an hour before noon
And all the while , mingled with the roar of the cannon , came , far and near from the streets , from the ramparts , the gusts of song -- song sometimes heroic , sometimes obscene , more often carelessly joyous . The news of General Vinoy 's success during the early part of the day had been damped by the evening report of Ducrot 's delay in crossing the swollen Marne . But the spirits of the Parisians rallied from a momentary depression on the excitement at night of that concert of martial music . During that night , close under the guns of the double redoubt of Gravelle and La Faisanderie , eight pontoon-bridges were thrown over the Marne ; and at daybreak the first column of the third army under Blanchard and Renoult crossed with all their artillery , and , covered by the fire of the double redoubts , of the forts of Vincennes , Nogent , Rossuey , and the batteries of Mont Avron , had an hour before noon carried the village of Champingy , and the first echelon of the important plateau of Villiers , and were already commencing the work of intrenchment , when , rallying from the amaze of a defeat , the German forces burst upon them , sustained by fresh batteries . The Prussian pieces of artillery established at Chennevieres and at Neuilly opened fire with deadly execution ; while a numerous infantry , descending from the intrenchments of Villiers , charged upon the troops under Renoult . Among the French in that strife were Enguerrand and the Mobiles of which he was in command . Dismayed by the unexpected fire , these Mobiles gave way , as indeed did many of the line .