America's War for Humanity Part 63

In Asia Minor, however, Russian successes of the winter were crowned in the early spring by the fall of the Baltic seaport of Trebizond, which was occupied on April 18. This city, the most important Turkish port on the Black Sea, was captured by the Russian army advancing from Erzerum.

Aided by the Russian Black Sea fleet, the invaders pushed past the last series of natural obstacles along the Anatolian coast when, on Sunday, April 16, they occupied a strongly fortified Turkish position on the left bank of the Kara Dere River, twelve miles outside the fortified town. The official Russian report said:

"Our valiant troops, after a sanguinary battle on the Kara Dere River, pressed the Turks without respite, and surmounted incredible obstacles, everywhere breaking the fierce resistance of the enemy.

The well-combined action of the fleet permitted the execution of most hazardous landing operations, and lent the support of its artillery to the troops operating in the coastal region.

"Credit for this fresh victory also is partly due the a.s.sistance given our Caucasian army by the troops operating in other directions in Asia Minor. By their desperate fighting and heroic exploits, they did everything in their power to facilitate the task of the detachments on the coast."

GERMANY AND THE UNITED STATES.

The long-continued controversy between the United States and Germany over the methods and results of German submarine warfare came to a climax with the torpedoing of the British channel steamer Suss.e.x, on March 24, 1916, in pursuance of the new German policy of attacking merchant vessels without warning. There was no pretense that the Suss.e.x was an "armed merchantman," and no warning was given the pa.s.sengers and crew, the former including a number of Americans on their way from Folkestone to the French port of Dieppe. The ship, though badly damaged, made port with a.s.sistance, but the loss of life from the explosion and drowning amounted to fifty, and several American pa.s.sengers were injured. Germany disclaimed responsibility for the disaster, but the weight of evidence pointed to a German submarine as the cause, and in view of the repeated violations of German promises to the United States to give due warning to pa.s.senger vessels and insure safety to their occupants, President Wilson and his advisers, in April, seriously considered the advisability of breaking off diplomatic relations with the German Empire, by way of a protest in the name of humanity. On April 18 the President decided to lay the whole matter before Congress.

The record of German submarine attacks involving death or injury to American citizens up to this time included the sinking or damaging of the following vessels: British steamer Falaba, 160 lives lost, including one American; American steamer Gulflight, three Americans lost; British steamship Lusitania, 1,134 lives lost, including 115 Americans; American steamer Leelanaw, sunk; liner Arabic sunk, two Americans killed; liner Hesperian sunk mysteriously, three days after Germany had promised to sink no more liners; Italian liner Ancona sunk (by Austrian submarine), with loss of American lives; j.a.panese liner Yanaka Maru sunk in Mediterranean; British liner Persia sunk, United States Consul McNeely killed; steamer Suss.e.x attacked, several Americans seriously injured; British steamers Manchester Engineer, Eagle Point and Berwyn Dale attacked, endangering American members of crews.

A FINAL NOTE TO GERMANY.

On Wednesday, April 19, President Wilson appeared before Congress, a.s.sembled in joint session for the purpose of hearing him, and announced that he had addressed a final note of warning to Germany, giving the Imperial German Government irrevocable notice that the United States would break off diplomatic relations if the illegal and inhuman submarine campaign was continued. The language used by the President, after recounting the course of events leading to his action, was as follows:

"I have deemed it my duty, therefore, to say to the Imperial German Government that if it is still its purpose to prosecute relentless and indiscriminate warfare against vessels of commerce by the use of submarines, the government of the United States is at least forced to the conclusion that there is but one course it can pursue; and that unless the Imperial German Government should now immediately declare and effect an abandonment of its present method of warfare against pa.s.senger and freight-carrying vessels this government can have no choice but to sever diplomatic relations with the government of the German Empire altogether."

THE GERMAN WAR CLOUD Pa.s.sES.

Germany replied to the President's note on May 4, denying the implication of intentional destruction of vessels regardless of their nature or nationality, and declaring that in future no merchant vessels should be sunk without warning or without saving human lives, "unless the ships attempt to escape or offer resistance."

On May 8, President Wilson dispatched a reply to Germany's note, accepting the German promises as to the future conduct of submarine warfare, but refusing to regard them as contingent on any action between the United States and any other country. Germany later admitted that a German submarine sank the Suss.e.x, and promised that the commander would be punished and indemnities paid to the families of those who perished.

This was regarded at Washington as practically closing the submarine controversy, and the German war-cloud, which had a.s.sumed serious proportions, gradually pa.s.sed away. ABORTIVE REVOLT IN IRELAND.

An attempt at rebellion by Irish extremists, accompanied by b.l.o.o.d.y riots in Dublin and other cities in the south and west of Ireland, followed the sinking on April 21 of a German vessel which, convoyed by a submarine, endeavored to land arms and ammunition on the Irish coast.

Sir Roger Cas.e.m.e.nt, an anti-British Irishman of considerable note, who had been resident in Germany for some months, was taken prisoner upon landing from the submarine.

For several days, beginning April 25, the rebels, who formed an inconsiderable part of the Irish people and were strongly condemned by the Nationalist leaders and party, held possession of streets and public buildings in Dublin. Incendiary fires did damage estimated at over $100,000,000, many peaceable citizens were killed, and the casualties among British troops and constabulary amounted to 521, including killed, before the uprising was quelled and the "Irish Republic"

overthrown, with the unconditional surrender of its deluded leaders, on April 30. Next day the remnants of the Sinn Fein rebels in Ireland surrendered, making over 1,000 prisoners, who were transported to English prisons. Military law had been proclaimed throughout Ireland and nearly a score of the leaders of the revolt, who were accused of murder, were tried by court-martial and summarily executed. The revolt was alleged to have been encouraged in Germany and also by Irish extremists in the United States, by whom the rebel leaders executed in Ireland were regarded as "martyrs."

BRITISH SURRENDER AT KUT-EL AMARA.

After holding out against the Turks at Kut-el-Amara, in Mesopotamia, for 143 days, General Townshend, the British commander, was compelled, through exhaustion of his supplies, to surrender his force of 9,000 officers and men, on April 28. This force included about 2,000 English and 7,000 Indian troops, many being on the sick list. The Turks recognized the gallantry of the defense and refused to accept General Townshend's sword. Many of the sick and wounded were exchanged, and it was planned to imprison the rest of the British force on an island in the Sea of Marmora.

ATTACKS ON VERDUN CONTINUE.

German attacks on the French lines at Verdun continued with the utmost vigor up to June 10. From time to time they resulted in small successes, gained at immense cost in human life. From May 27 to May 30 the battle raged with especial severity, this period marking the greatest effort made by the Germans during the whole of the prolonged operations at Verdun. The French stood firm under an avalanche of shot and sh.e.l.l, and drove back wave after wave of a tremendous flood of Teutonic infantry.

The infantry fighting in this struggle was described as the fiercest of the war.

The total German casualties up to June 1 were estimated at nearly 3,000,000; the French at 2,500,000, and the British at 600,000, over 25,000 of the latter being commissioned officers.

General Joseph S. Gallieni, former minister of war of France, died at Versailles on May 27, universally mourned by the French, who regarded him as the saviour of Paris in the critical days of August-September, 1914, when he was military governor of Paris and commander of the intrenched camp.

CHAPTER XXVII

THE WORLD'S GREATEST SEA FIGHT.

_British and German High-Sea Fleets Finally Clash in the North Sea--Huge Losses in Tonnage and Men on Both Sides--_British Navy Remains in Control of the Sea._

After many months of unceasing sea patrol on the part of the British, and of diligent preparation in port on the German side, it came at last--the long-expected clash of mighty rival fleets in the North Sea.

It was on the misty afternoon of Wednesday, May 31, that Admiral David Beatty, in command of Britain's battle-cruiser squadron, sighted the vanguard of the German high-seas fleet steaming "on an enterprise to the north" from its long-accustomed anchorages in the placid waters of the Kiel Ca.n.a.l and under the guns of Helgoland.

The British battleship fleet was far away to the northwest, but the wireless promptly flashed the signal, "Enemy in sight," and as the battle-cruisers raced to close quarters with the tardy foe, and sacrificed themselves in the effort to hold him in the open sea, down from the north rushed the leviathans of the Mistress of the Seas, that were counted on to crush the enemy when the opportunity came.

But the early stages of the fight found the British battling against odds. Germany's mightiest warcraft were in the shadows of the mist, behind the cruiser scouts; destroyers swarmed around them, submarines appeared from the depths, and Zeppelins hovered overhead.

Gallantly did Admiral Beatty on his victorious Lion struggle to hold his own till the British battleships came up; but one after another his hard-pressed cruisers succ.u.mbed to weight of metal, until five of them had sunk beneath the sea, with all their devoted crews, before the near approach of Admiral Jellicoe and his dreadnaughts sent the enemy scuttling back to port, to claim a victory that startled the world for a day, only to disappear when the full extent of the German losses became known, and it was learned that the German high-seas fleet had lost some of its proudest units, that its losses, not only relatively but absolutely almost equaled those of the British fleet, and that the British remained in full control of the high seas, after scouring them in vain for further signs of the enemy.

THE BRITISH LOSSES.

The ships lost by the British in the battle included three battle-cruisers, the Queen Mary, Indefatigable, and Invincible; three light cruisers, the Defense, Black Prince, and Warrior, and eight destroyers, the Tipperary, Turbulent, Nestor, Alcaster, Fortune, Sparrowhawk, Ardent, and Shark. The Warrior, badly damaged, was taken in tow, but sank before reaching port. All but one of its crew were saved.

The British dreadnaught Marlborough was also damaged, but succeeded in making port for repairs.

Following are particulars of the British cruisers sunk:

QUEEN MARY--27,000 tons; 720 feet long. Eight 13.5 inch guns, sixteen 4 inch guns, three 21 inch torpedo tubes. Complement, 900. Cost, $10,000,000.

INDEFATIGABLE--18,750 tons: 578 feet long. Eight 12 inch guns, sixteen 4 inch guns, three 21 inch torpedo tubes. Complement, 900. Cost, $8,000,000.

INVINCIBLE--17,250 tons; 562 feet long. Eight 12 inch guns, sixteen 4 inch guns, three 21 inch torpedo tubes. Complement, 731. Cost, $8,760,000.

DEFENSE--14,600 tons; 525 feet long. Four 9.2 inch guns, ten 7.5 inch guns, sixteen 12 pounders, five torpedo tubes. Complement, 755. Cost, $6,810,000.

BLACK PRINCE--13,550 tons; 480 feet long. Six 9.2 inch guns, twenty pounders, three torpedo tubes. Complement, 704. Cost, $5,750,000.

WARRIOR--13,550 tons; 480 feet long. Six 9.2 inch guns, four 7.5 inch guns, twenty-four 3 pounders, three torpedo tubes. Complement, 704, all saved but one. Cost, $5,900,000.

The destroyers sunk were each of about 950 tons, 266 feet long, and carried a complement of 100 men. Only a few survivors were picked up after the battle.

THE GERMAN LOSSES.

The German losses, as claimed by the British, included two dreadnaughts, believed to be the Hindenburgh and Westfalen, each of approximately 26,000 tons, with a complement of 1,000 men; the battle-cruiser Derfflinger, 26,600 tons, complement, 900 men; the battleship Pommern, of 12,997 tons, complement, 729 men, cost, $6,000,000; the new fast cruiser Elbing, of 5,000 tons, complement, 500 men; the cruisers Frauenlob, of 2,715 tons, complement, 264 men, and Wiesbaden, not registered; a number of destroyers, variously estimated at from six to sixteen, and one submarine rammed and sunk. Besides these, the battle-cruiser Lutzow, of 26,600 tons, was reported badly damaged, and the battle-cruiser Seydlitz, of equal size, suffered heavily in the battle and was hotly pursued to the mine fields of Helgoland.

The total loss of life in the battle amounted to approximately 4, British, including 333 officers; and probably 4,000 or more Germans.

Rear-Admiral Horace Hood, second in command of the battle-cruiser fleet, went down with the Invincible. Rear-Admiral Arbuthnot went down with the Defense.

STORY OF THE BATTLE.

The great naval battle, which may go down in history as the battle of the Skager Rack, was fought in the eastern waters of the North Sea, off the coast of Denmark. It lasted for many hours, fighting being continued through the night of May 31-June 1. In general, the battle area extended from the Skager Rack southward to Horn Reef off the Danish coast, the center of the fighting being about 100 miles north of Helgoland, the main German naval base in the North Sea.

Both in the number of lives and the tonnage lost, the battle was the greatest sea-fight in history, as well as the first in which modern dreadnaughts have been engaged. Never before have two naval forces of such magnitude as the British and German high-sea fleets engaged in combat.