Show T like Ih I 1 I I The at Bapaume 1 Where d' d dArtagnan Artagnan f fI I I 1 I II t p t n c I I 1 rhal I I 1 Won His 0 Marshals Marshal's Baton Yeary Agone I I i 03 Ck I M Y 1 i It I PARIS Dee Dec 9 The D.-The The allies are arc creeping closer to Bap Bapaume clY every I Iday Iday day ay and nd bringing nearer the tho eventuality eventual eventual- I it ity of another great battle there thero where French Frenchu heroes of nearly all the ages have ha fought The fhe town has seen almost as much war wor as Peronne General Fa Faidherbe gained there January 3 1871 one of the few French victories of the Franco I sian sinn war defeating General von Goeben The possession of the town h had d previously been heen disputed a half dozen ozen times besieged two or three and sacked once e. e. e Louis Loui XI besieged it took it and destroyed it Charles Quint restored it Francis I besieged it and took it It fell later into tho hands of the Spaniards from whom it wa was taken and made French by byell dc ell la l marshal of France in 1615 with the aid of flue he musketeers of d' d dArtagnan the Gascony cadets of or Cyrano de le Berg Bergerac For the Germanic coalition today as for the Prussians in 1870 and the 1 j Spaniards in 1041 1641 Bapaume is a position I j tion of vital ital importance import it marks markh the i limit of the last ri ridge ge of the Artois hills to which an nn ami army pressed from II the south and w west st can cling ding after Bapaume come the pIn plains ins of Flanders I with Cambrai Valenciennes and I Douai in plain pl Sight ight Bapaume taken I Peronne becomes untenable nn and Saint r t. t Quen Quentin n nn an n nn unsafe shelter for the Gorman German staff stuff I The Tho Germans certainly appreciate the tho valor ahw of the no ler- ler let s than I did harks Charles Quint and ho illy I Spaniards and they have hae organized it according J ly but the French inch 16 mortars 1 t are nrc now almost within range of the town I It was at a critical critic period perio of the I Thirty Years Years' war that Bapaume became became became be be- came French M. M de la l had probably to do with its more conquest conquest conquest con con- quest than either dArtagnan Artagnan or Cyrano but lint there was wa less romance in his role De In la l e had Arras after the famous siege then turned to Bapaume called the key to Flanders There are many analogies between his campaign and that of the allies today Toda Today as then the people peo peo- pIc are arc finding the thc war war long Then peo-I peo as today y parlor military critics picked I out the flaws in the plans and complained com com- of slowness and lack of or energy energy energy en en- ergy in executing them The army of the had du dug in around Bapaume as the thc Germans are dug lug in there today todar Then as ns now mettlesome soldiers of France chafed in the trenches I Like the of 1916 they wallowed 1 in mud when whon in the tire open and wn waded ed waist deep when underground Mar Mar- Marshal I de dc la In was then as have been generals general's in m the present war I criticized for dilatory tactics and c his s laurels gained mined at Arras had bad begun b to fade h he saw the shadow of dis disgrace race falling upon him Cardinal Riche fiche lieu impatient and aUel impel imperious on insisted upon greater act activity t and and ener energy Then as today the reply bra was s rc more more c. c cannon more ammunition Riche fiche lieu hen sent gent more cannon more ammunition ammunition ammu ammu- with an or order er to attack Dc c la In c assembled his lieutenant lieu hen tenant generals d do de Lor r and liar liar- court in a council of war to decide whether they j should ul risk rise the assault Sa to I know in the regiment of the t guard said M. M r. r de do a a 3 mo most t to CIle tat capable off officer and a ti man of spirit tha thaI and r resources He Ire came to me toe lately late late- 1 at t 0 OS h l ly 13 r returning from duty and told me the rj i som something thing that impressed essed me Call r f 3 r him bim 1 in inter in marshal he w tit will ill ll repeat bet- bet I ter than I what he All observed tr I al JI j s The officer of cadets came in jn and Imd q fI with the tho accent of Armagnac told how ho 1 t y he had noticed a portion of the town toW 1 J wall Hall at the suburb of Saint Pierre Pierre lre that was not so well defended as ns the J rest Simulate an attack ck in for force foree e h G I II upon another tl lor part of the ramparts rampart t I as tl tJ I he said and give ic me the a company or of n I my y comrades from Gascony Gascony-f I Pr prowl prom 01 ise use Ise you Ou Ill I'll nto tho place ploce tion hoes hoesT 11 Well T sir t said the marshal marsha I ri or I t Well Sir tl is n 11 will sen send your commission to be f eny ns signed but you JOU shall shaH answer for the be 1 j jI I success of this audacious venture with nl ban I your heads laine hine The following day a January p 13 k 1615 Bapaume au was as taken token by assault e 1 i and tl the tiro officer who planned alit and organized organized or- or r red the attack and aud led it to sue sue- II l i d 01 orr Olt cess earned earned there one oue of his tit to f mil t tf b the baton hnton of marshal himself It sas 5 Art Artagnan d rry ry His Historians are firc conflicting in inflates later ti an f tor torand of and many details as to the taking 0 r rInal ai BaP Bapaume 4 Some place it in 11 l I 1 li M others in 15 10 which is more probable bible 0 to In CF C c. c w her the latter case ang do tl could ld d with l m con not have hae participated lj en n i cadets cadet in the fm final l assault Ift ba bad a j ma 1 been wounded at t Arras b by V a s sn wor or ln thrust t in n t the he throat that that had sent n IJ him bin bock bacik to Paris an invalid for t the tuc tC to tor r rest of his ills days lays U lt tag gnan tJ though lI li eli t b and null it Jt J is Ter- Ter Th was S there thero undoubtedly c taro tain mn that t 1 he e played pla cd an un important rr ro role in In tho the victory ictor ola of r |