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STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF SOISSONS SOISSONSSoissons Soissons is a name frequently seen in daily dis paches from the seat of war on the west front Of interest then is the following war geography bul ¬ letin on Soissons issued by the National Geographic Society SocietyThe The strategic importance of Soissons a city of 14000 inhabitants at the time of the outbreak of the world war is due chiefly to the fact that it is a great railroad center It is situated on the left bank of the Aisne twentyfive miles cast of Compiegne and thirtyfive miles west of Kheims On the ParisLaon railroad it is sixtyfive miles northeast of the capital and twentytwo miles southwest of Laou LaouBefore Before the war Soissons was an important center for the grain trade of Northern France and was especially noted for its haricot beans Its most flourishing industries were iron and copper foun ¬ dries boiler and agricultural implement factories straw hat and glass works worksSoissons Soissons Is one of the oldest cities in France Before the advent of the Komans it was the chief city of the Suessiones who held twelve towns of Gallia Bclgica Divitiacus one of their most power ¬ ful kings extended his sway even beyond the sea among the Britons BritonsThe The citys present status as a railroad center is an inheritance of many centuries for in ancient times it was a starting point of military roads to Hhcims ChateauThierry Meaux Paris Amiens and St Qucutiu It was at Soissous that Clovis King of the Saliau Franks defeated the Itonian general Syagrius and it was here that he married the Christian Princess Clotilda Three years after the marriage the king and 3000 Franks were baptized baptizedA A short distance down the Aisne on the opposite bank are the ruins of the famous Abbey of St Mcdard where Pepin the Short was crowned by St Boniface the papal legate It was in this abbey also that the famous Abelard of Abelard and Helois memory is said to have been imprisoned In this vicinity too ThomasaBecket the fighting English prelate of Henry IIs time lived during his long sojourn in France Louis the Debonair one of the most unhappy of French kings made two enforced stays here as the captive of his undutiful sons sonsNo No doubt when the present war is over Sois ¬ sous will erect a second monument to commemorate those of its citizens who have fallen before the ruthless warfare of the Huns In the Place de la Uepublique there was erected in 1901 a memorial to the citizen shot by the Germans in the war of 1870
