The New York Times Current History of the European War | Page 9

drove them
back across the river at Soissons, where they destroyed the bridges.
The heavy artillery fire which was visible for several miles in a
westerly direction in the valley of the Aisne showed that the Sixth
French Army was meeting with strong opposition all along the line.
On this day the cavalry under Gen. Allenby reached the neighborhood
of Braine and did good work in clearing the town and the high ground
beyond it of strong hostile detachments. The Queen's Bays are
particularly mentioned by the General as having assisted greatly in the
success of this operation. They were well supported by the Third
Division, which on this night bivouacked at Brenelle, south of the river.
The Fifth Division approached Missy, but were unable to make
headway.
The First Army Corps reached the neighborhood of Vauxcéré without
much opposition.
In this manner the battle of the Aisne commenced.
2. The Aisne Valley runs generally east and west, and consists of a
flat-bottomed depression of width varying from half a mile to two
miles, down which the river follows a winding course to the west, at
some points near the southern slopes of the valley and at others near the
northern. The high ground both on the north and south of the river is
approximately 400 feet above the bottom of the valley, and is very
similar in character, as are both slopes of the valley itself, which are
broken into numerous rounded spurs and re-entrants. The most
prominent of the former are the Chivre spur on the right bank and
Sermoise spur on the left. Near the latter place the general plateau, on
the south is divided by a subsidiary valley of much the same character,
down which the small River Vesle flows to the main stream near
Sermoise. The slopes of the plateau overlooking the Aisne on the north
and south are of varying steepness, and are covered with numerous

patches of wood, which also stretch upward and backward over the
edge on to the top of the high ground. There are several villages and
small towns dotted about in the valley itself and along its sides, the
chief of which is the town of Soissons.
The Aisne is a sluggish stream of some 170 feet in breadth, but, being
15 feet deep in the centre, it is unfordable. Between Soissons on the
west and Villiers on the east (the part of the river attacked and secured
by the British forces) there are eleven road bridges across it. On the
north bank a narrow-gauge railway runs from Soissons to Vailly, where
it crosses the river and continues eastward along the south bank. From
Soissons to Sermoise a double line of railway runs along the south bank,
turning at the latter place up the Vesle Valley toward Bazoches.
The position held by the enemy is a very strong one, either for delaying
action or for a defensive battle. One of its chief military characteristics
is that from the high ground on neither side can the top of the plateau
on the other side be seen, except for small stretches. This is chiefly due
to the woods on the edges of the slopes. Another important point is that
all the bridges are under direct or high-angle artillery fire.
The tract of country above described, which lies north of the Aisne, is
well adapted to concealment, and was so skillfully turned to account by
the enemy as to render it impossible to judge the real nature of his
opposition to our passage of the river or accurately to gauge his
strength; but I have every reason to conclude that strong rearguards of
at least three army corps were holding the passages on the early
morning of the 13th.
3. On that morning I ordered the British forces to advance and make
good the Aisne.
The First Corps and the cavalry advanced on the river. The First
Division was directed on Chamouille via the canal bridge at Bourg, and
the Second Division on Courteçon and Presles via Pont-Arcy, and on
the canal to the north of Braye via Chavonne. On the right the cavalry
and First Division met with slight opposition and found a passage by
means of the canal, which crosses the river by an aqueduct. The

division was therefore able to press on, supported by the cavalry
division on its outer flank, driving back the enemy in front of it.
On the left the leading troops of the Second Division reached the river
by 9 o'clock. The Fifth Infantry Brigade were only enabled to cross, in
single file and under considerable shell fire, by means of the broken
girder of the bridge, which was not entirely submerged in the river. The
construction of a pontoon bridge was at once undertaken, and was