LAND AND WATEE 
September 19, 1914 
I'OSITIOX Of vox KI,UCK S ABSIT ON SU.NDVT XlCIIIf, 
SKPTKSIBKR GtH. 
foiig-lit tlioii- way tliroiii^li aiul Ijoyond the Forest of 
Creey and tlirougli Couloiiiniier.s; The oth rrencli 
Army beyond them to the east attacked La Fertc 
(xaiK'her and Esternay and this southern part of the 
Allied line crossed the Grand Morin Ifiver and 
approaclied the next defensible line held by tbe 
Gennans, the Petit !Moriii. 
On Tuesday, the ath, the British contingent and 
the jth Freneb Army continued to advance and pushed 
the German line right over tbe Petit Morin on to the 
JMarne, after capturing Montmirail. 
On tbe Wednesday, the 9th, these two bodies, 
tbe British contingent and the French 5tb Army, 
continued to pusb the Germans back. Tbe Britisb 
crossed the Mame, mainly in tbe neigbboxu-bood of 
La Fertc-s.-Jouarre, in .spite of very sharp resistance 
at that jjoint, while tbe Freneb 5tb Army, wbich, by 
the nature of tbe local topography bad to swing 
fni-tber round and cover uiore distance to reacb tbe 
Mame, put in a day and a half of forced marching, 
and arrived upon that liver upon the Thursday, the 
10th, betweeii Chateau Tbien-y and Dormans. 
On Tbur.sday, the 10th, therefore, so far as the 
.southcra forces were concerned, they bad pushed tbe 
Gennans everywbere right back to and over the Mame, 
their sweep pivoting, as it were, upon tbe neighbour- 
hood of Meaux. 
But meamvhile, dui-ing those same three days, 
tbe German rearguard stretched along tbe plateau to 
tbe west of tbe Ourctj was putting up a very fine 
defence against tbe increashg pressure it had to meet, 
an increamii/ pressure because wbat bad been tbe (Jtb 
Freneb Army Avas now very largely reinforced, and 
with every hour more and more reinforced from the 
reserve behind and in l^iris, tbe presence of wbicb has 
tnrned the campaign. 
The Freneb lost very heavily during this 
ligbting, especially round Begy and Penchard. It 
was mainly an artillery action. They finally 
succeeded in forcing tbe line of tbe Ourcq (wbicb is 
here a deep ravine between two plateaux upon either 
.side), and when tbat was done, tbe position of tbe 
Crerman first Army being tbat suggested in the 
following map, it had no choice but to retreat as 
rapidly as it could towards tbe north-east, along the 
aiTows A A A., and .so reacb tbe next defensive 
position about thirty-five miles away along the Aisne. 
This, CJeneral von Kluck's great command, wbicb, 
during the retreat of tbe Allies, bad advanced directly 
upon Paris with such Avonderful organization, 
speed, and success, now did with organization 
and s])eed hardly less worthy of adniiration. 
It is true that, as is alwa^-s the case in a retire- 
ment, null especially in a rapid retirement, much 
mateiiu!, and uianv baiting and wounded men were 
left behind to fall into tbe bands of tbe advancing 
enemj'. But tbe i)roportion of prisoners, guns, and 
material lost was not at all largo compared witb tbe 
very great force concerned. There would seem to 
haA'e been picked up in tbe first two days of tliis 
retirement, Thursday, tbe lOtb, and Friday, tbe Uth, 
somewhat over .'20 guns, many wagons of course, and 
about G,000 stragglers and wounded. 
By Saturday morning, tbe 1 2tb, tbe reti-eat ba<l 
reached tbe line of tbe ^'esle where it falls into the 
Aisne, and so down tbe Aisne to the town of Soissons, 
and tbe advanced cavalry of tbe Allies could observe 
the rapidly retiring enemy from the high, steep ridge 
Avliicb lies just to tbe south of those rivers. 
During Sunday, tbe first check was administered 
to tbe pm-suit by the German forces Avbicb Avas now 
taking uj) its defensive position along and to the 
north of tbe line of tbe Aisne. 
By ^londay tbe German retreat bad thoroughly 
established itself in the new defensive position nortli 
of the Aisne and to tbe east along tbe Suippe. It 
li^^mU^, " 'DORMANT 
xf 
ScclLc of Miles 
SKKTCir SHOWING THE lORCINQ OF THE MARNE AND THK OJJRCCj 
BT THK ALLIES ON SEPTEMBER 9tH TO IOTH, AND THE RKTKEAT 
OF VON KLUCK ON TO THE DEFENSIVE POSITIONS NORTH OF THK 
AISNE AND VESLE. 
was a general concentration of nearly tbe whole 
German Army — not only of Von Kluck's retreat, 
but of the other retreating bodies to tbe east of bim 
wbicb bad come up tbrougb Champagne and joined, 
each in its place, along this defensive line from 
Soissons eastward. On tbat day tbe Germans 
turned on their j^ursuers, and began tbe great 
defensive action wbich is still in doubt at tbe 
moment in wbicb I write tliese lines. Tbe other 
])arts of this general concentration concern my next 
section, the retreat of tbe Germans in tbe centre, 
and their pursuit by tbe French (tbe 4tb and ;h-d 
Freneb Armies) o\er the central Mame and towards 
Pheims. 
THE GERMAN RETREAT FROM 
SEZANNE. 
The story of tbe retreat undertaken by the 
second of the great German masses, that immediately 
to tbe east or left of Yon Kluck's larger army, can be 
told in far less space. It concerns those bodies wbicb 
lay east of Montmirail and west of tbe escarpment 
from wbicb tbe plateau of Sezanne looks doA\m upon 
the great plain of Champagne. 
It would seem tbat the German forces here 
engaged belonged in the main to tbe command of 
von J^nelow. They probably included the Cruard. 
But details of this sort are imimportant in tbe under- 
standing of a movement ; tbe names and numbers of 
4* 
