The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-09-23
ANOTHER GREAT
BATTLE STARTED
Germans And Allied Armies Fighting
North of fhe Aisne
River
GERMAN Retreat KALTS
Driven Steadily Back Through France
"a, the kaiser's Armies Are Facing
Their Pursuers ed.

Paris.-The rear guard action, sup
posed at first to be intended as 2
check to pursuit and to facilitate the
treatment of the mass of the armies
of Gems. Won Kluck and Won Buelow,
has developed into what will probably
be called in history the Battle Of
Aisne. Whether the Germans have
found it necessary or advisable to
turn and engage in a general action
or not this great battle wages fierce
ly and rivals in importance the bat.
tie Of the Marine. .- .
The war office says the French have
not fiinched at any point. This sounds
as if they were on the defensive and
this might be 81 in view of the great
strength Of the position the Germans
occupy. The official communication
said the French and English had cross
ed the Aisne. If so they have the
river at their back, while the Germans
are strongly e~ntrenched on the heights
of Laon and Rheims with their right
protected by the Disc and the Aisne
at Norton.
The undetermined element in this
fight is the allies right, which is In
pursuit of the crown princes army.
All reports indicate that the latter
is quite as demoralized as was Won
Kluck's army and is suffering equal
ly from lack Of provisions and ammu-
milton. While Won Kluck has no doubt
received what he needs in this respect
It is doubtful If the crown prince
has. ,r
The issue Of the BATH may depend
upon in what condition. the crown
prince reaches the front and whether
he can make a stand and prevent the
allies from turning the Germans left.
Three Million Men Fighting
AS the crow flies the front of the
opposing armies, which with the
heavy reinforcements that have reach.
ed them, probably total in the neigh
borhood of three million men, stretch
es for ITO miles. Making allowances
for the deviation north to Laon, the
line must be quite $50 miles long, so
there is ample room for successes on
one part of the field and reverses else
where. The Germans are in their
selected positions, with strong rein
forcements rushed up from Lorraine;
consequently this great battle may
yet prove to be one of the most de-
cisive and momentous OF the a
The British and French armies
seems to be attempting to repeat on
the Aisne the turning movements car
ried out so successfully on the Marine,
and in the present cas- they have the
additional incentive Of knowing that
should the German right be again turn
ed there are no great defensive posi-.
lions behind the invaders until they
reach the river Mouse.
Reinforcements to Prussia Withdrawn
London.-A Petrograd special dis.
patch to The Times says:
According to the latest informa-
ton available here the Germans, re.
alizing the futility Of the withdrawal
Of eight army corps from their west
ern front, are returning their first line
Of troops from East Prussia westward.
Military writer's here are still puz-
cling over the problem why Germany
should have made the blunder Of send
ing such an enormous army to East
Prussia, where it was bound to remain
either inactive or make an attempt to
invade Russia with the almost CON-
plete certainty Of sharing the fate of
the Austrian forces at Galicia.
"The real explanation seems to be
that when half the population of East
Prussia stampeded before General
Rennenkampf, carrying the, panic to
Berlin, Germany felt compelled to
tranquilize the population by sending
a great army to the area occupied
by the Russians"
Austrians Resume Offensive
Paris.-A Nish, Servia, dispatch to
the Havas Agency says:
"Resuming the offensive the Austri-
ans passed the Drina river to the south
and southwest and marched toward
Kroupani and Valievo (Servian towns
about ten and thirty-ive respectively
sror, thu Bosnian hOrder).