Part 2

General Franchet d'Esperey took advantage of the reduction of the forces opposed to him. Vigorously pushing back the latter, he continued his advance northwards, eventually reaching and crossing the River Grand Morin.

This advance helped to lessen the effects of the furious attacks that the Germans were then making against General Foch's army.

In front of the latter, Von Bulow, whose armies were still intact, realised the danger which threatened Von Kluck, and, in order to avert it, endeavoured to pierce the French front. He concentrated the whole of his efforts against the 42nd Division, under General Grossetti, whose arduous mission it was to maintain the connection between the Fifth and Ninth Armies, under Franchet d'Esperey and Foch respectively.

A terrific struggle followed, as a result of which Grossetti was forced to fall back. Fortunately, as we have just seen, the right of Franchet d'Esperey's Army was able, thanks to its advance, to come to the rescue and prevent the French front from being pierced.

Before Von Hausen, the whole line fell back slightly.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Wurtemberg and the Crown Prince attacked fiercely at the junction of the Fourth and Third French Armies under Langle de Cary and Sarrail respectively.

The aim of the attack was to separate these two armies and force what is known as the _Revigny Pass_. The latter is a hollow through which flow the Rivers Ornain and Saulx, and the canal from the Marne to the Rhine.

While the Germans under the Duke of Wurtemberg attacked the right of Langle de Cary's army, in the direction of Saint-Dizier, the Crown Prince sought to drive back General Sarrail's left towards Bar-le-Duc.

The resistance of Langle de Cary's army began to weaken under the weight of the greater opposing forces. On the other hand, General Sarrail's army reinforced by an army corps sent by Joffre stood firm. At this juncture General Sarrail learned that the Germans were getting very active in his rear, on the heights above the River Meuse, and was accordingly obliged to make dispositions to avoid being surprised by German forces who were preparing to cross the river.

SEPTEMBER 8, 1914

During the night of September 7-8 Gallieni, who had been following carefully the different phases of the battle, despatched a division from Paris, in all haste, to Maunoury's left to assist in turning the German right.

To do this with maximum rapidity, Gallieni made use of an ingenious expedient, "a civilian's idea," as he termed it. He commandeered all the taxicabs in Paris. Those running in the streets were held up by the police, and the occupants made to alight. When the latter learned the reason, instead of grumbling, they gave a rousing cheer. Eleven hundred taxis made the journey twice during the night from Paris to the front transporting, in all, eleven thousand men.

Unfortunately, the effect of these reinforcements was fully counterbalanced by the troops which Von Kluck had brought up on the two previous days from before the British front, and only the extreme tenacity and courage of his troops enabled Maunoury to avoid being outflanked.

However, Von Kluck could not with impunity reduce his forces opposed to the British. The latter pulled themselves together, crossed the Petit Morin river and reached La Ferté-sous-Jouarre.

The danger feared by the German generals became apparent.

On this day of September 8, a German officer wrote in his notebook: "_Caught sight of Von Kluck. His eyes usually so bright, were dull. He, who was wont to be so alert, spoke in dejected tones. He was absolutely depressed._"

At the right of the British army, General Franchet d'Esperey continued his rapid advance and occupied the outskirts of Montmirail.

Moreover, his troops co-operated efficiently in helping to check the violent attacks of Von Bulow's army against Grossetti's division.

The Germans became more and more anxious, and rightly so, at the turn events were taking on their right where Von Kluck's army was beginning to be tightly squeezed between the armies of General Maunoury, the British and General Franchet d'Esperey. Von Kluck was forced to retreat and, in doing so, left exposed Von Bulow's army. The armies of Von Bulow and Von Hausen received orders to crush Foch and break through the French centre at all costs, so as to be able to turn Franchet d'Esperey's army on the west, and that of Langle de Cary on the east.

The position was this: If the manœuvre succeeded, Joffre's entire plan would fall to pieces. If, on the other hand, it failed a general retreat on the part of the Germans would be inevitable.

Foch's army received a terrible blow. It was forced back in the centre, and almost pierced on the right. However, Foch in no wise lost confidence, but pronounced the situation to be 'excellent.' The fact was, he clearly realised that these furious attacks were dictated by the desperate position in which the Germans found themselves. He rallied his troops, hurled them again against the Germans, but was unable to win back the ground which he had just lost.

Von Hausen's fierce thrust also made itself felt on Langle de Gary's left; the connection between the latter's army and Foch's was in great danger of being severed, and could only be maintained by the rapid displacement of troops, and by the intervention of a new army corps despatched by Joffre just in time to restore the balance.

While Von Hausen was striking on the left, the Duke of Wurtemberg brought all his weight to bear on Langle de Cary's right, with the Crown Prince executing a similar manœuvre against Sarrail's left.

The German plan was still the same, viz., to separate the two armies and, if possible, isolate Sarrail's army, so that the latter, attacked at the same time in the rear on the heights above the Meuse, where the Germans had begun to bombard the fort of Troyon, would find itself encircled and be forced to surrender.

SEPTEMBER 9, 1914

On September 9, the battle reached its culminating point along the whole front.

Under pressure from the right wing of Maunoury's army, and before the menacing advance of the British forces which had reached Château-Thierry, the Germans were obliged to withdraw from both banks of the River Ourcq.

In order to make this retreat easier along the banks of the Ourcq Von Kluck, at the end of the day, caused an extremely fierce attack to be made against the French left, which bent beneath the shock and was almost turned.

At that time, the situation was truly extraordinary: the Germans were already retreating, while the French, stunned by the blow they had just received, were in anxious doubt whether the morrow would not bring them disaster.

The struggle seemed so hopeless, that orders were asked for, in view of a possible retreat on Paris. However, General Gallieni refused to consider this possibility and, faithful to Joffre's instructions, gave orders to "_die rather than give way_." Maunoury's left continued therefore its heroic resistance.

Von Kluck's retreat along the Ourcq left Von Bulow's army completely unprotected, and he was, in turn, obliged to give way before Franchet d'Esperey's left.

The latter continued to co-operate actively in the heroic resistance of the French centre, by taking in the flank the enemy forces which were furiously attacking Foch. This general became the objective of the last and most furious attacks of Von Bulow and Von Hausen who, realizing that should they fail they would be forced to continue the retreat begun on their right, decided to make one more attempt to crush in the French centre.

They very nearly succeeded; all along the line, the French were forced to fall back, and the southern boundary of the Marshes of Saint-Gond was entirely abandoned.

The position, to the east of Sézanne, seemed hopeless. It was there that the loss of ground was most dangerous, and it is perhaps necessary to explain in detail this critical phase of the battle.

On the large-scale map below is shown the position of Foch's left and centre on September 8 and 9.

It was in the region of Villeneuve and Soisy that General Grossetti's Division had fought so heroically for four days. Absolutely decimated, it was replaced on the morning of the 9th by one of the neighbouring army corps under Franchet d'Esperey. This corps advanced during the day but, further to the right, the Germans forced back the French from the Woods of Botrait and from the crest of the Poirier, capturing the heights of Mondement.

Mondement is situated on a narrow plateau, the last counterfort before reaching the vast plain of the Aube. On the opposite side of this plateau are to be seen the villages of Allemant and Broyes.

If the Germans, in possession of Mondement, had succeeded in reaching these two villages on the day of the 9th, they would have attacked in the rear those forces under Foch which were fighting in the plain. Mondement had, therefore, to be held at all costs. Thus the battle pivoted on this axis. In accordance with Foch's instructions, the Moroccan Division under General Humbert, was placed there and, with the help of the 77th Infantry, not only held its ground but, recapturing the castle during the day, forced the Germans back on the Marshes in the evening.

At the foot of the villages of Allemant and Broyes, the vast plain of the Aube spreads itself out, and it was there that things were going badly with Foch, the loss of ground being serious. The colonials under General Humbert, who were hanging on grimly to the Plateau of Mondement, could see their comrades on the right falling back as far as Mount Chalmont, while the enemy fire reached successively Linthes and Pleurs.

If the centre had given way completely, the defenders of Mondement would have been taken in the rear, and obliged to abandon the plateau. In other words, it would have meant complete defeat.

To avert this terrible danger, Foch had only Grossetti's Division which, as mentioned a few moments ago, had been decimated by four days of the fiercest fighting, and which he had that morning taken from his left wing and sent to the rear to rest.

Foch recalled this division, and hurled it against the most critical point of his line between Linthes and Pleurs. He hoped it would be in a position to attack about noon, but at three in the afternoon it had not yet been reformed. These were hours of mortal suspense along the whole front.

General Grossetti needed all his energy to reform the scattered units of his division, and his men, who were on their way to the rear to rest, when they were again ordered into the thick of the battle, had need of superhuman courage to carry out the long fatiguing flank march of twelve miles, which was to bring them that afternoon to Foch's centre.

Finally, at about four in the afternoon, Grossetti appeared on the scene and the situation rapidly changed.

With what feelings of intense relief the defenders of Mondement must have seen Grossetti's men moving eastwards to the attack and driving the Germans back again behind Mount Chalmont. The enemy was literally demoralized by this unexpected arrival of reinforcements.

The objective of Grossetti's attack was the junction of the armies of Von Bulow and Von Hausen, viz.: the weakest point of the German front.

The German generals had at that time nothing with which to counter this last effort of Foch's, and, realising that the battle was indeed lost, began to make preparations for retreat.

Just as Franchet d'Esperey had supported Foch energetically on his left, so, throughout this fateful day, Langle de Cary helped him not less effectually on his right, where he violently attacked Von Hausen. However, in the centre and on the right, the troops of Langle de Cary could not do more than hold their ground against the furious attacks of the Duke of Wurtemberg's army.

Sarrail, in turn, supported Langle de Cary, by operating with his left against the flank of the German forces, which were pressing that commander. Meanwhile, his right was in a critical position, owing to the operations in his rear by German forces on the heights above the Meuse. In spite of the danger, and although he had been authorized by the commander-in-chief to withdraw his right so as to escape this menace, Sarrail clung with dogged tenacity to Verdun: he would not abandon his position, so long as the Meuse had not been crossed, and while there was still the slightest hope of being able to hold out.

SEPTEMBER 10 to 13, 1914

The morning of the 10th witnessed a theatrical change of scene on the French left, where it will be remembered Maunoury's army was in a most critical position. After a night of anxious suspense, it was seen that the Germans had abandoned their positions, and were retreating hastily towards the north-east, to avoid being caught in the pincer-like jaws formed by the Franco-British forces the previous day.

Thus Paris and France were saved, as Von Kluck's retreat carried away Von Bulow's army with it, and Franchet d'Esperey crossed the Marne. Von Hausen's right followed suit, pursued by Foch. The troops of the former had crossed the Marshes of St. Gond during the night to avoid disaster.

Langle de Cary precipitated the retreat of Von Hausen's army. His right, still under heavy pressure, was however obliged to fall back. Here, the Germans were only held up by the increasingly effectual help rendered by Sarrail's army. The latter withstood the furious attacks of the Crown Prince without flinching, while on the heights above the Meuse, the fort of Troyon, the heroic defence of which has since become famous, withstood the terrible onslaughts of the enemy forces which sought to cross the river.

It was only on the 11th that the Duke of Wurtemberg followed the retreat begun on his right the day before, and it was only during the night of the 12th-13th that the German retreat became general.

On the 13th the Germans reached their line of resistance, and, as will be seen on the map before you, their front extended from Soissons to Verdun, passing by Rheims. This map also shows the positions at the beginning of the battle.

The foregoing sketch gives a general idea of the character of this great battle, which has been called "The Miracle of the Marne," and for the winning of which the following factors were responsible: firmness on the part of the commander-in-chief; the clear and well-laid plan which he caused to be executed by highly capable army commanders working in close collaboration with one another; and, above all, the superhuman courage and endurance of the soldiers.

As time passes, these memorable days stand out more and more gloriously. The study in detail of this stupendous event will continue for centuries hence, but its main lines, which we have been at pains to trace, already stand out clearly. They recall all the old French traditions. The clearness of the plan, the suppleness of manœuvre, the bold use of the reserves, remind one of the Napoleonic era. The enthusiasm which galvanized soldiers and chiefs alike dates back to the Revolution. And going back into the remote past, it was the remembrance of the arresting on the soil of Gaul of the great barbarian invasions which inspired the Victory of the Marne.

TOURIST SECTION

For the greater convenience of tourists, we have divided our guide to the Marne Battlefields into the following sub-divisions, which correspond to the three main sectors of the battle:

1, =THE OURCQ=.--Visit to =Chantilly=, =Senlis=, and =Meaux=.

2, =THE MARSHES OF SAINT-GOND=.--Visit to =Coulommiers=, =Provins=, and =Sézanne=.

3, =THE REVIGNY-PASS=.--Visit to =Châlons-sur-Marne=, =Vitry-le-François=, and =Bar-le-Duc=.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

ITINERARY FOR MOTORISTS AND MOTOR-CYCLISTS

_This tour is comprised in the section 11-12 of the Michelin map, Scale: 200,000 (see scale of kilometres on French map)._

The circuit is about 850 km. and can be covered in six days, i.e. two days for each part:

Ourcq; Marshes of Saint-Gond; Pass of Revigny.

I., OURCQ.

=1st day.=--Leaving Paris in the morning through the Porte de la Chapelle by N. 1 we cross Saint-Denis, then passing Pierrefitte turn to the right by N. 16 which leads straight to Chantilly (34 km. from the gates of Paris) through Ecouen, Le Mesnil-Aubry and Luzarches.

We visit the town (see pp. 22-36): lunch either at Chantilly (palatial hotel) or at Senlis (good hotel) 9 km. from Chantilly; afternoon, visit Senlis (pp. 39-67); dine sleep and at Senlis or Chantilly.

_Tourists who wish to see the whole of the Castle and Park of Chantilly must choose a Thursday, Saturday, or Sunday (see p. 31) and devote a part of the afternoon to this visit._

* * * * *

=2nd day.=--Leave Senlis or Chantilly in the morning and reach Meaux by the route given on pp. 68-75. The distance from Senlis is 65 km. (by the direct route only 37 km.); lunch at Meaux (good hotel).

+Afternoon.+--Do the tour of the Ourcq as indicated on pp. 84-118. This tour may be increased from 53 to 92 km., according to the time the traveller has at his disposal or the speed of his car.

Dine and sleep at Meaux.

* * * * *

=Alternate routes.=--Tourists who consider the second day's distance too great, as planned above, can leave Senlis in the afternoon and thus dine and sleep at Meaux on the first day. They can visit Meaux in the morning of the second day, lunch there and make the tour of the Ourcq in the afternoon, returning to dine and sleep at Meaux.

II., MARSHES OF SAINT-GOND.

=3rd day.=--After mounting the course of the Grand Morin as far as La Ferté-Gaucher _via_ Crécy, Couilly and Coulommiers, the tourist will lunch at Provins. In the afternoon he may visit the town, after which he will proceed to Sézanne to pass the night. =4th day.=--In the morning make the tour of the Marshes of Saint-Gond. In the afternoon proceed to Fère-Champenoise, Sommesous, ascending the valley of the Somme and spend the night at Châlons-sur-Marne.

III., PASS OF REVIGNY (273 km.)

=5th day.=--In the morning cover the distance from Châlons to Vitry-le-François and visit the latter town before lunch.

After lunch leave Vitry for Bar-le-Duc where the tourist can dine and sleep.

=6th day.=--In the morning the tourist may visit the lower town Bar-le-Duc and effect the circular tour which we indicate round the town. He will come back to Bar-le-Duc for lunch.

In the afternoon the tourist will visit the upper town proceeding thence to Verdun. The latter town and the surrounding battlefields should be visited with the help of the separate guide which has been dedicated to them.

IMPORTANT NOTE

For details concerning hotels and garages see insides of cover.

On the above plan, towns, of which a map is given in the present guide, are shown by a circle enclosed in a small square; the large rectangles indicate the boundaries of the coloured maps inserted in the guide, on which the reader will be able to follow the itinerary.

I. THE OURCQ

VISIT TO THE LOCALITIES in which were enacted the preliminary scenes of the BATTLE OF THE OURCQ from September 5 to 14, 1914 CHANTILLY (See map on next page)

ORIGIN AND MAIN HISTORICAL FACTS

Chantilly derives its name from that of the Gallo-Roman _Cantilius_, who was the first to establish himself in the locality. The Castle (a fortress during the Middle Ages) passed to the family of Montmorency in the fifteenth century and in the seventeenth to that of Condé. These two illustrious families brought Chantilly to a height of splendour which made it a rival of the royal residences.

In 1830 the Duc d'Aumale succeeded the last of the Condés and at his death (1897) bequeathed the domain, with the Condé Museum, which he had installed in the castle (_see pp. 24-35_), to the 'Institut de France.'

The town itself, built in the seventeenth century, was for a long time dependent on the castle. In our day it has become a big centre for horse training and racing, the great race meetings in May, July and September attracting huge crowds.

CHANTILLY IN 1914-1916

The Germans, coming from Creil, entered Chantilly on September 3, 1914, and occupied it for several days. The mayor was at once seized as hostage but did not suffer the same tragic fate as the Mayor of Senlis. The troops were billeted at the castle (_see p. 28_).

After the victory of the Marne, Chantilly became the seat of General Joffre's headquarters and remained so until the end of 1916.

VISIT TO THE TOWN

_Arriving by the Paris road the tourist will pass under the railway bridge, then 600 yards further on turn to the right and come out on to the "Pelouse" (Lawn). Turning round the Grand Condé Hotel on the left, he follows the Boulevard d'Aumale as far as the =Maison de Joffre=, shown in the photograph below_.

Joffre lived here until he was made Marshal of France.

The hundreds of officers and secretaries employed in the tremendous work incumbent on the Generalissimo were lodged in the Grand Condé hotel, near which the tourist has just passed. In contrast with this buzzing hive, Joffre's house seemed the embodiment of silence and meditation.

Only two orderly officers lived with the generalissimo, and his door was strictly forbidden to all unsummoned visitors, whoever they might be.

On leaving his office Joffre had the daily relaxation of a walk in the forest near by. It was thanks to the strict routine to which he subjected himself that the generalissimo was able to carry the crushing weight of his responsibility without faltering. We shall see, however, when comparing the peace time photograph given _on p. 1_ with that _on p. 22_ that these years of war have counted as double.

During the tragic hours of the Marne the general headquarters were first at Bar-sur-Aube and then at Romilly. The commander-in-chief's intense concentration of mind made him dumb and as though absent in the midst of his colleagues, who received all his orders in writing. In a few days his hair and moustache became perfectly white.

The Allies' grand councils of war were held in this house, which has counted among its guests all the great actors of the war.

The military functions were held on the lawn. The photograph on the next page was taken during a review.

_After having seen Joffre's house we pass the few villas which separate it from the Rue d'Aumale and bear to the right, skirting the lawn; next we turn to the left into the Avenue de Condé, then to the right into the Rue du Connétable._ In front of the "Grandes Écuries" (great stables), which border the extreme end of the road on the right, stands the equestrian statue of the Duc d'Aumale, by Gérome (1899).

_Leaving the church we turn to the right, passing through the monumental gateway, and go towards the castle._ On the lawn (still keeping to the right) we come to the principal façade of the "=Grandes Écuries=", Jean Aubert's _chef-d'œuvre_, built between 1719 and 1740. They are seen on the right in the above photograph.