ENTERING TO THE SOUND OF CANNON.--66 QUAI DU CHÂTELET ASSIGNED TO US,
ALSO THE RAILWAY TERMINUS.--DESCRIPTION OF OUR NEW QUARTERS.
About midday we entered Orleans by the Faubourg Bannier. All this time
the cannon had been actively engaged at the other side of the town in
the direction of Châteaudun, and, as we passed in, we met several
companies of German regiments marching along some by-roads towards the
quarter whence the sound of firing came, doubtless with the intention of
joining in the fray. Orleans had fallen into the hands of the Bavarians;
but at present the garrison was small, for all the available troops had
been sent to the front, where they were now pursuing the Army of the
Loire in its retreat upon Tours. In passing through the Faubourg
Bannier, we saw convincing proofs of a severe and very recent conflict.
Whole lines of houses were burned to the ground, while others had been
partially demolished by shell, or had their doors and windows riddled.
Many of the doors bore marks of having been broken through by the
crowbar, or the hatchet of the sapper. In the streets the litter of the
bloody battle which had been fought in the previous week, lay scattered
about; and, judging from appearances, the street fighting must have been
a very hot affair indeed.
[Illustration: F.S. Weller.]
[Illustration:
REFERENCE.
1. _S^t. Paterne._ C.2.
2. _Cathedral._ F.4.
3. _Hôtel de Ville._ E.4.
4. _Museum._ E.5.
5. _Hôtel Cabul & Hist^l. Mus^m._ D.5.
6. _Notre Dame de Recouvrance._ C.5.
7. _S^t. Aignan._ H.6.
8. _S^t. Euverte._ H.4.
9. _S^t. Pierre._ E.4.
10. _House of Agnès Sorel._ D.5.
11. _House of François I._ C.5.
12. _S^t. Paul._ C.5.
Hôtels.
a. _d'Orléans._ D.2.
b. _d'Aignan._ C.1.
c. _du Loiret._ D.3.
ORLÉANS.
_London; John Murray, Albemarle Street._
_F. S. Weller._]
We reported ourselves at once to the Commandant; for I need hardly say,
that during the time of war, this is the first thing to be done by every
sort of men entering a town, be they Regiment, Ambulance Corps,
Couriers, or any persons whatsoever. Even a stranger whose business is
not well known is at once taken by the Military Police before the
General Commandant, and required to give a full account of himself;
which if he cannot do to that officer's satisfaction, he is placed under
police supervision, and compelled to report himself every morning at
headquarters. This regulation I mention, because a certain auxiliary
member of our staff was compelled to do the like, on account of his
speaking unguardedly of the position of the forces to some of the
townsfolk.
Our Ambulance train came to a standstill in the Place Bannier, while Dr.
Pratt was making his report, and getting our quarters assigned to us. In
the centre of the Place stood a large drinking fountain, around which
were congregated a troop of horses, jostling each other in their anxiety
to get at the water. They appeared so fatigued, that I judged they must
have returned quite lately from the field. While our Ambulance was
awaiting the return of Dr. Pratt, Mackellar and I strolled round
leisurely. The excitement of the people was at this period remarkable;
for they imagined that, in spite of all their recent reverses, the Army
of the Loire, which was still fighting at a short distance outside the
city, would beat the Germans back, and again occupy the place.
Hundreds of men, women, and children flocked about the bridge of the
Loire, and kept a steady look-out down the river, in the direction of
the fighting. But their expression was that of scared sheep; and when we
ventured to ask one intelligent-looking young fellow why he was not
fighting, and driving the invader from his country, he answered, "Sir,
we have no arms, and no leaders". It was manifest that they did not
think, as others in the like circumstances have done, of improvising
either.
The beautiful statue of Jeanne d'Arc, which seemed to be gazing on the
battle from afar, had been entwined with wreaths and garlands, placed
there by townsfolk who desired thus to win her prayers for the success
of their army.
Soon after, we were informed that Nos. 66 and 68 Quai du Châtelet, on
the bank of the Loire, had been allotted to us as our quarters. On
arriving there we found two very spacious and elegant houses, commanding
a beautiful view of the city opposite, as well as of the river, and the
two famous bridges, which are among the finest monuments of the Imperial
rule. Up to this date, the larger of the two houses, No. 66, had been
unoccupied; and the owner, probably not knowing that we had a billet
from the Commandant, was at first unwilling to let us take up the whole
house. He showed a sullen countenance, and was proceeding to lock up his
best suite of apartments, when our chief informed him quietly that if he
gave any further trouble, and did not at once surrender the keys of
every door in the house, he, Dr. Pratt, would convert the whole of his
charming mansion into a hospital, and make an operation theatre of his
drawing-room. This was a stern, but necessary, warning, which cleared up
the situation. Monsieur yielded to _force majeure_ thus vigorously
threatened, and ever after behaved towards us with the civility which in
the French nature is inherent, and which our mission at Orleans might
fairly be said to demand.
Our chief had many interviews with the authorities on the two days
succeeding our arrival. The question was, whether we should take on
ourselves only the duties of a stationary Hospital, or follow in the
track of the army. A middle course was fixed upon. We were to have a
Hospital in town, and, when required, were to take the field with the
German Ambulance Corps. Our services were gladly accepted by the
Surgeon-General, and two large Hospitals were at once handed over to
us; the first--a sick and fever Hospital--containing 150 men; the
second, consisting of the railway terminus, with its waiting and
refreshment rooms, stores and offices, in which lay 65 wounded; and
there were beds to accommodate 150 more. We received, therewith,
Hospital plant, and a staff of trained military infirmarians. We were
also given a liberal supply of provisions, which were dealt out to us
and our wounded by requisition. On the morning of the 21st,
Surgeon-General Dr. Von Nussbaum was present at the chemin de fer
d'Orléans to make us acquainted with the former staff, who were now
handing over their charge to us. Our installation was a very formal
proceeding. The German Guard turned out, and saluted as we passed in.
This was the beginning of our labours at Orleans. As I have stated, it
was at the railway terminus, which had been converted into a Hospital by
the Prussians the day after they took possession of the town.
Entering from the Place in front of the station into the principal
waiting-room, we passed through two lines of soldiers, drawn up at
attention, and out on the platform. There were no carriages within the
precincts of the terminus, but some dreary-looking trucks might be seen
scattered about on the sidings, and, except a few men on guard at the
coal depôt, there was not a human being within sight.
The terminus was covered, and of great extent. All the buildings
connected with it were spacious, and fitted up in the ordinary way. We
made ourselves at home immediately in the first-class waiting-room. Its
sofas were placed back to back in the centre; and there were lines of
beds at each side, every bed occupied by a wounded man. The second- and
third-class _salles d'attente_ were arranged in like manner, and as full
as they could hold.
The next room was the Bureau des Inspecteurs, or the office of the
railway directors. Here also there was a single row of wounded.
In the buffet there were double rows, and, as it was very spacious, the
numbers it accommodated were proportionately great. In the ticket office
were kept all the medical and surgical stores and requisites. In the
telegraph office was the operation theatre, and in the station-master's
private bureau the instruments to serve it were kept; there the surgeon
on night duty remained during the period of his watch. In this room
there was always a good fire, and outside the door paced up and down a
German sentinel on guard.
At the other side of the platform, approached by the level crossing, we
found the goods department, and the carriage, waggon, and engine depôt,
which latter, in its general appearance, was nothing more or less than
an immense shed, with open archways at both ends. In this most airy
apartment lay, also, numbers of wounded.
When we pointed to several large holes in the roof (which had been made
by falling shells a few days previously), and then to the open archways,
suggesting to our friends that they were, perhaps, a degree too airy to
be beneficial, Prof. Nussbaum informed us that the wounded in this place
got better more rapidly than those in the Salles, who were kept warm,
and completely protected from the weather.
We remained there nearly two hours, seeing the more interesting cases
dressed, and then looked on at an operation by Nussbaum. As several of
the parcel and lamp offices were also occupied by wounded, it may be
conceived that the whole mass of buildings around the platforms made a
very extensive hospital. It was a curious and novel sight, and for a
long time afterwards I never entered a large terminus of the kind
without speculating on the numbers of wounded that it would accommodate.
We were received very kindly by our German friends; and before evening
were in charge of the whole place, having an efficient staff of nurses
to assist us, and to look after the wants of our invalids.
As we had now enjoyed a considerable experience in the working of a
military field-hospital, it took us but a few hours to get into the
routine; and the Germans were evidently pleased at seeing how briskly we
fell into line, and took up from them the whole management.
With regard to the Barrack across the river, which was full of sick and
fever patients, it had been, I say, assigned to us; but we never
actually took it over. The German surgeons who were in charge had to
join their field-hospital, which was about to move in the track of the
army. Nor did the Bavarians possess any medical reserve in Orleans at
this time, so that we came to their assistance at a juncture when we
were much needed; and they showed themselves extremely grateful. When,
however, they were on the point of delivering up the second hospital to
us, their orders to move were rescinded; and we were saved, thereby, an
amount of labour and responsibility, to which our limited staff would
have been altogether unequal.