The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-11-08
STORY OF INVASION AS
SEEN BY PARTICIPANT
Diary of German Soldier Taken from His Dead Body Gives
Thrilling Description of Days of Prussian Advance
Toward Capital of French Republic.

Paris. France. Nov. Here is tho
story OF German private who was
found dead in a trench--not from
wounds. but. it Is said. from starva-
ton. His story, In the form of daily
journal kept apparently UP to tho last
day, was found on him. It begins
with the advance OF the Crown Princes
tie of Charlerol and the fall OF Lon
gwy. 1t covers the battle of the Marine
and the greater part of the cam
paign on the Aisne. 1t reads:
Yesterday was day of rejoicing.
Our first army has pushed back the
French, defeated a division of English
cavalry, and is before the gates Of
| Paris. In Russia our troops have TAX
en- 10000 prisoners. The Joy would
have been greater II we had had some
thing to eat. Our division leaves for
Marson St. Armand and Bossuet, where
we are to bivouac before crossing the
Marine tomorrow. We hope to get
rations there.
1--WE finally stopped long enough
| to take bite. 1t didn't take long.
because what they gave us was just
enough to put a sharper edge on our
! appetites Then we went toward the
! Marine, pushing back attachments OF
| the French. They let us come to the
very edge of the stream; our advance
| guard was even partly across the
| bridge. when their artillery opened
| fire: it seemed to us that it opened
the gates OF hell at the same time.
We could not advance and we had no
! orders to retire. We could only stand
and watch the carnage around the
bridge, where our losses were terrible.
We succeeded in saving the flag and
| our commander, and then were or
! dered to retire. 1t was not exactly
defeat the officers say--only a re-
| tirement The battle resumed a little
/ later and lasted nearly all night. W.
went forward again. but were obliged
to dig ourselves in to escape the ter
rible artillery fire. Our own guns
j seemed to be weak.
| This morning (September y the
| French flying machines are circling
above us necessarily. obliging us to
keep to our trenches. Our artillery
seems unable to dislodge tho French
guns, and we fear an infantry attack
! from the left. 1t Ia an artillery day,
and our troops occupying the canal
bridge have suffered terribly. Out Of
sixty men, twenty-five only remained
when the combat was suspended with
| out decisive results. We got out Of
the trenches toward o'clock and
were lucky enough to dig up some
raw potatoes. which comforted us a
little,
Scenes and Scents Of Horrors.
"A great battle was announced for
today (September 81. We have been
in the trenches four days now. and the
rest after long marches would be
agreeable If there were no dead bodies
of men and horses, and If the flies
didn't poster us terribly.
THE great battle did not come Oft.
but today (September 100 we could
see, half mile of. the French artil-
Iery, strongly intrenched. They say
strong forces OF the enemy are in
front Of u.s. but that we need fear
nothing. A heavy battle Is going on
on our right wing. 1t seems that the
French Army Is In a bad position: to
get out it must retire on Paris or
break through our lines.
AT 2 o'clock today tSeptember III
we were ordered to leave the trenches.