New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-14
One of the Greatest Struggles of the
War-German High Tide Before
Nancy-A Shell-Torn Field
of 10000 Dead
Bv FRANK H. SlMONDS,
Author of The Great War.

French army crosseu '"e
:.1nrraine and entered the Promised
- toward which all Frenchmen mad
,ooEcd in hope and sadness for forty-four
ears The long-forgotten conmuniques
:, ,hot carly period Of the war reported
.,s .fter success. until at last 1t was
.rrounced that the victorious French ar
=, had reached Sarrebourg and Nor
I.ro snd were astride the Strassburg-
VI, Railroad. And then Berlin took up
A.crv and France and the world learned
=. great German victory and of the de-
.st and rout of the invading army. Even
Paw. conceded that the retreat had begun,
and the "army Of liberation" was crowd
ing back beyond the frontier and far
!. within French territory.
Then the curtain Of the censorship fell'
and the world turned to the westward 10
watch the terrible battle for Paris. In the
,sonv and glory Of the Marine the strug-
81. along the Moselle was forgotten; the
Rattle Of Nancy, Of Lorraine, was fought
and won in the darkness, and when the
safety Of Paris was assured the world
looked toward the Aisne, and then toward
FLANDERS. So il came about that one OF
the greatest battles Of the whole war, one
Of the most important of the French VIC
tor;es the success that made the Marine
possible. the rally and stand Of the French
armies about Nancy, escaped the fame 1t
earned. Only in legend, in the romance
Of the Kaiser with his cavalry waiting on
the hills to enter the Lorraine capital, did
the battle live.
A Mueh-Studied Battlefield.
. When went to France one Of the hopes
had cherished was that I might be per-
mitted to visit this battlefield, TO see the
ground on which q great battle had been
fought that was still unknown country,
in the main. for those who have written
on the war. The Lorraine field was the
field on which France and Germany had
MANNED for a generation to fight Had
, the Germans respected the neutrality Of
Belgium. it is by Nancy, by the gap be-
tween the Vosges and the hills OF the
Neuse. that they must have broken into
France. The Marine was battlefield
which was reached by chance and fought
over by hazard, but every foot Of the Lor-
rsine country had been studied for the
fight long years in advance. Here war
followed the natural course, followed the
plans Of the General Staff prepared years
in advance. Indeed, | had treasured over
Years plan of the Battle Of Nancy, con-
tanned in q French book written years ago,
which might serve as the basis for his
tory Of what happened, as it was written
ass prophecy of what was to come.
When the Great General Staff was
pleased TO grant my request to see the
battlefield Of Nancy ! was advised to
travel by train to that town, accompanied
By an officer from the General Staff, and
informed that / should there meet an Of
fcer Of the garrison, who would conduct
me to all the points of interest and explain
in detail the various phases of the conflict.
Thus it fell out, and have to thank Com
mandant Leroux for the courtesy and con-
sideration which made this excursion sue
cessful
The Old and the New Lines.
In peace time one goes from Paris TO
Nancy in five hours, and the distance is
about that from New York to Boston, by
Springfield. In war all is different, and
the time almost doubled. Yet there are
compensations. Think Of the New York
Boston trip as bringing you beyond New
Haven TO the exact rear of battle, of battle
but fifteen miles away, with the guns
booming in the distance and the aeroplanes
and balloons in full view. Think also OF
TINS same trip. which from Hartford to
Worcester follows the line Of a battle not
yet two years DID, battle that has left
us traces in ruined villages, in shattered
hogses On either side of the railroad
rack the graves descend 10 meet the en-
oankments; you can mark the advance and
we retreat by the crosses which fill the
"loS. The gardens that touch the rail-
'oad and extend to the rear Of houses in
We little towns are filled with graves.
Zach enclosure has been fought for at the
POINT Of the bayonet, and every garden
vail recalls the Chateau of Hougomont,
" Waterloo
All this was two years ago, but there is
~day also. East of Barbecue the
~sin line is cut by German shell fire now.
from Fort Camp des Romans above st.
~inlel German guns sweep the railroad
near Commercy, and one has to turn south
va long detour, as if one went to Boston
y fltchburg, travel south through the
"uhtry Of Jeanne dare and return by
'Ol' whose forts look out upon the in
'Oed land. Thus one comes TO Nancy
v night, and only by night, for twenty
olues beyond there are Germans and a