Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-09-21
BATTLE OF VERDUN
 GREATEST 0F ALI.
 A FRENCH VICTORY
Has Been In Procress Since Feb. 21, 1916-Crown
 Prince Outdone.
Correspondence Associated Press)

Correspondence Associated Press) { Verdun, Aug. 2S-The greatest bat
 tie ever fought, an eighteen month
 struggle for Verdun, which has beel
 in progress since February 21, 1916
 has been a brilliant triumph for the
 French army. Today not only the ia
 nous city but it's outlying belt of fort l are in the hands of tho victorious
 French defenders, while the discom- their shell-shattered lines suffering severely from the hard hits they have received and unable to do anything more for the moment to retrieve th,il most recent defeat than to try to hol( back their antagonists while they re- cover breath!
 Among the one-time wooded valleys and hills in the vicinity of the fortress no fewer than 100000 Germans have fallen dead or wounded. Tens of thou sands of their bodies were buried where they fell only to be disinterred again by shells tearing up the ground in the course of the incessant bom- bardments and then once more covered by earth thrown up by other explod- ing projectiles.
 The correspondent of The Associat- ed Press had frequent evidence, while crossing the torn-up battlefield, dur ing the fighting of the temporary character of the graves. Around Dou- aumont. Vaux. Pepper Hill, Goose Hill, Dead Mans Hill and Hill BOA, all cen ters of the most serious fighting dur ing many months, the earth is impreg- mated with blood and the churned up soil is so desiccated that in dry weath CT it forms into deep beds of dust while in wet weather it is swamp of ooze, through which it is difficult to make progress.
 In the battle of August and October, 1916, Verdun had freed itself of some of the heavy pressure of the German hosts, but the outer line of hills and woods surroduning the city was still in the occupation of the enemy. The great Flanders battle this summer was we'll under way when the French commander-in-chief, General Petain, decided that the time had arrived for new push at Verdun. before which a strong German army under the ord CTS of the crown prince was sitting.
 Preparations were carefully made and the artillery began it's work of destruction of the German positions about the beginning of the second week of August. The Germans re- piled vigorously and the reciprocal cannonade gradually increased in vol uma until the morning of the day fix ed for the French infantry to go lover the top." At dawn when the writer made his way across the scared and scorched earth towards the front line in order to observe tho opening of the enga cement every noise conceivable by the human imagination seemed to have combined to break the car-drums and shatter the nerves, while all about great slugs of steel fell and scored ard wrecked the soil.
 The result of this last battle may be told in a few words. On front stretching in straight line just about twelve miles territory of depth of from 1900 yards to 5000 yards had been recaptured by the French, the of Champneuville and sam ogneux, as well as the woods of Nal dHCOufC, AVOcuTC, CdHldfu ana CuIlll- eres had been occupied, Goose Hill and Talou Hill had been taken, Mort Hom- me and Hills BOA and 344 had been stormed and occupied, over 1000 pris- oners had been rounded up, and near ly fifty German cannon had been talk en or destryoed together with more than 200 machine guns and about 40 trench mortars.
 Verdun had been freed from the constant menace of the Germans and the French troops had shown their marked superiority to the Germans both on the defensive and the offen sive. They defended the citadel with tenacity and wonderful courage when it was theratened by apparently over- whelming forces, and when their own time came they executed brilliant offensive movement which pushed the invaders back until at the moment of writing the nearest German line north ward is over six miles away from the city, while to the eastward the Ger mans are only slightly closer. The French, however, are in possession of all the commanding hills and are able thus to observe the enemy's move ments and to take the necessary pre- cautions against any further attack.