Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1914-09-18
GEN. FRENCH TELLS HOW STRATEGY
SAVED BRITISH FROM humiliation

Sol1 JOuu HIeuCu VI the ucEOtS hbht
made by the British expeditionary
force to keep from being annihilated.
Like wildcat pursued by hounds. the
British force backed stubbornly to-
{ lard the River Disc, constantly show
%ng 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 oficiaI organ. 1t Is
as follows:
The transportation OF the troops
from England by rail and sea was eff
fected in the best order and without |
q 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 Cen
eral Joffre requested me to under
take"
General French then described I'm
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 20. He continues:
Surprised by Joffre's Message.
Meanwhile, about five in the after
noon, l received a 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 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
Charleroi and Namur.
Had Reserve Position Ready.
'Tn view OF the possibility of my
being driven from the Mons position
had previously ordered a 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 1t by aeroplane
reconnaissance and as a result of this
I determined to effect retirement to
the Maubeuge position at daybreak on
the Gath.
Fighting on the oath.
"A certain amount of fighting con.
tiued along the whole line throughout
the night and at daybreak 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.
1.-THE Second corps haltei on THU
line, where they intrenched them
selves, enabling Sir Douglas Haig with
the First corps to withdraw to th'
new position and he effected this with
out much further loss, reaching tn
line from Ravay to Maubeuge abou
seven in the evening.
About 1880 in the morning Genera
AIlenby received a message from 81
Charles FERGUSON, commanding tn
fifth division, saying he was very har
pressed and in urgent need of sur
port. On receipt Of this message Ger
eral Allenby drew In his cavalry an
.enduavored to bring direct support t
the fifth division.
Re-Enforcements Brought UE.
gThe Nineteenth infantry brigade
which had been guarding the line {
communications. was brought by ra
to VaIenciennes on the 22d and 90
On the morning Of the Gath they weI
moved out TO a position south {
Quarouble to support the left fan
of the Second corps.
with the assistance of cavalI
Sir Horace Smith Dorrien was e
abled to effect his retreat to q ne
position, although having two corr
of the enemy on his front and OF
threatening hts flank. He sufferC
great losses in doing so.
AT nightfalI a position was occ
pied by the Second corps to the we
of Bayay, the First corps to the rig
The right was protected by the fc
tress Of Maubeuge, the left by Il
Nineteenth brigade in positions b
tween Jenlain and Bruay and by ca
airy on the outer flank. The Frent
were still retiring and had no gu
port except such as was afforded
the fortress OF Maubeuge. and det'
mined efforts of the enemy to G
around my fiank assured me that
was his intention to hem me- again
4hat place and surround me.
Not a Moment to Be Lost.
Il felt that not 3 moment must
lost in returning to another positic
The retirement was resumed in t
eaAly morning OF the 25th to a 20
tiuS in the neighborhood Of Locate
al the rear guard was ordered TO
clsar OF Maubeugc and Bavay by 3:
am. Two cavalry brigades, with {
divisional cavalry Of the Seco
CORPS, covered the movement OF
Second corps, and the remainder
the cavalry division, with the Mi
feanth brigade, the whole under co
snand Of General Allenby, covered
west flank
s@rhe fourth division commenced
detrainment at LeCateau on Sund
the 2sd. and by the morning Of
25th II battaiions and > brigade Of