03 - In the Field. In the Field (1914-1915) by Marcel Dupont.

03 - In the Field. In the Field (1914-1915) by Marcel Dupont.  
I have merely tried to make a written record of some of the hours I have lived through during the course of this war. A modest Lieutenant of Chasseurs, I cannot claim to form any opinion as to the operations which have been carried out for the last nine months on an immense front. I only speak of things I have seen with my own eyes, in the little corner of the battlefield occupied by my regiment. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter three of In the Field nineteen fourteen nineteen fifteen.
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by f n H. In
the Field nineteen fourteen, nineteen fifteen by Marcel du Pont,

(00:25):
Chapter three, Chapter three reconnoitering Corgivolt. September fifth, The Provisional Brigade,
which had just been formed with our regiment and the
Chassese di Afriki African like cavalry, was paraded at dawn
by our colonel, who had just taken command of it.
The United regiments had been formed up under the cover
of a line of ridges on the summit of which

(00:47):
watchful scouts stood out against the sky looking north. The
sun was already shining on the motley picture formed by
the light uniforms of the dismounted troopers and the motionless
rows of horses. They were all half as slip still.
The colonel had drawn up the offices of the brigade
in front of the squadrons. He held a paper in
his hand and read it to us in a resonant voice.

(01:09):
Full of unfamiliar vibrations. On hearing the first few sentences,
we drew closer around him, as by instinct we could
not believe our ears. It was the first time we
had heard anything like it since the outbreak of the war.
When he had finished, we were all amazed. Had we
not been told the day before, when together with the corpse,

(01:29):
we crossed the Grand Morin, closely pressed by the enemy's
advance guard, Had we not been told that we were
going to retire to the Seine? And now, in a
few noble, simple words, the commander in chief told us
that the trials of that hideous retreat were over, and
that the day had come to take the offensive. He
asked us all to do our duty to the death,
and promised us victory. We returned to our squadrons in

(01:52):
animated groups. Our delight was quickly communicated to the troops,
who understood at once. The men exchanged jests and pre
promises of fabulous exploits. They had already forgotten the fatigues
of the fortnight's retreat. What did they care if their
horses could hardly carry them further, and if many of
them would be incapable of galloping? What did it matter.

(02:13):
My fellow officers and I were already making wonderful plans.
Those of day, who had just finished his course of
instruction as lieutenant saw more with honors, comprised vast movements
of complicated strategy. They culminated in a prodigious but inevitable
envelopment of the German armies. D f more prosaic than

(02:33):
the other dreamt of Pantagrulian repast liberally furnished with rhine wines. Oh,
a sub lieutenant, also fresh from the military college, which
he had left with a number one mind, you seemed
like a young cult broken loose. His delight knew no bounds.
As for our captain, Captain de la n our kind
and sympathetic chief, he was transfigured. The horrors of the

(02:57):
retreat had affected him painfully, but the few lines that
have been read to us had sufficed to restore all
of his joyous ARDA captain the colonel wants an officer, hurrah,
it was my turn for duty. Just a few words
of congratulation, some hands stretched out to me, and I went,
leaving a general feeling of envy behind me. Here was

(03:19):
I in the presence of the Colonel who with a
map in his hand and surrounded by the superior officers,
explained in a few short sentences what he required of me.
Take the direction of Corgivolt, reconnoiter and find out whether
the village is occupied. You will report to me on
the road which leads straight from here to the village.
The brigade will follow in an hour by the same road.

(03:41):
I am sending two other parties towards such and such villages,
and a few minutes afterwards I was on the road
to Corgivolt. I chose from my troop a corporal and
four reliable fellows, who had already given good account of
themselves in advance. I send Vercherin as scout, well mounted
on his horse Cabri, whose powerful haunches stood out above

(04:02):
the tall oats. I had full confidence in his vigilance
and shrewdness. I knew his clear blue eyes, and that
if there were anything to be seen, he would see
it better than any one else. I knew also that
I should have no need to spur his zeal. On
either side of me, Corporal Madeline Finney, a sapper Lamtree,
and my faithful orderly what lot rode along in silence

(04:24):
in extended order, at a considerable distance from one another.
We had learned by experience since the beginning of the campaign.
We were on our guard now against Prussian bullets. We
knew what ravages they made directly. Our troopers were impudent
enough to cluster together. Thus we ran fewer chances of
being taken by surprise. The weather was splendid. How delightful,

(04:46):
thought I would it have been to walk over the
fields on a morning like this with a gun under
my arm, behind a good dog, in quest of partridges
or a hare. But I had other game in view,
no doubt more dangerous, but how much more exciting. The
air was wonderfully clear, without the least trace of mist.
The smallest detail of hedge and ditch could easily be distinguished.

(05:09):
Our lungs breathed freely. We foresaw that the heat would
be oppressive in a few hours time. But the fresh
air of the night still lingered, and bright pearls of
dew still lay on the lacern and stubble. What a
joy to be alive in such delicious surroundings, with the
hope of victory in one's heart. I fancy that those
who have not been in the war, will not be

(05:30):
able to understand me, for I have not the skill
to explain clearly what I feel by means of written words.
A more practice pen than mine is needed for such
a task, a mind more accustomed to analyze feelings. I
seem to have within me the inspiration of a strange
power that makes me light as air and inclined to
talk aloud to myself. And if I wanted to speak,

(05:52):
I certainly should not find the words I wanted. Perhaps
it is that I simply want to shout, to cry
Hurrah again and again. It must be that, for I
find myself clenching my teeth instinctively to prevent myself from
giving way to such an untimely outburst. Nevertheless, it would
be a relief to be able to shout at the
top of my voice and sing hymns of glory confronting

(06:15):
the enemy. I should like to hear the whole army
following my example behind me, to hear all the bands
and all the trumpets accompanying our advance, with those matchless
war songs that thrill the soul and bring tears to
the eyes. Here I was, on the contrary, in conditions
of absolute calm, of the most impressive silence conceivable until

(06:36):
that day. The country, at that hour of the day
had echoed with the innumerable noises made by an army
in retreat. Thousands of cannon limbers and convoys have been
passing all along the roads and all practical byways, monotonously
and ceaselessly. Often too, the first shots exchanged by the
cavery scouts of both the hostile armies could be heard.

(06:58):
We heard nothing that day in front, nothing stirred. The
country seemed deserted, the fields forsaken. Not a living creature
showed itself. Behind us, too, there was complete silence. But
I knew that an entire army was there waiting for
us to send information before advancing to the fight. That

(07:18):
information would direct its blows. I knew my brigade was
behind that rise in the ground, and that all officers
and troopers alike were impatient to rush upon my tracks
to the attack. I knew that behind them, lying by
sections in the plow lands, thousands and thousands of infantrymen
had their eyes fixed in the direction I was taking,

(07:39):
and that hundreds and hundreds of the guns were ready
to pour out death. But that disciplined. Multitude was silent,
and as it were holding its breath, waiting for the
order that was to hurl it forward, I felt in
excellent spirits. It was upon me, and upon a few comrades,
that the confidence of so many soldiers rested. It was

(08:00):
to be by our directions that the regiments were to
rush forward, some here, some there, carrying death and receiving
death with for the first time the certainty of conquering,
since for the first time the commander in chief had
said that conquer they must, and not for an instant
had I any fear of not being equal to my task.

(08:21):
On the contrary, it seemed to me that I had
been destined from all eternity to command this first offensive
reconnaissance of the campaign in France. I felt my men's
hearts beating close to mine, and in unison with mine.
I had consulted my map before breaking into a trot,
and had noticed that the road leading to Courgivault passed
through two woods, not very deep, but of considerable extent.

(08:45):
I soon came in sight of one of them, at
about five hundred yards distance, below a ridge which we
had just passed. I called out to verture and who
had begun to Spury's horse towards the wood to stop.
I knew that numbers of our men had fallen by
having acted in this way. Away we have at maneuvers
when the enemy are our comrades with white badges on

(09:06):
their caps, and when harmless blank cartridges are used instead
of bullets. We had very soon learned from the Germans
themselves the way to reconniter a wood or a village,
and also how they must be held. How much more
dashing it would have been more, in the light cavalry
style to ride full gallop, brandishing my sword with my
five little chasseurs, into the nearest copse. But I knew

(09:28):
then that if it were occupied by the enemy, their
men would be lying down one with the soil, using
the trees and bushes as cover till the last moment.
Then not one of us would have come out alive.
We were reduced to employing against them their own tactics
of mounted infantry. The good old times of the hussar
charges are past gone. Together with plumes, pelisses waving in

(09:53):
the wind, Hungarian braiding and sabotages, it would be senseless
to continue to be a horseman in order to fight
men who were no longer cavalmen and do not wish
to be so, we would fight at a disadvantage, and
since the opening of the campaign, too many brave soldiers
had paid with their lives for the delight in epic
fights a la LaSalle. I searched the edge of the

(10:16):
wood carefully with my field glasses before entering it. I
wanted to be quite sure whether any movement could be discovered,
whether any of the brushwood showed signs of being drawn
aside by sharpshooters too eager for a shot. My men
were on the watch, crouching in attitudes that would have
pleased Neuville, their carbines ready, looking with all their eyes

(10:36):
and listening with all their ears. Nothing. I called Vertuin
with a low whistle. The silence was such that he
heard it. He understood the sign I made him, and
holding his carbine high, he went slowly towards the wood
and got into it quickly by the road. My heart
beat for a moment when I saw my scout getting
near the thick boarder line of trees, But now I

(10:59):
breathed again. We went in after him, each one by
a different opening, and we passed through it as quickly
as the horse's legs and the difficulties of the ground
would allow. On arriving at the further side, I was
glad to see my four companions emerging almost at the
same moment from the thick woody tangle. I could see
their grave and confident faces turned towards me. On the

(11:21):
ridge in front of us, near a solitary tree, stood
Verture in, clear against the sky and motionless. We had
soon rejoined him, and from this height we saw on
the next hill the second wood, which hid the village
of Corgivolt from our view, about a kilometer further off.
I feared very much that this second barrier might be
used by the enemy as a formidable line of defense,

(11:44):
and on that account I ordered the approach to be
made with still greater precautions than before. But as in
the first case, we found it empty and passed through
without let or hindrance. I expected to see Corgivold at once,
but arising the ground hid it still. I took advantage
of this natural cover for getting my men forward without

(12:04):
risking a shot. Then still preceded by verturein we debouched
on the plateau on which the village stood. Those who
have found themselves in a similar situation know by experience
the sudden emotion that is felt when one sees a
few hundred yards off the objective of one's mission, the
decisive point one has to reach, cost what it may,

(12:25):
the point where one is almost sure to find the
enemy in hiding, where one has a suspicion that he
sees one is watching one silently, following all one's movements,
and only waiting for the opportunity of picking one off
by an unerring shot. I stopped my men for a moment.
Surrounded by green meadows and stubble fields dotted with apple trees,

(12:47):
lay the gray outskirts of the village. It was a
very ordinary collection of houses, some of them big farms,
others humble cottages. The tiled roofs formed a reddish mass,
and above them rose the squat church tower. With my
glasses I could distinguish the clock dial and could see
the time a quarter past six. But this clock seemed

(13:08):
to be the only thing in the village with any
life in it. I looked in vain into the gardens
and orchards, which formed a belt of flowers and foliage.
For signs of the peaceful animation of country life. And
yet it was the time of day when one usually
sees housewives coming out of the cow sheds, with their
sleeves tucked up and their feet in clogs, carrying pails
full of fresh milk, the time when heavy carts and

(13:31):
reaping machines lumber slowly along the brown roads on their
way to their day's work. Was it the war that
had driven away all these poor village folk, or was
it the rough fist of the teuton that kept them prisoners,
locked up in their cellars and threatened with revolvers. And
yet from where I stood, nothing could lead me to
suppose that the village was occupied by the enemy. I

(13:53):
could not distinguish any work of defense. There did not
seem to be any barricade protecting the entrance. No sentinel
was visible at the corners of the stacks or under
the trees. To the south of the village, pointing in
our direction, the imposing bulk of a large farm protruded
like the prow of a ship. It seemed to form
an advanced bastion of a fortress, represented by corgifault. Its

(14:17):
walls were high and white at the end, a strong
round tower was planted roofed with slates, and this enhanced
the likeness to a miniature donjon. The road we had followed,
winding between the fields, passed so far as we could judge,
in front of its principal entrance. Opposite this entrance, there
was apparently another road at right angles to the first,

(14:38):
its direction marked by a line of trees which bordered it.
Along this road, separated by short intervals, a dozen big stacks,
had the appearance of a threatening line of battle facing
us so as to bar our approach to the village.
All these things were steeped in the same atmosphere of silence,
which certainly had a more tragic effect than the din

(14:59):
of battle. I was impressed with the idea that the
two armies had withdrawn in opposite directions, and that we
were left behind forgotten, at a hundred kilometers distance from
both of them. But we had come to the point
at a sign from me Vertuin, reached the first tree
of a long row of poplarce. The row started from
the farm and bordered the road we were following up

(15:20):
to about a hundred yards from the outer wall. By
slipping along from one tree to another he would be
able to get near in comparative safety. Suddenly I saw
him stop quickly and, standing up in the stirrups, look
straight ahead towards the stacks. There was no need for
him to make any sign to me. I understood that
he saw something, and I galloped up to him at once.

(15:42):
He was as calm as usual, only his blue eyes
were a little more dilated, and he spoke more rapidly
with an ax and I had not heard before. On Lieutenant,
there behind that stack, it seemed to me I thought
I saw a head rise above the grass. I looked
in the direction he pointed to with his carbine, which
he held at arm's length. I saw nothing but the

(16:04):
silent and peaceful village. I had the same impression of
a hateful, depressing void, and strange, to say, our two horses,
whose reins had been hanging loose about their necks, appeared
to be suddenly seized with a simultaneous terror, and both
at once turned right around. I managed to bring mine
back by applying the spur, and while Virtuerin, who was
carried further, came back slowly, I used my glasses again

(16:27):
to make a closer inspection of all points of the village. Then,
at the very moment that I was putting the glasses
to my eyes, I saw, at less than a hundred
yards distance, a whole line of sharp shooters, dressed in gray,
rise quickly in front of me. For one short moment,
a terrible pang shot through us. How many were there,
perhaps three hundred, and almost at the same time a

(16:50):
formidable volley of rifle shots rang out. They had been
watching us for a long time, lying in the grass
that lined the road leading to the farm, or else
behind the stacks. With the admirable discipline which makes them
so formidable, they had carried out their orders. Not one
of them had shown himself. The Hartman captain alone, no doubt,
put up his head from time to time in order

(17:11):
to judge the favorable moment for ordering them to fire.
It was he, no doubt, very fortunately for us, who
had been perceived by Vertuine just for one moment. If
it had not been for the prudence which we had
gained by experience, not one of us would have escaped. Fortunately,
every one of my men had kept the place exactly
that I had assigned him. Not one of them flinched

(17:33):
under the storm, and yet heaven knows what sinnus to music.
The bullets played around our ears. We had to be off.
I made a sign, which was quickly understood. We all
turned and galloped off towards the little depression we had
emerged from just before. The bullets accompanied us with their
hateful hissing, which made us duck our heads instinctively, but

(17:53):
inwardly I rejoiced at their eagerness to lay us low,
for in their hurry they aimed badly. We had almost
reached Stare shelter when I suddenly saw to the right
of me Ramire lemon Tree's horse fall like a log.
As I was trying to stop my mare, who had
showed an immoderate desire to put herself out of danger,
I saw both horse and rider struggling for a moment

(18:13):
on the ground, forming a confused mixture of hoofs in
the air and waving arms. Then Ramire got up and
set off alone, neighing sadly and with a limping trot
that did not look very promising. But Lemontree was already
on his legs, putting his crush shacko straight on his head.
A bit stunned, he seemed to collect his ideas for
an instant, and then I saw his good natured, ruddy

(18:35):
face turn towards me. It lit up with a broad
grin any damage, old fellow, I asked, nothing, broken, sir,
hurry up then, and there was Lemon Tree striding along
with his short legs and heavy boots, jumping ditches and banks,
with a nimbleness of which I declare I should not
have thought him capable. It is curious to note the

(18:56):
agility the report of a rifle volley lends to the
legs of a dismounted trooper. Lemon Tree came into the
shelter in the valley as soon as I did, and
almost at the same time Finnay the sapper, brought in
his old road companion, Raymer, which he had been able
to catch. It was painful to see the poor animal.
His lameness had already become more marked. He could only

(19:17):
get along with great difficulty, and his eyes showed he
was in pain. I glanced hurriedly at the spot where
the bullet had struck him. The small hole could hardly
be seen against the brown skin, just at the point
of the left buttock. Just wait here for us. I
shall be back in a moment, I wanted to see
if to the east of the village I could note
anything interesting, and I turned round towards my other troopers,

(19:39):
whose horses were panting behind us. I was horrified to
see Corporal Madeline's face streaming with blood. It is nothing, sir,
It passed in front of my nose. He wiped his
face with the back of his hand. It had indeed
been grazed by a bullet one half inch more and
the good fellow's nose would have been carried off. Fortunately
the skin was hardly broken. Madeline went on, it's nothing

(20:03):
but my mare. He had dismounted, and with a look
of distress, showed me his horse's blood stained thigh. Attraction
was the name of his pretty and delicate little gray mare,
which he loved and cared for passionately. A bullet had
pierced her right thigh through and the blood had flowed
down her leg. I calmed him by saying, come, come,
it will be nothing. Go on foot behind that wood

(20:26):
and get quietly under the cover with lemetry. I will
soon come and join you. And I went off with
virture in Finney, and what a lot. I tried to
get round to the right of Corgivault, but now that
the first shots had been fired, we were not allowed
to come nearer. As soon as we approached, a violent
fusillade burst from the outskirts of the village, which forced

(20:47):
us to beat a rapid retreat. There was no longer
any doubt about it. Corgivault was occupied, and occupied in strength.
Under the shelter of a bank. I quickly dismounted, and
what a Lot took my horse's bridle, while I knelt
on one knee and with the other wrote my report
for the Colonel. Vertue and Finney, at an interval of
one hundred yards, kept a good look out on the

(21:08):
ridge for the enemy's movements. I handed my message to Whattlock,
take this to the colonel and quickly I'll wait here
for the brigade. I then rode slowly to the corner
of the wood where Madeline and Lemontry were posted, whilst
what Lot went off at a trot across the stubble.
But a sad sight was awaiting me. Lemontree was standing

(21:29):
in grief over poor Ramir, lying inert on the ground
and struggling feebly with death. His eyes were already dull,
and his legs convulsed every now and then. He shuddered violently.
I looked at Lemontry, who felt as if he were
losing his best friend. And indeed, is not our horse,
our best friend when we are campaigning, the friend that
serves us to the very last, that saves us time

(21:52):
and again from death, and carries us until he can
carry us no longer. I dismounted and threw the reins
to Lemontree, My good fellow, it is a fine end
for your Ramir. He might, like so many others, have
died worn out with work or suffering under some hedgerow.
He has a soldier's death. All we can do is
to cut short his sufferings and send him quickly to

(22:13):
rejoin his many good comrades in the paradise of noble animals,
For they have their paradise. I am sure, But lemon
Tree hardly seemed convinced. He shook his head sadly and said, oh, on, Lieutenant,
I shall never be able to replace him, Such a
good animal, such a fine creature. He jumped so well,

(22:34):
and his coat was always so beautiful. He was so
sleek and so easy to keep. No I shall never
find another like him, Oh, yes you will. However, I
must confess my hand trembled as I drew my revolver.
One horse the less in a troop is somewhat the
same as one child the less in a family, And besides,

(22:57):
it means one trooper unmounted and the loss of a
sword in battle. Lemon Tree was right. Ramire was a
good old servant, one of the kind that never goes lame,
can feed on anything or on nothing, and never hurts anybody.
It was hard to put an end to him, but
since he was done for, I put the muzzle of

(23:18):
my revolver into his ear. I did not wish him
to feel the cold metal, but his whole body shuddered,
and his eye lighting up for a moment, seemed to
reproach me. Path A short, sharp report, and ramiir quivered
for a moment. Then his suffering ceased, and his stiffening
carcass added one more to the many that strewed the country.

(23:41):
Whilst Lemontree slung his heavy package on his shoulders and
went off to return to the regiment with Corporal Madeleine,
who was leading attraction, I went back over to my
observation post, not far from Finnay and Vertuin, silence and
gloom still hung over Corgivolt. Suddenly behind me, coming out
of the wood, I saw a cavalry troop in extended order,

(24:02):
riding in our direction. They were the Chasseurs de Afrique.
I recognized them by the large number of white horses,
which made light patches upon the dark green of the thicket.
And almost at the same moment, a dull report resounded
in the distance. A curious humming noise was heard above
our heads, and a shell fell and burst at the
foot of the stacks in the possession of the Prussian infantry.

(24:25):
It came from one of our batteries of seventy five
millimeter guns, which was already getting the range of Corgivault.
My message had reached the Colonel. The Battle of the
Marne had begun under a superbly clear sky, lit up
by the myriads of stars. The brigade, in a high
state of delight, crossed the battlefield on returning to camp.

(24:47):
Above our heads, the last shells sent by the enemy
were bursting in bouquets of fire. We paid no attention
to them. Meeting some battalions of infantry on their way
to reinforce the line. We were asked for news and
shouted corgivolt Monkeu taken lost, then retaken with the baynet
by the brave inventory of the M division. Enemy's regiments,

(25:08):
annihilated by our artillery, which has done magnificently. Little by little,
the firing had died away along the whole line. Fires
started by the shells lit up the battlefield on every side,
like torches set ablaze for our glory. All hearts were
filled with joy. It hovered over the blood stained country,

(25:30):
from which arose a kind of intoxication that took possession
of our souls. How splendid is the evening of a
first victory end of Chapter three. Recording by f n H.
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