The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-02-26

with this army of the allies" as 1t was called. Opposed to these were 50,000 French troops, poorly equipped, un- trained unused to war, many of them adventurers, doubtful as toNthe even tual success of the republic, ready 10 desert and join the more popular party.
 Damouriez had succeeded LaFayetto as commander in -chief. He was To- cated near Lille His second army, To- cated near Verdun, was commanded by Kellerman. The allies swooped down upon the three main defensive points, Lille, Longwyn and Verdun. These fell at almost the first sound of guns. The road to Paris was open. However, Damouriez ordered Kellerman to join him in the Argonne forest. The Prus- sians and their allies did not consider it good generalship to leave an uncon- quered army behind them to threaten their line of supplies. Hence, before the march to Paris was begun the Duke of Brunswick. their commander. decided to turn and crush the French army But here I will quote the exact language of Greasy:
 '"rhe French fortresses had fallen but nature herself still offered to the brave and vigorous defenders of the land the means of opposing a barrier to the progress of the allies. A ridge of broken ground, called the Argonne. extends from the vicinity, of Sedan to- ward the southwest for about 15 or 16 leagues. The country of EArgonne is now cleared and drained. but in 1792 it was thickly wooded and the lower portions of it's unusual surface were filled with rivulets and marshes. It thus presented natural barrier from four to five leagues broad which was absolutely impenetrable to an army, |. 11f.I ferior force might easily fortify and defend"
 I shall not occupy space further in a description of the battle except to say that although Kellerman and Da- mouriez were unable to make june ture of their froces until the second day of the battle and although the brunt of the battle was borne by Kel- lerman's forces of less than 30000 men, yet such was the nature of the ground and such the advantage of position that this small force defeated the con- quering legions of the Huns and sent them back across the Rhine in confus- ion.
 The poet Goethe was present and at the close of the battle uttered this prophetic sentences: From this place and from this day forth commences a new era in the worlds history, and you
 
 it's birth'
 Yet this Is the land which was held by the Germans, not merely a few days. but for four years; also fortified with all their cunning and efficiency, regardless of expense. because they knew it was the key to their occu- pancy of Belgium and northern France
 It is well known that the American high command had planned for a cam paign in 1919; that tfre war department was bending it's energies toward the collection of an air tank and artillery force adequate to support the infantry It is also well known that the crucial moment in this great military cam paign came much earlier than was ex- pected or hoped for, but the fact re- mains that the Argonne forest was captured by the American troops in a short, quick campaign, even though they may have been, to certain ex- tent, unprepared. American troops ac- complished what the Prussians could not accomplish at the battle of Valmy. The French troops at the battle of