The Literary digest history of the world war, compiled from original and contemporary sources- American, British, French, German, and others (1919) (14803310393)

Identifier: literarydigesthi01hals (find matches)
Title: The Literary digest history of the world war, compiled from original and contemporary sources: American, British, French, German, and others
Year: 1919 (1910s)
Authors: Halsey, Francis W. (Francis Whiting), 1851-1919, comp
Subjects: World War, 1914-1918
Publisher: New York, London, Funk & Wagnalls Company
Contributing Library: Columbia University Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



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r von IManteuffel, who, about the end of Septem-ber, was superseded in his command. The Germans pleadedin defense that their troops were engaged in a conflict withthe inhabitants of the city for twenty-four hours, and in thecourse of this fight the town was damaged. They said fur-ther that the son of the burgomaster fired on the GermanChief of Staff, who commanded at Louvain, and this becamea signal for the Civil Guard of Louvain to fire on the Ger-man soldiers, fifty being killed or wounded. A civilian wit- . 294 INVASION OF BELGIUM AND ALSACE-LORRAINE ness gave the following account of what followed to an Eng-lish war correspondent: At 6 oclock, when everything was ready for dinner, alarmsignals sounded, and the soldiers rushed into the streets; shotswhistled through the air, cries and groans arose on all sides, butwe did not dare leave our house, and took refuge in the cellar,where we stayed through long and fearful hours. At the break of dav I crawled from the cellar to the street
Text Appearing After Image:
THE LIBRARY AT LOUVAIN BEFORE IT WAS DESTROYED BY THE GERMANS door, and saw nothing but a raging sea of fire. At 9 oclock theshooting diminished, and we resolved to make a dash to thestation. Abandoning our homes and all our goods except whatwe could carry, and taking all the money we had, we rushed out.What we saw on our Avay to the station is hardly describablo.Everything was burning; the streets Avere covered Avith bodies shotdead and half burnt. Everywhere proclamations had been postedsummoning every man to assist in quenching the flames, and or-derino- the women and children to stay inside the houses. *The station was crowded with fugitives, and I was just trying 295 ON THE WESTERN FRONT to show an officer my legitimation papers when the soldiers sep-arated me from my wife and children. All protests were uselessand a lot of us were marched off to a big shed in the goods-yard,from where we could see the fnest buildings of the city, the mostbeautiful historical monuments, being bur