Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-04-22
against his triple line.

against his triple line.
But the Belginns. whose bravery the
Roman general more Than once com
mpndS, We're not 50 easily tricked.
They concluded that II would he bet.
ter to ford the Aisne. destroy the RO.
man troops guarding the bridge and
break the bridge down. This would
cut Caesars line of communications.
and prevent the bringing of supplies
10 him from the direction of Reims
Below the junction of the Miette,
the AiSue on that day happened to he
fnralai,ln No sooner was the move
ment Of the Belgians started than
Caesars pntrols FASTENED TO report 1t.
Instantly he dispatched cavalry and
contingent of SharpShooterS, CON
SiSting Of singers and bowlnen.
across the bridge. When these de-
tachments reached the south bank Of
the Aisne, only few of the enemy
had crossed, and these were quickly
surrounded by the cavalry. The
SharpShootrrS stationed themselves
opposite the lords amt killed so many
of the Belgians IN the stream while
crossing that the river was chOked
with their bodies. Over these the IN.
domitahIe host continued to press for
ward till the appalling losses checked
their ard0r, and they gave up the at
tempt.
Disastrous Retreat.
AS their provisions were running
low. the BelgianS decided to adopt Il
different plan of combating Caesar,
and In the night started for their
homes. only TO he done TO death the
following day by the rapidly pursuing
Roman forces, which cut them down
without mercy.
This battle of the Aisne was of
great importance to Caesar. Yet
what ~ mild affair II seems when con.
trastea with the means and methods
employed ia The war which lately
closed.
For reasons Analogous 10 those
which made this part Of the Aisnp
scei,e OF battle H. Caesars time. il,
the autumn of 1914. and Ia the las,
two years of the war the struggles
took place al Berry Bac. in the
angle formed by the Mir,tS and the
,isne, and on Hin los 81 frequently
.ntioned In the dispatches.
Hill 10S Is directly edst OF Berry.
auBac. on the other side OF the
Aisne. and is of q whitish chalk for.
nation easily worked. 1t was mined
and countermined until the whole sur.
lace became complex of yawning
mine craters. One of these. near the
west end of the hill. is some 60 feet
deep and $50 to 800 feet across at the
top.
Below Berry-au-Bac, near the begin
ming of October. in 1914. French and
British troops constructed pontOOp
bridges In the face of artillery fire
accurately directed from the high
ground on the north side of the AisDe
and again, as WAS reported by dis
patches at the time. the Aisne was
choked with corpses. Near the Aisne
In October, 1919, II months after the
Germans Withdrew from this region,
we found few temporary wooden
buildings erected to house the men
who were cleaning away the debris.
Over near the Miette brook, at the
left Of the highway leading north, Is
a camp for German prisoners.
Tanks Where Caesars Army stood.
On the slope where Caesars army
was drawn up are the wrecks of two
French tanks, one Of earlier. the 9th
err of later pattern. The latter had
not reached the first German trench
when 1t was hit by shell which blew
the motor entirely out of the machine.
1t stands just as 1t was when aban-
doned.
When we came back the second day
a group of German prisoners was
searching. the battleaslds for scat