*The Battle of the Marne.*
17th September, 1914.
My lord: In continuation of my dispatch of Sept. 7, I have the honor to
report the further progress of the operations of the forces under my
command from Aug. 28.
On that evening the retirement of the force was followed closely by two
of the enemy's cavalry columns, moving southeast from St. Quentin.
The retreat in this part of the field was being covered by the Third and
Fifth Cavalry Brigades. South of the Somme Gen. Gough, with the Third
Cavalry Brigade, threw back the Uhlans of the Guard with considerable
loss.
Gen. Chetwode, with the Fifth Cavalry Brigade, encountered the eastern
column near Cerizy, moving south. The brigade attacked and routed the
column, the leading German regiment suffering very severe casualties
and being almost broken up.
The Seventh French Army Corps was now in course of being railed up from
the south to the east of Amiens. On the 29th it nearly completed its
detrainment, and the French Sixth Army got into position on my left, its
right resting on Roye.
The Fifth French Army was behind the line of the Oise, between La Fère
and Guise.
The pursuit of the enemy was very vigorous; some five or six German
corps were on the Somme, facing the Fifth Army on the Oise. At least two
corps were advancing toward my front, and were crossing the Somme east
and west of Ham. Three or four more German corps were [Transcriber:
original 'wree'] opposing the Sixth French Army on my left.
This was the situation at 1 o'clock on the 29th, when I received a visit
from Gen. Joffre at my headquarters.
I strongly represented my position to the French Commander in Chief, who
was most kind, cordial, and sympathetic, as he has always been. He told
me that he had directed the Fifth French Army on the Oise to move
forward and attack the Germans on the Somme, with a view to checking
pursuit. He also told me of the formation of the Sixth French Army on my
left flank, composed of the Seventh Army Corps, four reserve divisions,
and Sordêt's corps of cavalry.
I finally arranged with Gen. Joffre to effect a further short retirement
toward the line Compiègne-Soissons, promising him, however, to do my
utmost to keep always within a day's march of him.
In pursuance of this arrangement the British forces retired to a
position a few miles north of the line Compiègne-Soissons on the 29th.
The right flank of the German Army was now reaching a point which
appeared seriously to endanger my line of communications with Havre. I
had already evacuated Amiens, into which place a German reserve division
was reported to have moved.
[Illustration: Map 4.--Sept. 6 (Sunday), evening. First advance toward
the line of the Grand Morin.]
Orders were given to change the base to St. Nazaire, and establish an
advance base at Le Mans. This operation was well carried out by the
Inspector General of Communications.
In spite of a severe defeat inflicted upon the Guard Tenth and Guard
Reserve Corps of the German Army by the First and Third French Corps on
the right of the Fifth Army, it was not part of Gen. Joffre's plan to
pursue this advantage; and a general retirement to the line of the Marne
was ordered, to which the French forces in the more eastern theatre were
directed to conform.
A new Army (the Ninth) had been formed from three corps in the south by
Gen. Joffre, and moved into the space between the right of the Fifth and
left of the Fourth Armies.
While closely adhering to his strategic conception to draw the enemy on
at all points until a favorable situation was created from which to
assume the offensive, Gen. Joffre found it necessary to modify from day
to day the methods by which he sought to attain this object, owing to
the development of the enemy's plans and changes in the general
situation.
In conformity with the movements of the French forces, my retirement
continued practically from day to day. Although we were not severely
pressed by the enemy, rearguard actions took place continually.
On the 1st September, when retiring from the thickly wooded country to
the south of Compiègne, the First Cavalry Brigade was overtaken by some
German cavalry. They momentarily lost a horse artillery battery, and
several officers and men were killed and wounded. With the help,
however, of some detachments from the Third Corps operating on their
left, they not only recovered their own guns, but succeeded in capturing
twelve of the enemy's.
Similarly, to the eastward, the First Corps, retiring south, also got
into some very difficult forest country, and a somewhat severe rearguard
action ensued at Villers-Cotterets, in which the Fourth Guards Brigade
suffered considerably.
On Sept. 3 the British forces were in position south of the Marne
between Lagny and Signy-Signets. Up to this time I had been requested by
Gen. Joffre to defend the passages of the river as long as possible, and
to blow up the bridges in my front. After I had made the necessary
dispositions, and the destruction of the bridges had been effected, I
was asked by the French Commander in Chief to continue my retirement to
a point some twelve miles in rear of the position I then occupied, with
a view to taking up a second position behind the Seine. This retirement
was duly carried out. In the meantime the enemy had thrown bridges and
crossed the Marne in considerable force, and was threatening the Allies
all along the line of the British forces and the Fifth and Ninth French
Armies. Consequently several small outpost actions took place.
On Saturday, Sept. 5, I met the French Commander in Chief at his
request, and he informed me of his intention to take the offensive
forthwith, as he considered conditions very favorable to success.
Gen. Joffre announced to me his intention of wheeling up the left flank
of the Sixth Army, pivoting on the Marne and directing it to move on the
Ourcq; cross and attack the flank of the First German Army, which was
then moving in a southeasterly direction east of that river.
He requested me to effect a change of front to my right--my left resting
on the Marne and my right on the Fifth Army--to fill the gap between
that army and the Sixth. I was then to advance against the enemy in my
front and join in the general offensive movement.
These combined movements practically commenced on Sunday, Sept. 6, at
sunrise; and on that day it may be said that a great battle opened on a
front extending from Ermenonville, which was just in front of the left
flank of the Sixth French Army, through Lizy on the Marne, Mauperthuis,
which was about the British centre, Courtecon, which was on the left of
the Fifth French Army, to Esternay and Charleville, the left of the
Ninth Army under Gen. Foch, and so along the front of the Ninth, Fourth
and Third French Armies to a point north of the fortress of Verdun.
[Illustration: Map 5.--Sept. 8. Battle of the Marne.
The great advance to the Petit Morin and the Marne, where important
captures were made by the British.]
This battle, in so far as the Sixth French Army, the British Army, the
Fifth French Army, and the Ninth French Army were concerned, may be said
to have concluded on the evening of Sept. 10, by which time the Germans
had been driven back to the line Soissons-Rheims, with a loss of
thousands of prisoners, many guns, and enormous masses of transport.
About Sept. 3 the enemy appears to have changed his plans and to have
determined to stop his advance south direct upon Paris, for on Sept. 4
air reconnoissances showed that his main columns were moving in a
southeasterly direction generally east of a line drawn through Nanteuil
and Lizy on the Ourcq.
On Sept. 5 several of these columns were observed to have crossed the
Marne, while German troops, which were observed moving southeast up the
left flank of the Ourcq on the 4th, were now reported to be halted and
facing that river. Heads of the enemy's columns were seen crossing at
Changis, La Ferte, Nogent, Château Thierry, and Mezy.
Considerable German columns of all arms were seen to be converging on
Montmirail, while before sunset large bivouacs of the enemy were located
in the neighborhood of Coulommiers, south of Rebais, La Ferté-Gaucher,
and Dagny.
I should conceive it to have been about noon on Sept. 6, after the
British forces had changed their front to the right and occupied the
line Jouy-Le Chatel-Faremoutiers-Villeneuve Le Comte, and the advance of
the Sixth French Army north of the Marne toward the Ourcq became
apparent, that the enemy realized the powerful threat that was being
made against the flank of his columns moving southeast, and began the
great retreat which opened the battle above referred to.
On the evening of Sept. 6, therefore, the fronts and positions of the
opposing armies were roughly as follows:
Allies.
_Sixth French Army_.--Right on the Marne at Meux, left toward Betz.
_British Forces._--On the line Dagny-Coulommiers-Maison.
_Fifth French Army._--At Courtagon, right on Esternay.
_Conneau's Cavalry Corps._--Between the right of the British and the
left of the French Fifth Army.
Germans.
_Fourth Reserve and Second Corps._--East of the Ourcq and facing
that river.
_Ninth Cavalry Division._--West of Crecy.
_Second Cavalry Division._--North of Coulommiers.
_Fourth Corps._--Rebais.
_Third and Seventh Corps._--Southwest of Montmirail.
All these troops constituted the First German Army, which was directed
against the French Sixth Army on the Ourcq, and the British forces, and
the left of the Fifth French Army south of the Marne.
The Second German Army (IX., X., X.R., and Guard) was moving against the
centre and right of the Fifth French Army and the Ninth French Army.
On Sept. 7 both the Fifth and Sixth French Armies were heavily engaged
on our flank. The Second and Fourth Reserve German Corps on the Ourcq
vigorously opposed the advance of the French toward that river, but did
not prevent the Sixth Army from gaining some headway, the Germans
themselves suffering serious losses. The French Fifth Army threw the
enemy back to the line of the Petit Morin River after inflicting severe
losses upon them, especially about Montceaux, which was carried at the
point of the bayonet.
The enemy retreated before our advance, covered by his Second and Ninth
and Guard Cavalry Divisions, which suffered severely.
Our cavalry acted with great vigor, especially Gen. De Lisle's brigade,
with the Ninth Lancers and Eighteenth Hussars.
On Sept. 8 the enemy continued his retreat northward, and our army was
successfully engaged during the day with strong rearguards of all arms
on the Petit Morin River, thereby materially assisting the progress of
the French armies on our right and left, against whom the enemy was
making his greatest efforts. On both sides the enemy was thrown back
with very heavy loss. The First Army Corps encountered stubborn
resistance at La Trétoire, (north of Rabais.) The enemy occupied a
strong position with infantry and guns on the northern bank of the Petit
Morin River; they were dislodged with considerable loss. Several machine
guns and many prisoners were captured, and upward of 200 German dead
were left on the ground.
[Illustration: Map 6.--Sept. 9. Forcing the passage of the Marne.
This day the German retreat degenerated into a rout, and many captures
were made.]
The forcing of the Petit Morin at this point was much assisted by the
cavalry and the First Division, which crossed higher up the stream.
Later in the day a counter-attack by the enemy was well repulsed by the
First Army Corps, a great many prisoners and some guns again falling
into our hands.
On this day (Sept. 8) the Second Army Corps encountered considerable
opposition, but drove back the enemy at all points with great loss,
making considerable captures.
The Third Army Corps also drove back considerable bodies of the enemy's
infantry and made some captures.
On Sept. 9 the First and Second Army Corps forced the passage of the
Marne and advanced some miles to the north of it. The Third Corps
encountered considerable opposition, as the bridge at La Ferté was
destroyed and the enemy held the town on the opposite bank in some
strength, and thence persistently obstructed the construction of a
bridge; so the passage was not effected until after nightfall.
During the day's pursuit the enemy suffered heavy loss in killed and
wounded, some hundreds of prisoners fell into our hands and a battery of
eight machine guns was captured by the Second Division.
On this day the Sixth French Army was heavily engaged west of the River
Ourcq. The enemy had largely increased his force opposing them; and very
heavy fighting ensued, in which the French were successful throughout.
The left of the Fifth French Army reached the neighborhood of Château
Thierry after the most severe fighting, having driven the enemy
completely north of the river with great loss.
The fighting of this army in the neighborhood of Montmirail was very
severe.
The advance was resumed at daybreak on the 10th up to the line of the
Ourcq, opposed by strong rearguards of all arms. The First and Second
Corps, assisted by the cavalry divisions on the right, the Third and
Fifth Cavalry Brigades on the left, drove the enemy northward. Thirteen
guns, seven machine guns, about 2,000 prisoners, and quantities of
transport fell into our hands. The enemy left many dead on the field. On
this day the French Fifth and Sixth Armies had little opposition.
As the First and Second German Armies were now in full retreat, this
evening marks the end of the battle which practically commenced on the
morning of the 6th inst.; and it is at this point in the operations that
I am concluding the present dispatch.
Although I deeply regret [Transcriber: original 'regreat'] to have had
to report heavy losses in killed and wounded throughout these
operations, I do not think they have been excessive in view of the
magnitude of the great fight, the outlines of which I have only been
able very briefly to describe, and the demoralization and loss in killed
and wounded which are known to have been caused to the enemy by the
vigor and severity of the pursuit.
In concluding this dispatch I must call your Lordship's special
attention to the fact that from Sunday, Aug. 23, up to the present date,
(Sept. 17,) from Mons back almost to the Seine, and from the Seine to
the Aisne, the army under my command has been ceaselessly engaged
without one single day's halt or rest of any kind.
Since the date to which in this dispatch I have limited my report of the
operations, a great battle on the Aisne has been proceeding. A full
report of this battle will be made in an early further dispatch.
[Illustration: Map 7--Sept. 10 (evening). End of the battle of the
Marne.
The Germans were driven over the Ourcq and retreated to the Aisne.]
[Illustration: LIEUT. GEN. SIR DOUGLAS HAIG
Commanding one of Gen. French's Corps
(_From Painting by John St. Helier Lander._)]
[Illustration: CROWN PRINCE WILHELM
(_Copyright, Photographische Gesellschaft, by permission of the Berlin
Photographic Co., N.Y._)]
It will, however, be of interest to say here that, in spite of a very
determined resistance on the part of the enemy, who is holding in
strength and great tenacity a position peculiarly favorable to defense,
the battle which commenced on the evening of the 12th inst. has, so far,
forced the enemy back from his first position, secured the passage of
the river, and inflicted great loss upon him, including the capture of
over 2,000 prisoners and several guns. I have the honor to be your
Lordship's most obedient servant,
(Signed.) J.D.P. FRENCH,
Field Marshal,
Commanding in Chief, the British forces in the field.