The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, March 25, 1915, Image 2
SIX MONTHS OF
THE GREAT WAR
Official French Review of the
Mighty Struggle
PLANS FULLY SET FORTH
Results Claimed to Be Satisfactory
to French Who arc
Confident.
The Press has received a historical
review from French official sources, ol
the operations in the western wai
theatre, from its beginning up to llv
end of January?the first six month
of the war. It is lon^\ detailed, am
in snmr* wsnprl's 1 in thr? mil
itary sense; but it contains matter ol
absorbing interest, both for the lay
man and the expert.
The plans of General Joffro art
set forth and explanations given as
to how and why they always eoul<
not ho carried out, how they wen
modified from time to time , and ii
what manner they were successful.
The review closes with a note o
satisfaction at the results achieved
and of the utmost confidence in tlu
iinal issue.
The papers are too long to pcrnii
r\ \ f K *\i 1 \ r> !? >#? ivMTnn i?r\ f h n?
V 1 UK ii UV. I I If, I II villi*. 1 I I Ivl I
in instalments which will be eon
tinucd from time to time.
It should be understood that tin
narrative is purely from the Frencl
standpoint. The lirst instalment ol
the document follows:
"Chapter 1. The French Setback it
August?The first month of the cam
paign began with success and fin
ished with defeats for the Frond
troops. Under what circumstances <li<
these come about ?
"The Operations in Alsace?Our plat
of concentration has forseen the
possibility of two principal action.'
?the one on the right betweei
the Vosges and the Moselle, the othei
on the left to the north of the Ver
dun-Toul line. On August 2, owing t<
the Germans passing through Bel
gium, our concentration was modifie<
by Gen. JoflTe, that our principal effort
might be directed to the north.
"From the first week in August h
was apparent that the time rcquirc<
for the British army to begin U
move would delay our action in ?.on
ittii h if TKIo /li\! M
1 It'V 11UII Willi i v i mo nuici^ in v i i v
reason which explains our failure a
the end of August.
Where Things Were Bungled.
**Awaiting the moment when tin
operations in the north could beg it
and to prepare for it, by retaining ii
Alsace the greatest possible numbei
of German forces, the general-lnchie1
ordered our troops to occupy Mul
house to cut the bridge of the Khin?
at Huningue, and below, and thei
to flank the attack of our troops eper
ating in Lorraine. This operation wa
badly carried out by a leader, whi
was at once relieved of his command
Our troops, after having carried Midhouse,
lost it and were thrown bad
on Belfort. The work, therefore, ha<
to be recommenced, and this was done
from August 14.
"Mulhouse was taken on the !!)l'n
after a brilliant fight at Oornach
Twenty-four guns were captured. Oi
the 20th \vc held the approa lies t<
Colniar, both by the plan and by th<
Vosgos. The enemy had undergone
enormous losses and abandoned p.real
stores of shells and forage, but Iron
this moment what was happening i'
Lorraine and on our left preventer
us from carrying our success further
for our Loops in Alasce were neede<
else where. On August 28th the Al
sace army was broken up, only i
small part remaining to hold the region
of Thann and the Vosges.
The Lighting in Lorraine.
"The Operations in Lorraine?The
purpose of the operations in Alsac<
was, namely, to retain a large par
of the enemy's forces far from th'
northern theatre of operations; it wai
for our offensive in Lorraine to pur
sue still more directly by holding be
fore it the German army corps opor
ating south of Mctz. This otrensiv*
began brilliantly on August 15th. Oi
the. 19th we had reached the regioi
of Saarburg and that of the Etang:
(lakes): we held Dieuze, Morhange
Delme and Chateau Salines.
"On the 20th our success was stop
pod. The cause is to be found in th<
strong organization of the region, ii
the power of the enemy's artillery
operating over ground which had beei
minutely surveyed, and, finally, in th<
default of certain units. On the 23n
in spite of the splendid behavior o
KPVOrfll nf niir iwrrwr / /-?v i~w <i?/l
- v* "v?i MI inj wi j;n nun 11 */
tably that of Nancy, our troops wen
brought back onto the Grand Cou
ronne, while on the 23rd and 24th th<
Germans concentrated reinforcement
?three army corps at least?in tin
region of Luncville and forced us t<
retire to the south.
"This retreat, however, was onl;
momentary. On the 25th, after tw<
vigorous counter-attacks, one fron
south to north and the other fron
west to cast, the enemy had to fal
back. From that time between the
Germans and ourselves a sort of balI
ancc was established on the terrain,
i Maintained for fifteen days, it was
afterward, as will bo seen, modified
to our advantage.
!j Waiting for the British.
"Operations in Belgian Luxemburg.
?"There remained the principal busi|
ncss?the battle of the north?postponed
owing to the necessity of waiting
for the British army. On August
20th the concentration of our lines
was finished and the general in-chief
gave orders for our center and our
I left to take the occnsive. Our cenf
| ter comprised two armies, our left a
third army, reinforced to the extent
of two army corps, a corps of cavalry,
< the reserve divisions, the British army
II 11 i.i?
i and me iseigian army, wnicti already
- had been engaged for the previous
f three weeks at Liege, Namur and
- Lou vain.
"The (icrman plan oh that dale was
^ as follows:
> "From seven to eight army corps
1 and four cavalry divisions were endeavoiing
to pass between Givct and
1 Brussels, and even to prolong their
movements more to the west. Our obf
jeet was, therefore, in the first place
, to hold and dispose of the enemy's
? center and afterward to throw ourlcft
flank of the German grouping
I troops in the north.
The Movement's Failure.
"On August '?i~t our offensive in
v the ccntei began with ten army corps
i On August 22nd it failed, and this rof
verse appeared serious. The reasons
for it are complex. There were iu
II this affair individual and collective
-1 failures, imnrudonces committed tin
- dor the lire of the enemy, divisions i!li
engaged, rash deployments, prccipil
tate retreats, a premature waste of
men and finally, the inadequacy of
i certain of our troops and the ir leaders
both as regards the use of these lapses,
the enemy, turning to account the
difficult terrain was able to secure the
maximum of profit from the advan
tage which the superiority of his sub>
altera complements gave him.
Further Fall Hack.
1 "Operations Between the Sambre
- and the Mouse.?in spite of this defeat,
our maneuver still had a chance
1 of success, if our left and the British
1 army secured a decisive result. This
> was, unfortunately, not the case. On
- August 23d, with groat losses, the
4 enemy crossed the Sambre and our
t- left army fell back the 24th upon
Beaumont-Givet, being perturbed by
the belief that the enmy was threat4
cning its right.
i "On this same day the 24th, the
1 British army fell back after a Geri'I
man attack on the Maubeuge-Valcnci1
! onncs line. On the 25th and 26th its
'retreat became more hurried. After
4 Landreeies and Le Cateau, it fell back
5: southward by forced marches. It
' could not from this time keep its hold
v until after crossing the Marne.
> j "The rapid retreat of the English
coinciding with the defeat sustained in
" Belgian Luxemburg, allowed the en
: | cmy to cross the Meuse and to accel1
crate by fortifying it, the action of
' his right.
i "The situation at this moment may
?] be thus summed up:
.! "Either our frontier had to bo de'
; fended on the spot, under conditions
>i which ti^e British retreat rendeied rx*
| tremerly perilous, or we had to cxe'
| cute a strategic retirement, which
t while delivering up to the enemy a
i part of the national soil would permit
i! us on the other hand to resume the of
1! fensive at our own time, with a favor,
able disposition of troops slid intact
1! which we had at our commai-d, Th<
- general-in-chicf determined on the
i; second alternative.
The Care That Was TaUen.
"Preparation of the Oifensive.-I
Henceforth, the French command
:i devoted its efforts to preparing the
% offensive. To this end three conditt
ions had to he fulfilled.
"1. The retreat had to be carried in
3 order under a succession of counter at
- j tacks which would keep the enemy
-! busy.
-I "2. The extreme point of this re
b treat must bo fixed in such a way
1 that tho different armies should r?ieh
i it simultaneously, ready at the mos
merit of occupation of it to resume the
, offensive all together.
"2. Every circumstance pmniiUing
- of a resumption of the offensive bop
fore this point should be reached must
i be utilized by the whole of our forces,
', and the British forces.
1 The Counter Attacks,
p "French Counter Attacks ami Tncir
I Result.?The counter attacks oocutcd
f during the retreat were uriliirm; and
- often fruitful. On August UfHh we
e successfully attacked St. Quent.in to
- disengage the British army Two
e other corps and a reserve division ens
gaged the Prussian Gua?'<| and the
p Tenth German army corps, debouch?
ing from Guise. By the end of the
day, after various fluctuations, '.he
V enemy was thrown back on the Oise
5 and the British front was freed.
1 "On August 27th we also had suci
cccded in throwing back upon the
1 Aicusc the enemy, who was endeavor
ing to gain a foothold on the left bank
Thanks to our successes- in the woods
or Marfee and of Jaulnay, we were
able, in accordance with the orders
of the general-in-chief, to fall hark or.
the IJuzancy 1c Chcsne-Houvtllemcnl
line.
"Farther to the right another army
took part in the same movement and
carried out successful attacks August
2;>th on the Otrain and in the region
of Spincourt.
"On the 2(5th three clilVerent units
recrossed the Mcuse without being
disturbed and were able to join in the
action of our center. Our armies
were,therefore, again intact and availiihlr?
I'm*
"On August 26th a now army composed
of two army corps, five reserve
divisions and a Moorish brigade was
constituted. This army was to assemble
in the region of Amiems bo
tweon August 27th and September
1st and take olVensive against the
German right, uniting its action with
that of the British army operating
on the line Ham-13ray-Sur-Somme.
"apidty of the Germans,
"CorvGi. tien of the Retreat and
Its Cause?The hope of resuming the
offensive was from this moment rendered
vain by the radidity of the
march of the German light wing.
This rapidty had two consequences,
which we had to parry before thinking
of advancing. On the one part
our new army had not time to complete
its detraining and, on the othei
hand, the British army, forced back
further by the enemy, uncovered on
August JUst our left flank. Our line,
ihlls modified. enntn hind wsivoc wl-deh
had to bo redressed before we could
pass to the offensive.
"To understand this, it is sufficient
to consider the situation created by
the quick advance of the army on
the evening of September 2d. A corps
of cavalry had crossed the Oise and
advanced as far as Chateau Thierry.
The first army( General von Kluck),
comprising four active army corps
and a reserve corps had passed Compicgne.
The second army (General
von Bulow), three active army corps
and two reserve corps, was reaching
the Laon region. Third army (General
von Hausen), two active army
corps and a reserve corps, ha 1 crossed
the Aisne, between the Chateau Porcien
and Attigny.
"More to the east, tlie forth, fifth
sixth and seventh armies, namely,
twelve army corps, four reserve corps
and numerous other formations were
in contact with our troops, the fourth
and fifth armies between Vouziers and
Verdun and others in the positions
which have been indicated above from
Verdun to the Vosges. It will, therefore,
be seen that our left, if we accepted
battle, might be in great peril
through the British forces and the new
French army operating more to the
westward, having given way.
Waiting for Proper Time.
"A defeat in these condition would,
however, cut off our armies from Paris
awl from the British forces and at
the same time from the new army
which had been constituted to the
left of tlie English. We should thus
be running the risk of losing by a
single stroke the advantage of the assistance
which Russia later on was to
furnish. General JofTre chose, resolutely
for the solution which disposed
of these risks, that is to say, for postponing
the offensive and the continuation
of the retreat. In this way he
remained on ground which he had
chosen. He waited only until he could
engage in better conditions.
"In consequence on September 1st
he fixed at an extreme limit for the
movement of retreat, which was still
going on the line Bray-Sur-Scine,
N ogon t- Su r- So i no, A rc i s- Su r A u be
Vitry-lo- Erancois, and the regionnorth
of !?ar-le-I)uc. This line should
be reached if the troops were compelled
to go back so far. They would
attack before reaching it, as soon as
there was a possibility of bringing
about an offensive disposition, permitting
the cooperation of the whole
of our forces.
Boldness of the Germans.
"Eve of the Offensive?On Septem
her 5th it appeared that this desired
situation existed. The first German
ottcnsive, carrying audacity to temerity,
had continued to endeavor to
envelop our left, had crossed the
Grand Morin and reached the region
of ChaufTry to the south of Rebais
and of Esternay. It aimed then at
cutting our armies olF from Paris to
begin the investment of the capital.
The second army had in line Champaubert,
Etoges, Bergeres and Vertus.
The Third and Fourth reached
to Chalons-Sur-Marne and Bussy-le
Repes. The Fifth was advancing on
one side and the other from the Argonne
as far as Posesse to Triancourt?Lcs-Islcttcs
and Julvecourt.
The Sixth and Seventh armies were
attacking more to the east.
"But there is a capital difference be
tween the situation of September 5th
and that of September 2d. The envelopment
of our left was no longer possible.
In this place our left army had
j occupied tlie line of Sezanne, Villers?
St. Georges and Courchamps. Fur- j
thermore the British forces gathered
between the Seine and the Manic, I
flanked on their left by the newlycreated
army, were closely connected
with the rest of our forces.
This was precisely the disposition
which the general-'in-chief had wished
to see achieved. One the 4th lie deeid
ed to take advantage of it and ordered
all the armi( s i.o hold themselves
ready. He had taken from his right
two new army corps, two divisions of
infantry and two divisions of cavalry
which were distributed between 1 is
left and bis center. On the evening of
the 5th he addressed to all the com- j
manders of armies a message oi\k r- j
ing tliem to attack.
"The hour has come," he wrote, "to j
advance at all costs, an I to lie where!
you stand rather than give way."
I
Health Promotes Happiness.
Without health, genuine joy is impossible;
without good digestion and
reguiar bowel movement you cannot
have health. Why neglect keeping'
bowels open and risk being sick and
ailing? Ycu don't have to. Take one'
small Dr. King's New Life Pills at
night, in the morning you will have a
full, free bowel movement and feel
much better. I-Iel. our appetite and
digestion one tonight.?adv.
ENGLAND WILL SEE
GERMANY GETS NONE
Necessaries of Life Will be Cut
off From Reaching Country
HOW ENGLAND WILL ACT
Proclamation to the World Sign
cd by the King Last Week.
Word Blockade Not
Used.
Great Britain made known to the
world last week in a formal proclamation,
signed in council by the King,
and issued from Buckingham Palace,
how she proposes to sever the arteries
of sea commerce to and from Germany
i :ii. . :_ c ii
uuring ilie pcnou < i me wiir.
The lonn "blockade" is not used, i
and no prohibited area is defined.
Nevertheless, the text of the order
makes plain England's purpose to
prevent commodities of any kind from
reaching or leaving Germany during
the war.
British officials frankly called the
movement a blockade, the foreign office
describing it as an effective
blockade, differing from the effective
blockades of history only in that the j
property seized will not be confiscated
outright, but Bold, the proceeds eventually
going to the owners.
The last clause of the proclamation
contains the proposal most interesting
to neutrals. This is a flat agree- ,
ment to lift the "blockade" in case j
any nation will certify that the ships
flying its flag shall not carry goods to j
Germany or goods originating therein
or goods belonging to the subjects of
the German Empire.
No Mention of Austria and Turkey
It is notable that the order declares
ro intention to capture ships proceeding
to and from the countries of Gei
many's Allies. Austria and Turkey,!
the reason being, no doubt, that the j
measure is avowedly a rem isal against
Germany's submarine warfrro.
However, a cordon of ships will be
maintained to cut off the commerce cf
Herman ports and regulate trade in
the war zone, although ships voyaging
eastward across the Atlantic, will
it is expected, be sized before they
roach the North sea.
When a neutral vessel is held up, in
all cases except where there is a false
declaration of destination or other attempt
at subterfuge, the cargo only
will be seized.
A copy of the order in council was
handed to the American ambassador.
Wide Discretion Allowed.
The foreign olficc emphasizes fhe
fact that wide discretion will be allowed
prize court officials handling
neutral claims and that instructions
will bo given these men to act with
the greatest dispatch consistent with
the proper performance of their tasks
The foreign office points out the
order is elastic insofar as it affects!
neutrals and has called attention from
'he first announcement of the reprisal
policy to the fact that the regulations
are not inflexible where the rights of
neutrals are concerned.
While the order is absolute, insofar
as ships to and from German ports
are concerned, using the word "must"
in stipulating how goods shall be discharged
in English ports, the provisions
concerning cargoes destined for
neutral ports set forth that they "may
be required to discharge" at British
ports. This language is typical of the
general attitude of British officials.
Pine Forest I
How it clears the throat and head
of mucous ailments. It is this spirit
of Newness and Vigor from the health
giving Piney Forest brought back by
Dr. Bell's Pine-Tar-Honey. Antiseptic
and healing. Buy a bottle today. 25c
at all druggist.?adv.
Elqoiric Bitters, a Spring Tonic, i
1
i When Anybod
I He Is General
| To Tell His N<
5f The willingness of one
l>or in a private way of th
explains the popularity e
vcrtisiiig that has been d<
J The fear of the public
majority of such people f
used iu the newspaper.
.? ceiving fine testimonials
j ' AHEfiSIA-?',t?'
rua-down < oiutltion of the is
i spsme
I
Pouched. Pouh! not n'.eop.
Peruna, I con a well woman
! OAY/WRH-^^-t^othankful
for your coed ativl
mm T0RI6
act;: as a tonic. 1 consider
chest."
r How did tlicy hear < i
1 Simply I centime ore nc
inolhcr <me ho lias h-r.ud
li'ui of pratefr.i patient ^ I
advertising. .Much more.
CC pi n T
\ *c- c r>T ?
l. \ iO . v .'i ol A
I ho l'erurau C'o.,
ODD BITS OF NEWS
Justice of the Peace Henry Miller!
of Swoyervillc, Pa., was so any ry at i
the defiant and unrepentant attitude j
of a wife heater on trial before him
that he peeled o'V his coat and sailed
into the defendant. When court ad
journed the wife beater was so battered
that bis be^t friend would r.ot r c '
rj.vr.izc him. Also he was humble and
repentant.
Kept alive for two days by associa- ;
tion vith two bear cubs and their mo- !
f liov Rm K\T Roll * h o ' * ' l i - - %
v 1 v. I ? * ' I * \ 1 9 ^ ; I , V * * ' v f \ I il I t I ? 1 i* V >
of a settler north of I* ifield, Wis., \v: si
found late at night recently asleep in'
the underbrush and, though starving,;
was not suffering from exposure. Thsearchers
saw the signs of bears r.c
where the child was found, and old
woodsmen declared that the child warkept
alive by sleeping with cubs a: r. j
their mother. All that the child ca
say is: "Big doggie play; baby hun-!
gry."
The Methodist Ministers' Assn. ha:
formed a secret body of 100 men who
will report to parents and employer,
the names of all young persons attend
ing dances, theatres, etc., thought tc
be improper. The investigates s arc
volunteers. They will report, a mo, ah j
other law violations they discover at
Cincinnati, O.
Arkansas' brand new prohibiticr \
law is already a dead letter here. Be
cause the soloor.ists have secured Fe
eral. State and county licenses, bu
under the new prohibition law cr : "
be granted c ty licem .cs in Fort S uit
It was agreed at a conference that
they shall bo fined by the city $4 a
day, payable every ten days. Tin
new prohibition law forbids the. grant
ing of any more saloon licenses. Be- I
fore il was signed bYrt Smith saloon*
ists had secured all iiu ir licenses save '
those from the city. Mayor Read. in
police court, told the saloonists that I
althugh he is a prohibitionist, he did!
not believe the city had a moral right I
to close the saloons under existing con)
ditions.
A Laboratory of Thought.
Kansas and Wisconsin are now run- j
ning neck and neck when it comes to ,
freak legislation. The odds are all in!
favor of Kansas, the unique state ofj
the union. Wisconsin has asserted a 1
claim which must be recognized. There i
is ,according to the Postal Guide, aj
town near Lacrossec which is indexed |
Waukon. In this little town an ordinance
has been passed and is being enforced
which might interest the rest
of the country. A day is set aside evCALOMEL
WHEN Bit
MAKES YOU SICI
"Dodson's Liver Tone" Is Harmless To
Cloan Your Sluggish Liver
and Bowels.
Ugh! Calomel makes you sick. It's
horrible! Take a dose of the dangerous
drug tonight and tomorrow you may lose
a day's work.
Calomel is mercury or quicksilver
which causes necrosis of the hones.
Calomel, when it comes into contact
with sour bile crashes into it, breaking
it up. This is when you feel that-awful
nausea and cramping. If you arc sluggish
and "all knocked out," if your
liver is torpid and bowels constipated
or you have headache, dizziness, coated
tongue, if breath is bad or stomach sour,
just try a spoonful of harmless Dodson's
Liver Tone tonight on my guarantee.
1y Finds a Cure
ly Willing
sighbor
neighbor to tell another neigh
e benefit received from l'cruna
f Perynu nunc than all the ad
ne.
itv uncloubtedly prevents th
1*0111 writing a testimonial to b
Put in spite of that we are re
continually.
, Marengo, Ohio, says: "I believ
xvt t<-nk:. 1 rocoinir.cml it for an
yslc-in."
la Pi uiTlebonrn, Hunch, Iowa:
1 I I Ml C '1 !ll,nl . ,11 .liv l.i.i.n
V.v t' niv.l coiisuinptiun. Thanks t
i louay."
,7os?"'i?h, Orerron: "My llille boy i
.' aiarrn ?u the curs by Feruna. Ai
ice."
Mcblo' or's. Frown Valley, Minn,
rprim: J'ornnn tones r.p fhe nynterr
I'jruiui j, whole family mediclri
! *cnina ?
i;'M or is always willing to tel
a ctfv. Neighborly convcrsa
::.s <l! j 1.o more. Or I'eruna tha
r* 59 c
axe, sent tree.
('alp.n.bur,, Ohio. ^
cry y<-ii 1* and is designated "Bi
It-Back-Day." Those who boi
money, these who borrow prort
Pros' who borrow anything of a
rowablc nab.r e. are supposed oijJ
particular ?av to briny it back,
if they do not comply with the mi
ipal edict the town marshal goes
in the ben owed artiel r and bi
it bad; anyv/ay -that . if he cat
it. In Kansas the "Pay-Up W
ceb-hrntio.i has been a fruitful
crss and this week of the 52 inj
everybody who is in a position]
in a he- rcs'.itution docs 1 is or herj
to do so. Debt is the secret forjj
thrift. The debt habit is the jj
brother of poverty. The great \
ble of the country is the credit om
An unknown man with scarcely?
trouble, obtain credit. This encofi
cs many to go wrong. People U
hove credit and do a credit bus!
buy more than they need. To L
dear in the eyes of the world, oij|
on a. cash basis. This is not afl
possil.de. Some people have to ^
on credit to exist, but when tlW*
in this position, they must undent
that they avc standing on the d
of disaste r. In the se two lake a
ics of thought laws have been e aj
which may seem foe lish, but thei*
logic ill both. In neither case w
laws bo hold unconstitutional, r
the same time they encourage
people to do the right thing anw
up. A small debt, many arguo'h
duces a friend. This is why t'n
its arc so easily obtained, hut it>
be remembered that a large doty,
ates an enemy. The pay-up Hi
idea and bring it back day in W t
sin are not so fooiish after all. V
is so much method in Mich, leghc
that :t should not be rh i ulo^i
bus: uccp in debt is like the tiry*
i) lY.'.-ehoed. It must i?o foilovv
until one is hopelessly involved
up, bring it back, keep yourselfll
The way then will he free of
les.?Commercial Appeal.
To Visit Prisoners. \yu
An arrangement l>oiw?en (luc'J
ain and G many and AustjVV
which representatives of the, )!
will inspect and report up:;n
prison camps in those counlr&fl
distribute to prisoners supplier^
their own governments or oth-o^ I
oos, was announced last week ''iB
State Department, and it wa&<*j
that, through the: gol okhxsJB
American government, simi$?B
rangernents were under center
between Russia and France avriB
many and Austria. 'jj
jous? no! stl
uno saliva;]
Here's mv <rnnr??f*w*?n*s. *
? a v>v w r 'H
store and got a 50 cent l>ottle
son's Liver Tone. Take a spoo^i'W
if it doesn't straighten you i"*B
and make you feel iine and vit'fB
want you to go hack to the
get your money. Dodson's Li\ B
is destroying the sale of caloigel Jfl
it is real liver medicine; entir<
table, therefore it can not sal V
make you sick.
1 guarantee that one spoonful (B
son's Liver Tone will put your <H
liver to work and clean your ] dH
that sour bile and constipate) jH
which is clogging your system j
ing you feel miserable. I guara H
a bottle of Dodson's Liver 1
keep your entire family feeling 'H
months. Give it to your childr*
harmless; doesn't gripe and the
pleasant taste. H