Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-09-09
naiIu Nfnuebff yournal.
rcoSTIN,lrD FROM FIRST PAGE. I

fCONTINUED fftOM
lementairc rode back with the message.
When he was fairly out of earshot his
mission was most eagerly canvassed. AT
half past six there arose cry among the
members of the Kings staff. Der kaizer
list dial" and then came a loud hurrah.
Soon we began to look anxiously for the
second flag of truce, and in ten minutes
more Gen. Reilly rode up with letter Tor
the King of Prussia. As soon as the
French General was in sight, the slender
escort of euirassiers and dragons that we
had with us was drawn up In hne' TWO
deep, behind the King. :,
In front of the escort was the stan, ana
ten yards in front of them again stood His
Majesty, King William of Prussia, to re-
ceive General Reilly. That officer, we
soon learned, was the bearer of an auto
graph letter from the Emperor Napoleon
to King William. The Emperor of the
French wrote: "As | cannot die at the
head of my armv | lay my sword at the
feet of your Majesty"
Why Napoleon Sd could not die as did
thousands of his soldiers, sword in hand
with his faccto the foe. is not SO clear.
On the receipt of this most ASTONISHING
letter there was brief consultation be-
tween the King, the Crown Prince. who
had come over on the arrival of the flag of
truce, Count Bismarck, General Won Moltke
and Won Room.
After few minutes conversation the
King sat down on a rush bottom chair,
and wrote note on an other chair, held
as a table by two aides-de-camp, the En-
peror, begging him to comethe next day to
the King Of Prussia's headquarters at Ven
drez. While this note was being written,
Count Bismarck came up to Generals
Sheridan aud Forsythe and myself and
heartily shook our hands.
"Letmc congratulate you most sincerely
Count said General Sheridan. Il can
only compare the surrender of Napo-
leon to the surrender of General Lee
at Appomattox Court House" When
it came my turn to grasp the Chancellor's
hand, could not help saying, after had
warmly congratulated him, You cannot
but feel pride, Count Bismarck, in hay
ing contributed SO largely to the win
ming of to-day's victory"
"Oh, no, my dear sir, was the mild an
swer, am no strategist, and have moth
ing to do with the winning OF battles.
What am proud of is, that the Bavari-
ans, the Saxons and the Wurtemburgers
have not only been ON our side, but
have had SO large share-the largest
share--in the glory of the day; that they
are with us. and not against us. That is
my doing. don't think the French will
say now that the South Germans will not
fight for our common Fatherland."
] asked His Excellency whether Louis
was taken with his papa, and was told
that no one knew, and think no one cared
where that small young man was.
When the king had written his letter he
himself handed it to Gen. Reilly. who
stood barheaded to receive it, the Italian
and Crimean medals glittering on his
breast in the fading sunlight.
Queen Victoria's image and superscrip-
ton have not often been seen on the uni
forms of men surrendering without condi-
ton. At twenty minutes to eight Gen
Reilly left for the beleaguered town, es-
corted by the Uhlans The buster which
had served as flag of truce was offered
to me as a souvenir of this most memora.
BILE day, but it had strong resemblance
to other busters, and declined the prof
fered relic Then there was general
demand to drink, and Count Bismarck's
aide-de-camp produced two bottles of Bel
gian beer One of them His Excellency
shared with Gen. Sheridan, Gen. Forsythe
and myself, saying that he drank to the
closer union of the three great Teutonic
peoples.
AS soon as Gen. Reilly was gone was
anxious to be off to the Belgian frontier, in
the hope of getting messages through, but
Count Bismarck's aid informed me that it
was physically impossible to go that night,
and that ! must wait until next morning,
and even then must be careful not to fall in
tothe hands ofthe stray French soldiers who
were known to be dispersed in all direc-
tons along the Belgian frontier, and to be
a little better than bandits. So slept at
the village of Cherouge.
Early the next morning | started for
Belgium, and as rode along suddenly
came first on knot of Uhlans, then on two
FIGURES in the green and and gold Imper-
ial livery. Directly behind them came the
travelling carriage of His Majesty with
Napoleon the Third, on his way to report
himself prisoner at King Williams head
quarters at Vendrez, little dirty village
some eight miles fromuSedan.