New-York tribune., 1870-11-15


s' a 2s,1s. of ssI %'sy y
sewing any dns: Of the Gsperamst the sight % ., 80
blood and IN such a aopss'ss 70 E. ssa a
upon the citadel At the same time the King OF Prussia
sent officer to Sedan 70 s f te
referred him TO Gen wimpfen The latter, looking AT
e ~ T' nf tbe sent In his resg.
nation, which was not accepted ...
TIE EMPEROR PRISONER.
The Emperor, convinced, according TO the assertions
of the press that the King had declared that he made
war not against France, but against her Sovereign did
not hesitate constitute himself prisoner hoping that,
the Object OF the being attained by the sacrce oi
his liberty the conaner1r would be ess sxatmg t1wapa M a
OF his oaicers, the following letter; .,,.,.a.,,
troops only place sword in the
hands of your Majesty anu Of your Majesty The good brother Don
The King replied as follows: ....
yoS yS .s9s sss %sf % s SI
ss 3" .y q; ss 1
am Of yos Majesty the good brother, WILLIAM
Gen. WimpIen betook himself to the Prussian head
quarters order discuss the terms Of surrender
During the interview the French general tried TO ooam
favorable TERMS but Gen. Motke replied " Your
men; we have 10000. who completely surround you
our artillery is everywhere in position and can destroy
only go 20 out by the gates and cannot possibly
form before them You have provisions TOR only
such situation. the proongation OF your defense wSnn
be Only n7se's n1ss so Wiz e not on h
return to Sedan Gen Wimpften assembled co'icl OF
ql fOSt ~ Sa GSSdcd that
fresh struggle would but entail the useless loss OF th0
sands Of men and the capimlaton was signed The
2d of September was day the ey-Omened memories OF
which will never be efaced from our mind.
TIE INTERVIEW WITH COUNT BISMARCK.
NJ dc Bismarck had sent word to the Emperor, the
previous evening that the King OF Prussia offered him
int tbp Consequently
left Sedan on the morning the 3D. and sent TO inform
Count bismarck Of his arrival asking him where was the
chancellor OF the North German Confederation In
small house upon the road TO DoncherY bismarck % ora
not long della, I'm meeting him. In the conversation hat
nsed the Emperor FASTENED To declare that as ne ha
given full powers to the Regency with It alone eond
merely delivered his own person into the hands OF tho
King. claiming nothing for himself but appealing 10 & ms
the having been unfortunate, he would not ato
but that nevertheless be bound to state that he had
only obeyod violently excited national ieeng. fmo
papers have made crime OF these words OF the En-
peror However both in his proclamation to the army
on the Of his departure from Paris ana IN MS answer
the same thought when he said 1--WE have done all our
power to avoid war; and can say that " Is the en,S
naCn MSn s This statement was
every day the Emperor is still accused OF having drawn
met the Chateau Of Belle yue, in the outskirts a ot
sedan. At this conference the King showed 'ae %
the Emperor all the consideration which his msfortunes
demanded, and the Emperor preserved an attltnde o
| the utmost dignity. Gen. Wimpfen, who had tod
The Emperor that the army counted upon his ineryen-
on with the King of Prussia for better conditions was
Informed of the rutessness Of his efforts. Such Il the
| recital Of the military operations which terminated 20
unhappy in the surrender OF the army at seaan IAN so 80
tremendous disaster should not only wiring from uS
our tears should also be pregnant with Instruction.
and should furnish lessons never to be forgotten
| THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF THE DISASTERS.
The successes OF Prussia are due to the superiority OF
numbers to the rigorous discipline OF her army and to
the empire exercised throughout Germany by the prl
cipe of authority May our unhappy ,cr
who are ne AT efs that whk gives
strength countrythe powers that be respected te
Seyd % nerass s @ya aa nHf m opinions
| the struggle was disproporiionate; but IL woHlu
have been longer sustained and less disastrous Tor
orr arms IL military operations had not been increasingly
subordnated to political considerations We should also
have been better prepared if the Chambers had not lnce
sanity been OF reducing the war budget and had
they not always opposed any 10 ~ NV a
the Committee the Budget in the Corps glslatlI ex
pressed intention to suppress TIE Imperial Guard ana
to reduce the effective strength OF the army. t add
To these principal causes OF our Teyerses & we wen mus M %
the KrSa h&Ss Want of Gne Want eohsso
scnee % of order weight cariod BY
ohcers-these are the abuses which have been intro
duced INTO our armies. The French foot-sodier,
formerly noted for the rapdty OF his march, ia become
heavier than the German infantryman Careessness or
bearing affects military spirit our officers and soldiers
seem he longer proud to their uniforms and
the medley Of costumes painfully affects the eye rms
abandon in department reected IN eyeryahG I'm eS
duty that abnegation OF self which are the first quail
ties both Of those who command and those who obey
To up the army always reflects the state society
in which it has been formed. SO long as authority in
of the army presented "A remarkable solidity hut
when the of the Tribune and of the Press were
| permitted 10 enieebe authority. and to introduce
everywhere spirit Of criticism and insubordnation the
! army felt the effects Of 1t. - 49,,
enacted may lesson for the future and that
our country may rise again from the catastrophe winch
now oyerwheliDs her!
|