The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1915-06-26
PRzEMYSL FAMED
IN STORY OF WAR
Thrice 1t Has Been BGSiegGd,
Twice Il Has Fallen.
GREAT AUSTRIAN VICTORY.

Z ~ - SSS SSNSIf1J lays FlSG 5STore
Hail of Shells From Big Austro- Ger
man Guns to Which They Lacked
I Ammunition to Reply.
Three separate SiegeS OF PTzemySI,
or Peremysl. us the Russians renamed
it during their brief occupation. has
mace the great Gaucian fortress one
Of the memorable oenters of the war.
Nor probably iS is story yeG concluded.
1t was early in the wars history that
the Russian forces, with little OF re-
Sistance before them first swept
across the Gaician plains and planted
their heavy guns before the stronghold.
Tue first sho,s were fired on Sept. l6.
and from that date until the present
time Przemysl has been in the front of
important events as much if not more
than any other single city
The first Russian attempt against
PrZemySl was undertaken too hastily,
er not hastily enough. In any event,
however, their big howitzers had not
pounded away at the strong fortifica-
tions for many days before Austrian
bers and drove the invaders back.
Early in October. however. the Rus
sian forces. greatly strengthened and
dragging heavy guns in their wake.
pressed up 10 the outskirts of the city
and again began. this time in deadly
earnest. IL bombardment OF the various
forts which formed the great strong
hold. PrZemysl.
Austrians Slowly Starved.
The attacking army was variously
estimated al from 125,00O to 2O0.O00
men, There were probably 100000
Austrian soldiers within the fortress to
defend it,
In Il few days the city had been sur
rounded and entirely cut off from out
ward communication. and thus il was
held and gradually starved until March
%. when General Kusmanek. the Aus
trian commander, raised the white flag.
Several attempts had been made TO
relieve the besieged city. but for some
reason as yet unexplained the Austrian
general staff could not release IA force
Of sufficient strength to drive off the
invaders or even TO break through the
ring of iron.
No sooner had the city fallen and
yielded its more than 117,0OO Austrian
soldiers as prisoners than the Russian
armies released from the siege rushed
south and east 10 the various Carpa-
THAN passes. bent upon surging across
those mountains and into the Hunga-
rian plains. They advanced 10 the
summit Of the mountains and held
them until the concerted Austrian and
German drive, which rolled them back.
began last month
Meantime the Russians were able to
restock the forts of Przemysl to some
extent and to repair the damage done
by their own guns But il is supposed
that it was lack OF ammunition which
eventually forced them to retire.
Russians Out PeIl Nell.
With the russians beaten back In
the Carpathian fighting General Mack.
ensen at the beginning OF May began
the drive thar sent the Russians reel
ing back I'm West Galicia. Two weeks
a great AustrO-German army and be-
gan the actual siege operations.
Mackensen's left wing crossed the.
San and menaced Przemysl from the
north His right wing pressed north
ward from the south to complete the.
movement TO encircle Przemysl by seis-
ing the Przemysl-Lemberg railway.
In fropr OF tk.~
centimeters began battering at the
forts guarding the city from the west
The fortress was not completely sur.
rounded, nor was the railroad seized
The Russians did not stay for that.
When they found they could not reply
to the terrific hail OF steel poured upon
them they made the best retreat they
could back along the railroad tow2nl
Lemberg and on back beyond that city
to their own frontier. the Austrians re-
port.
The capture OF Pr:semysl was one of
the great victories Of the war. That
was achieved by the slow grind OF
siege. starving out the garrison The re-
capture Is q no less stirring and impor-
tant victory. Curiously enough. ii was
achieved by an exactly opposite proc
ess from the capture. The assailants
Just hurled themselves on the fortress
ind drove tie Russians ont practically
pellmelL
Wonderful Memories.
We are told that Pascal never for
got anything he had seen, heard or
thought AYicenua could repeat by
rote the entire Koran when he was
ten years old, and Francis Suarez had
the whole Of st. Augustine in his mem
Dry. IN three weeks Scaliger, the IA
nous scholar, committed to memory
every line OF the "Iliad" and the
Odyssey" Another scholar. Justus
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