It was nearly a fortnight ago that the Germans concentrated
their heaviest forces upon Namur and began to press southward and over
the Meuse Valley. After the battle of Dinant the French Army, among whom
were the Second and Seventh Corps, was heavily outnumbered and had to
fall back gradually, in order to gain time for reinforcements to come
up.
French artillery was up on the wooded heights above the river and swept
the German regiments with a storm of fire as they advanced. On the right
bank the French infantry was intrenched, supported by field guns and
mitrailleuses, and did deadly work before leaping from trenches which
they occupied and taking up a position in new trenches further back,
which they held with great tenacity.
In justice to the Germans it must be said they were heroic in courage
and reckless of their lives, and the valley of the Meuse was choked with
their corpses. The river itself was strewn with the dead bodies of men
and horses and literally ran red with blood.
The most tremendous fighting took place for the possession of the
bridges, but the French engineers blew them up one after another as they
retired southward.
No less than thirty-three bridges were destroyed in this way before they
could be seized by the German advance guard.
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