“The general position of our troops Sunday, September 6, was south of the River Marne, with the French forces in line on our right and left.  Practically there had been no change since Saturday, September 5, which marked the end of our army’s long retirement from the Belgian frontier through Northern France.

“On Friday, September 4, it became apparent that there was an alteration in the advance of almost the whole of the first German army.  That army since the battle near Mons on the 23d of August had been playing its part in a colossal strategic endeavor to create a Sedan for the Allies by out-flanking and enveloping the left of their whole line so as to encircle and drive both the British and French to the south.

THE CHANGE IN GERMAN STRATEGY

“There was now a change in its objective and it was observed that the German forces opposite the British were beginning to move in a southeasterly direction instead of continuing southwest on to the capital, leaving a strong rear guard along the line of the River Ourcq (which flows south of and joins the Marne at Lizy-sur-Ourcq) to keep off the French Sixth Army, which by then had been formed and was to the northwest of Paris.  They were evidently executing what amounted to a flank march diagonally across our front.

“Prepared to ignore the British as being driven out of the fight, they were initiating an effort to attack the left flank of the main French army, which stretched in a long curved line from our right toward the east, and so to carry out against it alone an envelopment which so far had failed against the combined forces of the Allies.

“On Saturday, the 5th, this movement on the part of the Germans was continued and large advance parties crossed the Marne southward at Trilport, Sammeron, La Ferte-sous-Jouarre and Chateau Thierry.  There was considerable fighting with the French Fifth Army on the French left, which fell back from its position south of the Marne toward the Seine.

“On Sunday large hostile forces crossed the Marne and pushed on through Coulommiers and past the British right, farther to the east.  They were attacked at night by the French Fifth, which captured three villages at the point of bayonets.

ALLIES TAKE THE OFFENSIVE

“On Monday, September 7, there was a general advance on the part of the Allies.  In this quarter of the field our forces, which had now been reinforced, pushed on in a northeasterly direction in co-operation with the advance of the French Fifth Army to the north and of the French Sixth Army to the eastward against the German rearguard along the River Ourcq.

“Possibly weakened by the detachment of troops to the eastern theater of operations and realizing that the action of the French Sixth Army against the line of Ourcq and the advance of the British placed their own flanking movement in considerable danger of being taken in the rear and on its flank, the Germans on this day commenced to retire toward the northeast.