Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-08-29
GERMANS FORCE
BRITISH RETREAT
Desperate Fighting in the Vi
cinitY of Cambria Described
by Correspondent.
INCIDENTS OF DEFENSE
IN TRENCHES AT MONS
Wounded English Soldier Tells Of
Heavy Loss in Early Morn
ing Battle.

Heavy Loss IN Early MOTH
ing Battle.
LONDON, August 90 GO a.m.).-The
correspondent of the Telegraph at Arras,
capital of the Department of Pas-de-
Calais. sends an account of the fighting
In the vicinity of Cambria. under Thurs
DAYS date. He says:
Cambria was occupied yesterday by
the Germans despite the efforts Of the
English. The defense of the frontier
from Lille to Valencennes was until
twelve hours ago intrusted to the British.
who did all in their power to halt the adj
vance of the enemy, but conditions we're
unfavorable.
THE force opposed was one of the most
highly trained and hest equipped In the
world, consisting of a cavalry division,
supported by battalion of infantry with
artillery and machine guns. So RAPID
and audacious are its movements that
In four days cavalry has appeared at
almost every point along the ROAD from
Lille to Cambria.
1.-THE British were without artillery or
machine guns, but they had orders to
hold Cambria at all costs Heaven knows
desperately. and were then compelled
to fall back on Arras.
Il met them retreating slowly before
body Of cavalry with machine guns
which decimated their ranks
The retirement was conducted Skill
fully and coolly and with the assistance
of Belgian troops who came up in the
nick of time.
."There is now a sufficient force to op-
nose any further attack on Arras and
Bethune, twenty miles to the northwest,
but it is not unlikely that for strategic
purposes some further portions OF this
abandoned,
1.-The people of the entire vicinity are
much alarmed and many are fleeing at
every runlor of the enemy's approach.
The panic and stampede of the civilians
Is the cause of much confusion and
hampers the military operations.
German Attack at Mons.
sergt. LOTUS. writing to his brother
in England of the experiences of the
British in the battle of Mons. says:
1T came unexpectedly at time when
we had given up hope of seeing any
Germans. Just after reveiiie our cav
proach of the enemy in force.
We lay in trenches as our artillery
opened on them in fine style. and soon
they returned the compliment. They
were a long time finding the range.
AFTER about half an hour their in
fantry came into view. They were in
solid square. standing out sharply
against the sky line. You couldn't
help hitting them.
sound, and they crept nearer and nearer.
Then our officers gave the word,
sheet of flame flickered along the
trenches and stream of bullets tore
through the advancing mass. Ihey
seemed to stagger like drunken man
suddenly hit between the eyes and then
they made a run at US. Half way
across the open another volley tore
through their ranks.
BY this time our artillery began
dropping shells among them and then
they broke into open formation, rush
ing like mad toward the trenches. On
our left the Germans fell back in con-
fusion and lay down wherever cover
was available We gave them no rest
and soon they were again in fight.
Another Rush on Trenches.
Then came more Smelling of our
trenches and another rush across the
open on our front This time they we're
strongly supported by cavalry. who SUI
fered terribly, but came up to our lines;
I'VE received them in the good old
way the front ranks with the bayonet
and the rear ranks keeping up an in
cessant fire. and after a hard tussle
they retired hastily. Just as they
men swooped down on them. cutting
right and left.
"This sort of thing went on through
the whole day without bringing the
Germans any nearer to shifting US.
After the last attack we lay down
to sleep in our clothes, but before sun
rise were told to abandon our posi-
tons. Nobody knew why we had to,
but We obeyed without murmur.
THE enemys cavalry, evidently ms
understanding our action, came down
on US again in force. but our men be-
haved very well and the Germans gave
II up as bad job.
Only Thirty of 1000 Survive.
The Chronicles Boulogne corre-
spondent sends the personal story OF
wounded soldier who has arrived there
and who declared he vas one of thirty
survivors of British company of 1000
troops who were practically wiped out
by the German artillery. His story
follows:
I'VE were five solid days in the
trenches and moved backward and Tor
ward all that time with the varying
tide of battle.
1T was about o'clock in the morn
Ing when the end came. Things had
gotten quieter and our officers came
along the line and told to get some
sleep. We were preparing to obey
when light or something else gave
US away and found ourselves in an
inferno of bullets, We could do noth.
ing Down upon us the shrapnel
hailed and We fell by the score. PractI-
cany at the same time the enemy $
maxims opened fire. We We're almost
without shelter when we were caught
AND we crawled along in front to find
cover
Leave everything and retire was the
order, and we did what we could to
obey | don't know how long it lasted.
but when dawn came j could see not
more than thirty men left in the va
rious sections of the field. Thirty at
the most were left out of about 1000.
II wandered about from the others
and eventually found myself at
with a single companion. That was the
first time the German artillery really
mighty poor.
In the above story the censor has
deleted the name of the town near
which this fighting occurred.
Lured Into Barbed-Wire Fence.
A private letter received here from a
British officer at the front tells how a
British cavalry regiment suffered
severe loss through a ruse of the
enemy.
The regiment. 1t seems, sighted a
German battery not far off, firing in a
reverse direction. and the British
onicer decided that the battery was un-
aware of their presence. whereupon he
ordered a cavalry charge down into the
valley which lay between them and the
battery.