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1870. JULY-SEPTEMBER. FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR—SIEGE OF PARIS
Franco-Prussian
War—Appointed to the French —German successes—Arrive in Paris
—Rumours—Aspect-----Ministry of War—Champ de Mars—Captured as a Prussian
spy—Rumours and facts—A disturbed night—Revolution of September 4—
Escape of the Empress—Vinoy arrives from Mezières—After the Revolution—
The outlook—Arming the masses—Approach of the enemy—Levee en masse—
Aspect of the city - Versailles "honourably" capitulated - Provisioning
- Present and prospective evils—City gates closed— Preparations for the
defence— Police in abeyance - Paris encircled - Some ambassadors quit -
Conditions within—Arrangements for wounded.
IN the middle of July
(1870) the morning papers recorded the incident at Ems, soon to become
famous, between Benedetti and the King of Prussia, its effect in Paris a
demand for war, and by the populace shouts of "A Berlin!" Events rapidly
developed; the Powers concerned prepared for war; proffered mediation by
England rejected by France. On the 21st of that month war was declared
by the King of Prussia; on the 23rd by the Emperor of the French; on
August 2 the young Prince Imperial received his bapteme de feu; war had
begun.
A few days thereafter I
was warned for service with the French in the capacity of Medical
Commissioner, to report to the War Office on certain specified points
relating to military organization in the field. Aware of the importance
of duties before me, preparations were quickly made for entering upon
them, including the payment of heavy extra premium to an insurance
office.
From that time onwards my
attention was directed to the remarkable development of military events
by which those declarations were followed. In the first instance there
was the small success of the French at Saarbruck on August 2, followed
on the 4th by their severe defeat at Weissenburg, after which one defeat
after another followed in quick succession; namely, Woerth and Spicheren
on the 6th; Forbachen on the 7th; St. Avoid on the 9th, when the partial
investment of Metz began; Strasburg invested on the 10th; the battle of
Courcelles or Longville, near Penge, on the 14th, the battles of Mars la
Tour, Gravelotte, and St. Privat, 16th to 18th, both inclusive, leading
to complete investment of Metz. The aspect of affairs had been so
affected by those events that preparations for the defence began on the
23rd. The Germans following up their victories by that of Beaumont, far
the Belgian frontier, on the 30th, forced MacMahon to fall back upon
Sedan, after sustaining very severe losses in men, guns, and stores. In
other directions, during the same period, one success after another
continued to attend the advance of the invaders.
The 1st of September was
with me a busy day; among its incidents, receiving instructions from the
War Office, special passport from the Foreign Office, letter of credit
and necessary cash from agents, and lastly, taking leave of my beloved
wife. Leaving Charing Cross by the 8.45 p.m. train, I arrived in Paris
early the following morning. Later in the day, in obedience to orders, I
reported my arrival to the British Embassy, presenting at the same time
my official credentials. I was informed that an application would be
made to the Ministry of War for a sauf conduit, to enable me to
proceed and join the "Army of the Rhine" under Marshal MacMahon, at that
time "somewhere between Verdun and Mezières, on the left side of the
Meuse."
An impression was "in the
air" that all was not well with that army, but beyond rumours more or
less vague nothing seemed to indicate knowledge of actual events of the
previous day, still in progress at, and in the vicinity of Sedan.
Afternoon and evening brought more definite particulars; telegrams from
Mezières announced that MacMahon was wounded, fugitives inundating that
town, all communication with Sedan "interrupted"; but to inquiries made
in official quarters there was silence.
We had observed that near
the Gare du Nord large numbers of workmen were engaged on the
fortifications in that direction. Within the walls bodies of armed men,
some in uniform, many not, marched along the thoroughfares or were
undergoing drill. As day advanced crowds assembled at corners;
pedestrians increased in number; kiosks and windows presented
caricatures, in execrable taste, of Prussians from king to peasant. The
Champs Elysées was comparatively deserted; already it had an unkept
appearance. Here and there a small group gazed at the performances of
Punchinello; a few equipages drove along its centre way. Agencies of
various Socités des Secours aux Blesses had taken up positions in large
buildings or open spaces; from many windows and over entrances floated
Red Cross flags.
At an early hour on the
3rd, Colonel Claremont, Military Secretary to the British Embassy,
conducted me to the several offices, from one or other of which he
expected that the necessary orders would be issued to enable me to carry
out the mission assigned to me. Failing to obtain those orders at one
and all so visited, he made direct application to the Minister for War,
but with no other result than an intimation that "the correspondence on
the subject must pass through the ordinary routine, and in the meantime
I must wait." It was evident that something very unusual had taken place
or was in progress; the demeanour of the officials with whom we came in
contact indicated the fact with sufficient clearness. Colonel Claremont
was in all probability made acquainted with the nature of the events in
question, for as we separated, each to proceed his own way, his parting
remark was, "I don't expect now that you will go much beyond Paris."
The Champ de Mars forms a
huge camp ground; tentes abri, guns, waggons, tumbrils, horses, and men
crowd the space so named. Infantry of the line there are in battalions,
many of them undergoing the earlier stages of military drill, their
style and general aspect far from realizing the British idea of what is
soldier-like. The arrangement of the camp itself, including tents,
matériet, conveniences and necessities, slovenly and untidy.
In its immediate vicinity
the Seine was a washtub for the troops, many of whom were occupied in
beating, scrubbing, and otherwise cleansing articles of their clothing
in the edge of the stream. I lean over the parapet and observe the
process. I am grasped by a soldier; others hurry to his aid; I am
captured, a prisoner. The spy mania is rampant. I am marched off as
such, first to one "post," then to another; passport and other official
documents taken from me; my escort increasing as we proceeded. It
comprises cavalry, infantry, and gamns, the latter becoming more and
more "demonstrative" in their behaviour as we went, now shouting,' 'A
bas le Prussien!" "A bas Bismarck!" now laying hands roughly upon me,
until it looks as if in their excitement things might fare badly with
me. Arrived at a police station in the Rue Grenelle, I found myself
deposited in the company of a very miscellaneous assortment of
prisonniers, and there spent some two or three hours as best I could. At
the end of that time my credentials were flung at rather than given back
to me; the official of the place pointed to the door, and without
deigning a look at me said, "Voila Allez," and so we parted. Naturally
enough I was indignant, and on reaching my hotel declared my intention
to report to our Representative the episode through which I had passed;
but was quietly informed by others better acquainted than I then was
with the state of affairs, that I need not trouble myself; he would do
nothing in the matter.
As evening wore on,
rumours of the morning assumed the aspect of facts, terrible in their
nature as they were unlooked for and unexpected: the French had been
hopelessly defeated at Sedan; MacMahon wounded and a prisoner; the
Emperor a prisoner; 40,000 men of his army prisoners; no obstacle
todelay. far less prevent the advance of the Prussians upon Paris. All
was excitement along the streets and boulevards; shouts were heard of "Déchence!,'
and "Vive la République/" Doubts and fears were expressed as to what on
the morrow the fate of the Empress, who was still in the Tuileries,
might possibly be.
All through the following
night there were sounds of movement in the streets: the tread of troops
on the march, the heavy roll of guns, tumbrils, and waggons. In the
Chamber of Deputies transactions were in progress the nature of which
did not transpire till long afterwards, though the results were to be
seen within the space of a few hours. Men, who till then had been
ministers and other officials of the Emperor, declared shortly after
midnight the Imperial regime had ceased; they elected from among
themselves what was intended to be a "Governing Commission," and so
discounted the events of the morrow. No wonder that such a self-chosen
body failed to receive general acceptance, as indeed was scarcely to be
looked for considering the many discordant political elements existing
within the capital.
From early morning of
Sunday, the 4th, a dense and tumultuous crowd filled the Place de la
Concorde, in the Rue Royale and Faubourg St. Honor workmen were hauling
down Imperial eagles and "N's," by which various public buildings were
distinguished and ornamental, the mob cheering them as they proceeded
with their self-imposed work. The gates of the Tuileries gardens were
open, the gardens of the palace filled with people; down the Rue de
Rivoli, and upwards towards the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elysées,
streams of people were in motion. Across the entrance to the bridge
leading to the palace of the Corps Lgislatif, a body of regular troops
was drawn up with bayonets fixed. Down along the Champs Elysées marched
in cadence to beat of drum and note of bugle an imposing force of
National Guards. Nearer and nearer they came; greater and greater was
the excitement in the crowd, including the small body of foreigners who,
like myself, were irresistibly drawn to, and by curiosity held in the
scene. A moment more and the two sets of forces must have been in actual
collision with each other—with what consequences who could predict? Then
were raised upon bayonet points the képis of the regulars, as from their
ranks the shout burst forth, 'Vive la Garde Nationale. The latter
instantly followed suit; the shout of "Vive la ligne!" told us that
fraternization was complete. The hall of the Legislature was immediately
occupied by the bourgeois; half an hour later the Government of the
Defence was proclaimed in the Hotel de Ville. Armed men in blouses took
the place of sentries of the Guard at the Tuileries; the tricolour still
waved above the central dome of the palace. The sympathy of us
foreigners who mingled in the crowd was with the Empress, as we
expressed to each other in subdued tones, our wonder as to the means by
which her escape would be effected, or whether she was to fall into the
hands of the masses, now wild with excitement as they yelled out "DéchéanceI"
"Vive la MiIionI" "Vive la RepubliqueI" interspersed with still more
threatening ejaculations. That a Revolution had taken place, the Empire
given place to the Republic, was evident; the apparent ease with which
that great change had been effected was matter of surprise to onlookers,
and to the people by whom it was effected. In the Place de la Concorde
the sergeants de ville were roughly handled, old scores paid off, in
some few instances their lives taken; the statues of Strasbourg and
other cities were draped in crimson cloth; then came along the quays
bodies of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, not to open fire upon the
revolutionary crowds, but in progress to the outskirts of the city.
Long after the occurrence
of the events just related, the circumstance transpired that
arrangements had in anticipation been made to ensure the safety of the
Empress. The passages of the palace and inner gates were occupied and
otherwise protected by a considerable force of the Imperial Guard, so
that as in their haste the crowd rushed in from the direction of the
Place de la Concorde, they were moved on and on until they emerged from
the palace into the Cour de Carrousel, where, finding themselves so far
outmanoeuvred, they stood irresolute. It was then that, taking advantage
of their confusion, the escape of the Empress was effected by the aid of
Prince Metternich and Madame La Breton Bourbaki; whether with that of M.
F. de Lesseps or not seems to be questioned.
Vinoy at the head of the
13th Army Corps arrives from Mezires, his retreat therefrom in the face
of the Germans flushed by victory at Sedan looked upon as the most
masterly performance yet achieved. His forces occupy camp in the Avenue
de la Grande - Armée, and thither crowds resort to see the men who had
performed so successful a feat; the order and regularity in all that
concerns them indicating their training and discipline in strong
contrast to what was so recently experienced in the Champ de Mars. But
chiefly was attention directed to certain mysterious objects carefully
concealed by canvas coverings, but with an outline like that of
artillery guns. These were mitrailleuses, from which great results were
anticipated.
To walls of houses and
enclosures were affixed announcements that the Republic had been
declared, and giving the names of those who now constituted the
Provisional Government. Other notices similarly displayed contained
appeals to patriotism on the part of the National Guards, and manhood of
the capital, that they should rally to the rescue of La Paine en Danger.
Troops of the line marched in various directions, the object of the
movements not apparent. Groups of men stood at intervals along the
streets, the képi as yet the only item of uniform worn by them.
The tone of the press
moderated from what had lately been; it was evident that grave events
threatened, the possible nature of which caused thinking people some
anxiety. Cafes usually brilliantly lighted and crowded with customers
became less so; uniforms took the place of civilian costume at the small
tables within and without. Outside the ramparts, houses and other
buildings were in course of demolition. On the defences the work of
repair and strengthening was in progress. Railway stations were crowded
by people,—some endeavouring to get away, together with their removable
belongings; others to get all such property inside for comparative
safety.
Preparations for defence
went on apace. Private carriages disappeared, except such as were
retained by special permission; public conveyances decreased in number,
the horses belonging to them being requisitioned for public purposes.
Women pedestrians were few; scarcely a man to be seen on the streets, in
shops, offices, and other establishments, but those who wore more or
less complete uniform;
those on the streets carrying rifles, side arms, or both. At night, and
throughout the day, the sound of drum and bugle was incessant; here and
there varied by the Marseillaise sung in stentorian voice. In the Place
de la Concorde successive bodies of armed men paid homage before the
statue of Strasbourg, gesticulating and vociferating as they did so,
that emblem becoming concealed under the wreaths deposited upon it
Meanwhile, to prevent the Prussians from obtaining the game hitherto
preserved for Imperial purposes, a public battoe to take place at
Compidgne was proclaimed.
Men, to whom in the
emergency arms were issued, increased numerically faster than did the
means of providing them with uniform. Already did the circumstance
suggest itself to many that by placing in the hands of the masses such
means of offence, a source of possible danger to public safety was
thereby created. That idea was speedily fostered by the occurrence of
scenes of disorder in some localities by the men so armed; by others no
less suggestive, in which men "fraternized" with troops of the line over
absinthe in cabarets.
By the 10th of the month
the Prussian forces, 300,000 strong, were at Ligny, not more than
twenty-five miles from the capital. The terms by which certain journals
appeals were made to the invaders were questionable in respect to
dignity: on the one hand, if as "friends," offering friendship; on the
other, if as enemies, barricades and sewers transformed into mines to be
exploded under them. M. Balbi proposed that portable fortresses, each of
a strength equal to one hundred thousand men, should be sent against
them; other proposals for annihilation of the advancing armies were
submitted to the authorities, and declared impracticable.
During next few days
information as to transactions was received with increasing vagueness,
such items as seemed reliable only through English papers, and that not
for long. Some of the classes, who in more peaceful times had willingly
served in the ranks when "drawn," now expressed a desire to serve by
substitute, if they could. Mobiles in great number arrived in Paris from
the provinces. Public announcements declared that so great was the
devotion of the people to the Defence that the Levee en Masse would
leave the proportion of men at their homes as one to twenty-eight women.
According to some published statements, the men already enrolled were
more formidable in numbers than in quality; the withdrawals from the
city of those liable to service so numerous that special measures
against them were proposed in respect to their civil rights and
property. A report circulated to the effect that cartridges and other
ammunition contained in ordnance stores had been seriously tampered
with.
It is Sunday. Fashionable
resorts, including the Champs Elys's and Gardens of the Tuileries,
are crowded with men and women. Cafes partially deserted a few days ago
are now crowded. Booths of Punchinello are surrounded by knot of amused
spectators, the style and demeanour of the people generally by no means
such as might be looked for under the circumstances present and
prospective. Mobiles recently collected from the provinces rush about
irregularity wherever the crowds are thickest ; their rifles at the
"trail"; their bayonets fixed, — sources of danger to everybody.
Streets and roadways
show signs of neglect News circulates that the Canal de I'Ourque and
some other conduits have been ''cut" by the Gennans, the fact being the
first to indicate the near approach of the enemy.
"Versailles has
honourably capitulated." Such was the next intelligence to reach us.
Confusion thereupon became general. A grand review of forces of the
Defence of Paris forthwith ordered; information circulated by authority
that the several forts beyond the line of ramparts were fully armed and
manned by sailors under command of their own proper officers. As
extemporised battalions marched towards the general rendezvous they
presented in their ranks two types of manhood — the Parisian and the
provincial: the former poor in physique, and undisciplined; the latter,
strong and active, but unacquainted with anything beyond elementary
stages of military drill. A captive balloon established on Montmartre
from which to observe the movements of the enemy. A furore of
destruction suddenly set in, resulting in that of bridges, houses, and
everything destructible on the immediate outskirts of the city,
including a considerable strip of the Bois de Boulogne.
Stores and provisions
were collected to enable Paris to withstand a siege of two months'
duration that being thought the limit to which such an emergency could
extend, should it happen at all. Cattle and stock of all kinds were
brought within the walls ; fodder and grain for them collected, and food
of all kinds, available for human consumption, stored; a census of
"mouths" taken at the same time.
Already had evils shown
themselves as a result of billeting armed men on the people; huts were
therefore prepared in the boulevards and other open spaces for the
former. Disinclination was soon apparent in a suggestively large number
of the men to occupy their proper places on parade. From the city there
was reported exodus of men whose names were enrolled for military
service. On the walls were posted codes of instructions as to the
correct manner of loading rifles. Authority was given to the system now
introduced whereby improvised battalions of National Guards elected
their own officers — a system from which deplorable results were soon to
arise.
Gates along the line of
fortifications were now closed against traffic, except to persons
bearing special permits. Musters taken of so-called "effective"
combatants, prepared, according to declarations by themselves, to defend
the capital to the death, gave their number, including all classes of
troops, approximately at 400,000. Among us foreigners hints circulated
that neither by Trochu nor other superior officer were hopes of ultimate
success entertained, taking into account the kind of material so
extemporised M. Thiers had proceeded on his mission to the Governments
of Europe; hopes accordingly entertained that intervention by England,
Russia, and Austria, singly or united, might be brought about It was an
open secret that sympathy of the principal leaders, civil and military,
within the capital were more in favour of the past regime than of that
now entered upon, their hopes that by some means or other restoration
might be effected, a siege and probable bombardment averted. Those hopes
were soon destroyed; information circulated that the terms on which
further proceedings on the part of the Germans could be arrested,
included such items as a heavy money indemnity, the retrocession of
Alsace and Lorraine, as also of half the French fleet.
In the streets and
everywhere else within the city filth and otherwise objectionable
matters had accumulated to a very unpleasant degree; means of
conservancy and cleansing were deficient; the atmosphere polluted by
odours of decomposition. A separate police force to take the place of
the Gens d'Armes extinguished on the day of Revolution had not yet been
established; crimes of violence were the more remarkable in their
infrequency when that circumstance is taken into account, together with
the heterogeneous elements of which the defensive forces were now
composed.
The plot thickens;
information reaches us which leaves no doubt but that Paris is encircled
by the enemy. Within the city there is general commotion; in battalions
and smaller bodies newly raised levies march towards Vincennes ; trains
of ambulance carriages wend their way in the same direction. Official
notices affixed to walls direct that all men liable to military service
should report themselves within twenty-four hours at the rendezvous of
their respective corps, under penalty of being proceeded against as
deserters. In striking contrast to all this turmoil was the sight of
several elderly men and others calmly and peacefully fishing in the
Seine ; their prize an occasional gudgeon two inches long or thereabout
!
At this point some
representatives of Great Powers quitted the beleaguered city with the
intention of proceeding to Tours, where it was stated another Government
than that of the capital was in process of. A soldier of the line
engages in the first instance for the term of seven years; he may at its
expiration re-engage for other seven or fourteen years. At the end of
twenty-five years in the service he becomes entitled to a pension equal
in amount to ninepence per day. Five milliards of Francs; equal to two
hundred millions of pounds sterling. Among those who did so was the
British Ambassador. The Consul of Paris had already proceeded on leave
of absence, the outcome of the state of affairs so created being that
upwards of two thousand persons claiming the rights and privileges of
British subjects were left without official representative. Colonel
Claremont, Military Secretary, to his great credit, speedily returned
within the ramparts, and remained with the besieged until the defeat at
Champigny left the question of capitulation a matter of only a few weeks
to be decided. By no means did all the Foreign Representatives quit the
capital. Among those who remained were the Minister and Consul-General
of the United States ; the Ministers of Belgium, Spain, Portugal,
Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Neither did the Persian
Ambassador withdraw from his official position in Paris.
The corps of Sergeants de
Ville is re-introduced; itinerant musicians parade the streets, their
favourite instruments the barrel-organ, harp,and violin; beggars become
numerous and demonstrative. Parties of Mobiles march excitedly, and in
an irregular manner, in various directions, no one knowing the why or
wherefore of their movements; some to the sound of drum and bugle,
others without such instruments. A report circulates that outside the
ramparts the members of that force fired upon each other instead of at
the enemy; they were said to have arrested their commander on the plea
that he held communication with the Prussians. A tax was put upon meat
and bread sold in shops; supplies from without had all but ceased;
Rentes were down to 54.15. The general demeanour of the masses in ill
accord with the conditions in which their capital now was.
From the day on which intelligence of the great defeat at Sedan reached
Paris, a degree of enthusiasm became manifest among official classes and
private individuals, in regard to arrangements for possible sick and
wounded, which contrasted very favourably with the confusion and
indecision in military affairs already recorded. The ordinary military
hospitals under administration of the Intendance were equipped to their
utmost extent; various large buildings fitted up as annexes thereto;
societies of various kinds, and pertaining to different nationalities,
established hospitals, or ambulances scdeniaircs as such places came to
be called, at different points throughout the city ; several clubs were
similarly transformed, and numerous private families made what
arrangements they could for the reception of sick or wounded men in case
of emergency. The medical faculty of the capital volunteered their
services in a body; ladies devoted themselves to "ambulance" work in a
manner and on a scale never before witnessed, while volunteers as
brancardiers gave their names in numbers beyond requirements even
according to the most liberal estimates of probable casualties, thus it
came about that provision was complete for 37,000 patients.
At a later period so
numerous became the "nurses" that to carry a brassard turned into a
fashion; young women "played the nurse with wounded soldiers as little
girls play the mother with their dolls." Many earnest women devoted
themselves to the work, but that the remark just made was not without
grounds was no less true. In some instances the declared object with
which they undertook such work was to release men therefrom, so that
they might join the active ranks in combat, or become ambulancurs. In
other instances it was said of the ladies so employed that they
restricted their performances to mere show, leaving all real work in the
wards to men, but ready to accept credit really due to the latter.
Instances occurred of wounded Frenchmen submitting a formal request to
be moved to wards in which their attendants should be men only. Up to a
certain time a halo of romance attached itself to the movement as a
whole; latterly the brightness of that "glory" became less dazzling.
Unfortunately some of the
larger ambulance establishments drew upon themselves suspicion; a report
circulated that while above them, as also some huts or barraques erected
for similar purpose waved the Red Cross flag, side by side with or in
close proximity to them were stores for combatant purposes, — ^in at
least one instance artillery ready equipped for battle. There were
cynics who said that the profusion of Geneva flags on private houses was
indicative of a desire on the part of the inmates to claim protection
under that emblem^ as much as the wish to share their rapidly
diminishing quantity of food and "comforts" with sick and wounded men.
The fact that brancardiers were "neutral" by virtue of the brassard worn
by them was considered by pessimists to account for the great popularity
attached to the Corps of Ambulanciers as compared to the fighting
battalions. Nor were there wanting persons who expressed views that the
entire system of Societes des Secqurs" had in it the objection that by
their means responsibility in respect to the care of sick and wounded
soldiers was withdrawn from Governments concerned, and so war protracted
beyond what would otherwise be possible. |
