dering it too expensive to attack by the overland
route, he worked his way gradually toward the forts by means of
underground operations. To sap a position is slow work, but much
more economical in the expenditure of lives and munitions. The
weakness of Przemysl lay in the fact that its garrison was far
too large for its needs, and that provisions were running short.
In the early part of the campaign the Germanic armies operating
in the San region had drawn freely on Przemysl for supplies, and
before these could be adequately replaced the Russians had again
forged an iron ring around the place. The Russian commander, moreover,
was aware that a coming scarcity threatened the town, and that he
had only to bide his time to starve it into submission. Whilst he
was simply waiting and ever strengthening his lines, the Austrians
found it incumbent on them to assume the offensive. Several desperate
sorties were made by the garrison to break through the wall, only to
end in complete disaster. General Herman von Kusmanek, the commander
in chief of the fortress, organized a special force, composed largely
of Hungarians, for "sortie duty," under the command of a Hungarian,
General von Tamassy. These sorties had been carried out during
November and December, 1914, especially during the latter month,
when the Austro-German armies were pouring across the mountains.
So critical was the Russian position at the time that the relief
of Przemysl was hourly expected. According to an officer of General
Selivanoff's staff, "The Austrians in the fortress were already
conversing with the Austrians on the Carpathians by means of their
searchlights. The guns of Przemysl could be heard by the Austrian
field artillery. The situation was serious, and General Selivanoff
took prompt measures. He brought up fresh troops to the point of
danger and drove the sortie detachments back to the fortress." It
is stated from the Austrian side that one of the sortie detachments
had succeeded in breaking through the Russian lines and marching
to a point fifteen miles beyond the outer lines of the forts. A
Russian official announcement states that during two months of
the siege the Austrian captures amounted only to 4 machine guns
and about 60 prisoners, which occurred in an engagement where two
Honved regiments fell on a Russian company which had advanced too
far to be reenforced in time. On their part in repulsing sorties by
the garrison, frequently made by consi