Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-11-05
OCCUPATION OF
PoNT-A-MoUSSON
BY THE GERMANS
Only Preliminary of Bloody
Battle of Dieulouard, When
French Drove Germans from
Both Places with Terrible
Slaughter of the Enemy
fAssocIated Press Correspondence 5,

fAssociated Press Correspondence
Pont-a-M ousson, Oct 24-Astride the
last 3-inch gun of a column of artillery,
fianked on either side by a Bavarian SOL
der with fixed bayonet. Monsieur Ber-
trand, round shouldered, white-haired
veteran of the war of 1870 and deputy
mayor of Pont-aMousson, was carried
from the city as chief hostage of the
Germans, in tn procession which marked
the end of the occupation by three Bava-
rian regiments.
Pont-a-Mousson is quiet town of L, 900
inhabitants. the possession of which
was valuable to the Germans only be-
cause of its bridge which furnishes a
convenient crossing of the Moselle on the
road from Metz to Toul 1t was at
tackled early in the war. partly for this
reason and partly as the result of the de-
fective vision of captive balloon observ-
ers, who mistook for Notifications the
antique ruins of a castle at the village of
Mousson on hill to the east of the
bridge.
The first bonbardment of the town
early in August was not followed up I'M
til the first days of September, when a
the river and German. aeroplanes COM
menced maneuvring over the town. They
dropped 200 bombs. killing six and
wounding great number of civilians.
but it was not until the 9Th that the
ringing of the tocsin announced to the
citizens that the Germans had appeared
on the other side of the river in force.
The solemn tones of the bell were still
heard when a terrific dull explosion shook
the windows of every house; the bridge
from which the town derives its name
was no MORE, and Immediately after
blowing 1t DIP the French troops, in too
small number to cope with the enemy,
quit the town.
The captive balloon was seen again to
rise il the distance and soon after the
! German heavy artillery began to play on
the dilapidaJed antique castle on the
hill. During Sc hours they showered
great projectiles on that spot, literally
pulverizing what remained of the walls,
occasionally diverting shell to the town,
after which they crossed the Moselle on
an innprovised bridge and rushed up to
the assault of the supposed fortress.
which they found as quiet as the grave
l.,
and what the Germans took for guns
from their captive balloon were simply
cleverly disposed tree trunks, and the
fire which replied occasionally to their
guns to complete the Illusion came from
behind the hill,
The story of the occupation of this
town is quite the same as has been so
often told of other towns hostages, pro-
CARNATIONS and acquisitions, but 1t did
not last long. The morning of the 9Th
the impressive music of the French 3-inch
guns was heard in the town; at the same
time French aeroplane was seen to dart
through the sky in the direction of the
captive balloon, which FASTENED to de-
scend. These were the prelimnaries of
the battle of Dieulouard, to which no de-
spatches have referred by name but
which was one of the bloodiest in the
action of General Castelanu's army de-
Tending Nancy.
"A continual procession of improvised
ambulances passed through the town to-
ward the bridge that night, and other
wagons with a more grewsome mission
turned to the railroad station, where in
habitants, retired to their houses by or
der. saw loaded into all kinds of fat
cars, horse cars, cattle cars, the bodies
of those that fell that day at Dieulouard.
They were piled as high as they could be
packed and in the early morning these
wheeled charnel houses were hauled
across the frontier toward Metz
As for the 9th Bavarian infantry, not
one of this regiment was ever seen again
in the streets of Pont-a-Mousson. and
three days later the other troops of oc-
cupation left the town.
September 23rd the Germans made their
last attempt to re-capture Pont-a- Nous
son, ending in charge on the Hill of
Saint Genevieye. The French position at
the summit had been bombarded during
the morning, and by nine o'clock the
fire of the French seemed to have been
definitely silenced. The order for the as
sault was given and to the music of the
fife and drum, the Bavarians started up
the slope, meeting no resistance until
they arrived within a hundred yards Of
the first line of trenches. Almost to a
man the first line went down under the
first voley that received them there
Others rushing on to take their places
fell over their comrades. The ranks came
ing of this slaughter and the machine
guns and rifles swept them down
In some places it was impossible to
close the ranks because the piles of bod
les separated them, and finally these
heaps of dead and dying became the