“’Steep slopes led up to the heights, which were held in considerable force.  With our weak detachments of the Seventy-fourth and Ninety-first regiments we reached the crest and came under a terrible artillery fire that mowed us down.  However, we entered St. Prix.  Hardly had we done so than we were met with shell fire and a violent fusillade from the enemy’s infantry.  Our colonel was badly wounded—­he is the third we have had.  Fourteen men were killed around me.  We got away in a lull without my being hit.

“’The 7th, 8th, and 9th of September we were constantly under shell and shrapnel fire and suffered terrible losses.  I was in a house which was hit several times.  The fear of death, of agony, which is in every man’s heart, and naturally so, is a terrible feeling.  How often I have thought of you, my darling, and what I suffered in that terrifying battle which extended along a front of many miles near Montmirail, you cannot possibly imagine.

“’Our heavy artillery was being used for the siege of Maubeuge.  We wanted it badly, as the enemy had theirs in force and kept up a furious bombardment.  For four days I was under artillery fire.  It was like hell, but a thousand times worse.

“’On the night of the 9th the order was given to retreat, as it would have been madness to attempt to hold our position with our few men, and we should have risked a terrible defeat the next day.  The first and third armies had not been able to attack with us, as we had advanced too rapidly.  Our morale was absolutely broken; in spite of unheard-of sacrifices we had achieved nothing.

“’I cannot understand how our army, after fighting three great battles and being terribly weakened, was sent against a position which the enemy had prepared for three weeks, but, naturally, I know nothing of the intentions of our chiefs; they say nothing has been lost.

“’In a word, we retired towards Cormontreuil and Rheims by forced marches by day and night.  We hear that three armies are going to get into line, intrench and rest, and then start afresh our victorious march on Paris.  It was not a defeat, only a strategic retreat.  I have confidence in our chiefs that everything will be successful.

“’Our first battalion, which has fought with unparalleled bravery, is reduced from 1,200 to 194 men.  These numbers speak for themselves.’”

EVENTS FROM SEPTEMBER 21 TO

The next report from the official chronicler at the front, dated September 24, was in part as follows: 

“The enemy is still maintaining himself along the whole front, and in order to do so is throwing into the fight detachments composed of units from the different formations, the active army, reserve, and landwehr, as is shown by the uniforms of prisoners recently captured.

“Our progress, although slow on account of the strength of the defensive positions against which we are pressing, has in certain directions been continuous, but the present battle may well last for some days more before a decision is reached, since it now approximates nearly to siege warfare.