r-NRLF B 3 3Mb 3flfl THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE JOHN L. BALDERSTON Introduction by GEORGE MOORE lltltltf LIBRARY UMIVttSlTY Of THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE A PLAY IN THREE SCENES BY JOHN LLOYD BALDERSTON WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY GEORGE MOORE NICHOLAS L. BROWN NEW YORK ----- MCMXIX Copyright, 1919, by NICHOLAS L. BROWN To a Lady I think has forgotten A request, and a promise, This play, in fulfilment. 389 INTRODUCTION BY GEORGE MOORE INTRODUCTION We have lost so many things during the last four years, that for an idea of number we turn to the stars; the endless mystery above us seems greater than the mystery over yonder, but both exceed the compass of our minds. In our armchairs we sit and dream of the burning of the great library at Lou- vain, of the Cathedrals and the mediaeval cities, com- pendiums and abridgments of the genius of the centuries that gave birth to the one we live in, to day lonely ruins in a ragged war-worn land, so torn with shells, exploded and unexploded, that it will remain a desert for a hundred years at least, if not for all time, so we are told. Cambrai, Ypres and Rheims have gone forever, leaving behind them only a little dust: Ce que le papillon de I dme Laisse de poussiere apres lui, Et ce qui reste de la -flame Sur le trepied quand il a lui. Our thoughts linger for a moment among the mul titudinous graves on those hillsides, and are then be- [ix] INTRODUCTION guiled by names that the fortunes of war made known to us quickly and blotted from our minds almost as quickly. For who thinks now, except by chance, of our own sturdy Marshal of Mons? Names once in every mouth return to us, but we remember them so faintly that as in the ballade we ask who held the seas in his cabin on board the Iron Duke for more than two years ; who was Petain, Cadorna, Castelnau, and of all who was the one-armed legendary hero of those early days in Alsace? and who we must not blame ourselves that the magical victories of Foch have put Joffre s name out of our minds ; put his name out of our minds for the moment, but when we begin to take into account the early months of the struggle it will be discovered whether the attack in the lost provinces was ill-judged and mismanaged, whether Joffre was right or whether he was wrong in order ing his armies across the Meuse and into the Belgian Ardennes in the hope of breaking the German on rush, and pressing them out of Belgium before the leaves of the first Autumn had fallen, and of all whether he could have done else than to give battle at Charleroi. For these disasters Joffre is responsi ble, no doubt, but the greatness of his decision to retrieve these mistakes will not be forgotten. As we sit in our armchairs our hearts stop beating again when we recall those terrible August days, our armies [x] INTRODUCTION streaming back and back, whilst we, and those higher than we, clamored for a stand, for a battle, to save Paris, to save the world. But in spite of all ad vocacy for battle and the reasons thereof, Joffre con tinued resolute, his dull response to all entreaty * I will not fight here, and whether, as we think in England, that it was because of the rout of the Fifth Army, commanded by Lanrezac, whose name was a black raven in our souls for a few days, and whom we never heard of more, or whether, as some French writers aver, it was because our own heroic five di visions were taken rearwards too quickly, leaving a gap on the extreme left, that made the victory of Guise-St. Quentin of no avail, Joffre continued to mutter 4 not here, not here, putting a strain on the endurance of his soldiers that none but he thought them able to bear, so that he might fight in the end on ground of his own choosing. He continued the re treat mile after mile. How many? sixty? seventy? a hundred? it may be as many, before he reached the Marne, and France had begun to lose faith in her leader, but when the Marne was reached, Joffre said : Now ! And it may be that the General s staff at last grasped Joffre s strategy in time. It would seem that the General s staff did, for Joffre s plans were carried out to perfection, as they would be by such generals as Foch and Gallieni, that Gallieni of [xi] INTRODUCTION the taxi-cabs whose name is already one of saga. Yes; the General s staff must have approved in the end, though in the beginning they doubted, for with out perfect apprehension and sympathy the battle of the Marne would have miscarried, without such men as the aforesaid Joffre could have done nothing. There were other minds in the battle of the Marne besides Joffre s, but what the future will take to heart is that Joffre did the right thing at the right time, and so well chosen was the moment that we know now that Moltke the Little told the Kaiser that the war was lost and that he had better make peace. The Kaiser found he could not make peace, and the war dragged on among horrors and cruelties such as the world never knew before, and will per chance not know again, so it is said. Our chronicle stops at the Marne, at Joffre s great victory. The fading of his glory will be told when the war yields up its secrets, but whatever new fact may come to light none will be discovered to disturb or to tarnish his strategy at the Marne ; none will ever dispute that he won at the Marne and that, without his victory, France must have been taken and destroyed, Britain and America in their turn attacked, and a destruc tion commenced of such magnitude that we cannot consider it : like the skies, it is too vast. But it is George Moore who is writing these words, [xii] INTRODUCTION and he hears his readers say, * By what extraordi nary pretension does this spinner of tales presume to lecture us upon strategy and tactics? So let me make confession and say that the little I know about these things is due to my friend Mr. John Lloyd Bal- derston, who when he was in England came to my house evening after evening, and after we had talked of things nearer my heart, would spread on my table his maps, and as he talked, lines and markings took shape and meaning, and I was able to forget the hor ror and agony always present in the mind of a man of imagination and follow the interplay of mind against mind, the rules of the game, the reason why such-and- such a general had done this and that; and when I was too optimistic, his maps and their markings tem pered my rejoicing and, conversely, when plunged in despair his visits and his maps soothed my sor row. One day Mr. Balderston mentioned to me that he was thinking of writing a play and with Joffre for its hero, and after the relation of the plot I asked him what he proposed to call it. The Spectre of the Marne, he answered, a title that suggested a lady called Mrs. RadclifFe, and I begged him to seek another title. The one that comes to my mind while writing this preface is the one that I hope he will adopt : < Yesterday s Glory, for what is the [xiii] INTRODUCTION Marne but yesterday s glory ! Be this as it may it did not surprise me that in long brooding he had dis covered a symbol, a synthesis, an interpretation of the genius that brought about the victory. The mystery of genius has always occupied the mind of man, and the play for which I have been asked to contribute a few lines of introduction is, at least I take it to be, Mr. Balderston s explanation of the inspired tactics of the retreat that led up to the Battle of the Marne. The play contains one scene truly original, one which remains in my mind and will, I think, always remain in the mind of the reader the scene in which Napoleon appears at the crit ical moment and dictates to the sleeping general the plan of the battle. Joffre seems to have had the plan of the Battle of the Marne in his mind all the while from Charleroi to the Marne, but it seemed to refuse to take precise shape. The sleep-walking scene, as it appears to me, is admirably introduced by an argument between the General and his staff; each general in turn presses the necessity of a de cision on Joffre; a decision must be taken, and at once. But think, reader, what this decision involved whether Paris was to be destroyed and the retreat continued to the Loire, or whether the world s destiny was to be decided at the Marne. In the middle of the night an exhausted general is called upon to decide. [xiv] INTRODUCTION He pleads for three hours rest. In three hours he will report his decision to them, and it is in these hours that the plan of the battle is made clear to him. . . . I was sorry the play could not be produced; though I knew from the beginning that no censor could have passed it while contending factions argued about who won the battle, whether Joffre or Foch or Gallieni or Manoury. But the war is over now, and it cannot be doubted that Foch, the hero of twenty victories from the Marne to the frontier, would be the last to take umbrage at the imaginative concentra tion of the limelight on Joffre at the Marne. And I do not think the most unintelligent among the audi ence, if the play be ever acted, will fail to see that this play relies for its interest, not on controversy about facts, but on a purely spiritual issue. Is a man the springhead and source of his ideas, or are they transmitted to him? Mr. Baldcrston would seem to think that a man of genius is but the mouth piece of a voice speaking from beyond. GEORGE MOORE. [xv] CHARACTERS THE GENERAL, LIEUTENANT, THE MARQUIS GASTON D ARGOULLES, his aide-de-camp, THE DIRECTOR or OPERATIONS, THE CHIEF or STAFF, COLONEL BONNEL, 1 [of the Headquarters Staff. MAJOR RAMEAUX, AN ORDERLY, AN APPARITION. THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE SCENE I The scene is a simply-furnished office in the Mairie of a small town in the Department of the Seine, now the Grand Quar tier -General de France. A lamp is burning on a desk, covered with maps, that stands in the center of the room. There is a door on each side of the room, and, in the rear wall, two wm- dows. The hands of a clock, hanging on the wall between the windows, point to twelve. A daily pad calendar, fastened on the wall below the clock, reads: " September 4, 19 14-" Maps are pinned about the walls, and fastened on a tripod that stands to the right of the desk is a huge map of Northern France, some eight feet by -five. A red circle makes the forti fied camp of Paris recognizable, and the coast line is also visible; a strip of red tape across the map indi cates the battle line on September 4- There are a few chairs, and, near the left hand door, a couch upon which D ARGOULLES, a young man in the early twenties, his Lieutenant s uniform smartly cut, with no decorations, is asleep. The right hand door opens, an Orderly, in the 1914 uniform with its red trousers, enters and stands at attention as the DIRECTOR or OPERATIONS and THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE MAJOR RAMEAUX enter , then goes out and closes the door. The DIRECTOR is a man in the fifties, wearing the uniform of a Major-General with the cross of a Commander of the Legion of Honor, and other dec orations; RAMEAUX, an officer of the Legion, is per haps forty. Both men are much agitated. RAMEAUX Lieutenant ! (D ARGOULLES rises and salutes) DIRECTOR Tell the General I must see him. D ARGOULLES I m sorry, sir. The General ordered me not to dis turb him under any circumstances. RAMEAUX The Director of Operations has said that he must see the General. D ARGOULLES (Who is standing firmly before the door, left) The General s orders, sir. I cannot take the respon sibility. DIRECTOR Ask the Chief of Staff and Colonel Bonnel if they THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE will come here at once. You need not come back. (D ARGOULLES salutes and goes out, right) RAMEAUX (Pacing floor) Twelve o clock! (Tears September 4 leaf from the calendar, revealing September 5th) DIRECTOR Five weeks ! RAMEAUX It seems five years. DIRECTOR Will you knock at the door? RAMEAUX (Hesitating) It is for you or the Chief of Staff to call him. DIRECTOR (Doubtfully) He said he was not to be dis turbed. . . . You are sure the wires are cleared? RAMEAUX Yes. DIRECTOR To all the army headquarters? [3] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE RAMEAUX Yes, they are clear; except when the army gen erals keep them busy asking instructions, describing their confusion, (bitterly) owing to our failure to ex plain our plans. DIRECTOR I know. We must represent the situation as it is. We must obtain the General s orders at once. RAMEAUX They are upside down in Paris. To evacuate and surrender the city or to stand a siege to clear the troops out, or to bring more in to get more food supplies or to destroy what they have they keep begging us for orders, and we can only tell them they will receive their orders later ! DIRECTOR Rameaux! We must trust the General! RAMEAUX Of course, but this delay this vacillation ! DIRECTOR He has been unfortunate. But everything may be regained. [4] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE RAMEAUX (Shuddering) That s what Napoleon wired to Paris after Gravelotte! (ORDERLY opens door as before and goes out after CHIEF OF STAFF and COLONEL, BON- NEL enter. THE CHIEF OF STAFF is in the uniform of a Major-General with the Com mander s cross and other decorations. BON- NEL, who wears minor decorations, carries a large map. Both are men in the fifties) CHIEF (In surprise) The General isn t here? DIRECTOR, In his study. He left word he must not be dis turbed. CHIEF Oh! DIRECTOR He has seen no one since eight o clock. Since then the situation has become so serious I feel he must be told of it at once. CHIEF It is serious indeed. DIRECTOR Will you join me in calling the General? [5] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE CHIEF (Doubtfully) In spite of his instructions? He is probably drawing up his orders now. He may come out any moment. BONNEL, (Who has spread his map out on the desk) I have marked here the latest movements reported. ( They gather round the map; RAMEAUX walks to the tripod map, advances at certain places the tape showing the German line, and rejoins the group at the desk) You see, they are coming in here, and here, and here. Already several dangerous salients are forming in our line. CHIEF Our line! Can we still call that a line? BONNEL And here in the center the Ninth army is being forced back upon the Marshes of St. Gond. CHIEF Where Napoleon bogged Bliicher s Prussians in 1814. A trap, that place. DIRECTOR General, do you now agree that Paris must be sur- [6] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE rendered, and the offensive you recommended aban doned? CHIEF By no means, Director. Paris must stand a siege, and our field-armies turn and strike as soon as pos sible to relieve the city. DIRECTOR Your former opinion. I had thought the events of to-night would have brought you to my side. BONNEL What events? DIRECTOR Look at the map! Instead of halting for the night, as usual, the Germans are pressing ahead by forced marches. CHIEF Well? RAMEAUX Von Kluck s First army is already almost in touch with the outer forts of Paris. DIRECTOR The other German armies are crossing the Marne. The pressure on our troops increases hourly. [7] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE CHIEF Still I ask, why surrender Paris? DIRECTOR Because the enemy s pursuit has now made it im possible to carry out your plan, even were it a good one. RAMEAUX We cannot reform now to fight behind the Seine. We must continue the retreat to the Loire. DIRECTOR Exactly. So why subject Paris to a hopeless siege ? RAMEAUX The howitzers that destroyed Liege and Namur would breach the defenses in three days. CHIEF You are wrong. Paris must be defended. RAMEAUX If we go back to the Loire, as we must, how can the city be relieved in time? CHIEF We must not go back to the Loire. [8] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE DIRECTOR You would let them take Paris by assault, when re sistance would serve no military purpose? Think of the destruction, the horrors in the city RAMEAUX Louvain ! DIRECTOR No, Paris must be declared an open town and given up. CHIEF You speak of Paris as though it were Lille or Brussels. This is not primarily a military problem. Paris must be held, because the loss of Paris would break the heart of France. BONNEL And for that reason we cannot retreat to the Loire. All the armies must take the offensive on the Seine, to save Paris. CHIEF It is true that the city will be isolated from our armies before long DIRECTOR Before morning! [9] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE CHIEF But the city ought to hold out a week RAMEAITX Not three days ! CHIEF And in a week, if our offensive South of the Seine succeeds, we can advance and drive off the besiegers. DIRECTOR You are hypnotized by a word, Paris a geo graphical term for a few acres of houses. To save Paris, you would ruin France. The armies cannot fight on the Seine. They are too tired, too disorgan ized. CHIEF They must fight somewhere! BONNEL, Why not the Seine as well as the Loire? DIRECTOR To retreat to the Loire will gain ten days more. Our reserve of fresh troops is now eight divisions. It will then be twenty divisions. The enemy will get few reinforcements, Russia is moving, his lines of com munication lengthen as he comes on. [10] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE RAMEAUX Exactly. Our chances will be better on the Loire. CHIEF Sound military reasoning, yes. And fatal. DIRECTOR Explain that paradox. CHIEF The loss of Paris, followed by ten days further retreat, will break the national will. In the eyes of the world in her own eyes France will be fin ished. Our armies will lack heart to fight. RAMEAUX If we allow our movements to be fettered by Paris, our armies will be destroyed. BONNEL, Well, gentlemen, our views are unchanged. But the opinion that matters is the General s. What will he say? CHIEF I don t know. DIRECTOR He has not dropped a hint. THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE RAMEAUX Do you think he knows himself? BONNEL I cannot think he will abandon Paris. DIRECTOR Why then did he tell the government to move to Bordeaux ? CHIEF He foresaw the siege. DIRECTOR He foresaw that he must give up the city. RAMEAUX He s not made up his mind. CHIEF Surely he must by now have done so. Every hour increases the confusion, makes it harder to carry out a new plan. RAMEAUX We must all make that clear to the General. BONNEL, Surely, Rameaux, it is more clear to him than to any of us. [12] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE RAMEAUX I hope so. DIRECTOR At such a moment, none of us wish to criticize, to lose faith. But we must face facts. If the Gen eral, with his great gifts which we all recognize, has a weakness, it is our duty to try to overcome it. CHIEF Undoubtedly. BONNEL You mean? DIRECTOR In war as in chess, a bad plan is better than none. CHIEF A Fabian policy may be pushed to extremes. DIRECTOR The nettle must be grasped firmly. CHIEF And at once. RAMEAUX Enough pretty phrases. You mean that further [13] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE indecision, hesitation, vacillation, procrastination, call it what you will, is fatal I BONNEL (After a pause) That is unfair. I believe the General sees further and more clearly than any of us. CHIEF We all hope so, Bonnel. RAMEAUX How do you account then for his leaving the army commanders bewildered by conflicting orders, the Paris garrison not told whether to fight or get out, with the enemy almost at the forts? BONNEL (Hesitating) Local disasters may rightly be risked to gain time to work out a better strategic plan. DIRECTOR That thought underlies the strategy of these whole five weeks. RAMEAUX And it has given us the disasters before Metz, Namur, Charleroi, and now [14] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE CHIEF (Sharply) Rameaux! We must not say these things. RAMEAUX But only think them, General? BONNEL. (Warmly) I for one do not think them. These disasters were not the fault of the command or the army. Germany chose her time for war. She was ready, we were not. She is reaping the fruits of her preparation. The General s has been the only strategy possible. He has conducted the retreat in a masterly manner. (The GENERAL, opens the door, left, stands unnoticed for a moment. He wears a single decoration, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor) RAMEAUX Wars are not won by retreats ! GENERAL, (With smiling good-humor) Good morning, gen tlemen. (They salute) A council of war, I per ceive. [15] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE DIRECTOR General, the latest reports are very grave. GENERAL What are they? DIRECTOR The Germans are advancing by night. Von Kluck is almost in touch with the Paris forts. GENERAL Is that all? RAMEAUX The Paris command is begging us for orders. BONNEL, They don t know whether you intend to evacuate the city, or to stand a siege. RAMEAUX They say the uncertainty makes it impossible for them to do anything. They will not be responsible for the consequences, unless you immediately GENERAL, Nerves, Rameaux, nerves. Never mind what they say. [16] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE CHIEF The Sixth army in Paris is safe for the moment, but the Fifth, Fourth and British armies are hard pressed. DIRECTOR If our heavy guns are to cover the Seine cross ings, there is barely time to get them into position. This will take at least twenty-four hours. But no orders have been given. GENERAL (Coolly) Surely, gentlemen, all this is scarcely surprising. CHIEF No, but most critical. GENERAL It was evident that as the enemy neared Paris he would try to disrupt and disorganize us, flurry us, by forced marches. BONNEL (Stir prised) You anticipated these develop ments ? GENERAL The campaign seems to pursue its normal course. [17] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE CHIEF But the Paris garrison must have orders, to evacu ate or to resist. DIRECTOR If you do not tell them at once, they will be un able to do either. (The GENERAL walks to the desk and stud ies the map) RAMEAUX The wires to the army headquarters are all clear, waiting your orders, sir. GENERAL, Thank you, Rameaux. CHIEF General, may I speak very frankly? GENERAL Of course. CHIEF It seems to me I think to all of us that unless you order the armies now to reform on the Seine DIRECTOR or go South to the Loire [18] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE CHIEF unless you order Paris held DIRECTOR or abandoned CHIEF now, your orders will come too late. RAMEAUX The confusion will be too great. CHIEF The situation will be out of our hands. DIRECTOR As Director of Operations, it is my duty to carry your orders into effect. I must warn you that in a few hours the liaison between our armies will be bro ken, and it will be impossible to put any general plan into execution. GENERAL Thank you, gentlemen, thank you. (He lights a cigar) In a few hours, I think you said, Director? CHIEF General, what do you propose to do? GENERAL I have not decided. (RAMEAUX makes gesture of [19] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE despair) I shall be glad to hear your views. Sit down. (They pull up chairs, the GENERAL, sits at the desk) There are some cigarettes in the drawer there. (BONNEL, passes them around) Now, your advice. What says the Chief of Staff? CHIEF The retreat has gone so far that our Western armies cannot engage the enemy before Paris. But the moral effects of the surrender of Paris would be fatal, therefore DIRECTOR By that reasoning, we have lost the war already ! GENERAL, Your turn will come later, Director. CHIEF (With an angry look at the DIRECTOR) To con tinue. Since we cannot fight in front of Paris, and the city must be held, I advise that the garrison and the Sixth army be ordered to stand a siege. After losing touch with Paris the field-armies should reorganize South of the Seine and in a few days com mence a general offensive. If successful, this will drive the enemy back and relieve the city. [20] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL And you, Director? DIRECTOR Such a course must result in disaster. Our one hope is to continue the retreat for at least ten days. Paris must be declared an open town and evacuated. The garrison and the Sixth army should retire with the field-armies to the Loire. GENERAL And Verdun, the line of the Meuse? DIRECTOR Must be abandoned too. On the line Belfort Langres the Loire, in about ten days, with twelve fresh reserve divisions, we can attack. GENERAL, Bonnel ? BONNEL I agree with the Chief of Staff. The moral con sequences of the loss of Paris would be such that any military risks to save the city are justified. GENERAL. Rameaux? THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE RAMEAUX Our only hope lies in the immediate inauguration of the movement recommended by the Director. I have emphasized the adjective. There is barely time to get the troops out of Paris. GENERAL, These are indeed divided counsels. (Pause) CHIEF I believe the Director of Operations profoundly wrong. But I had rather you took his advice, to night, than mine, in the morning. Time is now everything. DIRECTOR It would be better to adopt the Chief of Staff s plan now, bad as that is, than delay to-night and order the retreat to the Loire in the morning. Time is now all important. GENERAL, ( With a hearty laugh) This is the first time since this campaign began that you two men have agreed on anything! BONNEL, But, General, which is your opinion? [22] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL (Chuckling) I m sorry to break this unaccus tomed concord, but I m not sure that I agree with either. CHIEF With neither! But surely, Paris must be evacu ated, or it must be defended! DIRECTOR And if we do not stand on the Seine, the retreat must continue ! GENERAL, (Speaking for the first time sharply, in tones of command) Rameaux! You say you are in touch with all the armies. What about my mass of maneuver, my strategic reserve? RAMEAUX The troops detached to the rear for the offen sive fourth corps, eleventh corps, 42nd division, 61st and 62nd reserve divisions are concentrated as ordered, waiting instructions. I have a wire cleared to the general commanding. GENERAL, (Musingly) The mass of maneuver for the THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE offensive " Napoleon s greatest gift to the art of war." Bonnel, you were there, you remember how old Blanchard used to roll that off his tongue in his lectures at St. Cyr? Old Whitehead, we boys used to call him. He saw the Emperor once. He was ten years old. He stood with his mother in the Rue de Rivoli, when the Grand Army came back from Austerlitz. RAMEAUX (Muttering) Austerlitz, indeed ! CHIEF But the orders, sir ! About Paris ! GENERAL Well, gentlemen, what would you say if I sent the eight divisions of the mass of maneuver into Paris to join the Sixth army, and then ordered Gallieni to fire the districts on the left bank, blow up all the bridges, at once, without waiting for the forts to fall? (They are astounded) The garrison and the mass of maneuver, with the Sixth army, hold the right bank as long as possible. Then, when the Germans force the Seine, our men fight through the cellars from house to house until all Paris is blown down or burned over their heads. THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE CHIEF But but to what end ? GENERAL The Director is right. The forts are worthless. The city cannot stand a siege. DIRECTOR But I suggested evacuation not destruction ! RAMEAUX You would destroy Paris? CHIEF If I am wrong, if Paris cannot stand a siege with a prospect of relief, then why not abandon the city, as the Director says? BONNEL Paris ! Blown down ! Burned ! GENERAL I seem to have shocked you all. I too love Paris. But perhaps she must perish to save France. DIRECTOR But how can this destruction help the armies in the field? [25] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL, The German plan is to envelop both my wings. If either attempt succeeds, we are lost. They are try ing to roll up my right, before Nancy. Castelnau is holding the Bavarians there, and they will fail. But here on my left, von Kluck and Buelow s turning movement well, as you have said, that is serious. If I left the garrison in Paris to stand a siege they would be captured to no purpose. If I abandoned Paris intact and retreated towards the Loire, the garrison, the Sixth army and the British would have to stand and give battle in the open, they would be beaten, and all my line to Verdun rolled up. The enemy s flanking movement must be held until I can save my center. The city can stop it, where armies in the field could not. Their big guns cannot destroy all the houses in Paris at once, as they will the forts. The garrison if I reinforce them can hold out in the cellars and the streets perhaps a week. And if Paris and Verdun can stop the Germans a week, my center armies can be extricated, reformed, and pre pared for the offensive. (All have risen except the GENERAL. They are much affected) DIRECTOR These are your orders? [26] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL Orders? Oh no, not orders. Mere speculation. As I said just now, I haven t decided. Please sit down. (They do so) I came across an amusing sidelight on the Boche mind just now, in my study. I was reading La Vie Parisienne. That those papers still appear in these times is a tribute to the national spirit. RAMEAUX You were reading La Vie Parisienne just now, in there ? GENERAL You are right to be shocked. I suppose in your spare time you read Clausewitz Vom Kriege? RAMEAUX (Severely) I have no spare time, sir. GENERAL You know those darts that our airmen drop on the enemy? The Germans, the story said, regarded these as a barbarous invention. (ORDERLY enters, stands at attention as D ARGOULLES comes in, and goes out. D ARGOULLES salutes) You interrupted a story, Gaston. What is it? D ARGOULLES The Wire Chief told me to give you this instantly, sir. [27] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL (Takes paper, glances at it, lays it on the desk. To D ARGOULLES) Sit down and hear my story. (He pulls up a chair) The Germans felt deeply grieved at our barbarity. They debated the ques tion of fitting reprisals. At length they made some darts aeroplane darts, Gaston and threw them on a squadron of French cavalry. One of them was picked up. On it was stamped : " Made in Ger many. Invented in France." (D ARGOULLES and the GENERAL alone laugh) CHIEF (Who has picked up the message) My God! DIRECTOR What is it? CHIEF Marshal French reports that enemy cavalry groups are penetrating between his forces and the defenses of Paris ! The English are about to lose all contact with our troops on their left t (General consternation, the GENERAL alone unmoved) BONNEL Our line is breaking! [28] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE DIRECTOR If the British lose connection with the Sixth army and Paris, and the enemy gets through the gap (He breaks off) GENERAL Don t be alarmed. It is my job to do the worry ing here. And how should I not worry, when I have to decline so much excellent advice from my col leagues ? CHIEF General, our fate is in the balance. There is not a moment to lose. (The GENERAL blows rings from his cigar) RAMEAUX What are you going to do? GENERAL (Rising) I m going to bed. ( Astonishment ) CHIEF You will give no orders? GENERAL Not now I want some sleep. If the armies get anxious, tell them to worry along as best they can. [29] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE Without committing themselves to any definite course of action. Emphasize that. DIRECTOR I beg you to order the retreat to the Loire, and cancel the provisional plans for an offensive, which are blocking the transport lines. RAMEAUX The decision! Are you going to fight or not? GENERAL (Sharply) Most battles are lost by Generals who make decisions before the decisive moment has ar rived. CHIEF This is the decisive moment. RAMEAUX Or past it ! GENERAL, The Emperor said, " First engage the enemy, and then see." I have engaged him. I have not yet seen not clearly enough. BONNEL, But you will see ! (The GENERAL, thanks him with a look) [30] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE DIRECTOR But in another few hours, contact will have been lost between our armies. After that not Napoleon himself could save us. GENERAL " Another few hours " ! " After that " ! I said I was going to bed. I didn t say I was going to sleep round the clock! Come back here (Looks at clock, then at map on desk) come back here at three. Then then we shall see. (The four of ficers go out reluctantly) Gas ton, I shall not go to my room. D ARGOULLES You never do. GENERAL I ll lie down here on your couch. You know what that means? No, General. GENERAL It means you will go to your quarters and to bed, and not get up until I send for you. D ARGOULLES I must not leave you, sir. I ll wait outside in the passage. [31] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL, (Severely) You ll go to bed, boy. You ve been in this room four days. D ARGOULLES Oh no, General. GENERAL Children mustn t go without their sleep. D ARGOULLES I ve slept a lot, here, at odd times. But you, Gen eral, I don t believe you ve slept at all since the re treat began. GENERAL You don t know what I do in my study. You d have roared to see Rameaux s face when I told them that while he and the others were fretting out here waiting for my orders I was reading La Vie Parisienne in there. D ARGOULLES You reading La Vie Parisienne! GENERAL Oh, I ve wasted lots of time since Charleroi. I feel every now and then that I have to relax for get it all for ten or twenty minutes [32] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE D ARGOUKLES You say nothing about the other twenty-three hours and forty minutes ! GENERAL Do you know what they re all thinking now? Rameaux, the old rascal, is saying it. He d fight any one who talks about me as he does. D ARGOUKLES What, General? GENERAL, The army runs away, the enemy pursues, and the General goes to bed ! D ARGOULLES Oh, damn them, sir! GENERAL I don t blame them. It is touch and go. But just now, when they wanted me to issue orders that could not be revoked, that would commit me beyond hope if I were wrong, something seemed to stop me. I don t know what. I felt it was not the moment. And the answer will come. I know that it will come. D ARGOUI/LES Of course it will, sir. [33] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL, But this thinking-box I suppose the answer must be turned out of that. And the wheels are running slowly, Gaston. I think the machine will work better if I stop it, rest it. D ARGOULLES I wish you d do that more often, sir. That box holds the fate of France. You must take care of it. (He starts to go as the GENERAL sits on the couch) GENERAL, (Half playfully, half seriously) Gaston, what would you do in my place? D ARGOULLES What do you mean, sir? GENERAL, You have been with me, you alone, outside the staff, know the true position. Would you abandon Paris or fight? D ARGOULLES General, you are laughing at me! You ask me this, me, a lieutenant? [34] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL I m quite serious. The Chief of Staff wants to fight to relieve Paris, the Director wants to surren der the city and go on back. The rest all side with one or the other. Both factions are so prejudiced that no new facts can alter their views, which are in consequence entirely worthless. You alone among all of them here belong to neither clique. I cannot I am not worthy I have no right to try to influence the supreme decision. GENERAL, Your general demands your opinion. D ARGOULLES (Slowly) To give battle the battle without a morrow risks the whole army. To retreat to yield Paris is equally perilous. If I believed in one course I would tell you so, if you insisted. GENERAL You believe in neither? D ARGOTJLLES I am a lieutenant how should I have faced the dilemma? I have no opinion. [35] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL And no hope? D ARGOULLES I believe in you, sir. GENERAL (Rising and putting hand on his shoulder) Thanks, boy. That helps more than advice. And I I too have faith. ... I believe in France. Now run along to bed ! (D ARGOULLES salutes, the GENERAL, lies down on the couch as D ARGOULLES blows out the lamp on the desk and goes out, right. The room is dimly lit by the moonlight, com ing through the windows) (THE CURTAIN is LOWERED AND RAISED TO DENOTE THE LAPSE OF AN HOUR) [36] SCENE II The GENERAL is asleep. He sits up, slowly rises and gropes about the room. He bumps into furni ture as he feels his way, and is evidently walking in his sleep. His eyes are open, fixed in a rigid stare, but his stumbling and groping show that he sees nothing. After he has wandered about aimlessly for some time, the right hand door opens quietly and D ARGOULLES comes in. D ARGOULLES General, I was in the passage. I heard you walk ing about. Shall I get a light? Do you want any thing? (He pauses for an answer; the GENERAL walks as before) Are you angry because I did not go to bed? My place is beside you. (D ARGOULLES comes closer. He starts back in astonishment) Asleep ! He is asleep ! (Goes forward to wake him, then pauses irresolutely) GENERAL (Suddenly stops, left, and stands in a rigid atti tude of attention, staring across the room towards [37] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE D ARGOULLES, who is standing by the desk, a shadowy form in the moonlight. Very sharply) Who s there? D ARGOULLES (In a terrified voice) It s only I, sir. (Goes out hurriedly, right, closing the door quietly. There is a short pause. The GENERAL maintains the same pose of strained attention and continues to stare towards the place where D ARGOULLES stood by the desk) GENERAL, (Shouts) Who s there, I say? VOICE A soldier of France. GENERAL, Your rank? VOICE (After a moment s pause) Corporal. GENERAL Your business here? VOICE To save the Army. [38] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL, Where have you come from? VOICE Ls Invalides. (A Form rustling the maps on the desk gradually becomes visible) GENERAL, My papers ! Spy ! (He strides towards the desk. The APPARITION is now seen to be that of Napoleon, in the familiar cocked hat and cloak) Corporal! The Little Corporal! (Staggers back and collapses on the couch) Les Invalides ! APPARITION (Mockingly) You call yourself a soldier? (The GENERAL, trembling, rises and salutes) That s bet ter. (Acknowledging the salute) This map! Are the enemy dispositions given here up to date? GENERAL, Up to this evening, Sire. APPARITION (Surprised) This evening! GENERAL, Our aeroplanes, Sire. [39] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE APPARITION Yes, I forgot. If I had had just one at Quatre Bas! (Gruffly) Get rid of your cavalry. Obso lete arm. Did my men use bows and arrows, eh? Come here. (GENERAL walks slowly to the desk) Sit down. (GENERAL sits at the desk) Now. How did you get the army in this mess? (During this scene a ray of moonlight falls on the desk) GENERAL, ( Wearily) It s a long story, Sire. APPARITION Your offensive failed. Why? GENERAL (Pulls out a map from the pile on the desk; the APPARITION bends over him) At the beginning I seized the mountain passes, I won through to the plains of the Saar. I attacked between Metz and Strasburg. APPARITION Well? GENERAL I was beaten at Morhange. I retreated to cover Nancy. [40] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE APPARITION Why were you beaten? GENERAL Not enough guns. APPARITION (Angrily) Not enough guns ! What was my ca reer but guns, always guns? Austerlitz those massed guns in the center ever hear of Auster litz ? Where were your guns ? Forgot to make em, eh? GENERAL The politicians, Sire. APPARITION I hope you wrung their necks ! Well, and then ? GENERAL (Pulling out another map) During my campaign in Lorraine the enemy came through Belgium in great strength. I had to re-group to meet the Bel gian attack, which upset all my plans. APPARITION (Snatching the map) Your initial mobilization plans left the Belgian frontier unguarded. Why ? THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL, Germany had guaranteed the neutrality of Bel gium. We did not think APPARITION (Throwing down the map in disgust) You trusted the word of a Prussian? Fool! GENERAL Still I did not renounce the offensive. APPARITION (Somewhat mollified) Good! GENERAL As soon as I had regrouped I crossed the Meuse, and attacked in the Belgian Ardennes. There too I failed. APPARITION Why? GENERAL I depended on Namur to hold. It fell in two days. The enemy forced the Meuse. My line was broken. My left was outflanked. I had to go back. APPARITION Like that damned ass my nephew, you forgot one of my first principles. Never trust in a fortress ! [42] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL, Since then the retreat has continued. I planned to fight on the Somme, on the Aisne. But the Ger man right wing threatened to turn the British. I had to go on back. APPARITION (Picking up map, in tone of annoyance) Eng lish, eh? Fighting in France, for us? GENERAL, And fighting well, Sire. They have held the open flank. APPARITION (In same tone) Relentless foes . . . GENERAL, (Interrupting) make the staunchest Allies, Sire. APPARITION How are their troops supplied? GENERAL The Straits of Dover, Sire. APPARITION Had I held those an hour! . . . The seas are theirs, then, still? [43] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL The seas of all the world. APPARITION That rascal Villeneuve ! I almost had them, once ! . . . England and France, Allies ! . . . It s hard to swallow, that ! GENERAL But Prussia, Sire ! APPARITION Yes, Prussia ! Pigs, I always called them pigs. Is it so long since Jena, then, that they think to suc ceed where I failed? GENERAL, They are strong, Sire, very strong! APPARITION But England s against them, now. They cannot beat the sea! ... A century is long to hold a grudge. We live and learn. Sometimes we die and learn. Viw V Angle t err e! GENERAL, Their army, Sire, is small. APPARITION The sea is slow but sure. They ll come, in time. . . . [44] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE Perhaps those others, too, beyond the seas. . . . Leave them the future. The present is our task. GENERAL (Joyfully) Ours, Sire? You ll help me now? APPARITION I felt that things were wrong. I could not rest in that great granite tomb. So I came here and where else should I come? GENERAL To save the army, you said. APPARITION Tell me your plans. I ll help you, if I can. GENERAL (Pointing on map as APPARITION sits beside him) My left is being forced back on Paris. APPARITION Still retreating, eh? GENERAL . I have not stopped the retreat, but the decision must be made to-night. I must fight in Paris, fight on the Seine to relieve Paris, or go back to the Loire. [45] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE APPARITION And abandon the city? Nonsense. If Paris was worth a mass, it is worth a battle. Their big guns will smash the forts, but the garri son fighting through the houses may delay the en emy, save my right from envelopment. APPARITION Fighting through the houses I Would you destroy Paris, you vandal? You re not a German! GENERAL To save the city is impossible. APPARITION (Sharply) That word is not French ! GENERAL I thought to gain time to save my center armies by adding to the Paris garrison my mass of maneuver. APPARITION You have a mass of maneuver? Then I have taught you something! GENERAL Eight fresh divisions, Sire. [46] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE APPARITION (Coldly) Who invented the mass of maneuver? GENERAL You, Sire. APPARITION What did I use it for? GENERAL To throw in at the critical moment APPARITION When the battle was ripe GENERAL For the offensive. To break the enemy s line. APPARITION (Angrily) Exactly. You know that. And you you have your fresh troops. And you propose with the rest of your armies to retreat, while you throw your reserves into Paris to fight on the de fensive the defensive let them cut off your field army from your mass of maneuver, and destroy the city into the bargain. You fight like an Austrian ! GENERAL I have done nothing yet, Sire. The position is not compromised. [47] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE APPARITION You have not committed yourself? GENERAL, No. APPARITION Show me your dispositions. (GENERAL points to map, the APPARITION studies it for a few moments) And in this desperate situation, you have issued no orders, you have decided on no measures, you have not even moved your reserves? GENERAL. No. My staff has been pressing me to decide APPARITION Of course it has. How well I know those staffs ! Chattering like magpies, eh? GENERAL, But I have felt the moment had not come. APPARITION (With emphatic approval) You have known how to wait. GENERAL, It has been hard. [48] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE APPARITION The hardest thing in war. GENERAL I delayed. I didn t know why. I must have been waiting for you. APPARITION Had you not waited, I could not have saved vou. You have mastered without me the lesson I could never teach my marshals. (Studies the map) The old arrogance ! Men of one idea, these Prussians. Envelopment! Know nothing else of war. Well, well, we ll humor them. GENERAL, Show me, Sire, show me ! APPARITION The moment is at hand to strike ! GENERAL (Joyfully) The offensive? APPARITION They re fooling you with this march on Paris. Do you understand? They re fooling you! GENERAL How so, Sire? [49] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE APPARITION These two armies on their right, marked von Kluck and Buelow they can t go on like this. Not unless you retreat and let them do it. They re fool ing you, I say ! Don t let yourself be tricked. GENERAL I don t understand. APPARITION Take the present line of march of the two armies. Suppose they continue for twelve hours more in the same directions, on these roads here, you see? Where do you find them then? GENERAL (Picks up scales and works on the map) They will drift apart ! There will be a gap of thirty miles ! APPARITION Well? GENERAL They can t do that. They must close the gap at once. APPARITION How? [50] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL, Either halt all their armies to rectify their line . . . APPARITION Halt? You don t know your Prussians! They ll never stop they think they ve got you, they ll press the pursuit. GENERAL Then, if Buelow and the others keep on advancing, von Kluck must turn to the left and march to the Southeast to maintain contact with Buelow (Leap ing up) I see, I see, Sire ! he marches across my front ! He presents me his flank ! APPARITION (Scornfully) And meanwhile your armies retreat, your garrison and mass of maneuver crouch in the cellars of Paris GENERAL, No, I attack ! I attack ! He offers me his flank, I strike him in the flank ! I crush his army, I roll up the German right ! APPARITION (Chuckling) Not so fast, my son. You attack, yes. But they ll swing reserves over to help von [51] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE Kluck. He s very strong. You might not roll him up. GENERAL, (Crestfallen) Surely I try it? APPARITION Yes, but that isn t all. We must make sure of this. (Bends over map chuckles) Why, it s as simple as Marengo. GENERAL Tell me, Sire, tell me ! APPARITION Eighteen fourteen the marshes of St. Gond is that little bit of work still remembered? GENERAL, Your masterpiece, Sire. APPARITION Gave old Bliicher a hiding, eh? Prussians they were then, too. Good omen, that. Now listen. Our strategic reserve we divide in half, so. (Point ing) One half comes to the Paris army. The other half concentrates in the center, so, behind your Ninth army. All armies stop the retreat at once and pre pare to attack in twenty-four hours. [52] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL, They cannot get ready in a day. APPARITION They must ! During to-day the Sixth army moves out from Paris. At daybreak to-morrow it attacks the flank von Kluck will have exposed, so 1 His po sition of course is compromised, he must stop, form front to flank, call for reserves to save himself, so ! Over here in the center you retreat, during the first two days of the battle. The enemy will pursue. On the third day, whether you are winning or losing against von Kluck (The APPARITION has risen) do you see? GENERAL, (Breathlessly) Go on! APPARITION Why, then, my son, the battle is ripe ! You throw in the second half of the mass of maneuver, for the decision ! GENERAL. But where? APPARITION Why, in the same old place! GENERAL The Marshes of St. Gond ! [53] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE APPARITION They ll remember Bliicher, when it is too late. GENERAL Eighteen fourteen again ! APPARITION His line will be weak there, stretched forward where he has pursued your center, the bogs in his rear, his reserves moved sixty miles to the west to help von Kluck. GENERAL, I break his line in the center! I throw him into the marshes ! He must retreat everywhere at once, whatever happens on the wings. The battle is won ! (The APPARITION begins to move away. The GEN ERAL rises) I see it! but your brain is lightning, Sire ! Tell me again more fully more details. I may have missed some point. ( Walks after the phantom) APPARITION (Halting ; motions the GENERAL towards the study-door) We ll have time and enough to fight this over, Comrade, when you come to stay with me. GENERAL To stay with you, Sire? Where? [54] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE APPARITION Les Invalides. (The APPARITION passes through the door way on the left, followed by the GENERAL. The door closes) (There is a soft knock, followed by a louder one, on the other door. The door is opened. D ARGOULLES retreats into the room, protestingly, before RAMEAUX and the DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS. They halt by the doorway. A little light shines through from the hall upon them, but the room remains in shadow, and the intruders, who cannot see that the couch is empty, speak throughout this scene in whispers) D ARGOUULES Gentlemen, I protest against this intrusion. RAMEAUX When members of the staff desire to see the Gen eral, they are not to be ordered away by subalterns. D ARGOUI/LES The General s orders were to be called at three o clock. It is not yet two. I beg you to withdraw. He needs rest. You do not know how badly. [55] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE DIRECTOR This is no time for any one to rest. (The CHIEF OF STAFF and COLONEL BON- NEL enter) CHIEF What s the matter? RAMEAUX M. le Marquis d Argoulles has had the misfortune to forget that since the first of August he has been Lieutenant d Argoulles. D ARGOULLES Lieutenant d Argoulles, personal aide-de-camp to the Generalissimo. BONNEL You propose to wake the General? D ARGOULLES Against his explicit orders not to be disturbed. RAMEAUX Insolent puppy! D ARGOULLES (Standing at attention) After the war, Major, my friends shall have the honor to wait upon [56] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE RAMEAUX (Furiously) You hear? A challenge! CHIEF How can any Frenchman quarrel, to-night? DIRECTOR And here, here of all places ! D ARGOUI/LES You are right, Sirs. Major, I beg your pardon. (RAMEAUX grunts) CHIEF (To DIRECTOR) What will you say to him? DIRECTOR. A new situation has arisen on the Meuse. The Germans are massing to attack Fort Troyon, cross the river, and take Verdun and Sarrail s army in the rear. CHIEF Surely this is not so serious as the position before Paris. DIRECTOR No, but it is new, it gives us a pretext to wake him. He must decide on a general plan. Every minute [57] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE that he sleeps here may be the last possible minute when his orders can save us. CHIEF Yes, I have been sitting in my room, every tick of the clock sounding in my ears like the death-knell of the army. RAMEAUX You are all afraid ! I will do it! (Lights match, goes to the couch, says aloud) He isn t here ! (They all advance in surprise, and now speak aloud) CHIEF Not here! (To D ARGOUKLES) He hasn t gone out? D ARGOUKLES No. I have been in the passage. (They look at the study-door) BONNEL He is in there, working. DIRECTOR He said he was going to bed ! CHIEF He is drawing up his orders at last. [58] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE RAMEAUX Reading La Vie Parisienne, more likely. DIRECTOR Why did he tell us he wanted to sleep? (RAMEAUX goes towards study door, D ARGOULLES makes appealing gesture to the others) BONNEL Rameaux, one moment! Gentlemen, our nerves, yours and mine, are almost gone. RAMEAUX And well they may be. BONNEL One man only at headquarters is cool the Gen eral. One man is quiet and confident the General. He said he was going to bed because he wanted to get rid of us, to prepare his plan. He told us to come back at three o clock. DIRECTOR But there is no time to lose. CHIEF Bonnel is right. The responsibility for delay is not ours. We must wait another hour. [59] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE (Goes out, followed by BONNEL. D An- GOULLES stands by the door at attention as RAMEAUX and the DIRECTOR reluctantly de part, then goes out, closing the door behind him. After a pause the study-door opens. The GENERAL, still asleep, his eyes open but fixed, gropes his way to the desk, picks up pen and scales and works for some time over the map. Then he rises, walks to the great tripod map and by gesture indicates the plan of the Battle of the Marne the -flanking attack -from Paris against von Kluck, fol lowed by the blow against the German center. He stumbles to the couch and lies down) (THE CURTAIN is LOWERED TO INDICATE THAT AN HOUR PASSES). [60] SCENE III ( The curtain rises on the same scene. The GEN ERAL is sleeping quietly. The stage is dark, there is no more moon. D ARGOULLES enters and lights the lamp on the desk it is just three by the clock on the wall and the four Staff Officers come in) D ARGOULLES (Walks to the couch and calls) General! (The GENERAL stirs) It is three o clock! GENERAL (Sits up and rubs his eyes, points to the desk) The map! that map! (D ARGOULLES hands it to him as he rises. He looks at it in great surprise for a moment. The quiet, nonchalant manner adopted in his earlier scene with his Officers now gives way to brusqueness) Rameaux, take these orders. (R A - MEAUX sits at desk and writes) " Half of my mass of maneuver Fourth Corps, 61st and 62d Reserve Divisions will proceed to Paris at once and march out to reinforce the Sixth Army, which will be in action when they arrive. The Sixth Army under Manoury, with the mobile garrison of Paris, will leave the city immediately, move North to-day, and [61] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE attack von Kluck at dawn to-morrow, driving him back upon the Ourcq. The attack must be delivered at dawn, in twenty-four hours ; I will tolerate no ex cuses, no delay." Put those orders on the wire in stantly. (All four Officers are astounded and dis mayed) RAMEAUX (Rises with the sheet of paper in his hand) But, General CHIEF You cannot attack von Kluck, now ! BONNEL, You are trying to save Paris? GENERAL, Not a shell shall touch the city I DIRECTOR You propose to attack by forced marches, with a few beaten brigades, a great army, flushed with victory, backed by heavy guns ? RAMEAUX General, this is madness, ruin ! GENERAL Put those orders on the wire ! [62] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE CHIEF At least explain this amazing plan ! GENERAL As you well said three hours ago, there is no time to lose. (Points to the door, D ARGOULLES opens it; RAMEAUX reluctantly goes out. D AR- GOULLES shuts the door. There is a moment of silence) DIRECTOR (Bitterly, to the CHIEF OF STAFF) I hope you are satisfied, General. You have got your offensive ! CHIEF My offensive ! I wanted to stop behind the Seine, to reorganize, rest, before attacking! GENERAL (With his eyes on the map) The orders for the other armies! Will you take them, Bonnel? BONNEL, General, will you not discuss your plan? DIRECTOR You fling a few disorganized divisions without guns into the enemy s mouth I [63] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE CHIEF Even the reserves cannot get up in time you said the Sixth army would be in action when they arrived. DIRECTOR In action ! In German prison pens ! You send us piece-meal to be gobbled up ! BONNEL, (Weeping) I, too, General, beg you to recon sider. GENERAL, (Who has listened patiently, puts down the map; with a laugh to BONNEL) Et tu, Brute? CHIEF Do you refuse to listen to us ? GENERAL, Of course not. I m sorry that I was rude, but the orders for the Sixth army were instant. I could no t discuss them. The Sixth army moves first. I will dictate the other orders in five minutes. That time is at your disposal. DIRECTOR Five minutes, to decide the fate of France ! [64] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL (Somewhat vaguely) I think the fate of France has been decided. (The GENERAL sits at the desk and lights a cigar. His poise and confidence as this scene progresses begin to impress the others, with out converting them) DIRECTOR Such a proposal as this was never heard of in military history. GENERAL, Then it is probable, Director, that the move will surprise the enemy no less than it has surprised my staff. (RAMEAUX re-enters) CHIEF To bring the Sixth army out from Paris to-day and organize for attack in twenty-four hours is im possible. GENERAL, That word is not French! BONNEL, (To RAMEAUX) That s what the Emperor used to tell his staff ! [65] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE DIRECTOR There is not enough military transport in the city to move five divisions twenty-five miles in a day. GENERAL There are eight thousand taxicabs. BONNEL, That s true. RAMEAUX Von Kluck s army is victorious it has not been disorganized by defeat and flight it contains nine divisions. You propose to throw against it five beaten divisions. GENERAL, The units of the Sixth army have not been badly hammered, like our other troops. CHIEF And the four other divisions you order up from the strategic reserve to support the attack cannot go in until the third day. GENERAL, The second day. RAMEAUX They cannot = [66] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL (Decisively) They must ! DIRECTOR Assume the impossible. Assume that the Sixth army to-morrow, tired, without guns, defeats von Kluck s present force. Still your plan is fatal! GENERAL I am listening. DIRECTOR Because we cannot send help from our center armies. They have gone back too far. And von Kluck can bring reserves from his left, from Bue- low s army, even from Hausen s, to defeat our at tacking force. GENERAL Exactly. That is all I ask him to do. CHIEF I don t understand that remark. But I agree with the Director that in these circumstances the forces you propose to use cannot defeat von Kluck by a frontal attack. GENERAL (Rather vaguely) I did not use the adjective. [67] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE CHIEF What do you mean? GENERAL (Blowing rings from his cigar) You have not foreseen all the circumstances. DIRECTOR I think, gentlemen, we all desire to impress on the General our belief that this attack cannot possibly, in any circumstances, defeat von Kluck. (They all nod, BONNEL doubtfully, the oth ers vigorously) GENERAL, I incline to agree. I do not expect it to defeat von Kluck. (They are bewildered) RAMEAUX You order an attack which you admit will fail? GENERAL (Looking at clock) When you permit me to com plete dictating my orders, our plan of battle will be come more clear. DIRECTOR If von Kluck wins and you admit he will not only is Paris lost, but our left flank is routed ! [68] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL, I promised you five minutes. Two yet remain. BONNEL, Go on, General, please. (The others are silent) GENERAL (Decisively again) Very well. Rameaux, take these orders. (He dictates from the map) " All the armies of the left and center except the Sixth will halt where they are. They will spend to-day in re forming and reorganizing. They will attack the enemy at dawn to-morrow." CHIEF A general offensive ! GENERAL, (Continuing) " The British army will re-cross the Marne and drive in between von Kluck and von Buelow." DIRECTOR But von Kluck is already across the Marne ! The British cannot re-cross without a battle ! GENERAL, The Fifth army will fall upon von Buelow. On our right, Castelnau s Second army will continue to [69] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE stand firm before Nancy, and Sarrail s Third army covering Verdun will attack the Crown Prince. In the center in the center" (His voice rises) " between the Fifth and Third armies, General Foch, with the Ninth army, will attack weakly on the first day, just holding von Buelow s left and von Hausen s Saxons. On the second day he will retreat three miles, holding the Southern exits to the marshes of St. Gond. The enemy will pursue, hoping to break our center. Foch will retire again on the third day, back to where the second half of the mass of ma neuver RAMEAUX (Writing) Eleventh corps, Forty-Second di vision GENERAL, will be waiting for him. During the three days, the German reserves will have been drawn to their left, to meet the flanking attack from Paris. When the dispatch of reserves to von Kluck and the salient produced by the German pursuit of the Ninth army has weakened the enemy center, Foch will turn and throw in his fresh troops, the mass of maneuver, kept in reserve until the battle is ripe until the battle is ripe CHIEF (To DIRECTOR) Napoleon s phrase again! [70] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL upon the junction between the Prussian Guard and the Saxons, rupturing the German line and throwing back the Guard into the Marshes of St. Gond." (He rises and drops the map and repeats as in a trance) The Marshes of St. Gond ! The same old place ! BONNEL (In awe) Eighteen fourteen again ! (They are all much impressed) GENERAL ( Who has seemed bewildered^ as though trying to remember something, recovers liimself and resumes dictation) " The enemy will then be forced to re treat instantly all along the line, even if he is winning before Paris. When this occurs all our armies will press the pursuit." BONNEL Then whether the Sixth army defeats von Kluck does not matter? GENERAL Not if it keeps him busy for three days. CHIEF I believe this plan must bring disaster. [71] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE RAMEAUX Here are three reasons why your plan must fail. First, the morale GENERAL (Rises) Gentlemen, you all disapprove my plan. You oppose my battle orders. Very good. I over rule your objections. My decision is made. It is irrevocable. The new plan will be put into execution immediately. You will all get to work at once, and, above all, impress on the field commanders that time is everything. Delay or faltering will not be par doned. (They look at one another) DIRECTOR There seems nothing more to be said. (They all salute. The GENERAL returns the salute) RAMEAUX I have made my protest. You may count on me to do my utmost. GENERAL, Of course, Rameaux, I know that. CHIEF Your plan is now ours. I forget every objection, every doubt. [72] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE DIRECTOR I am your subordinate, no longer your adviser. I will execute the orders. (Takes the sheet of paper from RAMEAUX) BONNEL It is the first time I have ever doubted you, Gen eral. But your head is worth ten like mine. (The four Officers go out, all much de pressed. D ARGOULLES closes the door after them) D ARGOULLES Did you get much sleep, sir? GENERAL I am a new man. But didn t I tell you to go to bed and not ge t up until I sent for you? D ARGOULLES (Abashed) I must apologize for intruding. I heard you. I thought you might want something. GENERAL Intruding? What do you mean? D ARGOULLES I mean when I came in here, and you shouted at me. [73] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL You came in here? D ARGOULLES Yes, twice, sir. GENERAL, When? D ARGOULLES After you went to sleep. Don t you remember calling out at me? GENERAL, What are you talking about? D ARGOULLES (Surprised) You must have been asleep all the time t GENERAL, Have you gone mad, Gaston? D ARGOULLES You were walking in your sleep, sir. I thought I woke you and that you recognized me. But I see now you were still asleep when you called, GENERAL, You found me sleep-walking in here? [74] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE D ARGOULLES Yes, sir. GENERAL That s very odd. I ve never done that, boy. What was I doing? D AEGOULLES I was in the passage, about half past one. GENERAL (Shaking his finger) You didn t go to bed at all, then! D AEGOULLES I heard footsteps, so I came in here. It was dark. You were stumbling about. I saw you were sleep walking. I wondered whether to wake you. I was afraid you might hurt yourself. But when I came towards you you called out. GENERAL What did I say? D AEGOULLES "Who s there?" you said, and I thought I had wakened you. I said, " It s only I, sir," and N went out. GENERAL (Vaguely) It s very strange. (Putting hand to [75] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE head) There was some queer dream I had. You came in twice, you said? D ARGOULXES The second time you weren t here. GENERAL (Startled) Not here! Of course I was here. D ARGOULLES No, sir. GENERAL Nonsense. It was dark. You didn t see me on the couch. D ARGOUI/LES Oh, no, sir. Rameaux struck a light. GENERAL What s that? D ARGOULLES The staff wanted to wake you. They had some news. There was some talk by the door. Then Ra meaux lit a match. GENERAL, Well? [76] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE D ARGOULLES You weren t on the couch. You were in the study. GENERAL (Incredulous) The study! D ARGOULLES The door was shut. GENERAL It s open, now! D ARGOULLES Bonnel persuaded the others not to call you. We went out, came back at three and found you asleep. GENERAL Well, I ll be damned ! I m no somnambulist ! The study! (Goes and looks through the door, returns to desk) When I woke up just now (pointing), I asked you for that map. D ARGOULLES Yes, sir. GENERAL I knew I had made up my mind. I was ready to dictate the orders. But I found, on the map, I had marked it all down. It s very odd, Gaston, but I don t remember doing that ! [77] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE D ARGOULLES Perhaps you did it in your sleep. (The GENERAL muses) It s wonderful, your plan, if I may say so, sir. GENERAL So you took it all in, eh, you rascal? D ARGOULLES (Enthusiastic ally) The attack on the flank, the retreat in the center, and then the decisive blow on the third day I GENERAL I m glad you like it, boy. The others don t. They don t think the Sixth army can hold up von Kluck long enough. . . . And he must be stopped for three days, so the center attack can come off. D ARGOULLES Of course they ll hold him, sir. GENERAL Yes, I feel that. They will. But how? That s what stumps me. All that the others said is sound, Gaston. I could not answer them. But they are wrong. Somehow, I know they re wrong. I don t know why. D ARGOULLES How did it come to you, your plan ? [78] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE GENERAL (After a pause) How did it come? Do we ever know how these things come? D ARGOULLES You said before you went to sleep you knew it would. GENERAL We rack our brains for days and nights over some problem that is too much for us, we think until we can think no longer, and then the answer comes ! Where does it come from, Gaston? Tell me that! D ARGOULLES You asked me to-night how to beat the Germans. Now you ask me something harder to explain the miracle of Inspiration. GENERAL Inspiration ! I suppose that s what it was. I had worked out something quite different. It took me four days. I was wrong. God, how wrong I was ! It would have brought disaster, that plan. It was the best I could do. I was going to put it into ex ecution. But something stopped me. Something told me to wait. The armies seemed falling to pieces, through my indecision. My staff doubted me, to-night they began to despise me. Still there [79] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE was something that wouldn t let me take the decision, the wrong decision. Then this came. Not from within me. From something outside. Where did it come from? D ARGOULLES The artist knows that his masterpiece his poem, his statue, or his plan of battle doesn t come from his own brain. GENERAL Where does it come from, then? D ARGOULLJES In the old days, he thought some god or dead hero had inspired him. GENERAL (Laughing) Ghosts visions eh? You don t believe in that claptrap? (D ARGOULLES laughs) What s the answer, though? . . . It s very strange about that map. I wonder if I was asleep ! D ARGOULLES What did you dream about, sir? GENERAL (Vaguely) Oh, the armies, of course. Some of the Emperor s old campaigns, I think, all jumbled up with this one. And maps, and plans, and the battles [80] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE last month. Well, we mustn t gossip here like old women ! There s a campaign on, boy ! (As he turns to go out, RAMEAUX bursts m followed by the CHIEF OF STAFF, the DIREC TOR and BONNEL, all in joyous excitement.) RAMEAUX General, your plan ! An inspiration ! You ve got them \ GENERAL, What s the matter? DIRECTOR A masterpiece of strategy! But how did you know ? GENERAL, Know what, Director? CHIEF We all thought your plan brilliant. But there was one fatal objection. BONNEL. We didn t think the Sixth army could hold von Kluck three days so your blow in the center could come off. GENERAL, ( Impatiently ) Well ? [81] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE RAMEAUX Von Kluck has walked into your trap ! DIRECTOR It was the very moment for the offensive! But how did you know? GENERAL You seem to have some surprising news about von Kluck. CHIEF He has turned aside from Paris ! RAMEAUX To the South-east ! He is marching with his right flank exposed to the attack you ordered ! GENERAL (Bewildered and astonished) His flank? His flank? He presents me his flank? But is this pos sible? Why should he do that? How do you know? BONNEL From three separate sources, sir, all reliable, all independent, all in agreement. GENERAL You are sure there is no mistake? [82] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE CHIEF No, sir. All von Kluck s troops are marching across our front. GENERAL (Struggles to remember, but carmot; the others are surprised at his attitude) His flank, of course. His flank! . . . Why am I so surprised? BONNEL You are not well, sir. The strain has been too much. DIRECTOR You didn t know? Is this an accident? RAMEAUX (To CHIEF) He didn t know! It s all luck. GENERAL I knew about their flank march! Why am I so surprised? My whole plan was based on that! . . . My whole plan! DIRECTOR How did you know von Kluck would make that move ? GENERAL (Bewildered) How did I know? How did I [83] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE know? Never mind that now. Go on. Tell me more. CHIEF Your plan is feasible, now. RAMEAUX The English can recross the Marne, as you said, for when we attack to-morrow von Kluck must recall his advanced troops over the river, and form front to flank. GENERAL (Repeats vaguely) Of course. Form front to flank! DIRECTOR It was the frontal attack on von Kluck that we thought madness. BONNEL, You said you hadn t used that adjective! GENERAL, (Vaguely) Why, yes. So I did! RAMEAUX (Who has picked up the map from the desk) What damned fools we ve all been ! CHIEF What s the matter? [84] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE RAMEATJX He knew it all along ! Look here ! ( They crowd around the map, the GENERAL with the others) He has marked von Kluck s flank march across our front on this map ! BONNEL He had marked the map when we came in and woke him ! DIRECTOR Of course he had ! He dictated his orders from it ! GENERAL (Still somewhat dazed, takes the map) Why, so I did! (Triumphantly) I see it now! Of course, I thought of that ! DIRECTOR But how did you know? GENERAL He had to make that flank march. He was drift ing apart from Buelow s army. He had to close the gap. It would have opened by morning. This march to the South-east across our flank was forced on him. He had to do it to keep in touch with Buelow. I worked it out. I don t remember when. But I knew he d do it ! My whole plan was based on that ! (They are all overwhelmed) [85] THE GENIUS OF THE MARNE RAMEAUX Will you let me read that Vie Parisienne? GENERAL, (Laughing) Come, let s all get to work. The campaign is proceeding according to plan ! RAMEAUX And what a plan! A plan worthy of Napoleon himself ! GENERAL, (Halting near the door) We owe everything we know of war to the Great Captain, comrades. Vive VEmpereur! (They echo the cry " Vive I Empereur " as they go out) CUETAIN [86] 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED LOAN DEPT. This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. 2jfflL6SO- rr -. . . . WJH S^p,, General Library LD 2lA-60m-3, 65 University of California (F2336slO)476B Berkeley