Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1915-07-15
NEWSPAPER MAN At RUSSIAN FRONT.
DESCRIBES RETREAT OF A DIVISION
Cossacks Fought With Splendid Courage Against Overwhelming
Forces of Germans And Austrians The Retreat Vas Or
derLy and Elected Praise OF Russian Commanders

point but was holding out. 7 he right
wing telephone gave no answer at all.
Life there was unliveable; and l heard
from soldiers report that they had
seen the Austrians in the Russian
| trenches.
Shells and shrapneI were crashing
all round us, especially in our rear; a
hut that had passed on the way down
broke out in full flame. Nearer down
there fell four black explosives at reg
ular distances of fifty yards, "the four
packets" as one officer called it. Our
cover would all have gone with a sin
gle shot, and the men crouched to
avoid the falling splinters from each
shell.
In this most depressing atmosphere
went on the conversation between the
Colonel and the division staff. 81 can
get no track of the right wing. Cav
airy is reported on both my faaks.
The right has had to retreat" The
answer was an order to retire at
nightfall. Three hours at least to
wait.
The orders were communicated in
French over each battalion telephone
The Colonel apologized for his elemen-
tary French; it was anyhow the
French of brave man.
AS disquietude increased, permits
sion came to retreat at once; but the
Colonel answered that this could not
be done; he was in hot defensive &C
ton, and the enemy would follow on
his heels; at present he was holding
his own.
My hosts urged me to go. The sit
uation was getting too serious for a
non-combatant. 1t was with ill-feel-
ing that l turned for the slope, AS
began to reach shelter, suddenly saw
on the hills to the west men running
down the slope toward us. Perhaps
ours, perhaps the enemy" said my
Cossack escort. But we reached the
crest unmolested and were now in
comparative safety; for we were out
of the line of fire, and the valley to the
north of us was full of our own peo-
pie.
Here there was a long train of
wounded and we found our automobile
in the midst of it. We packed in the
men with the worst wounds that We
noticed; they lay without groan, and
one said Thanks be to the Lord, and
eternal gratitude to you" A young
soldier told US that no living man
could have driven the troops ON the
right wing from their positions but
that the whole area was covered with
shells till trenches and men were
leveled out of existence. The COM
panies left comparatively intact had
all joined the center. OF this section
of the line we could only hear vague
rumors.
Late in the day we reached the de-
serted school house to which the staff
had retreated.
By morning the lines lay just out
side the town, and the Germans and
Austrians were making a tremendous
attack on them, ponding them with the
heaviest artillery and advancing in
close column again and again.
The leader of this Division is fight
ing General, robust and active. The
staff was very close up to the front,
and from the balcony of the school
house the General viewed the lines
and gave orders. Many parts of the
lines were non-existent, having been
reduced to series of shell-pits by the
, German artillery.
Making my way to the advanced
lines, l found a Brigadier General and
got leave to accompany an attempted
advance. 1t was the first regiment OF
the famous Caucasian Corps just arriv-
ed after an all night march, and 60
| ing UP to the attack. A battalion