GENERAL VIEW OF THE “FOUR-DE-PARIS” (see page 103)
The road in the foreground leads from Four-de-Paris to Varennes.
In 1916 and 1917 this sector, like the rest of the Argonne, quieted down. Mining operations continued from time to time, but there were no battles properly so called. In the occasional surprise attacks which took place, the French generally got the better of the enemy.
From Four-de-Paris, instead of going to La Chalade by the direct road through the valley of the Biesme (2 km. 500), the Itinerary follows a number of roads (17 km. 500 in all) through the forest, in order to visit certain picturesque spots and at the same time to see places like Bolante, Les Meurissons, La Haute-Chevauchée, Fille-Morte, Pierre-Croisée and Courte-Chausse, made famous by the war. All these places were the scene of fierce conflicts in 1914 and 1915.
In December, 1914, many engagements, in which the French made slight progress, took place in this sector. It was to the east of Bolante Wood, in the wild ravine of La Fontaine-des-Meurissons, that the Garibaldian Regiment—raised by the Republicans of Italy to fight in France, and placed at the disposal of General Gérard (commanding the 2nd Active Corps)—received its baptism of fire. On December 26, 1914, the 2nd Garibaldian Battalion was detailed to carry a German trench. The attacking front was limited, about 150 yards, but the position was strongly held and protected by a deep entanglement of barbed wire. After an artillery preparation lasting from midnight until dawn, the Garibaldian companies rushed forward, one behind the other, to make a breach at all costs, but were held up by the uncut wire. At