture building and surrounding houses, after having thrown - petrol over them with pumps and then using grenades. - - The whole of the main square would have been completely destroyed, - had it not been for the courageous intervention of a priest. Canon - Caron, who, after an interview with the German officers, succeeded - in obtaining a promise that the passage of the enemy through - Péronne should not be marked by the complete destruction of this - ancient town. - - Three inhabitants were selected to take over the administration of - the town, and the Germans asked for four hostages, who, however, - were released after three days. During the occupation, which lasted - from August 27 till September 14, the Germans behaved in the most - arbitrary manner. They were constantly requisitioning provisions, - and searched and looted all houses and shops, and they sent back - to Germany whole trains filled with furniture stolen from deserted - houses. - - On September 5 the head doctor of the German ambulance gave orders - to send to Amiens all the French wounded. The Amiens Red Cross sent - twenty automobiles, with doctors and nurses, and the latter were - on the point of restarting for Amiens when Colonel von Kosser, the - Governor of the town, ordered them to be detained in Péronne, where - they remained for two days in barracks, and were then released. The - Red Cross people had to walk to Amiens, as the Germans kept the - motor-cars. On September 14 Colonel von Kosser hurriedly left the - town, and the next morning a division of French cavalry reoccupied - the place. - - The Germans left so precipitately that they had to abandon the - wounded and the ambulances. The staff of the latter consisted of - seventy women, twenty-five doctors, 150 assistants, a Protestant - chaplain, a Franciscan chaplain, and a few sisters. The latter - were armed with heavy revolvers, which a German doctor said was to - ensure the protection of their persons. - - In spite of such a gross violation of the Geneva Convention, the - _personnel_ of the ambulances were treated with the greatest - respect. The women were disarmed, and the ambulance, which was - splendidly organised, was sent by special train to Switzerland. - -The _Daily Telegraph_ correspondent described how the English, in their -retirement, came like an avalanche on Chantilly, followed closely by -the Germans, after evacuating Compiègne. His informant was an English -trainer who escaped with his wife under the fire of the German guns, -leaving all his fine racehorses, goods, and chattels behind. - - “It was on Sunday last, August 30, he said, that the firing which - had been coming nearer and nearer La Croix Saint-Ouen made him - hurry into Compiègne to learn what was going on. He was surprised - to find Compiègne become the headquarters of the retiring British - Army. The sight was one of the most extraordinary he had ever seen. - - At a place I am not at liberty to mention he was suddenly met by - what he calls an invasion of all that might be called English. - First the motor vans appeared. All London, Manchester, and - Liverpool seemed to be on the roads. English brewery vans and - London motor-’buses with advertisements still on some of them - led the way. Along came the vans of well-known firms like an - avalanche. They raced down the roads, tooted without stopping, and - made a deafening noise that echoed all over the forest. - - Provisions, guns, and ammunition were conveyed as fast as they - could to the place assigned them in the rear. The drivers seemed to - know the roads as if they had been over them every day for years. - - When they reached the place assigned to them they got out, prepared - to lay down and sleep on the roadside, and told each other funny - stories to while away the time. One of the last who had come into - Compiègne had missed his way. Suddenly he came upon a few Germans - whom he mistook at first for English soldiers. He looked more - closely, and when only within a few hundred yards he recognised his - mistake. He instantly wheeled his van round, and before they were - able to open fire he was racing down the road as if devils were - behind him. ‘I got my van away all right and I laughed at their - popping at me,’ he said. - - After the vans came the soldiers, headed by the 5th Dragoons. They - had blown up everything behind them, railway lines and bridges, - and it would be some time before the Germans would come up. The - soldiers as they reached Compiègne were in the best of spirits. - They had been fighting all the time, killing scores of the enemy as - they retired through the woods, and losing hardly a man themselves. - The French people in all the villages and at Compiègne received - them with a hearty welcome. - - When they came to an inn or a ‘marchand de vin,’ they were offered - any drink in the shop for nothing, or what they liked to give. As - a rule the barmen offered them the best wine. The soldiers would - smell it, nod their heads, as much as to convey ‘this is good,’ - and down it would go. ‘Fine drink that,’ they would say to each - other, and march off again. At Compiègne all the townsfolk came - out, and exclaimed: ‘What fine men, these English!’ The fact is the - people here, as well as at Chantilly, were accustomed to see, as a - rule, only English jockeys and stable lads, of less than average - size. They had thereby come to imagine that Englishmen mostly were - smaller than the French. When they saw the Dragoons and Lancers and - the Scottish troops and Highlanders, they wondered, and were beside - themselves with admiration. - - In the shops the English soldiers made it a point to pay for - everything they got. Funny scenes were often witnessed. They would - select anything they fancied, hold it up in their hands, and ask - mutely by a sign ‘How much?’ Sometimes misunderstandings occurred. - Tommy Atkins had not yet had time to master the simplicity of - French currency. Two of them were buying bread. One paid for his, - and the other laid down the same amount, thinking it was all right. - The loaf was much bigger, and the baker tried to explain to him - that it was two pounds. ‘What,’ exclaimed the indignant trooper, - ‘two pounds for a loaf of bread. You are trying it on,’ and out he - walked indignantly, clinging to his loaf nevertheless. Finally, - it was explained to him what the baker meant, namely, that it - weighed two pounds. The soldier at once asked a pal to return and - apologise, and, as he said, ‘pay up and tell the tale.’ - - The Germans did not give them time to stay long at Compiègne. - Firing was resumed during the night, and on Monday afternoon, - August 31, the enemy was already swarming round La Croix-Saint-Ouen - and La Morlay. In the withdrawal the English were accompanied by - French chasseurs Alpins, and the country in the valley of the - Oise, with its steep slopes, afforded them good opportunities of - inflicting losses on the enemy. - - The alarm of the advancing Germans had reached Chantilly. People - went from house to house to spread the news. Most of the trainers - had already left and their horses had also been got away. Still - about forty or fifty animals remained in the stables. On Tuesday, - September 1, the guns were heard at Chantilly. Fighting was then - going on around Creil, which the Germans had reached. The English - soldiers fell back methodically, eating and sleeping on the - roadside, and turning back to have a shot at the enemy. He lent - himself easily to this game by coming on in dense columns. - - The soldiers have wonderful tales about the execution done by - the Maxim guns. ‘We take up a position on the roadside and wait - for them to come,’ said one of them. ‘When they are 200 or 300 - yards away we are eager to fire. “Wait a bit,” says the Captain, - “till I make sure they are not English.” He looks through his - field-glasses, and then says, “Let ’em have it, boys!” Off it goes, - and you see fifty or sixty of them fellows drop. They don’t care; - others come on, and then we move our gun.’ - - This is the kind of fighting that was going on for three days - in the forests of Compiègne and Chantilly. They cover about - 50,000 acres of ground, and lend themselves wonderfully to small - skirmishes. The woods are cut in every direction by lanes and - training paths, which were used by the Germans. They even moved - their artillery over them; in fact, they swarmed everywhere. On - Tuesday evening Chantilly was empty.” The frightful odds which - the Germans, knowing the quality of our troops, threw against our - lines, caused a withdrawal to a new position. - -After this engagement, says a Press Bureau statement, our troops were -no longer molested. Wednesday, September 2, was the first quiet day -they had had since the fighting had begun at Mons on August 23. - -During the whole of this period marching and fighting had been -continuous, and in the whole period the British casualties had -amounted, according to the latest estimates, to about 15,000 officers -and men. - -The fighting having been in open order upon a wide front, with repeated -retirements, led to a large number of officers and men, and even small -parties, missing their way and getting separated, and it was known that -a very considerable number of those included in the total would rejoin -the colours safely. - -These losses, though heavy in so small a force, in no wise affected the -spirit of the troops. - -They did not amount to a third of the losses inflicted by the British -force upon the enemy, and the sacrifice required of the Army had not -been out of proportion to its military achievements. - -In all, drafts amounting to 19,000 men reached our Army, or were -approaching them on the line of communication, and advantage was taken -of the five quiet days that had passed since the action of September 1 -to fill up the gaps and refit and consolidate the units. - -The German army on September 2 was described as having “gradually -narrowed its principal attacking point, until it had become an -arrow-head or a V-shaped mass pointing directly for Paris, and the -southern-most end of the enemy was just before Creil, less than an -hour’s run from the capital by train. Before it was a river, bridges -awaiting to be blown up, an army as ready as ever to resist it, and the -fortifications of Paris. Away on the sloping flanks were armies of the -Allies, numerically inferior but as full of fight as their opponents.” -But the Germans had advanced further south than Creil for on the night -of September 1 their patrols were in action at Senlis with an Infantry -Brigade of the Allies. - -It is curious to note that this quiet day was the forty-fourth -anniversary of the battle of Sedan, when it was expected that the -Germans would have made a desperate effort—sparing no sacrifices -to repeat the triumph of 1870. But the conditions that prevailed on -September 2, 1914, were not quite the same. Sedan-day was, however, -celebrated in Berlin, where demonstrations were said to have taken -place of a character highly satisfactory to the public. - -The fighting at this place was severe, as is testified by the Rev. -F. Anstruther Cardew, Chaplain of St. George’s, Paris, who recently -paid a visit to the battlefields of the Aisne. “Our route,” he said, -“lay through Senlis, a beautiful old-world town with its venerable -cathedral and monastery. I knew that the Germans had occupied this -place and done much damage, but I was not prepared for what I saw. The -quarter of the town through which we drove was utterly wrecked, every -single house without exception was smashed to pieces by shells and -gutted by fire; nothing was left to tell the passage of the German army -but blackened and desolate rubble and masonry.” Other quarters of the -town, however, do not appear to have suffered so heavily. - -Mr. W. Maxwell, writing from Beauvais, on Wednesday, September 2, -supplied the following able article on the retirement of the British -Expeditionary Forces:— - - I have just returned from the direction of Rheims, and have met - some of the men who have been fighting in the north. The last time - I saw them was on Saturday, August 22, when they were marching on - Mons. Their lines stretched east toward Charleroi and west toward - Tournai through Valenciennes, and army headquarters were at Le - Cateau, about sixty miles to the south. - - Since then they have fought a great battle and fallen back fighting - over a distance of nearly 100 miles. Yet it is just the same - confident and cheerful army it was ten days ago. - - The retirement must have been a fearful ordeal. Everybody is aware - of the tremendous efforts the enemy have been making to strike at - the capital of France. They have been content with demonstrations - on the east and with masking the fortress positions along that - border; they have descended in hordes from the north; they have - poured out their blood like water from the Meuse to the Somme; but - they have reserved their greatest efforts and sacrifices for the - north-west. - - It is this turning movement on the left flank of the British that - has forced the allied armies to retire. Never was attack made with - more reckless courage nor pressed with such relentless ferocity. - And never was defence conducted with greater heroism. Every mile - has been contested with stubborn gallantry, British and French - retiring with their faces to the foe. - - Their numbers were overwhelming. They gave us no rest. Night and - day they hammered away, coming on like great waves. The gaps we - made were filled instantly. Their artillery, which is well handled, - played upon us incessantly. Their cavalry swept down upon us with - amazing recklessness. If we have heavy losses the enemy have even - greater. - - Officers tell me that our men fought with cool gallantry. They - never wavered an instant. But the pressure was irresistible. - Column after column, squadron after squadron, mass after mass, - the enemy came on like a battering ram crushing everything in its - way. Shattered to fragments by shot and shell, the hordes of the - enemy seemed instantly to renew themselves; they swarmed on all - sides. Nothing but the sheer pluck, the steadfast courage and the - unflinching determination of our soldiers saved the army from - annihilation. - - The losses inflicted on the enemy must have been enormous. They - attacked in solid formation, and whole brigades of infantry were - decimated by the fire of our rifles and guns. No army of civilised - men can endure such devastation as was wrought among the Germans in - this long battle over scores of miles. - - The retirement was effected with admirable coolness and skill. The - positions of the covering troops were well chosen, and our guns - shelled the advancing columns until the dead lay in heaps along the - roads and in the fields. - -“The enemy hung on to us like grim death,” said a wounded soldier, who -insisted on remaining in the ranks. “They wanted us to retire in a -direction they had determined upon. But we were not taking our marching -orders from them. We went our own way, and at our own pace. We were -retiring—not retreating.” - -Remembering the tremendous difficulties of carrying out a retirement -under such conditions, it is amazing how well the men held together. -Their losses were great, but not nearly so great as the circumstances -seemed to exact. Many of the missing men found their way back to their -regiments, from which they were separated in the desperate rush of the -fighting. - -The attack on the French army on our right seems to have been heaviest -in the neighbourhood of St. Quentin. But the French met it with courage -and coolness, sweeping the ranks with their artillery, and advancing -with the bayonet under covering fire. For a time they were able to -resume the offensive, and drove thousands of the enemy across the river. - -But here, as on the left wing, the story was the same. The numbers of -the enemy seemed inexhaustible. No sooner was one column wiped out than -another was there to take its place. There was nothing for it but to -retire fighting. - -In continuation of the deeply interesting despatch of Sir John French -of September 17, the first portion of which is quoted at the beginning -of this chapter, he says:— - - On the 1st September, when retiring from the thickly-wooded country - to the south of Compiègne, the 1st Cavalry Brigade was overtaken - by some German cavalry. They momentarily lost a Horse Artillery - battery, and several officers and men were killed and wounded. With - the help, however, of some detachments from the 3rd Corps operating - on their left, they not only recovered their own guns but succeeded - in capturing 12 of the enemy’s. - - Similarly, to the eastward, the 1st Corps, retiring south, also - got into some very difficult forest country, and a somewhat severe - rearguard action ensued at Villers-Cotterets, in which the 4th - Guards Brigade suffered considerably. - - On September 3rd the British Forces were in position south of - the Marne between Lagny and Signy-Signets. Up to this time I had - been requested by General Joffre to defend the passages of the - river as long as possible, and to blow up the bridges in my front. - After I had made the necessary dispositions, and the destruction - of the bridges had been effected, I was asked by the French - Commander-in-Chief to continue my retirement to a point some 12 - miles in rear of the position I then occupied, with a view to - taking up a second position behind the Seine. This retirement was - duly carried out. In the meantime the enemy had thrown bridges and - crossed the Marne in considerable force, and was threatening the - Allies all along the line of the British Forces and the 5th and - 9th French Armies. Consequently several small outpost actions took - place. - - On Saturday, September 5, I met the French Commander-in-Chief - at his request, and he informed me of his intention to take - the offensive forthwith, as he considered conditions were very - favourable to success. - - General Joffre announced to me his intention of wheeling up the - left flank of the 6th Army, pivoting on the Marne and directing it - to move on the Ourcq; cross and attack the flank of the 1st German - Army, which was then moving in a south-easterly direction east of - that river. - - He requested me to effect a change of front to my right—my left - resting on the Marne and my right on the 5th Army—to fill the gap - between that army and the 6th. I was then to advance against the - enemy in my front and join in the general offensive movement. - - These combined movements practically commenced on Sunday, September - 6th, at sunrise; and on that day it may be said that a great battle - opened on a front extending from Ermenonville, which was just in - front of the left flank of the 6th French Army, through Lizy - on the Marne, Mauperthuis, which was about the British centre, - Courtaçon, which was the left of the 5th French Army, to Esternay - and Charleville, the left of the 9th Army under General Foch, and - so along the front of the 9th, 4th, and 3rd French Armies to a - point north of the fortress of Verdun. - - This battle, in so far as the 6th French Army, the British Army, - the 5th French Army, and the 9th French Army were concerned, may - be said to have concluded on the evening of September 10, by which - time the Germans had been driven back to the line Soissons-Reims, - with a loss of thousands of prisoners, many guns, and enormous - masses of transport. - - About the 3rd September the enemy appears to have changed his plans - and to have determined to stop his advance south direct upon Paris, - for on the 4th September air reconnaissances showed that his main - columns were moving in a south-easterly direction generally east of - a line drawn through Nanteuil and Lizy on the Ourcq. - - On the 5th September several of these columns were observed to have - crossed the Marne, whilst German troops, which were observed moving - south-east up the left flank of the Ourcq on the 4th, were now - reported to be halted and facing that river. Heads of the enemy’s - columns were seen crossing at Changis, La Ferté, Nogent, Château - Thierry, and Mezy. - - Considerable German columns of all arms were seen to be converging - on Montmirail, whilst before sunset large bivouacs of the enemy - were located in the neighbourhood of Coulommiers, south of Rebais, - La Ferté-Gaucher, and Dagny. - - I should conceive it to have been about noon on the 6th September, - after the British Forces had changed their front to the right - and occupied the line Jouy—Le Chatel—Faremoutiers—Villeneuve - Le Comte, and the advance of the 6th French Army north of the - Marne towards the Ourcq became apparent, that the enemy realised - the powerful threat that was being made against the flank of his - columns moving south-east, and began the great retreat which opened - the battle above referred to. - - On the evening of the 6th September, therefore, the fronts and - positions of the opposing armies were roughly as follows:— - - - ALLIES. - - _6th French Army._—Right on the Marne at Meux, left towards Betz. - - _British Forces._—On the line Dagny—Coulommiers—Maison. - - _5th French Army._—At Courtagon, right on Esternay. - - _Conneau’s Cavalry Corps._—Between the right of the British and - the left of the French 5th Army. - - - GERMANS. - - _4th Reserve and 2nd Corps._—East of the Ourcq and facing that - river. - - _9th Cavalry Division._—West of Crecy. - - _2nd Cavalry Division._—North of Coulommiers. - - _4th Corps._—Rebais. - - _3rd and 7th Corps._—South-west of Montmirail. - - All these troops constituted the 1st German Army, which was - directed against the French 6th Army on the Ourcq, and the British - Forces, and the left of the 5th French Army south of the Marne. - - The 2nd German Army (IX., X., X.R., and Guard) was moving against - the centre and right of the 5th French Army and the 9th French Army. - - On the 7th September both the 5th and 6th French Armies were - heavily engaged on our flank. The 2nd and 4th Reserve German Corps - on the Ourcq vigorously opposed the advance of the French towards - that river, but did not prevent the 6th Army from gaining some - headway, the Germans themselves suffering serious losses. The - French 5th Army threw the enemy back to the line of the Petit Morin - River after inflicting severe losses upon them, especially about - Montçeaux, which was carried at the point of the bayonet. - - The enemy retreated before our advance, covered by his 2nd and 9th - and Guard Cavalry Divisions, which suffered severely. - - Our Cavalry acted with great vigour, especially General De Lisle’s - Brigade with the 9th Lancers and 18th Hussars. - - On the 8th September the enemy continued his retreat northward, - and our Army was successfully engaged during the day with strong - rearguards of all arms on the Petit Morin River, thereby materially - assisting the progress of the French Armies on our right and left, - against whom the enemy was making his greatest efforts. On both - sides the enemy was thrown back with very heavy loss. The 1st - Army Corps encountered stubborn resistance at La Trétoire (north - of Rebais). The enemy occupied a strong position with infantry - and guns on the northern bank of the Petit Morin River; they were - dislodged with considerable loss. Several machine guns and many - prisoners were captured, and upwards of two hundred German dead - were left on the ground. - - The forcing of the Petit Morin at this point was much assisted - by the Cavalry and the 1st Division, which crossed higher up the - stream. - - Later in the day a counter-attack by the enemy was well repulsed - by the 1st Army Corps, a great many prisoners and some guns again - falling into our hands. - - On this day (8th September) the 2nd Army Corps encountered - considerable opposition, but drove back the enemy at all points - with great loss, making considerable captures. - - The 3rd Army Corps also drove back considerable bodies of the - enemy’s infantry and made some captures. - - On the 9th September the 1st and 2nd Army Corps forced the passage - of the Marne and advanced some miles to the north of it. The 3rd - Corps encountered considerable opposition, as the bridge at La - Ferté was destroyed and the enemy held the town on the opposite - bank in some strength, and thence persistently obstructed the - construction of a bridge; so the passage was not effected until - after nightfall. - - During the day’s pursuit the enemy suffered heavy loss in killed - and wounded, some hundreds of prisoners fell into our hands and a - battery of eight machine guns was captured by the 2nd Division. - - On this day the 6th French Army was heavily engaged west of the - River Ourcq. The enemy had largely increased his force opposing - them; and very heavy fighting ensued, in which the French were - successful throughout. - - The left of the 5th French Army reached the neighbourhood of - Château Thierry after the most severe fighting, having driven the - enemy completely north of the river with great loss. - - The fighting of this army in the neighbourhood of Montmirail was - very severe. - - The advance was resumed at daybreak on the 10th up to the line of - the Ourcq, opposed by strong rearguards of all arms. The 1st and - 2nd Corps, assisted by the Cavalry Division on the right, the 3rd - and 5th Cavalry Brigades on the left, drove the enemy northwards. - Thirteen guns, seven machine guns, about 2,000 prisoners, and - quantities of transport fell into our hands. The enemy left many - dead on the field. On this day the French 5th and 6th Armies had - little opposition. - - As the 1st and 2nd German Armies were now in full retreat, this - evening marks the end of the battle which practically commenced - on the morning of the 6th instant; and it is at this point in the - operations that I am concluding the present despatch. - - Although I deeply regret to have had to report heavy losses in - killed and wounded throughout these operations, I do not think - they have been excessive in view of the magnitude of the great - fight, the outlines of which I have only been able very briefly to - describe, and the demoralisation and loss in killed and wounded - which are known to have been caused to the enemy by the vigour and - severity of the pursuit. - - In concluding this despatch I must call your Lordship’s special - attention to the fact that from Sunday, August 23rd, up to the - present date (September 17th), from Mons back almost to the Seine, - and from the Seine to the Aisne, the Army under my command has been - ceaselessly engaged without one single day’s halt or rest of any - kind. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - THE GERMAN ADVANCE ON PARIS—THE GOVERNMENT QUIT THE CAPITAL FOR - BORDEAUX—THE FORTIFICATIONS OF PARIS—PREPARATIONS FOR A - SIEGE—THE GERMAN CHANGE OF PLAN—SIR JOHN FRENCH’S DESPATCH - —GERMAN VENGEANCE—THE FAILURE OF THE CROWN PRINCE’S ARMY— - DECLARATION OF THE TRIPLE ENTENTE—CONCLUSION. - - -On September 2 the Germans were in the neighbourhood of Senlis, which -is situated only 30 miles from Paris. The advance of the enemy had -been steady and it seemed certain that in the course of a day, or at -most two, the advance guard would have reached the line of the outer -fortifications of the capital. The lines of the Allies were still -unbroken, and they were falling back methodically and in good order. -The enemy had failed in cutting off and destroying them, but that -they intended to siege Paris seemed inevitable. And in this event the -city would be placed entirely under military rule. It was essential, -therefore, that the Government should avoid being bottled up in the -city. As happened in 1870, for these reasons the French Government -decided to quit Paris for the time being and proceeded to Bordeaux, -and before doing so, on September 2, the following proclamation was -addressed to the country by the President and Ministers:— - - For several weeks sanguinary combats have taken place between our - heroic troops and the enemy’s army. The bravery of our soldiers - has gained for them at several points marked successes, but to the - north the pressure of the German forces has compelled us to retire. - - This situation imposes upon the President of the Republic and the - Government the painful decision that in order to watch over the - national safety the duty of the authorities is to leave Paris. - - Under the command of an eminent leader, a French army full of - courage will defend the capital and the patriotic population - against the invader; but the war must be continued at the same time - on the rest of the territory without peace or truce, without stay - or weakness. - - The sacred struggle for the honour of the nation and reparation for - violated right will continue. - - None of our armies has been broken. If some have sustained too - perceptible losses, the gaps will be immediately filled from the - depôts, and the call for recruits assures us for the morrow new - resources in men and energy to endure and fight. - - That must be the watchword of the allied British, Russian, Belgian, - and French armies—to endure and to fight whilst on the sea the - British aid us to cut the communications of our enemies with the - world; to endure and to fight whilst the Russians continue to - advance to deal a decisive blow at the heart of the German Empire. - - To the Government of the Republic belongs the duty of directing - this stubborn resistance everywhere for French independence. - - To give this formidable struggle all its ardour and all its - efficacy it is indispensable that the Government should remain free - to act on the demand of the military authorities. - - The Government is removing its residence to a point where it can - remain in constant relations with the whole of the country. - - The National Government does not leave Paris without having assured - the defence of the city and the entrenched camp by all the means - in its power. The Government knows there is no need to advise the - Parisian population to calmness, resolution, and coolness. - - Frenchmen, be worthy in these tragic circumstances. We shall obtain - a final victory. We shall obtain it by untiring will, by endurance - and tenacity. - - A nation which does not desire to perish, and which wishes to - live, recoils neither before suffering nor sacrifices, is sure of - conquering. - -Although a large number of the inhabitants had left the capital, those -who remained maintained a calm demeanour. There was no panic, only -strenuous preparations for an energetic defence. Some of the public -buildings, including the Louvre, had been protected above against -damage from shells or bombs dropped from aircraft, and the most valued -treasures of that museum had been withdrawn to a place of safety. - -A correspondent of the Central News wrote from Paris:— - - Few of the thousands of artists and art-lovers who have been - wont to visit the Louvre daily for instruction or pleasure would - recognise their haunt now. For the last four weeks the staff - has been working hard to carry out the measures ordered for the - protection of the chief works of art from what a French paper says - is the only danger that menaces them—aerial bombs. - - In 1870 the “Venus” of Milo was walled up in a subterranean niche. - The advance of civilisation has evolved a more prosaic and more - effective protection, and she is now enclosed in a steel room. The - “Winged Victory” is sheltered behind heavy iron plates, and the - “Gioconda” smiles in obscurity as inscrutably as ever. The Grecian - Hall, which contains the masterpieces of Phidias, is protected - by sacks filled with earth against any aerial attack. The upper - stories of the Louvre, with their glass roofs, have been turned - into hospitals, and the flag of the Red Cross protects the works - which remain there. - - Many paintings and statues have been transferred from the - Luxembourg to the old Seminaire, which will henceforth contain - the collection, and in all the other galleries, both private and - public, the treasures of art are being hidden underground or placed - behind heavy screens. - -Even with such a danger as a siege imminent, it was recognised that -the enemy’s task was very great. His object was obviously to push on -to Paris as rapidly as possible in order to disturb the preparations -for the defence of the city. M. Millerand, however, from the first day -of taking office, ordered Paris to be got ready for immediate defence; -while General Gallieni, an excellent commander and administrator, lost -no time, and the work of preparing the defences proceeded without -intermission, day and night. As the Paris correspondent of the _Daily -Telegraph_ said:— - - Only an army of two million men could invest the entrenched camp - of Paris with its outlying forts. The very worst eventuality to - be considered is a successful raid of the vanguard of what may be - left of the German advancing column into Paris. The German advance - has undoubtedly been very strong, and has not been withstood with - success anywhere up till now. The rush may at this moment have been - stopped. Should it not be, and should the desperate onrush of a - certain number of German army corps break through the French army, - the enemy would come up against the forts surrounding Paris. - - Should the German advance column reach these forts, it will arrive - there already to some extent spent, and certainly with its line of - communication cut off. If there is a battle outside the forts of - Paris it will be a desperate encounter, and it is not likely that - the German force engaged will live to tell the tale. - -[Illustration: THE FORTS AROUND PARIS] - -In describing the fortifications of Paris, he says:— - - The defensive works forming the almost impregnable perimeter of - forts and earthworks around Paris would be nearly impossible to - invest by an invading army with a field army in opposition, or - would require an enormous army for the purpose. - - There are three lines of defences round Paris—the first is the - belt of old fortification encircling the city, and built under the - premiership of M. Thiers in the reign of Louis Philippe, and these - old walls and earthworks were of little use in 1870. Since 1878 a - second ring of fortified positions was built, though it does not - form a continuous circumference of defensive positions, but several - separate fortresses. - - The threatened approach to Paris lies to the north, therefore these - may be described first. A number of very strong positions lie - between the Oise and the Seine—the middle of these powerful lines - resting mostly on hilly eminences in the Forest of Montmorency. The - backbone, so to speak, of these defensive works is composed of a - number of forts. - - Beginning with the defences of the Seine, we have the Fort of - Cormeilles, with the Redoubt of Francaville in front, as well - as that of Les Cotillons supported throughout by a number of - batteries. The strong fortified position of Cormeilles stands at - nearly 500 feet above the Seine. The slopes are steep, and for - defence these groups are of great power. - - The Valley of Ermont lies between the great works of Cormeilles - and the Forest of Montmorency, but these forts and those of - Montlignon and Montmorency, placed on the south-west fringe of the - forest, sweep the valley. At the north-east of the forest is the - Fort of Domont, and further on a pile covered with trees, another - strong defensive group exists, including the Fort of Ecouen and - several connected batteries. - - Southwards are the Forts of Stains and the battery of Pincon Hill. - This remarkably powerful fortress, with its dependent defences - composed of batteries, permanent trenches, timber-cleared expanses - for shooting, and barbed wire fences, render it secure against a - surprise attack. To the east of St. Denis there is a low-lying - plain showing no favourable point for fortification, but which can - be flooded by the Rivers Morée and the Trond. This plain is also - exposed to the fire of the Fort of Stains and the battery of the - “Butte Pincon,” and the defensive works of Vaujours to the south. - - The Fort of Vaujours and that of Chelles bar access to Paris in the - passage between the “Canal de l’Durque” and the Marne. Higher up - the Marne than Chelles, and between that river and the Seine, the - Forts of Villiers, Champigny, Sucy, and Villeneuve St. Georges have - been constructed. These fortified bulwarks of Paris are exceedingly - strong. The defensive lines on the Marne from Chelles to Charenton - form a rampart against any surprise rush, and as the positions of - Montmorency and between Vaujours and Chelles, the fixed defences, - have been greatly strengthened by batteries, felled timber and - trenches, wire obstacles, and other devices, a most determined - resistance could be made in this “sector” of fortified positions. - Some improvised field works have been constructed all round Paris, - therefore there is no need to describe them in detail. - - Between the Seine and Palaiseau there are no permanent - fortifications in the wide plain, but no attack could be made in - this direction or in the Plain of St. Denis unless the powerful - fortifications which can concentrate their fire on these passages - had been silenced. The fortifications of an earlier date are - completely free from a possible dash and render these zones literal - mouse-traps. Like Montmorency, the forts of Palaiseau, Villiers, - Haut Buc, Saint Cyr, and the batteries of the Bois de Verrières to - the south of Versailles form a real fortress, of which the Fort de - Chatillon is the mainstay behind. - - Behind Versailles and St. Germain, the Forest of Marly is literally - enclosed by batteries outlying the extreme strong works of “Le - Trou de Fer.” Behind this group stands the high and prominent fort - of Mont Valérien, which still maintains great military value for - defence. - -While Paris was waiting for the approach of the enemy, he altered -his plans and made an unexpected move. As Sir John French said in his -despatch of September 15:— - -On Friday, September 4, it became apparent that there was an alteration -in the direction of advance of almost the whole of the First Germany -Army. That army, since the battle near Mons, on August 23, had been -playing its part in the colossal strategic endeavour to create a Sedan -for the Allies by outflanking and enveloping the left of their whole -line, so as to encircle and drive both British and French to the -south. There was now a change in its objective; and it was observed -that the German forces opposite the British were beginning to move in -a south-easterly direction, instead of continuing south-west on the -capital. - -Leaving a strong rearguard along the line of the River Ourcq (which -flows south, and joins the Marne at Lizy-sur-Ourcq) to keep off -the French 6th Army, which by then had been formed, and was to the -north-west of Paris, they were evidently executing what amounted -to a flank march diagonally across our front. Prepared to ignore -the British, as being driven out of the fight, they were initiating -an effort to attack the left flank of the French main army, which -stretched in a long curved line from our right towards the east, and -so to carry out against it alone the envelopment which had so far -failed against the combined forces of the Allies. - -On Saturday, the 5th, this movement on the part of the Germans was -continued, and large advanced parties crossed the Marne, southwards at -Trilport, Sammeroy, La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, and Château Thierry. - -There was considerable fighting with the French 5th Army on the French -left, which fell back from its position south of the Marne towards the -Seine. On Sunday, the 6th, large hostile forces crossed the Marne and -pushed on through Coulommiers past the British right. Farther east they -were attacked at night by the French 5th Army, which captured three -villages at the point of the bayonet. - -On Monday, the 7th, there was a general advance on the part of the -Allies in this quarter of the field. Our forces, which had by now been -reinforced, pushed on in a north-easterly direction, in co-operation -with an advance of the French 5th Army to the north and of the French -6th Army eastwards, against the German rearguard along the Ourcq. - -Possibly weakened by the detachment of troops to the eastern theatre -of operations, and realising that the action of the French 6th Army -against the line of the Ourcq and the advance of the British placed -their own flanking movement in considerable danger of being taken in -rear and on its right flank, the Germans on this day commenced to -retire towards the north-east. - -This was the first time that these troops had turned back since their -attack at Mons a fortnight before, and from reports received, the order -to retreat when so close to Paris was a bitter disappointment. From -letters found on the dead there is no doubt that there was a general -impression amongst the enemy’s troops that they were about to enter -Paris. - -On Tuesday, the 8th, the German movement north-eastwards was continued, -their rearguards on the south of the Marne being pressed back to -that river by our troops and by the French on our right, the latter -capturing three villages after a hand-to-hand fight and the infliction -of severe losses on the enemy. - -The fighting along the Ourcq continued on this day and was of the most -sanguinary character, for the Germans had massed a great force of -artillery along this line. Very few of their infantry were seen by the -French. The French 5th Army also made a fierce attack on the Germans in -Montmirail, regaining that place. - -On Wednesday, the 9th, the battle between the French 6th Army and what -was now the German flank guard along the Ourcq continued. The British -corps, overcoming some resistance on the River Petit Morin, crossed -the Marne in pursuit of the Germans, who were now hastily retreating -northwards. One of our corps was delayed by an obstinate defence made -by a strong rearguard with machine guns at La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, where -the bridge had been destroyed. - -On Thursday, the 10th, the French 6th Army continued its pressure on -the west, while the 5th Army, by forced marches, reached the line -Château Thierry—Dormans on the Marne. Our troops also continued the -pursuit on the north of the latter river, and after a considerable -amount of fighting captured some 1,500 prisoners, four guns, six -machine guns, and fifty transport wagons. - -Many of the enemy were killed and wounded, and the numerous thick -woods which dot the country north of the Marne were filled with German -stragglers. Most of them appeared to have been without food for at -least two days. Indeed, in this area of operations the Germans seemed -to be demoralised and inclined to surrender in small parties, and the -general situation appeared to be most favourable to the Allies. - -Much brutal and senseless damage was done in the villages occupied by -the enemy. Property was wantonly destroyed, pictures in the châteaux -were ripped up, and the houses generally pillaged. It is stated -on unimpeachable authority, also, that the inhabitants were much -ill-treated. - -Interesting incidents occurred during the fighting. On the 10th, part -of our 2nd Army Corps advancing north found itself marching parallel -with another infantry force at some little distance away. At first -it was thought that this was another British unit. After some time, -however, it was discovered that it was a body of Germans retreating. -Measures were promptly taken to head off the enemy, who were surrounded -and trapped in a sunken road, where over 400 men surrendered. - -On the 10th a small party of French under a non-commissioned officer -was cut off and surrounded. After a desperate resistance it was decided -to go on fighting to the end. Finally the N.C.O. and one man only -were left, both being wounded. The Germans came up and shouted to them -to lay down their arms. The German commander, however, signed to them -to keep their arms, and then asked permission to shake hands with the -wounded non-commissioned officer, who was carried off on his stretcher -with his rifle by his side. - -The arrival of the reinforcements and the continued advance delighted -the troops, who were full of zeal and anxious to press on. - -Quite one of the features of the campaign, on our side, has been the -success attained by the Royal Flying Corps. In regard to the collection -of information it is impossible either to award too much praise to our -aviators for the way they carried out their duties, or to overestimate -the value of the intelligence collected, more especially during the -recent advance. In due course, certain examples of what has been -effected may be specified, and the far-reaching nature of the results -fully explained, but that time has not yet arrived. - -That the services of our Flying Corps, which has really been on -trial, are fully appreciated by our Allies is shown by the following -message from the Commander-in-Chief of the French Armies, received on -September 9 by Field-Marshal Sir John French: - - Please express most particularly to Marshal French my thanks for - services rendered on every day by the English Flying Corps. The - precision, exactitude, and regularity of the news brought in by its - members are evidence of their perfect organisation, and also of the - perfect training of pilots and observers. - -To give a rough idea of the amount of work carried out, it is -sufficient to mention that during a period of twenty days up to -September 10 a daily average of more than nine reconnaissance flights -of over 100 miles each had been maintained. - -The constant object of our aviators has been to effect the accurate -location of the enemy’s forces, and incidentally—since the operations -cover so large an area—of our own units. Nevertheless, the tactics -adopted for dealing with hostile aircraft are to attack them instantly -with one or more British machines. This has been so far successful that -in five cases German pilots or observers have been shot in the air and -their machines brought to ground. - -As a consequence, the British Flying Corps has succeeded in -establishing an individual ascendancy which is as serviceable to us as -it is damaging to the enemy. How far it is due to this cause it is not -possible at present to ascertain definitely, but the fact remains that -the enemy have recently become much less enterprising in their flights. -Something in the direction of the mastery of the air has already been -gained. - -In pursuance of the principle that the main object of military aviators -is the collection of information, bomb dropping has not been indulged -in to any great extent. On one occasion a petrol bomb was successfully -exploded in a German bivouac at night, while, from a diary found on -a dead German cavalry soldier, it has been discovered that a high -explosive bomb thrown at a cavalry column from one of our aeroplanes -struck an ammunition wagon. The resulting explosion killed fifteen of -the enemy. - -Ample evidence has been supplied by the correspondents to the -newspapers of the inhuman treatment meted out to civilians by the -Germans. Reference has already been made in the present book to this -subject. There is another unworthy characteristic of the Germans -by which they exact the utmost penalty from non-combatants. Mr. -William Maxwell has illustrated this form of vandalism in the -following interesting article contributed to the columns of the _Daily -Telegraph_. Apparently the same tale might be told of any village -or town in France or Belgium through which the Germans advanced or -retreated:— - - This is a story of German rage and vengeance, not a story of mere - looting. Every army loots—even the British Army will condescend - to steal chickens and an occasional sheep. In South Africa Lord - Roberts had to threaten severe penalties for raids on private - property, and I remember an Australian colonel warning his men in - this fashion: “If I catch any one of you stealing and killing a - sheep—except in self-defence————” The rest of the threat was never - spoken. - - At three o’clock on Saturday afternoon, September 5, several - thousand of the enemy’s cavalry—Uhlans, Dragoons, and - Chasseurs—with horse artillery and machine guns, rode into the - village of Beton-Bazoches, south of the River Marne. At first they - behaved well enough toward the inhabitants, most of them paying - cash for what they took for themselves, and giving receipts for the - stores they requisitioned for the army. - - The General and senior members of the Staff took possession of the - inn, while the junior members occupied the house of a grocer, - until a rifle and some ammunition were found on the premises, - whereupon they removed to other quarters. The officer who made this - discovery acted like a sensible and humane man. He advised the - villagers to give up their arms, and said to them: “Remember, I am - not le bon Dieu, and cannot watch over you always. Those who come - after us are hard men.” - - He was a true prophet. Next day there was a sudden fall in the - temperature of the invaders. Something unforeseen and dreadful - seemed to have happened, and caused the Germans to abandon those - conciliatory methods which they have usually adopted in places they - have occupied. - - I have always been slow to accept stories of atrocities—having - heard them told about every army—and I have never reported one - without giving my authority and having a written and signed - statement. But what I am now about to describe I have seen with my - own eyes. - - On Sunday afternoon the German soldiery made the discovery that - brigandage is one of the privileges of war. They broke into - every house and shop, burst open all doors, ransacked every room - from cellar to attic, searched every cupboard and drawer, tore - up letters and account books, and carried off every portable - article of any value. Beton-Bazoches—when they had gone through - it—looked as if an earthquake had struck it and left only the - empty shell. The hotel that sheltered and fed the General was not - spared. A uniformed ruffian rode up to the door and called loudly - for Madame, who promptly appeared, and had a revolver clapped to - her cheek. - - “The key to the wine cellar!” demanded the ruffian. In the - twinkling of an eyelid the cellar was emptied, and several hundred - bottles of champagne and other wine—if there is any other - wine—were at the throats of the German soldiers. The same thing - happened elsewhere. Stores and _cafés_ were cleared of their stock - of wines and liqueurs in bottle and barrel. What the soldiers could - not drink or carry away they spilt. - - “Pas une bouteille! Pas une bouteille!” cried the distracted mayor - as he showed me over the devastated cellars of his son-in-law, - who had gone to the war. “Pas une bouteille!” He emphasised his - ejaculation by biting his thumb. - - “I gave a dozen bottles of good old wine for the sick and wounded,” - said the dame of the inn, “but the brigands drank it, laughed in my - face, and said, ‘Krieg guerre nichts payer.’” The result of this - orgie was that hundreds of German cavalrymen were dead drunk on - Sunday, and that fourteen did not recover from their debauch until - the French arrived at Beton-Bazoches. - - A French dragoon, wandering through the town and hearing snores - that sounded like a whole battery of artillery in action, stuck his - lance into what looked like a huge parcel wrapped in a blanket. To - his amazement the parcel stirred. Another prod of the lance, and - there came out of the blanket the head of a bearded Uhlan. One more - touch of cold steel, and the mouth opened with a roar of laughter. - - “Ja! Ja!” cried the Uhlan, stepping in lively style out of the - blanket to avoid another prod of the lance. He was immediately - recognised as the ruffian who had taken the key of the inn cellar, - and had pleaded war as an excuse for non-payment of his score. - He was searched, and on him were found 2,000 francs, which had - doubtless been stolen. - - On Sunday the Germans set fire to the stables and granaries of the - modest little château, whose owner was absent, and next day they - tried to burn some of the houses and shops, but were in too great a - hurry to set them alight. - - On Monday morning they posted their artillery on a height - commanding the road to the west along which the French cavalry was - advancing. But the enemy did not wait to be attacked. After firing - a few shots they removed the guns to another hill on the east, - only to abandon it promptly. Then they rode away, leaving in the - village seven killed, twenty-three wounded, and fourteen drunken - brigands. As they retired the Germans thrust their lances into the - bodies of two wounded French soldiers. - - The German wounded were cared for by the villagers. One of them, - said a young Frenchwoman, “was a very pretty boy—a noble, I feel - sure. He was shot through the chest, and offered thousands of marks - for a motor-car to take him to hospital. But we don’t take money - for services of that kind.” - - The enemy took with them all the motor-cars and bicycles, many - of the horses and carts, all the petrol, wine, tobacco, jam and - provisions. They killed many sheep and cattle, and kept the village - baker busy night and day, with a revolver at his head and a bayonet - at his back to prevent him from falling asleep. They cleaned out - the shop of the jeweller and watchmaker. - - In all the best houses were remnants of interrupted feasts—stumps - of cigars that had burned holes in the table-covers, half-empty - champagne and liqueur bottles, broken bread, and the remains of - chickens and omelettes. Silver was missing, though plated goods - were left, for they appear to have a nice taste in such articles - also. - - The next village, Courtaçon, about eight miles to the south of La - Ferté, fared even worse. When I entered between its smoking walls - and smouldering hayricks, I was met by a weeping woman. - - “They have killed my son—my only son!” - - He was a mere boy, and the German soldiers shot him dead as he sat - at table by his mother’s side. - - All the farmsteads, the gendarmerie, all the best houses were heaps - of burning ruins. The Germans set fire to them before they fled; - they shot horses and cattle, they threatened the unarmed villagers - with death, and they put the mayor at the head of their retreating - column. Courtaçon looked as though it had been disembowelled and - thrown to the flames. - -The following remarkable disclosure was made by Mr. Granville Fortescue -on a victory of the French over the army of the Crown Prince on -September 6–7. As it will be seen, this event undoubtedly had the -far-reaching result of saving Paris from siege:— - - The first German army to be thoroughly whipped on French soil was - that of the Crown Prince. This saved Paris. And this remarkable - piece of news has remained a secret until now. At the time of their - victory the French did not know the extent of the damage they - had inflicted upon the enemy. In fact, they did not make claim to - a decisive victory. In the official communication the most they - claimed was a drawn battle. Actually they had smashed the flower of - German military power. - - Contrary to the general impression the great battles round - Paris did not begin with the defeat of General von Kluck. That - commander’s misfortunes were due directly to the retirement of the - German left wing on the night of September 6–7. The mystery which - has surrounded the movements of the German armies disappears now - that we know that the main body of the Crown Prince’s army retired - forty kilometres during that night. Such a retirement amounts to a - rout. - - In the plan of the German operations, the path that promised - the greatest glory was reserved for the Crown Prince. This was - in accordance with the policy of bolstering up the fast fading - popularity of the House of Hohenzollern. Throughout Germany he - was acclaimed as the hero of Longwy. His futile demonstration - against Verdun was magnified into a series of glorious assaults. - In official bulletins he was declared to have inflicted a severe - defeat on the French. As a matter of fact, the French army opposed - to him has been carrying out a splendid defensive retirement. - Opposed by superior numbers they have contested with stubbornness - every inch of the ground lost. And in the end they assumed the - offensive in a most effective manner. - - The Germans advanced on the line Verdun—Ste. - Menehould—Chalons-sur-Marne. Their progress was exceedingly rapid. - When the Uhlans of Kluck’s force were in Chantilly the main body - of the Kaiser’s heir’s army was yet 200 kilometres away. Then this - army was ordered to push on with all speed. The order of march of - the German army up the Champs Elysées was being drawn up. And, - as the Crown Prince was to head this historic march, undoubtedly - dressed in the uniform of his pet regiment, the Death’s Head - Hussars, the French troops opposing him must be brushed aside. - - The left wing of the Germans gave battle on Sunday, September 6. - The fighting began at daybreak, and continued with unprecedented - fury until dark. The artillery fire went beyond anything the - history of warfare has hitherto recorded. Shells were timed to - be falling at the rate of thirty in thirty seconds. I have this - from a trustworthy source. In this day’s fighting the French guns - were served with undeniable superiority. The loss they inflicted - upon the Germans can never be approximately estimated. The total - loss of the Germans is placed at figures so high I hesitate to - record them. One hundred thousand, of whom 20,000 were killed. This - estimate is made by a trained observer, who was on the battlefield - before the dead had been touched. - - It must be remembered that the German army was advancing on a front - nearly forty miles in extent, and the country north-east of Sezanne - is the most treacherous in all France. Acres upon acres of marsh - lands line the valleys. Here it was the enemy suffered most. - - But the French also made the most severe sacrifices. A certain - corps was practically wiped out of existence. Spurred by the - knowledge that they were fighting for the very existence of Paris, - each French soldier was as three. Against the desperate resistance - they made the Germans could do nothing. - - When the night of September 6 closed down neither army could claim - much advantage in position gained. - - The French had made certain gains, but then they had also fallen - back at points. An enormous quantity of ammunition had been used - up. The total artillery expenditure is put at 4,000 shells. - Hundreds of caissons were empty. - - Then, on the night of September 6–7, came the German retreat. The - long line was giving way, not only on the right towards Paris, but - also on the left, where there seems to have been heavy fighting - about Verdun. - - It has been suggested that there was a breakdown on the transport - service in this direction. If this were the case, after the - enormous expenditure of ammunition during the first day of action, - the Crown Prince’s army would have been obliged to fall back or be - captured. - - The circumstances of their precipitate flight incline me to the - last explanation. Of course, the fighting on this wing continued - for several days, but the Germans were only trying to save what was - left of a badly crippled army from complete destruction. - - With the Crown Prince retreating, there was nothing left for - von Kluck’s and von Bülow’s armies but to execute the same - manœuvre. This brought about the battle of the Aisne and all the - subsequent fighting. In the fighting the French have been uniformly - successful. It goes without saying that the English troops - contributed largely to this success. Their bravery has passed into - proverb throughout France. - - While I have been studying this extraordinary battlefield I have - everywhere met the rumour that in the engagement the Kaiser’s heir - was wounded. Stranger things have happened. Following an army in - the field one soon learns to put little credence in the hundred - and one stories that spring into life daily. But the story of the - wounding of the Crown Prince has been clothed in so much detail as - to make it sound plausible. At any rate, although he himself may be - unhurt, his army is hopelessly crippled. - -At the moment when the German army was suffering this defeat, the -Allies were taking a step which showed that they were united in the -issue as well as the purposes of the war. On September 6 the Foreign -Office made public the subjoined important declaration concerning the -attitude of the Governments of the Triple Entente regarding the terms -of peace when the time comes for discussing them:— - - DECLARATION. - - The Undersigned, duly authorised thereto by their respective - Governments, hereby declare as follows: - - The British, French, and Russian Governments mutually engage not to - conclude peace separately during the present war. - - The three Governments agree that when terms of peace come to be - discussed, no one of the Allies will demand conditions of peace - without the previous agreement of each of the other Allies. - - In faith whereof the Undersigned have signed this Declaration and - have affixed thereto their seals. - - Done at London in triplicate, this 5th day of September, 1914. - - (L.S.) E. GREY, - His Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. - - (L.S.) PAUL CAMBON, - Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary of the French Republic. - - (L.S.) BENCKENDORFF, - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of his Majesty - the Emperor of Russia. - - * * * * * - -An attempt has been made in the foregoing pages to tell the story -of how the Allied forces retreated towards Paris, after the great -battle of August 22–24 at Mons on the Belgian frontier, and continued -to withdraw until the battle at Senlis on September 1. This account -is chiefly concerned with the actions of the British troops who -undoubtedly on the left, by their dogged fighting, had saved the -situation during the first critical days. But their natural position -having been lost, it was the policy of the Allies to retire, and -with entrenched fortifications protecting their left, prepare for a -counter-attack from the advancing Germans. - -For the British the enemy’s assault was especially furious, but it -failed both in breaking their lines and their spirit. Travel-stained, -bearded and unwashed, their courage remained undaunted. The Allies -fought as they fell back and fought again, until they met and defeated -the army of the Crown Prince on September 6–7. Here the march of -the invader was arrested, and the next episode of the war was the -victorious fight against the Germans on the Marne. - -The despatches of Sir John French and the official _communiqués_ -issued by the French War Office supply us with the barest events of -the war, but for a picture of the actual fighting and the heroic deeds -of our brave men we must turn to the many stories told by the soldiers -themselves and other witnesses, some of which we have quoted. - -Ever since the South African Campaign the art of war has changed and -the combatants in the present campaign are fighting under circumstances -that have never before prevailed, in many cases with weapons that have -not before been used on the battlefield. Air-craft for reconnaissances, -and armed motor-cars and motor-bicycles and motor vehicles for -transport and other purposes, have gone far towards revolutionising -warfare; although introduced in the Balkan war they are being utilised -to a much greater extent in the present conflict. - -Sufficient has been said incidentally in this book with regard to -the German methods of warfare. The justice of our cause has been -demonstrated by able statesmen as well as by men of every shade of -opinion and creed. Their relentless persecution of the neutral State -of Belgium, and their brutal disregard of all recognised canons of -humanity, so far from terrorising the Allies, have strengthened their -determination to fight to the bitter end Germany the enemy of the world. - - -PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY R. CLAY AND SONS, LTD., BRUNSWICK ST., -S.E., AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK. - - - - -[Illustration: - - =COPYRIGHT=: SPECIALLY PREPARED FOR =The Daily Telegraph= BY - "GEOGRAPHIA" LTD 55 FLEET STREET LONDOON E C - - ALEXANDER GROSS F.R.G.S. -] - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - - -Text on cover added by Transcriber and placed in the Public Domain. The -original cover appears as an image within some versions of this eBook. -The final illustration is a detailed map of north-eastern France. A -large version of it may be found in the materials for this eBook at -http://www.gutenberg.org/. - -Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a -predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not -changed. - -Simple typographical errors were corrected; occasional unbalanced -quotation marks retained. Some multi-paragraph quotations did not use -opening quotation marks for the inner paragraphs, while others did. -That inconsistent style was retained here. - -Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Fighting Retreat To Paris, by Roger Ingpen - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FIGHTING RETREAT TO PARIS *** - -***** This file should be named 53736-0.txt or 53736-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/7/3/53736/ - -Produced by Brian Coe, Charlie Howard, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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