The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1914-09-26


made by the British expeditionary
force to beep from being annihilated.
Like a wildcat pursued by hounds. the
British force backed stubbornly to-
ward the River Disc, constantly show
ing its teeth. but realizing that 1t must
attain the river or perish.
Text Of the Report.
The report is published In the Lon
don Gazette, the Official organ. 1t is
al follows:
THE transportation of the troops
from England by rail and sea was eff
fected in the best order and without
a check. Concentration was practi-
cally completed on the evening Of FRI
day. August 81. and was able to
make dispositions to move the force
during Saturday to positions ! con-
sidered most favorable from which to
commence the operations which Gem
eral Joffre requested me to under
take"
General French then described in
detail the position taken up by his
forces at and on the east and west
of Mons, and the retirement of the
center behind Mons on Sunday, Au-
gust %. He continues:
Surprised by Joffre's Message.
Meanwhile. about i've in the after
noon. received most unexpected
message from General Joffre by tele-
graph. telling me that at least three
German corps were moving on my
position in front and that another
corps was engaged in a turning move
ment from the direction Of Journal.
He also informed me that the two re-
serve French divisions and the Fifth
French army corps on my right were
retiring, the Germans having on the
previous day gained possession Of the
passage of the Sambre between
Chartered and Namur.
Had Reserve Position Ready.
'Tn view OF the possibility of my
being driven from the Mons position
I had previously ordered position In
the rear to be reconnoitered.
when the news of the retirement
of the French and the heavy German
threatening on my front reached me
endeavored to confirm II by aeroplane
reconnaissance and as result Of this
| I determined to effect a retirement to
the Maubeuge position at daybreek on
the Gath.
Fighting on the gath.
"A certain amount of fighting con-
tiued along the whole line throughout
the night and at daybreak on the Gath
the second division from the neigh
borhood of Harmignies made power
full demonstration as II to retake
Binche Under cover of this demon
stration the Second corps retired on
the line of Dour. Quarouble and
Frameries. The third division on the
right Of the corps suffered consider
able loss in this operation from the
enemy who had retaken Mons.
| THE Second corps haltei on this
line, where they intrenched them
selves, enabling Sir Douglas Haig with
the First corps to withdraw to the
new position and he effected this with
out much further loss. reaching the
line from Bavay 20 Maubeuge about
seven in the evening.
About 1880 in the morning Genera
Allenby received a message from Sill
Charles Ferguson. commanding the
nth division, saying he was very hard
pressed and in urgent need Of sup
port. On receipt Of this message Gen
eral Allenby drew in his cavalry and
end.avored to bring direct support 4
, tha fifth division
Re-Enforcements Brought Up.
"The Nineteenth infantry brigade
} which had been guarding the line o
, communications, was brought by raj
to Valenciennes on the 22d and 23d
On the morning of the oath they wer'
. moved out to q position south o
Quarouble to support the left hanl
OF the Second corps.
with the assistance OF cavalr.
Sir Horace Smith Dorrien was en-
abled to effect his retreat to Q ney
position, although having two corp
, OF the enemy on his front and on
I threatening his flank. He suffers
, great losses in doing so.
AT nightfall position was occr
: | pIoO Oy t0o ooCono SoA Up W sAAS =" .
: of Bavay, the First corps to the righ'
, The right was protected by the fol
I tress Of Maubeuge, the left by tn
/ Nineteenth brigade in positions b
? tween Jenlain and Bruay and by ca,
! airy ON the outer flank. The Frenc
, were still retiring and ] had no sui
! port except such as was Afforded b
) the fortress of Maubeuge. and detel
mined efforts Of the enemy to g
. around my flank assured me that
4 was his intention to hem me agains
= that place and surround me.
r Not Z Moment TO Be Lost.
II felt that not . moment must b
/ lost in returning to another position
+ The retirement was resumed in tn
. early morning of the 25th to pos
ton in the neighborhood of LeCatea
4 and the rear guard was ordered TO b
3 clear Of Maubeuge and Bavay by S:S
q m. Two cavalry brigades, with tn
q divisional cavalry of the Secon
4 corps, covered the movement Of tn
+ Second corps. and the remainder 9