Chapter III: The Pass of Revigny (1)

CHÂLONS--VITRY--BAR-LE-DUC

CHÂLONS

ORIGIN AND CHIEF HISTORICAL FACTS

Châlons is of very ancient origin and was in the third century the capital of the "Catalauni." In that part of the Plain of Champagne which surrounds it, known as "the Catalaunian Fields," numerous invasions were brought to nothing. The invasion of 1914 recalled the epoch of Attila's Huns, who were beaten here in 451 by the Roman General Actius; Merovic, King of the Franks; and Theodoric, King of the Visigoths. It is between Châlons and Troyes, rather nearer the latter town, that the most eminent authorities assume this great victory over barbarism to have taken place.

Up to the eighteenth century the bishopric of Châlons was one of the most important in France.

CHÂLONS IN 1914

The town, which had been evacuated by three-quarters of its inhabitants, received a few shells on September 4. Some of the stained glass windows of the cathedral were smashed; a part of the roof of the Hôtel-Dieu was broken in, and the children's ward, which was fortunately empty, received a 4·2 shell.

Saxon troops entered the town at 4 p.m., and the Mayor, M. Bernard, having left, M. Servas--his deputy--took over the direction of municipal affairs. The bishop, Mgr. Tissier, and the Abbé Laisnez, his chaplain, were equally heroic during these tragic times. A contribution of £1,200,000 was demanded for the Department of the Marne by the Germans. Mgr. Tissier was able to persuade them to lower it to £20,000 for Châlons.

From September 7 to 11, great numbers of German wounded came in, and were treated in the military hospital, the Hôtel-Dieu, the town-hall, and, when these overflowed, in the barracks, the college, and even in private houses. On September 11 the Saxon troops left the town hurriedly, and on the 12th the French re-took possession.

VISIT TO THE TOWN

(See map opposite)

Of great interest: the Cathedral (_pp. 199-202_); Notre-Dame (_pp. 203-205_); Notre-Dame-de-l'Épine (_pp. 210-212_).

Of interest: Saint Alpin (_pp. 206-207_); to archæologists: Saint-Jean (_p. 207_); pretty walk: the Jard (_p. 208_).

=Cathedral of Saint-Stephen= (historical monument)

(See map opposite)

(_Photo L. L._)]

The Cathedral has had a very eventful history. It dates from the Carolingian times, and was destroyed in 963, when the town was taken by Robert of Vermandois. It was rebuilt, only to be destroyed again in 1138 by a fire, caused by lightning. It was once more rebuilt and enlarged, but in 1230 a similar disaster overtook it. The rebuilding this time took many years to accomplish, for at the beginning of the fifteenth century the nave was unfinished and the western doorway not yet begun.

In 1520 there was set up in the north tower of the transept (see photo below) a wooden spire covered with lead and richly ornamented, about 310 feet in height. In 1628 the two final bays of the nave were completed and the western doorway entirely built (photo above). Unfortunately, its style jars with the Gothic of the rest of the church. In 1668 the cathedral was struck by lightning for the third time; the spire fell and drove in the vaulting and the crypt. After another restoration, the two towers of the transept were embellished with stone spires, which were reconstructed in 1821, but, later, removed. In 1850 the south front of the transept was entirely rebuilt. In 1862 all the sixteenth century chapels in the aisles off the nave were done away with. Quite recently the two towers, together with the doorways of the transept, have been restored.

On the whole the cathedral is an imposing edifice. We have seen above that the west front dates from the seventeenth century and is in the Classical style. Corinthian columns and pilasters flank a Gothic rose-window. A balcony runs along each storey, and a pediment surmounts the whole. A much damaged bas-relief above the entrance-door represents the stoning of Saint Stephen. The long nave, with its lines of elegant flying-buttresses, rejoins the transept, of which the north front (photo opposite) is the most interesting. The southern one was completely rebuilt in the nineteenth century.

The north tower of the transept is the older. The lower part of it dates back to the ancient Romanesque cathedral. The walls are pierced by round-arched bays. The south tower belongs to the thirteenth century. Its bays are Gothic in style. Three radial chapels, dating probably from the fourteenth century, open off the apse.

In the interior the nave comprises nine bays, the first two of which, starting from the west front, date from the seventeenth century; the others, and also the choir and transept, are of the thirteenth century.

As in the Cathedral of Rheims, the choir advances into the nave, of which it occupies two bays. The high altar, under a canopy (see photograph below), supported by marble pillars, belongs to the seventeenth century. In the north branch of the transept is a fine sixteenth century bas-relief representing Christ lying in His tomb (_see p. 201_), which is attributed to Ligier-Richier, the Lorraine master, whose masterpiece we shall see in St. Peter's Church at Bar-le-Duc (_p. 245_). The cathedral is paved with tombstones. The most beautiful ones are to be seen in the ambulatory, especially two adjoining the pillars of the choir.

In the sacristy, which opens off the south branch of the transept, may be seen the treasure (_see p. 201_). This is composed of a little thirteenth century enamelled brass shrine called Saint Rémy's, with medallions representing the apostles; and a twelfth century mitre and shoe, said to be Saint Malachy's. The mitre is of red silk embroidered in gold and silver; the shoe is of red leather inlaid with gold.

The stained glass windows of the cathedral are very remarkable, although most of them have been restored. The three upper windows at the back of the apse belong to the thirteenth century, as also the rose-window in the north arm of the transept dedicated to the childhood of Christ, and the twelve panels of the triforium representing the apostles.

=Lights in the first south window= (fifteenth century stained glass)

The stained glass windows of the north aisle are almost all modern, and in imitation of the style of the thirteenth century. Those of the south aisle belong to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, except the ninth window nearest the transept, which dates from the thirteenth century. Our illustration give an idea of the simple yet skilful composition of these little masterpieces, but cannot reproduce the beauty of their colouring.

=Lights in the first south window= (fifteenth century stained glass)

The second window on the south represents scenes from the life of the Virgin. The third and fourth are devoted to Christ; the fifth to the life and stoning of Saint Stephen; the sixth to the Virgin, and different saints and donors; the seventh to the life of Christ; the eighth to the life and miracles of Christ; the ninth to the baptism of Christ and to various saints. All this stained glass has been removed and put into a place of safety for the duration of the war.

=Notre-Dame de Vaux= (historical monument)

(See map inserted between pp. 198-199)

Like the cathedral, Notre-Dame dates back to Carolingian times. In the eleventh century it possessed no transept, but included a semi-circular apse flanked by two towers, on the site of which rise the two present ones (_see p. 205_), which date from the twelfth century and recall those of the cathedral. There remains of the twelfth century Romanesque church, besides almost the whole of the transept, the south door under the porch, the pillars and the aisles of the nave, as well as the ground floor of the west front.

In 1157 Notre-Dame collapsed, and was partly reconstructed. The apse was rebuilt with three radial chapels. In the nave and choir the round arches of the tribunes and arcades were replaced by pointed ones: the walls were raised in height and pierced by windows, below which was established a triforium (photo below). Gothic vaulting in the nave and transept replaced the wooden roof. The two storeys and the pinnacle of the west front, between the towers, belong also to this period.

In the fourteenth century the four towers were surmounted by wooden spires covered with lead, painted and gilded. To the fifteenth century belongs the beautiful porch in the Flamboyant style which precedes the south door of the twelfth century. The Revolution destroyed three of the four spires in order to utilise the lead, and mutilated the sculptures of the doors. Notre-Dame was completely restored about 1852. The steeple of the north tower of the west front was reconstructed, but the towers of the apse remained despoiled of the elevated pyramids which gave to Notre-Dame a very characteristic silhouette recognisable in the centre of the old engraving reproduced on _p. 198_.

The south porch, visible in the opposite photograph, was built in 1469. The bay is surmounted by an angular pediment, and the gable is ornamented by graceful arcading in the Flamboyant style.

The south front of the transept (photograph opposite) which adjoins the Gothic porch, is a fine piece of work in the Romanesque style, with its round arches and its sculptured rose-windows. The little thirteenth century sun-dial on the buttress in the middle-front below the windows is worthy of note. It is one of the oldest known.

The interior of Notre-Dame is simple and dignified (see below and on p. 203). It has been completely restored. The pillars which support the arcades are those of the early Romanesque church (see photograph p. 205). Their capitals are finely sculptured. Above the lower arcades runs a gallery which opens on to the choir and nave by means of bays composed of twin lights. A little triforium separates this gallery from the higher windows (see below).

The windows of the aisles of Notre-Dame are filled with beautiful sixteenth century stained glass, which at the beginning of the war was taken down and put away for fear of damage from air-raids. We reproduce a panel from one of them, which represents the donor kneeling in prayer to Saint Martha, her patron saint, who is trampling under foot the "Tarasque," a mythical monster of Tarascon. The saint is subduing it by sprinkling it with holy water.

The principal stained-glass windows in the north aisle are: in the first window beginning at the great doorway, the battle of "las Novas de Tolosa" won by the Spaniards over the Moors in the thirteenth century; donors; patrons; the transfiguration. The next window deals with the death and coronation of the Virgin and represents the donors (_the panel reproduced on p. 205 belongs to this window_). The third window is dedicated to the life of Saint Anne and the Virgin; the fourth represents the Adoration, the Massacre of the Innocents, the Flight into Egypt, the last Supper; the fifth, the Passion; the sixth, the Ascension, the Virgin, Christ crowned; patrons and donors. In the south aisle, the first window represents the life of Saint James, the Transfiguration, Christ appearing to his disciples; the second, scenes from the life of the Virgin; the third, the Last Supper; the fourth, the life of the Virgin and the legend of Saint James.

As in all the churches in the neighbourhood, mortuary stones are numerous.

(Sixteenth century stained glass)]

=Church of Saint Alpin= (historical monument)

(See map inserted between pp. 198-199)

This was at first merely a chapel dedicated to Saint Andrew. In the ninth century it was placed under the patronage of Saint Alpin, when the body of this Bishop of Châlons was transported there.

Saint Alpin, like Saint Loup at Troyes, and Saint Geneviève in Paris, went out to confront Attila, and succeeded in obtaining a promise that the town should be spared by the "Scourge of God." A sixteenth century stained-glass window (the first in the south aisle) commemorates this episode in the life of the saint (photograph below). The bishop, his mitre on his head, the cross in his hand, surrounded by clergy and laymen, is pleading the cause of the town before the King of the Huns, seated on a sumptuous throne amidst his warriors. At the foot of the throne are captives in chains.

As we have seen on p. 198, fifteen centuries later the same scene was enacted. In September, 1914, Mgr. Tissier, Saint Alpin's successor in the bishopric of Châlons, was obliged to plead for his town with the invaders.

The Church of Saint Alpin was reconstructed and enlarged in the twelfth century. From this period date the west front (see above), the nave and its side aisles. The north branch of the transept belongs to the fourteenth century, the south branch to the sixteenth.

The apse goes back to the sixteenth century, as does the tower surmounting the middle of the transept, also the chapels of the side aisles. At the same period, doors leading into each aisle were pierced on either side of the doorway of the West Front.

The church was subjected to important repairs in the nineteenth century, and statues of Saint Andrew and Saint Alpin, its two patrons, were installed in niches on either side of the central doorway.

In the interior we find a fine collection of sixteenth century stained glass in the windows of the south aisle and of the ambulatory. As in the other churches in Châlons, the war caused them to be removed to a place of safety. We reproduce two of them: Saint Alpin before Attila (see p. 206), and the life of the Virgin (photo opposite).

In the latter the top of the right hand light represents the birth of the Virgin; the lower portion of the middle light, the Presentation in the Temple. Saint Anne and Saint Joachim, bringing the sacrificial lambs and doves, lead Mary to the high priest. The upper portion of this light depicts the glorification of the Virgin. On the left of the window is Saint Martha, in a rich Renaissance costume, holding in her hand the vessel of holy water and the sprinkler which she used to subdue the "Tarasque" (_see p. 205_).

Mortuary stones are also to be seen here; and let into the wall of the ambulatory is a beautiful sixteenth century bas-relief of the Virgin and Child; two donors and their patrons. On one of the southern pillars of the transept is a fine "_Ecce homo_" on a background of gold, also of the sixteenth century.

=Church of St. John= (historical monument)

(See map inserted between pp. 198-199)

This church is the most ancient building in Châlons. The nave dates from 1050; the choir, the apse, and the transept belong to the thirteenth century; the principal front to the fourteenth. The tower of the transept was built in the seventeenth, when the side aisles were vaulted and reconstructed. The Romanesque nave with its round arches, has a seventeenth century wooden vault; but above it, the wooden framework of the interior of the roof contains some skilful fourteenth century carpentry. The capitals and the pillars are very plain and some seem to be anterior to the eleventh century; the branches of the transept are doubled by side-aisles transformed into chapels, which flank the choir. The apse terminates in a flat wall. Important restorations were carried out in this old church in the nineteenth century.

The Jard

(See map inserted between pp. 198-199)

(_Photo L. L._)]

The Jard is a very pretty park of extremely ancient origin, being mentioned in thirteenth century documents. The marshy ground was drained, raised, and planted with trees. In the eighteenth century it was laid out as it is to-day. The walks were bordered with elms which, after a century of existence, were cut down in 1870 and replaced by horse-chestnut trees. _On Sundays and Thursdays concerts are given here._

The garden, which occupies the north-east portion of the Jard and reaches the banks of the Nau Canal, was made in 1861 for a horticultural exhibition. The old seventeenth century castle of Marché, now transformed into the savings bank, looks on to this canal. The photograph opposite gives an idea of its picturesque aspect.

The English garden stretches between the canal and the Marne. It was laid out in the beginning of the nineteenth century. A foot-bridge (photo below) connects it with the Jard. From the top of this bridge there is a pretty view of the canal which divides at this point to surround a wooded isle.

Other Monuments and Objects of Interest

(See map inserted between pp. 198-199)

Church of Saint Loup

This dates from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, but was rebuilt in the nineteenth. The front, the tower, and the spire which rises above the transept are entirely modern, and the old seventeenth century doorway has been removed to the courtyard of the museum in the town-hall.

In the interior, in the second chapel of the right aisle, is a little sixteenth century Flemish triptych representing the "Adoration of the Wise Men." At the end of the right aisle, near the branch of the transept, is a fifteenth century wooden carving of Saint Christopher.

Hôtel de Ville

The present building replaced at the end of the eighteenth century the old Renaissance town-hall. It contains the library and the museum, the latter looking on the Place Godart. Enter by the Rue d'Orfeuil (_open to the public on Thursdays and Sundays, from noon to 5 p.m. and every day to visitors to the town_). The museum contains interesting collections of sculpture, ancient paintings, and a natural history section.

Préfecture

This, built in the eighteenth century, was formerly the hôtel of the "Intendance de Champagne." The north wing was built in 1846. The préfecture contains a remarkably fine fifteenth century chimney-piece (photo below), on which is carved a mythological triumphal procession, flanked by figures representing faith and charity.

Sainte-Croix Gate

Here is a triumphal arch erected in 1770 for the passage of Marie-Antoinette, on her arrival in France to wed the Dauphin. It was never finished.

National School of Arts and Crafts

This institution, founded by Napoléon in 1806, is one of the five important State schools for turning out engineers and skilled foremen. The buildings are of the eighteenth century. The school possesses fine laboratories and industrial collections.

Sainte-Croix and Saint-Jean Avenues

Both are fine avenues, remains of the boulevards which surrounded the town.

The Military Cemetery

Rue Kellerman, in the eastern part of the town, near the cavalry quarters, is on a lower level than the old civilian cemetery. It contains the remains of several thousand soldiers who died in the hospitals of the town.

=Notre-Dame de l'Épine= (historical monument)

(See plan inserted between pp. 198-199 and map between pp. 212-213)

In order to reach Notre-Dame de l'Épine, which is eight kilometres from Châlons, _leave Châlons by the Avenue de Metz, which begins at Saint-Jean Square. This avenue rejoins_ N. 3, _in which turn to the right. It is a straight road to l'Épine._ Notre-Dame comes into view suddenly at the entrance to the village, which, as the above photo shows, has suffered greatly. A large number of its houses have been destroyed by fire, but the old church had a miraculous escape. Notre-Dame, which dates from the fifteenth century, replaced an earlier edifice built on the spot where, according to legend, a heavenly light disclosed a statue of the Virgin in a bush. From the beginning of the thirteenth century, pilgrims flocked to say their prayers at the foot of the miraculous statue. Although now seven hundred years old this pilgrimage still retains its famous reputation.

The church was built by the inhabitants of the district, pious workmen coming from as far as Bar and Verdun; and the expression "aller à l'Épine," meaning to work for nothing, still exists. The church was finished in the sixteenth century. Three doorways in the fifteenth century front open on the ground floor, and are surmounted by angular pediments. The central doorway, the largest and most interesting of the three, is dedicated to Christ. A crucifix is to be seen in the centre of the pediment. In the tympanum is represented the Birth of Christ; and scenes from the Passion are carved on the lintel. A sixteenth century Virgin, holding in her arms the Infant Jesus, stands with her back to the pier which supports the tympanum and divides the entrance into two parts. The curve of the arch and the side doors of the porch were ornamented with sculptures, of which many now are missing or mutilated. A beautiful rose-window and two large windows light the front below the towers.

The spires of unequal height are of stone, and are formed of eight branches united in a crown in their middle: that on the right is a royal crown with the lilies; that on the left is an imperial one, bearing eight eagles. In 1798 Claude Chappe, the inventor of aerial telegraphy, installed an apparatus on the left spire. This was destroyed, but was restored again in the nineteenth century.

Walk round the exterior of the church in order to examine the succession of gargoyles projecting from the buttresses. They have been carved in a keen, satirical spirit.

The south doorway is flanked by two turrets, each containing a stairway. All the statues which ornamented the curve of the arch, the jambs and the pier are missing. On the much-damaged lintel is a representation of the life of Saint John the Baptist. The doorway is dominated by a beautiful window. The chapels round the apse were added in the sixteenth century.

The interior of Notre-Dame de l'Épine, which has been completely restored, is very interesting. The most striking parts are the transept and the choir. In the north arm of the transept, visible in the photo opposite, the Renaissance woodwork of the organ is noteworthy. In the sculptured figures with which it is decorated, Greek divinities, Jupiter, Venus, Apollo, etc., are side by side with the apostles.

A well, with fine wrought-iron fittings, seen in the photograph, dates from the origin of the edifice. It is the Virgin's Well, from which pilgrims drink and carry away the water.

The curious rood-loft at the entrance to the choir shelters the miraculous statue. One obtains access from the choir to the rood-loft by two spiral stairways. It was from the upper gallery that in former times the epistle and gospel for the day were read. The name of "Jubé" is derived from the formula by which the reader previously besought the blessing of heaven: "_Jubé, Domine, benedicere_."

The Virgin is in a modern gilded shrine, which may be seen under the first arch in the photograph at the foot of p. 211. The statue has been restored in modern times. The choir is surrounded by a stone cloister whose style varies from Gothic to Renaissance.

On the left side of this cloister is a beautiful Gothic edifice which contained sacred relics. It may be seen in the photograph below.

Five chapels adorn the apse. The first on the right, shut off by a stone balustrade, is used as a sacristy; the next one contains a sixteenth century stone carving representing the Entombment.

_After visiting Notre-Dame de l'Épine, return to Châlons by_ N. 3, _the road along which we came_.

_If it is desired to begin at once the tour of which indications are given on p. 19, turn to the right at Saint-Jean Square, taking the Rue du Général-Compère. Follow the tram-lines which cross the Place des Ursulines, and take Rue Pasteur on the left. Cross the canal, and by the Rue d'Orfeuil reach the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville. Turn to the left, then following the Rue de Marne, leave the town by the Faubourg de Marne._

VISIT TO THE FIELD OF OPERATIONS

OF THE

FOURTH FRENCH ARMY

I--FROM CHÂLONS TO VITRY-LE-FRANÇOIS

(62 km.)

via +Vatry+, +Bussy-Lettrée+, +Dommartin-Lettrée+, +Soudé+, +Sompuis+, +Humbauville+, Huiron, +Courdemanges+, +Frignicourt+.

(See map inserted between pp. 212-213)

_Leave Châlons by the Faubourg de Marne, taken on arrival there. At the end of the Faubourg, turn to the left into the Avenue de Paris, then to the right into_ N. 77 _in the direction of =Vatry= (18 km.). In this village, leave the "route nationale" in order to take, on the left_, G. C. 12 _going towards =Bussy-Lettrée=, reached after having crossed a level-crossing. Enter the village as far as the middle; there, turn to the right, then to the left, leaving the church on the left (20½ km.). The road next leads to =Dommartin-Lettrée= (26 km.)_ and passes before the quaint church reproduced above. Its two doorways are interesting; the western one which faces the road is reproduced on p. 215; the southern one may be remarked under the porch in the general view of the church.

_Continue straight on, arrive at =Soudé=, pass through it, turning to the right in the Square, and come out into_ N. 34 _(30 km.). Turn to the left in it, then leave it almost immediately to take, on the right_, G. C. 12, _which continues as far as =Sompuis= (38 km.), after passing under the railway embankment._ We are entering the field of operations of the extreme left of Langle de Cary's Army. Several graves have been made in the embankment; one of them, visible in the photo on p. 214, marks the place where, on September 10, the same shell killed General Barbade and Colonel Hamon, who were commanding the two Brigades of the 23rd Division, as well as their aides-de-camp. The body of General Barbade is buried in the cemetery.

On the right of the road, closing in the horizon, are the wooded heights on which the Germans had organised strong positions. They were taken from the Saxons on September 9-10 by the 21st Corps.

_Cross straight through =Sompuis=, passing before the church, which is surrounded by a graveyard (see p. 214)._

On the evening of September 6 the Germans entered the village unopposed, a fact which did not prevent them from setting fire to several houses, or from taking a number of hostages under various pretexts. One of them, M. Arnould, was taken because he had set up on the roof of his house a chimney-pot to replace one destroyed during the bombardment. Some soldiers passing at this very moment saw in this humble domestic task an attempt to signal to the French troops.

Abbé Oudin, Rector of Sompuis, aged 73 years, and his servant, aged 67 years, were also arrested, the installation of electric bells in the rectory causing suspicion. They were shut up in their cellar, where several other hostages were soon sent to join them. Here they were left without any food until the afternoon of September 8. The abbé had been taken out for a short period in the morning in order to assist at the celebration of Mass in his church, where Abbé Prince Max of Saxe officiated.

The hostages were led away towards Châlons. "_It was evident_," said one of them in his statement before the Commission of Enquiry, "_that on account of his age and feebleness, Abbé Oudin could not walk far. We were obliged to carry him, so to speak. Near Coole (7 km. to the north of Sompuis) our escort made us halt, and two soldiers who had seen a butcher's cart standing abandoned in a field, dragged it on the road, and said: 'Get in, Curé.' The poor man was so feeble that he was unable to do so. The Germans tipped up the cart, and as the back did not open, they made the old priest sit on the edge, then raised the shafts so quickly that he fell on his back into the bottom of the cart, his feet in the air. The old servant got up beside him, and the Germans made signs to us to put ourselves between the shafts and to drag the cart. As we set out, they all threw their haversacks on the top of the Abbé and his servant, as they would have thrown them on to a bundle of hay._"

The hostages thus traversed Châlons and arrived at Suippes, where, in the rain, they spent the night out of doors, in the playground of the school. "_At Vouziers, during the whole of Sunday, the 13th_," declared a witness, "_Abbé Oudin was unceasingly ill-treated by the German officers, as well as by the soldiers, but principally by the officers. The latter came in large numbers, and each of them, in passing, spat in the Abbé's face or struck him with their riding whips. I saw officers and soldiers kick the poor man with their spurs. He was so weak that he no longer stirred, in spite of all that he must have been suffering. I saw soldiers, too, strike him with the butt-end of their rifles; but I insist that the officers were worse than the men. These atrocities only ended in the evening. Abbé Oudin passed the night lying on the ground like us; we hardly heard him once complain._"

The Abbé's old servant did not escape ill-treatment either. On the Sedan Road, in Tannay Church, four soldiers seized her, threw her into a blanket of which they held the four corners, and tossed her on to the altar steps; then, laying hold of her again, they threw her into the midst of the seats, not troubling about the piercing cries which her many bruises drew from her. Sedan was Abbé Oudin's last stage; there death put an end to his sufferings. His servant, after careful nursing in the hospice, recovered, but another victim, a hostage named Mougeot, aged 72, succumbed to the results of German brutality. He was brought in a hand-cart to Pafert barracks, with four ribs broken by kicks, and thrown on to a bundle of straw, where he soon expired.

While these events were in progress the battle of the Marne had been won. Sompuis was retaken amidst fierce fighting at 5 p.m. on the 10th by the 21st Corps, which freed another victim in the village itself: an old man of 70, named Jacquemin. He had been tied to his bed by a German officer and left there without food for three days. "_Each time that he asked for food or water_," declared his daughter-in-law, "_he was struck_." A shell fell on the house and killed the tormentor on the spot. The corpse of the officer was found in the house of his victim, who died two or three days after his deliverance as the result of the ill-treatment he had received.

_On leaving Sompuis, continue straight along_ G. C. 12 _to =Humbauville=._

On September 8 the heights seen on the right were gallantly defended against Saxon attacks by a detachment of Bretons.

On the 9th the latter were thrown back in disorder by the 13th Division, which had been sent as a reinforcement.

_At the entrance to Humbauville (42 km.) turn to the right, then, at the church, take on the left_ G. C. 14 _in the direction of =Huiron=._ We are now on the battlefield of the 17th Corps. G. C. 14 formed the French position at the beginning of the battle; on the 6th the road was left behind, and the Germans driven back northwards as far as the railway line going from Sompuis to Huiron. But on the 8th the 17th Corps was repulsed in its turn, and G. C. 14 became the German line. The French troops clung to the heights to the south of the road and particularly to Certine Farm, where General Dupuis was killed. The fighting was of a desperate character. The Germans, in their fury, revenged themselves on the wounded; eight badly hurt soldiers of the 88th Infantry Regiment, whom Sub-Lieutenant Baudens had been obliged to leave behind, were afterwards found with hands tied behind their backs, their bodies riddled with bullets and bayonet wounds.

On the 9th and 10th the 17th Corps counter-attacked vigorously and, with the aid of the Goullet Division which had been attached to it, succeeded on the night of the 10-11th in re-crossing the railway line.

We reach =Huiron= (53 km.) which was completely destroyed by the fire kindled by the Germans on September 7, after having taken the village from the 12th Corps. The interesting twelfth century church, and the ruins of the abbey buildings backing up to it, have been ravaged by the flames. The pillars of the nave have crumbled away, and in the photograph opposite fragments of broken columns may be seen scattered about. Huiron was only retaken on the night of the 10-11th.

_400 yards from the church turn to the right into_ G. C. 2; _then after about 700 yards, turn to the left in order to enter the village of =Courdemanges=._ This has suffered much from fire and bombardment. On the right of the street stood the castle, which has been completely destroyed.

Courdemanges, which was occupied on the 6th by the 12th Corps, was attacked with great violence. It was abandoned at 5 p.m., and retaken during the night. Continuously shelled by the Germans on the 7th and 8th, it fell on the latter day into their hands. The 12th Corps counter-attacked energetically, but succeeded only on the 11th in re-entering the village.

_After going as far as the church, return again by the same road to_ G. C. 2 _and cross it in order to go straight towards Frignicourt_. On the right is Mont-Moret which played an important part in the fighting in this region. The batteries of the 12th Corps were installed there on September 6. After heavy shelling and infantry attacks, Mont-Moret fell on the morning of the 8th, but units of the 12th Corps, aided by the Colonial Corps, counter-attacked with determination, and in the evening obtained possession of the ridge, capturing a few machine-guns. They remained there in spite of fierce assaults, which caused heavy losses to the Germans and gave no result.

_The road crosses the railway_ in a low-lying plain often flooded by the Marne, as seen in the photograph on p. 216; Mont-Moret can be distinguished in the background.

100 yards before arriving at Frignicourt, on the right and on the left of G. C. 14, are the graves depicted in the photos on this page. The soldiers who lie buried there are those who gallantly defended the passage of the Marne on September 6. The French troops, overwhelmed by the fire of the German artillery at Vitry, were obliged to fall back on Courdemanges and Mont-Moret. The Germans in their turn were violently shelled by the French guns, but succeeded in holding out in Frignicourt until the 11th.

_After crossing the Marne, enter =Frignicourt= (60 km.)_, whose ruins are being gradually reconstructed. _Turn to the left to reach Vitry-le-François_ (plan p. 218). _Passing through the toll-gate, take the Rue du Passage-Supérieur on the left, then, after crossing the railway, turn again to the left into the Avenue du Colonel-Moll. Cross the Boulevard François I, and take the Petite-Rue de Frignicourt on the left, which leads into the Rue de Frignicourt. Along this main road turn to the right to reach the hotel (62 km.)._

VITRY-LE-FRANÇOIS

ORIGIN AND CHIEF HISTORICAL FACTS

Vitry-le-François dates from the sixteenth century. The town was built in 1545 by order of Francis I. in order to replace Vitry-en-Perthois, burned the year before by Charles V. The ruins of old Vitry were utilised for the construction of the new, which was named after its founder. This complete rebuilding explains the remarkable regularity of the town, plans of which were drawn up by an Italian architect, Marino. Vitry was fortified, but its ramparts were condemned and demolished in the nineteenth century.

VITRY-LE-FRANÇOIS IN 1914

At the beginning of the war, Vitry was the seat of the French General Headquarters Staff. On September 5, almost the whole of the population evacuated the town, together with the civil authorities. Out of a population of 8,500, barely 500 to 600 persons remained. In the morning a rearguard action commenced to the north and east of Vitry. About 5 p.m., German shells began to fall in the suburbs, and in the evening Uhlans entered the town by the Châlons Road. In default of the mayor, the curé, M. Nottin, and his curate were at once arrested as hostages, and M. Nottin was directed to find two more. Two patriotic citizens, M. Paillard and M. Bernat, offered themselves for this onerous duty. Together with M. Foureur, the schoolmaster, they took upon their shoulders the charge of maintaining order, ensuring requisitions, the victualling of the inhabitants, and the treatment of the wounded. MM. Nottin, Paillard and Foureur, were amongst the first civilians to be mentioned in dispatches.

Up to September 10 the battle raged round Vitry. The allied and enemy shells crossed one another over the town: the German batteries established on the heights to the north replying to the French guns on Mont-Moret. The wounded came crowding in. On the third day, they numbered 2,500, of whom 200 were French. The hospital being full the church was then transformed into one, as well as all the teaching establishments and the savings bank.

On the evening of the 10th the evacuation by the Germans began. It took place in an orderly manner. The next evening the French re-entered the town.

Apart from the gas works, which suffered from the shelling, and a few burnt houses, the events of September have left few traces at Vitry. A few houses and shops were pillaged, but, thanks to the influence and activity of Abbé Nottin and his companions, the town was spared the horrors which the surrounding villages experienced.

VISIT TO THE TOWN

(See map p. 218)

_Leaving the hotel, follow the Rue de Frignicourt to the Place d'Armes_ in which is the Church of Notre-Dame, shown above. The first stone of this edifice was laid in 1629. The king gave 300,000 livres (about £12,000) towards the cost of construction, and numerous families in the neighbourhood subscribed also. They bought, by means of a heavy burial duty, the right to be buried in the church itself. The subsoil of Notre-Dame became on this account a veritable ossuary.

When the high altar was moved about twenty skulls were unearthed. In 1850, when the present paving was laid, thirty-two mortuary stones were removed from the nave. The chapels were built by rich parishioners, who placed their tombs there and dedicated the altar to the patron saint of their family. The apse was constructed in 1835, and the work of building finished in 1895.

Notre-Dame recalls Saint-Sulpice in Paris, and its interior is worth visiting. The first chapel on the left has a fine eighteenth century railing. In the last chapel, off the nave on the left, the reredos above the altar should be noted. A bas-relief depicts Saint-Jerome kneeling beside a lion.

In the south branch of the transept is a fine mortuary stone in black marble, showing a knight standing with hands joined, his foot on a greyhound.

The four pillars at the intersection of the choir and of the transept are decorated with sculpture.

_After having visited the church, take on the opposite side of the Square the Rue du Pont leading to the monumental gateway_ reproduced above, which dates from the seventeenth century and formed part of the old enclosure. _Turn to the right along the side of the Marne by the Quai des Fontaines as far as the mills. Turn to the right again, take a few steps from the Place des Moulins alongside the river in order to obtain the picturesque view of the old ramparts shown in the photo below. Take the Rue des Moulins, which is continued by the Rue d'Enfer, and at the barracks turn to the right into the Rue des Minimes, then into the Rue des Sœurs. In the middle of the latter turn to the left, in order to glance at the old wooden market-buildings. Pass round them to the left and regain the Place d'Armes by the street opening on to the market on the opposite side to that by which we entered. Cross the "Place," and take the Rue Domine de Verzet which skirts Notre-Dame on the left. Opposite the town-hall_ (the old monastery of the Récollets, which dates from the end of the seventeenth century and contains the Library and Museum), _turn to the right, into the Petite Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville, then to the left into Boulevard Carnot. Leave this in the middle of the Place Carnot in order to take the Faubourg de Saint-Dizier on the left._

VISIT TO THE FIELD OF OPERATIONS

OF THE

FOURTH AND THIRD FRENCH ARMIES

=II.--FROM VITRY-LE-FRANÇOIS TO BAR-LE-DUC= (82 km.)

Via +Vauclerc+, +Écriennes+, +Favresse+, +Étrepy+,
+Heiltz-le-Maurupt+, +Pargny+, +Maurupt+, +Cheminon+,
+Trois-Fontaines+, +Sermaize+, +Vassincourt+.

(See map inserted between pp. 212-213)

_After leaving Vitry by N. 4, crossing the Marne and a level-crossing_, =Marolles= (3 km.) is reached. In this village an old man of 70 years, M. Mathieu Coche, was seized by German cavalrymen and led away tied to a horse, with which he was obliged to keep pace. On arriving in the neighbourhood of Vitry-en-Perthois (_nearly 30 km. to the north of Marolles_) the poor old fellow's strength gave out, he fell and was dragged along by the horse until death ensued. His body was then left behind, and could not be buried until after the German retreat.

_N. 4 next passes through =Vauclerc= (6 km.)._ On the left of the road a great number of new roofs are to be seen, although many of the houses are still in the same state as that in which the shelling and the fire left them. During the whole of the battle this village was the objective of the Lejaille Brigade. It was only retaken, by the Colonial Corps, on September 11.

_About 1,300 yards beyond Vauclerc, where graves border the road on either side, is, on the right, a road leading to Écriennes. Before taking it, follow N. 4 for 400 yards further_, in order to see a burying-place of the Colonials, shown in the photo below. The view gives an idea of the immense plain, where furious encounters took place between this crack corps and the troops of the Duke of Wurtemberg.

In that part of the plain which lies to the right of the road, beyond Écriennes, near Matignicourt, there took place in 1891 the famous review of troops by President Carnot. It was the first important military demonstration since the war of 1870. It signalised the resurrection of the national spirit, and because of this fact it produced a very deep impression both in France and in foreign countries. Monuments to the memory of President Carnot have been raised on the field of the review, at Vitry; in the Carnot Square; and at Châlons in the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville.

_Taking the road leading to_ =Écriennes= (10 km.) we arrive at this village, which has been completely devastated, as may be seen in the photos on this page. The church, the upper part of which is of timber-work, was blown in by shells.

Écriennes was hotly disputed from September 6 to 11. It was taken on the 6th by the Germans, in spite of an heroic defence by the 21st Colonials; then retaken only to be lost again by the French on the 8th, and retaken finally on the 11th.

_After passing in front of the church, turn to the left in order to rejoin N. 4, along which turn to the right in the direction of Farémont._ The road is bordered on both sides by graves, for the fighting here was very violent. On the road and to the south of it the Colonial Infantry fought doggedly, sometimes gaining, sometimes losing ground. To the north of N. 4 the Lejaille Brigade tried to push towards Vauclerc.

* * * * *

We enter =Farémont= (12½ km.), some of the houses of which have been burned. _On emerging, leave N. 4 and turn to the left in order to reach_ =Thiéblemont= (13½ km.). This village was also completely devastated by shells and fire, but the church is still standing. _This side of the church, turn to the left into G. C. 60 leading to Favresse._ Graves may be seen along this road. On September 6, that portion of the Colonial Corps which held Favresse followed G. C. 60 in the opposite direction, falling back on Farémont, while the Lejaille Brigade came to take their place at Favresse.

* * * * *

=Favresse= (16½ km) was gallantly defended on the 7th; taken and retaken several times on the 8th, and finally remained in the possession of the Lejaille Brigade, whose chief was wounded by a shell-splinter during the afternoon.

* * * * *

The village, which was violently shelled, suffered heavily, but has been partly rebuilt. The beautiful little church, of which the photos on this page give a general view, as well as a detailed one of the Romanesque doorway, bears traces of numerous shells. As at Écriennes, and in many little country churches in this region, the upper part of the walls of the nave is of timber work.

_Turn to the right alongside the church and leaving it on the left, take G. C. 16 to Haussignémont and Blesmes._

On this ground on September 8 the Eighth German (reserve) Corps tried to break through between Favresse and Blesmes. At one time this effort seemed about to be successful, but, reinforcements having been opportunely sent to Haussignémont, the Lejaille Brigade was able to hold the position.

_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.