Rheims and the Battles for its Possession Part 19

The Church of Vrigny, entirely in ruins, is on the right at the entrance to the village. _Pa.s.s the Town Hall, leaving a public washing-place on the left, then turn to the right._

_On leaving the village, take G.C. 26 on the left to the village of_ =Gueux=.

[Ill.u.s.tration: RUINS OF THE CHURCH AT VRIGNY]

[Ill.u.s.tration: RUINS OF THE CHURCH OF GUEUX IN 1918]

=Gueux=

(_See pp. 131-132 and Itinerary, p. 122._)

Gueux is a small old-world village, with ancient houses, castle and church.

At the entrance to the village, a large square with trees, cut to pieces and devastated by the bombardment.

_From the square, go to the_ =Church= _on the right_, now a heap of ruins. Seen through the trees from the square it forms a pitiful sight.

In the chapel, on the left of the main entrance, there was a fine piece of Renaissance carving.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GUEUX CHURCH IN 1917 _Cardinal Lucon coming out of the Church (see above.)_]

It was to Gueux that the Archbishop of Rheims, Mgr. Lucon, betook himself after the bombardments of April, 1917. The village cemetery contains many soldiers' graves. The Cardinal-Archbishop of Rheims presided at a pathetic ceremony held during the War in honour of the dead.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE ANCIENT CASTLE OF GUEUX]

_To visit the_ =Castle=, _cross the square and take a small street on the left, which leads to the road to Rosnay (G.C. 27)_.

_Turn to the left, and fifty yards further on take on foot the narrow street on the left, which leads to the old castle._

This ancient castle, where the Kings of France, on their way to Rheims to be consecrated, used to dine, suffered severely from the bombardments. Outwardly it has, however, retained its general appearance (_photo above_).

_Return to the car, and go straight on to the fork in the roads to Rosnay and Premecy. Facing the fork is the entrance_ to the park and =modern Castle of Gueux=, belonging to the Roederer family, which was completely destroyed (_photo below_).

_Turn the car round at the above-mentioned fork and continue straight along G.C. 27._

_Beyond the village of Gueux_ the road crosses numerous lines of trenches. Many shelters and ammunition depots can still be seen along the road. _The National Road from Rheims to Soissons (N. 31) is reached soon afterwards. Near the cross-ways are the_ ruins of an inn.

_At this crossing, leave the National Road on the left and take the narrow road on the right which leads to_ =Thillois=.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE MODERN CASTLE OF GUEUX]

[Ill.u.s.tration: CROSSING OF THE THILLOIS AND RHEIMS ROADS]

=Thillois=

(_See Itinerary, p. 122._)

The =Church of Thillois= (late 12th century), now a heap of ruins, stood at the entrance to the village.

In 1914 it was still intact in all its vital parts. Its vaulting was pointed, with groining resting on columns, whose capitals were either Romanesque or Gothic. The nave had a timber roof.

The high-altar screen was a fine piece of sculptured stone-work of late 16th or early 17th century. In a niche above the altar, the Virgin, sitting on an X-shaped seat, was holding Jesus, clothed in a tunic and standing on her knee.

_Leaving the church behind on the right, turn to the left, to reach the National Road. On the right is a_ small 18th century castle, behind a clump of fine stately trees, known as the _Bosquet de Thillois_. It was destroyed by sh.e.l.ls.

_Return to the National Road, turn to the right at the cross-roads, leaving on the left the road to Champigny, then return direct to Rheims, entering the city by the Avenue and Porte de Paris._

=The Mountain of Rheims Battles=

(_See p. 14 and p. 122._)

The fighting known as the _Battles of the Mountain of Rheims_ took place in 1918 over the whole of the area described above, _i.e._ from Bouilly to Thillois, _via_ St. Euphraise, Coulommes, Vrigny and Gueux (_see the Michelin Ill.u.s.trated Guide: The Second Battle of the Marne_).

The Mountain of Rheims prolongs the region of Tardenois to the east. It is an important military position between the Vesle and the Marne, as it dominates the plain of Champagne. The higher part of it is finely wooded, while on the lower slopes and eastern and southern edges are the famous Champagne vineyards (_see Verzenay, pp. 171-172_).

[Ill.u.s.tration (Map)]

During the year 1918 the Germans made tremendous efforts to carry this position, the loss of which would have meant the fall of Rheims, leaving Epernay and Chalons-sur-Marne unprotected.

Although held to the east of Mountain, they obtained important successes on the west, where they reached the Marne, while in May they occupied the Woods of Courton and Le Roi. In July they crossed the Marne and advanced as far as Montvoisin, on the road to Epernay. Very fierce fighting took place, especially to the north-west of the Mountain at =Bouilly=, =Bligny=, =St. Euphraise= and =Vrigny=. These positions, and Hill 240 to the west of Vrigny, were several times lost and recaptured by the Allied troops under General Berthelot, French, Italian and British, who fought there side by side.

Vrigny was taken by the Germans on May 30, but retaken by the Allies on June 1 at the point of the bayonet. The same evening, four German regiments, after progressing slightly in the direction of Hill 240, were first checked, then driven back after bitter hand-to-hand fighting.

On June 9, the Germans were repulsed around Vrigny, after having sustained severe losses. On the 23rd, they rushed Bligny Hill, held by Italian troops, reaching the summit, but were shortly afterwards driven back. On the 29th, they sustained a like check at the same place.

In July they advanced their lines slightly towards Marfaux, Pourcy and Cuchery, but were unable to hold the captured ground. On the 18th, the Italians advanced in the region of Bouilly. On the 19th, Franco-British troops progressed towards St. Euphraise. On the 21st, the Allies carried Bouilly and St. Euphraise. On the 24th and 25th, in spite of desperate repeated efforts, the Germans were unable to hold Hill 240 which they had temporarily captured. On August 1 further enemy efforts to carry the Bligny uplands failed.

The region of Gueux--Thillois--Champigny was terribly ravaged by the war.

On September 11th, 1914, the French 5th Division, under General Mangin, drove the enemy from these positions, which remained in the French lines until May 30, 1918. Occupied by the Germans on May 31, after fierce fighting, they were completely devastated by artillery fire. Retaken by the French, then lost again in July, Thillois was finally recaptured on August 2, at the same time as Gueux.

On August 4, after having reached the Vesle at several points east of Fismes, French troops engaged a vigorous battle between Muizon and Champigny, and some of them succeeded in crossing the river the same day.

=Champagne Wine=

Wine-growing has always been a favourite industry in this part of France. The vineyards extend over the Rheims hills and along the valley of the Marne. In the hilly country around Rheims there are two distinct growths of wine: the _Montagne_ proper, with its famous _Verzy_, _Verzenay_, _Mailly_, _Ludes_, _Rilly_ and _Villers_ "crus," and the _Pet.i.te Montagne_ with its secondary "crus" of the _Tardenois Valley_, _Hermonville Hills_, _St. Thierry_, _Nogent l'Abbesse_ and _Cernay-les-Reims_. The _Montagne_ produces more especially black grapes for white wines.

Champagne wines were famous as far back as the 16th and 17th centuries.

Henri IV. had a marked preference for the wines of _Ay_. The magnitude of the cellars still to be seen in the 16th and 17th century houses testifies to the importance of a trade, whose main outlets were Paris, Flanders, Belgium and Germany.

The Champagne wines of that period were red, and rivals of the famous Burgundy wines.

The vogue of Champagne wines as understood to-day dates back to the end of the 17th century. It was Dom Perignon, cellarer of the Abbey of Hautevillers, near Epernay, who, if not actually the inventor of sparkling wines, first undertook to perfect them by blending the "crus"

and preparing them with greater care.