, 1870-11-17

;s,rgh the result II t6la enlargement msy
rsot h.ye BEEN f1sos1hle, Il n1sy be affirmed
that il Tho two divisions mhioh Were In posl.
i'm to support General Ftostard had e1ecntoo
n ore prcmptly tha o:deEs which they n19
-, ~, that day hAye carried on tho victntJ- II
- EHd4eTtr this may be, our position was
cr.t,caf Nv the bald initiative o9 the Germsu
fTorpe. who poured 10 siualta7eoue1y by the
Satre and By the Rhine, va waze oau9ht 10 the
ys1. act Of formation The corps OF aenSI1 IN.
Al W..shsl MacAIahon,, and found itself cut on
from the Amy Of Metz !. the corps OF aene,-
Il Dcuay. walcb VIA elowly mastering It Bel
fort: foui d itspH far Distant FROM the theatre
at military operations; and the army q Mar
shal Csn,obert was not Jet comp!esel1 formed
~ tinaer w VII lhese e1rcomssaneee, profoundly de-
preettd at witnessing III his combinations
deetruyed, and dfirhn in these few days 60 I
think no lonEar Of my but = defenMve post
tion, the Emperor resolved Immediately 70
(exd back The army to tbs camp uf ChAona,
tl.e dehr1 Il M.rahal Msosishon's nrmy,
FaiIly's corps and that Of pouay. Thus plan,
yhet, communicated to psria, was at first ap-
proved by the Council Of Ministers but, two
dsvt sfterwa1ds, 1e.sce from a. E. Olivier
Informed the Emperor that. upon mature con.
eidttation, tho council had decided tha. y nao
sSmv upon Cha1ops, siucs this abandonment Of
Lcrr2ine could Only produce depioraola ef.
feet on tho public mind; in consequence u
tbi.. be advised tns.Rmpo1or to renounce his
project. Fer tho momant, therefore, the
Emf e1or yielded to this counsel
was brought up to 100000 by the arrival OF
Ms1nhl Canrobert with two divis1ous and
the 1eEe1gc, and it received orders Tor its
concentration a1onrd Aretz,- in the hope
that it might be ab1e to fall upon
one Of the Prns:ian armiea before
uate}r, as II Ia this campaign all the elements
Of success fur us were to be wanting. not
only was the Concentration Of the army 70
tarded BY the combat 1t Bptekeren. md By tho
bad esihfI. Int it, action rhs pa1alyzed BY
the abs olute Ignorance m which we alwsya re-
OF the hostile a1mies. 50 we'll did the Ptus-
sia1s Conceal thu II movements bahind tbs for
mftable she1teK OF cavalry which thai deploy-
ed before thin IN All directfouA, thai, not
VIZ hstanting> the most czsistont inquiries, It
va. nerer really known xhe1e the mass OF
unr chief efforts ehoull b directed. On tho
l4th Of Augu1t. zs alko on the 18th, no one
| imagined that tho whole Prueeisu army had
to le dealt Ntth no ono doubted at Crave
Lotto that Sertun could elei1y be reached on
the mo7ow- At Paris they we1o no better il.
formed than xe.
| TheFe melancholy openings Of the campaign
rutt. naturally enough, haye Affected pnbli<
orihion IN painful manner. The Emperor
felt that be was held !esponsiblo for The
amy vas charging Marshal Lsbcauf With
the delays AID ~ith the ,i..ufHcfency Of tht
orearizatioa. He decided, therefore, to girt
the contnatd to Marshal Nszaice, whose kbs.
isy MAS recognized on al sides. and to sup
| Frtes the functions Of tho post Of Major 0sn
cIA.
Whilc tbcee events we're taking placa, soy
ersl Generals icploted the Emperor to lssr.
the army, pointing ont that it might hAppel
TIA: communication with parss would be Gu
oil, and that then, locked up in Netz, AMI
SEPARATED from the rest Of FFnnce, tho heat
Of the Ssats wou1d be incap2cit.ted for con
Curtmg the affairs OF the country or OF gisin{
sat II proper direction. and that rcEolutlonar!
El'stlons might at1ec from this situation.
Thcse considerations had an indisputahls
wright Nhich did not escape the Emperor
wEo. howeyer, did not wish 10 leave the arm,
until it had rcczotsed the Noselle on to thi
lea bank.
fully appreciated the Importance, the Emperor
buried on III much as pos4ible; but the bx<
weatlsez aud the incumbrance Of baggage do
1axed ite prompt execution.
Arrived at Grlyeiot.e. the Emperor, no
fcreseeing 4 general battle. aud only lookin,
|
the mlrch Of the arny. decided to p.ecede i
tn chalons. Ho left On the morning OF th
| l6th ct August, and passed By Conha1s xua
| route.
nut the uninterrupted succession Of disas
ters hid produced in Pas,s strong impress
zion. AID tue Ministers. uneasy At this stat
Ct aNai1a, bad thought that up to ce1tai1
point they could fee themselves from tn
cona;i: :utiona1 authority belonging to the En-
percr only. since ha had simply given To til
EnI Eess Regent ra=tlicsed powers. Tho
even reference to the Emperor and ffnt
/ tte time OF their aseemb1y it was. - it a1way
Is iu public c1lamities, the opposition, whic
saw ifs Influence increase, which paralyzed Il
, patriotism Of the mxfor1t5 and tie progress
the Gnye1 nmcnt.
Fiam this period Ministers appeared afrai
10 pronounce the nane Of the Emperor; An
he, who hsd quilted the army, and had onl
: reiilqniahed the command in order t. fesuul
the relFrs Of gorernMent, eooa diecorere
that 1t would DO i'm 1ossihle for him to plar OF
the part NhIch belonged to lin.
As soon II hc reached the camp OF Chslor
tie Emperor fouud thcro the Duke OF III
Esnta and tierertfTrpchu; tho latter had hee
, Icnipsted By the Minister OF WAs coam7l
der Of tbe troops at tho camp: These tn
7crcr TO ccunci}, 1t which thcrc wrrs pre-
: ent riinca NAPOLEON, General Ttochu'a chi
, ssttf tfticer, and G-ne1sl Besthaut. tho Cor
:. msndcz ot the National Garae NOZZLE. It WIS d
I | cideta that The Emperor should nominate Gene
+ al Ifochu to the coumznd Of tha 1rmv in ra,
y that the Il oops COLLECTED st Chalqns shou
). bs directed tos ard The caIi!t.: under the {
). de,a Of General sfacM,hon: and thst she i
!. tiopal Gazde Mobile thonid go to the camp
st. Maur, at VirceoneH, and that the Emprr
f. | Should 60 to Paris, where his duties cali
a him.
It When this decision Vas learned by tho &c
II errnspt it excited an animated opposite
j. Several objections we're put forward. :*pasis
q it WIS eAic, els in 4 pt rfect etate OF defeuc
!, lis garrison is numerous. The army OF CT
4 ]c1e ouelt to be employed in brelkire I
q blcek9ce Of Metz tho National G srde Mob
70 would be danger to tho trsuQui!ity Of I
= csPisai; the character Ct General Tfochu
q The Emperor to Paris would BE- very in-int.
) ! Freted y public oPirien."
a NeSrrthelesss It Has decided to cauy 9
i the ofders nf The Emperor, whito ihe oropr
4 ty OF succoriuR Haztne vas af,ll insisted upe
= Eut the Duke Of Magenta Informed the Min
j. Ter OF War that the m,1ch toward Metz wor
4 be ono Gf tho Ssca:ess in,prudence, and pois
Il ed ont al the dsa3ms at such IN operation.
q Practlca'ly, at tbie period, the Prnssian
Il mics occupied the two sides of 4 triangle,
t which 70 had to traverse the third 4it
j. Prince Frederick Charles Wa8 blockade
It Metz with III, 600 nen. The Grown Prince
/. saxony, With Tx. 1000 men, held the coun,
10 between the Belgian f.on.ier ard Verdun, 4
,. lnined on bus right tho arms Of tho CTo'
"a Prince Of P.uE.1s, who, At the he1d Of $780, {
= men. lad established bis headquarters
= Dar-ie-Duc.
Is Ths Marshal, therefore, deelascd that
t, Waa not wiling to e1poae troops, still imp
n 1eetly otEan'zed. IL making An extremely p'
+ ilo'ls flank march in tho face o! IN enemy yt
l. superior in point Of numbers, and he annou,
10 ed tfat Ee was Eoiog to make his n
70 toward Rheims, from whence he cor
1t proceed either 10 SoEasons 0. to Paris. 81
70 Is onlE, raid he, sunder the walls Of I
II stitu'cd, will 10 aele TO o1er tho enemy a
10 ses'cus fetistRrcc." In consequence at til
r the aruy Was led toward Rheims. On tho q
1t and took mp its position behind that city. I
re the language Of r ason wAa not uaderetood
Paris; it Vas viahed, at Ill hazards, to gI
10 public opinion The empty hope that Msrsl
.. BAzaioe could still be euccored, and ths Du
u Of M1RenA rpceiyed from the Council OF u
,e iete,s, to which had been Joined tho Phi
., Courcl and tht Presidents uf tho two Cha
Of te1s, most pressing injunction to march
10 Marthal MacAfahop, = man. above Ill thin,
of OF duty. oteyCc, and resolved to run
e. chance which wzs p1aced before him. Al
Ut thing which fctemb1td a ancndce FOR the p,
&c coed recommended ittelt to his noble 90
eQ | AG0 10 *1A u1tIe1e0 o5 %le iQeA tDA&, "
I'd trsctine toward hiuself al the forces OF ,
n &iam*, he was for the moment delivering I
= eepits3, and gsrtug It time to finish Its tnel
n Of defenre- As 70 the Emperor, hc maue
or opposition It could not enter into bis VIC
eu / to oppose the advice Of tho government I
or OF tho Empress Regent uhn hid shown
mrch Intelligence md energy in TITO mi
he Of the grealeet difficulties, A!though he p
ch | cclved that hia -ozo : influence vas
r. irg completely nulliaea, tiree he WA set
ke head of the army. He decided to folIo.
Of | person the movements Of the army. fnlly 81
ssi able, however, that IT he met With snnc
p, all The merit would, IL Justice. be a.cdoed