The Prescott daily news., 1914-08-31
BRITISH FOUGHT THE
 GERMANS FOUR DAYS
British Line Beat or the Assailants and Fell Back in Order While Under Fire. Regiments were
 Wiped Out.

Paris, Aug. 30--11 D m-"The pro- gress of the German right wing has obliged us to yield ground on our left" says an official statement issued here tonight.
 London, Aug. 30-4.20 D. m.-Af- ter four days of desperate fighting the British army in France is rested, re- fitted and re-enforced for the next great battle, according to an an- inouncement by Lord Kitchener, sec retary for war. In statement based on reports from Sir John French, commander of the British expedition ary forces, the secretary says that the British, after struggling against tremendous odds, retired to a new line of defense, where they have not been molested since Thursday. Their casualties are between 5000 and G. 900. Since this fighting ceased, the French on the right and left have brought the German attack to a standstill, it is declared.
 kitchener's Statement.
 Lord Kitchener's statement, which was issued through official informa- tion bureau follows:
 Although dispatches of Sir John French as to the recent battle have not been received, it is possible to state what has been the British share in the recent operations.
 There has been four days battle -on the 23d, 24th, 25th, and 26th of August. During the whole of this period the British, in conformity with a general movement of the French ar mics, were occupied in resisting and checking the German advance and in withdrawing to new lines of defense. The battle began at Mons Sunday, during which day and part of the night the German attack, stubbornly pressed and repeated, was completely checked by the British front On Monday, the 24th, the Germans made vigorous efforts in superior numbers 1 to prevent the safe withdrawal of the British army and to drive it into the fortress of Maubeuge.
 "This effort was frustrated by the steadiness and skill with which the British retirement was conducted and, on the previous day, losses far in excess of anything suffered by us were inflicted on the enemy, who in dense formation and in enormous masses marched forward again and yet again to storm the British lines.
 "The British retirement proceeded on the 25th, with continuous fighting, though not on the scale of the pre- vious two days and by the night of the 25th the British army occupied the line of Cambrai, Landrecies and ! Lecateau (Cambrai is a fortified town in the department of the north, | 32 miles southwest of Lille on the River Scheldt. Lecateau is 14 miles southwest of Cambrai) It had been intended to resume the retirement at daybreak on the 26th, but the Ger man attack, in which no less than five army corps were engaged, was close and fierce, and it was not pos sible to carry out this intention un- til afternoon.
 "The battle on this day, the 26th, was severe and desperate. The troops offered superb and stubborn resis- tence to tremendous odds, and at length deported themselves in good order, though with serious losses and under the heaviest artillery fire. No guns were taken by the enemy ex- cept those of which the horses had been killed or which were shattered by high explosive shells
 General French estimates that during the whole of these operations from the 23d, to the 26th, inclusive. his losses amounted to 5000 or 5000 men. On the other hand. the losses suffered by the Germans in their at tacks across the open and through their dense formations are out of all proportion to those we suffered.