The New York herald., 1870-11-15

mand This substitution was productive OF grIevous
consequences; for IL IS fraught win danger 10
change arrangements previously made whlie Dat
tie Is being ioughl. ...., .x,s,,
ygor an unequal fight. But about TINS time tle
army OF the Crown Prince or Prussia, coming rom
s e waa wei the crown Prince Of saSonys men,
were marching from the east, and the french army
found itself entirely FROM onr ,nr' arm9 9
prisoners; for cut or from Mezieres whence ufew
Its supplies and ammunition " could ony le.ire pe
hind the fortihcatiOns OF Sedan. where II would be-
come central point exposed to the hre oi 500 can
non placed round its circumference. Moreover
corps darmee and OF the officers generally; neither
the herolsm Of our artillery the briiant charges
OF our cavary-nothing. in TACT could arrest the re-
Vt" The Emperor was. from early morning, in front Of
the village OF Balan, where, as has been SAID, tne
Twelfth corps commanded by General Lebrln, was
heavily engaged with the enemy and well MAN.
tained It's position; thence he assembled the slopes ol
Moncelle Drowned with batteries OF artillery, from
whence there was q comprehensive view OF most OF
the battle field. He tnen rode along 0y the DottOm
Of yonne & ry great coone oosr Of e FS ne
regiment stretched upon litter. Seeing VINO was
passing, he raised himself and cried repeatedly 1 n
attachment which the army bore ior It's sovereign
Reascending the heights the Emperor was rejc,ned
points % the ear1 was plougned up by prOdigIous
Quantity OF shells, falling from the right and lett
Wtter having remained exposed to this hail Of pro.
Jecties Tor i've hours the Emperor returned TO
Sedan, in order 70 consult, II possible, WIN Mac.
NahOn. He then intended TO return 10 the deld OF
battle, but TINS he was not permitted to do. The
streets, the squares, the gates were booked up with
treat Collects in It's tran-vehicies Of every descrp
tion, rubbish OF all sorts heaped up pellmell On
the heights a me gates Of the @ ,own n0%eye h the
Corps, not being able 70 unite, could oner 40 longer
any combinea defence. -
sent an 0fficer TO propose to the Emperor that he
should place himself In tho middle OF column OF
men who would endeayor to cut their way IN through
pe:or VINO mad recognized the mposslbllity OF leay.
fn6 Inc place on horseback replied that ne could
not reoin the genera-One OF the officers VINO cara
to ofer to the Emperor tc cut HIM apassage tsodga
| the enemy was himself unable to rss,oiK General
Wimpdenl.that, moreover, ne Gould not consent to
says soaers 1y ~
the fate Of his army. The proposlion. ol Henera!
Wimpnen, as events proved, had not the sngussss
chance Of success. ne wished nevertheless, ~ to
| bembe 1000 men, and. after having advanced 800
paces he himself recognized the fuulty Of lls effort
| and was forced to rcturA into the town.
Then 1t was that the commanders OF the corps
] darTpee came and announced TO the Emperor that
their troops after having sustained tor nearly twelve
! hours an unequal fight, weakened by fatigue and
hunger, coald longer offer any serious resistance
In fact the soldiers, driven back against the walls
the enemys artillery; aud Sedan ITSELF cnoKed with
the de0rls OF all the corps, was being DombArded on
The shells set the houses on IRE and struck the
| wounded, who had been carried into them. The
great barracks, converted into hospital, upon the
spared, and men and horses, huddied up in the
courtyard, were continually hit, Many or the of-
GERS and men were Killed IN the streets swept by the
The Emperor then endeavored to make known to
General Wimpnen the advisablllty of asking for
creased r1e number Of victims. Not receiving any
tdngs OF the General at the sight Of so much use
essly shed blood, and In such hopeless situation,
m
AT AZ the same time the King of Prussia sent an
ofiicer to sedan TO demand the surrender Of the
place. The Emperor, not being in command OF the
army, referred him to General Wimpt1en. The lat
ter LOOKING at the gravity Of the situation and not
Wishing to take upon himself the initiative Of the
captuation, sent in his resignation, which was not
The Emperor, convinced, according to the assert
tons or the press, that the King had declared that
he made war not against France put against ner
prisoner, hoping that. the object Of the war being
attained BY the sacrifice Of his liberty, the con.
the army. He addressed to the King, by one Of his
officers, the following lelter:-
SIRE ny brother Monsieur frere) Not having been
The King replied as folows:-
SIRE (My brother. Monsieur mon frere Regretins the
circumstances under which we meet accept he sword of
20 op Il. o1s IF
ss, .
sas6Is q yGan sIn1s n.s'iy ss EGSa
General Wimpi7en betook himself to the Prussian
headquarters In order there to discuss the terms
OF surrender. During the interview the French
sui General Mol,ke replied:-"Your army does
not number at this moment more than $4,000
men; we have 10000, who completely surround
you. Our artillery Is everywhere IN position, and
can destroy the place In two hours Your troops
can only go out by the gates. and cannot possibly
form before them. You have provisions Tor only
such situation the prOlonRation OF your defence
would be only useless massacre, the responsibility
It," ''D 'N'' '''' Np' 'l'S' y W. NV '.'''N'
On his return to Sedan General wimpffen assem-
general officers and with but two dissentent voices
II decided that any fresh struggle would but
tall the useless loss OF thousands OF men and the
capitulati0n was signed.
The "a OF September was day the evil-omened
memories Of which viii never be enaced from Our
M. de Bismarck had sent word to the Emperor,
the previous evening, that the King OF Prussia
quentiy the Emperor left Sedan on the morning Of
the "a, and sent to inform Count Bismarck OF mis-
arrival, asking him where was the place fixed upon
the North German Confederation In a small house
upon the road TO DOncherry Bismarck did not long
sued the Emperor hastened 10 declare that, as he
had gwen full powers TO the Regency, with it alone
could negotiations for peace be concluded; THAT he
the King, claiming nothing for himself, but appeal
ing to mis- generosity Tor the army and for France
He added that the war having been unfortunate
he would not altogether throw OF the RESPONSE
bllity which lay upon him. Dut that, nevertheless
he was bound TO state that he had only obeyea q
violently excited national feeling. The papers
have made crime OF these words OF the Emperor.
However. both IN his proclamation to the army on
the eve OF his departure from Paris aud in his an
swer 10 the President OF the Corps Legsla.if lie had
expressed the same thought when he sald-"We
have done all in our power to avoid war, ana can
say that 1t Is the entire nation which has IN It's
sistibe elan, prompted our resolution" This state. ,
ment was Indispensable, since every day the
Emperor is still accused Of having drawn the sword
in q dynastic interest. The two s0vereigns met In
the Chateau OF Belle Vue, In the outskirts OF Sedan
At this conference the King showed the lofty ieel-
ings which animated him by exhibiting to the En-
peror all the consideration which his nlisfortunes
demanded, and the Emperor preserved an attitude
OF the utmost dignity. General Wlmpfen, who had
told the Emperor that the army counted upon his
Intervention with the King OF Prussia for better
conditions, Was informed OF the trutlessness OF his
off