The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-08-07
Battle Ground OF Centuries.

When, in the summer of 1914, the
German generals and statesmen as
sured their imperial master that the
French were a thoroughly decadent
people, they ignored the fact that
nation which had fought in most of
tn great wars of the world for twenty
centuries could not lose all its martial
virtues in fifty years. The decay Of
Rome was much longer process, and
Rome's four or five centuries of
hardening by strife were a COMPARE
lively short period beside the two
thousand years throughout which
northeastern France has been the
cockpit of Europe
When one glances over the record
OF those centuries, it is not difficult to
realize why the French peasant is,
perhaps, the most wonderful soldier
in the world. Descendant Of the
Gaul, he springs from a soil that has
been bathed in blood oftener and
longer than any other region that has
a history. To the American soldier
who knows his European history,
there must be succession Of great
emotions in fighting on battleflelds
which had known a score Of great
wars before the discovery of America.
Northeastern France first came
prominently into history when julius
Caesar entered it as governor Of Gaul
in So 8. C. In 81, he received the sub
mission of the Remi, the people Of
Rheims, and a great host was sent
against him by the Suessoines (Sois-
sons), Arras, Amiens, and other places
on the present battle line. He beat
the formidable Belgae on the Aisne,
near Berry-au-Bac, and later took
scissors.
Thenceforward this territory was
to be the worlds greatest battle
ties of the world fought during the
Christian era, five were fought here.
The nrst was the battle of Chalons-
sur-Marne, in 451, where the Visi-
goths,l under Theodore, and the Ro-
mans, under Aetius, defeated Attila
and his Hucs. thereby saving Europe
tosC Christianity. It was; incidentally,
the last victory Of imperial Rome.
Three centuries later, al Tours.
southwest of Paris, Charles Martel
Duke of the Austrasian Franks. de-
feated the Saracens under Adder
rahman Ibn Abdiillah, in 1872, again
preserving Christian civilization.
The next of chose signal deliver
ances which have affected for CEN
turies the happiness of mankind as
the historian Allison calls them, was
the raising of the siege of Orleans
by Joan Of Arc in 1929. Orleans is
between Tours and Paris. BY this
feat, says Greasy, the Maid of Or
leans rescued her country from be-
coming second Ireland under the
yoke of the triumphant English" III
is interesting to recall that later Joan
aided in the capture of Laon, Sols-
sons, Compiegne and Beauvals, and
was captured at Compiegne and I'M
prisoned at ArraS.
In 1892 there occurred. very near
the present battlefield, the Cannon
ade of Valmy, in which the raw Car
fnagnole levies and shattered regu-
lars of France saved the French Re-
public and began the series of victor
les which was stopped only in that
other great decisive battle. Waterloo
fought in June, 1915, near the city of
Brussels. Valmy is on the present
fighting line. between Rheims and the
Argonne Forest.
Is it not strange that two other de-
cisiye contests-tfe two that will Pc
haps be looked back upon as the
great military crises of this greatest
of all wars-should have been fought
in the identical region? They are the
first and second Marne. In 1914 and
again in 1918, the Hun has been
hurled back in defeat at almost the
very spot where his forerunner.
Attila, was stopped in 451.-Charles-
ton Post.