Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1917-08-16
TOURS
By CAPT. ROLAND F. ANDREWS


Gibbon called the battle of Tours
zone of the events that rescued our
ancestors of Britain and our neigh
bors of Gau1 from the civil and re-
ligious yoke of the Koran" Fought
in the year 732 it broke the power
of the Saracen, who was then like to
overrun all Europe. Had not Charles
Martel then and there won hts vic
tory, a mosque might stand today
where stands Westminster abbey.
The discoverer of America might
have been a Barbary corsair. Check
ing the Arab conquest of western Eu-
rope at Tours, Charles Martel rescued
Christendom from Islam.
The Tours engagement was fought
in the same country where RACES the
heavy fighting of today. 1t was lost
to the Turkish-Arab conqueror
largely because his sOldiery yielded
to the same greed and passion for loot
ascribed to the German troops of the
present.
The modern historians have been
forced to obtain their material for
discussion of this battle from the
manuscripts of the old Arab writer's
and from the Illuminated records of
the monkish chroniclers. The fight
eI6feQ strangely Iney all agree
upon that. But it is difficult to OBJ
tain reliable data as what took place
before the rout.
Charles Martel, duke of the Aus
tralasian Franks. was man of ex-
ceeding holiness and resolution. Hal
lam thinks he was rash in risking the
fate of Europe on single battle,
but Charles was a tried and expert
enced soldier whose impetuosity was
guided by military brilliancy and who
doubtless relied in large measure upon
the discipline and military order with
which he had been able to endow his
Frankish militia. He had no stand
ing army, but he knew the weakness,
as he knew the strength, of his enemy.
In any case he won and won convinc-
ingly.
The Saracens were led by Adder
rahman, of whom it is recorded that
he came out of Spain with the
largest army the chroniclers had
ever seen, all his wives and all his
children, yea, even he and all that
were with him. as If they were hence
forth ever to dwell in France. The
Arab writer's picture Abderrahman as
model of integrity and justice. The
Christian monks relate that he burned
he was given over to all manner of
vices, and that his Berber cavalry,
force of notable skill and valor. raw
aged the country until it was mere bar
renness. The rival historians agree
upon practically nothing, save that
the Saracens We're defeated. The
Arabs say that the force of Abb
derrahman numbered $4,000. The
monks do not hesitate to increase this
by several hundreds of thousands. One
of these latter recorders puts the loss
of the invaders in dead at Tours at
375, 600. He adds that the number of
Christians killed was but 1907 For
this disparity in losses he gives credit
to direct interposition of Providence
The Count Eudo tried battle with
Abderrahman at the river GarOnne, but
the Moslem shattered Eudo's army, held
high carnival of slaughter among the
prisoners and swept on. 1t was then
that Charles Martel rallied every avail
able man. His first fortunes were like
those of Eudo. Abderrahman drove
him back, taking large numbers of pris-
oners and advancing through the coun-
try like a desolating storm. The
writer's set it down that "the men of
Abderrahman were pulled up in spirit
DIV Cnelr repeaCou SucceSSeS anu tLSS
were full of trust in the valor and war
practice of their emir." Charles Mar
tel had every reason to believe that the
death which had been meted out to
Eudo would soon be his own portion.
All the Franks were trembling at the
terrible army of Swarthy men which
devoured all that faced it.
Presently Charles taking stand along
| the Loire felt strong enough to risk
| mighty cast of the dice. He had
| gained important re-enforcenaentS and
| in spite of the general terrorization he
had stiffened the spirit of his men. Abb
| derrahman's success in entering Tours,
with the resultant decentralization of
| his troops, gave the Frankish leader
! the opportunity for which he waited.
| Once it came he pressed it to the full
| limit of success. Abderrahman Stormed
Tours almost before the eyes of the
| army which came to save 1T. The fury
| and cruelty of the successful Moslems
| against the luckless Inhabitants of the
| fallen town has been Mkened to that
| of raging tigers. Each man of the in
vaders loaded himself with loot. The
sword and torch were everywhere at
| work. at was manifest" says one
| Arab historian, "that Gods chastise-
ment was sure to follow such ex-
| cesses,'' and proceeds to lament the
| loss OF discipline upon the Saracen
| army.
Ahderrahman was keenly alive to