Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-04-23
GERMAN KuLTuR
BLIGHT IN P|CARDY
Land Where Great Offensive Is
Being Waged Once Before
Ravaged by Huns.
TREATMENT OF WOUNDED.
Recital Of Horrors by an Old inbab-
liant Gives Significance to PresI.
dent Wilson's Liberty
Loan Speech.
TREATMENT OF WOUNDED.
BY FRED PITNEY,

Over the same ground where the
Battle Of Picnrdy is now In progress
the Germans fought in the beginning
OF the war-iD August and September.
19l4-in their first vain attempt 10
break the Allied power. Then they
were at the climax of their great sweep
on raris. which ended with the Battle
OF the Marne. Proyart, today almost
in the center Of the German lines, was
then the scene Of a great battle. The
magnificent lighting Of the outnum-
bered French troops there held up Won
Kluck's advance for "a hours and gave
the time for Joffre TO form his reserves
and prepare his plans for the counter
blow. II was the day this battle was
fought-August ~, l9l4-tbat Jofrre's
reserves began 10 take shape in the
Sixth army and the remade Ninth
army, one OF which, under General
Manoury. was 10 protect Paris on the
Ourcq nnd the other, under General
Foch. TO break the German center on
the Murne.
rroyart was simple farming vii
lage Of Santcrre. 1t counted TOO in
habitants. whose soul was in the soil
aud the cultivation OF their small par
cells OF land. War was to them a word
that carried little of concrete meaning.
And then war came. FIRST with its news
Of victory and, following close on the
heels of victory, disaster and the
French armies In retreat. The stories
grew worse ns the days passed. and
with the tnles Of defeat came worse
news Of the horrors In Belgium. The
people of Proyart gathered up what
few belongings they could and Ned
with the other refugees, oil except
some 80, who could not bring them.
selves to abandon the only bit Of
earth they had ever known. II Is their
story that Is set down .here.
All night the German soldiers
marched on the heels Of the French,
and ms they marched they talked of
the Battle Of Proyart that was to be
fought when the sun was up. Won
KluCk was leading them, and down to
the last man In the ranks what was
impending seemed to be known. At
daybreak the German lines were fixed
from Chaignes TO Rosieres, with the
center nj Proyart. where 10000 men
were concentrated. In face OF them
were 1900 French with orders to oc.
cupy and hold the village.
"Our men IN their red trousers"
said one of the inhabitants, "came on
under a veritabIe rain Of shells. There
was sunken road near the village,
nnd they seized that and held 1t
against all attempts to drive them
out"
The enemy artillery got the range Of
the road and covered 1t with shrapnel
High explosives tore II up. At the
anne time several regiments of Ger
man infantry advanced under cover Of
the artillery fire. But the French
drove off with their rifle fire every
assault
zone regiment Of the French drove
forward to the village" continued the
old man, land they held one end, while
the Germans held the other. For a
long time they fought admirably but
abe German torrent renewed itself
Constantly, while no reinforcements
came to our side. The $1,000 French
had to fight alone against the 10000
Germans. In vain our men decimated
the enemy. 1t was all for nothing that
German bodies covered the fields.
When evening came the French were
on the point Of being enveloped, and
they were compelled to retreat to
Moreuil."
Yet the gallant fight Of the $1,000
against 10000 had held up Won Ruck
for q precious "a hours, Tor It was the
tenacity Of the French division at
Proyart that stopped the German I'D
vance that day. At the end the Ger
mans were masters Of Proyart, but
they buried 1000 dead whore they had
fallen, while 900 more bodies were car
ried to some great sspuicher In the
rear. Eight hundred French wsrs like
wise buried where they had fallen
The French had fouxht one aGainst