Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-11-05
WITH GEN. CR0SSET1J
Left Wing Of Army Of
Orient H a m m er S
Away on Monastir
Front

Army Headquarters, Florina, Macedo-
MIA, Oct. 22.-(Staff correspondence Of the
Associated Press) General Grosetti,
comma nder-in chief Of the left wing OF
the Army of the Orient. was at headquar-
tiers here a few days ago when his chief
OF staff, Colonel Expert Besancon, arrv-
ed with welcome news of big success.
Our party had just arrived from General
Sarrail's headquarters at Saionihi, and
this gave the opportunity OF sharing in
the good news and of observing its sequel
VIXEN the French official account was YER
flied and the German account was proved
TO be incorrect.
Colonel Besancons good news was that
the French forces. cooperating with the
Albanian mountaineers. had caught am
Austrian detachment in a pocket and
made short work of it. The Austrians
had stacked their arms and were about
their camp duties with their coats off.
Suddenly the French and Albanians
burst on them from surrounding hills,
sweeping the camp with machine gun
fire from high cliff. The fight was
quick and awful. The Austrans had no
time to get their guns. They were liter
ally annihilated. Those who were no.
killed surrendered. The counted dead
numbered i. coo; the prisoners $50 The
French-Albani Man loss was only three men
killed and seven wounded.
The French official communicate duly
recorded this incident. with the killed
and wounded. The German commu-
niuue also referred to il, but gave a
different version, According to the
Germans. the French made an attack.
which was rePulsed without loss. That
night the American Ambulance sec
ton from Leland Stanford University,
California arrived with some of the
wounded and with independent evil
dence, based on talking with the cap
turrd prisoners and counting them.
that the French version had told the
truth and the German version had con-
ceaied it.
The whole route from Saloniki to
Florina ran through a vast marshy
plain. with scummy water and fog
~ miasma hanging over it. This was
the deadly fever zone. which dragged
the vitality out Of the troops. The
Nardar river, for which Serbs ana
Bulgars contend was crossed at
O'Clock 1t is shallow, marshy
stream. deadly with fever germs and
breaks into three irregular branches
crossed by long steel bridge.
From end to end of this low plague
region Serb soldiers were giving an
other evidence of their heroism and
endurance. They were at every bridge
and 'culvert and formed the guard for
the whole railway route. so vital is
Nd Slnn1ipC MOSf
the Serb soldiers were old men. Their
tents were down in the marsh and they
were. literally living in the scummy
water. They looked yellow from this
terrible wor'.
West Of the Nardar. Macedonia
grows more fertile. There are small
farms with water buffaloeS dragging
primitive wooden ploughs This is the
region which the Greek government
hopes to reclaim into q Wat farming
section.
Nearing army headquarters at Flor
ina there were evidences of the heavy
fighting whicl. had been going on. The
splendid hve-span steel bridge at
Eksisu had been blown up by the Bull
ar-AustrianS as they fell back after
the last drive The twisted framework
0i the bfklHe vas uONn III n quincy.
with portions Of the girders hanging to
the piers at either end. The enemy was
only a few miles to the north. and was
stil showing its resentment for this
drive.
NJ tie nearby British Red Cross
hospital al Nertekop We saw where
bombs had Just been dropped in an
air raid, killing a number Of sick and
several nurses, although huge red
crosses, laid fiat on the ground plain
IN showed this was a hospital entitled
to protection.
General GToSetto keeps hammering
away on this Nonastir front, jus as
lie did on the Marine and the User. He
has had one Of The most nota BILE careers
of the war; it was his division Of
l'och's army which made the famous
drive on Won kluck's flank al the bat
tie of the Marne. which in the judg-
ment Of military experts. turned the
tide in that great battle. Then ne was
in the big Champagne offensive. and
the ArGonne, and on the User. and now
no is ia chief command of the French,
Serb. Russian. Italian and Greek di-
visions which have cleared the enemy
from Monastir, pressed him back A.
miles and has the task Of keeping him
on tho move to the rear.