Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-03-03

Chasseurs to open a murderous fire on
their front and right.
without the expected support Of
their artillery in the chateau. the Ger
mans were powerless against the hu-
man waves that swept over them. and
they withdrew, but in good order. fight
ing a rear-guard action until the blue
devils charged with the bayonet. The
action terminated in a complete rout
of the enemy and about 800 unwound-
ed prisoners remained In the hands of
the French.
"A recent German communique
spoke of a repulse of French attack
near Metzeral,' but omitted to mention
that Metzeral is in the hands Of the
French, and has been SO ever since
our gallant allies won one of the most
brilliant battles of this war. When
the French advance approached Metz
eral the Germans began to make q
fortress of this little Alsatian town,
and the streets were barricaded with
barbed wire, and overturned carts
masked machine guns. The battle be-
gan by an attack launched against the
forest. Trees were uprooted in hum
dreds by the French guns, and gradu-
ally the enemy was pushed cut of the
forest, but 1t was only then that a
fresh surprise was sprung on the
French.
The enemy had dug trenches in the
forest, which he filled with barrels OF
tar; these were connected by cleo
tricity with a point behind the Ger
man lines, and as the French rushed
through the forest the barrels were
ignited. Nevertheless. this did not
stop the advance. They reached the
outskirts OF Metzeral. and here the
fighting became furious. A number
of factories were defended by the en-
envy, and each had to be carried sepa-
rately by the attacking party.
From windows machine guns
poured a hail Of lead on the heads OF
the French. The men had to break
down the doors and fight their way
up, story by story. South of the town
the enemy defended the cemetery.
which held up the attack for a whole
night. The tombs were already torn
away by the French shells, but the
vaults were the scene of fighting OF
the grimmest description. The handles
of collins were wrenched off and used
as knuckle-dusters by the enemy. who
made a most stubborn defense; every
vault sheltered a small battle, and the
vaults themselves had previously been
mined by the enemy: when they be
came no longer tenable they were
blown up.
Capture Metzeral Cemetery.
"The cemetery was carried in the
early hours Of the morning. but not
before 1t held more dead than evel
were buried In 1t.
1.-THE taking of this salient did moi
complete the task set to the French
Practically every house in the town
was defended, and from cellar to the
top story the French had to fight theil
way before Metzeral was finally IN
their hands. Truly, the enemy has not
cause to make much mention Of Metz
eral in his official communications.
AT the same time that the French
were attacking In this sector, a sec
ond successful offensive movement
was being carried out along botf
banks of the Fecht Two important
hills, Nos. 665 and sos, were stormed
and eventually Sillackerwasen wa
taken. From this point Munster wal
bombarded, which led to the evacua
ton Of this town.
The progress along the crest o
Linge, about five miles north of Nun
ster, led to the withdrawal Of thu
German troops here, although stronl
re-enforcements had only arrives
three days previously. but the terribl
fire of the French artillery paralyze'
the men fresh from the drive in Rus
STA. They were, nevertheless. put in t
garrison the town. and there they prob
ably remain, still bombarded by tn
French, who are slowly but surel.
creeping along the Munster valley.
"Altkirch was evacuated by the Gel
mans two weeks ago, and not for tn
reasons put forward by the Base
newspapers. The Germans have insir
uated that the civil population wa
withdrawn because of the arrival O
fresh troops to undertake an offensiv
in this sector, but the truth is tina
the lower part of the town Is flooded
as 1t usually is at this period of tn
year, and the French advance toward
Altkirch has made the town unhealth
for the civil population.
"Hartmannsweiler-Ko Is likely {
figure in the French communicates 70
some time to come, for the German
will never give up their counter-a
tacks until they are driven away fror
their side of the hill. Surprise a
tacks here are always to be expected
for both sides now know every inc
Of the ground, and on the summit G
the hill the German and Frenc
trenches are only about FIVE yard
apart. This seems impossible, but
must be remembered that 1t Is the II
dividuality Of the soldier that count
for everything.
Twelve Battles a Night.
VERY often a battle lasting som
hours will take place for the posse
sion of a mere stump of a tree, and
tree stump has been known to chang
hands twelve times during the cours