The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-10-26
WITH BACK TO THE WALL.
FOOT BY FOOT ALLIES ARE DRIv-
ING THEM .EAST-CAN'T
CHECK FOCH.
Particularly Vicious Fighting Along
Meuse River, Where Americans Arc
Faced by Picked Troops Ma
chine Gun Nests.

The. Allied armies in France. an6
Belgium are still driving; the Germans
toward their. border but the process is
now comparatively slow.
On the sectors that are requisite
to the stability CT the entire German
iine-where a crash through proba-
bly, would mean the immediate col
lapse of the whole Of the defensive
system-the most stubborn resistance
is being offered by the enemy, and
what gains are being made by tn.
allies are virtually foot by foot il
the face of the hornet of the battlt
line-the machine guns.
!: Particularly vicious fighting is II
progress west of the Meuse river
where the Americans in their en-
deavors to overcome the natural OBJ
stacles barring the way northward t
Sedan, are faced by picked troops
with orders to hold them back at al
costs; in the region from LIE Cateau
to the north of Valenciennes, where
the British and some Americans
gradually are tearing their way
through enemy's front and between
Journal, and Audenarde, where the
British also are hard after the enc
my. -
Notwithstanding the frantic en-,
deavors of the enemy to maintain
their positions on all three OF these
sectors, material progress has beer
made. Likewise, northeast Of Laon the
French on an eight-mile front have
delivered thrust that carried them
forward from two to three miles. Into
the hands Of the British have ~falleE
1000 more German prisoners while
the Americans west Of the Meus
also nave gathered in numbers of the
enemy and considerable quantity OF
his machine guns.
Veritable nests Of machine guns
are being encountered by the Amerl-
cans as they attempt to press forward
along the front from the Meuse te
the town of Grand-Pre, situated north
Of the Argonne forest, but in spltf
of these obstacles they have taken
further ground and at last accounts
were steadily keeping up their pres
sure against the enemy. Extremely
heavy counter attacks have been sue
cessfully sustained north of Grand
Pre-, and on this section particularly
strong concentrations Of enemy ar:
tillery fire have gone almost fo'
nought On the western bank of tfl<
Meuse the town of .Breui]les has beer
taken, the. enemy having burned anf
evacuated it and retreated in the gen.
eral direction Of Dun.
Exactly what has been accomplish
ed by the French in q drive northeas
of Laon, except that they have gained
over. wide front, has not yet be
come apparent; but it brings appre.
ciably nearer Mont Cornet, the las
important railroad junction III this &c
gion.
North and south Of VaTencienne.
Field Marshal Haig has continued his
attacks against the Germans ant
everywhere made good progress. Be
tween LIE Cateau and Solesmes {
sharp wedge has been driven into tbs
German line, threatening the town o
Maubeuge on the east and outfank-
ing Valenciennes on the South. NORTH
Of yalenciennes the town Of Bruay
has been captured virtually making
Valenciennes untenable for the enc
my. To the north of this region tn
British have reached the west bank
of the Scheldt canal.
Already the British are in the
western outskirts Of Valenciennes
where hard fighting is in progress
the Germans having posted innumer-
able machine guns on the westerH
bank of the canal which runs to the
center of the city.
In Northern Belgium the German:
are still retiring. Unofficial reports
are to the effect that Ghent is being
evacuated.