That line would have been reached had it been necessary. On the
other hand, it was his intention to attack before it was reached if
the forces could be offensively arrayed, allowing of the cooperation
of the British army and the army of Manoury on the left, and on
the right that of the divisions of reserve that had been held on
the heights of the Meuse.
Meanwhile, late in the afternoon of August 29, 1914, the British
retirement began afresh, and 10,000 French troops also withdrew from
the Somme, blowing up the bridges as they went. Everywhere along
the roads were crowds of country folk and villagers with wagons and
carts piled high with household goods or carrying aged persons and
children, all in panic flight before the dreaded invaders, fleeing
for refuge in Paris. At various places these stricken multitudes
joined the army ambulances, taking the shortest routes. Rumors of
the coming of the uhlans ran along the straggling lines with tales
of the grievous havoc and ruin which these horsemen, vanguards
of the German columns, had wrought in the land. Hardly had the
retirement begun, when a body of uhlans entered Amiens and demanded
from the mayor the surrender of the town. This was formally given,
and the civilians were ordered, on pain of death, not to create the
slightest disturbance and not to take part in any action, overt
or covert, against the soldiery. Afterward, cavalry, infantry,
and artillery took possession of the town on August 30, 1914.
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