Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-29

surrounded by French troops. The at
tacks upon the French left at Pepper
Hill Cote du Poivre) seemed to have
failed completely. However attacks
made repeatedly with such heavy
masses as the Germans are constantly
bringing up. 1T is admitted by military
authorities, are always likely to make
further gains, provided the officers are
wiling to pay the price in human life.
There is no exaggerated optimism to
De found in military circles here, but the
check Of the Germans attacking in such
formidable numbers Is regarded by them
as one OF the great achievements of the
war. and it is generally held that events
nave taken turn quite favorable to the
French army in the last twenty-four
hours.
Describes Battle Horrors.
Il fought since the beginning of the
war" says soldier, who has returned
to Paris and. who was present at the
hghting at Ornes. 81 saw the shambles
at Suippus and Souain. They were moth
ing to what saw last week. The enemy
advanced and we retired under order, but
we Killed them by the dozen. 1t was so
terrible that !, who have watched by
comrades fall around me. almost with
lndinernce, shudder as my memory re-
AS their battalions advanced upon
us they were in serried masses, by files
OF twenty. The shrapnel from our IS
millimeter guns and the projectiles
from our heavy artillery fell among
them, and you could see the great gaps,
as II a mower had passed with scythe.
Then high explosive shells which burst
on contact fell and limbs shot into the
air. We were SO close that pieces of
their torn flesh fell among us.
Fairy Scene Of Carnage.
Eventually we reached Moncourt
and took shelter. for a time in a wood.
Although it was o'clock in the morn
ing, the bursting shells made it as
clear as day. giving the battlefield the
aspect of fairy scene.
From behind us the French artillery
fired into the German masses, the Ger
man shells flying over our heads to-
machine guns. placed in batteries every
five yards. began to play and we saw
the dead in groups upright, where there
was not room to fall.
From Moncourt 1 followed the sup
ply road to Fleury where T took the
light railway toward verdun The
heavy guns near Douaumont and Dam
loup were firing as fast as they could
be loaded. When We passed between
the two points the air pressure pro-
duced by the continuous dischs rees
was so terrific that blood rushed from
our ears and our lungs almost ceased
working"
Roar of Guns Deafening.
A combatant who was in one of the
most advanced trenches early in the
battle of verdun and who has returned
to Pars wounded gives his experiences
as follows:
"At dawn we received orders to leave
the trench and to retire to strong
position in the NauX woods in front
of Douaumont Bending low we re-
tired the four or five kilometers
through the snow without much loss.
Once in the new trenches we could
not hear one another speak, so great
was the noise of the cannonading, and
when we looked through the periscopes
we could only see heavy clouds of
smoke shutting out the sky, with Jets
OF fire flashing through the snowfakes.
There were about a dozen of US in the
trench and we felt the suppressed emo
ton so much that at last we all burst
out singing, and yet none Of US could
hear a word spoken, even by himself.
Came Like q Flock Of Sheep.
'Then We saw the Germans coming
on. They were in such masses that
they looked like a flock of sheep.
When our guns began to speak, white
empty spaces showed among the gray