[10] Napoleon's young recruits of 1813, who called themselves after the
Empress.
[11] As a matter of fact, this triumphal entry, followed by a review of
the investing army with massed bands, did not take place till the
afternoon of the following Sunday. But the criticism holds good: only a
portion of the German forces went in pursuit of the Belgian army after
repairing the bridge across the Scheldt; 60,000 men remained in Antwerp.
[12] Fusilier Y. M. J., _Correspondence_. See also the letter of the
sailor P. L. Y., of Audierne; "Then, seeing that they were advancing
against us in mass (they were a regiment against our single company), we
were obliged to fall back 400 metres, for we could no longer hold them.
I saw the master-at-arms fall mortally wounded, and four men wounded
when we got back to the railway line. There we stayed for a day and a
night to keep the Boches employed, sending volleys into them when they
came too near and charging them with the bayonet. It was fine to see
them falling on the plain at every volley. We ceased firing on the 10th,
about 4 a.m."
[13] "This morning we made a fine collection of dead Germans from 50 to
100 metres from our trenches. We have a few prisoners." (Letter from
Second-Lieutenant Gautier.)
[14] According to _Le Temps_ of October 18, the German losses were very
much greater: "800 Germans killed." The hesitation and want of vigour
shown in the attack seem surprising. They are perhaps to be explained by
the following passage, written by Second-Lieutenant de Blois: "The
Germans had not expected such a resistance, and even less had they
thought to find us in front of them. They suspected a trap, and this
paralysed their offensive, though our line was so thin that a vigorous
onslaught could not have failed to break it. This they did not dare to
make; several times they advanced to within a few metres of our trenches
and then stopped short. We shot them down at our ease. Yet our positions
were far from solid; we were on the railway embankment, and the trenches
consisted of a few holes dug between the rails; the bridge had not even
been barricaded by the Belgian engineers, and nothing would have been
simpler than to have passed under it. When night came, Commander Conti
ordered me to see to it. I turned on a little electric pocket light; the
bullets at once began to whistle about my ears; the Germans were only
about 20 metres from the bridge, but they made no attempt to pass!"
[15] The first killed and the second wounded at Dixmude. Both received
the Legion of Honour.
[16] He also received the Legion of Honour.
[17] Cf. Dr. Caradec, "_La Brigade des Fusiliers Marins de l'Yser_"
(_Depeche de Brest_ for January 19, 1915).
[18] Killed at Dixmude.
[19] Killed at Dixmude.
[20] Dr. L. G., private correspondence.
[21] He won his stars as commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, and has
invented a mine-sweeper adopted by the British navy.