On the evening of September 6 Vassincourt was the extreme left of Sarrail's Army. It was attacked furiously by the German troops which had just carried Revigny, and sought to take possession of the plateau commanding the valleys of the Saulx and the Ornain, by which they hoped to push on towards Bar-le-Duc and Saint Dizier. On the 7th, the 46th Line Regiment was clinging to the edge of the village. Colonel Malleterre, commanding this fine body of men, inspired them with his own indefatigable energy. On the 8th the 57th Brigade of the Fifteenth Corps, attacking from Mognéville tried to free the west of Vassincourt, and to drive back the Germans towards Revigny. Two dashing attempts, resulting in heavy losses to two Light Infantry Battalions of the 57th Brigade, failed before the German resistance, supported by a great superiority of guns. The 46th maintained its positions from Vassincourt to the Ornain. On the 9th the attack began again at dawn, and by the evening the burning village was closely surrounded on the east and to the south by trenches which the French troops had dug hastily. In the course of this day, Colonel Malleterre, who had taken over the command of the 19th Brigade and was directing operations, was seriously wounded. It was only on the 11th that the Plateau of Vassincourt was completely cleared of the German troops who had entrenched themselves there. [Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH] _Turn to the left in the middle of the village_, in order to visit the church, of which the spire has been brought down and the interior laid waste, _then return to the road_. [Illustration: EXTERIOR OF THE CHURCH] _After Vassincourt, G. C. 1 passes through =Mussey= (74 km.)._ Varney and Fains, further up-stream, constituted with Mussey three passages which were covered by the Fifth French Corps. The Crown Prince had given orders to the Thirteenth German Corps to make themselves masters of the bridges, but the splendid resistance of the French troops did not allow the enemy to cross this part of the waterway, which, however, had been crossed further down, at Revigny. _After leaving Mussey cross over the canal, which the road follows on a lower level, and pass Varney on the left. At =Fains= (79 km.) the canal has to be crossed again, turning to the right. Then turn to the left, along the canal bank. This leads to the high road to Bar-le-Duc G. C. (D. 4). Follow it, and enter the town by the Boulevard de la Banque, the Rue d'Entre-deux-Ponts, and the Boulevard de La Rochelle, where the hotel will be found (82 km.)._ [Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH] BAR-LE-DUC ORIGIN AND CHIEF HISTORICAL FACTS [Illustration: ENVIRONS OF NOTRE-DAME BRIDGE AFTER AN AIR-RAID]