GAULLE Charles de. 3 L. A. S. (the 3rd incomplete from the beginning), October 1914, to his mother Jeanne de Gaulle; 4 pages in-12 (one edge trimmed), 8 pages in-12 (marginal tears), 5 pages in-12. Letters from the lieutenant who is recovering in Cognac before leaving for the front. Cognac, 3rd October. He arrived the day before. "Cognac is a very nice town and, unlike most towns in the south-west, an opulent and clean one. A good number of superb houses are now available, those of the Germans who used to live here and make or pimp our brandies. The Regimental Depot is admirably installed and welcomed here. It is full of men at the moment, as a good number of wounded soldiers are completing their recovery. Captain Bataille, still incompletely recovered, arrived there yesterday, and de Marenches and de Saxcé are also there; Major Batbedat has just left for the front, replaced by a retired battalion commander in command of the depot. As I thought, our regiment has suffered a lot. Of the active officers who have left, one battalion commander, three captains and two lieutenants (Corbeil and Rives) are still in the line of fire. I was pleased to hear that after Dinant I was nominated by the colonel for the Légion d'Honneur. But what happened? I have no illusions. During the war they only decorated officers who were old and about to be decorated anyway, or a few younger ones who got the moon. [...] The Battle of the Aisne continues to develop slowly but surely in our favour. Cognac 5th October. "The weather here is superb, and according to the wounded and evacuees brought here, it hasn't rained for several days. At the moment, the 33rd is in the trenches near Reims, four or five hundred metres from the enemy trenches. They are currently engaged in a few unimportant night actions to be undertaken or repulsed, and a relentless bombardment that is not doing much harm. Everyone agrees that they are in excellent spirits. They eat 700 grams of meat per man per day and drink coffee all day long. They are given plenty of cognac and even cigars. In short, for us the pleasures of the countryside came after the victory, naturally. The great battle was going ahead without any doubt as to our success. The enemy's two major efforts on the Meuse and in the Roye region were broken. In contact, our will is constantly being realised. We have built the second arm of a formidable compass from scratch as far as Béthune. Now, from Noyon to Arras, our whole left wing is going to march eastwards, driving the enemy right wing into the ground. It won't be long before the decision is made. The Germans are preparing to attack Antwerp with fury, and, if the Belgians are left to their own devices, I have no doubt that the city will soon capitulate. [...] Namur [surrendered] immediately at the time of the battle of Charleroi, when we were counting on the place to flank the right wing of our army; seeing this, General Franchet d'Esperey threw two available regiments into the town, including the 148th (Givet Regiment). These two regiments were completely destroyed, partly by the enemy and partly by the mass of panicked Belgian fugitives. This was not the least reason for the failure of our offensive on the Sambre. At Antwerp, the Belgian army found itself paralysed, unable to put up any serious resistance, and drowned in the midst of an innumerable and terrorised population [...] At every sortie, the Belgians were unable to hold out despite the desperate efforts of King Albert, who was trying to inspire a little confidence in them. [...] All this explains the Germans' insistence on offering Belgium peace. [...] It is not true that the Belgians saved France. France saved itself. On the other hand, I find in these failings the absolute confirmation of my earlier assertions: by pursuing a Flemingist policy, by refusing to reinforce their army, by smiling at Germany and grimacing at France, the Belgians were turning their backs on their history and are being punished for it"... He announced that he was walking "two hours a day and I foresee my return to the front soon. That will be at the best possible time. [In reality, in my opinion, all our misfortunes came from a first offensive that was too bold in Lorraine where, after some successes, we came up against a fierce and unexpected German counter-attack (24 August). We had a major setback there, which forced the Generalissimo [Joffre], in order to get things back on track, to commit the reserve he had intended for his left towards Charleroi. This misfortune, combined with the unforeseen delay of the British on our left, allowed the Germans to develop their overwhelming movement. General Joffre did not want to jeopardise his troops in a game that had not gone well. He preferred to withdraw to where he is now and fight the battle under much better conditions. By all accounts, the Germans, who are attacking en masse and furiously, have suffered appalling losses everywhere. But alas, we have also suffered some very cruel ones. The active infantry regiments have all been terribly hit, especially the officers. LNC, I, p. 100-104. Attached is a fragment of an autograph letter (4 p. in-12): "It is luminously clear that the final victory is ours and that France has in her hands the opportunity of a new fortune". He mentions the death of Albert de Mun (6 October 1914), and comments on the "capture of Antwerp"...