The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-02-04


but at present state of the ground r.
and very often impossible. Those v
before Ferdun can have no conception
II may be argued that there has
Napoleon after his experiences In Pol
But no general who ever led an army
face the problem such rs it exists M
been experienced before. The terrib
created by modern shell fire. In MOI
and the fields heavy. but this would
lration of modern she'll fire on rest
ABNORMAL conditions.
Modern artillery FIRE leaves not a
ward of forty-acre field untouched.
The shell holes overlap one another.
for each cannot find an Independent
bed. They make craters six TO
welve feet deep. according to the CAL
bro Of the shell. The terrific explo-
sions scatter the surface soil and
bring the under stratas to the top.
All this ground on which the armies
hre now flghting will. according to
he Agricultural Commission that Wis
ted the front. be utterly useless for
centuries after the war. The surface
soii has been SO utterly DESTROYED that
no crops or grass will grow there
Until time and nature eventually pro-
kfde a fresh deposit.
AS soon as the rain falls these era
Ftnd water to q depth varying from
four To eight feet. 1t is over ground
n this state that all infantry attacks
have now TO be made at this season
rf the year.
The artillerv smashes the enemy's
renches. 10 mud and pulp. Your in
fantrv are then launched To the at
tack Then they reach their objec-
i've. What do they find' Simply the
battered outline OF what WAS once a
line OF trenches and t1trarea- at
hese giant holes filled with mud and
slime. They must lie out in the open
,r on the edges of these craters. ex-
posed to a merciless fire from the en-
emy's guns which have the exact
range until some kind OF fresh
trench has been dug amidst the ruins
NJ the old.
Consequently in all these latter at
tscks it has cost very few men to
take a position in comparison with
wssst ii costs to hold it afterwards.
ManN hundreds of men have been
I'of instance, it cost the French under
>. 600 men to retake the positions Of
Douaulaont and Naux and the auarries
kai Hardenmont. but they suffered
twice as many casualties fro mshell
fre. deaths by drowning and frostbite
before the positions were firmly con-
soildated Think OF the fate OF some
~ The unfortunate infantry They
advance 10 the attack carrying dead
weight of over sixty pounds.
There is y natural inclination to
dvp for cover when the Smelling be-
comes heavy. \ man drops into. the
reares; hole tlc finds himself in FIVE
or siN fett of mud, He cannot extri-
cate himself and slowly sinks to his
death as If he were on quicksand
II is aimos; impossible TO attempt
Ia describe the battle of tho Somme,
the task is hopeless: its dimensions
havC become too monstrous. its same
ess is as yearying MS "A twice told
tale veAing the dun ear Of q drowsy
sean and IT'S manifold horrors viii
n8t bear constant reiteratton, II is
,iNtded into various subdivisions OF
scientifically organized slaueh ter. II
I Is almost Impossible to see or to de-
scribe what happens on the many sub
| divisions OF this huge battlefront.
lnt dav after day. night after night.
hour after hour. ;he grim work Of
gradual attrition goes on,
The whole extent Of the front is
swept by two vast semjcircies OF ar
|ti}lerv fire. You cannot lose yoar
way 10 this international holocaust.
for YOU are guided by cloud of
smoke by DAY and pillar of Are by
hight Mites from the front the air
,ihrates whist the rumbing and
bearing never ceases. Some mighty
storm seems to he breaking on an
iron coast N night the horizon
slows IKE some Titars forge. whilst
the sparks that ny from his giant
hammer blows make the most awe
Inspiring display or Pyrotechntcs the
world has ever seen
Some four or FIVE million men of
. three Christian nations have been
thrown into this huge melting pot.
Tout OF which is TO emerge brighter
land a better future ana permanent
'peace. The process is awful, and other
generations must judge OF the future.
| The wa alone Is interesting as
study oil the psychology of peoples.
land how that psychology changes IN
1.-The fierce heat of the Somme melting
mot Grand strategy has disappeared;
altogether tactics have become COM
monpla ce. and no mind can now turn
victory into xlefeat by an inspired
decision at the decisive hour Amy
spent a few weeks In the front limo
|verized rubbish in his Immediate front
lust as well as Joffre or Haig or Hin
|denburg-
one OF the most deplora.ble features
OF tho waJ is the prostitution of so
much genius on what Is only a tenn
|porary emergency. When one sees on
The Somme the daily marvels which
science accompiishes. and how that