New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-11-11
CASSEL.


NEW YORK, November l0.-The Herald
correspondent telegraphs from Cassel, under
the date of the seventh, the report Of an
interview with Bazaine, at which the latter
made the following statements in defending
himself against personal slanders:
l have a way Of my own, which con
slider an excellent one; it has seldom failed
me; that is, to be silent, and leaving iustif-
cations to the course of time. Let Gam
betta call me a traitor to my country;
shall not answer this babbler, who never
smelt gunpowder; / won't do it, by
Why, a reply to him, would admit his right
to sit over me and to Judge.
Time will clear up the case, and work
out truth and justice. My relations with
Prussian officers are excellent. Prince
Frederick Charles sympathizes with us in
our misfortunes. l shall owe him my graft
tude forever. He said to me, in parting
I" If your military honor should ever be-
assailed call upon me to defend it."
1 never proclaimed Republic at Metz.
l could have counted no longer upon my
best troops. When the intelligence was
brought to me of the abominable dOings Of
the fourth of September l then told my sol
diers that the Emperor was q prisoner and
that the Empress and Prince Imperial had
left France that General TrOchu stood at
the head Of the National Defense Com
mittee.
1t was some time after this that tho
names Of the members of that committee
began to leak out In council, we had
agreed not to communicate these names to
the troops. l have sworn loyalty to the
Emperor and the constitution. The EN-
per0r is prisoner, but the constitution is
still in force.
Neither l, nor my comrades, will ever
acknowledge any other government until
we previously obtain a discharge from our
k,xr thn I fcA 10 fI~N
Paris government everything that occurred
at Metz-always the strict naked truth; but
never received a reply or notice OF any
kind from them.
Correspondent: Do you ascribe to your
self any victorious engagements during tho
siege!
Bazaine: No. History includes of neces-
sity the ultimate result of an engae ement
| have whipped the Prussians often and
severely, but the fiAal result was always un-
favorable to me.
Correspondent: Hunger forced you at
last to open negotiations :?
Bazaine Even if it had not been from
hunger, would have done it the day |
learned that it was not republicans, but the
governments in Paris. Lyons and Marseilles,
that the army was inSultcd and the memory
of mon reviled whom l venerated. But it
was hunger, and nothing but hunger.
You would have been mistaken were yOu
to think took the responsibility upon my
self; l acted as the executive Of council
of war, whose members ascertained the
opinions of generals, colonies, and majors,
and the army previous to making up their
votes, after the bread rations had been re-
duced from 500 to 800, and then to go
grammes per day.
was informed by General Cottinieres ON
the ninth of October that the stores would
not Aold out longer than week. l ha0
daily slaughtered three hundred and fifty
horses of which I gave to the inhabitants
of the town. l called a council together on
| the tenth and again on the twelfth of Octo-
Der, when it was unanimously resolved that
by the fourteenth must commence steps of
capitulatiOn.
sent General Boyer to the headquarters
of King William. His mission resulted in
q failure, though l proposed to march out
with my army, and to pledge our honor not
to fight again in this war, and to be permit
ted to convene and protect the French
Chambers against a second attempt by tho
mob, or, as Bismarck named them, street
lcafers."
We only wanted to do what Gambctta
did-re-establish our loyalty by calling to-
gcther o representative body.
Correspondent: What did Bismarck say
to that's
Bazaine: (Here taking up document from
the table said) You may read all that was
said at the conference; it is from General
BOyer's report, but you must refrain from
publishing it. Bismarck seems to have
agreed to Bazaine's propositions, but Won
Moltke rejected them. He believes that
| the Marshal could not hinder his troops
| from deserving, who would thus materially
| strengthen the Francs-I -Ireurs.
| Bazaine resumed. have yet to tell you
| that the council Of war had especially en-
| ioincd ON me that had NO authority to
mako peace, which should DO solely in tho
| (C0N1n1vRD on .I0IzR PloE