Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-09-23
Single Continues Along
sisre River Win Every
Hour Bitterly Contested
DAY and Night.
GERMAN PURPOSE
NOT YET UNDERSTOOD
WHAT Vas Believed a Rear
Guard Action Develops Into
General Engagement Of
Vast Proportions.

a-.s-n~a go.s~s& trscnsl Afsfto ~tsfl
losson. sept ?. ,s.ss p m-l--The
fsIeuing descriptive account from
rsas Marshal Sir John French's :
ssasquarters of the British arry's ep-
erstsons up 10 September -. Was -
tsed tonight:
General HEADQUARTERS. 18th sep
tsrber. 1914.
-at the date Of the last narrative.
ssntersber Il. the Germans we're
nsklrs = determined resistance along
H. river Aisne. Opposition which. Il
xss first thought might possibly be
Il ! rear guard nature. not entaiiine
material delay 10 our progress has
aefeioped and has proved 10 be more
serious thar was anticipated.
MAY Not BE Main stand.
The action now being fought BY
The Germans along their line may. L
i true. have been undertaken IN or
der 20 gain time for some strategic
aperation or move. and may not be
their main stand. But IL this Is SO.
the iighting Is naturally on scale
which makes undistinguishabie n It's
progress from what is known as
pitched battle. though the enemy
certainly showed signs Of considerable
discrimination during the earlier
DAYS Of their retirement phase.
whether IL was originally intended
b. them TO defend the position they
took up as strenuously. as they have
done. or whether the delay gained for
hem during the twelfth and mir
leenfh By their artillery has enabled
them 10 develop their resistance ana
force their line 10 an extent not or
lenally contemplated. cannot yet be
sid.
Battle OF the iisne.
so far as we are concerned the
action still being contested is the
battle OF the Aisne. The foe We are
fighting is just across that river along
The whole OF our front ia the east
and west. The struggle is not con-
fined 10 the valley OF that river.
though il will probably bear It's
name
The progress Of our operations ana
the French armies nearest US for the
fourteenth. fifteenth. sixteenth anu
seventeenth. will now be described:
~0n Monday. the fourteenth, those
Of our troops which had on the pre-
slons day crossed the Aisne. after
driving in the German rear guards on
that evening, found portions OF the
enemys forces In prepared defensive
positions on the right bank and could
DO little more than secure a footing
north of the river This. however,
they maintained in spite of two coun-
ter-aftacks delivered at dusk and 10
D. m. In which the fighting was Sc
we're.
strong Rcinforcements-
During the fourteenth. strong re-
Inducements of our troops were pass
ed TO the north bank, the troops cross
ing By ferry, by pontoon bridges anu
BY the remains Of permanent bridges.
Close cooperation with the French
forces was maintained and the general
progress made was good, although OPP
position was vigorous and the state oil
The roads after the heavy rains maae
movements slow, One division alone
failed to secure the ground II expect
ed to.
The first army corps after .repuis-
ing repeated attacks captured tuu
prisoners and twelve guns The cav
airy also took number of prisoners.
Many Of the Germans taken belong
10 the reserve and Landwehr forma-
lions, which fact appears TO indicate
That the enemy is compelled to draw
on other classes OF soldiers to fill the
gaps in their ranks
There was heavy rain through
out the night of September 14-f5 and
curing the 18th the situation OF the
British forces underwent no essential
enange. But It became more ana
more evident that the defensive pre-
partitions made by the enemy were
more extensive than was at first ap-
parent.
British Forces Entrencil.
In order to counterbalance these,
measures were taken by us to econo-