|UPON well nigh every headland of any considerable size on the banks of
the winding river Meuse, there glowered a vine clad castle in a more
or less ruinous state, and usually at its foot slept a farmstead, a
village, or a town. Over each stream-laved promontory and every high
hill there have been fought great and small battles year in, year out,
through the ages since the time of Charlemagne. One could not wander far
here in any direction without lighting upon some shattered monument
of human passion and pride. "Here might reigned supreme with fantastic
honor as its handmaid; at ambition's footstool religion and right were
vassals." One stands before one of these shattered, time-battered castle
walls, and tries perchance to picture the siege of old, with the crowds
of iron-armed men busily sapping the walls. Through the ragged breaches
made by the great stone-hung rams, they discharged into the interior by
quaint cumbrous machines large stones, blazing bundles of fagots, and
even carrion, while from the besieged warriors on the battlemented walls
above came streams of molten lead, and showers of heavy iron barbed
bolts. The country about during these battles was considerably damaged,
and there must have been an appalling noise over it all, but somehow one
cannot picture any very great carnage as a result, at least nothing like
that which took place here at Verdun in the great battle of 1916, nor
any such destruction of property.
This town of Verdun, now upon every one's lips, was the ancient Roman
"Verodunam" and ever has held a most important place in European affairs
and history. Captured by Charlemagne, in the dim days of a. d. 843, it
was divided among his three grandsons, Charles the Bald, Lothaire, and
Lewis the German. Thus divided, the members of the Empire, Teutonic and
Gallic, were never again united. Until the year 1552 the town, once the
seat of a powerful bishop, remained free, and in 1648 it was
formally united to France after the peace of Westphalia, when Austria
relinquished the three great bishoprics of Verdun, Toul, and Metz.
Verdun fell to the Prussians after a fierce bombardment lasting only
five hours, and a story is told of how a bevy of fair young girls
appeared in the public square before the Hôtel de Ville, where the
conquerors were drawn up, and made peace-offering to them of the
"bon-bons" for which, even up to the outbreak of the great world war,
and invasion of 1914, Verdun was famous. These bon-bons were known
locally as "Dragées."