s, and the Cathedral city
itself would have been endangered, no less than by the attack on the
north-east of the town, which General Gouraud a month later pinned to
earth. And when we reached Dormans, on the south bank, turning
west-ward to Chateau Thierry, we were on ground no less vital, where
in July the American troops in General Pershing's words wrote "one of
the most brilliant pages in our military annals." The story is well
known. The Germans were attempting to cross the river in force between
Donnans and Chateau Thierry, and then to thrust their way down the
valley of the Surmelin to Montmirail and the great main road to Paris,
which passes through that town. A single regiment of the 3rd American
Division held up the enemy, on the river bank to the east of Mezy,
fighting at the same time east and west against German parties who had
managed to get a footing at other points on the south side, and
finally counter-attacking, throwing two German divisions into complete
confusion, and capturing six hundred prisoners. No episode in the war
is more likely to ring in the memory of after-times. "In the bend of
the Marne at the mouth of the Surmelin," says Colonel Palmer, "not a
German was able to land. In all twenty boats full of the enemy were
sunk or sent drifting harmlessly down the stream." To the east of
Mezy also, four American platoons did incredible things in defence of
the Paris-Nancy railway. "They were not going to yield that track
alive--that was the simple fact." And their losses were appalling. In
the second platoon of the four engaged, all were killed except three
who were wounded, and half of the third were down before they had
driven the enemy from the embankment. The American graves lie all on
the south side of the line--the German on the north. "We actually took
over four hundred prisoners between the railroad and the river--the
6th German Grenadier Regiment was annihilated...." And the Germans
never reached the Surmelin valley, or that Montmirail road on which
they had set their hearts. "The deciding factor," says Colonel Palmer,
"was the unflinching courage of our men, and their aggressive spirit."
And the action, small as were the numbers engaged, could not have been
bettered. "It is a military classic."

Over this hard-fought ground, consecrated by the graves of men who had
thus bravely--thus gaily--laid down their lives for a cause of which
they had no doubt, we ran on to Chateau Thierry, and that