The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-08-16

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in the branches above them, the black clouds we're
driven across the heavens like wild, ghostly riders
'Prodgies displayed themselves in the heavens and on
tho earth" as a historian remarks "Meteors
! IN the sky columns OF hazy and moving light;
spears Of fro darted and cleaned In the northern
heavens, and things and animals moved against the
wont and Of nature and wild cries resounded
through the woods" The Germans appeared upon the
tanks OF the Romans terrible TO behold, clad in the
horned skins Of the wild OK and the boar. In the
midst Of the terror and distress Of the Romans which
were augmented by the cold and rain, and want Of food
and rest the attacks Of the Germans were ncesn the
Romans fell in great numbers and the muttudes were
! pressed in among the wagons Tho Roman soldiers,
accustomed TO fight close ranks In the open field, be-
wearied in these attacks their art being Of little
avail Only with the greatest exertions the
Romans enabled 10 reach an emnence, surrounded by
wood, where halt made The wagons were
formed into burg and the baggage destroyed
THE VALLEY OF DEATH.
varus then gave up an idea of attempting chastise
the insurgents Of the north his grand consideration
TO reach Also and the high road to the Rhine. 1t
impossible for him to return by the road he had
| come, and he determined to take. though through
doubtful and unknown roads, tho shortest way
TO Also. Tho morning broke For while the march
lay through the open country, where they were en-
abled to maintain their ranks and defend themselves
against the German attacks But soon again they be-
came entanged in valley in the forest, from which
there outlet They suffered much from weari-
ness while traversng the long, Doggy valley up
towards the ridge OF the forest, while missiles,
/ stones, arrows and lances piled necessarily
from above and around Tho rain fell In torrents and
the clay soil chung their feet like lead and caused the
soldiers TO become weary and disprited The Germans
| attacked them all day long, Staying thousands. When
| night came the Romans exhausted that they
| were barely able TO mako their customary ntrench-
ments They sat, hungry, wet, weary, sulen, in
mentary expectation Of assault But Arnin suffered
the night TO pass quietly. He wished to see varus
entangle himself more deeply in the mountain fast
| nesses, while his own forces would be increasing
hour by hour. He saw the Reckon with
their followers pour down the forest pathways to
participate in the work Of freedom Conscious that the
decisive day was at hand Armn spent the night with
his brother chiefs in welcoming the new corners and
refreshing and Strengthening his people with words and
| food and communicating his plans for the morrow.
The Romans shivered with cold and hunger while the
Cherusi and allies careless OF shelter passed the night
| in festvity They called each others minds the
recoections of their ancient freedom and the OF
| former days They sung songs of their heroes and
praise and
THANKSGIVING TO oDrS AND THOR,
and heard in the bowling winds only the voice Of the
valkyr who should take them the morrow, If they
fell to the bright homes the warrior Germans in the
| thousand lowered Walhalla
The third day opened ominously the Teutoberger
wad. The rain still fell in torrents; the tempest
ragged violently that the heavy armed Romans
| could not advance, and moved with difficulty the
marshy and slippery ground, Their bows had become
useless from the wet their shields and spears longer
| glttered in military pride But the Germans who
accustomed to the climate felt little of the inclen-
oncy of tho weather Their bows carefully
preserved from the rain under the protecting
SKINS and they believed that odn himself
was aiding them with the storm. varus
saw that further progress was impossible On every
height he the huge forms of Germans, watching
their victims and impatient for the slaughter At last
Armin gave the signal for assault he himself leading
! the charge and inspiring his followers by word and
example. From all sides they pressed upon their
| mics, who at length reused themselves and fought
| with the desperation Of men who knew there
mean between victory and destruction The sound OF
trumpets the cang of weapons, the cries of wounded
men, the terrible war song of the Germans their shouts
of victory, mingled and confounded with
the howlings of the blast Weakened by
former losses, exhausted by want Of food and
the violence Of the storm, wearied by struggling
through the marshy soil the vaor of the Romans was
! hopeless Their numbers diminished every moment
and wherever they gained temporary advantage Ar
min poured fresh forces in upon them Yarus himself
wounded, saw the certain destruction OF his entire
army and, oppressed by pain and shame dreading cap
tvity, and still moro, tho account he give
Rome, he
PLUNGED SWORD,
and ended his life his father had done at Phllppi
and hahl hic atp an
followed his example. With the death of varus
there was end OF order. Eggus, one of the camp
projects broke the eagle from standard and sought
a nobcr death at the hands Of the enemy Cego-
MUS another camp preect proposed that they should
lay down their vala Numonius underworld with
the horse to cut his way through the Germans hoping
to reach tho Rhine. But nearly all persisted. The
venge of the Germans terrible. The surviving
Romans crowded together without order, without COM
manders eagles standard bearers they ceased from
the useless combat and fell victims the Germans who
massacred them for sacrifice To their gods. Only a
small number escaped by accident while the Germans
pundering the baggage Favored by the darkness
of the night they succeeded in reaching the Rhine.
Tacitus refers the survivors from the massacre as
hosc who escaped the slaughter and the slavery and
we the authority Of Seneca that many Romans
Senatorial dignity reduced by the overthrow Of
Varus pass the remainder Of their lives in captivity
There we're who only returned to their homes
after fortytwo years German servtude. The head Of
varus, cut from his half burned body sent by
Hermann TO Marbod to remind him OF the German vic
tory and his own disgrace.
HKRMANs's VICTORY
was full and complete. After he had addressed the
Nehrmen who gathered round him the field of battle
he was raised on their shields and borne in triumph
around the camp "Arnh was borne by the Reckon
through the innumerable multitudes The old blessed
him, mothers pointed him out as the hero who had
saved them from Roman scrvitude; the voice OF
rors wives and madens raised the song Of thanksgv-
ing and the Teutoberger wad echoed with sounds
which had before, have sinco disturbed its
loneliness" In Rome, however, the of varus de-
feat caused the greatest CONSERVATION. Permit
hero to quote passage from English historian OF