Produced by Brian Coe, Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net The Daily Telegraph WAR BOOKS THE BATTLE OF THE RIVERS The Daily Telegraph WAR BOOKS Cloth 1/- net each Post free 1/3 each +HOW THE WAR BEGAN.+ By W. L. COURTNEY, LL.D., and J. M. KENNEDY. +THE FLEETS AT WAR.+ By ARCHIBALD HURD. +THE CAMPAIGN OF SEDAN.+ By GEORGE HOOPER. +THE CAMPAIGN ROUND LIÈGE.+ By J. M. KENNEDY. +IN THE FIRING LINE.+ Battle Stories told by British Soldiers at the Front. By A. ST. JOHN ADCOCK. +GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD.+ By STEPHEN CRANE, Author of "The Red Badge of Courage." +BRITISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT.+ The glorious story of their Battle Honours. +THE RED CROSS IN WAR.+ By M. F. BILLINGTON. +FORTY YEARS AFTER.+ The Story of the Franco-German War. By H. C. BAILEY. With an introduction by W. L. COURTNEY, LL.D. +A SCRAP OF PAPER.+ The Inner History of German Diplomacy. By E. J. DILLON. +HOW THE NATIONS WAGED WAR.+ A companion volume to "How the War Began," telling how the world faced Armageddon and how the British Army answered the call to arms. By J. M. KENNEDY. +AIR-CRAFT IN WAR+. By ERIC STUART BRUCE. +HACKING THROUGH BELGIUM.+ By EDMUND DANE. +FAMOUS FIGHTS OF INDIAN NATIVE REGIMENTS.+ By REGINALD HODDER. +THE RETREAT TO PARIS.+ By ROGER INGPEN. +THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE.+ By MARR MURRAY. +THE SUBMARINE IN WAR.+ By C. W. DOMVILLE FIFE. +MOTOR TRANSPORTS IN WAR.+ By HORACE WYATT. +THE SLAV NATIONS.+ +FROM HELIGOLAND TO KEELING ISLAND.+ By ARCHIBALD HURD. +WITH THE FRENCH EASTERN ARMY.+ By W. E. GREY. +WITH THE ROYAL ARMY MEDICAL CORP.+ By E. C. VIVIAN. +WITH THE SCOTTISH REGIMENTS AT THE FRONT.+ By E. C. VIVIAN. +THE FIRST CAMPAIGN IN RUSSIAN POLAND.+ By P. C. STANDING. +THE BATTLE OF THE RIVERS.+ By EDMUND DANE. HODDER AND STOUGHTON THE BATTLE OF THE RIVERS BY EDMUND DANE HODDER AND STOUGHTON LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO MCMXIV PREFATORY NOTE On a scale before unknown in Western Europe, and save for the coincident operations in the Eastern theatre of war, unexampled in history, the succession of events named the "Battle of the Rivers" presents illustrations of strategy and tactics of absorbing interest. Apart even from the spectacular aspects of this lurid and grandiose drama, full as it is of strange and daring episodes, the problems it affords in the science of war must appeal to every intelligent mind. An endeavour is here made to state these problems in outline. In the light they throw, events and episodes, which might otherwise appear confused, will be found to fit into a clear sequence of causes and consequences. The events and episodes themselves gain in grandeur as their import and relationship are unfolded. Since the story of the retreat from Mons has been told in another volume of this series, it is only in the following pages dealt with so far as its military bearings elucidate succeeding phases of the campaign. The Battle of the Rivers CHAPTER I