The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-03-15

, trenches snd barbed wire. This posts
| ion was known as Port Arthur, a
! hard struggle ragged for some hours
until mt $50 r. Nj. It was taken by
storm at the point of the bayonet At
| uGhtfau we were in possession of all
The enemy's trenches on a front Of
1900 yards, which represented an adj
vance of more than 200 yards from
our original trenches.
The number OF prisoners officially
reported as taken IL $50, but there ~
reason to believsg that others We're
captured and their names not sent in
as yet.
| During the day there were two re-
markable feats by our airmen. one
/ flying at a height of only so feet.
dropped a bomb on an important
railway bridge at Men!n, destroying
one of the piers. Another, fyiug over
Courtrai railway junction. dropped
bomb on the station and completely
wrecked 1t. Both these points were
Of vital importance to the German
communications. The German bat
teries on this day made no effective
reply to our artillery fire
German Artillery Active.
"On March / the fighting con-
tinued almost as f1erCely as on Sic
previous day. The enemy made
+ counter attacks nj various points,
especially from abe Bots du Riez, but
our guns orened on the wood with so
much effect that the Germans would
not emerge from their shelter. Little
ground was gained at the various
points, but on the whole the situation
remained much t1e same as on the
previous day. The enemy's resistance
had stiffened. but all the efforts to
drive us from the positions which.
/ VIC ba RI Uainp1 vea t1lSHI with l1Sa
THE German artillery now became
more active. Neuve Chappelle was
+ heavily shelled and the whole line
was swept with shrapnel.
1T is difficult to give an idea of
the result of this striking success upon
the meu. They had been paying OFT
old scores. They have now inflicted
upon the enemy something Of That
ordeal which he inflicted on us in
the earlier stages of the war by dint
of superior numbers and weight OF
artillery.
Wounded Are Cheerful
The enemy for the time being Is
beaten md on the run. 1t was the
consciousness of this which filled the
hospitals and ambulances with the
cheeriest crowd of wounded ever seen
If further proof Of this was wanted
ii could he found in the spectacle OF
an IflSHIn6n VINO DiA pttll SApt
through tne chest accounting his eN-
perlences In "A stentorian voice that
was audible TO the furthest corner OF
the clearing hospital. II was found
also In the sight of groups of wound
ed and injured men N the roads talk
ing and laughing as they limped out
of the firing line columns.
The prisoners as T1eV na"ched
back through the ambulance transport
between the waiting ranks of our re
serves afforded no li<'ie encourage
ment Many of their faces were a
bright yellow from the effects of the
lydite shells. and majority looked
shaken. All admitted '1at the attack
had come GG a complete surprise.
Our success does not lie in the
fact that We gained an extent of
ground probably greater than was
ever gained in SO short time since
the commencement of the present
trench warfare. but that our men IN
spite OF the disheartenin~ effects of
months of inactivity in the trencsaes
have shown the utmost dash. They
have advanced over very deep ground
under heavy fire. carrying very heavy
weight Of tolls and equipment and
tools and yet the task was not too
great"