le their
forces east of the Meuse between Mezieres and Verdun were retreating
before Duke Albrecht of Wuerttemberg, and to the southeast of Verdun
before the Bavarians. All northern France was thus open to the invaders.

After the battle of Le Cateau, however, the Germans slackened their
pursuit for a very brief interval; partly because the terrific strain
of marching and fighting was telling upon them no less than upon the
Allies, partly because the engineers had blown up the bridges over every
river, canal, and stream, behind the retreating armies, and partly
because, under directions from the French commander in chief, General
Manoury was organizing a new force on the British left, a new Sixth
Army, mainly reserve troops, one corps of line troops, and General
Sordet's cavalry. On the right of the British were General Lanrezac's
troops; then, between Lanrezac's Fifth Army and the Fourth Army, came a
Ninth Army, under General Foch, formed of three corps from the south.

Counterattacks were ordered by the French general in chief, continued
during the entire retreat and had frequently brilliant results.

On August 29, 1914, a corps of the Fifth Army and of the divisions of
reserve attacked with success in the direction of St. Quentin with the
object of withdrawing the pressure on the British army. Two other corps
and a division of reserves joined issue with the Prussian Guard and the
Tenth Corps of the German army which debouched from Guise. This was a
very violent battle, known under the name of the Battle of Guise. At the
end of the day, after various fluctuations in the fight, the Germans
were thrown completely over the Oise and the entire British front was
relieved. The Prussian Guard on that occasion suffered great losses.

August 27, 1914, the Fourth Army under General de Langle de Cary
succeeded likewise in throwing the enemy across the Meuse as he
endeavored to secure a footing on the left bank. The success continued
on the 28th; on that day a division of this army (First Division of
Morocco under the orders of General Humbert) inflicted a sanguinary
defeat on a Saxon army corps in the region of Signy l'Abbaye.

Thanks to these brilliant successes, the retreat was accomplished in
good order and without the French armies being seriously demoralized; as
a matter of fact, they were actually put to flight at no point. All the
French armies were thus found intact and prepared for the offensive.

The right wing of