Now, why was not a stand made at the Heights of Champagne? The fact was, that the German armies were advancing so rapidly that the French had no time to pause and reorganize their line so that it could meet the enemy with any chance of success. The French had reached the plateau by the 29th August; but they dared not halt their columns, because the enemy was hard at their heels. By this time von Kluck had passed the confluence of the Oise and the Aisne, and a cavalry corps on his left had actually reached the Marne. This movement threatened the left flank of the French, and they were bound to continue their retreat to prevent themselves from being turned in this direction. At the same time von Buelow was at Laon, on the edge of the plateau, and farther east von Hausen had crossed the Aisne, while other German armies were in contact with the French between Vouziers[74] and Verdun. Had the French accepted battle at the Heights of Champagne they would have done so very recklessly. If they had suffered defeat, they would have been cut off from the British on their left, and from a new army which was being formed near Paris. General Joffre therefore decided to continue his retreat until he could engage the enemy in a better position. He did so, and on 5th September lay along the Seine and the Aube, with the British gathered between the Seine and the Marne, and on their flank the newly-created army. All the units of the Allied forces were now linked up, and the moment had arrived when General Joffre could order an attack. On the evening of the 5th he addressed the following message to the commanders of his armies: "The hour has come to advance at all costs, and to die where you stand rather than give way." [Footnote 67: _Reh-tel´_, 23 miles south-west of Mezières.] [Footnote 68: _Shah-tō´ Sa-lăn´_ (_n_ nasal).] [Footnote 69: _Lon-vee´_ (_n_ nasal), 40 miles north-north-west of Metz.] [Footnote 70: _Ain_, joins the Oise (_Waz_) near Compiègne (_Kom-pe-ain´_).] [Footnote 71: _La Fair_.] [Footnote 72: _Lon_ (_n_ nasal).] [Footnote 73: _Reemz._] [Footnote 74: _Voo-ze-ay´._] CHAPTER XVIII. "THOSE TERRIBLE GREY HORSES." Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers. "That," he said, "is quite wrong; our army was numerous. We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven. We lost it through our own faults of command.