At the very moment when Gen. de Langle de Gary gave orders to engage the decisive battle on the Meuse (Aug. 26, 2 P.M.), the right of the German IV. Army forced the crossing of the Meuse at Donchery; the French V. Army had given ground on the Serre, thus completely uncovering the left of the French IV. Army, and important enemy forces were reported in the Rocroi region (von Hausen army).
The commander of the IV. Army ordered Gen. Dubois to pro- ceed, on the ayth, to the Signy-l'Abbaye-Launois region in order to cover the left flank of the IV. Army.
Already by the morning of the 27th, as the fog lifted, the Germans, who had been allowed to cross the Meuse freely between Stenay and Inor, passed to the attack. Gen. Gerard had given orders to throw back into the Meuse all enemies who sought to debouch therefrom. A division of the German VI. Corps was therefore allowed to emerge from Luzy and Cesse; then, after being taken under the fire of the batteries, it was counter-attacked by a Colonial regiment and two rifle battal- ions and thrown into the Meuse. In this part of the battle- field the Germans experienced nothing but reverses, their attacks being always badly supported by their artillery, which contented itself with throwing large projectiles at random.
The Colonial Corps engaged fierce battles with the German troops that had crossed the Meuse at Pouilly; Gen. Leblois' division was beginning to retreat when the arrival of reserves from the II. Corps reestablished his position. The XII. Corps, weakened by the losses sustained during the previous engage- ments, seemed, at one moment, to have imperilled its situation; it managed nevertheless to maintain its position. The XVII. Corps had deprived itself of one of its divisions, according to the orders of the commander of the IV. Army, to relieve the XI. Corps. It now comprised only the 33rd Div., some of the artillery of which had been lost at the battle of the Ardennes; fortunately the whole German effort was directed to the battle of La Marfee, and the XVII. Corps was able to remain on its positions.
The XI. Corps, established on the evening of the 25th in the woods of La Marfee, was attacked there early on the 26th by the enemy forces which had crossed the Meuse at Donchery on the one hand and at Remilly on the other. After fighting all day the XI. Corps and the 6oth Res. Div. were obliged to retire somewhat. On the same day, the 52nd Res. Div., threat- ened by the XII. Saxon Corps on its left, concentrated to the W. of Mezieres and took up its positions between the 6oth Div. and the IX. Corps. On the 27th the fighting continued. The enemy, surprised in dense masses, was crushed by the 75-mm. guns and thrown back in disorder on Noyers, leaving the flag of the 68th Prussian Regt. (VIII. Corps, i6th Div.) in the hands of the i3yth French Infantry. On the right, then, the XI. Corps won a great success; but on the left, the battle long remained doubtful. In the evening an imprudent move, similar to that of Noyers, was made by the Germans at La Marfee, and after heavy losses they were driven back towards the Meuse. On the same day, under a slight pressure from the enemy, the IX. Corps and the 52nd Res. Div. came and occupied the positions fixed by the orders.
The French IV. Army considered itself victorious, and Gen. de Langle sought leave from H.Q. to continue the battle and take the offensive. " We see no objection," was the answer, " to your keeping your positions to-morrow, Aug. 28, in order to assert our success and to prove that our falling back is merely strategic; but on Aug. 29 everybody must be in retreat."
On the evening of Aug. 25 the German III. Army was in the region of Fumay; on the 26th in the neighbourhood of Rocroi; during the night of the 27th-28th it came in touch by its right with the IX. Corps in the Signy-l'Abbaye region, and, by its left with Mezieres, in touch with the IV. Army. The VIII. Corps and the VII. Res. Corps of the German IV. Army were fighting S. of Donchery and Sedan. More to the left the XVIII. Corps had crossed the Meuse at Remilly, the XVIII. Res. at Mou- zon, and the VI. Corps at Luzy-Cesse, in touch with the V. Army.
On the 28th nothing took place between Stenay and Inor; there was some slight action near Joncq, but with no result.
In the XII. French Corps there was some hesitation; in the XVII. Corps nothing of importance took place, except a few falsely interpreted orders which made void some slightly suc- cessful results.
In the XI. Corps the successes of the previous day were con- tinued. At about 6 P.M. a finely conducted charge drove the enemy from all the positions they had previously conquered and for which they had paid heavily. But evening was drawing near and, in order to conform with the orders of the general-in- chief, though much to their distress, Gen. de Langle de Gary and his troops were obliged to retire.
The battle of the Meuse was ended; and Gen. de Langle, in general order No. 27, on the evening of Aug. 28, said: " The Army inflicted heavy losses upon the enemy, yesterday and to-day. It returns to the Aisne line, in accordance with orders received, to prepare for the offensive in a new direction."
While the IV. Army was fighting, the III. Army remained prac- tically inactive opposite the German V. Army, which showed no particular dash.
Battles of Signy-l'Abbaye. On the left of the French IV. Army Gen. Dubois was fighting on the same day (Aug. 28) at Signy-l'Abbaye against troops as numerous as they were badly commanded. A German Army (XII. Active Corps, XII. Res. Corps and XIX. Active Corps), of which the French staff knew only the XII. Active Corps, was advancing towards Rethel, in the gap between the IV. and V. Armies. On the 28th, at 3 A.M., the outposts of the Moroccan Div. (Gen. Humbert) were attacked; the Zouave Regt., threatened with envelopment, escaped towards the S.E., after three hours' fighting, leaving the road to Signy-l'Abbaye open to the enemy, who entered, at ii A.M., after a slight engagement. This German advance to the S., towards Rethel, threatened the communications between the IX. Corps and the troops in the rear, and cut off those between the French IV. and V. Armies. Gen. Dubois then gave the Humbert Div., which was very flexibly quartered in the region N. of Launois (6 km. S.E. of Signy-l'Abbaye), orders to attack Signy-l'Abbaye. A fierce battle was engaged midway, at Dommery, which was taken, lost and retaken. The fighting front spread northward, both sides being reenforced. At nightfall nothing was decided, but the enemy's advance to the S. was checked. The commander of the lyth Div. (J. B. Dumas) could hear the guns from La Marfee, and claimed leave to hasten in that direction. The gth Cav. Div. gave the support of its guns to the Moroccan Div., but would have done better to interpose between Signy-l'Abbaye and Rethel. A French infantry and cuirassier detachment took up position at Novion- Pornin, thus cutting off the road to Rethel. But although the enemy were unable to enter Novion-Pornin they remained in touch, and the following morning entered the town without resistance, its defenders having withdrawn to join their respec- tive corps. Thus, on the morning of the 29th, the road to Rethel was in the hands of the enemy; the IV. Army was retreating; the IX. Corps was still under orders to cover the left of the IV. Army and to remain in touch with the V. Army. But the enemy had now interposed between the IX. Corps and the V. Army. The commander of the IV. Army, who was not yet informed of the battle of Signy-l'Abbaye, gave orders, on the evening of Aug. 28, to maintain the positions: in the Poix- Terron region on the 2gth, and before Rethel on the 3oth. Gen. Dubois decided to interpose between Signy-l'Abbaye and Rethel. He sent the pth Cav. Div. to the S. of the forest of Signy; gave orders to the J. B. Dumas Div. to advance on and capture Novion-Pornin; to the Moroccan Div. to act as a screen in front of the J. B. Dumas Div. while this movement from the N.E. to the S.W. was being effected, then to stop the fighting and take up position E. of that division.
By the evening, not without fighting or without difficulty, and in spite of a whole German Army to oppose the proposed man- ceuvre, Gen. Dubois was in front of Rethel, at the spot where the situation made his presence necessary. On the same day he was to pass under the command of Gen. Foch,commanderof an army in formation, the IX. Army. The French army, on
