Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1916-09-21
ITALIANS CHECK
AUSTRIAN Drive
Count Cadorna's Victory Is Be-
ing Compared to Battle
of Marine.
Fought Fer FORTY DAYS
,lians Fight With Backs to Long
Line OF Precipices Over Which On
slauchts of E1smy Threat
encd to Hurl Them.
BY A. BEAUMONT.

Milan. - Italians are comparing
Count Cadorna's great victory, when
he checked the Austrian drive from
the Trentino and threw the foe back
heatilong, to the Battle of the Marine.
| have lust learned new de,ails OF this
action.
The defending army ut the moment
the drive began, l am assured, amount
ed hardly to two divisions (loWO 10
G0,OCO menu They had to hold the
enemy IN check until n powerful army
of oifense could be concentrated at
their back.
The ground thus hnroically contest
ed was Il tortuous line of Alpine peaks.
the chief of which, after the famous
Monte PaSuhio. We're the submits or
Forni, Alli, Monte Alba, Monte Nov
egna. Monte Pau, Monte N gnnboSchi,
Gina Echar and Monte LiSser.
Fought Furously.
A young officer, who was at Monte
LisSer only few days ago, gave me
"A graphic account of these POSITIONS.
The retreating battle had been fought
furously, almost night and day. for ~
days. The enemy was already gaining
glimpses over the mountain passes OF
the smiling plains of Eicenza below.
The Italian soldiers We're lighting
with their backs to n long line of prec-
ipices, over which the furious and in
cessant onslaught of the desperate en-
envy, whose numbers seemed mex
haustible. threatened to hnrl them.
Suddenly there came feeling of re-
lief. Sledge-hammrr blows were being
dealt to the AuStriHns on III" extreme
right md left WINS. The enemys
attack IN the center instantly became
less rrSoluie, and the Italian troops.
who had hitherto been retreatinG,
found to their Joy that they were
backed ny huge lines of impr"gnahle
defenSes. prepared during those ~
days, and masses of troops and artil-
lvry werf eager to com" forward ana
take the places Of the brave men who
had so long defended the danger-l!ne.
Hours passed In eager expectation.
The last scene In the preparation was
the arrival of the guns. They were
towed up the mule paths; dragged up
by sheer work of hand t" seemingly
inaccessible SUBMITS. Ammunition
trains stood thickly behind, waiting to
unload.
Swarm Up Mountain.
Thousands upon thousands Of troops
We're sWnrming up the mountain
slopes. New roads sprang into exist
ence where none had been before.
Batteries made their appearance where
only eagles had built their nests, and
the last desperate SkrmiSh on Monte
Lemerle and MagnohoSrhi had scarcely
subsidized when hundreds of Italian
guns opened fire with an internal
chorus.
Shells flew thick and heavy from the
lines between Monte Pau and Monte
Stremel, across the valley Of Asiago,
and word came that the Austrans
were yielding and falling back.
The Italian infantry Immediately
took up the pursuit. They rushed
down the mountain slopes, raising
their war cry of Savoy" and occupied
Cesuma and Gallo. Thence obey
spread along the roads of the entire
valley, re-entered Asiago, and cohtin-
ucd the pursuit of the enemy on
Monte Longara, to the north, and
Monte CengiO, to the south.
And everywhere the AustrianS We're
found in full retreat, or Offering only
weak resistance.
The enemy has set fire to the little
mountain villages and hamlets. and is
falling back upon the immediate de-
lenses of RoveretO. Thus the first fu-
gitives of the defeated army are re-
turning to this town. whence they had
set out 40 days ago on their "puni-
tive expedition" with the punishment
turning against themselves.