Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1914-09-11
STORY or FIRST
GREAT BATTLE

"A German Victory, but cerman
Graveyard" Says One Correspondents.
kaisers Soldiers Lauded For "Ex-
-traordinary Tenaeity" When Bridges
Were Blown UP, Cutting OH Retreat.
Philip Gibbs OF the New York Times.
. London Chronicle war service tells
q gripping story Of the French retire
ment when the Germans advanced
from Namur down the valley Of the
Meuse, winning the way at cost OF
human life as great us that of defeat
This was the first great battle OF the
VI e
In Justice to the Germans" essays,
1T must be said they were heroic in
courage and reckless OF their lives.
and the valley OF the Mouse was
choked with their corpses The river
itself was strewn with the dead bodies
OF men and horses and literally ran
red with blood.
"The most tremendous lighting took
place for the possession OF the bridges.
but the French engineers blew them
up one after another as they retired
southward
Heroic Stand.
'There was a memorable encounter
at Marville, which is one Of the most
heroic episodes of the war. Five thou
sand French soldiers of all arms, with
zuickfrers. engaged 10000 German In
.antry. In spite Of being outnumber-
ed the French beat back the enemy
from point to point In fight lasting
for twelve hours.
"1n accordance with the general plan
which had been decided on by the gen
erals in view Of the superior numbers
temporarily pressing upon them. the
Germans succeeded In forcing their
way steadily down the Meuse as far
as Mezieres, divided by bridge from
Charleville. on the other side of the
river This is in the neighborhood OF
Sedan and In the 'trou.' as 1t is called,
which led 70 the great disaster of 1870.
when the French were caught In a
trap and threatened with humiliation
by the Germans. who had taken pos
session OF the surrounding heights.
There was to be no repetition Of
that tragedy The French were deter
mined that this time the position
should be'reversed.
Frightfui Slaughter.
when the German outpDsts reached
Charleville they were allowed to ride
quietly across the bridges into an ap-
parently deserted town. Then sudden
ly their line Of retreat was cut off, the
three bridges were blown up by n con
tact mine and the nitrIilleuses hidden
In the houses were played on the Ger
man cavalry across the streets, killing
them In d frightful slaughter. f
TWAS FOR little while sheer mas
sacre, but the Germans fought with
extraordinary tenacity. regardless OF
the heaped bodies of comrades and at
terly reckless ofltheir own lives They.
too, had brought quick firers across the
bridges and, taking cover behind
houses. trained their guns upon the
houses from which the French gunners
were firing. There was no way OF es
cape for those heroic men. who volun-
tarily sacrificed themselves. and 1t is
probable every man died. because at
such time the Germans were not in
the habit of giving quarter
The occupation of Charleville was
a German victory but was also a
German graveyard. After this historic
episode In what has been an nnending
battle the main body Of French with
drew before the Germans, who were
now pouring down the valley
''lt was a retirement which has had
one advantage in spite of Its acknowl-
edgment of the enemy's amazing per
tinacity 1t enabled the allied armies
to draw closer together, its front sweep
ing around In crescent from Able
vile, around south of Amiens. and
thence In an irregular line to the east
ern frontier"
IN NIFNORIA1E