Before passing under the railway bridge, on the high ground to the right, will be seen the ruins of what was once the pretty village of =Courteau=. Château-Thierry is reached soon afterwards by the Avenue Clemenceau. CHÂTEAU-THIERRY DURING THE WAR. September, 1914. On September 2, 1914, the town was almost encircled by the Germans. While the German batteries posted above Courteau (_the tourist passed by this village before entering the town, see above_) were firing on the railway station and the Place-du-Champ-de-Mars, their troops debouched by the Essommes and Paris roads at about five in the afternoon. The French fell back at 11 p.m. On September 3, German troops pillaged the town. On the 9th, the Franco-British troops relieved the town. June--July, 1918. On June 1, 1918, the town was retaken by the German Conta Corps, after fierce street fighting, in which the French Colonial Infantry, gallantly supported by American troops, inflicted severe losses on the enemy. The defence of Château-Thierry is one of the episodes of which the Americans are justly proud. On May 31, sections of the American Machine-Gun Corps were placed at the disposal of the French Commander, who was defending the town, which was in danger of being outflanked. They were hardly out of the trucks, when they were rushed into the battle in support of the French Colonials. Throughout the long street fighting their fine marksmanship, cool courage and clever manœuvring excited the admiration of their French comrades. When night fell, thanks to their aid, the enemy had been forced back to the outskirts of the town. At 9 p.m. on June 1, the Germans, under cover of night, and protected by a dense smoke screen, counter-attacked, creeping along the river-side towards the great bridge, the defence of which had been entrusted to the Americans, with orders to hold it until the Colonials, who were fighting on the far side of the river, should fall back. This they did until the last of the French troops had passed over, when they withdrew. When the Germans debouched in front of the bridge, the latter blew up, and the few who had succeeded in crossing before the explosion were taken prisoners by the Americans, who had calmly posted their guns on the south bank of the river. [Illustration: AMERICAN MACHINE-GUNS DO DEADLY EXECUTION IN THE GARDENS OF CHÂTEAU-THIERRY.]