Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-03-30
"yERDUN" HAS WIDER
APPLICATION THAN
NAME OF FORTRESS
Since 1892 1t Has Been a Syn.
onym for the Courageous
Defense of France.


itself with curious fidelity to detail in the
struggle for Verdun and in some OF ITS
sidelights. In 1872 as In 1914 the Prussians
approached the fortress by way of
Longwy and in the same month or
August. IN 1872 as well as in 1911, Longwy
fell after two days bombardment. The
Duke of Brunswick avoided the armies
Of the Marquis de Lafayette and de
Luckner in 1902, and marched on Nerdun
as did the Crown Prince In 1914. In 1872
as in 1916 the King of Prussia was a
spectator Of the assault Then rs In 1915,
the Prussians took the route by Ormont
and Haumont, and approached the
stronghold in exactly the same sector
as in 1916.
Goethe related the passage of the troops
through SamogneuX August 30, 11H, to
bivouac at Bras, just south of the Cote
du Poivre pepper hilD, the object OF
furious German assaults in 1916. Etan'
Elk. Manheules, as well as SamoSneuX
were the scenes of operations and would
as to-day, have figured in the official
communicate of the revolutionary govern
ment had there been such thing.
In 1892 as in 1911, France was unprepared
for war Legislators had neglected to
supply war material: Nerdun was armed
with only four pieces of heavy artillery
and had a garrison of only $500 men;
then as to-day the Cry was more can
non--more ammunition; that was the
demand made to the revolutionary leaders
by Lieutenant-Colonel Galbaud, COM
handing the fortresses His cry was un-
heard, and he solicited and obtained of
I ia tbo ,,riyilpprp Of fighting in the
ranks.
Nicolas Joseph Beaurepaire, who sue
ceeded him, went to his post like a man
approaching suicide. Assure the leg!sla-
tive corps" he wrote, that when the
enemy has become master of Nerdun
Beaurepaire shall have ceased to live
The legislative assembly, impressed by
the fall of Longvy, sent 5000 rifles tc
Verdun--too late The Prussian com
mander had occupied the place 'in the
name OF Louis NVI., and Beaurepaire
shot himself.
The Prussians held Vcrdun in 1892 just
long enough for kellermann anC
Dumouriez to organize counter attack.
Nerdun had 40 pieces of cannon ant
was garrisoned by 5000 troops in 1870
1t was again in the month of Augus
that the Prussian poured into the
Argonne, 100 years almost day for day
after the surrender of the place to tn,
Duke of Brunswick and the suicide o
Beaurepaire.
The fortress had clements of both
strength and weakness then in the esti
nation Of so good an authority as Mar
shall Won Noltke himself. Thanks to its
high walls and It's deep bitches filled will
water" he said, "Verdun was in a state
to resist an assault absolutely. On the
other hnnd 1t was surrounded and domi
mated on all sides by heights at the fee
! OF which We're villages and vineyards per
hitting the besegers to approach very
close to the exterior works"
None of the forts of 19l4-15-16 existed
in 1870. The interior fortress had to rely
upon it's own strength. That the heroisn
of the garrison was equal to that Of th'
men who recaptured Douaumont, Vol
Moltke himself testifies in his memoirs.
/ During the night of October 49, m
wrote. while the wind blew hurricane
the advance guards on the HayvauX hill
were surprised and the guns of our bat
terry spiked. The 2Sth there was an ever
more important sortie by the garrison
The French climbed the Mount San
Michael, north Of the fortress, destroyer
the parapets and shelters from which W
We're able to withdraw our guns. An
other detachment attacked the Hayvau
hill again and put out Of action the gun
posted there and which we could no
withdraw because of the soaked grounds.
Then as to-day the ASSISTANTS require
reinforcements to reduce the valiant de
tenders of Verdun. a great dfferenc
between 1870 and to-day is that while tn
losses were 60 to 100 per day they no'
run into the tens of thousands,
Verdun resisted in $50 until ove>
, whelmed at the end of October by tn
reinforcements in men and guns thi
came to the Prussans after the fall {
Metz.
nounced to-day in every household
France Is n concentrated expression
all the higher sentiments of the gall
race There is the tenderness of q
affection little suggestive of the coldne
. of stone and mortar; there is veneratio
for a superior force that may be count,
upon; there are pride, gratitude and +
: assurance for "Nerdun'' has n wild
application than the name of a fortres
to the French it means the army as We
. as the town, apart from the ramparts al
the moats, that modern science has re
dered useless.