The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-09-08
HOYT & CO., Proprietors
THE DEFENCES OF PARIS.
SKETCH OF THEIR ORIGIN AND HIS
- =, TORY.
DESCRIPTION OF THE OUTER AND
- So, INNER WORKS.
NUMBER OF GUNS MOUNTED AND
- STRENGTH OF THE GARRISON.
From the Mew York Herald.

49,. From the Nep York Herald.
The downfall of Napoleon and the treaties
Of 1915 left France utterly defenceless. Fully
aware that they were barely tolerated on the
throne the Burbons did not trouble themselves
about repairing the ruined strongholds of the
country. True enough, in 1918, commission
of defence was formed by Marshal st. Cyr,
then Minister of War, which in 1921 reported
a plan for the strengthening of the defensive
places of France, and this report was followed
In 1925 by another from the Committee on
Fortifcations Nothing was done, however,
and for eleven years this important matter was
allowed to rest. But in 1886, after the Bour-
, bons had been expelled and their cousins of
the Orleans family had ascended the throne,
Marshal Maison, the then Minister of War,
organized new commission and charged 1t
with the duty of examing the reports of 1921
and 1925. and of submitting definite opinion,
by means of which the government could act
intelligentIy This commission after carefully
considering the reports, drew up project OF
law, which was accepted by the government
and submitted to the Chambers.
Law TO FoRTIFY PARIS.
One Of the most important clauses in the
law ordering the construction and repair OF
fortresses was that granting q sum of l4O
OOOf for constructing double line of defence
around the capital Although NJ. Thiers had
raised a great war alarm in 1910, there was
then no prospect or probability of an enemy
marching on Paris. The fact was IN his anx-
iety to have the fortications constructed arose
from the attitude of the Parisians towards the
government Republicans and Bonapartsts
had coalesced against the ruling dynasty. In
August of the same year (1S4O) Louis Napole-
- ~
though he failed and was captured, it was seen
that he had the sympathy of the mass of the
people. To fortify Paris against the Parlsians
was the real object of NJ. Thiers, and he press.
ed the law with such vigor that on the 25th OF
June, 1S41, it was passed by the Chambers
Singular as it may seem Paris had never before
been regularly fortified. The Revolutionary
Directory had entertained some idea OF having
works constructed, and subsequently Napoleon
himself gave the subject serious consideration.
The victory at Valmy saved the Directory the
necessity of defending the capital, and the
wars of Napoleon were all aggressive. except
ing in 1914 and 1915. In both these years, on
the approach of the allied armies, defensive
works were hurriedly thrown up, but though
they enabled the defenders to resist the pro-
gress of the enemy for brief while they were
entirely inadequate to the wants OF, the city.
eyr PLAN OF THE FORTIFICATlONS.
The plan agreed upon by the commission is
what was adopted by the government and car
ried out. It crowded for double line OF de-
fences, the interior to consist of continuous
enclosure, and the outer line of series OF de-
tsched forts, each complete of itself, indepen-
dent of the other, and yet all so arranged as to
afford each other the amplest assistance IN the
event of an attack. Their fires sweeping each
other, it is necessary for an enemy to pass be-
tween them before he can attack the inner
walls, whose guns also sweep the open space
between the forts.
THE INNER LINE.
The inner line of works consists of series
of bastions, which present ninety-four angular
fronts: The line is irregular, but surrounds
the entire city, going through the Bols de
Bologne on the west, and touching the Bols de
Vincennes on the southwest. 1t is twenty-five
miles In circumference, and is probably the
longest continuous line of bastions in the world.
The wall, which forms a part of the bastlons,
is also terraced and has an escarpment OF thir-
ty-four feet, faced with masonry. Each of the
angular faces Ii. e. bastions) has medium
length of l,100 feet. In front of the whole
and entirely surrounding the city is a continued
fosse. or line of wet bitches, lined with mason
~, and of depth of eighteen feet by width
of twenty feet From the bottom of these
bitches to the top of the embankments crown
ing the walls is height of about forty-fve
feet The bastions will have mounted in them
an average of about ten guns each, which will
make total of $40 for the ninety-four angular
faces. This agrees with the dispatches from
Paris which report 1000 guns mounted on the
= -ramparts since the battle of Woerth. About
one hundred gates pierce the ramparts, the
bitches being covered by draw-bridges, which
can be removed at q moments notice or de-
stroyed in two minutes by the cannon IN the
basti0ns.
AT different points in the rear of the line are
placed extensive magazines, we'll supplied with
ammunition for the artillery, and amply pro-
tected from the shot of the enemy. Since the
accession of Louis Napoleon these magazines
have been entirely remodelled, and are now alb
solutely impregnable to shot and she'll The
old military roads of communication, construc-
ted during the reign of Louis Philippe, no
longer exist, the city limits having been ex-
tended to these inner fortications, and, in fact,
all the ground from the old wall, which can be
seen traced on the map, and at which the
octroi duty was collected, to the bastions, hav-
ing been laid out In streets and boulevards,
which are for the most part built up. lnplace
of these routes there is a line of railroad di-
rectly in the rear of the fortications and
around them, by means of which troops canoe
thrown from one part of the line to the other
with great rapidity. There is no high ground
in front of the works excepting that on which
stand the outer fortress. .-sThe entire zone from
the detached forts to the bitches is clear,
level and almost open country. We have al
ready been informed by telegraph of the de-
struction of the de Boulogne and the Bois de
Vincennes and the tearing down of buildings
and clearing away of gardens to give the guns
asc]ear and unobstructed sweep. Much as it is
to be regretted the destruction of so much that
is valuable and interesting in nature and art
tits undoubtedly necessaryto proper defence Of
"a At IT, no point along this line Of inner works
with but two exceptions, are the bastions be-
,rond eannnn shot of the outer walls. The ex-