The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-10-19
NEW Battle STARTED.
PEACE TALK sILENCED BY ROAR
OF GUNS-HUNS BADLY
MAULED.
Having Cleared the Laon Salient,
Gen. Foch Orders Drive in Lys Riv-
er Region Toward Ghent-Ameri-
leans in Hot Battle.

Peace talk pervades the air, but II
is falling on deaf ears as fat as the
armies are concerned. Instead OF
relaxation in the intensity Of the
fighting. new hosti1ities, which seem
ingly are on a major scale, are being
carried out by the British, French
and Belgians in Belgian Flanders.
Having cleared out the old Laoh
salient and made advances north
ward in Champagne which are men
ac;ng the retirement of the Ger
mans eastward toward the Valenclen-
.nes- -Mezieres- Metz line, Gen. FocA mas
ordered a drive in the Lys river re-
zion of Flanders toward Client, when
threatens to break entirely the grip o.
the Germans in Belgium all the way
from the frontier to the coast anc
likewise to eliminate the big bulge
in the line with Lille as its apex
While the latest official communl-
cation from Field Marshal Hang an
nounces that only local actions nave
taken place in the new theater and
that prisoners have been taken In tfle
fighting, dispatches from headquar-
tiers assert that Roulers has been cap
tured and that Courtrai, the Junction
point on the railway leading to Ghent
! has been outnanked. The French
| troops alone are said to have taken
5000 prisoners, while the Belglans
have captured several complete bat
teries and guns and numerous prls-
oners. Just how wide the new front
of attack is has not become apparent.
| 1t is stated that the new advance has
brought the allied troops within the
range Of the enemy coast, but guns
from them have offered no opposition
Meantime to the south the Germans
are Offering stiff opposition to the
British southwest of Valenciennes IL
an endeavor to prevent them from
closing on the Lisle sack and the cap
ture of this important town and also
! yalenciennes, which are in precar-
ious positions if a pincer movement
gets under way.
still falling back from the region OF
Laon, that town and the entire st.
Gobain massif being in the hands of
the French. In Champagne the
French have been enabled to make
further crossings of the Aisne and to
materially better their front eastward:
notwithstanding the stole defense OF
the enemy, who realizes it is Of the
greatest importance to check the
French and Americans driving north
ward, as a breach in the southern
line and a swift advance would imper-
il the entire German force inside the
sack from the Disc river west (ol
Flavigny to Sissone,. east of Laon.
Probably the greatest resistance OF
all is faced by the Americans on both
sides of the Meuse river. Vicious
counter attacks are being delivered
against the men from the United
States, the ferceness Of the assault
indicating that fresh forces have
been brought into the fraJ- to halt
their do Or die efforts to proceed up
the river valleys and thereby compe'
the Germans in case Of a retreat to
wehd their way obliQuely northeast
ward, instead of eastward, toward the
German border. Concentrations o.
artillery are. being used against the
American positions at various places
Gas shells are not being spared by
the enemy in his efforts to hold the
Americans in check.
All the counter attacks Of the Ger
mans thus far have been successfully
withstood by Gen. Liggett's men, anG
the American artillery is answering
the German guns shot for shot.