Aisne

Here the Italians had a chance to advance over a front of plain bounded by a river with hills beyond.

They cleared the plain, they crossed the river, they fought a battle very like our own battle of the Aisne upon the slopes of the hills, taking twenty thousand Austrian prisoners, and now they are faced by barbed wire, machine guns, cemented trenches, and every other device which has held them as it has held everyone else.

But remember what they have done for the common cause, and be grateful for it.

They have in a year occupied some forty Austrian divisions and relieved our Russian allies to that very appreciable extent.

Ludendorff clearly admits this in his book, The defeat of our arms on August 8th in the Franco-British offensive near Albert and north of Montdidier finally resulted in our losing hope for a military victory, he writes.

Conferences were held with Chancellor von Herting, Admiral von Hinz, the Foreign Minister, and Field Marshal von Hindenburg on August 14, 15, and 16. and there was also a meeting of the crown council at which i clearly stated that the war could not be won militarily the kick-off of august eighth at amiens was the first general offensive attempted by the british armies in nineteen eighteen and the events leading up to it must be briefly rehearsed in order to get a true strategic picture this can best be done in the words of field marshal haig as contained in his famous victory dispatch of december twenty one nineteen eighteen after describing the weakened condition of the forces at his command following the enemy offensive he says the german attacks though they had failed to break the allied line had stretched the resources of the allies to the utmost while before amiens and hayesbrook they had brought the enemy within a short distance of strategic points of great importance in these circumstances the possibility of an immediate renewal of the enemy's offensive could not but be viewed with grave anxiety at the commencement of the period under review in early may the allied high command repeatedly expressed the opinion that the enemy would renew his attacks on a large scale on the front arras amiens mondidier the strategic results to be obtained by the capture of amiens the separation of the french and the british armies and an advance toward the sea along the valley of the somme were very great and might have well proved decisive the enemy's opening offensive in march and april had already brought him within a measurable distance of success in this direction and had carried his armies through practically the whole of our organized lines of defense in short the enemy still possessed a sufficient superiority of force to retain the initiative and it was known he would be compelled to act within a comparatively limited time if he were to turn his superiority to account before it passed from him these were the two main factors which had to be taken into consideration when deciding the policy of the british armies during the late spring and early summer the common object of the french and ourselves was to tide over the period which must elapse until the growth of the american armies and the arrival of allied reinforcements placed the opposing forces once more on a footing of equality the situation was an anxious one but as it turned out the enemy was in no condition to push a new offensive and when it did come at last he elected for a direct thrust at paris from the aisne front launched at the end of may this great offensive swept steadily on until despite the desperate resistance of the french reinforced by british and american troops the marnier was reached And it culminated on July 15 with the opening east and southwest of Reims of what was to prove the last enemy blow on the grand scale.

On July 18, Falk struck his shattering counter-stroke.

Meanwhile, the British armies on the west front had been engaged in what Field Marshal Haig describes as a period of active defense.

These officers, not belonging to the same unit, had a great deal to tell each other and us, so much that the luncheon lasted nearly two hours.

Some of them had been in the retreat, in the battles of the Marne and of the Aisne, and in the subsequent trench fighting.

None had got a stretch.

of an unsurpassed urbanity and austerity themselves, forming part of the finest civilization which this world has yet seen.

I donned dry clothing and after a very excellent dinner, I journeyed to the buffet for coffee.

There were few persons there, but among these I recognized an old friend, Major Paul Falaise, commander of my battalion on the Aisne.

He appeared greatly surprised but overjoyed to see me.

The major had remained in the army, and for the past two years had been stationed in Fort Vaux.

W. had known the late proprietor, the Vicomte de Corval, very well.

They had been colleagues of the Conseil General of the Aisne, were both very fond of the country and country life, and used to have long talks in the evening, when the work of the day was over, about plantation, cutting down trees, preservation of game, etc.

Without these talks, I think W. would have found the evenings at the primitive little Hotel de la Hure at Laon rather tedious.

The chateau is not very old, and has no historic interest.

About halfway down the avenue, we heard a few cries of, Vive la Russie, and then came a burst of cheers.

Our dinner was rather pleasant that evening.

We had the préfet, M. Subline, senator of the Aisne, Durasson, present ambassador to Washington, Madame Thénard of the Comédie-Française, and several young people.

Durasson is always a brilliant talker, so easy, no pose of any kind, and Subline was interesting, telling about all sorts of old customs in the country.

For the ones who get it done.

SECTION 9 OF THE GREEN FLAG AND OTHER STORIES OF WAR AND SPORT The Green Flag and Other Stories of War and Sport by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Lord of Chateau Noir It was in the days when the German armies had broken their way across France, and when the shattered forces of the Young Republic had been swept away to the north of the Aisne and to the south of the Loire.

Three broad streams of armed men had rolled slowly but irresistibly from the Rhine, now meandering to the north, now to the south, dividing, coalescing, but all uniting to form one great lake round Paris.

And from this lake there welled out smaller streams, one to the north, one southward to Orléans, and a third westward to Normandy.

Preface CHAPTER I. L'ANX

AND THE MARQUETTES eighty seven miles by rail north-east of paris a long rugged hill some three hundred feet high stands alone in the midst of a wide rich plain upon which gardens vineyards orchards groups of forest trees and small white villages pleasantly alternate perched upon this rocky eminence is the ancient fortified city of laon now capital of the department of the aisne girt about by massive grey walls today can be seen in laon the remains of buildings erected nearly fifteen centuries ago which if gifted with speech might testify as eye-witnesses to some of the most stirring scenes in the troubled history of france the commanding position of the rock of laon early caused it to be selected as a place of defence the romans found here a considerable settlement of skin-dressed shepherds gathered as in a tower of refuge from the raids of robber bands who terrorized the plain the christian faith had been brought to laon in the third century and in the year five fifteen so the apostle to the franks built here a rude cathedral the french kings of the first and second dynasties made of this hill crest a stronghold under louis v it was the last possession of the carlovingian or second dynasty the foundations of his great castle can still be seen the rock having at last become a centre of power for oppressors instead of a refuge for the oppressed the commoners of laon became turbulent through several centuries they waged a rough struggle with their masters and were one of the first communities in northern france to throw off the fetters of feudalism lans has been associated in some manner directly or indirectly with nearly all of the epoch-making incidents in the history of france long situated upon the frontier it served as a rampart against eastern enemies and many a conflict occurred within its walls when warring kings nobles and townsmen contended for its possession many times has long been besieged although seldom captured john the fearless duke of burgundy stormed it successfully in fourteen eleven eight years later the english triumphantly entered within its gates but ten years afterward they were driven out in fifteen ninety four it was taken by siege under henry the fourth beneath its walls in eighteen fourteen bonaparte met a crushing defeat at the hands of blucher and in eighteen seventy it capitulated to the germans early in the twelfth century during times of great popular commotion the church of rome strengthened its power here by building a fine new gothic cathedral which still stands as one of the most imposing historical monuments in france another interesting edifice is the collegiate church of st martin built in the thirteenth century but the once celebrated abbeys of st martin and st vincent long famed throughout europe as seats of scholarship have passed away there are in laon also the ruins of a remarkable leaning tower of unknown age like those of bologna and pisa the old wall flanked with small towers and pierced by a gothic gate alone remains of the former defences which had so often withstood the raging tide of mediaeval warfare although most frequently mentioned in history as a fortress the langue of the middle ages was perhaps best known to men of that day as a centre of learning and piety from the time of saint-ramy to the outbreak of the french revolution eighty-seven bishops had ruled over the diocese four of them were after their deaths canonized as saints gennabaud latreau canoald and three popes came from laon the most famous of them urban the fourth had as a boy been a chorister in the cathedral and when the citizens of laon who had helped to educate him sent to urban an address of congratulation upon his accession to the headship of the church he said of the congregation of his old town it has cherished me as a mother has fed me as a nurse has protected me as a teacher has enriched me as a benefactor laon's school was for centuries one of the most famous in europe its greatest master was anselm who in the middle of the twelfth century attracted to his lecture-room so many scholars that they exceeded in numbers the inhabitants of the little city itself among these scholars were some of the best-known men in europe such as abelard and william of champeau Prominent among the citizens of this celebrated old hill town of Lens, with its splendid heritage of good, brave and learned men, were the family of the Marquettes.

Not themselves titled, they nevertheless were throughout many generations allied to the nobility by marriage, and were among the townsmen who persistently ranged themselves under the banners of the kings.

several of them attained high station in the service of their masters vermont marquette a follower of the blundering louis le jeune eleven thirty seven to eighty is the first who is mentioned in the history of the town his son jacques followed john of france into captivity thirteen fifty six and four years later was largely instrumental in raising money to ransom the king from the english he was rewarded by being made sheriff of laon then a position of much dignity and power three centuries later sixteen ninety eight royal recognition of this act resulted in the marquettes being permitted to place upon their coat of arms the three martelets carried upon the insignia of the city itself so persistent had been the traditions of the family in the support of royalty that when the city of laon became a member of the roman catholic league against henry the fourth fifteen eighty nine to sixteen ten nicolas marquette the father of the subject of our biography and then a civic magistrate of eminence stood as the friend of the king and was consequently banished from his native town in due time when henry's cause proved triumphant nicolas was richly rewarded for his loyalty nearly two hundred years after this event three members of the marquette family serving in the french army which supported the american revolution lost their lives upon our soil in behalf of the liberty of the citizen as against the arrogance of the crown a fourth marquette plumezon after having served under washington returned to laon and died there in eighteen eleven another marquette was a member of the upper house of the parliament of paris at the outbreak of the french revolution descendants of these men still live in the old town the marquettes of laon were distinguished not only in political and judicial life besides the great missionary whose romantic career we are to trace upon these pages at least two of its members have won permanent places in the history of the roman church a forefather of his mother rose de la salle of rheims who died before seventeen eleven was the noted jean baptiste de la salle founder of the order of brothers of the christian schools who before modern systems of popular education were devised freely instructed thousands of the poor boys of france in sixteen eighty five eleven years after the death of our hero his sister franois founded a similar order called marquette sisters for the free education of girls this order to which franois sacrificed all of her fortune was widely successful throughout northern france