The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-10
FRENCH ARMY OF INVASION
NOW ON BATTLE SCARED SOIL

The line OF the present French advance
Into southern Germany is through a war
SCARED. war ravaged part of central Eu-
rope. In every mile of their march they
are In sight Of a hilltop crowned by a
castle that once commanded a strategic
point. but that in frontier wars waged by
French. German, Austrian or Swiss was
fought over. burned and destroyed until
to-day only pile OF ruins marks the spot
where it stood.
Alt-Breisach. which lies on their right
on their march TO Colmar and which tops
| great basaltic rock that rises ESQ feet
from the Rhine was formerly the key to
southern Germany and TO the land which
these troops are trying to conquer. Their
forefathers destroyed It in the last CEN
fury and new dellmltstions OF territory
and modern meaps OF defence relegated
this famous old fortress to the scrap heap
and Neu Breisach Muelhauscn, Colmar
and Belfort, which II once protected, have
now become military centres and points
OF strategic Importance.
In their advance they passed through
two valleys, They went from Belfort
through the valley Of a small tributary
of the Savoureuse in the protection Of their
own outer defence and then crossing into
Germany followed a tributary of the Ill
! to Altkirch. from there they passed north
ward along the valley OF Ill. The little
villages along the way had all suffered
much AS had the old defences. Most OF
them ut some time in their history had
been the scenes OF bitterly contested bat
ties and had been so often rebuilt that
| few OF them stand on their original sites
Built on q single street.
They are generally built along a single
street In n struggling line OF houses with
white plastered walls and exposed wooden
cross beams with one or two larger stone
buildings that are the store house and
wine press. The wooden structures go up
| first In the flames kIndled by the torch Of
| the invader or the fire OF the artillery
and the stone buildings remain standing
riddled with bullets that future genera
tons show with pride as the towns battle
scars. But the soil OF the valleys Is rich
! and productive and the people always re-
turn when the storm passes. SO do the
storks for though the chimneys that sup
port their nests. are battered down they
never desert this part OF Alsace
Altkirch, which the French captured
after severe fighting, Is the largest of the
towns on their march to Muelhausen. II
is pcturesquely situated. and In times
of peace tourists who go on the beaten
path enjoy from the tower OF it's little old
town building a fine view down the hill
slope and over the valley. They can
see, too, "A collection OF medieval relies
that the Count ~ Phrt has on view and
then buy few specimens of the pottery
FOR which Altkirch is renowned. 1t seems
easy OF defence and the Germans had \
line of smalr forts covering the eastern
approach. They had not maintained. how
ever, much OF n garrison at this point
depending principally upon troops from
Muelhausen, which was only ten and
half miles away. 10 repel invasion
Seat Of Government.
Muelhausen Is the mos; important town
OF upper Alsace, for not only Is il the
seat OF government for the district but
IT is one of the great manufacturing points
OF southern Germany and "A railroad
centre OF great value both CONNER
clally and strategically, Its leading
industry is the manufacture OF cot
ton goods, which was begun here as
far back az tho middle OF the eigh-
teehth century. Muelhausen has for years
been a good market for American raw
cotton. Besides its cotton mills the town
Is also n great manufacturing place for
chemicals and IN recent years II has de-
Neloped Into one of the most Important
points in the empire for the manufacture
of locomotives and railway cars.
Muelhausen's principal railway IL the
line from Strassburg, over which much
of the heavy traffic. both passenger and
freight, Is carried from that city 10 the
south into Switzerland and Italy This
| road forms part OF the great German
system on the west bank OF the Rhine,
| The line clings 10 the western side OF
the 1T Valley, coming close to the foot
hills OF the Vosges Mountains from Col
mar south But there is a subsidiary line
from Colmar along the bank OF the III
that supplies transportation TO the smaller
nlacas herA and also ma sses nv n lima NJ