Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-20
Growing Riddle of Kaiser's
Advance Related in Ger
i man Communication.
500 iNFANTRYMEN MAKE
FRENCH THOUSANDS FLEE
Scale Cliff in Face Of Whitening Fire
and Win Victory at Bayo-
nets Point.


AACHEN (Aix-la-ChapelIe,. Germany.
September 4.-In most of the encounters
in Belgium the Overwhelming numbers
Of the Germans were enough to account
for their successes. But in the fight at
Buissiere on the morning of Monday.
August "a, two companies of German in
fantrymen were the cause of the rout Of
an entire French army corps The tire
mendous advantage in the position held
by the French makes this defeat one OF
the GROWING riddles OF the German ad-
vance
The little village OF Buissiere is d.
vided by the river Sambre. which at this
point is lined with marble stations, boat
houses and breweries. North. the land
rises gradually and is spotted with farm
houses; on the south bank of the river
there is a sharp bluff about seveBty-flve
feet high and SO abrupt as to give II the
appearance of geological freak. Along
the verge of this almost perpendicular
height runs a low hedge. The Germans
held the village itself and were en-
camped upon ground to the north. about
a quarter of a mile from the river.
French Rake Germans.
The 4Sth Regiment of the I'd French
Army Corps crept before sunrise to
the top Of the strategic position on the
south bank of the river. where the
natural advantage was SO great that
it would have seemed that a dozen
rifles might have held it. Behind the
regiment of Chasseurs-a Pied, who re-
inforced their security by low trench
behind the hedge which topped the
bluff, the 251st, the 21Sth and the eth
AL
their stand. Still further back on
sort of secondary eminence, which rose
from the bluff itself like a camefs
hump, were stationed the 9th Dragons
of the 5th Army Corps and five bat
teries of the artillery divisions Of the
same corps.
AS the sun rose the artillery opened
fire upon the eth Brigade of the 7th
German Army Corps across the river.
It did deadly execution. and 80 raked
the unoffending village of Buissiera
across which 1t had to fire that the
buildings in the congested portion near
the river seemed to topple over as III
they had been rocked by an earthquake.
The oath German Artillery was late in
arriving, and hundreds of Germans had
fallen before the French machine guns
were answered by German artillery IRE.
Finding the French fire too power
full, the Germans determined upon q
charge which will go down in history.
~ ,
of only 500 men, advanced at full
speed down the easy slope to the
Sambre, and, dashing across small
bridge which the French at that very
moment were trying to destroy with
dynamite, they charged up a small
pass which threaded it's way up the
steep incline to the crest where the
French sharpshooters were ensconced.
Make French Retreat.
The hedge which screened the enc.
my emitted almost continuous tongues
of flame. The effect was deadly, but
the diminished German companies
scaled the bluff, and by some miracle
which must remain a mystery dis
persed the French troops by a bayonet
charge
The battle of Buissiere. aside from
the unique character which it derived
from the two army positions and the
extraordinary German charge. is typi-
cal of series of German encounters
reaching from Buissiere far over the
French border. In every case the Ger :,
mans testify that the French soldiers
have acted with great individual BRAY
cry, but in every case something has
been lacking. In Buissiere and in a
number of other encounters the French.
according to German officers. rely too
much upon their artillery. In as many
other battles their infantry. strong
ported by cavalry. 1t is the German
opinion that the French lack pre-
paredness, good generalship and per-
feet coordination.
In the battle of Buissiere the losses
were heavy on both sides. but it is
Fifty French prisoners. including two
officers. were taken.