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1870. NOVEMBER. SIEGE OF PARIS
Le Jour des Morts—Requiem—Political
excitement—Conditions within the city— Progress of affairs—Porte St.
Denis—Intended sortie—Battle of Champigny - Night on the field.
LE Jour des Morts was
devoted to visiting the cemetery of Père la Chaise. That vast city of
the silent was more than usually crowded with mourners and other
visitors. Recently covered graves were numerous; around many such stood
sorrowing relatives and friends, some of whom placed thereon wreaths or
other tokens of affection; around others stood similar groups, some of
whom redecorated tombs of those longer numbered among the dead. The
assembled crowds were grave and demure, as befitted the occasion. At
intervals the sound of heavy guns came as if floating on the air. On
reaching the higher ground within the cemetery, the sharp ping of German
rifle shots came sharply and often, as the missiles passed overhead or
fell among us; for it seemed as if they were directed upon the mourners
by the more advanced posts of the besiegers out of a spirit of
wantonness—not unlike, it must be confessed, that already shown by
French sentries and others at Boulogne. But "it was not war" in either
instance.
A requiem mass in the
Madeleine for victims of the war up to that date was a most impressive
service. That beautiful church, draped in black for the occasion, was
filled to crowding by men and women, belonging to all social grades,
those of the higher classes wearing deep mourning, all having lost
members of their families on the field of battle, or by disease which
had already assumed the character of pestilence; in near proximity to
the altar sat some few mutilated men, who had so far escaped with their
lives. While the service was in progress, the rich music of the recently
erected organ, then used for the first time, was broken in upon from
time to time by the sound of heavy artillery from the outer forts.
During the address delivered by the Abbe Deguerry the same accompaniment
continued. In less than four months thereafter the venerable and
respected Abbd was numbered among the victims of the Commune.
Political excitement was
rampant within the city; serious outbreak by the inhabitants of
Belleville and Vilette was dreaded ; but on the result being declared of
elections rendered necessary by recent events at the Hotel de Ville, the
disturbing elements accepted for a time the defeat thereby given to
their cause, and gradually became less demonstrative in behaviour. But
not for long. The publication of orders for reorganization of the
National Guard was immediately followed by renewed disturbances in those
localities, from neither of which did men volunteer for the ranks in
obedience to the call do so; some battalions, already including members
from those quarters, refused to take their turn of duty on the ramparts,
declaring their intention to plunder the city if such orders were
persisted in. The difficulties of the existing Government had become
very great Public loans for purposes of the defence were called for and
subscribed. Negotiations were earned on for an armistice, whether with
or without ravitaillement These proved unsuccessful; but as events were
subsequently to show, acceptance of the terms of Bismarck, hard as they
were, would have saved much suffering and loss of human life.
Winter weather rapidly
advanced; strong winds, rain, and sleet gave way to snow and bitter
frost Clothing had to be supplemented in various ways; skins of animals
slaughtered were utilised, and articles of various kinds "converted" in
a manner heretofore unknown. Fuel had become scarce. The public markets
were bare of all things eatable; horses and other draught animals
belonging to private individuals were requisitioned; licences issued by
the municipality to official classes and others permitted to retain and
draw rations for particular specified numbers; an embargo was placed
upon the small fish already mentioned as furnishing sport for anglers on
the Seine. All persons were placed on the universal ration scale, but
"the poor" had the additional advantage of gratuitous meals provided at
certain places by maines. The more respectable classes refused to so
declare themselves; the consequence was that little, if any, advantage
in the way of free meals reached them, whereas the distiurbing elements
of Belleville and Vilette reaped the full advantages of the scheme,
while the classes alluded to became gradually reduced to direst poverty
and privation. The wounded increased rapidly in numbers; disease in
ordinary forms and as epidemics acquired alarming prevalence, various
hotels and other large buildings being taken up as additional hospitals.
Some schools and colleges still remained open; the Theatre Francaise and
a few similar establishments presented the ordinary scenes of
performances in one portion of the buildings, while in others lay
wounded men, sick, dying, and dead.
From outside came
evidences that our besiegers were actively at work. Intervals between
rounds of fire from Prussian guns became shorter as time wore on. From
French outposts came reports that siege batteries were being erected,
and armed with Krupp guns of large calibre, with the evident object of
bombarding the city. Additional measures were taken to interfere with
communication, such as it was, between Paris and the provinces, even to
the extent of keeping a more than usual sharp look-out upon messenger
pigeons, many of these birds having failed to arrive. Two, if not more,
of our balloons, while floating across positions occupied by our
enemies, were brought to earth by their bullets, or otherwise fallen
into their hands, their occupants threatened with trial by Court-Martial
on charges of unauthorizedly attempting to traverse the circle of
investment.
In the year 1814, and
again in 1815, the allied army entered Paris by the Porte St. Denis. The
impression arose that an entrance by our besiegers was possibly intended
on the present occasion to take place from the same direction; the
defences on that side were accordingly strengthened to so great an
extent that those of us able to do so took an opportunity of visiting
them. One entire cold foggy day was so spent by me, the Red Cross card
procuring for me ready admittance, and "circulation" everywhere. Rumour
said that on some of the advanced posts in this direction, men of the
opposing forces were wont, during the long weary hours of night, to meet
in friendly intercourse and partake of such small hospitality as they
could, leaving for the morrow their allowance of meat granted by mairies
to persons authorized to remain within the walls, namely : —
respective transition
from "friends" to "enemies." Records of the Peninsular War relate
similar stories in reference thereto.
As the end of November
drew near, rumour spread that the outer gates of the city had been
closed; that a sortie on a greater scale than any of those preceding was
about to take place; that the investing circle was to be broken, and the
victorious army from Paris to march triumphantly into the provinces.
Along the thoroughfares of the city leading eastward marched battery
after batteiy of artillery and battalion after battalion of infantry;
the crowds cheered, general excitement prevailed; high-sounding promises
were expressed that our isolation from the outside world was about to
cease. Towards evening orders reached those concerned that early on the
morrow the attack was to be delivered; at the same time the publication
of a subsequently much jeered at "Proclamation" by a general officer
became the subject of comment. At the early hour of one o'clock the
following morning a heavy cannonade was opened upon the positions held
by the enemy from the whole line of forts on the west and south of the
city, and continued during the succeeding hours, so heavy indeed that
according to calculation some two hundred missiles per minute were
discharged upon them, while a no less furious bombardment was opened
upon our outposts, the continuous bursting of shells in mid air of a
grey foggy morning having a most weird effect Throughout those weary
hours equipages of all kinds to be used in the removal of wounded were
being collected and arranged by the Intendance; while on the river, rows
of bateaux mouches ready prepared for similar work, were moored to the
embankment At length morning broke, and such a morning bitterly cold, a
dense fog hanging over us; we, several hours without shelter or
refreshment, our innate powers of maintaining animal warmth materially
reduced by privation of food. Hour after hour passed, and we were still
in our assigned positions ; some few conveyances and boats took their
departure for the front, but that was all. Noon passed; afternoon
advanced. Rumour spread that the intended attack on the position at
Champigny had miscarried; that during the previous night the Mame had
come down in flood, available pontoons proved insufficient in the
emergency, the passage of the forces across the stream had to be
postponed- We knew that on the morrow the attempt would be renewed, but
all perceived that meantime preparations against that attack would be
made by those upon whom it was to be directed.
As daylight broke on
November 30 heavy cannonading as on the previous day began. Now the long
line of conveyances was set in motion eastward, along the road between
Charenton and the Seine. As we neared Joinville we met an escort party
conveying to the city a considerable number of German soldiers who had-
fallen into their hands. At the same time we learned, what subsequent
information confirmed, that the first onslaught by our besieged troops
was so far successful, the village of Champigny being attacked by them;
the mitrailleuse sweeping its streets, the Wurtembergers and Saxons by
whom it was occupied were driven from it with extremely heavy loss to
their numbers. During the past night the bridge across the Mame that had
suffered from the mania of destruction already mentioned was temporarily
repaired, a bridge of boats completed, so that the troops, together with
thirty-three batteries of artillery, had crossed in the darkness and
begun their attack at an unexpectedly early hour. There was no great
difficulty connected with the transit of Red Cross conveyances. As we
advanced towards Champigny, appearances betokened continued success on
the part of the French; and although wounded men were being carried to
the rear in great numbers, the general impression was that the
endeavours of our citizen forces against their enemies were on this
occasion attended by success. Thus matters continued during the next two
hours; our establishments moving little by little onwards, following as
we then considered the victorious progress of those with whom our
sympathies naturally were. The fight now raged with great fury, its
scene covering a vast extent of ground, the ridges that stretch from
Brie to Champigny, and beyond the latter place still further to our
right, presenting an almost uninterrupted line of batteries from which
the deadly missiles fell thickly upon the troops engaged, and upon the
ground occupied by us, while from the forts in rear of us similar
showers of projectiles directed against those positions whizzed over our
heads. Now there came a pause; brancardiers carrying wounded, and
conveyances of sorts similarly laden, came from the front, and continued
their journey rearward. There is confusion. The range of some of the
enemy's guns has changed; so has the line of fire. Shells fall more and
more near to us; Spahis gallop in an irregular way among us. There is
confusion among the ambulance conveyances; brancardiers are unable to
discover those to which they respectively belong. For the time being
means are unavailable for the removal from the field of men who had
fallen wounded After a short time there was a rally. Again it was
evident that the French were attacking the German positions; but ere
night closed in they were everywhere repulsed It was during the state of
confusion just described that the commander of the 4th Zouaves, having
received what proved to be his death-wound, was dropped and so left by
the men who had brought him so far from the front. A shell had burst in
their close vicinity. They abandoned the unfortunate officer, helpless
as he was, and themselves disappeared in the general confusion. Some few
of us expressed indignation in no doubtful terms. We rallied to the aid
of the dying man^ to whom we gave such aid as we were able to render. A
gentleman connected with one of the Embassies who was present succeeded
in finding his brougham; in it was placed our patient, and so we started
back to Paris for further help. Having recrossed the Mame, we were
driven by the road traversing the Pare de Vincennes, and so entered the
city by the Place du Trone. Denser and more dense became the crowd as we
neared the city; people in uniform and in bourgeois dress, waggons, and
troops in disorder, all served to impede our progress. When near enough
to the bulwarks to observe what was taking place upon the slopes
connected with them, a scene of the most astounding character presented
itself. Crowds of people, male and female, were there, indulging in
games as if the occasion were a holiday ; and yet within a very short
distance from them their brothers and other jelations were engaged in
deadly combat, torn and mangled, in many instances, into shapeless
masses of humanity. Having entered the city, we were driven quickly to
the American ambulance, and there within a few short hours the
sufferings of the poor Chif de Battalion had ceased. He entered his rest
Before we could regain
the field of battle, darkness had set in. Firing had much diminished,
though still proceeding heavily, the flames from guns and burning
buildings around us lighting up from time to time portions of the plain
on which the events of the day had taken place. A considerable number of
Red Cross men had returned in the hope of succouring such of the wounded
as were left on the ground. Bitterly cold was the night, as hour after
hour, till well past midnight, all of us, with lamp in hand, and in
small separate bodies pursued our search, our own frames benumbed,
unsupported by sufficient food, and without the possibility of obtaining
such comfort as hot coffee or tea could afford. While so engaged, to our
surprise, there flashed over us from the Faisanderie a beam of bright
white light. For a moment it illumined the Prussian position upon the
heights of Villiers, then suddenly ceased. A shell flew through the air.
There was a loud explosion, preceded by a blaze of flame. We were made
aware that for the first time the electric light was made use of in this
way. At last, wearied, tired, exhausted by cold, we were able in the
early hours of morning to reach our respective hotels. |
