Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-12-13
BUCHAREST FALLS TO TEUTONS.
ItuIranian Capital Wrestctl from de-
tenders After Fierce Fighting.

waS officially announced to-day.
PlOcchti, the important railway
junction town, 3G miles northwest OF
Line Of Retreat Cut.
The capture Of plocchti, on the
main railway line running north from
Bucharest, cuts the main railway
limo Of retreat for the Rumanian
armies operating in the Bucharest
region.
The official statement does not in
dicate whether the entry OF the Tcu-
tonic forces into Bucharest and PlO-
rchti before that Of the capital would
be far more serious for the ltuman-
ians. Many military observers look
ed for the RumanianS not to attempt
defense Of the capital to the last.
expecting an evacuation In time to
save the forces defending it by 4
withdrawal over tho railway route re-
naming to them.
The taking OF Bucharest virtually
completes the conquest by the Teu-
tonic forces Of the southern section
Of the Rumanian Kingdom, embracing
territory Of more than $4,000 square
miles
4 Feat OF Strategy.
The capture OF Bucharest marks
the elimination Of an operation ac-
counted by military commentators
one OF the most soundly conceived
and brilliantly executed stratcGical
fcats Of the great war.
From the hour when Field Marshal
Won Mackenscn forced a crossing Of
tho Danube and on November 24th
set foot on Roumanian soil, cffccting
A junction shortly afterward with
Gen. Won Falkcnhayn's armies, driv-
ing through Wallachia from the west.
there seemed little doubt Of the ulti-
mate fate Of the Rumanian capital.
The relentless pressure Of the Teu-
tonic invading armies, with their pre-
ponderance Of heavy artillery, proved
too much for King Fcrdinand's
forces once the Rumanian front was
broken In Western Wallachia and the
Danube crossed behind the line OF
tho northern Teutonic irruption.
Continuously outhanked on the
south by von Mackensen's advance
and on the north by further Austro-
German irruptions through the noun
tain passes, the Rumanlans had no
choice but to fall back upon the line
OF their capital and now have been
forced to yield even that
Campaign Began In August.
The beginning Of the Teutonic
campaign against Rumania dates
back to the Rnmanian entrance into
the war on August 81. Perhaps
taken by surprise by the speed with
which the Rumanians threw their
troops across the Trans 'lvanian Alps
into hungary and took possession Of
ErOnstadt, llcrmannstadt ana a wide
sweep OF hungarian territory, the
AustrO-Gcrman military authorities
were awake to the opportunities in
Dobrudja on the Rumanian southeas-
tern front. Within a few days the
Bulgarians were found to be winning
signal success along the Danube, cap
turing Turtukai on September and
Silistria on tho 10th. There remain
ed then the operation Of clearing the
remainder Of Dobrudia up to the i'm
portant railway line running from
tho Black seaport OF ConstanZa into
interior Rumania over the bridge at
Tchrrnavodn. This Won Mackcnsen
accomplished something more than a
month later, defeating tho Russo
Rnmanian army and capturing the
railway. thus shutting off Bucharest
from direct rail communication with
the Black Sea and cutting the most
convenient line for sending Russian
reinforccmcnts and supplies into Ru-
mania.
bucharest Welcomed TcutonS.
London, Dee. 7.--Rcutcr's Amstcr-
dam correspondent sends the follow
ing official Berlin dispatch, which de-
scribes the fall Of Bucharest:
AT 1890 O'Clock Tuesday morn.
inH Capt l.anEc. OF the general staff,
was sent rs a parl"mcntairo to the
commandant at Bucharest, bearing a
letter from Field Marshal Won Mack
cnsen demanding the surrender Of
toe fortress. 4 second letter mott
Fed the commandant that fire would
be opened unless tho parlemtnairc
returned within q hours.
Capt. Lange returned before the