“Within the area which faced the British before the advance commenced, right up to Laon, the chief feature of tactical importance is the fact that there are six rivers running across the direction of the advance, at all of which it was possible that the Germans might make resistance.  These rivers are, in order from the south, the Marne, Ourcq, Vesle, Aisne, Ailette and Oise.

“The Germans held the line of the Marne, which was crossed by our forces on September 9, as a purely rearguard operation.  Our passage of the Ourcq was not contested.  The Vesle was only lightly held, while resistance along the Aisne, both against the French and the British, has been and still is of a determined character.

“On Friday, September 11, but little opposition was met with along any part of our front, and the direction of the advance was, for the purpose of co-operating with our allies, turned slightly to the northeast.  The day was spent in rushing forward and gathering in various hostile detachments.  By nightfall our forces had reached a line north of the Ourcq, extending from Oulchy-le-Chateau to Longpont.

“On this day there was also a general advance of the French along their whole line, which ended in a substantial success, in one portion of the field Duke Albrecht of Wuerttemburg’s army being driven back across the Saulx, and elsewhere the whole of the artillery of a German corps being captured.  Several German colors also were taken.

“It was only on this day that the full extent of the victory gained by the Allies on September 8 [at the Marne] was appreciated by them, and the moral effect of this success has been enormous.  An order dated September 6 and 7, issued by the commander of the German Seventh Corps, was picked up.  It stated that the great object of the war was about to be attained, since the French were going to accept battle, and that upon the result of this battle would depend the issue of the war and the honor of the German armies.

“On Saturday, the 12th, the enemy were found to be occupying a very formidable position opposite us on the north of the line at Soissons.  Working from the west to the east, our Third Army Corps gained some high ground south of the Aisne overlooking the Aisne valley, to the east of Soissons.  Here a long-range artillery duel between our guns and those of the French on our left and the enemy’s artillery on the hills continued during the greater part of the day, and did not cease until nearly midnight.  The enemy had a very large number of heavy howitzers in well-concealed positions.

“At Braisne the First cavalry division met with considerable opposition from infantry and machine-guns holding the town and guarding the bridge.  With the aid of some of our infantry it gained possession of the town about midday, driving the enemy to the north.  Some hundred prisoners were captured around Braisne, where the Germans had thrown a large amount of field-gun ammunition into the river, where it was visible under two feet of water.