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The Great War of 189-: A Forecast

Chapter 25: REPULSE OF THE GERMAN ARMY.
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About This Book

A speculative forecast of a large-scale European war describes a chain of diplomatic crises, mobilisations and coordinated campaigns that spread from the Balkans across Central Europe and into colonial and naval theatres. Episodes include an attempted assassination, declarations of war, manoeuvres and pitched battles between Russia, Germany, France, Austria, Italy and Britain, combined naval engagements, landings, sieges and distant operations in Asia and Africa. The work interleaves battlefield reportage, strategic councils and political reactions at home, and concludes with reflections on imperial defence and the war's general effects, accompanied by illustrative sketches and appendix interviews on defence policy.

REPULSE OF THE GERMAN ARMY.

(By Telegraph from our Special Correspondent, Mr. Charles Lowe.)
Alexandrovo, May 5, 7 P.M.

This first great victory of ours over the Russians has been somewhat damped by the news, just received, that our army of Silesia, which had begun to marshal around Czenstochau preparatory to a further push forward, has suffered a rather serious reverse at the hands of the Grand Duke Vladimir, commanding the 14th and 15th Russian Corps d’Armée, who fell upon Prince George of Saxony before he had completed his concentration, and compelled him to fall back.

On hearing, however, of Gourko’s crushing defeat by us, and his retreat towards Warsaw, the Grand Duke Vladimir, like the victorious Wellington at Quatre-Bras (who desired to effect a junction with Blücher, on the latter being worsted by the French at Ligny), resolved to forego the immediate fruits of his triumph and retire to a point that would enable him to join hands with the retreating Gourko, and thus give combined battle to the Germans. This point will probably be Skierniwiçe, the junction-point of the railway lines from Alexandrovo and Czenstochau to Warsaw, famous in modern history as the pacific meeting-place of the three Emperors and their Chancellors several years ago.

Skierniwiçe, therefore, will probably be the Waterloo of the Russo-German portion of the campaign, whoever proves its Wellington; but Skierniwiçe is very much further from Alexandrovo and Czenstochau than Quatre-Bras and Ligny were from Mont St. Jean, and some little time, therefore, must necessarily yet elapse before I shall have it in my power to chronicle the Waterloo of the present war.