Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-01-22
THOUSANDS DIE AT so,ssoNs.
Associated Press Correspondent Gives
Awful petails of Eiahtino.


Before scissors, Jan. 1S.--(By Cour-
fer to Berlin, Jan. 20. via London. Jan.
81, 4:35 p. m.-Written at the Head
quarters, German General Unnamed)-
After eight days of fighting which
equalled in bitter desperation, in men
wounded and men killed, the memoir
able battle Of Antietam Of our own
civil war the Germans have dealt
severe blow to the French in their at
tempt to advance around Soissons, and
in quiet and simply military style the
staff of General Won Kluck pauses
moment to celebrate their success In
driving the enemy from the heights
from which they attempted to launch
their fresh offensive.
AS yet only the correspondent Of
the Associated Press, not excepting the
Berlin. press men has had an oppor-
tunity to inspect the battle-ground of
Scissors, which altho the battle end
ed four days ago Is literally strewed
with the bodies of the dead. -Four
thousand German grave diggers un-
Fceasingly 70 hide under Mother Earth
the CHASTITY remains Of her children.
French, German, English. Indian. Ara
bian and what not sprawled in every
manner of fashion over a battle line
ten miles long.
The battle began Jan. 8. A severe
bombardment from field guns and
heavy artillery was followed by a
French charge. The Germans could
not make an effective defense against
this onslaught The French with grea,
dash carried part of the German posi-
tions but by their success they damp
ened the vigor of their artillery bonn
bardment which could not be con-
tinued without endangering their own
men.
The German guns in turn, opened a
heavy fire on the rearward> communi-
cations of the French, preventing the
bringing up of reinforcements. A des-
perate hand -to-hand conflict, on fair
ly even terms, ragged for four days and
nights in the valley and on the wood
ed spur crowned by the shot-wrecked
buildings Of La Perriere farm. Neither
side was able to gain decisive adj
vantage.
General Won Illuck meanwhile was
gathering his forces for counter
stroke which came not thru the val
ley, but across the high plateau to
the eastward, large part of which
was held by the French. The surface
of the plateau, which is fairly level,
was crossed by row after row of deep
trenches, each trench with clear
field for the fire of its guns.
Thrilling Feat.
It seems impossible, in the cold
light of day and after the passing of
the excitement Of battle, to conceive
of troops successfully storming such
entrenched positions. The Associated
Press correspondent counted in some
places as many as five successive lines
Of permanent French trenches, each
with it's entanglements of barbed wire
supported on! iron posts which were
screwed into the ground. Pioneers
might cut their way thru the first
ENHANCEMENT before the general at
tack, but it was necessary for the
others to make advance across the
exposed positions under fire. The at
tackers, however, were General Won
Klucks veterans, who, after the ia
NOUS dash on Paris, the battle Of the
Marne and the retirement to, the
Aisne. had been remaining here in
comparative inactivity since the mid
die of September.
They succeeded somehow In sweep
ing across the plateau, first in the
center and then, on Jan, 13, on the
left or eastern flank, carrying trench
after trench by storm in an uniHter-
rupted and irresistible attack. BY
nightfall Of Jan. 13 they had driven
the French from the plateau. On the
following dag they cleared the French
from the valley below and drove them
across the river. The victbry was
completed by an advance thru the val
ley on that same day.
THE earlier operations made this
comparatively easy; in fact, many of
the French had no alternative but to
surrender as the only path Of escape
over which retreat might have been
attempted was commanded completely
FROM tho rlafeai, above -