Acy's situation in the hollow of a valley robbed its steeple of all value as an observatory; it was therefore respected by the artillery on both sides. After glancing around the interior of the old church, with its squat pillars, shown in the above view, _we go on along the High Street_, passing the town-hall. Opposite is a photograph of the town-hall safe, which was blown up by the Germans during their occupation of the place. _A little further on is the cemetery_, in front of which is a big military grave. Acy's churchyard was much too small to hold all the heroes who fell on the territory belonging to that parish. In front of the cemetery, on the other side of the road, stands the castle where the Germans quartered themselves. The view opposite gives but a slight idea of the state in which it was found by its owners. [Illustration: ROOM IN THE CASTLE WHERE THE GERMANS SLEPT] The park was placed in a state of defence and the Germans made a tenacious resistance there. _The tourist will now take the road in front of the cemetery which skirts the castle railings. Then turning to the left he will follow the zig-zag road which climbs the Étavigny Plateau._ [Illustration: ACY SEEN FROM THE HEIGHTS OF ÉTAVIGNY] The above panorama was taken from the last turn of the climbing path and gives a good view of the valley in which Acy is built. Here we can follow the course of the battle: the French held the Nogeon Plateau, the Germans the valley and the heights where the tourist stands. Troops belonging to the Seventh Corps descended on Acy from Nogeon and came up in front of the village, others slipped along the Gergogne and made a flank attack. [Illustration: ÉTAVIGNY CHURCH] After furious fighting in the streets, in the castle grounds and in the little woods on the hillsides, the Germans were flung back from Acy to the heights of Étavigny. They returned to the charge, and in their turn drove the French back to the Nogeon Plateau. The village thus changed hands several times, and this terrible beating backwards and forwards caused great losses on both sides. _Continuing his road to Étavigny_, the tourist will go over the position that the Germans established on the plateau. The infantry and the machine-guns were entrenched along the road itself; the light and heavy artillery were in the hollow on the right. They showered shells on the French positions at Nogeon, and in return received the fire of the batteries placed, as before mentioned, between Fosse-Martin and Bouillancy. Arriving at =Étavigny= (18 km.) our attention is at once drawn to the church, which suffered terribly. [Illustration: ÉTAVIGNY CHURCH] The part played in the battle by the church of Étavigny was very different from the passive one assigned to the church of Acy. Its dominating position afforded priceless views of the French lines to the observer installed in its steeple. It was therefore by shells from the 75's that the church was damaged (_see pp. 100 and 101_).