hey had made full use of the chief fort on
the wooded heights of Nogent l'Abbesse, a trifle less than half a mile
from the cathedral city and therefore within easy destructive shelling
range. The heavy artillery was planted here, the infantry intrenched
around it, and strong defense trenches were established along the River
Suippe that runs into the Aisne near Berry-au-Bac.

On Friday, September 18, 1914, the first movement of the second phase
was begun, when the Germans launched a sharp counterattack on the French
center. This was the first German offensive movement since their retreat
from the Marne, and it was powerful and well handled. General Foch fell
back into defensive positions, but had much ado to hold his own. He
evaded giving battle around Rheims and took up a position at Souain,
which he held with the jaunty obstinacy he had displayed so often in the
retreat through northern France. It was obvious that he could not hold
out long, but by clever generalship, and especially by an
extraordinarily brilliant use of the cavalry arm, he held off the army
for that day. That night strong reenforcements came to his aid, and on
September 19, 1914, the balance of the forces was more nearly equal.

On September 19, 1914, therefore, the situation of the armies was much
as follows: The Germans, acting under the general command of Field
Marshal von Heeringen, controlled Rheims under the gunfire of their
heavy artillery from two points, the heights of Nogent l'Abbesse to the
southeast of Rheims, and the hill of Brimont a little over half a mile
to the northeast. Their right flank was covered by the powerful defenses
of the Aisne and the guns of the Craonne plateau, their left flank was a
series of intrenchments along the river Suippe, which merged into the
second line of defense of the main army under the Duke of Wuerttemberg.

On the other side of Rheims, or to the west of the cathedral city, the
Allies also held two heights, one at Pouillon, between the Aisle and the
Vesle, and therefore to the northwest of the city, and the other on a
sharp steep, known as the Mountain of Rheims, near Verzenay, on the
south side of the river. This was therefore west and a little south of
Rheims. But, and herein lies the question that has so often arisen in
the discussion of the comparative strength of the two armies--especially
without the British batteries--the French lacked heavy long-range
artillery. They had no such howitzers as thos