ainst this
position until they brought up and put into position a considerable
number of heavy howitzers. Then slowly they began to crumble the
Austrian defenses. Notwithstanding this bombardment, the Austrians held
on for more than a day. Then the Russians stormed the entire top of the
hill and seized the few guns which they had not already put out of
commission. The hill was taken at the point of the bayonet. This was the
decisive moment in the whole conflict.

From the center of the field where this action was taking place the
Russian wedge extended to the north and south. The Austrian center was
broken when night fell and the Russians were dropping shells into the
outskirts of Rawa-Russka. Attacks by the Russians followed, making it
impossible for the Austrians to hold the town and it was abandoned by
the Austrian forces. In any event it soon would have been enveloped in
the rear, considering the way events were shaping themselves on the
southerly end of the line, and the defense would have been costly.

CHAPTER LXVII

RUSSIAN VICTORIES--BATTLES OF THE SAN

Early in September, 1914, the Russians attacked strongly fortified
positions at Grodek. This was during the time when the Russian northern
army was busy driving back the enemy from Frampol to Biloraj. The
defenses of Grodek, which included the position at Sadowa-Wisznia, were
protected by a chain of six lakes and considerable ground cut up by
dikes.

The Russians were commanded by General Brussilov, who duplicated here
the tactics of continuous and heavy attack with which he had overcome
the resistance of the Austrians at Halicz.

The Austrians had taken stand on a group of heavily wooded hills. In
order to reach this, the Russians were obliged to cross a plain about
three miles wide, in a series of parallels, while subjected to fire from
machine guns and rifles.

It was not until three days later that they were able to gain a position
where their guns could reach effectively the trenches of the Russians.
When the assault was made with bayonets, the trenches were found heaped
with bodies. According to the Russians, the prisoners they took said
they had been without regular food for many days and had subsisted on
raw potatoes and wild pears. Continually harassed by the Russians, they
had not time to bury their dead and so the living had fought on while
the remains of their fallen comrades decayed beside them.

A brief account of the affair from t