COMMERCY--BAR LE DUC--CLERMONT EN ARGONNE
On Tuesday, August 23rd, we were to continue our journey westwards.
Sheridan and his companions were to accompany us or to follow without
delay. Regierungspräsident von Kühlwetter remained behind as Prefect;
Count Henckel went to Saargemund, and Count Renard, a huge figure
with a beard of corresponding amplitude, went to Nancy in a similar
capacity. Bamberger, the member of Parliament, visited us again. I
also noticed Herr Stieber on one occasion in the neighbourhood of the
house at the corner of the Rue Raugraf, and as I was walking about
the town to take a last look at the place before leaving, I saw the
fine-drawn, wrinkled, clean shaven face of Moltke, whom I had last seen
as he entered the Foreign Office in company with the Minister of War
five or six days before the declaration of hostilities. It seemed to
me that his features wore to-day an expression of perfect content and
satisfaction.
On my return to the office I was much interested by a report of the
views recently expressed by Thiers as to the immediate future of
France. He regarded it as certain that in case of victory we should
retain Alsace. The defeat of Napoleon would be followed by the loss
of his throne. He would be succeeded for a few months by a Republic,
and then probably by one of the Orleans family, or perhaps by Leopold
of Belgium, who, according to the source from which our informant
obtained his news (one of Rothschild’s confidants), was known on the
best authority to be extremely ambitious.
We left Pont à Mousson at 10 o’clock. In the villages along the road
the houses stood side by side as in a town. Most of them possessed
handsome municipal buildings and schools, and some had seemingly
ancient Gothic churches. On the other side of Gironville the road
passes a steep hill, with a wide prospect of the plain beneath. Here
we left the carriages in order to ease the load for the horses. The
Chancellor who drove at the head of our party with Abeken also got
out and walked for a quarter of an hour, his big boots reminding one
of pictures of the thirty years’ war. Moltke walked beside him; the
greatest strategist of our days striding along towards Paris on a
country road near the French frontier in company with the greatest
statesman of our time!
After we had returned to the carriages we saw a number of soldiers to
the right putting up a telegraph line. Shortly after 2 o’clock we came
to Commercy, a bright little town with about 6,000 inhabitants. The
white blinds in the better class houses were for the most part drawn
down, as if the occupants did not wish to see the hated Prussians. The
people in blouses were more curious and less hostile.
The Chief, together with Abeken and Keudell, took up their quarters
in the château of Count Macore de Gaucourt in the Rue des Fontaines,
where a Prince von Schwarzburg had lodged, and which was now occupied
by the lady of the house. Her husband was in the French army and was
accordingly with his regiment in the field. He was a very distinguished
gentleman, being descended from the old Dukes of Lorraine. There was
a pretty flower garden near the house, and behind it was a large
wooded park. I put up not far from the Minister’s quarters at No. 1
Rue Heurtebise, where I had a friendly and obliging landlord and an
excellent fourpost bed. I called afterwards on the Chancellor, whom
I found in the garden, and asked if there was anything for me to do.
After thinking for a moment, he said there was, and an hour later I
provided work both for the Field Post and the new telegraph line.
Amongst other things I wrote the following paragraph: “It is now quite
clear that the Princes of the Orleans family consider that their time
has come, as they expect to see the star of the Napoleons sink lower
and lower. In order to emphasise the fact that they are Frenchmen, they
have placed their swords in the present crisis at the service of their
country. The Orleans lost their throne in great part through their own
sluggishness and their indifference to the development of neighbouring
States. They would now appear determined to regain it by energy, and
to maintain their position by flattering French chauvinism, and love
of glory and universal dominion. Our work is not yet done. A decisive
victory is probable, but is not yet certain. The fall of Napoleon seems
near at hand, but it is not yet accomplished. Even should it occur,
could we, in view of the considerations already mentioned, rest content
with it and accept it as the sole result of our exertions, could we
feel confident of having attained our principal object, namely, to
secure peace with France for many years to come? No one can answer that
question in the affirmative. A peace with the Orleans on the French
throne would be still more a mockery than one with Napoleon, who must
already have had enough of ‘la gloire.’ Sooner or later we should be
again challenged by France, who probably would be then better prepared
and would have secured more powerful allies.”
Three reserve army corps are to be formed in Germany. One, and the
strongest, near Berlin; one on the Rhine; and a third at Glogau in
Silesia, in consequence of the equivocal attitude of Austria. That
would be a purely defensive measure. The troops on the Rhine are to
be commanded by the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, those near Berlin by
General von Canstein, and those at Glogau by General von Löwenfeld.
Towards evening the military band played before the residence of the
King, the street urchins holding their notes for the musicians in the
friendliest possible manner. The King had also stopped at Commercy
during the war against the First Napoleon.
Counts Waldersee and Lehndorff, and Lieutenant-General von Alvensleben
(from Magdeburg) were amongst the Chief’s guests at dinner. Alvensleben
told us the story of a so-called “Marl-Major” who was accustomed to
attribute all sorts of occurrences to geognostic causes. He reasoned
somewhat in this style: “It follows from the character and conduct of
the Maid of Orleans that she could only have been born on a fertile
marly soil, that she was fated to gain a victory in a limestone
country, and to die in a sandstone district.”
Speaking of the barbarous way in which the French conducted the war,
Alvensleben said that they had also fired upon a flag of truce at
Toul. On the other hand, an officer who for a joke rode along the
glacis had a friendly chat with the gentlemen on the walls. The
question whether it would be possible to take Paris by storm in spite
of its fortifications was answered in the affirmative by the military
guests. General Alvensleben said: “A great city of that kind cannot
be successfully defended if it is attacked by a sufficiently numerous
force.” Count Waldersee wished to “see Babel utterly destroyed,” and
brought forward arguments in favour of that measure with which I was
immensely pleased. The Minister, however, replied: “Yes, that would be
a very good thing, but it is impossible for many reasons. One of these
is that numbers of Germans in Cologne and Frankfurt have considerable
sums invested there.”
The conversation then turned upon our conquests in France and those
still to be made. Alvensleben was in favour of keeping the country up
to the Marne. Bismarck had another idea, which, however, he seemed to
think it impossible to realise. “My ideal would be,” he said, “a kind
of German colony, a neutral State of eight or ten million inhabitants,
free from the conscription and whose taxes should flow to Germany so
far as they were not required for domestic purposes. France would thus
lose a district from which she draws her best soldiers, and would be
rendered harmless. In the rest of France no Bourbon, no Orleans, and
probably no Bonaparte, neither Lulu (the Prince Imperial) nor the fat
Jerome, nor the old one. I did not wish for war in connection with the
Luxemburg affair, as I knew that it would lead to six others. But we
must now put an end to all this. However, we must not sell the bear’s
skin before we have killed it. I confess I am superstitious in that
respect.” “Never mind,” said Count Waldersee, “our bear is already
badly hit.”
The Chief then again referred to the royal table and to the frugal
manner in which food was doled out to the guests, his remarks being
probably intended for Count Lehndorff, who was expected to repeat them.
“We had cutlets there recently, and I could not take two, as there was
only one apiece for us. Rabbit followed, and I debated with myself
whether I should take a second portion, although I could easily have
managed four. At length hunger overcame my politeness, and I seized a
second piece, though I am sure I was robbing somebody else.”
The Chancellor then went on to speak of his sons. “I hope,” he said, “I
shall be able to keep at least one of my youngsters--I mean Herbert,
who is on his way to Germany. He got to feel himself quite at home in
camp. Formerly he was apt to be haughty, but as he lay wounded at Pont
à Mousson he was almost more friendly with the common troopers who
visited him than with the officers.”
At tea we were told that in 1814 the King had his quarters in the
same street where he now lives, next door to the house he occupies at
present. The Chief seems to have spoken to him to-day about decorating
Bavarian soldiers with the Iron Cross. The Minister said: “My further
plan of campaign for his Majesty is that part of his escort should be
sent on ahead. The country must be scoured by a company to the right
and left of the road, and the Royal party must remain together. Pickets
must be posted at stated intervals. The King approved when I told him
that this had been done also in 1814. The Sovereigns did not drive on
that occasion, but went on horseback, and Russian soldiers, twenty
paces apart, lined the whole route.” Somebody suggested the possibility
that peasants or franctireurs might fire at the King. “Certainly,”
added the Chief, “and what makes it so important a point is that the
personage in question, if he is ill or wounded or otherwise out of
sorts, has only to say ‘Go back!’ and we must all of us go back.”
We left Commercy next day at noon, passing several military detachments
and a number of encampments on our way. The measures of precaution
mentioned by the Chief had been adopted. We were preceded by a squadron
of uhlans and escorted by the _Stabswache_, which formed a bright
picture of many colours, being recruited from the various cavalry
regiments, such as green, red, and blue hussars, Saxon and Prussian
dragoons, &c. The carriages of the Chancellor’s party followed close
behind those of the King’s. For a long time we did not come across
any villages. Then we passed through St. Aubin, and soon after came
to a milestone by the roadside with the words “Paris 241 kilometres,”
so that we were only a distance of some thirty-two German miles from
Babel. We afterwards passed a long line of transport carts belonging
to the regiments of King John of Saxony, the Grand Duke of Hesse, &c.,
which showed that we were now in the district occupied by the Crown
Prince’s army.
Shortly afterwards we entered the small town of Ligny, which was
thronged with Bavarian and other soldiers. We waited for about
three-quarters of an hour in the market-place, which was crowded
with all sorts of conveyances, while the Chief paid a visit to the
Crown Prince. On our starting once more we met further masses of blue
Bavarian infantry, some light horse collected round their camp fires,
then a second squadron with a herd of cattle guarded by soldiers, and
finally a third larger encampment within a circle of baggage waggons.
Bar le Duc, the largest town in which we have stayed up to the
present, may have a population of some 15,000. The streets and squares
presented a lively picture as we drove through, and we caught glimpses
of curious female faces watching us through the blinds. On the arrival
of the King the Bavarian band played “Heil dir im Siegerkranz.” He took
up his quarters in the house occupied by the local branch of the Bank
of France, in the Rue de la Banque. The Chancellor and his party lodged
on the other side of the street, in the house of a M. Pernay, who had
gone off leaving an old woman in charge.
Dr. Lauer, the King’s physician, dined with the Minister that evening.
The Chief was very communicative as usual, and appeared to be in
particularly good humour. He renewed his complaints as to the “short
commons” at the royal table, evidently intending the doctor to repeat
them to Count Puckler or Perponcher. During his visit at Ligny he had
to take breakfast, which he said was excellent, with the Crown Prince
and the Princes and chief officers of his suite. He had a seat near the
fire, however, which was not quite to his taste, and otherwise it was
in many ways less comfortable than in his own quarters. “There were too
many Princes there for an ordinary mortal to be able to find a place.
Amongst them was Frederick the Gentle (Friedrich der Sachte--Frederick
VIII. of Schleswig-Holstein). He wore a Bavarian uniform, so that
I hardly knew him at first. He looked somewhat embarrassed when he
recognised me.” We also gathered from what the Chief said that Count
Hatzfeldt was to act as a kind of Prefect while we remained here, a
position for which probably his thorough knowledge of French and of
the habits of the country had recommended him. We also heard that the
headquarters might remain here for several days,--“as at Capua,” added
the Count, laughing.
Before tea some articles were despatched to Germany, including one
on the part played by the Saxons at Gravelotte, which the Chancellor
praised repeatedly.
By way of change I will here again quote from my diary:--
_Thursday, August 25th._--Took a walk early this morning in the upper,
and evidently the older, part of the town. The shops are almost all
open. The people answer politely when we ask to be shown the way. Not
far from our quarters there is an old stone bridge over the river
which was unquestionably built before Lorraine and the Duchy of Bar
belonged to France. Towards 9 o’clock the Bavarians began their
march through the town, passing in front of the King’s quarters.
More French spectators had collected on both sides of the street
than was quite comfortable for us. For hours together light horse
with green uniforms and red facings, dark blue cuirassiers, lancers,
artillery and infantry, regiment after regiment marched before the
Commander-in-Chief of the German forces. As they passed the King the
troops cheered lustily, the cavalry swinging their sabres, and the foot
soldiers lifting up their right hands. The colours were lowered before
the Sovereign, the cavalry trumpets blew an ear-splitting fanfare,
while the infantry bands played stirring airs, one of them giving the
beautiful Hohenfriedberg march. First came General von Hartmann’s Army
Corps, followed by that of Von der Tann, who afterwards took breakfast
with us. Who could have thought, immediately after the war of 1866, or
even three months ago, of the possibility of such a scene?
Wrote several articles for post and others for the wire. Our people
are pressing forward rapidly. The vanguards of the German columns
are already between Châlons and Epernay. The formation of three
reserve armies in Germany, which has been already mentioned, began
a few days ago. The neutral Powers raise some objections to our
intended annexation of French territory for the purpose of securing
an advantageous western frontier, especially England, who up to the
present has shown a disposition to tie our hands. The reports from St.
Petersburg appear to be more favourable, the Tsar being well disposed
to us, although he by no means unreservedly accepts the proposed
measures, while we are assured of the active sympathy of the Grand
Duchess Hélène. We hold fast to our intention to enforce the cession
of territory, that intention being based upon the necessity of at
length securing South Germany from French attack and thus rendering it
independent of French policy. When our intentions are made public they
will certainly be energetically endorsed by the national sentiment,
which it will be difficult to oppose.
It is reported that a variety of revolting acts have been committed by
the bands of franctireurs that are now being formed. Their uniform is
such that they can hardly be recognised as soldiers, and the badges by
which they are distinguished can be easily laid aside. One of these
young fellows lies in a ditch near a wood, apparently sunning himself,
while a troop of cavalry rides by. When they have passed he takes a
rifle which has been concealed in a bush, fires at them and runs into
the wood. Knowing the way he again appears a little further on as a
harmless peasant. I am inclined to think that these are not defenders
of their country but rather assassins who should be strung up without
ceremony whenever they are caught.
Count Seckendorf, of the Crown Prince’s staff, was the Chief’s guest at
dinner. The Augustenburger (Frederick VIII. of Schleswig-Holstein), who
has joined the Bavarians, was spoken of, and not to his advantage....
(The opinions expressed were practically identical with those given in
a letter which I received a few months later from a patriotic friend,
Herr Noeldeke, who lived in Kiel at that time as a professor. He wrote:
“We all know that he was not born for heroic deeds. He cannot help
that. If he waits persistently for his inheritance to be restored to
him by some miraculous means, that is a family trait. But he might
at least have made an effort to appear heroic. Instead of loafing
around with the army he might have led a company or a battalion of the
soldiers whom at one time he was nearly calling his own,--or for my
part he might have led Bavarians. In all probability the result would
not have been very remarkable, but at any rate he would have shown his
good will.”)
Reference was made to the rumour that the Bavarian battalions did not
appear particularly anxious to advance at the battle of Wörth (or was
it Weissenburg?), and that Major von Freiberg called upon them to show
themselves equal to “those gallant Prussians.” Seckendorf, if I am not
mistaken, confirmed this report. On the other hand, he denied that
the Crown Prince had ordered treacherous French peasants to be shot.
He had, on the contrary, acted with great leniency and forbearance,
especially towards unmannerly French officers.
Count Bohlen, who is always ready with amusing anecdotes and flashes of
fun, said: “On the 18th von Breintz’s battery was subjected to such a
heavy fire that in a short time nearly all his horses and most of his
men lay dead or wounded. As he was mustering the survivors, the captain
remarked, ‘A very fine fight, is it not?’”
The Chief said: “Last night I asked the sentry at the door how he was
off for food, and I found that the man had had nothing to eat for
twenty-four hours. I went to the kitchen and brought him a good chunk
of bread, at which he seemed highly pleased.”
Hatzfeldt’s appointment as Prefect led to the mention of other Prefects
and Commissaries _in spe_. Doubt having been expressed as to the
capacity of some of them, the Minister remarked: “Our officials in
France may commit a few blunders, but they will be soon forgotten if
the administration in general is conducted energetically.”
The conversation having turned on the telegraph lines which were being
so rapidly erected in our rear, somebody told the following story.
The workmen who found that their poles were stolen and their wires
cut, asked the peasants to keep guard over them during the night. The
latter, however, refused to do this, although they were offered payment
for it. At length they were promised that the name of each watchman
should be painted upon every pole. This speculation on French vanity
succeeded. After that the fellows in the long nightcaps kept faithful
watch, and no further damage was done.
_Friday, August 26th._--We are to move forward to Saint Ménehould,
where our troops have captured 800 mobile guards. Early in the day I
wrote an article about the franctireurs, dealing in detail with the
false view which they take of what is permissible in war.
We moved forward on the 26th, not to Saint Ménehould, however,
which was still unsafe, being infested by franctireurs and mobile
guards, but to Clermont en Argonne, where we arrived at 7 o’clock
in the evening. On our way we passed through several rather large
villages with handsome old churches. For the last couple of hours
military policemen were stationed along the road at intervals of about
200 paces. The houses, which were built of grey sandstone and not
whitewashed, stood close together. The whole population shuffled about
in clumsy wooden shoes, and the features of the men and women, of whom
we saw great numbers standing before the doors, were, so far as I could
observe in a passing glance, almost invariably ugly. Probably the
people thought it necessary to remove the prettier girls to a place of
safety out of the way of the German birds of prey.
We met some Bavarian troops with a line of transport waggons. The
troops loudly cheered the King, and afterwards the Chancellor. Later
on we overtook three regiments of infantry, some hussars, uhlans, and
a Saxon commissariat detachment. Near a village, which was called
Triaucourt if I am not mistaken, we met a cartful of franctireurs who
had been captured by our people. Most of these young fellows hung
their heads, and one of them was weeping. The Chief stopped and spoke
to them. What he said did not appear to please them particularly. An
officer of higher rank who came over to the carriage of the Councillors
and was treated to a friendly glass of cognac told us that these
fellows or comrades of theirs had on the previous day treacherously
shot a captain or major of the uhlans, named Von Fries or Friesen. On
being taken prisoners they had not behaved themselves like soldiers,
but had run away from their escort. The cavalry and rifles, however,
arranged a kind of battue in the vineyards, so that some of them were
again seized, while others were shot or cut down. It was evident that
the war was becoming barbarous and inhuman, owing to these guerilla
bands. Our soldiers were prejudiced against them from the beginning,
even apart from the possibility of their lying treacherously in ambush,
as they looked upon them as busybodies who were interfering in what was
not their business, and as bunglers who did not understand their work.
We took up our residence at Clermont in the town schoolhouse in the
main street, the King’s quarters being over the way. On our arrival,
the Grande Rue was full of carts and carriages, and one saw here and
there a few Saxon rifles. While Abeken and I were visiting the church
we could hear in the stillness the steady tramp of the troops and their
hurrahs as they marched past the King’s quarters.
On our return we were told that the Minister had left word that we
were to dine with him in the Hôtel des Voyageurs. We found a place at
the Chief’s table in a back room of the hotel, which was full of noise
and tobacco smoke. Amongst the guests was an officer with a long black
beard, who wore the Geneva cross on his arm. This was Prince Pless. He
said that the captured French officers at Pont à Mousson had behaved in
an insolent manner, and had spent the whole night drinking and playing
cards. A general had insisted that he was entitled to have a separate
carriage, and been very obstreperous when his demand was naturally
rejected. We then went on to speak of the franctireurs and their odious
modes of warfare. The Minister confirmed what I had already heard from
Abeken, namely, that he had spoken very sharply to the prisoners we had
met in the afternoon. “I told them, ‘_Vous serez tous pendus,--vous
n’êtes pas des soldats, vous êtes des assassins!_’ On my saying this
one of them began to howl.” We have already seen that the Chancellor is
anything but unfeeling, and further proof of this will be given later
on.
In our quarters the Chief’s chamber was on the first floor, Abeken, I
believe, having a back room on the same landing. The remainder of us
were lodged on the second floor in a dormitory or kind of hall which
at first only contained two chairs and two bedsteads with mattresses
but without quilts. The night was bitterly cold, and I only with my
waterproof to cover me. Still it was quite endurable, especially when
one fell asleep thinking of the poor soldiers who have to lie outside
in the muddy fields.
In the morning we were busy rearranging our apartment to suit our
needs. Without depriving it of its original character we turned it
into an office and dining-room. Theiss’s cleverness conjured up a
magnificent table out of a sawing bench and a baker’s trough, a
barrel, a small box and a door which we took off its hinges. This work
of art served as breakfast and dining table for the Chancellor of
the Confederation and ourselves, and in the intervals between those
meals was used as a desk by the Councillors and Secretaries, who
neatly committed to paper and reproduced in the form of despatches,
instructions, telegrams, and newspaper articles the pregnant ideas
which the Count thought out in our midst. The scarcity of chairs
was to a certain extent overcome by requisitioning a bench from the
kitchen, while some of the party contented themselves with boxes as
seats. Wine bottles that had been emptied by the Minister served
as candlesticks--experience proved that champagne bottles were the
fittest for this purpose and as a matter of fact good wax candles
burned as brightly in these as in a silver chandelier. It was more
difficult to secure the necessary supply of water for washing, and
sometimes it was hard even to get enough for drinking purposes, the
soldiers having during the last two days almost drained the wells for
themselves and their horses. Only one of our party lamented his lot
and grumbled at these and other slight discomforts. The rest of us,
including the far-travelled Abeken, accepted them all with good humour,
as welcome and characteristic features of our expedition.
The office of the Minister of War, or rather of the general staff, was
on the ground floor, where Fouriere and a number of soldiers sat at the
desks and rostrums in the two schoolrooms. The walls were covered with
maps, &c., and with mottoes, one of which was particularly applicable
to the present bad times: “_Faites-vous une étude de la patience, et
sachez céder par raison._”
The Chief came in while we were taking our coffee. He was in a bad
temper, and asked why the proclamation threatening to punish with death
a number of offences by the population against the laws of war had not
been posted up. On his instructions I inquired of Stieber, who told me
that Abeken had handed over the proclamation to the general staff, and
that he (Stieber), as director of the military police, could only put
up such notices when they came from his Majesty.
On going to the Chancellor’s room to inform him of the result of my
inquiries, I found that he was little better off than myself in the
way of sleeping accommodation. He had passed the night on a mattress
on the floor with his revolver by his side, and he was working at a
little table which was hardly large enough to rest his two elbows on.
The apartment was almost bare of furniture and there was not a sofa
or armchair, &c. He, who for years past had so largely influenced the
history of the world, and in whose mind all the great movements of our
time were concentrated and being shaped anew, had hardly a place on
which to lay his head; while stupid Court parasites rested from their
busy idleness in luxurious beds, and even Monsieur Stieber managed to
provide for himself a more comfortable resting-place than our Master.
On this occasion I saw a letter that had fallen into our hands. It came
from Paris, and was addressed to a French officer of high rank. From
this communication it appeared that little hope was entertained of
further successful resistance, and just as little of the maintenance of
the dynasty. The writer did not know what to expect or desire for the
immediate future. The choice seemed to lie between a Republic without
republicans, and a Monarchy without monarchists. The republicans were
a feeble set and the monarchists were too selfish. There was great
enthusiasm about the army, but nobody was in a hurry to join it and
assist in repelling the enemy.
The Chief again said that attention should be called to the services
of the Saxons at Gravelotte. “The small black fellows should in
particular be praised. Their own newspapers have expressed themselves
very modestly, and yet the Saxons were exceptionally gallant. Try to
get some details of the excellent work they did on the 18th.”
They were very busy in the office in the meantime. Councillors and
Secretaries were writing and deciphering at full pressure, sealing
despatches at the lights stuck into the champagne-bottle-candlesticks,
and all around portfolios and documents, waterproofs and shoe-brushes,
torn papers and empty envelopes, were strewn about in picturesque
confusion. Orderlies, couriers and attendants came and went. Every
one was talking at the same time, and was too occupied to pay the
least attention to his neighbours. Abeken was particularly active in
rushing about between the improvised table and the messengers, and
his voice was louder than ever. I believe that this morning his ready
hand turned out a fresh document every half hour; at least, one heard
him constantly pushing back his chair and calling a messenger. In
addition to all this noise came the incessant tramp, tramp, tramp of
the soldiers, the rolling of the drums and the rattle of the carts over
the pavement. In this confusion it was no light task to collect one’s
thoughts and to carry out properly the instructions received, but with
plenty of good will it could be done.
After dinner, at which the Chancellor and some of the Councillors were
not present, as they dined with the King, I took a walk with Willisch
to the chapel of St. Anne on the top of the hill. There we found a
number of our countrymen, soldiers belonging to the Freiberg Rifle
Battalion, at supper under a tree. They have been engaged in the battle
of the 18th. I tried to obtain some particulars of the fight, but could
not get much more out of them than that they had given it with a will
to the Frenchmen.
By the side of the chapel a pathway led between a row of trees to a
delightful prospect, whence we could see at our feet the little town,
and beyond it to the north and east an extensive plain, with stubble
fields, villages, steeples, groups of trees and stretches of wood,
and to the south and west a forest that spread out to the horizon,
changing from dark green to the misty blue of the far distance. This
plain is intersected by three roads, one of which goes direct to
Varennes. On this road not far from the town a Bavarian regiment was
stationed, whose camp fires added a picturesque note to the scene.
In the distance to the right was a wooded hill with the village of
Faucoix, while the small town of Montfaucon was visible further off.
The second road, more towards the east, leads to Verdun. Still further
to the right, not far from a camp of Saxon troops, was the road to Bar
le Duc, on which we noticed a detachment of soldiers. We caught the
glint of their bayonets in the evening sunshine and heard the sound of
their drums softened by the distance.
Here we remained a good while gazing at this pleasing picture, which in
the west was glowing with the light of the setting sun, and watching
the shadows of the mountain spread slowly over the fields until all
was dark. On our way back we again looked in at the church of St.
Didier, in which some Hessians were now quartered. They lay on straw
in the choir and before the altar, and lit their pipes at the lamps
which burned before the sanctuary--without, however, intending any
disrespect, as they were decent, harmless fellows.
On Sunday, August 28th, we were greeted with a dull grey sky and a soft
steady rain that reminded one of the weather experienced by Goethe
not far from here in September, 1792, during the days preceding and
following the artillery engagement at Valmy. At the Chief’s request I
took General Sheridan a copy of the _Pall Mall Gazette_, and afterwards
tried to hunt up some Saxons who could give me particulars of the
battle of the 18th. At length I found an officer of the Landwehr, a
landed proprietor named Fuchs-Nordhof, from Moeckern, near Leipzig.
He was not able to add much to what I knew. The Saxons had fought
principally at Sainte Marie aux Chênes and Saint Privat, and protected
the retreat of the guards, who had fallen into some disorder. The
Freiberg Rifles took the position held by the French at the point of
the bayonet without firing a shot. The Leipzig Regiment (the 107th)
in particular had lost a great many men and nearly all its officers.
That was all he could tell me, except that he confirmed the news as to
Krausshaar’s death.
When the Minister got up we were again provided with plenty of work.
Our cause was making excellent progress. I was in a position to
telegraph that the Saxon cavalry had routed the 12th Chasseurs at
Voussières and Beaumont. I was informed (and was at liberty to state)
that we held to our determination to compel France to a cession of
territory, and that we should conclude peace on no other conditions.
The arguments in support of this decision were given in the following
article which was sanctioned by the Chief:--
“Since the victories of Mars la Tour and Gravelotte the German forces
have been constantly pressing forward. The time would, therefore,
appear to have come for considering the conditions on which Germany can
conclude peace with France. In this matter we must be guided neither
by a passion for glory or conquest, nor by that generosity which is
frequently recommended to us by the foreign press. Our sole object must
be to guarantee the security of South Germany from fresh attacks on the
part of France such as have been renewed more than a dozen times from
the reign of Louis XIV. to our own days, and which will be repeated
as often as France feels strong enough. The enormous sacrifices, in
blood and treasure which the German people have made in this war,
together with all our present victories, would be in vain if the power
of the French were not weakened for attack and the defensive strength
of Germany were not increased. Our people have a right to demand that
this shall be done. Were we to content ourselves with a change of
dynasty and an indemnity the position of affairs would not be improved,
and there would be nothing to prevent this war leading to a number of
others, especially as the present defeat would spur on the French to
revenge. France with her comparatively great wealth would soon forget
the indemnity, and any new dynasty would, in order to fortify its own
position, endeavour to secure a victory over us and thus compensate
for the present misfortunes of the country. Generosity is a highly
respectable virtue, but as a rule in politics it secures no gratitude.
In 1866 we did not take a single inch of ground from the Austrians, but
have we received any thanks in Vienna for this self-restraint? Do they
not feel a bitter longing for revenge simply because they have been
defeated? Besides the French already bore us a grudge for our victory
at Sadowa, though it was not won over them but over another foreign
Power. Whether we now generously forego a cession of territory or not,
how will they feel towards us after the victories of Wörth and Metz,
and how will they seek revenge for their own defeat?
“The consequences of the other course adopted in 1814 and 1815, when
France was treated with great consideration, prove it to have been bad
policy. If at that time the French had been weakened to the extent
which the interests of general peace required, the present war would
not have been necessary.
“The danger does not lie in Bonapartism, although the latter must
rely chiefly upon Chauvinist sentiment. It consists in the incurable
arrogance of that portion of the French people which gives the tone to
the whole country. This trait in the French national character, which
will guide the policy of every dynasty, whatever name it may bear, and
even of a Republic, will constantly lead to encroachments upon peaceful
neighbours. Our victories, to bear fruit, must lead to an actual
improvement of our frontier defences against this restless neighbour.
Whoever wishes to see the diminution of military burdens in Europe, or
desires such a peace as would permit thereof, must look not to moral
but to material guarantees as a solid and permanent barrier against
the French lust of conquest; in other words, it should in future be
made as difficult as possible for France to invade South Germany
with a comparatively small force, and even in peace to compel the
South Germans, through the apprehension of such attack, to be always
reckoning with the French Government. Our present task is to secure
South Germany by providing it with a defensible frontier. To fulfil
that task is to liberate Germany, that is to complete the work of the
War of Liberation in 1813 and 1814.
“The least, therefore, that we can demand and that the German people,
and particularly our comrades across the Main, can accept is, the
cession of the French gateways into Germany, namely Strassburg and
Metz. It would be just as short-sighted to expect any permanent
peace from the mere demolition of these fortresses as to trust in
the possibility of winning over the French by considerate treatment.
Besides, it must not be forgotten that this territory which we now
demand was originally German and in great part still remains German,
and that its inhabitants will perhaps in time learn to feel that they
belong to one race with ourselves.
“We may regard a change of dynasty with indifference. An indemnity
will only temporarily weaken France financially. What we require is
increased security for our frontiers. This is only attainable, however,
by changing the two fortresses that threaten us into bulwarks for our
protection. Strassburg and Metz must cease to be points of support for
French attacks and be transformed into German defences.
“Whoever sincerely desires a general European peace and disarmament,
and wants to see the ploughshare replace the sword, must first wish to
see the eastern neighbours of France secure peace for themselves, as
France is the sole disturber of public tranquillity and will so remain
as long as she has the power.”