Liege
a few brave men, through the hedges and farms on both sides of the road, and fell upon the guns. The strong gun-team surrendered and the road was clear.
We continued on our way and soon were engaged in heavy house-to-house fighting in Queue du Bois. Gradually it became light. I went on ahead with a few men, the two Staff Captains, Major von Marcard, commanding the 4th Rifles, Major von Greiff, commanding the 2nd Detachment of the 4th Field Regiment, and his excellent Adjutant, Lieut. Neide. A field howitzer was brought up ; then a second. They fired right and left into the houses and so cleared the streets. Little by little we advanced. The men were reluctant to proceed and I was often compelled to exhort them not to leave me to go on alone. At last the village lay behind us. The inhabitants had fled, and it was now a question of fighting the regular Belgian Army.
As we came out of the village we could distinguish a column marching along the Meuse in the direction of Liege, I hoped it was the 27th Infantry Brigade, but they turned out to be Belgians who were retreating aimlessly over the Meuse rather than face us. It was a long time before the situation was clear, and in the meanwhile my forces were strengthened by the arrival of the men who had been left behind.
We had successfully broken through the girdle of forts. The i6sth Infantry Regiment, under its distinguished Commanding Officer, the then Colonel von Oven, pushed on in close order. General von Emmich arrived, and the advance on La Chartreuse was continued.
General von Emmich placed at my disposal other parts of the nth Infantry Brigade, who were further south, in the belief that they also had broken through. Our advance continued without incident.
We could see the works on the north side of Li6ge as we climbed out of the Meuse valley to the heights east of La Chartreuse. It was about two o' clock when the brigade arrived there. Guns were at once trained on the town, and a shot was fired now and again, partly as a signal to the other brigades
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