THE BATTLE OF THE RIVER ARGECHU
On December 3, 1916, what appears to have been a desperate battle from
the German reports took place along the river Argechu in the region
before Bucharest. This is a mountain stream which, from Piteshti to
southwest of Titu, is sometimes a hundred yards in width and at some
points twenty meters deep, though fords are found at frequent
intervals. At this time, however, the river was well flooded and only
the bridges were available for crossing. At this point strong
detachments of Bulgarians, Austrians, and Germans coming together from
the north, east, and south met with resistance from the Rumanians on
the other side of the river. For an entire day the Rumanians held back
the enemy, then suddenly broke and fled so abruptly that they had not
time to destroy the bridges, over which the invaders streamed after
the retreating Rumanians, capturing several thousands of prisoners.
On the following day the left wing of the Austro-Germans captured
Tergovistea. At Piteshti the First Army of the Rumanians made another
brief stand, but was driven back beyond the Titu junction of railroads
from Bucharest to Campulung. South of Bucharest Russian and Rumanian
forces also offered a stout resistance, but were finally compelled to
retire when the enemy's cavalry cut around in their rear and
threatened their line of retreat. During this one day the Germans
claimed to have taken 8,000 prisoners, the Danube army capturing also
thirty-five cannon and thirteen locomotives and a great amount of
rolling stock.
It was not the battle along the Argechu, however, which was the cause
of the immediate danger to Bucharest. The blow which decided the fate
of the Rumanian capital came from the north. The real danger lay in
the German forces coming down from the passes south of Kronstadt.
Already Campulung was taken and the Argechu crossed in the north. Then
the invaders streamed down the Prahova Valley, which begins at the
passes and runs down southeast behind Bucharest. The Rumanians now had
the choice of evacuating their capital or having it surrounded and
besieged. Bucharest was a fortified city, but the Germans carried such
guns as no fortifications built by the hand of man could resist.
Antwerp had been the first demonstration of that fact.
The plan of holding the city had also several other objections. From a
military point of view the city was of little value. Its retention
would have had a certain moral value, in that it would have shown that
the Rumanians were by no means entirely defeated, but as practically
all the nations of Europe were now on one side or the other of the
fighting line, this political effect would have found few to
influence. To defend it, moreover, would have meant its complete
destruction, and sooner or later the defending force would have been
taken prisoners. There was no chance of saving the city from Teuton
occupation, such occupation might be delayed, nothing more. Rather
than waste a large force in a futile defense, the Rumanians decided
to evacuate the capital without any effort to stay the advancing enemy
at this point. This decision seems to have been taken some time before
the city was in actual danger. The civilian population was leaving the
city in a steady stream and every railroad carriage going eastward was
crowded to full capacity.