The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-23
Mere Prelude

phalia, of Hanover, of Brandeburg, have retired in haste before you.
 Mere Prelude
 ' This first success is no more than the prelude The enemy is shaken but not vet decisively beaten. You still have to undergo severe hardships, to make long marches, to fight hard battles. May the image of our country, soiled by barba- rians always remain before your eyes. Never was it more necessary to sacrifice all for her.
 Saluting the heroes who have fallen in the fighting of the last few days, my thoughts turn toward you, the victors in the next battle. Forward, soldiers, for France!
 Montmirail 9th September. 1914.
 General commanding the Fifth army.
 '' 'FRANCHET D'ESPEREY.'
 'rhe Germans are formidable enemy, well trained. long prepared and brave. Their soldiers are carrying on the con test with skill and valor Nevertheless, they are fighting to win, anyhow, regard less of all rules of fair play, and there is evidence that they do not hesitate at anything to gain victory.
 "A large number of the tales of mis- behaviors are exaggeration and some of the stringent precautions they have taken to guard themselves against the inhab- itants of the areas traversed are possibly justifiable measures of war. But at the same time It has been definitely estab- lished that they have committed atroci- ties on many occasions and they have been guilty of brutal conduct
 Letters and Statement
 So many letters and statements of our wounded soldiers have been published In our newspapers that the following ep1stie from d German soldier of the Sev- entyAfourth infantry regiment Tenth corps. to his wife, may be of interest:
 My Dear Wife-I have just been Twin gthrough days that defy imag- nation. I never should have tboupbt men could stand 1t. No second has passed but my life has been in dam ger. and yet not a hair of my head has been hurt. It was horrible; it was ghastly.
 None of us can do any more: bu- man strength Is at an end On the 5th of September the enemy Were report- cd to be taking up position near St. Prix. southeast of Paris. The tenth corps, which had made an astonisb- : ingly rapid advance, was attacked Snn- day. Steep slopes led up to the heights which were held in considerable force With our weak attachments of the Scventy-fourth and Ninety-first reei- Tents we reached the crest and came under terrible artillery fire that moved us down. However. we entered St. Prix. Hardly had we done so than we were met with shell fire and a violent fusillade from the enemy's in- fantry. Our colonel was badly wound ed---he is the third we have had.
 "'The 7th, Sth and 9th of Septem- Der we were constantly under shell and shrapnel fire and suffered terrible losses. The fear of death. of agony, which is in every mans heart. and naturally so. is a terrible feeling What I have suffered in that terrify- ing battle near Montmirail you cannot possibly imagine. For four days I was under artillery fire. It was like hell but thousand times worse
 "'On the night of the 9th the order was gwen to retreat as it would have been madness to attempt to hold ou, positicns with our few men and we should have risked a terrible defeat the next day. The first and third armies had not been able to attack with us as We had advanced to rapidly. Oui morale was absolutely broken: In spite or unheard of sacrifices we had achieved nothing.
 I cannot understand how our arm, after fighting three great battles and being terribly weakened was sen, "S"ihf' d position Wn1cn the enemy haC prepared for three weeks but natur- ally I know nothing of the intention. lof our chiefs; they say nothing has been lost.
 Not a Defeat
 l Tn word we retired toward Cor. lnianlreuil and Rheims by forced marches day and night. We hear tha1 three armies are going to get into line entrench and rest and then star afresb our victorious march on Paris It was not defeat. only strateg retreat. I have confidence in ouI chiefs that everything will be success full. "'Our firt battalion. which ha. fought with unparalleled bravery. i. reduced from 1900 to 194 men. Thes, numbers speak for themselves