_After having visited in the cemetery_ the graves of several officers of the 39th, 74th and 129th Regiments, who fell here, _we retrace our steps and turn to the right into the_ G. C. 46 _in the direction of Esternay. A long climb leads to Retourneloup where_ G. C. 46 _rejoins_ N. 34 _coming from La Ferté-Gaucher_. We are now entering the theatre of operations of the First French Corps. =Retourneloup= was bombarded, as a German battery had been established there to hold the road to the Esternay hollow. This battery was hammered by the French artillery. The "curé" of Esternay, who had been made prisoner at the very beginning of the German occupation, was led to Retourneloup, and passed an anxious time during the battles of the 6th and 7th. Each time that the French attacked--and they attacked ten times during the day of the 6th, the "curé" was placed at the head of the German column which advanced to resist them. He was also roughly handled and given nothing to eat, besides being frequently threatened with being placed against a wall and shot. The Germans took him with them in the retreat and continued to put him in an exposed position in all rearguard actions. They finally set him at liberty about ten kilometres from Esternay. [Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE ESTERNAY CASTLE] _A zig-zag descent leads down to =Esternay=, in the hollow. Go straight on without entering, and gain the opposite slope. After crossing the railway line, take the road on the left leading to the castle (36 km.)._ [Illustration: ESTERNAY CASTLE] This last is preceded by a farm which still bears traces of the bombardment which it suffered (_view p. 150_). The castle, which belonged to Marshal Fabert, is now the property of the Marquis de la Roche-Lambert. The opposite view gives a good idea of its picturesqueness. It was occupied by a German staff, and its park defensively organised. The castle suffered less than the farm. _We retrace our steps over the 300 yards separating the entrance to the castle from N. 34, which we cross in order to take the opposite "Chêmin vicinal" leading down to =Châtillon-sur-Morin=. Pass over a level-crossing in order to enter the village_, which was completely destroyed by the bombardment and by the fires lighted by the Germans before evacuation. _Turn to the left in the village to_ arrive at the little church (_38½ km., view below_), which by a curious chance alone remained untouched in the midst of ruins. The above view was taken from the church tower. [Illustration: BURNT HOUSES AT CHÂTILLON]