Farther east the army of General von Bülow (the 9th, 10th, 10th Reserve corps, and the Army corps of the Prussian Guard), advancing from Soissons through Château-Thierry, and crossing the Marne at that place as well as at points higher up towards Epernay, was following the main road to Montmirail on the Petit Morin. The army of General von Hausen (the 11th, 12th, and 19th corps), advancing from Rheims, had crossed the Marne at Epernay and at other points towards Chalons, and was following the road towards Sezanne by way of Champaubert. The army of Duke Albert, having passed the Marne above Chalons, was moving along the roads to Sommesous. The army of the Crown Prince of Germany was endeavouring to move from St. Menehould to Vitry-le-François, also on the Marne. On the side of the Allies, General Maunoury, with the 6th French army, advanced from Paris upon the Ourcq. The right of this army rested on Meaux on the Marne. General French with the British army, pivoting on its left, formed a new front extending south-east to north-west from Jouey, through Le Chatel and Faremoutiers, to Villeneuve-le-Comte. General Conneau with the French cavalry was on the British right, between Coulommiers and La Ferté Gaucher. General Desperey with the 5th French army held the line from Courtagon to Esternay, barring the roads from La Ferté-sous-Jouarre and Montmirail to Sezanne. General Foch, with headquarters at La Fère Champenoise, barred with his army the roads from Epernay and Chalons. General de Langle, holding Vitry-le-François, barred the approaches to that place and to Sommesous. General Serrail, with the French army operating in the Argonne, held Revigny. His line extended north-east across the Argonne to Verdun, and was linked up with the positions held by the French army base on that fortress. General Pau held the line on the east of the fortified frontier. Some observations on these dispositions of the Allies will elucidate their tactical intention. The position of the Allied armies formed a great bow, with the western end of it bent sharply inwards. The _weight_ of the Allied forces was massed round that western bend against the now exposed flank of von Kluck's army. Here lay the most vulnerable point of the German line. The tactical scheme of the Allied Commander-in-Chief was simple--a great military merit. He aimed first at defeating the German right led by Generals von Kluck and von Bülow. Having by that uncovered the flank of General von Hausen's army, his intention was to attack it also in both front and flank and defeat it. The same tactic was to be repeated with each of the other German armies in succession.