The reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe, str. 144

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF

Following the victorious Serbs, I reached the Save while the last cannons were still roaring round Belgrade. One would have to possess the pen of a Dickens or a Tolstoy to be able to describe adequately the awful scenes entailed by the Austro-Hungarian retreat. Wherever I passed, from Suvobor all the way down to Valevo, and further on towards the Save, the roads were littered with the corpses and the pitiful débris of the Austro-Hungarian Army.

In ten days the Serbian victory over five Austrian Army Corps was complete. Since the days when Scipio saved Rome from Hannibal, or when England destroyed the might of Spain, the world has never seen such a spectacle, and never has victory been more deserved. General MiSié was promoted to the rank of Field-Marshal, a title which has never been better merited, and never more modestly carried. His greatness consisted in that he preserved faith amid the general consternation. He remained cool-headed when many in the army lost their heads. Like all great soldiers, he possessed the gift of conquering the wills and hearts of his men, and of inspiring them with new ardour and with the fullest confidence in his leadership. He chose the right moment for his blow, and having prepared it thoughtfully, he struck so masterfully that the huge Austrian Army shook and cracked like an old building shaken by a mighty earthquake.

By a strange freak of destiny Serbia’s misfor-

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