On Hill 285, the Monument "To the Dead of the Argonne".(Photo Sommer.)
On Hill 285, the Monument "To the Dead of the Argonne".
(Photo Sommer.)
Return to the Varennes-Four-de-Paris road, downhill road skirting the Meurissons ravine.
It was in this wild ravine of the Meurissons spring that the Garibaldian regiment, placed at the disposal of General Gérard, commanding the 2nd Corps, received their baptism of fire. On December 26, 1914, the 2nd Garibaldian Battalion was detailed to take a German trench. The attacking front was limited, about 150 yards, but the position was strongly held and protected by a deep entanglement of barbed wire. After an artillery preparationlasting from midnight until dawn, the Garibaldian companies rushed forward, one behind the other, to make a breach at all costs, but were held up by the uncut wire. At one point an opening was made and a few men got through to the edge of the German trench, only to be killed there. It was during this engagement, which cost the 2nd Battalion 30 dead, 17 missing, and 111 wounded, that Second-Lieutenant Bruno Garibaldi—a grandson of Giuseppe Garibaldi, "the old red bird" whom, in 1870, the Prussian General Werder confidently expected to "catch in his nest" in the Vosges, but failed in the attempt—was killed. Bruno Garibaldi, though in reserve, advanced to the assault with the 2nd Battalion, his sword drawn, his green tunic unfastened, showing the traditional and symbolic red shirt. Wounded in the hand, he went back to the trench to have it dressed, then returned immediately to the fight. Struck by a bullet, he continued to urge his men forward, until another laid him low. Before dying, he embraced a wounded comrade near by, saying "Kiss my brothers for me".
The Four-de-Paris—Varennes Road.The German front line cut the road at this point. On the left, Meurissons ravine; on the horizon, Biesme valley.
The Four-de-Paris—Varennes Road.
The German front line cut the road at this point. On the left, Meurissons ravine; on the horizon, Biesme valley.
Meurissons Ravine.German shelters on the counter slope. Bolante plateau riddled by machine gun fire.
Meurissons Ravine.
German shelters on the counter slope. Bolante plateau riddled by machine gun fire.
On Bolante Plateau.The forest laid waste by mine craters and machine gun fire.
On Bolante Plateau.
The forest laid waste by mine craters and machine gun fire.
On January 7th, after a half-hearted German attack, which was easily beaten off, rough trenches were dug on the plateau—in view of a possible retreat—by men belonging to the 46th French Regiment of the Line, who worked under heavy fire. General Gouraud, commanding the 10th Infantry Division, who came to examine the position, was wounded in the shoulder by a machine-gun bullet. On the following day a violent German artillery preparation began at dawn. At 7.30 a.m. three regiments of Bavarian chasseurs advanced to the attack. A trench held by men of the 89th Line Regiment was blown up and the Bavarians took the first and second lines held by troops of the 89th and 46th Regiments of the Line, who put up a fierce resistance. On the plateau the 11th Company of the 46th, which held the unfinished supporting trench, stopped the rush of the enemy. The Germans, unwilling to risk a frontal attack, turned the position on the right flank, and finally took the trench, but only after the gallant defenders had fired their last cartridges. The Germans penetrated into the ravine, capturing the regimental headquarters, and wounding the colonel and his staff.The 11th Company, however, still held on. On the crest, the cooks and the sick seized rifles and joined in the fight. At about 9.30 a.m. a blast of trumpets on the right announced the arrival of reinforcements. Units of the French 89th Regiment of the Line and 2nd Garibaldian Battalion charged through the undergrowth. A furious hand-to-hand struggle ensued in the copse-wood, no quarter being given. The French succeeded in saving theircomrades of the 46th, and checked the enemy, who eventually evacuated the ravine.
Le Four-de-Paris (as seen from an observation post).In the foreground, the road from Paris to Varennes.
Le Four-de-Paris (as seen from an observation post).
In the foreground, the road from Paris to Varennes.
At Le Four-de-Paris, turn right along G. C. 63 towards La Harazée and Vienne-le-Château.
The road follows the valley of the Biesme, dominated on the right by a series of spurs separated by ravines where flow the streams of Fontaine au Mortier, Fontaine aux Charmes and Fontaine de Madame.
The crests and ravines covered by Grurie Wood were in 1914-1915 the scene of fierce struggles.
Bagatelle—Fontaine-aux-Charmes—Fontaine-Madame—Saint-Hubert—Marie-Thérèse, all these sectors were made famous by communiqués as the scenes of terrific fights.
La Harazée.The church bell was used as a gas alarm. It was placed on the new road, between Vienne-le-Château and La Harazée, on the right bank of the Biesme.
La Harazée.
The church bell was used as a gas alarm. It was placed on the new road, between Vienne-le-Château and La Harazée, on the right bank of the Biesme.
From La Harazée a path leads to Fontaine-aux-Charmes, following the stream which falls into the Biesme at La Harazée and to which it gives its name; another path follows the stream of Fontaine-Madame.
These two streams enclose a plateau broken by ravines along which the French advanced in September and October 1914, seeking to threaten the German lines of communication through the Argonne.
The German troops of Von Mudra decided to reach the valley of the Biesme by penetrating the ravines of Fontaine-aux-Charmes and Fontaine-Mortier towards La Harazée.
In Grurie Wood, the French line was held by regiments and battalions of chasseurs of the 32nd Corps. For over a year a desperate struggle was destined to take place without quarter day and night.
Attacks followed attacks and counter-attacks counter-attacks: every inch of a devastated area was disputed without truce or rest.
A fatigue party en route for the front line in the Salient of Marie-Thérèse.
A fatigue party en route for the front line in the Salient of Marie-Thérèse.
Every day saw the same fearful struggle in the depths of the forest: the rival trenches were hardly 30 metres apart, sometimes only 10, protected merely by line of barbed wire which could not be carried far out nor fixed down. Barricades of sandbags were built up in the communicating trenches, which often ran through the enemy lines, to mark the boundary, and, behind these, men kept watch. On each side the temptation was too strong to pay a surprise visit to this "no man's land" and to spring into the opposite trench.
A communication trench obstructed with wounded in the sector of Bagatelle.
A communication trench obstructed with wounded in the sector of Bagatelle.
The front trenches were blotted out by aerial torpedoes and mine explosions which completely demolished the frail barricades often made up of human corpses. Then followed hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets and knives.
Among the numerous encounters which all resembled each other, here is the account of one taken from the annals of the 150th Regiment, one of the gallant regiments of the 32nd Corps.
On April 18th, the 2nd Battalion attacked Bagatelle trench which was held by the Germans. Our attack, which started at 2 p.m., was successful and we advanced 80 metres. A German counter-attack straightway robbed us of the fruits of our effort. At 7 p.m. the 2nd Battalion again started the attack but were mown down by machine gun fire. A third attack was launched by the same battalion, only to be thwarted by a counter-attack. Their fourth effort ended at 11 p.m., with a gain of a yard and a half! Commander Grosset of the 1st Battalion was mortally wounded.
From April 25th to 27th the Germans unsuccessfully attacked, the 150th not yielding a single inch of ground.
On the evening of May 1st, at 5 p.m., the 3rd Battalion of the 150th relieved the 2nd Battalion of the 161st. At 5.30 p.m., before the relief was complete, the Germans blew up one of our block-houses by means of a mineand hurled themselves upon our trenches. On the whole front of the 3rd Battalion, the German attack broke out with ferocity, the enemy artillery firing behind our lines and reaching an extreme intensity, so that our companies in the front line were completely cut off. Liaison with the front line became impossible and no reinforcements could be sent up to the units in the first line trenches.
Grurie Wood.Cooks carrying up soup to the front line trenches (Saint-Hubert Sector).
Grurie Wood.
Cooks carrying up soup to the front line trenches (Saint-Hubert Sector).
In the centre, the 9th company, commanded by Captain Juge, held on splendidly against the incessant attacks of the enemy who used liquid fire and an unlimited supply of bombs. To keep up the supply of ammunition in the sector was difficult, the 9th company running out of bombs: their casualties kept mounting and the situation was grave. Standing upright on the parapet, with his revolver clasped in his hand, Captain Juge cheered on his men. He fell wounded but got to his feet again shouting: "Stand your ground, stand your ground, my men, and be brave". He was wounded again but refused to be taken back to the rear. This valiant officer continued to keep up the courage of his men who stood on the exposed ground and fired point blank at the enemy who were making incessant attacks. Captain Juge was wounded a third time. By this time the company was reduced to one officer and 23 men, with no bombs and no cartridges. The 10th and 11th companies counter-attacked, checking slightly, though not stopping, the furious onslaught of the Germans. Attacked in rear, these two companies after losing many men were forced to fall back. The 10th, though they had run out of ammunition, only gave ground inch by inch, building up and defending nineteen barricades in succession while falling back 100 metres. At every one of the barricades there was furious hand-to-hand fighting: our men counter-attacked from the parapet with the bayonet and fought with the butt end of their rifles and thus succeeded in bringing the enemy advance to a standstill.
On the left, the 12th company held the Germans in check, and though at one time surrounded, they cut a way through with their bayonets.
At 7 p.m., the Germans attempted a new attack and wrested from us a second line trench. The 12th company under the command of Lieutenant de Marolles counter-attacked once more, regaining the lost ground. Our men snatched sacks of bombs from the hands of the German bombers, and suppliedwith these, the grenadiers of the 12th company following the irresistible lead of their officer, 2nd. Lieutenant Germain, went forward and captured a machine gun from the enemy after killing the gunners.
Behind the lines: the rat hunt, a pleasant picture.
Behind the lines: the rat hunt, a pleasant picture.
At 9 p.m. quiet again reigned. Our first line was left entirely in the enemy's hands, but the second line after being lost and recaptured, then lost again and again retaken, remained wholly in our possession....
On August 10th, the regiments and battalions of chasseurs of the 32nd Corps, all included under the command of the 3rd Army, were relieved by those of the 10th Corps.
On a road made of faggots. Donkeys bringing up supplies.
On a road made of faggots. Donkeys bringing up supplies.
Vienne-le-Château.—The nave of the Church (15th century).
Vienne-le-Château.—The nave of the Church (15th century).
After passing through La Harazée, Vienne-le-Château is reached. Turn left opposite the church and follow G. C. 67 to Vienne-la-Ville. The tourist reaches the edge of the Argonne plateau which gives place to the chalky plains of Champagne.
For a tour of this region, read the guide entitled: The Battles of Champagne.
Sainte-Menehould, on the Verdun-Paris railway, can be reached, byG. C. 67and thenG. C. 17,15 kilometres.
In October 1915, troops of the 1st Colonial Corps at rest in the cagnas built along the road to Marson ravine.Picture taken from the Guide: "The Battles of Champagne".
In October 1915, troops of the 1st Colonial Corps at rest in the cagnas built along the road to Marson ravine.
Picture taken from the Guide: "The Battles of Champagne".
Different moments of an attack during the offensive of September 25th 1915.Before the attack, the first waves wait for "Zero" in the starting off trench: in the distance, smoke of the bursting shells used in the artillery preparation.The first wave has gone over, and has just got into the first enemy trench from which they are about to start for their new objective.
Different moments of an attack during the offensive of September 25th 1915.
Before the attack, the first waves wait for "Zero" in the starting off trench: in the distance, smoke of the bursting shells used in the artillery preparation.
The first wave has gone over, and has just got into the first enemy trench from which they are about to start for their new objective.
Parties known as "moppers up" follow the first waves.
Parties known as "moppers up" follow the first waves.
Supporting lines, scattered in the open in small columns follow the advance. In the foreground some attackers in the first wave caught by a storm of machine gun fire.Pictures taken from the Guide: The "Battles of Champagne".
Supporting lines, scattered in the open in small columns follow the advance. In the foreground some attackers in the first wave caught by a storm of machine gun fire.
Pictures taken from the Guide: The "Battles of Champagne".
The tourist can go from Verdun to Metz either by the Route Nationale No. 3, the Porte Saint-Victor—Haudiomont—Mars-la-Tour and the battlefields of August 1870 (seepage 166), or by the Route Nationale No. 18 (the Route d'Étain) and R. D. 1.
In 1914 Étain was bombarded on August 24th and 25th. On the 24th many inhabitants were killed. On the 25th, the inhabitants who took refuge in the cellars of the town hall perished under the ruins of the building, but 200 others escaped to Verdun.
On the same day the French forces, north of Étain, crushed the 33rd German D. R. Nevertheless the order to retire was given and the enemy occupied the town which they pillaged methodically. Every other day convoys took back to Germany, furniture, linen, wines, groceries, cloth, footwear, tools, and even materials.
In April 1915, the French troops came back quite near Étain where the line was established until February 1916.
In the town, which is partly destroyed, the church, much damaged, can be seen on the left.
Through the steeple which was cut in two by the bombardments can be seen the internal structure: the Germans had fitted up an observation post inside.
Viollet-le-Duc used to consider the church of Étain with its three naves one of the five noteworthy churches of the Meuse. It was commenced in the 13th century and finished in the 15th.
The majestic choir, with its large windows with manifold mullions, was 15th century. Inside (right aisle) could be seen the font and the Notre-Dame-de-Pitié by Ligier-Richier (photopage 164).
Étain church in 1918.—The Central nave, looking towards the choir.
Étain church in 1918.—The Central nave, looking towards the choir.
Étain church.—Notre-Dame-de-Pitié, by Ligier-Richier.
Étain church.—Notre-Dame-de-Pitié, by Ligier-Richier.
In 1920. At the entrance to Étain.—The Hôtel de la Sirène (Rue Nationale),formerly the Crown Prince's Headquarters in 1916.
In 1920. At the entrance to Étain.—The Hôtel de la Sirène (Rue Nationale),formerly the Crown Prince's Headquarters in 1916.
Metz.—Panorama View taken from Saint-Quentin Fort.(Cliché LL.)
Metz.—Panorama View taken from Saint-Quentin Fort.
(Cliché LL.)
The origin of Metz dates back to the Celtic epoch; it was the capital of the Mediomatrice. The Romans fortified it to defend the frontiers of the Empire against the Barbarians. Thus Metz became the starting point of the six great Roman roads which led to the distant provinces, two roads from Metz to Reims, two roads from Metz to Treves, one by the right bank, the other by the left bank of the Moselle: the road from Metz to Strasbourg and the road from Metz to Mayence.
Being a very rich and densely populated town, it was embellished with numerous Roman monuments, of which excavations have brought to light important traces: theAmphitheatre near the Porte Mazelle, and especially theAqueduct of Gorzedating from the 4th century, which was 22 kilometres long, bringing to Metz the waters of Gorze.There are splendid remains to be seen atJouy-aux-Arches.
The Roman Emperors during their stay at Metz lived in the palace of the governors which stood on the Place Sainte-Croix.
Metzwas captured and devastated by the Huns in 451 A. D.
A half-century later the ruins were restored and the city became, on the death of Clovis (in 511 A. D.) the capital of Austrasie and the cradle of the Carolingian branch. Louis-le-Débonnaire was buried in the Abbey of Saint-Arnout. The treaty of Verdun (843 A. D.) gave it to Lothaire who made it the capital of his kingdom, Lotharingia, which became, later on, Lorraine. But thirty years later the treaty of Mersen (870 A. D.) assigned it to Louis-le-Germanique.
In the name of the Emperor it was first administered by counts and then by bishops. In 1220, on the death of Count Thiébault, the town was raised to a kind of republic under the title of "Imperial free town" and until 1552 was administered by sheriffs.
Under Henry II, the French, lead by Montmorency, occupied the town after a treaty had been concluded with Maurice de Saxe. The Duc de Guise, appointed governor, skilfully and energetically defended Metz to which theEmperor Charles V had laid siege (October 19th, 1552). On January 1st 1553, Charles V withdrew after losing 30,000 men. The kings of France for a long time held the title of Protector. Henry III was the first to be called the sovereign lord. The Parliament of Metz, constituted in 1633, finally brought about the downfall of its municipal independence and the treaty of Westphalia (1648) definitely made it part of France. It became the capital of the province of Trois-Évêchés, composed of Metz, Toul and Verdun.
Up to the Revolution,Metzescaped the horrors of war, though on every occasion the town suffered from the consequences. Troops were continually passing through and the barracks were used as a place of muster. Turenne, Villars, the Marquis de Créqui, and Marshal Villeroi encamped within its walls, and at Metz, Louis XV, in August 1744, fell seriously ill, and the whole of France prayed and fasted for the "Well-beloved".
In 1790,Metzbecame the headquarters of the new department of Moselle. Two sieges in 1814 and 1815 were successfully repulsed.
The year 1870, however, marked a sad date in the history of Metz, till then nicknamed Metz the Virgin City.
The French army of Moselle, beaten at the frontiers, fell back on Metz. Intending to rejoin the army of Mac-Mahon at Châlons, it began a slow and uncertain retreat. The Germans hindered this retreat (Borny, August, 14th), crossed the Moselle south of Metz and stopped the French columns on the march to Verdun. (Rezonville, Mars-la-Tour, August 16th), narrowed the circle round Metz and surrounded Bazaire (Gravelotte, Saint-Privat, August 18th.)
The French army of Moselle, beaten at the frontiers, fell back on Metz. Intending to rejoin the army of Mac-Mahon at Châlons, it began a slow and uncertain retreat. The Germans hindered this retreat (Borny, August, 14th), crossed the Moselle south of Metz and stopped the French columns on the march to Verdun. (Rezonville, Mars-la-Tour, August 16th), narrowed the circle round Metz and surrounded Bazaire (Gravelotte, Saint-Privat, August 18th.)
The battles of Borny (August 14th), Rezonville (August 16th), Saint-Privat (August 18th) forced Marshal Bazaine to fall back on the walls of the town. He put up a feeble resistance, being content to await developments, without even attempting a serious sally which might have saved his military honour. On October 28th, he put his name to the capitulation, and on the following day he handed over 173,000 men, 60 generals, 6000 officers, 58 standards, 622 field guns, 876 heavy guns, 72 machine guns, 137,000 chassepots, 123,000 other rifles and masses of untouched munitions. Six months later, the treaty of Frankfort (May 10th 1871) ceded to Germany Metz and a part of the department of Moselle. Metz became the capital of German Lorraine.
Marshal Fabert, Generals Custine, Richepanse and Lasalle, the composer Ambroise Thomas and the poet Paul Verlainewere born at Metz.
The situation ofMetzdestined it to become a stronghold of first importance. The Romans fortified the town, which had been built by the Gauls, and constructed the first citadel. The walls were preserved for a considerable time, and Bishop Robert in the 10th century, again utilised their outline. It was only in the 12th century that the new circumvallation was extended to the island formed by the two arms of the Moselle; it was composed of a high rampart protected by 68 towers. In 1532 the Duc de Guise ordered the engineer Pierre Strozzi to restore these fortifications which had undergone two sieges (1444 and 1552) and were in a pitiable state. Four years later (1556), Marshal de Vieilleville had a citadel flanked with four bastions constructed on the site of the ancient monastery. This citadel (which lasted till 1802) was on the spot now occupied by the Esplanade.
Vauban, nearly a century later, realised the strategic worth of Metz and conceived a vast project which the engineer Cormontaigne, in the 18th century, was to realise. At all events Vauban was able to construct a "horned redoubt" and to add eleven new bastions to those which already guarded the citadel, but it was Cormontaigne who carried out the plan of the inundation of the valley of the Seille, by using the vast waters of the pool of Lindre.
Metzbecame one of the most formidable fortresses of Europe. Under Louis-Philippe the fortifications were entirely remade and in 1866 preparations were in hand to reconstruct them on a new plan in accordance with the requirements of the then existing military armament. Of the four separate forts of Saint-Quentin, Plappeville, Queuleu and Saint-Julien, only the first two were completed in 1870.
Metz.—The Fort of Saint-Quentin.View taken from the Esplanade.(Cliché Prillot.)
Metz.—The Fort of Saint-Quentin.
View taken from the Esplanade.
(Cliché Prillot.)
The Germans considerably strengthened the wall of circumvallation by the addition of 19 bastions surrounded with moats, and themselves protectedwith 13 advance works. The extent of the zone of forts reached 30 kilometres and 11 new forts were added.
Before the War the Germans had drawn up their famous "black lists" in which were recorded numbers of manufacturers, political men, journalists, priests and members of Lorraine societies. The inhabitants of Metz were not spared in these lists; many were arrested on the suspicion of exercising "a provocative action and a pernicious influence over the population". Among them were M. Prevel, M. Winsback, secretary of the "Souvenir alsacien-lorrain", league which was dissolved in 1913; M. Gangloff, whose two sons and his brother-in-law, as French officers, laid down their lives for France. Some were able to escape, as occasion offered, and get back to France, like Paul Piquelle, editor-in-chief of theMessin, and the canon Collin, director of theLorrain.
Before mobilisation had begun or hostilities declared, the "suspects" were forcibly torn from their families and confined in cells, without trial, in the military prison of Metz. A few days after they set out, without saying goodbye to their families, for Coblentz. When taken to the fort of Ehrenbreitstein they only escaped the frenzy of an excited populace on account of thirty German bayonets which surrounded them. Worn out with exhaustion, they were shut up in the casemates which were used some years before the war for confining to barracks soldiers undergoing disciplinary punishment and which had been evacuated under the orders of the authority on account of their unhealthy condition.
For months they existed in these dungeons under the most deplorable physical and moral conditions. Some of them, by depositing a surety of 30,000 marks, left to go and live under a kind of penal regime in the Prussian Rhineland. The less submissive element stayed where they were more than two years and were then subjected to the same regime as their comrades who had already left. They were absolutely forbidden to enter the fortress of Metz.
These "suspects" never knew the reasons for their arrest until August 1917. Permission to return to their town was given them in November 1918 by the "Soldiers Council" which had replaced the Imperial Government.
Several inhabitants of Metz were promptly seized and drafted into the units sent up to the front, especially the Russian front. Among them, one of the brothers Samain, president of the "Lorraine Sportive" was sent to the French front in the batteries most exposed to danger. When crippled in the legs he was brought back from the front and thrown into prison.
The Germans subjected Metz to a regime of terror. The German inquisition was not confined to the street, but it intruded into the homes. Everything that reminded them of France, books, sacred family relics, had to disappear.
Speaking French became a provocation.
To say "Merci, Monsieur" and "Bonjour, Madame" were court-martial offences at the courts—ordinary and extra-ordinary—which sat permanently at Metz. Sentences never stopped. All the French newspapers were suppressed and only the official German papers were allowed.
The German authorities instituted an organ,La Gazette de Lorraine, to be modelled on the infamousGazette des Ardennesand to further the same purpose, the demoralisation of the French nation. In this gazette, the Germans carefully published, in the first issues all the sentences pronounced by the courts-martial, in the hope of terrifying and cowing the inhabitants of Metz. It was a vain hope: it had the opposite effect of strengthening their resistance. The system of spies and informers was widespread under official orders.
A young girl, slily exhibiting surprise at seeing a squadron of French aeroplanes pass overhead, shouted in front of her house: "Oh Kolossal!" Denounced by a loyal German woman, she was called before the court-martial (the first of three appearances).
To the military judges who tried to force her to admit to her anti-German sentiments, she replied: "My father who was imprisoned in a fortress is exiled with my mother in Prussia. My two brothers, French officers, are no doubt dead by this time, and I cannot yet love Germany". She was set free this time, but a stricter watch was kept on her.
Orders were given to celebrate the "great German victories". The "Mutte" of the Cathedral was rung. The Germans noisily showed their delight on the Esplanade round the statues of the "idols". The mayor, a noted German naturally, read the bulletin of victory from a window of the Hôtel de Ville decorated and illuminated.
The inhabitants shut themselves up in their homes. "Though we live side by side we shall never meet one another", they said. When forced to fly flags, they hoisted, as far as they could, the decorated emblem of the cross of Lorraine.
The bombardment of Verdun was audible at Metz and caused much anxiety. But the people of Metz saw the return of the "feldgrau" who, once mad with enthusiasm, now had fear in their eyes at the mention of Verdun.
Russia succumbed. Could they still hope? The most obstinate did not give up hope and they buoyed up the falling spirits. Pious families prayed in the churches.
1918.—The inhabitants of Metz felt that the end was near. Hunger held the German population in its grip, though the natives of Metz managed, by every known and unknown ruse, to conceal food which their friends in the country obtained for them almost under the noses of the police. The allied squadrons of aeroplanes came every night to bombard the station of Metz-Sablons. Forts thundered, bombs burst, and munition trains blew up. The Germans proclaimed with loud shouts the offensive that was to bring peace. At the end of July the newspapers, which had been extolling the German attack, started talking about defending themselves.
The people of Metz knew that they were certain of becoming French again. And now the battle drew near the fortress. With feverish haste the Germans manned and equipped the forts. Were they to undergo the devastation of a bombardment? Already American shells were falling on the south suburb of the town. "At what price shall we buy our liberty" was the feeling in every heart. Events moved swiftly and at the same time the iron discipline of the imperial army crumbled. In the numerous barracks soldiers grumbled, argued and refused to obey orders.
Threatened with an offensive in Lorraine, the Germans ceased holding some of the defences of the fortress.
The catastrophe was quite near. Mutiny broke out, and lead by the insurgent sailors who had come from Kiel, a howling mob of soldiers rushed headlong through the streets, seizing their officers, tearing their ensigns and smashing their rifles. Council of workmen and soldiers drove out the imperial government, proclaimed a republic and hoisted the red flag. The men of Lorraine who had been brigaded in the German army demobilised themselves and returned to their homes.
The Germans were reduced by all this to a standstill and signed the armistice. The inhabitants of Metz waited with silent pent up feelings for their deliverers.
The sad hours were finished and done with: the "wonderful hours of Freedom" sounded.
After the Armistice, the triumphal entry of the French Troops. (November 19th 1918).
After the Armistice, the triumphal entry of the French Troops. (November 19th 1918).
When the Armistice was signed on November 11th, the American artillery was within range of the forts of Metz which they had already bombarded several times, and the troops were all in position for the offensive fixed for November 16th.
Distribution of the first French newspapers on November 19th, 1918.The Place de la République and the corner of the Rue Serpenoise.(Cliché Prillot, Metz.)
Distribution of the first French newspapers on November 19th, 1918.
The Place de la République and the corner of the Rue Serpenoise.
(Cliché Prillot, Metz.)
The troops march past Marshal Pétain (November 19th, 1918).
The troops march past Marshal Pétain (November 19th, 1918).
By the terms of the Armistice, invaded countries, including Alsace and Lorraine, had to be evacuated by the 26th. So on Tuesday November 19th 1918 the French troops made their solemn entry into Metz, evacuated by the German soldiery, amid scenes of indescribable enthusiasm.
The Place d'Armes: the entry of Marshal Foch.In the background, the statue of Marshal Fabert; on the right, the Cathedral.(Cl. Prillot, Metz.)
The Place d'Armes: the entry of Marshal Foch.
In the background, the statue of Marshal Fabert; on the right, the Cathedral.
(Cl. Prillot, Metz.)
Then the march past took place on the Esplanade in front of General Pétain who was appointed Marshal the same morning.
On a white horse and in his large blue cloak he took up his position in front of the statue of Marshal Ney: he was supported by General Fayolle, commanding an army group and General Buat, major-general.
General Mangin, commanding the 10th army, owing to an accident on his horse, was unable to be present, his place being taken by General Leconte for the parade. On the same day there took place the induction of M. Mirman, commissary of the Republic, who was received by General de Maud'huy, governor of Metz.
The people of Lorraine surrounding the French flag.On the Place d'Armes, in front of the Cathedral.(Cl. Prillot, Metz.)
The people of Lorraine surrounding the French flag.
On the Place d'Armes, in front of the Cathedral.
(Cl. Prillot, Metz.)
Salvos of guns and the sounding of the "Mutte" in the Cathedral heralded this festal day.
On the following Sunday, November 24th, the chief men of Metz appointed the new municipal council and decided that the streets should revert to the names they held before 1870 and that the new streets should be named after generals and great men who had distinguished themselves during the War. The list was settled by a by-law on December 7th.
On Sunday, December 8th, President Poincaré, with a retinue consisting of the Minister for War, the President of the Council, G. Clemenceau, the Presidents of the Chambers, Ministers, Marshals and French and Allied Generals came to announce the definite restoration to France of the lost provinces.
It was an unforgettable day. Girls in Lorraine costume lined the streets and flowers were thrown from windows on to the procession. The review took place in the morning on the Esplanade, and also the presentation of the star-studded baton to Marshal Pétain. The ceremony was opened with a speech by the President. Then followed a touching scene, when M. Poincaré and M. Clemenceau approached each other and joined in a long embrace.
In the afternoon there was a reception at the Hôtel de Ville when President Poincaré conjured up all the history of Metz concluding thus:
"The years have passed on Metz, and Metz has not changed.
"The protests which her great Bishop, Mgr Dupont des Loges, used formerly to carry to the Reichstag in the name of all the people of Metz, in the name of all the inhabitants of Lorraine, have continued after his death with the same quiet firmness, you, inhabitants of Metz, have repealed them, year by year, in your pilgrimages to Mars-la-Tour, in your visits to the cemeteries, in your worship of the memory of France.
"Beloved town of Metz, your nightmare is past, here is France back again opening her arms to you".
The procession was then received with great ceremony by Mgr Fell at the Cathedral and visited the cemetery of Chambière to pay homage to the dead of 1870.
On October 27th, 1919, the Croix de Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur was bestowed on the town ofMetzwith the following inscription:
Town whose persistent loyally to France never faltered during a captivity of 48 years;Rich in a past glorious and without stain, unsullied by her misfortunes, exposed for centuries to the covetousness of a near enemy, she has richly deserved to be honoured because she has suffered so long.She symbolises, in her deep affection for her Mother country, Lorraine, at last wholly restored as a French province.
Town whose persistent loyally to France never faltered during a captivity of 48 years;
Rich in a past glorious and without stain, unsullied by her misfortunes, exposed for centuries to the covetousness of a near enemy, she has richly deserved to be honoured because she has suffered so long.
She symbolises, in her deep affection for her Mother country, Lorraine, at last wholly restored as a French province.
The embrace of the two Presidents after the presentation of the "Bâton de Commandement" to Marshal Pétain (December 8th, 1918).Behind Marshal Pétain, from left to right: Marshal Joffre, Marshal Foch, Marshal Douglas Haig, General Pershing, General Gillain, General Albricci, and General Haller.
The embrace of the two Presidents after the presentation of the "Bâton de Commandement" to Marshal Pétain (December 8th, 1918).
Behind Marshal Pétain, from left to right: Marshal Joffre, Marshal Foch, Marshal Douglas Haig, General Pershing, General Gillain, General Albricci, and General Haller.
Metz Cathedral as it was before the German occupation.The cathedral used to finish, on the left, with a Doric porch erected in the 18th century by Blondel who had in mind a similar style of architecture for the whole Place d'Armes. The Germans destroyed this porch in 1903 (Seep. 179) and erected in its place a pseudo-Gothic construction which would undoubtedly have been better in keeping with the rest of the edifice, had it not been carried out in a stilted and unskilful manner.
Metz Cathedral as it was before the German occupation.
The cathedral used to finish, on the left, with a Doric porch erected in the 18th century by Blondel who had in mind a similar style of architecture for the whole Place d'Armes. The Germans destroyed this porch in 1903 (Seep. 179) and erected in its place a pseudo-Gothic construction which would undoubtedly have been better in keeping with the rest of the edifice, had it not been carried out in a stilted and unskilful manner.
ThePlace d'Armes, on to which the Cathedral and the Hôtel de Ville look, is adorned with fine buildings. On this site the cloister of the Cathedral, the musicians' quarters, several chapels and private houses used to stand.
In 1753 the Marshal de Belle-Isle, governor, decided that a "Place" should be made on this spot and that a West door giving access from the Cathedral to the Place should be constructed.
The plans of the architect Blondel necessitated a lowering of the ground level.
The statue of Marshal Fabert,on the Place d'Armes.(Cliché LL.)
The statue of Marshal Fabert,
on the Place d'Armes.
(Cliché LL.)
For months and years the canons and sheriffs set themselves against the work or held it up. During the night of August 9th 1755, M. de Belle-Isle called together the garrison and by the light of torches, had the whole work completed: by the morning the excavations were finished.
On thePlace d'Armesthe statue of Marshal Fabert, by Etex (1840), stands between military trophies.
The statue of the great Metz captain (1599-1662) who was governor of Sedan, has only the following words as his inscription:
"If, to prevent a place which the king has entrusted to me falling into the enemy's hands, I had to throw myself, my family, and all my possessions into the breach, I would not hesitate for a moment to do so".
Marshal Fabert, who was as clever an administrator as he was a magnificent soldier, restored agriculture and commerce in Champagne, and established at Sedan the manufacture of broadcloth, which till then belonged to Flanders and the Pays-Bas. King Louis XIV held him in very high esteem.
The Cathedral and the Place d'Armes.On the left extremity of the cathedral is the pseudo-Gothic porch built by the Germans (seephotograph on p. 179) in the decoration of which William II is represented as the prophet Daniel (Photo p. 178).In the foreground, on the Place, the statue of Marshal Fabert.(Cliché LL.)
The Cathedral and the Place d'Armes.
On the left extremity of the cathedral is the pseudo-Gothic porch built by the Germans (seephotograph on p. 179) in the decoration of which William II is represented as the prophet Daniel (Photo p. 178).
In the foreground, on the Place, the statue of Marshal Fabert.
(Cliché LL.)
All one side of the Place d'Armesis occupied by theCathedral Saint-Étienne, a masterpiece of the pointed style. The fabric recalls Amiens and Beauvais. If from the outside it may seem curtailed, the interior (121 m. long, 22 wide and 43 high), with its resplendent stained windows, is vast and altogether beautiful.
The most ancient parts of the cathedral do not date back beyond the 13th century.
The nave has eight bays—it was completed in the 14th century; at the top of the fourth bay it is flanked by two square towers.
The north tower is the tower of the Mutte, so called from the municipal bell hung there. It is topped with a beautiful spire which forms an excellent observation post over the surrounding country.
Here was the post of the look-out man who had to report fires. On the other side of the nave rises the tower of the Chapter which was finished in 1839. A monumental door opens at the base of each of these towers.
Another tower, polygonal and smaller, called the Tour de l'Horloge, is added to the south aisle. On each side of the choir, where the branches of the transept meet, rise the two small towers of Charlemagne, so called in memory of those which stood in the Roman building. They lead by spiral staircases to the outside terraces which run along the cathedral.
While the nave is 13th century, the transept dates from the 15th, and the choir, built over a huge sepulchral crypt, is contemporaneous with the last period of Gothic art.
The interior of the Cathedral.(Cliché LL.)
The interior of the Cathedral.
(Cliché LL.)
Although completed in 1546, the Cathedral had still to undergo numerous modifications. Fires caused repairs to be made and then in 1753, by the Governor's orders, Marshal de Belle-Isle, the making of a "Place" in front of the cathedral necessitated the demolition of the Bishop's quarters and the construction of a west door.
The ground level was lowered from 8 to 9 feet and the architect J. B. Blondel was instructed to make out elaborate plans.
They were worked out from 1761 to 1764 and were at once put into execution and continued with till 1771. While endeavouring to have regard to the ancient structure, Blondel strove not to make a west door to the Cathedral but rather to create in front of the cathedral an independent door, the classic lines of which would blend happily with the buildings of the "Place" but would contrast with the style of the edifice (Seepage 174).
In 1791 other alterations were made: following the plans of Gardeur-Lebrun the rood-loft was done away with, and likewise the ancient altars and the vaults. Finally the roof which was burnt on the night of May 6-7th 1877—the day of the entry of William I into Metz—was replaced in 1880-1882 by a copper roof, raised several metres.
The Doric fore-part of Blondel's design was pulled down in 1903 by the Germans, to make way for a west door conceived in the style of the rest of the church. It was not, however, a very happy effort. At the corners weresculptured statues of the prophets. One of these statues, that of Daniel, had the face of William II. The inhabitants of Metz, who had always resented the presence of this effigy at the entrance to their Cathedral, before the arrival of the French troops, fastened to its hands a chain from which hung a small board bearing the words:Sic transit gloria mundi.