The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-08-13

progressed so far that all the crossings over the rVer
within ten miles OF Namur were in the hands OF the
Cermons md the retreat Of the French was under
way. r =,
General Won Klu1E nring greater distance to
travel thon Won BuLiow did not come Into contact
with the British until early In the afternoon OF the
23d The British ut that time were still in the
process Of concentration one corps had not yet come
nm and such units as were hand did not reach
the posIons assigned to them until early that morn
ing AT the time Of the attack the force at hand occu
pied line from Condo. north Of VaIcnciennes
through Mons to BincIc near Charleroi The first
blow fell between Mons and Bray full on the front
Of the first corps and spread nil along the line
The British were just beginning to feel the weight
of the German numbers when the alarming nforma-
ton reached Field Marshal Sir John French in chief
command that his French supports, on his right Ind
been in retirement from Namur for full twenty
four hours that his flank in the air" and that
he was in gravest danger Of development and prob
able destruction. In fact, when this news reached
General French the Germans fully aware of the
situation, md Thanking movement already was
being rapidly developed
Then began the most spectacular retreat IN mill
tary annals which ended only when the Allies made
their stand southeast Of Paris in the Battle Of tho
NIanc
While the Germans were flowing through Belgium
in the first week OF the war France undertook an In
vaslon Of hlsace purely for political effect 1t failed
slgnally, cost nearly 10000 men ana ended with
retreat across the frontier and the bntIe Of Nancy
which was fought from August % to September 8,
part of It concurrent with the Battle Of the Marine
The Battle Of the Name.
BY September l tho Allies were in positions
stretching from the fortress Of Paris to the Vosges.
Won Iluck was within gun range Of the outer forts
Of the capital, swinging dlagonay across the front
of tho fortress Authorities dispute the Judgment
he used IN leaving such formidable danger on
comparatively unprotected flank hut apparently the
same error entered here as affected several other
Developments in the early German operations on
the western front-a disposition to underestimate
the fighting qualities Of the French army
The Anglo French rctpat came to n stop on Sep
TENDER s. with the British left Crecy twenty miles
southeast of Paris and stretching along the Grand
Norm River After gap of ten miles, stopped with
three divisions of cavalry the Fifth French army, I'M
der new commander took up the line and carried it
to SGzannc whence General Foch, with three corps of
African and reserve troops. reached to Somme Sous
Another gap Of ten miles filled MS well MS posi-
BE with artillery and cavalry De Innglcs army.
with its left on Sompus reached to ScrmaIzc where
there was another gap. SarraNs army lay from Re
vigny northeast to SouiIy the gap between SouiLy
and Verdun being filled by the garrison from the lat
ter fortress Late that day General Gallieni sent
out NIanoury with n division from Paris to support
the British LEFT from Nleaux This allied force thus
properly engaged in the Battle Of the Marine NUN
bercd approximately $4,000 which included 10000
British BY the end of the battle the French had
brought I'D relnforcemcrs and had engaged fully
100000
opposed to the Allies were approximately 100000
Germans, in position from right to left-Von lduck.
who had left screen on his flank in Northern France
and n corn; bent bnck to face Paris; Won Bucow who
had come down from Chartered to Ciuise and then
turned win Rheims; Won Hansen, who came via Ro-
croi and Chalous; the Duke OF Wurtemburg, whose
advance lay through Sedan and the ArgOnnc, and
the Grown Prince who had reduced Longwy and
stretched around yerdun into the Woevre
The great German tactical mistake in the battle as
whole was the decision to attacl, at all points IN
fun strength without an adequate reserve to meet
the French counter attacks, which began in earnest
when two corps Joffre had hurried down from Az
SAGE came up to strengthen the allied centre
Furious as the struggle had been, and despite the
fact that Won Kluck was actually in retreat, the
crisis Of tho battle did not come until the evening Of
the ON roch's front was the danger point all that
day. and only by superhumau strength on the part of
his command and the aid hurried to him were the
Germans prevented from breaking clean through
Both Of his wings had been bent back until his front
was almost right angle only one more push was
~. IL.