The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1914-08-18

desperate struggle to come, the CEN
sors will permit no news to be sent
out.
This much it is permitted to send
"Unofficially it is stated that the Ger
man troops reformed after being re-
pulsed at Haelen the battle was re-
newed. Fresh Belgian troops were
sent to the front in support of their
comrades"
1t was officially announced that the
Belgian cavalry division took up the
offensive against the Germans, who
were defeated at Haelen, with the
object of picking up the dead and
wounded and collecting the abandon
ed materials of war. No German sur
prise was expected. and there were
no reasons to fear any cavalry move
ments on Brussels from the south, all
roads leading to the capital being
guarded by the Belgian army and the
civic guard. Brief dispatches tell of
fighting in the neighborhood of Ton
gres, north of Liege.
An official Belgian communication
says that a German force proceeding
in the direction of Eghezee, to the
north of Namur, was attacked and re-
pulsed by the Belgian troops. The
Germans are said to have suffered Sc
we're casualties. The Belgians also
captured a number of machine guns
mounted on motor cars. Details OF
the first days fighting at Haelen show
that while the battle was the most
brilliant and stuhbornly contested of
the war so far, it was but a skirmish
to the engagement which impends when
| the complete armies on both sides
| have finally Unanswered into position.
Details of the losses sustained were
not at hand. According to the Belgian
reports the Germans were repulsed
after fierce fighting. At one place 1t
is declared more than 200 German
dead were counted in a space of so
yards square.
The engagement will be known as
the Battle of Haelen. 1t waged all day
and far into the night. At o'clock
in the evening shells were still falling.
According to the Belgian reports the
main fighting conferred around Haelen,
which is in the Belgian province of
Limburg, while the battle line extend
ed to 'Diest, in the north of the prov
ince Of Brabant, after passing around
Zoelhemg The battle of Diest was
merely part of the general fight all
along the line. When patrol of car
bineers first signalled the approach of
the German troops at the opening of
I IL T11r Il
the trenches, and a hot fire greeted
the German advance. Hating their
charge, the Germans brought into play
| their artillery A slaughter of Bel
gians followed. Bringing their guns
| to bear upon the trenches, the Ger
mans swept them with such a deadly
hail OF bullets that the Belgians were
driven out and forced to retire into
the town of Haelen.
Hand-to-hand fighting ensued as the
1 Belgians broke from cover for their re
treats The brilliant uniforms of the
Belgians, in contrast to the dull gray
suits of the Germans, made them
splendid targets for the Germans, and
they were swept down by scores in
their retreat upon the city. Reinforce
ments were quickly brought up, how
ever, and the Belgians rallied, driving
the Germans back and recapturing the
defenses from which they had been
driven by the Germans, and forced
them back in series of desperate
charges toward Hasselt and st. Trond
st. Petersburg Russian force has
taken the town of Sokal, Austrian Ga
licia, by assault, inflicting heavy cas-
ualties on the Austrian garrison, ac
, cording to a semi-oficial announce
ment
i The Austrian garrison consisted O.
, two infantry battalions, regiment O.
lancers and regiment of hussars
: After dislodging them, the Russian
: cavalry pursued the Austrians acros:
! the River Bug and blew up two bridges
and viaduct. Several houses in So
: kal, which is As miles northeast o
r Lemberg, were set on fire and burned
t to the ground by the Russian troop,
: because civilians had fired from then
: on the attacking force. The Russians
captured some military building ma
l terial, pontoons and telegraph instru
J ments
The German concentration along tn
S line of Liege, Luxembourg and Met
I now complete. and Is army corps, wit
/ two Austrian corps, are within striking
+ distance of the French frontier Tn
s total strength of this force is est
e mated at 100000 men, with 10000
/. infantry. $4,000 cavalry. 1000 feel
!. guns and howitzers and 1900 machin
# guns. This is about double th
a strength and force that Moltke ha
e at his disposal in 1870.