hecked in its march on Neufchateau by the superior forces of the
crown prince and was thrown back on the Semoy. Thus the offensive
actions undertaken by the armies of the French center miscarried.
Not only were they unable to lend their aid to the armies of the
left, but they saw themselves obliged to retreat.

"The situation could only be reestablished by a victory on the
part of the Fifth French Army operating in conjunction with the
army of General French. This army, however, found itself in the
presence of German forces of great strength, consisting of the
crack corps of the German army. On the 22d the Germans at the cost
of considerable losses succeeded in passing the Sambre, and General
Lanrezac fell back on Beaumont-Givet, being apprehensive of the danger
which threatened his right. On the 24th the British army retreated,
in the face of a German attack, on to the Maubeuge-Valenciennes
line. It appeared at first that the British had in front of them
at most an army corps, with perhaps a corps of cavalry. They were
apprised, however, about five o'clock in the evening that three
army corps were advancing against them, while a fourth was marching
against their left along the road from Tournai in a turning movement.
General French effected his retreat during the night behind the
salient of Mons. Threatened on August 24 by the strength of the
whole German army, he fled backward in the direction of Maubeuge."

* * * * *

CHAPTER X

THE GREAT RETREAT BEGINS

The German hosts now stood at the gates of France. It was a mighty
spectacle. The soldiery of the Kaiser which had swept their way into
Belgium, there to meet the unexpected resistance of the defenders
of King Albert, had reached their goal--the French frontier.

About the middle of August, 1914, General Joffre, assigned to the
British Expeditionary Force, commanded by Sir John French, the task
of holding Mons against the powerful German advance. The British
force formed the left wing of the line of front that stretched for
some two hundred miles close to the Belgian frontier. Extending
from Arras through the colliery towns of Mons and Charleroi, the
extreme western front of the armies was held by General D'Amade
at Arras, with about 40,000 reserve territorial troops; by General
French, with 80,000 British regulars, at Mons; by the Fifth French
Army of 200,000 first-line troops, under General Lanrezac, near
Charleroi; and by a