The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-09-01
Armies of Grand Duke Begin Retreat
to Third Line Of Defenses, Which
Begin at Riga and Extend Through
Swamp Regions Of White Russia
Troops are Saved.

bdNaTia dppIOdCuSu tIIS oIio AShoAe
from the east. and from the direction
Of Bielsk. That Of Field Marshal vor
! Nackensen pushed to the northeas'
from Vladova to ward Malorito or
the railroad from Brest-Litovsk tc
i Kovel. A wilderness OF forest and
bog thirty miles long and Of an eQua
| width, was in the path Of Prince Leo
polds forces. This, however, is bi'
sected by railway and post road
No heavy artillery has been seen II
the operations directed to the west
! ward Of Brest-Litovsk.
"When strategic conditions so de-
mand' is the semi-official comment
| "Brest-Litovsk will be abandoned as
easily as we abandoned other points
of support after they had served their
purpose in screening our operations
and we shall continue to retreat un.
til we reach the new line Of prepared
positions.
London reports: The Austro-Ger'
mans Thursday marched into Brest-
Litovsk, centre of the Bug river line
of defences and main concentration
centre. The Russians put up a des-
perate resistance to the German ad-
vance, but made no attempt to de-
fend the fortress itself, evacuatlng Ii
as they did Ossowetz. Petrograd dis
patches had indicated the Russians
were planning to take up defensive
positions farther east.
The Germans now hold the entire
railway line from Chelm to Bialy-
stok. AS the Russians have already
evacuated Bialystok, the lesser fort
resses Of Grodno and Olita are the
only strongly defended positions re-
naming in the hands Of the Rus
SLAMS. The Germans are nearing both
of these. and they probably will be
given up when they have fulhlleo
their purpose OF facilitating the Rus
sian retreat.
The Russians have not yet enter
ed the vast BielovieZh forest, which
extends thirty miles north and south,
and has a width Of from seventeen
to thirty miles. South OF it are the
Pripet marshes, which protect the
Russian left.
With plenty of roads and three or
four railroad lines, it is expected
here that Grand Duke Nicholas Will
make good his retirement if Grodno
and Wilma can hold out long enough
Even if they should fall military OBJ
servers say the Grand Duke would be
we'll on his way to his new positions
before the Germans could reach MS
flank. There is again talk of Rus
sian preparations for stand, but no
indication as to where this attempt
is to be made.
The Russian fortress Of Brest-Llt'
oysk lad been considered one OF the
strongest fortresses in Europe ano
was the southern base Of the second
Russian line Of defenses to which the
armies OF Grand Duke Nicholas re-
treated after the fall of Warsaw. The
citadel is situated on the Bug river
and at the junction Of several rail
vavs, one hundred and thirty-one
miles south Of Grodno, and one hun
dred and twenty miles due east OF the
Polish capital.
The storming Of Brest-Litovsk is
probably the most important military
achievement since the fall ow War
saw, three weeks a go. The Town
which had a population OF about nifty
thousand, was one Of the most impor'
tant depots for, and the dlstrl outlns
point Of, military supplies near the
western frontiers Of Russia proper
The fortress was rated by military
critics as a much more important
strategic point than was Warsaw.
Brest-Litovsk is situated ct the
junction Of the Bug and the Muk'
boyets rivers, and the fortress was
built at the point Of confluence. IL
lies upon the right bank of the Bug
which the river turns from the north
to the northeast. Intersectlng mere
are railroads from Odessa, klev, Mos
COW. Warsaw, Wilma and east Prus'
Sia.
Brest-Litovsk. according to infor.
| nation compiled by the Natlona
| Geographical Society, contained one
of the oldest important fortresses II
northern Europe. The older FORTH
cations were erected about one mile
| east of Brest-Litovsk and had a cir
cumference Of four miles. The Helc
works we're kept up to date anc
everything possible had been done t(
make them unconquerable. Brest
vas generally regarded in Russia a:
the most powerful individual strong
| hold in the empire.
The capitulation means, in thf
oni2ion of military observers, tina
the Russians will lie forced to aban
Gon their second line which extended
ncrthward to the Baltic base Of Riga
The fall of the fortress appeared IN
evitable several days ago when th'
Austro-German forces succeeded II
throwing troops from the left to th'
right bank of the River Bug, JUS
northwest of Brest-Lltovsk, a1te
which five separate armies began
terrific onslaught on the Russian de
lenses. On Tuesday the army on tn
| southwestern front succeeded II
breaking through the advance posi-
tons Of the fortress.
\ The third Russian line Of defens
upon which the defenders OF Brest
Litoysk. Warsaw, lyangorod, NoIo
georcievsk and Grodno are compelle'
to retire. runs through the middle o
the country known as White Russia
rhe line begins on the north at Rlg2
and follows the Dvina river to Duen
aburg. then turns south and follow
the railroad through Wilma, Ida
Raranovichi. The line then run
through tractless swampS CT Pins!
'and the Pripet river to Rovno, whlc'