Part 17

_In =Haussignémont= (17½ km.), turn to the left near the church, and continue along G. C. 16 to Blesmes, which is reached after passing over a level-crossing._

_In the centre of =Blesmes= (20 km.), turn to the left in order to pass in front of the church._ Numerous houses in the village were destroyed by shells, and the roof of the church was damaged; but most of this damage has been repaired.

_On leaving Blesmes, pass over a level-crossing, then under the railway. At the cross-roads immediately beyond turn to the right, then at the fork in the road, turn to the right again into G. C. 14 in the direction of Étrepy._

_Half-way_ thither, on the right, is =Sorton Farm=, which was fiercely disputed. As may be seen in the photo on p. 223, it was completely destroyed. The Eighth German (reserve) Corps managed to take it on September 8, but, on the following day, the troops of the Second French Corps re-took possession of the ruins and held them. Along the road in front of the farm are the graves of some of its defenders.

At =Étrepy= (25 km.), _we pass in front of the church (see above)_. There are numerous ruins in this village, which was set on fire by the Germans on September 7.

Of the seventy families who remained at Étrepy during the battle, sixty-three were homeless after the incendiaries had passed by. Two old people, more than eighty years of age, M. and Mme. Miliat, were led away almost naked to a distance of 3 km. from the village and horribly ill-used. In order to quicken their pace, rendered slow by age, they were struck with the flat of swords. Mme. Miliat died four days afterwards as a result of this treatment. On leaving the village, on the right is the entrance to the castle of the Morillot family. (The son of Count Morillot, a naval lieutenant and commander of the submarine "Monge," went down with her, after having made the crew put off in their boats, rather than surrender to the enemy.) The castle, which is built at the meeting place of the Saulx and the Ornain, and is surrounded by a moat, dates from the seventeenth century. It was set on fire by the Germans.

The position of Étrepy is important, being a bridgehead on the waterway formed by the Saulx, the Ornain, and the canal from the Marne to the Rhine. The passage was defended on September 6 by the Third Division of the Second French Corps, but the bridges were forced in the evening, and at dawn on the 7th the village fell into the hands of the Germans. It was only retaken on the 11th.

_After crossing in succession the Saulx, the canal, and then the Ornain, which flows through a frequently flooded plain, we arrive at =Heiltz-le-Maurupt= (29½ km.) and, after turning to the right, take the left towards the church._

On September 6, on the arrival of the Duke of Wurtemberg's troops, the beautiful Romanesque church was devastated by fire, at the same time as the little town. Before setting fire to the houses, the Germans pillaged them. The spoils were placed on waggons under the superintendence of an officer. These removals having been effected, German soldiers were next seen, two by two, carrying buckets slung on poles and filled with inflammable liquid, which they threw on the houses. The result was a huge outburst of fire, in which the church, the town-hall, the school, and 187 houses out of 210, were destroyed.

The photos opposite show that the roof of the church has disappeared, exposing the nave. The vaults of the transept and of the apse have resisted the flames. The Romanesque apse is very interesting; the vaulting is round-arched, and on the exterior are sixteen blind windows, also round-arched, separated from each other by small pillars. The old Romanesque tower was surmounted by a spire about 100 feet high built in the sixteenth century. It collapsed in the flames. The western doorway is also in the Romanesque style (photo below). The work of restoration is in progress, as may be seen in the photo opposite.

The Germans had installed at Heiltz-le-Maurupt an important heavy battery which, during the whole of the battle, seriously tried the French troops entrusted with the defence of Pargny, Maurupt, and Sermaize.

_In order to regain the line of the Ornain and the Saulx, take the street on the right a little to the east of the church. On reaching the fork, again take the right, and follow the line of telegraph posts as far as Pargny._

_The road passes over the Ornain then over the canal from the Marne to the Rhine, of which the two photographs opposite_ and _below_ give two views: the first to the west, the second to the east. The struggle was violent on the banks of the canal. The infantry of the Third Division was guarding the bridges, which were taken by the Germans on September 6, but the French, entrenched in Pargny (_towards which the road leads the tourist_), held out during the whole of the day of the 7th in spite of the terrific shell fire, which completely destroyed the little town. On the 8th, attacked on the north and east, Pargny fell. The next day, the valiant troops of the Second Corps re-took it. On the 10th it fell again into the hands of the Germans, to be definitely retaken by the French on the 11th.

=Pargny= church (33½ km.), in front of which we pass, had its roof pierced, and the vaulting broken in. The spire was truncated by shells.

_After having passed the church, we reach the principal street, in which we turn to the left._ The scene is very desolate (_see pp. 226-227_).

_Having followed the principal street, we take the first turning on the right towards the level-crossing. Immediately beyond the crossing, we turn to the right in order to reach =Maurupt= by_ G. C. 61.

Before reaching the village, the +tile-field of Pargny+ comes into view, as seen in the photograph at the foot of this page. The fighting here assumed a particularly violent character, as the French, having lost Pargny, endeavoured to check the German advance on Maurupt. A large grave contains the remains of the brave fellows of the 72nd Line Regiment who fell on this part of the battlefield. The tile-field was for many days an important position of the French artillery which swept the line of the Saulx and the Ornain from this point.

The supplying of the tiles and bricks necessary for the reconstruction of the whole region gives occupation to these works, now reorganised.

Maurupt is separated from the tile-field by a dip in the ground, clearly visible in the panorama on p. 228. The road, bordered by telegraph poles, which traverses the region from right to left, is G. C. 61, which the tourist is following. It is thus easy to realise the importance of the tile-field as an advanced position. Whilst the French held it they were able to utilise the valley (out of sight of the enemy coming up from Pargny) for massing reserves of troops and artillery. The position once captured, Maurupt became singularly exposed.

In point of fact, Maurupt fell on September 8, the same day as the tile-field. The German attack came, not only from Pargny, but from the east; the loss of Sermaize by the right of the Second Corps having made this flanking movement possible to the enemy. On the 9th, the French threw the Germans back on Pargny, but on the 10th, the tile-field and the village were lost anew. Violent hand-to-hand fighting took place in the streets of Maurupt, and in one hour the ruins were taken and retaken. The Germans were making progress to the west of Maurupt, however, and the French troops, in order to avoid being enveloped, were obliged to abandon the position and retire towards Cheminon. On the 11th Maurupt was definitely regained.

G. C. 61 _comes out into =Maurupt= opposite the church (36½ km.); visible in the photo on p. 228._ This fine Romanesque edifice, restored in the fifteenth century, is classed as an historical monument.

It has suffered greatly.

The spire has been smashed, the tower torn open, the roof and the barrel-vaulting have given way. The town-hall, near the church, met with the same fate (view above).

_Turn to the right opposite the church, and then proceed for 800 yards towards the Hill of Le Montois._

Half-way up is to be seen the burial-place reproduced below. Farther along the road other graves are visible on the left, for at this point the 128th Line Regiment put up a splendid resistance against superior German forces.

These attacks on the west, joined to those on the north and east, led as we have seen to the fall of Maurupt.

_Return to the village_, which is in course of reconstruction, _and at the church go straight on, then turn to the right, towards Cheminon, into_ G. C. 16, _which follows the line of telegraph posts_.

_On arriving in =Cheminon= (43 km.), turn to the left to descend the principal street, shown in the photo above_. Cheminon did not experience the German invasion, and, after the desolation of the villages which we have traversed, this little township gives an impression of repose, with its picturesque houses sloping down towards the old thirteenth-sixteenth century church, which is classed as an historical monument.

_We pass under the market (beware of the depression in the ground), then turn to the right towards Trois-Fontaines._

_Reaching the fork in the road, go straight on. Pass through =Le Fays= (47½ km.). 800 yards further on, leaving the road to Saint-Dizier on the right, turn to the left to enter the village of =Trois-Fontaines= (49 km.)._ At the end of it the monumental doorway of the old abbey of Trois-Fontaines is visible, as shown in the photograph on next page.

The Germans did not get as far as Trois-Fontaines, but fighting took place to the north and to the north-east, in the forest.

This region, where the Fourth and Third French Armies linked up, was particularly important. At Trois Fontaines, the Germans would have been 9 km. from Saint-Dizier, from whence they would have been able to outflank the whole of the Army of Langle de Cary. The Second Corps' admirable resistance, and the aid given by the flank attack of the Fifteenth Corps of Sarrail's Army, brought about the German defeat.

The abbey is at the present time the property of the Count of Fontenoy. _After asking permission to visit, cross the court to the left, in order to view the ruins of the church which are still standing in the corner of the park._

The photos on pp. 231, 232 and 233 depict the interior and the exterior.

The abbey was founded in the beginning of the twelfth century by Saint Bernard.

The major portion of the church dates back, however, a century earlier. It was sacked during the Revolution, but the ruins now covered with verdure have an impressive grandeur.

Enter the principal nave by the doorway seen on the left in the view opposite.

After traversing the body of the church, consisting of the central nave and two side aisles, we see enormous fragments of the arches strewn on the ground. As seen in the photographs on p. 232. Nature has resumed her sway, and tall trees rise from what was the choir and the apse of the old church.

_By way of the small but charmingly planned park, we arrive at the abbey buildings proper_ (_see p. 233_), which form the habitation of the proprietor. They are formed of two wings, built in the eighteenth century, and united by a charming arched gallery covered with climbing plants. These buildings were much more extensive before the Revolution, and several hundred monks devoted themselves in the calm of this remote forest-valley to a life of contemplation, interrupted only by rural tasks.

A river traverses the abbey from one end to the other, but the monks made important works in order to render it subterranean for a portion of its length. Thus it passes under the buildings and crosses the centre of the park, flowing through underground arches, so solidly constructed that the passage of centuries has left no apparent weakness.

At the end of the park, the river comes again to the surface in order to form part of a skilfully arranged decorative scheme in which water, trees, and lawns combine to make a harmonious whole.

After this short inroad into the far past, _the tourist takes once more the road to =Cheminon= (55 km.). In this village, pass under the market again, then turn to the right into the road_ (visible in the photograph at the foot of p. 230) _opposite the inn_.

_Cross the river Bruxenelle, then, on reaching the fork, turn to the left towards Sermaize._ The way lies through woods into which part of the extreme right of the Second Corps retreated after abandoning Sermaize. The pursuing Germans began to creep towards Cheminon and Maurupt, and, as we have seen, succeeded in reaching the latter village, but Cheminon did not fall into their hands.

_Affording a fine view of the Valley of the Saulx, the road enters =Sermaize= (61 km.)._

The town was occupied on September 6 by the Fourth Division of the Sixth Corps. Violently attacked on the north and east, and threatened with being cut off from the rest of the French line by the German advance from the west, Sermaize, already set on fire by shells, was evacuated on the 7th by the French troops, who retired towards Maurupt and Cheminon. The Germans entered the little town and completed the work of the shells, but first they pillaged the houses. It was proved to the Enquiry Commission that "German Red-Cross nurses came with carts, in which they piled up the goods which the soldiers passed to them from the drapery and millinery establishment of M. Mathieu, a merchant serving with the colours." 505 houses were completely destroyed; only forty-four remained standing.

Numerous personal outrages were committed. About fifty hostages were taken; some, rigged out in cloaks and casques, were obliged thus to guard the bridges. Here is the declaration of the road-man of the district, Auguste Brocard: "_My son and I, together with my grandson aged 5½ years, were led away on September 6 by the Germans, who shut us into the sugar factory, and kept us there under guard for four days. When they arrested us, my wife and my daughter-in-law, insane with fear, ran to drown themselves in the Saulx. I managed to run after them, and tried three times to rescue the unhappy creatures, but the Germans forced me away, and left the poor women struggling in the water. I ought to add that when we were set free four days afterwards, and went to find the corpses, the French soldiers who helped to bury them pointed out to us that both my wife and my daughter-in-law had bullet wounds in the head._"

_On arriving in the town, turn to the right. The street leads to the central square_, which is adorned by a fountain (see below). The enormous rubbish heap which the town represented after the battle is gradually being cleared. The inhabitants have returned, and bravely set about the rebuilding of their homes. Helped by various organisations, French and foreign, and above all by bodies of Quakers known as the "Society of Friends," who have set up numerous wooden houses throughout the countryside, they are bringing this desolate region back to life.

_Take the Rue Bénard, on the left of the Square_, in order to visit the church, which is in the lower part of the town, near the Saulx. The photo below was taken from the right of this street. In the foreground is the doctor's house, of which only the brass plate remains; in the background is a temporary shanty run up by the chemist.

_We reach the Saulx_, on the opposite side of which stands the church, which was shelled and then burned by the Germans. The Romanesque porch, which stood out from it, has been destroyed; the nave is open to the sky; and the spire has collapsed. The Romanesque vaulting of the transept and of the apse has alone survived.

A fine fifteenth century wooden carving of Christ has been burned, or perhaps more probably taken away by the Germans.

_Retracing our steps, we take, on the left before arriving at the Place, the Rue d'Andernay_, from number 35 of which the central photograph on the following page was taken. _A little further on we rejoin the road (G. C. 15, which becomes G. C. 1 on leaving the county), and follow it out of the town. On the right, two kilometres further, is the_ "Établissement thermal," whose waters are used for drinking purposes, as well as for baths and shower-baths. _Pass through =Andernay= (64½ km.)_, where a few houses were burned down. _Cross over the Saulx, then, without entering Contrisson, turn to the right (66 km.) and follow the railway along the road._

_Two kilometres further take the level-crossing, and then, leaving the railway, which breaks off to the right, follow G. C. 20. Continue straight along G. C. 1._

G. C. 20 follows the Valley of the Saulx, which, gradually narrowing, stretches southwards. The Germans came up the valley, driving in a wedge between the Fourth and Third French Armies. During September 9 and 10 the Fifteenth Corps was working astride this valley, trying to re-establish connection. On the evening of the 10th, the 30th Division of this Corps took =Mognéville= (_2 km. distant along G. C. 20_), and practically reached the spot where the tourist is now standing. The danger of a break through was thus averted.

G. C. 1 _leads the tourist to_ =Vassincourt= (71 km.), which has been entirely destroyed by fire and shells. The photo below depicts the entrance to the village, those of p. 237 the sacked church.

On the evening of September 6 Vassincourt was the extreme left of Sarrail's Army. It was attacked furiously by the German troops which had just carried Revigny, and sought to take possession of the plateau commanding the valleys of the Saulx and the Ornain, by which they hoped to push on towards Bar-le-Duc and Saint Dizier. On the 7th, the 46th Line Regiment was clinging to the edge of the village. Colonel Malleterre, commanding this fine body of men, inspired them with his own indefatigable energy. On the 8th the 57th Brigade of the Fifteenth Corps, attacking from Mognéville tried to free the west of Vassincourt, and to drive back the Germans towards Revigny. Two dashing attempts, resulting in heavy losses to two Light Infantry Battalions of the 57th Brigade, failed before the German resistance, supported by a great superiority of guns. The 46th maintained its positions from Vassincourt to the Ornain. On the 9th the attack began again at dawn, and by the evening the burning village was closely surrounded on the east and to the south by trenches which the French troops had dug hastily. In the course of this day, Colonel Malleterre, who had taken over the command of the 19th Brigade and was directing operations, was seriously wounded. It was only on the 11th that the Plateau of Vassincourt was completely cleared of the German troops who had entrenched themselves there.

_Turn to the left in the middle of the village_, in order to visit the church, of which the spire has been brought down and the interior laid waste, _then return to the road_.

_After Vassincourt, G. C. 1 passes through =Mussey= (74 km.)._ Varney and Fains, further up-stream, constituted with Mussey three passages which were covered by the Fifth French Corps. The Crown Prince had given orders to the Thirteenth German Corps to make themselves masters of the bridges, but the splendid resistance of the French troops did not allow the enemy to cross this part of the waterway, which, however, had been crossed further down, at Revigny.

_After leaving Mussey cross over the canal, which the road follows on a lower level, and pass Varney on the left. At =Fains= (79 km.) the canal has to be crossed again, turning to the right. Then turn to the left, along the canal bank. This leads to the high road to Bar-le-Duc G. C. (D. 4). Follow it, and enter the town by the Boulevard de la Banque, the Rue d'Entre-deux-Ponts, and the Boulevard de La Rochelle, where the hotel will be found (82 km.)._

BAR-LE-DUC

ORIGIN AND CHIEF HISTORICAL FACTS

Bar-le-Duc is of Gallo-Roman origin. The name of Bar is very probably derived from the bar which the Ornain forms at the spot where the Notre-Dame Bridge now stands. The few dwellings erected at the edge of the river were called _Barrivilla_, and occupied the site of the present "faubourg" of Couchot, where the "Rue des Romains" still exists. At a later date, and on the opposite bank of the Ornain, rose a fortified township named _Burgum Barri_, which is to-day the district traversed by the Rue du Bourg. In the middle of the tenth century Frederick I., Count of Bar, built a castle on the hill overlooking the Ornain, to the west, and thus the upper town was created. When Frederick I. became Duke of Haute-Lorraine the name of the town was changed into _Barro Ducis_, whence Bar-au-Duc, then Bar-le-Duc.

In the middle ages Bar-le-Duc experienced the restless life of fortified places. In the twelfth century Henry V., Emperor of Germany, then, in the fourteenth century, the King of France, Philippe le Bel, declared their suzerainty over the Counts of Bar. In the fifteenth century Anne of Beaujeu gave up the district of Bar to the Dukes of Lorraine. During the seventeenth century Bar changed hands ten times. The most celebrated siege was that by Turenne in 1652, the lower town being taken at the end of a fortnight and the upper town succumbing two days later. In 1670 Louis XIV. caused all the fortifications, with the exception of the "Tour de l'Horloge," to be razed to the ground. In 1737 the last hereditary Duke of Lorraine, Francis II., ceded the province to Stanislas Leczinski, the dethroned King of Poland, on whose death it was to return to France. When this occurred in 1766 Bar was definitely incorporated in French territory.

Francis, Duke of Guise, and Marshals Oudinot and Exelmans, were born at Bar.

The town was occupied from 1870 to 1873 by the Germans. In 1914 the Crown Prince thought he would be able to enter it without difficulty, but Sarrail's Army undeceived him very decidedly, and the battle of the Marne spent itself a few kilometres from the gates of the town. During the period of trench warfare there were numerous air raids, although Bar is an unfortified town (photo above).