The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1916-06-29
HANDFUL HELD
FORT vAUxAWEEK
A Thousand FTenchmen Tried to
Hold Oft Horde Of Germans.
HAND TO HAND FIGHTING.

Resieqsrs Took to Using Liquid Fire
and the Brave Defenders ct LAST Had
TO Give Way before Tremendous
Odds-Fes~ Survivors Who Surreu
dered Wore In Desperate Condition.
Fort VauX, which was taken by the
Germans in their advance toward Yer
dun, France. had been practically be
sieged for ninety days before it fell.
Paris newspapers estimate that It cost
the Germans 100000 men to capture
the fort.
When the situation at last became
critical the commandant, Chief OF
battalion Raynal tried soldier, who
bad risen from the ranks, had hardly
more than LOCO men with whom TO
continue the defense His task was tD
bold the half ruined fort agHinst over
whelming masses of infantry, support
ed by more than 100 batteries Of heavy
guns Re-enforcements could not reach
him owing To the terrible efficacy OF
the German fire
For a week. alone and unaided, he
and his men held out against very
great odds Two companies OF Ger
mans were already installed in a ditch
of the northern bastion. and after three
days that position had TO be abandoned
by the French
Raynal then withdrew TO the central
redoubt lie was still able 10 commu-
hfate as night with the main body,
and one of the hast messages sent was
that whatever happened he would new
er surrender. He kept his word. Step
| by step the Germans advanced from
the west and south, gradually narrow
ing the circle surrounding the fort
/ Messengers Volunteer.
! Every night Rnynal dispatched vol
unteer messengers to General Niveue
tn inform him Of the progress OF
events Not one In five of these mes
sengcrs got through.
AT $50 O'Clock one morning an
officer from the French lines managed
! In the darkness to crawl through the
4 German Gordon and reach the redoubt
! where Raynal was holding ont The
! German artillery was sill pounding In
cessantly at the roofs Of the vaults,
where the garrison had taken refuge
/ The officer succeeded tn returning TO
the French tines and reported the des
/ perate condition of the survivors
The fighting Of the two previous days
had been awful Whole German regi-
ments at one stage tried I'd advance
against the western bastton. where two
batteries Of fieldpieces were posted.
They were met with a point blank fire
and annihflated One company climb
ed To within sixty yards Of the guns,
but could get no farther. Several Ger
man assaults were repulsed only after
violent hand 70 hand fighting
When ar last the assailants reached
the principal entry they were met by
a counterattack. the garrison making
use of their rifle butts, knives and fists
and even their steel helmets. which
they held by the strap and swung like
maces The Germans employed ZACH
rymosai shells, bombs and liquid fire
throwers In great numbers
Gave Way Inch by inch
Inch by inch the enfeebled defenders
receded. and when at last, worn out by
seven days watching and fighting. they
were Incapable of further effort. fresh
enemy troops rushed the fort and cap
tured the handful of heroes who re
manned
Nothing is known yet of the fate of
Chief of Battalion Raynal. who was
gaZetted on Tuesday commander OF
the Legion OF Honor for hts gallant de-
fense. He has been wounded several
times In the present war.
Seven days of terrific bombardment
added to many previous periods of
bombardment Of less intensity, had TO
duced the fort To little more than a
ruin. its possession Is sttn a matter
Of importance 10 the Verlun opera
which II crowns and from which II
had been able To sweep the ravine tc
the north as well as the slopes OF the
Meuse heights to the east
Although the position. so far as nat
nrai defenses were concerned, was one
OF the most difficult To attack on this
bank OF the river, II was selected by
the Germans In preference TO othe,
points Of less natural strength because
from its position on the extreme east
Of the line II received the least supper,
from the thanking batteries ON the 9th
er bank.