The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-10
CITY OF BAP PAUME HAS BEEN CENTER
 OF MANY BATTLES
Town Now Objective of AL lies Is Historic Scene of
 Fights in Other Wars

Paris, November o.-(Correspondence Of the Associated Press.)-The allies are creeping closer to Bapaume every day and bringing nearer the eventuality of another great battle there where French heroes of nearly all the ages have fought The town has seen almost as much war as Peronne.
 General Faidherbe gained there Jan uary 8, 1871, one of the few French vic tories of the Franco-Prussan war, de feating General Won Goemen.
 The possession of the town had previ- ously been disputed a half dozen times, besieged two or three. and sacked once. Louis XI besieged it, took it, and de- stroyed it. Charles Quint restored it. Francois I besieged 1t and took it. It fell later into the hands of the Span iards, from whom it was taken and made French by de la Meilleraye, marshal of France, in 1645, with the aid of the musk eteers of d'Artagnan and the Gascony ca dets of Cyrano de Bergerac.
 ! For the Germanic coalition today nas for the Prussians in 1870 and the Span- iards in 1641, Bapaume is a position of vital importance; it marks the limit of the last ridge of the Artois hills to which an army pressed from the south and west can cling; after Bapaume come the plains of Flanders with Cambrai, Valenciennes and Douai in plain sight. Bapaume taken, Peronne becomes untenable and Saint Quentin an unsafe shelter for the Ger man staff
 ~ -foiY safA tha value of the position no less than did Charles Quint and the Spaniards, and they have organized it accordingly, but the French 16-inch mortars are now all most within range of the town.
 It was at critical period of the 30 years war that Bapaume became French. Nj. de la Milleraye had probably more to do with it's conquest than either d Art agnan or Cyrano, but there was less TO- nance in his. role.
 De la Meilleraye had taken Arras, after the famous siege, then turned to Ba- paume, called 'the key to Flanders" There are many analogies between his campaign and that of the allies toady. Today, as then, the people are finding the war '1ong'' Then, as today, parlor military critics picked out the flaws in the plans and complained of slowness and lack of energy in executing them. The army of the Hapsburgs had dug itself in around Bapaume as the Germans are dug in there today.
 Then, as now, mettlesome soldiers of France chafed in the trenches. Like the poilus of 1916, they widowed in mud when in the open and waded waist deep when underground. Marshal de la Meilleraye was then, as have been generals in the present war, criticized for dilatory tac- L l-,, %r.A. had begun to fade; he saw the shadow of disgrace falling upon him. Card- nal Richeleu, impatient and imperious, insisted upon greater activity and en- ergy. Then, as today, the reply was more cannon, more ammunition;" Rich elieu sent more cannon, more ammuni- tion, with an order to attack.
 De la Meilleraye assembled his lieuten- ant generals, de Lorgueil and Harcourt, in council of war to decide whether they should risk the assault.
 q know in the regiment of the guard" said M. de Lorgueil, "a most capable officer and a man of spirit and resources. He came to me lately, returning from duty, and told me something that im- pressed me. Call him in, marshal; he will repeat better than I what he observed."'
 The officer of cadets came in, and with the accent of Armagnac told him he had noticed portion of the town wall at the suburb of Saint Pierre that was not so well defended as the rest. "Simu- late an attack in force upon another part of the ramparts," he said. and give me company of my comrades from Cas- cony; I promise you I'll get into the place." st
 Well, sir" said the marshal, T will send your commission to be signed. but you shall answer for the success of this audacious venture with your head" The following day, January IS, 1645 Ba- paume was taken by assault, and the officer who planned and organized the attack and led it to success earned there one of his titles to the baton of mar shal himself It was d dArtagnan. Historians are conflicting in dates and ] many details as, to the taking Of Ba- paume. Some place it in 1641, others in 1 1645, which is more probable In the lat ter case Cyrano de Bergerac could not 1 have participated with his cadets in the final assault He had been wounded at Arras by sword thrust in the throat that had sent him back to Paris an in 1 valid for the rest of his days. D'Artag- nan, though. was there undoubtedly. and it is certain that he played an important role in the victory. |