CHARLEROI, sharl'rwii', Belgium, town, 20 miles southwest of Namur, containing ex tensive iron-works and mines. It was here Napoleon crossed the Sambre on his march to Waterloo. At the outbreak of the European War the town had a population of over 29,000. On 21 Aug. 1914 the 2d German army, under Von Buelow, had silenced the forts of Namur and on the 22d had pushed on to Charleroi, the headquarters of the 5th French army, under Lanrezac, holding the line of the Sambre, with the British on its left extending from Binche to Mons, thence westward to Conde. After a heavy bombardment the Germans entered Charleroi and turned it into a street battle field. The fight raged fiercely from house to house, from the roofs and through the factories. The French colonials, Turcos and Zouaves furiously contested passages and alleys. Both Germans and French in turn were repeatedly driven out, and by night the town was in flames. The struggle continued all through the night, and in the morning the French were surprised by another German army, under Von Hausen, who attacked the right and compelled retreat. Simultaneously, the British were fight
ing on the left of Lanrezac in total ignorance of the latter's retreat. It was not till late in the afternoon that the British commander learned of the retreat and the fall of Namur. On the following day, 24 Aug. 1914, began the historic retreat that ended on the Marne.
Numerous charges of atrocities alleged to have been committed in the Charleroi district were laid against the German troops. The Bryce Report (q.v.) states that in the village of Tamines a large number of civilians, includ ing aged people, women and children, were 'deliberately krilled,n and that the public square was °littered with corpses.° At Mor lanwelz the mayor and his man-servant were shot and the town-hall and 62 houses burned. Several men were shot and houses burnt at Monceau-sur-Sambre, while at Montigny about 600 were collected, several shot and 130 houses set on fire in the main street. See Morts; WAR, EUROPEAN : INVASION OF BEL GIUM.