The German offensive made great initial gains. From near the front lines Harvey Cushing, Halsted’s protégé, recorded the German advance in his diary: “They have broken clean through. . . .” “The general situation is far from reassuring. . . . 11 P.M. The flow of men from the retreating Front keeps up.” “Haig’s most disquieting Order to the Army . . . ends as follows: ‘With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight to the end. The safety of our homes and the freedom of mankind depend alike upon the conduct of every one of us at this moment.’”
