Septanbor 19, 1914 
LAND AND WATER 
corps are ouly of value in such an understanding if 
they enable u« to keep a continuous picturc in mind. 
The main ])oint to seize is that the second of the 
great German masses liolding the line against the 
Allies Ix'tween I'aris and the Toul — Verdun line was 
RHEIMS 
ri.AIC SROWINO THU GKKMAN MXF OF RFTKKAT TO rEKPARrD 
POSITION' NOKTH Of RHKIKS. 
oprating u}X)n what is called the Plateau of Sezjinne, 
and lay next upon the left of and to the east of von 
Kluck's army. This second of the great (Jennau 
masses stood firm in front of the high ixjad that leads 
from Jja Ferc Champenoise, through Sezanne to 
Esteniay. It extended beyond that high i-oad at the 
moment of the furthest German advance towards the 
south. 
Tlie Gernuin forces \ij)on and Ixnond this i-oad 
had behind them an interesting and difficult ])iece of 
country, called the Manhen of Saul Gonil, which are 
the sources of the river called the Petit Morin. These 
marshes are in process of reclamation, but thev are 
not yet entii"ely reclaimed ; and, even in a dry summer 
like this, they present .some slight obstacle to an anny 
that should be lieavily pressed or in too desj)erate 
a retreat. They are formed by the presence in a 
calcareous soil of a clay basin which holds the water, 
and by the fashion in which the heights around leave 
a great Hat, in which the waters can gather, Init wliich 
is pinched at its western issue, where the river runs 
out near St. Prix between two opposing hills. 
Through these marshes of St. Gond the Petit 
IMorin nnis in the shape of a canalised drain or ditch, 
into whi<-li tlie other ditches of the reclamation scheme 
fall. 
These marshes are about ten miles long : at their 
narrowest less than a mile, at their broadest over two 
miles broad. They are crossed by no less than four 
eoiintry roa<ls, branching, two fi'om Broussy, two fi-om 
Hiinnes ; and al)ove and l)el()w these country roads go 
the great high roads northwards on either side of the 
marsh— one through St. Prix to Ei)ei-na3% ujwn the 
iMaiTie, and the other through Morains to Mareuil 
upon tlie Marne. At E}X'rnay and at Mareuil are 
hridgos, and tlie second road — that to Mareuil — runs 
svery where just upon and below that escarpment 
whereby the plateau of Sezamie falls on to the plain 
of Champagne. 
I have said that in a hurried retreat very heavily 
pres.sed Ijy tlio enemy these marshes of St. Gond 
niight- ])rove an awkward obstacle, even in a dry 
summer, and even though they are ei-ossed by five 
roads ; lor a lai'ge force would be strictly confined to 
those roads and would I>e upon defiles, that is, confined 
to long aTid narrow columns, while it was crossing the 
marshes. But it is evident that there was no such 
heavy jn-essure upon this retreat of the German second 
group. All the energy to be spent in those days by 
the Allies Mas being exorcised upon the army of von 
Ivluck immediately to the west. WivAi happened was 
that when the anny of von Kluck was driven out of 
Moutmirail and all the points to the west thereof, 
this second German mass, lying upon the plateau and 
along the high road through Seziinne and Estcrnay 
had to fall back because its western or i-ight flank was 
isolated. It probably fell biick in the night between 
the 9th arid 10th September. It continued itsreti-eat 
(followed by the 4th French Army) over the ]\[arne 
at Epernay and the neighbourhood, marching l)y the 
two great roads to the east and to the west of the 
marsh, and probabU' somewhat relieved the j^rcssure 
on its columns by using the i-oatb? across the marsh 
as ^vell. It made for Rheims and, in common with 
all the other German forces, took up by the Sunday 
night (September 13th) that main defensive line 
north of Rheims which I shall describe when I 
summarize all these movements. 
It is possible that this re';reat, which the French 
closely followed, was the scene of that capture of guns 
a, 
/:^^<'^ 
VITRV 
'^none 
SKFrCH SHOV.IXG TIIK DEFENSIVE I'OSITIOX ON WHICH THl 
UKKMANS KETIBKll. 
of which we have had brief notice by telegram, but it 
is more likely that this capture took place im^re to the 
east, in the retreat of the thuxl German mass which I 
shall next descinbe. 
While I am upon this jx)int it is worth explain- 
ing that the capture of co/fs artiUerif does not mean 
tlie capture of the arlillen/ of a corps. The Press 
Bureau made a highly exaggerated estimate when they 
tiilked of IGO guns; thu-ty-six will turn out to ha 
nearer the mark. The corps artillery consists only of 
tho.se guns which are at the disposal of the corps as a 
whole and not attached to divisions. It is but a 
fraction, ^•arying according to organisation, of the 
whole artillery attached to a corps d'armee. 
THE GERMAN RETREAT ACROSS 
CHAMPAGNE FROM THE LINE 
LA FERE CHAMPENOISE— VITRY 
— REVIGNY. 
Most important, and most lasting in its effects, 
of all the various co-oixlinated German retirements 
last week was the retirement of the third great mass 
of troojjs, which had pushed furthest to the south and 
which, having come i-ight across the great plain of 
Champagne, was holdingSommesous,Vitry-lc-Fraiicois, 
the railway line and the high road between them, and 
6* 
