Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1870-10-27
seleft Yeadiug.
From The Pail Mall Gazette.
The Story Of a Capitulation.

The history of all invasio ions is so very
much alike that the following account .
the capitulssion of Verdun in 1922
sapitulation memorable for the dramatic
episo which accompanied twill al
most read like a story of to-day.
Sevcnty-eighr years ago-that is, on the
Sd of September, 1792-the town o.
Verdun opened its gates to the Prussiar
army which had been besieging it for three
days under the command Of the Duke Of
Brunswick. The King Of Prussia, Fred.
erick William H., and his two sons, had
just joined the army, and with them came
corps of French emigres, among them
was Chateaubriand, then corporal, un-
known, wounded, and already half sick OIL
the cause he was serving. The garrison
Of Verdun was allowed to march out with
the honors of war, and it was q very
young colonel, named Marceau. who was
deputed to carry the letter of submission
to the King. This officer is the sans
whom Byron has since immortalized, and
who, as General Mereeau, was destined to
acquired the reputation of being the most
humane soldier aud the harvest gentleman
Of his time. The garrison were very
dispirited as they marched out, and with
good reason, for they had just lost their
general under circumstances peculiarly
terrible and touching. Rather than be a
party to the surrender ne had blown his
brains out. His name was Beaurepaire
he was the commander of tho volunteers
of Maine-et-Loire, and so far back as
the 28th of July he had written to the
Government, saying, 'Verdun cannot be
expected to hold out if you do not help US.
We ought to have at least hundred con-
mons, and we have only forty-four. We
ought to have forty thousand palisades,
and We have not one. We have no mus
kets, no pouches, and scarcely any ammu-
nition.' To this he soon after received
the following reply from Chondieu, one of
the secretaries Of the War Office The
most imposing ceremony took place last
Sunday at the Tuileries Funeral hymns
we're sung in honour Of the patriotic vic
Tins of the 10th Of August. More Aan
100000 armed men deJflsd before the
place. These arc your auxiliaries. There;
is formidable reserve. Hold good
Paris is behind you!!v The three points
of exclamation are in the original. One
would almost fancy it h I'D been written in
the year 1870 by some cousin of Marshal
LeBeuf. This letter was all the relief
that Beaurepair received. lie was oblig-
ed to prepare for the siege as best he
could, and the result was that when, on
the a0th of August, the Prussian army
opened their trenches, and balls and shells
began showering into the town. there was
an immense commotion among the inhab-
itants, who felt decidedly syerse to being
butclered for nothing. At that time
Verdun possessed mayor who was per-
haps an anoessor of that chief magistrate
of Nancy who has just distinguished him
self by exhorting his fellow-townsmcn to
be meek and not to vex the Prussians =
At the first sound Of firing, this high
soulod dignitary sent number Of rougbs
through the town with orders to rout all
the women and children and bring them
to the market-place. where. under his
valiant leadership, they constituted them
selves into deputation, and went implor.
ing Beaurepaire not to hold out any
longer. Now it SO happened that some