Chapter II: The Marshes of Saint-Gond (2)

The tourist now finds himself on the principal German position during September 5 and 6. After a preparation by the artillery, the French troops left the shelter furnished by the undulations of the plateau, and attacked and carried the road on September 7. Following up the pursuit of the retreating Germans, they reached La Ferté-Gaucher on the same day, and crossed the Grand Morin, thus gaining more than 10 km.

_2 km. after the cross-roads at Augers, the road leaves on its left the Village of Sancy._

Sancy was not bombarded, the fighting taking place some distance in advance of the locality; but its inhabitants were obliged to submit to the law of the conqueror during two days.

The following is the account given by the "curé" of Sancy before the Enquiry Commission:--

"On Sunday, September 6, about 9 p.m., the Germans were carrying off the remaining bottles of wine from my cellar, and I was about to sit down to supper, when a non-commissioned officer announced to me and to my guests that we were to 'Hurry to the Place'. We were put into a sheep-fold to sleep. At 5 a.m. thirty of us were led as far as the barn at Perrelez (_4 km. north of Sancy_). We were given a little water and finally, to most of us, a small quantity of soup was doled out. The barn had been turned into a German ambulance. A doctor spoke a few words to the wounded who immediately loaded four rifles and two revolvers. A French hussar, wounded in the arm and a prisoner, said to me: 'Give me absolution, Sir; I am going to be shot. Afterwards it will be your turn.' I did as he wished, then unbuttoning my cassock, I placed myself against the wall between the mayor and my parishioner Frederic Gillet. But two French mounted soldiers arriving at this instant saved our lives, for the Germans surrendered to them."

_Without entering Sancy, continue to follow D. 8 which leads to =Montceaux=. Turn to the left and go up the village as far as the church (23 km.)._

Montceaux, on account of its dominating position, had been organised as a defensive position by the Germans. The French artillery bombarded the whole village vigorously and especially the large farm whose entrance is visible at the end of the street in the above photograph. The Germans had established a heavy battery there, directing its fire from the top of the church tower. The church therefore received numerous projectiles, whose effects may be seen in the photograph below, which represents the chapel in the apse. The right of the 18th French Corps attacked the village on September 6, on the south and on the west, and carried it after a violent combat which lasted from 4 p.m. until nightfall.

_We retrace our steps and turn to the left into_ D. 8 _in the direction of Courgivaux_. On the right of the main road, the Germans, holding the heights where stands the hamlet of =Les Châtaigniers=, offered a desperate resistance to the efforts of the Sixth Division of the Third French Corps commanded by General Pétain, afterwards Commander-in-Chief. On September 6 this division succeeded in taking the hamlet, but was not able to advance beyond it, in spite of the fact that the 18th Corps held Montceaux. On the following morning, the Germans counter-attacked unsuccessfully, and in the afternoon the French (whose 123rd Regiment had particularly distinguished itself at Montceaux) hurled their adversaries back on to the farther side of the Grand Morin.

D. 8 _becomes_ G. C. 46 _on entering the Department of the Marne_.

_Before arriving at =Courgivaux=, pass over a level-crossing, then turn to the right by the drinking-pond, and ascend the village, bearing to the left towards the cemetery (29 km.)._ The latter occupies a dominating position and played an important part in the actions engaged in by the Fifth Division, commanded by General Mangin, for the possession of Courgivaux.

The German advanced defences around Escardes (about 2½ km. along this road) were carried after a stiff fight in which the two colonels of the Ninth Brigade were wounded. The Germans fell back on the line formed by the cemetery of Courgivaux and the farm of Bel-Air visible in the photograph above, and about 300 yards west towards the village.

After a bombardment by "75's," the troops of the Third Corps, leaving the woods, crossed the open ground at a run, and after several fruitless attempts dislodged the Germans from the cemetery, then from the farm, and finally from the village. The French held these positions in spite of a counter-attack at night, and on the 7th the Germans were in retreat towards the north.

_After having visited in the cemetery_ the graves of several officers of the 39th, 74th and 129th Regiments, who fell here, _we retrace our steps and turn to the right into the_ G. C. 46 _in the direction of Esternay. A long climb leads to Retourneloup where_ G. C. 46 _rejoins_ N. 34 _coming from La Ferté-Gaucher_.

We are now entering the theatre of operations of the First French Corps. =Retourneloup= was bombarded, as a German battery had been established there to hold the road to the Esternay hollow. This battery was hammered by the French artillery. The "curé" of Esternay, who had been made prisoner at the very beginning of the German occupation, was led to Retourneloup, and passed an anxious time during the battles of the 6th and 7th. Each time that the French attacked--and they attacked ten times during the day of the 6th, the "curé" was placed at the head of the German column which advanced to resist them. He was also roughly handled and given nothing to eat, besides being frequently threatened with being placed against a wall and shot. The Germans took him with them in the retreat and continued to put him in an exposed position in all rearguard actions. They finally set him at liberty about ten kilometres from Esternay.

_A zig-zag descent leads down to =Esternay=, in the hollow. Go straight on without entering, and gain the opposite slope. After crossing the railway line, take the road on the left leading to the castle (36 km.)._

This last is preceded by a farm which still bears traces of the bombardment which it suffered (_view p. 150_).

The castle, which belonged to Marshal Fabert, is now the property of the Marquis de la Roche-Lambert. The opposite view gives a good idea of its picturesqueness. It was occupied by a German staff, and its park defensively organised. The castle suffered less than the farm.

_We retrace our steps over the 300 yards separating the entrance to the castle from N. 34, which we cross in order to take the opposite "Chêmin vicinal" leading down to =Châtillon-sur-Morin=. Pass over a level-crossing in order to enter the village_, which was completely destroyed by the bombardment and by the fires lighted by the Germans before evacuation.

_Turn to the left in the village to_ arrive at the little church (_38½ km., view below_), which by a curious chance alone remained untouched in the midst of ruins. The above view was taken from the church tower.

Châtillon formed the advanced position of the defences of Esternay. The troops of the First Division had the honour of being chosen to attack, and fierce was the fighting in the burning streets of the village. The 84th Infantry, many of whose officers and men are buried in the churchyard, gave a brilliant example of stubborn courage. On the evening of the 6th, Châtillon was in the hands of the French, who were, however, for that day unable to advance further towards Esternay, being held up by the defence works on N. 34 (_see panorama on p. 152_).

_Return to the main road from Esternay to Sézanne_ (N. 34), stopping at the last houses of Châtillon, the spot from whence the above photograph was taken. The position which the French troops in possession of Châtillon had to carry was formed by the plateau seen on the horizon, along which passes D. 8 at the foot of Esternay castle.

Esternay Castle

PANORAMA OF THE ESTERNAY POSITIONS]

This frontal attack presented many difficulties, for even if the French arrived as far as the railway line which runs along the bottom of the valley, and were able to take cover under the embankment, they would be mown down when they attempted to scale the bare slopes. The woods which appear on the right in the above view afforded shelter to the troops up to the main road, but when they attempted to advance into the open they were met by a murderous fire. Being unable to force the frontal defences, the commandant of the First Corps ordered the Second Division to make a considerable detour to the east, under cover of the woods, in order to take the positions on Esternay Plateau in the flank. On the evening of the 6th, a first attack failed, but next morning the Second Division carried the position which covered the German flank, and combining its efforts with those of the First Division on the front, entered Esternay about 10 o'clock in the morning.

Châtillon Church
Spot from whence the above panorama was taken
Railway line

PANORAMA OF THE CHÂTILLON POSITIONS]

_Once more on the_ N. 34, _turn to the right_. The slope served as a protection for the Germans, who dug many individual shelters there. One of these may be seen in the foreground of the preceding photograph. We begin to realise the difficulties which the French had to surmount when we remember that after the battle, on the front of a single battalion, 11 officers and 4 non-commissioned officers lay dead, killed while leading their men.

_Leaving behind, on the left, the park which adjoins the road_, we perceive on the right the great common grave of Esternay (view above), where lie buried the heroes of the 73rd who fell during the attack. The turning movement mentioned on page 152 led across the road at about 3 km. from this spot, at the other extremity of the wood. The village of La Noue, to the north of the road, was carried, and the Second Division then turned back towards Esternay.

(_Sézanne is only 10 km. from this point by_ N. 34, _but the tour indicated hereafter, which leads across part of the line where the direct attack on this town was broken, makes a circuit of 34 km. The remainder of the line will be explored to-morrow._)

We retrace our steps. A little wood fringes the road on the right. The German machine-guns were installed there, and cut down the French who attempted to leave their shelter on the other side of the road. About 100 yards further on the wood gives place to a field, on the edge of which, at about 20 yards from the road, in the midst of the trees, is the grave of an unknown French soldier--a pathetic sight. A little further on, in the field, are to be seen the isolated graves of two German officers, one of them of the family of the Chief of the General Staff, Von Moltke (view below). Between these graves and the border of the castle park many Germans lie buried. The fighting was very violent here in the trenches which the enemy had dug at right angles to the road. Outflanked on the north by the turning movement we have spoken of, the castle and the farm, as well as the park, were carried at the point of the bayonet. From this moment, Esternay, situated in the hollow, could offer no serious resistance, and the French entered it without difficulty.

_Re-cross the railway line and take the first road on the right, leading into Esternay and to the Place de l'Église (48 km.)._ The church was transformed into an ambulance station by the Germans.

The following evidence given by the deputy-mayor and other witnesses before the Official Enquiry Commission recalls painful incidents of the occupation by the enemy.

"On September 6 the Germans pillaged nine-tenths of the houses in the town. This pillage was organised, objects of all kinds, linen and other belongings, being placed on carts."

Another witness declared: "About 3 o'clock in the afternoon, thirty-five or forty Germans came out of the church shouting, and leading with them M. Laurenceau, aged 52 years. The latter on arriving at the road made a movement as if to escape and was immediately felled to the ground. Then, although he lay quite still, he received three bullets."

A third witness declared: "On the night of September 6 I was with my two daughters and Mme. Lhomme in hiding under the stairs of the cellar of Mme. Macé, a widow. Groups of German soldiers kept passing round the house, and some had even come into the cellar without discovering us. Between 11 p.m. and midnight, one of these bands having found women's clothes in a cupboard, came towards our hiding-place. As they had seen us, Mme. Macé exclaimed: 'Do you wish to kill old women?' To which they replied: 'No, no harm to grandmother,' and pushed her on one side. They next tried to push me aside, crying 'Fraulein all naked,' but could not move me. One of them then shouldered his rifle. I raised my arm to strike up the muzzle, but he was too quick for me, and, taking advantage of the space thus disclosed between the young girls and myself, lowered his arm and fired. Mme. Lhomme was wounded in the left arm by a ball which then shattered the left arm of my daughter Marcelle, aged 27 years. She died between 4 and 5 o'clock on the afternoon of September 7."

_In the Place de l'Église, turn to the right, then immediately afterwards to the left towards Champguyon. The road_ (G.C. 48) _shortly afterwards traverses a level-crossing and passes alongside the cemetery_ which contains the remains of many French soldiers. This road was the one followed by the Germans when they fell back on Montmirail, before the French.

_Traverse the long street of =Champguyon= (53 km.)_ which suffered much from the bombardment, but more from the fire started by the enemy. The view above was taken in the courtyard of a farm, which stands on the left of the road, a little this side of the church. The view below shows a ruined house, being one of a group about 1 km. further on.

Several of the inhabitants were murdered. The widow of one, Mme. Louvet, thus related the death of her husband:

"About 5 p.m. on September 6, my husband, whom the Germans were dragging along and striking with sticks, called to me, exclaiming: 'My wife, my poor wife.' I ran and kissed him through our garden gate, but was roughly repulsed by his captors, and fell. My poor husband was in a piteous state, blood streaming from his ears. He begged for mercy and asked: 'What harm have I done you?' He also cried out: 'Colonel, colonel.' I could not help him, for the Germans who were torturing him were from ten to fifteen in number, and kept their rifles pointed at my throat. They bore off their victim to the end of the village, doubtless to put an end to him. The next evening about 5 p.m., I found the unfortunate Louvet. His head was horribly smashed, one eye was out of its socket, and one of his wrists was broken. He was almost unrecognisable."

_Continue to follow_ G. C. 48, _then take, on the right at the cross-roads_, G. C. 46 _leading to =Morsains= (56 km.). Arrived at the latter, turn to the right beyond the church. This road is the_ G.C. 47. _Cross through the village, and before arriving at Perthuis, turn to the left at the cross-roads. At Perthuis (58 km.) turn to the right, and, traverse the locality, turning again to the right on leaving it._ We thus leave the theatre of operations of the First French Corps and enter that of the Tenth Corps. On the right of the horizon may be seen the Forest du Gault, on the borders of which the Tenth Corps engaged furious combats with the Tenth German (Reserve) Corps.

_On reaching =La Rue-le-Comte= (59½ km.) traverse it throughout, as also a level-crossing, in order to arrive at =Le Gault-la-Forêt= (60½ km.). Pass through it._ Several of its houses were burnt by the Germans, who also shot the old rural policeman.

_At the cross roads at the end of the village, turn to the right, then immediately afterwards to the left, going round the church. After reaching the hamlet of_ =Le Recoude= (63 km.), the western portion of which was damaged by bombardment, _turn to the left on entering and traverse the village from one end to the other_.

During the morning, on September 6, the left of the Tenth French Corps, after penetrating the Forest du Gault, reached the road which the tourist has been following between La Rue-le-Comte and Le Recoude. In the afternoon it was obliged to retire into the forest, but on the following day it attacked again, took numerous prisoners in the forest, and carried the line which it had occupied the day before. It was from this line that it set off on the 8th to continue its advance to the north-east. G. C. 47 _continues in the direction of Charleville. Before entering the village, stop the car at the mile-stone "6 km. 2," 20 yards before arriving at the first isolated house._

_Take on foot the path on the left, which leads_ to the grave seen in the photograph on p. 155, and which is about 150 yards distant. This grave made in a sand-pit contains the bodies of 180 officers and men who fell in the engagements at Charleville. 50 _yards further on_ may be seen from the path and to the left, the view shown in the photograph on p. 155.

The French occupied a trench dug under the line of trees seen on the left; the Germans were installed on the hills which shut in the horizon. It was only on September 8, after three days' fighting, that the 20th Division was able to dislodge the enemy from these slopes.

_Return to the car and enter_ =Charleville= (66½ km.). The church, seen in the photographs on p. 155 and opposite, was much damaged by the German bombardment. _Walk round it, then enter._

Although the neighbouring villages of La Villeneuve and Le Recoude changed hands several times, Charleville, which had been taken on the 6th by the 20th Division, remained in the possession of the French. The fighting was extremely fierce all round the village, and particularly on the spot indicated above where the 2nd Infantry Regiment distinguished itself.

_Continue to follow G. C. 47, leaving on the right the road which leads through the village. At the next cross-roads bear to the right and continue until =La Villeneuve= (68½ km.) is reached_.

Numerous houses were destroyed by the French and German bombardments. The church, as may be seen in the photograph below, is in ruins. La Villeneuve was where the Fifth and Ninth French Armies joined. It was occupied by the 42nd Division on the evening of September 5. On the 6th it passed from hand to hand: lost at 8 a.m., retaken at 9 a.m.; lost again towards midday, and finally re-conquered at nightfall by the French.

On the 7th the struggle was equally obstinate and violent. La Villeneuve was again taken and retaken. It was only on the 8th that the 42nd Division succeeded in breaking the German resistance, and advanced northwards. The principal obstacle had been a howitzer battery installed beyond the Morin, near Le Thoult (5 km. from La Villeneuve.) It rained shells on this locality and also prevented the Tenth Corps from advancing from Charleville.

This battery was marked down, thanks to the knowledge of the country possessed by the "curé" of La Villeneuve, l'Abbé Laplaige. From an attic window he discovered, by means of field-glasses, the spot from which the shots were fired, and pointed it out to the officer commanding the French batteries. The Germans were soon reduced to silence, and progress became possible for the 42nd Division at La Villeneuve and the Tenth Corps at Charleville.

_Near the middle of the village, take on the left, skirting the drinking-pond, the "Chemin vicinal" leading to Corfélix and Le Thoult._ The windmill pump, seen in the photograph above, will soon be perceived, near a group of ruined houses. It was from the upper platform of the pump that the officer commanding the French artillery, guided by the Abbé Laplaige, directed the fire which destroyed the German battery at Le Thoult, The rising ground of the left bank of the Morin, which attains a height of 670 ft. directly north of La Villeneuve, hid the whereabouts of the German guns on the right bank on Hill 189. The elevated structure of the pump made an ideal observatory and compensated for the height of the ground on the left bank of the river.

_Return by the same path to the drinking-pond and take, on the left_, G. C. 47, _leading to Chapton_. On the right of the road are the woods of Bois-de-la-Ville, on the left those of La Braule. The troops of the 42nd Division fought desperate engagements in these woods during the alternatives of retreat and advance from September 6 to 8. _Pass through_ +Chapton+ (_72½ km._), which marked the utmost limit of the direct German advance on Sézanne.

_Shortly afterwards, on arriving at the main road_ (N. 51), _turn to the right and descend into Sézanne_, which suddenly comes into view at the foot of the hill, and makes a pretty picture. It was to attain this edge of the plateau, which commands a wide horizon, that the Germans made such desperate efforts on either side of N. 51, efforts which were, however, rendered vain by the admirable resistance of the 42nd Division.

_Enter Sézanne (80 km.) by the Rue d'Épernay, then turn to the right into the Rue de la Halle leading to the Place de la République._ Here is the church (view opposite). _From thence we seek out the hotel where we intend to dine and sleep (see plan, p. 158)._

SÉZANNE

VISIT TO THE TOWN

The most interesting sight is the church (historical monument), a view of which is given on p. 157. It dates from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. To visit the interior, enter by the little door opening on to the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, and opposite an old well enclosed within a wrought-iron railing.

The stone reredos, against the wall on the left on entering, is worthy of note. An interesting walk is to follow the line of the ancient fortifications now changed into a public promenade. The most interesting part is the "Mail des Cordeliers" to the north.

THE MARSHES OF SAINT-GOND

=TOUR IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF SÉZANNE= (65 km.)

via +Broyes+, +Allemant+, +Broussy+, +Bannes+, +Coizard+, +Congy+, +Champaubert+, +Baye+, +Saint-Prix+, +Oyes+, +Reuves+, +Mondement+.

_This part of the tour should be done in the morning, for the region of the marshes is devoid of hotels, even of inns, and, tourists must therefore return to Sézanne for lunch. After lunch, we set out for Fère-Champenoise, ascend the valley of the Somme, to arrive at Châlons-sur-Marne for dinner and bed._

_Leaving the hotel, re-cross the Place de la République and take on the left the Rue de la Halle, continued by the Rue de Broyes. The latter turns suddenly to the left (the street which continues in the former direction is the Rue de Châlons). The road_ (G. C. 39) _skirts the cemetery and mounts towards =Broyes=, through which we pass, leaving the church on the left (5½ km.). On a level with the church, take the street on the right, and 300 yards further on we encounter the old "Castle des Pucelles," seen in the photograph above._

General Humbert, commanding the Moroccan Division, established his headquarters in this castle on September 7, Mondement Castle having become uninhabitable. It was from here, when Mondement had been taken by the Germans, that he directed the counter-attacks which drove them from it. The "Castle des Pucelles" is perched on the edge of the plateau dominating almost vertically the immense plain of the Aube. Mondement is only 3½ km. distant. One can easily realise how tragic was the situation during the days of September 8 and 9, 1914, of the troops standing at bay at Broyes, and understand the savage fury with which they attacked Mondement.

_Quitting the "Castle des Pucelles," continue straight along_ G. C. 39, _leaving on the left the "Chemin vicinal" leading to Mondement (we shall follow it in the opposite direction on our return)_.

_Traverse =Allemant Woods= and the village of that name, through which we pass, leaving the church (9 km.) on the right_. From its steeple in 1814 Napoléon watched the battle which was raging in the plain below. _After the first group of houses comes a fork in the road; the one on the right descends into the plain, that on the left goes towards the marshes of Saint-Gond._

_Before taking the latter, turn to the right on the crest for a few steps in order to contemplate in its entirety the beautiful view reproduced in the_ panoramas on pp. 160 to 163.

Allemant
Broyes Church-Tower
Allemant Church-Tower

I. +PANORAMA OF ALLEMANT+

This part of
the panorama
fits on to
the right of
panorama II (p.
161).]

The plain which stretches at our feet, as far as the eye can reach, right up to the Aube, and of which the panoramas on pages 160 to 163 give a good idea, was the stake in the battle which for five days engaged the army of Foch and those of Von Bulow and Von Hausen. The heights whose crest we have been following since leaving Sézanne assured its control. From there the Germans with their powerful artillery would have been able to destroy the French Corps which had withdrawn to the plain. They would also have been able to manœuvre freely in order to fall on the rear of the army of Espérey on the west, and that of Langle de Cary on the east. The whole plan of the battle of the Marne would have collapsed. The nature of the ground permits us to understand the particular violence of the struggle at this point: the Germans ready to sacrifice everything in order to attain the heights, the French disputing fiercely every inch of the ground.

N. 34 between Fère and Sézanne
N. 34 between Fère and Sézanne
Allemant
Péas

II. +PANORAMA OF THE PLAIN OF THE AUBE.+

This part of the
panorama fits on
to the left of
panorama I (p.
160).]

Mont Chalmont
N. 34 between
Fère and Sézanne
Linthes
Pleurs
Linthelles
N. 34 between Fère and Sézanne
Saint-Loup

III. +PANORAMA OF THE PLAIN OF FÈRE-CHAMPENOISE.+

This part of the
panorama fits on
to the left of
panorama II (page
160).]

While attacking the height on its front, from the south bank of the Marshes (see the panorama on pages 182-183), the Germans also tried to outflank it on the east.

We have seen in the general account of the battle how prodigious were their efforts to cross the Somme, which formed a covering line, and then to debouch from Fère-Champenoise. This locality is hidden behind Mont Chalmont, on the left of the panorama above. This manœuvre very nearly succeeded. During the day of September 9, the soldiers occupying the promontory, where stands the tourist, saw to the north in the direction of the Marshes, the advancing Germans arrive within firing distance of the farthest trench. If they turned their eyes eastwards, they saw the 17th Division falling back on Mont Chalmont (panorama above) and the artillery take up its position on the western slope. Further south, debouching from the screen formed by this ridge, the firing line came into view spreading towards Linthes and Pleurs. The terrible anxiety of these hours of waiting only ceased when the 42nd Division came into action.

The fine strategic movement of the 42nd (_see p. 14_) is easy to follow. The Division gained the plain from the plateau north of Sézanne which we traversed yesterday. The infantry descended the slopes of Broyes and Allemant. The military wagons followed the N. 34 and the railway which skirts this road. The batteries stopped on the way at Broyes, in order to take part in the bombardment of Mondement Castle. The division formed up between Linthes, Linthelles and Pleurs, and it was from this point that it began its attack. The tourist may picture to himself these red and blue columns marching eastwards under a violent artillery fire, and causing the German troops, bewildered by the arrival of these unexpected French reinforcements, to disappear again behind the ridge. The villages of Péas (panorama II) and Saint-Loup (panorama III) served as shelters for the reserves of the Ninth Corps. Much-tried companies withdrew there to reform. It was from Saint-Loup that the 77th Infantry Regiment started forth to take Mondement. Leaving their dinner which was warming, these gallant fellows stormed the slopes of Allemant and of Broyes in order to take in this action the heroic part explained on p. 117.

_Rejoin_ G. C. 39. _The long dike of the marshes of Saint-Gond becomes visible almost immediately._ From this distance nothing indicates the marshes, whose reeds are lost to view among the crops; one can only distinguish the line of the Petit Morin, marked by poplar trees, which traverses the depression from one end to the other.

After passing a small group of houses, take, at the cross-roads, the road on the left descending towards the marshes. We can perceive Mont-Août first in front, then to the right. This solitary little hill played an important part in the battle. There, until September 9, the 17th Division resisted all attacks from the north and from the east.

_Follow_ G. C. 39, _and arriving at =Broussy-le-Grand= (16 km.), pass through it._ Held first by the Moroccan Division, Broussy was carried by the Germans after a fierce struggle. The French troops were thrown back on the slopes of Allemant which we have just descended. There are still many ruined houses in Broussy.

_The road now turns towards =Bannes= (19 km.)._ Across the plain which stretches south and east of Bannes, the 17th and 52nd Divisions fought desperate engagements to prevent the Germans from breaking through the marshes. On the 8th, the French front, which followed the boundary of the marshes from east to west, was pushed back with violence. The left remained in the neighbourhood of Bannes, but the centre drew back to Mont-Août, and the right to the south of this hill. On the 9th, Mont-Août fell in its turn. Between Bannes and Mont-Août, in a trench, numerous letters and telegrams and a box bearing the address of Prince Eitel, son of Wilheim II., were found.

Many new roofs are to be seen in Bannes, a proof of the violence of the bombardment.

_At the cross-roads at the entrance to the village, turn to the left towards the Marshes and Coizard, to which_ G. C. 43 _leads us_.

The above photograph gives an aspect of this marshy region. The line of poplars crossing it follows the course of the Morin. The heights on the horizon are those of Toulon-la-Montagne and Vert-la-Gravelle. They were occupied on September 6 by the outposts of the 17th Division, who, however, could not hold them. The Germans then installed batteries there which swept all the south-east portion of the marshes. In spite of this fact, on the same day a battalion of the 77th Line Regiment tried to retake the heights.

We are now following the course of the attacking troops who left Bannes under a murderous fire from the heavy artillery and machine-guns. When the road became too dangerous, they entered the marshes and advanced painfully up to their waists in water. Some disappeared suddenly, swallowed up by the bogs. They succeeded eventually in reaching Coizard and, after fighting in the streets and houses, drove off the Germans, and began to assail the slopes which dominate the village. But the enemy had here a crushing superiority, and after a seven-hours' fight the French were obliged to retire across the marshes, pursued by the dropping fire of the batteries on the northern bank which raked the narrow causeways. The Germans wished to push home their advantage and take foot on the southern bank, and accordingly began to cross the marshes by the Coizard-Bannes road. Their losses were heavy, for the machine-guns and "75's" directed a cross-fire on them. They came on nevertheless and reached Bannes, but when they endeavoured to advance on Mont-Août, they were met by so fierce a fire that they were obliged to draw back into the village. Mont-Août did not fall until September 9, having been outflanked on the south.

Cross the Morin, whose bridge was destroyed at the beginning of the battle (photograph opposite), then leaving the soft ground of the marshes, cross one of the drained parts whose number increases every year; thus reducing considerably the original swamp which comprised all the hollow.

_On reaching =Coizard=, turn first to the left, then to the right in order to arrive at the church (24 km.)._

The villages on the north of the marshes suffered less than those on the south, for the French bombardment was less intense than the German. A few houses were however destroyed in Coizard (view above).

_Turn to the left this side of the church (the road, is visible in the above photograph) and continue to follow_ G. C. 43 _for 1 km. as far as =Joches=. At the corner of the farm_, of which the view below shows the interior, and which was burnt by the Germans, _turn to the right towards Congy, thus leaving the marshes_.

(_If pressed for time, instead of turning to the right, continue on the road, along the marshes by Courjeonnet and Villevenard, thus reaching Saint-Prix. The distance by the direct road is about 6 km.; going round by Congy it is 16 km._).

_In =Congy= (30 km.) follow the main street, turning to the right before reaching the town-hall, then to the left to cross the railway._

On September 5 and 6 the Ninth Corps, who still had outposts at Toulon and at Vert, tried to extend its line towards Congy. Blondlat's Brigade of the Moroccan Division crossed to the north bank and attempted to gain Congy by Joches and Courjeonnet. The difficulties were great, for the German artillery swept the slopes. The attack failed in the end and the brigade was obliged to re-cross the marshes. During the battle the German heavy guns on the heights commanding Congy pounded the French positions on the opposite side of the marshes.

_About 2 km. beyond Congy we meet the "Route nationale" 33 and turn into it, to the left, towards =Champaubert=, which is 2.7 km. further on._

On the left is the column commemorating Napoléon's victory in 1814. Champaubert Farm where he slept is a grey house with red-brick facings standing opposite the column on N. 33.

_On arriving at the column, turn to the left into N. 51, in the direction of Baye._

In Baye (37½ km.) on the left is to be seen the interesting thirteenth century church, which has recently been restored (photograph opposite), 900 _yards further on is the castle, of which a view is given below_. It was the birthplace of Marion Delorme, who there passed a tranquil childhood before becoming acquainted with the feverish life of the courtesan.

The castle is the property of the Baron de Baye, and contained many rich archæological and artistic treasures. It was inhabited by a member of the German Imperial family from September 5 to 9, and was pillaged methodically.

The following is the report of the Inquiry Commission:

_"Having repaired to Baye Castle, we verified the traces of the pillage which this edifice has suffered. On the first floor, a door leading to a room which adjoins the gallery where the proprietor had amassed valuable works of art had been broken in; four glass cases had been broken, another opened. According to the declarations of the caretaker, who, in her master's absence, was not able to inform us of the full extent of the damage, the principal objects stolen were Russian gems and gold medals. We noticed that tablets covered with black velvet, belonging doubtless to the glass cases, had been dismantled of part of the jewels which they formerly bore._

_"The Baron of Baye's room was in a state of great disorder. Numerous objects were strewn about on the floor and in drawers which had been left open. A flat-topped secrétaire had been broken into. A Louis XVI. 'commode' and round-topped desk of the same period had been rifled. This room was doubtless occupied by a person of high rank, for on the floor still remained chalked the following inscription: 'I. K. Hoheit.' Nobody could tell us exactly who was this 'Highness,' but a general who lodged in the house of M. Houillier, one of the town councillors, told his host that the castle had sheltered the Duke of Brunswick (William II.'s son-in law) and the staff of the Tenth Corps."_

N. 51 now descends into the valley of the Petit Morin. From September 5 to 9, the German reserves followed closely on each other along this road, hastening to the attack on the Plateau of Sézanne.

_After having passed the little station of Talus-Saint-Prix, we arrive at the bridge over the Morin._

This bridge, forming the narrow bottle-neck in which the German attack was to be precipitated, constitutes one of the most interesting points of the battlefield. It is here that the marshes come to an end, and the Morin continues its course along a gradually narrowing valley. The view above, taken from the bridge eastwards, shows the river leaving the marshes. The tree stump in the foreground, which has now disappeared, recalls the successive bombardments, French and German, which the bridge experienced. The other view is taken westwards.

From the heights which form the background of the two photographs, the German cannon rained shells on the French positions on the southern edge of the marshes.

Road from Corfélix
Talus-Saint-Prix

THE MORIN LEAVING THE MARSHES]

Crête du Poirier
The Chapel of Saint-Prix

THE HEIGHTS OF SAINT-PRIX (to the west of the road)]

The heights of Saint-Prix form the northern edge of the Plateau of Sézanne, on which depended the liaison between the Fifth and Ninth French Armies. The Germans had bitten into the plateau on the west and on the north-west at Esternay, Charleville, and La Villeneuve, which we have already visited. They tried to complete their success by attacking also on the point now before us.

On the left of the road (view above) may be seen the little Chapel of Saint-Prix, below Botrait Woods. On the bare part of the summit are the remains of the trenches in which the Germans had placed machine-guns. Further to the left is the "Crête du Poirier" which was so bitterly disputed. To the right of the road (view below) appear the woods of the Grandes-Garennes which clothe the heights towards Corfélix.

Woods of Grandes-Garennes
Valley of the Morin towards Corfélix
Petit Morin

THE HEIGHTS OF SAINT-PRIX (to the east of the road)]

On N. 51, in the Woods of Botrait and the Grandes-Garennes, attacks and counter-attacks followed each other during four days. The thickets were the scene of fierce hand-to-hand struggles. In the rare clearings the combatants sheltered themselves in hastily-dug trenches. This stubborn resistance exasperated the Germans; and after the battle witnesses found a company of Algerian sharp-shooters whose brains had been beaten out by blows from the butt-end of rifles. This fact is vouched for by the Inquiry Commission. Other corpses belonging to the same regiment had been placed in a ring round a fire which had burnt all the heads.

The battle continued until the French, after having silenced the German guns at Le Thoult and Corfélix (see p. 157), finally reached Corfélix and the Morin. Advancing along the valley (seen in the views at the foot of p. 167, and at the top of p. 168), they debouched on the flank of the enemy's troops deeply engaged in the interior of the Plateau of Sézanne.

The manœuvre of September 9 was decisive. Attacked on flank and front, and driven from the woods, the Germans re-crossed the Morin; while their rearguards fought desperate covering engagements, of which the chapel and its little cemetery (seen in the view above), the machine-gun trench (seen in the photograph at the top of p. 167), and the neighbourhood of the station of Talus-Saint-Prix were, in particular, witnesses. The retreat however continued briskly, and on September 10 the Tenth Corps, which had performed the outflanking movement, was able, setting forth from the Champaubert-Saint-Prix front, to sweep the whole of the north of the marshes.

_Follow the zig-zags which_ N. 51 _makes to climb the slope and continue towards =Soizy-aux-Bois= (45 km.)._ On this road, and in the woods which border it, the 42nd Division met with a repulse at the hands of the German troops who, on the 7th, took Soizy and even pushed on to Chapton (we passed through this village before arriving at Sézanne). On the 8th, the 162nd Line Regiment counter-attacked and carried Soizy at the point of the bayonet; and on the 9th, as we have seen above, the Germans were driven back across the Morin.

Soizy still shows the ruins of houses destroyed by bombardment or fire. _After glancing at them return to the entrance to the village and take (on the left looking towards Soizy) G. C. 44 in the direction of Oyes._

Botrait Woods.
Crête du Poirier.
North bank of Marshes.

I. +PANORAMA OF THE "CRÊTE DU POIRIER" AND BOTRAIT WOODS+]

Almost immediately after, on the left, below the level of the road, may be seen two large graves, where the French soldiers who fell during the combats at Soizy were buried (view p. 169). The Germans were buried to the right of these graves.

_Cross through the woods of Saint-Gond._ Sign-posts indicate that military graves exist in the thickets, and recall the hand-to-hand struggles which took place here during the fluctuations of the battle round Soizy.

_Descend again towards the marshes_ between the "Crête du Poirier" on the left and the heights on Montgivroux on the right. Before arriving at Oyes there appears on the left a chalky road with a quarry on its right, leading to the top of a hill.

Courjeonnet
Petit Morin
Petit Morin
Coizard
Toulon-la-Montagne

II. +PANORAMA OF THE MARSHES AND THEIR NORTH BANK+]

Broussy-le-Grand
Mont-Août
Reuves
Oyes

III. +PANORAMA OF THE MARSHES AND THEIR SOUTH BANK+]

_Follow this road_, on the left of which are remains of trenches. _150 yards from its commencement may be seen an interesting view, of which the photographs on pp. 170-171 give fragments._

The summit on which we now stand is connected by a little valley with the summit of the Poirier seen on panorama I. These two heights constituted on the north the advanced line of defence of the heights of Mondement. Panorama IV. shows the position of Mondement which will be visited in due course. The castle and the church may be perceived. The road in the foreground, in the centre of this panorama, is the one which we took to climb the hill.

Allemant Woods
Mondement Castle
Mondement Church

IV. +PANORAMA OF MONDEMENT+]

The line of the Poirier was the object of furious combats. The "tirailleurs" of the Moroccan Division had dug trenches there in order to protect themselves against the withering fire of heavy and light artillery which the Germans directed from the north of the marshes. When the Germans had succeeded in crossing the Morin by the bridge at Saint-Prix, they penetrated into Botrait woods (panorama I.) and attacked the Poirier. They drove the sharp-shooters from the summit, and then from the southern slopes where the latter had made a stand. On September 8 a bayonet charge brought the Poirier again into the possession of the sharp-shooters, but the German artillery rendered the position untenable, and they were obliged to evacuate it and fall back on the heights of Mondement-Montgivroux. At the same time Blondlat's Brigade which held Oyes and Reuves (panorama III.), was thrown back on the Allemant Woods by superior forces which had managed to cross the marshes.

The position of Mondement had thus lost all advanced protection and so fell on the following day, but the same evening it was retaken (_see pp. 176-178_), and from this moment the battle was lost for the Germans. The Tenth Corps, by means of its outflanking movement described on p. 169, obliged them to re-cross the Morin at Saint-Prix (below Botrait Woods, panorama I.). The flank of the marshes was thus turned. During the night of the 9th-10th, the German troops hurriedly regained the northern edge by the causeways running from Oyes, Reuves, and Broussy (panorama III.).

_Rejoin_ G. C. 44 _and turn to the left towards Oyes (50 km.)._ The village still bears traces of the bombardment during its heroic defence by Blondlat's Brigade. _Turn to the right, thus leaving the church on the left, and, passing through the village, turn to the left to regain the marshes_, in the middle of which stands the old =Priory of Saint-Gond=. The entrance, seen in the photograph above, is on the right of the road (51 km.).

Saint-Gond, who gave his name to the marshes, was a seventh century hermit. Charmed by the solitude of the spot, he there founded a little monastery. Destroyed during the barbaric invasions, then rebuilt, it became an abbey and later a priory, after which its decline was rapid. All that remains to-day consists of the entrance (view above), and in the interior, a door (seen on the opposite view behind the Abbé Millard). The Abbé Millard who occupied the priory is an elderly ecclesiastic who divides his time between studies and rural tasks. In the photographs on this page he is seen in the simple apparel which he prefers. He is a distinguished historian and member of several learned societies.

The Abbé Millard, who was recovering from a long illness, reluctantly left his hermitage a little before the arrival of the Germans. The sharp-shooters had established on the road opposite his house a barricade flanked by machine-guns behind which they tried to stem the German advance; but the latter surmounted this obstacle and advanced on Oyes.

_Leaving the priory, we come across the road which runs from Villevenard, on the right of the marshes, to Oyes and Reuves, on the left._ This was the road taken by the Germans who attacked Oyes and Reuves for three days. They suffered heavy losses from the fire of the French artillery which swept Villevenard and the causeways, but came resolutely on and carried the two villages on September 8, in spite of the heroic defence of Blondlat's Brigade.

_At the cross-roads turn to the right towards =Reuves= (53 km.) and traverse its length._ It suffered terribly. The views on this page show the state of the church after the bombardment.

_Turn to the right at the end of the village, leaving on the left the road which continues to follow the edge of the marshes in the direction of Broussy._ This village fell at the same time as Oyes and Reuves, having been attacked by the German troops coming down from Joches and Coizard. _Immediately on leaving the village, take, on the left_, G. C. 45 _and make towards =Mondement=._

We are following the last stage of the German advance. On the morning of September 9, the troops which had taken Oyes and Reuves, after having been reinforced during the night, assailed the Heights of Mondement and wrenched from the grasp of the few remaining Zouaves and sharp-shooters the castle, the church and the village.

_The road passes before the castle_ (56 km.) whose fame since the war has become worldwide.

On September 6, 1914, the owners, Mme. Jacob and one of her sons, were still at Mondement. The bombardment by the German big guns on the north of the marshes began on the morning of the 7th. The inhabitants of the castle, together with the "curé" of Reuves, who had come to join them, passed many anxious hours. The cellar, in which they had taken shelter, almost fell in on them. It was useless to think of seeking refuge in the neighbourhood of the castle, for the shells fell like hail. Their motor-car had been destroyed (as may be seen in the photograph at the foot of p. 178) and the only horse in the stable had been killed.

There was nothing left for it but, at night, to set out on foot along the road to Broyes, in spite of the feeble state of M. Jacob, who was suffering from heart-disease.

They were picked up fortunately by a motor-car sent by General Humbert, but M. Jacob died a few days afterwards, as a result of the shock and of the fatigues which he had experienced.

On the 7th, General Humbert established his headquarters in the castle, which made a splendid observation post. He followed the course of the battle through his field-glasses from the foot of the towers.

When the shells fell too thickly on the castle, he gained the little church near at hand (from which the panorama on pp. 182-183 is taken), and came back to the castle when the Germans began to direct their fire on the church-tower. During these comings and goings, a shell fell among his escort and killed several horsemen. As the bombardment continued to increase in violence, the headquarters were transported to the "Castle des Pucelles" at Broyes, which we have already seen (_p. 159_).

_The road goes round the castle._ The opposite photograph gives a side view of the façade. The tower at the end has been cleared of the ivy which covers it (in the photograph on p. 174), and completely restored. The ruined roof has been removed, in order to give place to a new one. In the foreground is a tree which has been felled by a shell. Shells from the '105's' and '150's' laid low many others, sometimes killing at the same time the persons who had sought shelter under them.

_Take the Broyes road_ which passes before the principal entrance (photograph opposite). The two heraldic lions surmounting the pillars of the gateway are worthy of notice. The roofs of the buildings were destroyed by shells, and the main-building opposite the gate has a temporary zinc covering.

In the field on the other side of the Broyes road is the grave where the Zouaves and other foot soldiers, who fell during the attack on the castle, were buried (photograph opposite). After the entrance gate come the out-buildings, and then the kitchen-garden, whose wall we skirt.

The above view shows the two sides on which the French attacked on the afternoon of September 9. The trees behind the kitchen-garden are those of the park. On the right of the horizon, and separated from Mondement by a hollow, are Allemant Woods.

The castle was taken by the Germans at daybreak on the 9th, and was immediately put into a state of defence. Loop-holes were made in the walls, and machine-guns placed on the towers and at prominent windows. The 77th line Regiment which was reforming at Saint-Loup (see pp. 162-163) was directed in all haste to Mondement to counter-attack. Colonel Lestoquoi placed a battalion on either side of the Broyes Road in the woods which come to an end a few hundred yards from the south side of the kitchen-garden. The Zouaves and sharp-shooters of the Moroccan Division, also hidden among the trees, were to attack on the other side, by the principal entrance.

The artillery preparation was entrusted to the guns of the Moroccan Division, aided by the batteries of the 42nd Division, which had halted at Broyes before descending into the plain (see pp. 162-163).

The attack began at 2.30 p.m. Major de Beaufort's battalion, composed of Bretons, to whom one of their comrades, a soldier-priest, had just given the absolution, left the woods, their bugles sounding the charge. A murderous fire met them from the castle, but could not stop them. A breach had been made in the wall by one of the French "75's," and towards this Major de Beaufort rushed, only to fall struck by a ball in the forehead. Officers and men succeeded him, but as soon as they appeared in the opening the fire of the machine-guns and rifles, hidden in the out-buildings (photograph above) was concentrated upon them, and they succumbed before even reaching the garden. A few, hoisting themselves on the shoulders of their fellows, gained the summit of the wall, but an entry in mass, which alone could have ensured success, was impossible.

On the other side, the attack of the Zouaves and sharp-shooters had met with equally great difficulties. Sheltering themselves behind the trees on the road and the pillars of the railings, they sniped at the occupants of the castle without being able to advance.

At the end of an hour of costly efforts, orders were given to fall back, and the troops retired into the woods from which they had set out.