Monument des Marie-Louise – Chemin des Dames
The Monument des Marie-Louise is located near the Hurtebise Farm, at the intersection of the Chemin des Dames (D18CD) and the D886 departmental road. The Chemin des Dames was at the heart of the two Battles of Craonne, two important historical conflicts separated by a century. The first battle resulted in Napoleon’s victory in 1814. Unfortunately, the second battle in 1914 was a true disaster for the French troops.
The Monument des Marie-Louise was sculpted by Maxime Real del Sarte. It depicts two young soldiers known as Marie-Louise, the name given to young soldiers in Napoleon’s armies and under the patronage of the Empress. It also pays tribute to the young soldiers of the Great War, known as the Bleus.
However, an inaccuracy remains in the inscription. The soldiers of the Class of 1914, who were twenty years old in 1914, were commonly called “Biquets,” not “Bleus.” The term “Bleus” was associated with the soldiers of the Class of 1916, while “Bleusets” referred to those of the Class of 1917. It seems that “Bleu” was chosen for its more pleasant sound than “Biquet.”
The inscription engraved on the Monument des Marie-Louise reads as follows:
1814-1914 – A la Vaillance de la Jeunesse Française – Marie-Louise de 1814 – Bleus de 1914 unis dans une même Gloire”
“To the Bravery of the French Youth – Marie-Louise of 1814 – Bleus of 1914 united in the same Glory”
Battle of Craonne of 1814
A commemorative ceremony was held on March 7, 1914, at the Monument des Marie-Louise to mark the centenary of the victory at the Battle of Craonne, as Napoleon I had stayed at the Hurtebise Farm the night before the battle. This final victory of the Emperor’s resulted in heavy losses of life: 5,400 soldiers of the Napoleonic armies and 5,000 soldiers of the Coalition. Napoleon followed the fighting from the Moulin de Vauclair, a windmill located on the heights east of the farm. Craonne, which served as an improvised field hospital during the conflict, was destroyed. The windmill was destroyed during the First World War, but a statue of Napoleon I was erected on its site on June 30, 1974.
Battle of Craonne of 1914
The Ferme d’Hurtebise was once again at the heart of deadly attacks during the period from September 1914 to April 16, 1917, known as the Nivelle Offensive. It was during this tragic assault, which ended in disaster, that the 10th Forces Coloniales Sénégalaises – Colonial Infantry Division, which included the 33rd, 52nd, and 53rd Colonial Infantry Regiments (the latter two being Senegalese battalions), fought in the Hurtebise sector.
The losses suffered by the Senegalese Colonial Forces were astronomical. A series of statues, known as the Constellation de la Douleur, was erected near the farm, at the foot of the Dragon’s Lair, in their memory.
Unfortunately, the Ferme d’Hurtebise once again found itself at the centre of conflict on May 20, 1940, when German armoured divisions surrounded and attacked the convoy of the French 4th Armoured Division. In remembrance of these events, two commemorative plaques were later affixed to the walls of the farm.
A plaque commemorating the bicentenary of the Battle of Craonne in 1814 was also installed on March 9, 2014, near the ruins of the church in Vieux Craonne, the original village, which was completely destroyed during the Second World War and preserved in its war state. The new village of Craonne was rebuilt nearby.
Department of Aisne – Monument des Marie-Louise at Crossroads D18CD – D886 – Picardie – Hauts de France region
Coordinates: Lat 49.441084 – Long 3.737885
