Epernay. This army thus held the Forests
of Vassy but was confronted by the marshes of St. Gand.

Confronting this right center was, first of all, General Conneau's
Cavalry Corps, which was in touch with the right wing of the British
army under Sir John French. Then, holding the line from Esternay
to Courtacon lay the Fifth French Army under General d'Esperey.
Full in face of the strongest part of the German right center stood
one of the strongest or General Joffre's new reserves, the Ninth
Army under General Foch, with the marshes of St. Gond in front or
him, and holding a twenty-mile line from Esternay, past Sezanne
to Camp de Mailly, a remarkably well-equipped army, very eager
for the fray.

The hastily replenished corps, largely of Saxons, which had been
General von Hausen's army, lay next to General von Buelow, a little
north of Vitry, and as it proved, a weak spot in the German line.
The left center of the attacking force was under the command of
the Duke of Wuerttemberg and extended across the whole southern
end of the plain of Champagne to the upper streams of the Aisne
south of St. Menhould. The extreme left of this advanced line was
the army of the Imperial Crown Prince, holding the old line on the
Argonne to the south of Verdun. In close relation to this advanced
line, but not directly concerned with the battles of the Marne, were
the armies of the Bavarian Crown Prince, encamped in the plateau
of the Woevre, engaged largely in the task of holding open the
various lines of communication, while far to the south, in the
vicinity of the much battered little town of Mulhouse, lay the
remains of the decimated army or the Alsace campaigns under General
von Heeringen.

Facing this left center came General Langle's Fourth French Army,
covering the southern side of the plain of Chalons, it lay south
of Vitry-le-Francois, and faced due north. On this army, it was
expected, the brunt of the drive would fall. At this point the French
battle line made a sharp angle, the Third French Army, commanded
by General Sarrail, occupying a base from Bar-le-Duc to Verdun.
It thus faced almost west, skirting the lower edge of the Forest
of Argonne. At the same time it was back to back with the Second
French Army, which covered the great barrier of forts from Verdun
to Toul and Epinal, while the First French Army held the line from
Epinal to Belfort.

* * * * *

CHAPTER XIII

ALLIED AND GERMA