ion. But under
the foliage there was another army unseen--that of General von
Hausen. The French moved their Fifth Army up to position on the
line of the Sambre. They advanced their Third Army, commanded by
General Ruffey, upon Luxemburg, and their Fourth Army under General
de Langle de Cary across the River Semois to watch the Meuse left
bank and gain touch with General Lanzerac. General de Cary came
from Sedan, throwing out detachments upon the Meuse left bank. These
operations were to confront the armies of the Duke of Wuerttemberg
and crown prince.

But the French apparently knew nothing of the movements of the
army of General von Hausen. Their air scouts either could not
distinguish it from the armies of the Duke of Wuerttemberg and the
crown prince, amid the forest of the Ardennes, or they did not
observe it at all. To the army of General von Hausen there clings
a good deal of mystery. When last noted by us, previous to the
minor battle of Dinant, it had been formed by forces drawn from
the armies of the Duke of Wuerttemberg and crown prince. Ostensibly
at that time, it was destined to support, as a separate field force,
the armies of Von Kluck and von Buelow.

Possibly the Germans had begun to doubt how long Liege could hold
out. Von Kluck was compelled to mark time in his impetuous march
on Central Belgium. His losses had been heavy. Support in strength
seemed urgent. But this need passed as the Liege forts fell one
after the other under the fire of the German siege guns. General
von Hausen was released for action elsewhere. Thus we may assume,
he was ordered to follow the armies of the Duke of Wuerttemberg
and crown prince down through the Ardennes to strike the Meuse
south of Namur. By this time he had been substantially reenforced.
Now under his command were the complete Twelfth and Nineteenth
Corps, and the Eleventh Reserve Corps. Also a cavalry division of
the Prussian Guard, with some other detachments of cavalry. His
Eleventh Reserve Corps were Hessians, the Twelfth and Nineteenth
Corps were Saxons. The latter two corps were regarded as among the
best in the German army. In the Franco-Prussian War they fought
with conspicuous bravery through every battle in which they were
engaged. They won the battle for Prussia at Gravelotte by turning
the French right and capturing St. Privat. They marched to Sedan
under the crown prince--subsequently the Emperor Frederick--to
occupy the first line in the hard figh