_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--_Levée 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 “_À 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 _baptême de feu_;[274] 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. Avold 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
the complete investment of Metz. The aspect of affairs had been so
affected by those events that preparations for the defence of Paris
began on the 23rd. The Germans following up their victories by that of
Beaumont, near 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 Sociétés des Secours aux Blessés 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, _matériel_,
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;[275]
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
gamins, the latter becoming more and more “demonstrative” in their
behaviour as we went, now shouting, “_À bas le Prussien!_” “_À 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, “_Voilà! 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[276] of his army
prisoners; no obstacle to delay, far less prevent, the advance of
the Prussians upon Paris. All was excitement along the streets
and boulevards; shouts were heard of “_Déchéance!_” 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;[277] 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.
Honoré workmen were hauling down Imperial eagles and “N’s,” by which
various public buildings were distinguished and ornamented, 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
Législatif, 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 Hôtel 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 “_Déchéance!_” “_Vive la Nation!_”
“_Vive la République!_” 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 outmanœuvred, 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 Mezières, his
retreat therefrom, in 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 Patrie 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. Cafés 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 battue to take place at Compiêgne 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
in which by 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 _Levée 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 Elysées
and Gardens of the Tuileries, are crowded with men and women.
Cafés 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 irregularly 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 l’Ourque and some other
conduits have been “cut” by the Germans, 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[278] 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,[279] 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 formation. 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 sedentaires_ 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_[280] 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 _ambulanciers_. 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 “Sociétés des Secours”
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.