The New York herald., 1871-05-15
Tho Military situation Around Paris.

The Military Situation Around Paris.
We publish this morning a map giving
general view of the field of military operations
in and around Paris. 1t is interesting as show
ing the waning proportions of the Communist
insurrection, and as enabling the reader to
trace the movements of the belligerent armies.
A few days ago the forces Of the Paris Com
mune held important positions at Chatillon
and Meudon, beyond the line of the southern
forts; they also held the entire right bank of
the Seine west of Paris. To-day, as the map
shows, they have been driven from the river
on the southwest, and Fort Issy, as well as the
Bois de Boulogne, are in possession Of the
Army of Versailles. And since preparing
and Versailles announce the evacuation of
Fort Vanvrcs by the insurgents and its oc-
cupation by the government troops, thereby
materially weakening the line OF de-
fence held by the insurgents and confining
it to the enceinte of Paris. We also anticipate
the entire abandonment by the Communists
of all the positions occupied by them between
the northwestern ramparts and the river, in
the vicinity of Neuilly, Asnieres and st. Ouen,
as, at last accounts, the Versailles army was
gaining ground in tho direction Of the Maillot
Gate.
None but madmen like the leaders of the
Commune would continue the struggle with
the situation as desperate for them as it now
is. The occupation of Fort Vanvres will ex-
pedite the fall of Fort Montrouge, just as the
capture of Issy made inevitable the fall of
Fort Vanvres. And with all the southern
forts in possession of Marshal MacMahons
army the enceia,te of Paris will be exposed to
a bombardment unprecedented in the annals
of modern warfare. 1t is difficult, indeed, to
understand how the insurgents will be able to
hold the ramparts against the storm of
shot and shell which will be poured
upon them from the combined guns
the troops in the Bois de Boulogne are
opening trenches in the Bois de Boulogne,
and, if they work energetically, it will not be
many days before their works will be as near
the enceiaete as were the works of Grants
army at Vicksburg to the Confederate works
on the Jackson road, and these were so close
that the soldiers of the opposing armies con-
versed with each other without raising their
voices. Our latest special despatch from
Versailles reports the troops in the Bois de
Boulogne as actually advancing on the enceiate,
and an entry into Paris as imminent. We
ought, consequently, to receive important
news from the scene of operations to-day
but even should there have been
nothing more achieved than taking up a
position closer to the walls than before,
as the situation now stands, all of
the southwestern corner of Paris is at the
mercy Of the Versailles troops, whose
siege guns ought to render utterly un-
tenable all that part of the city from above
the old Exposition building to Point du Jour,
on the right bank of the river, and the entire
Vaugirard quarter on the south. AS soon as
the government forces get possession of these
quarters the insurgents will be compelled to
abandon the entire western and southern line
of the encciaate and take up position behind
the barricades in the streets, which form their
interior and last line Of defence.
If the temper of the Commune faithfully re-
fleets the sentiments of its troops the fighting
in the streets promises to be murdcrous and
desperate. Street fighting in Paris, however,
has never resulted successfully to the de-
tenders of barrioades except when the troops
opposed to them have been disaffected with
the leaders of their opponents. Had Marshal
Marmont's twelve thousand men been loyal to
Charles in 1880 the revolution of that year
would have been complete failure, and we
may say the same of the revolution of 184S.
Cavaignac, in June of the same year (184S),
and Napoleon, three years later, proved how
impotent rabble was behind barricades when
opposed by resolute, loyal soldiers. Of course
the assailants of barricades erected across COM
paratively narrow streets are almost certain to
suffer heavily in killed and wounded; but, un-
less the present insurgents have erected more
than one line Of them, the fall of single bar
ricade will end all serious opposition, for it
will enable the troops to take the others in the
rear, when the slaughter will be principally
among the insurgents. We therefore con-
clude that if there is any street fighting, how
ever bloody it may be, it will not be long sus-
tanned, and that the moment MacMahons men
get within the encointe the final collapse of
the insurrection will become question merely
of hours, and not of weeks nor even days.
The Attorney General and the Internal
Revenue Tax.