The sun., 1914-09-15

the German guns were being with
drawn. having been used merely t
cover tho general retreat.
Laughter browns Musketry.
The French gun crews were ahso-
lutcly unaffected by tho firo and the
infantry, waiting tho orders TO go for
ward were very cheerful. The Turcos
uhe French Algerian troops) were hard
To keep in check They have an utter
disregard of danger and when nc orders
finally came to charge drove forward
rccklesslv, their Laughter rising over the
sound of musketry. Their one amb
iion seems To hc desire 20 ou,strip the
French regulars in the charge
The French army Organization is
marvclcusly complete and efficient The
cavalry infantry. artillery aud supply
trains wort coolly. IN close formation,
without \ hitch or without a race OF CA-
citemcnt The traditional eNCitcahle
Latin temperament was nowhere In owl
dcncc so far as could sec. The officers
were roollv rraternizinr with their men.
overseeing their food and keeping ihcir
ammunition rcpleniShcd This was in
marked contrast to tho brutal methods
~ the German officers which have
been reported from all parts Of tho
lighting line,
The French commissary is simply
wonderful. II ia maintained very close
to the fightjng line. Not u single mo-
mcui is lost in moving food supplies
and ammunition as needed. Tho driv-
ors Of the supply trains smoked their
cigarettes, read newspapers and sang
while awaiting orders to move forward
tn the front
The French at Soissons had gallantly
sacrificed the comforts and the benefits
OF the Red Cross organization In order
10 avoid cncumt~ring the field opera
tions with ambulauces and nurses
Thcv were kept FAR in the rear and
tho wounded were taken back IN such
vehicles as could he pressed into
service
The Germans all along the limo ~
battle have abandoned thcir wounded
to the mercies of the French. The
French doctors who arrived at the front
from raris expressed tho utmost sur
prise that there were no French officers
galloping eNcitedly across the battle
field or with melodramatic ordcrlies
rushing here and there from all points
Of the compass. Instead everything
| was ulpNtu WIN il'Nhh'I N hihl ~
the field telegraph and telephone sys-
TEN keeping the commanding officer at
all times In touch with every section
Of the field. The provcrbially stolid
| British officers are being outdone In
coolness nv the French commander,
whose confidence in the offensive possi-
hllitirs of the French army is superb.
Germans Are Exhausted.
! The German forces were obviously cx-
| hauslcd by their forced marches, which
while sensational in the extreme as an
offensive movement. left the Germans
| SO exhausted that they had nothing In
reserve when the allies assumed the
| offensive along the lines Of battle
previously selected by Gen. Joffre and
| Sir John French, The German army
of defence is infinitely inferior to tn"
German army on offence. Every officer
| with whom ! talked agreed to this and
| this fact Is very likely to hay a most
| important result on the ultimate out
| come of the war
At Soissons. after the Germans had
| abandoned their positions, ! counted IA
! used shells about disabled German
! gun This shows the rapidity Of tho
! German fire,
West OF Chateau Thicrry saw many
OF the Paris auto buses with farm
wagons attached as trailers crossing the
field gathering up the French and Ger
man dead.
Peasants have been pressed into ser
vice and are apparently burning the
dead in long trenches which they have
dug. Soldiers detailed for that purpose
collect the metal identification tags and
their valuables, which will he returned
to their friends in happier days to come
officers and surgeons who have In
spected the bodies of the slain are sur
prised 10 find that more than half have
been killed by artillery fire. indicating
that the field guns have far outstripped
the rifles as man killers in this war,
The result of the battle of the Marne
has erased from French memories the
nightmare OF 1870 Officers declare that
it Is now proved that the defeats OF that
campaign were due 10 the numerical
superiority of the Germans and that
Frances tigltIng spirit is still supreme,