them managed to save his
skin. They are all dead. Besides that, a number
of individual men have been killed and there
are a great mass of wounded.

"The artillery fires almost as rapidly as the
infantry. A mist of smoke hangs over the whole
battle-front, so that it is impossible to see
anything. Men are dropping like flies.

"The trenches are no longer anything but a
mound of ruins."

[Sidenote: Sufferings of the soldiers.]

"SEPTEMBER 24.

"A rain of shells is pouring down upon us. The
kitchen and everything that is sent to us is
bombarded at night. The field-kitchens no
longer come to us. Oh, if only the end were
near! That is the cry every one is repeating.
Peace! Peace!"

Extract from the notebook of a man of the 103rd Regiment:

"From the trench nothing much can now be seen;
it will soon be on a level with the ground."

Letter of an artilleryman of the 100th Regiment of Field Artillery:

"SEPTEMBER 25.

"We have passed through some terrible hours. It
was as though the whole world was in a state of
collapse. We have had heavy losses. One company
of two hundred and fifty men had sixty killed
last night. A neighboring battery had sixteen
killed yesterday.

[Sidenote: Destructiveness of the French shells.]

"The following instance will show you the
frightful destructiveness of the French shells.
A dug-out five metres deep, surmounted by 2
metres 50 centimetres of earth and two
thicknesses of heavy timber, was broken like a
match."

Report made on September 24 in the morning, by the captain commanding
the 3rd company of the 135th Regiment of Reserve:

"The French are firing on us with great bombs
and machine-guns. We must have reinforcements
at once. Many men are no longer fit for
anything. It is not that they are wounded, but
they are Landsturmers. Moreover the wastage is
greater than the losses announced.

"Send rations immediately; no food has reached
us to-day. Urgently want illuminating
cartridges and hand grenades. Is the hospital
corps never coming to fetch the wounded?"

[Sidenote: German troop