The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-12-01
.NAPOLEoE'S APOLOGY.
The Emperor on the Campaign OF ls7

The London Telegraph Of November 4th
contains full translation from proof-sheets OF
the brochure about to appear In Brussels, under
the title Of "Campaone de 1870: des Causes qatt
ont arne,as la Capi,aatton de Sedan. Par ,r'
| Omcier attachs d pEtat Aajor-Gen6rdln This
statement has, 1t s said, teen dictated by the EN-
| peror during his retirement at Wilhelmsnohe.
1t Is too long document for republication In
these columns. 1t begins By averrlng that "when
war was declared aud the Emperor assumed the
command In chief OF the French armies, he fre-
uuently gave expression to the thought, rejected
in his Initial proclamation, that the campaign
about 60 open would be surrounded by the great
eat difficulties In the midst OF the satisfaction
occasioned by the enthusiasm which everywhere
greeted his footsteps, many observed the look OF
sadness with which he listened to shouts OF On
ward TO Berlin uttered by the excited multitude,
as II the enterprise were destined to be merely q
military promenade, and march forward would
sunlce to vanduish the nation Of Europe most
thor uyhly exercised In the profession OF arms
and best prepared for war"
Ihe nrst plan was to separate Prussia from the
South German States, and 1t was expected that
Austria and Italy would mako common cause
with France. The Emperor's plan OF campaign
which he connded at Paris.to Marshals Mcmahon
and Leooeuf alone-was to mass one hundred and
|. nifty thousand men at Metz, one hundred thous-
and at Strasbourg, and fifty thousand at the Camp
of Chalons. The writer adds:
As soon as the troops should have been con-
centrated at the points indicated, IL was the EN-
peror's purpose to Immediately unlte tne TWO ar.
- tfot1a md ll
$50 600 men, to cross the Rhine at Maxau, leaving
at his right the fortress OF Rastadt, and at his
left that Of Germersheim. Reaching the other
side OF the Rhine he would have forced the States
m the south to observe neutrality, and would then
have hurried on TO encounter the Prussians.
While this movement was Ia course OF execution
the fifty thousand men at Chalons. under the com.
mand OF Marshal Canrobert, were TO proceed 10
the northeastern frontier. At the same time our
fleet cruising In the Baltic would have held sta.
tionary. In the north OF Prussia, a part OF the
enemyis forces, obliged to defend the coasts
threatened with invasion.
The sole chance Of this plan succeeding was to
surpass the enemy In rapidly OF movement. 10
accomplish this, 1t was necessary TO muster ln
o very days. at the points decided upon, not only
the number OF men required out also tne essen. n,
tial accessories OF the projected campaign, such
as wagon eqnpages, artillery parks, pontoon
trains, guuboats to cover the passage OF the
Rhine and, finally, the cemmlssariat necessary
to SupplV u large army Ou tIS uidI
The Emperor dattered himself with the nope OF
attaining the e results, and In this ne was
deceived; as, In fact everybody was led astray oy
the supposltion that, by means OF the railways,
men could be concentrated, and horses and ma
teriel brought forward, with the order anu pre-
cIsiou indispensable to success, where prepara-
lions had not been made long IN advance by
yiglsnt administration. .-..-
The DELAYS incurred arose, In great measure,
from the defects Of our military organization, as
r. has existed for the last ffty years, and which
revealed themselves from the very beginning.
After detailing a variety OF military movements,
the writer adds:
After the battle Of Gravelotte the uninter-
rupted succession Of disasters had produced In
Paris strong impression, and the ministers, un.
easy at this state or affairs, had thought that up
TO a certain point they could free themselves
from the constitutlonsl authority belonging to TO
the Emperor only, since he had simply given 70
the Empress Regent restricted powers. Tley
therefore convoked the Chambers, without even
reference to the Emperor, and from the Time OF
their assembly it was, as it always is Id pubic
caiamlties, the Opposition which saw iss inauence
increase and which paralyzed the patriotism OF
the majority and the progress OF the government
From this period ministers appeared afraid to
pronounce the name Of the Emperor; and he, who