New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-12-21
BAZAlNE.

| the morning of October s, in the palace o
! the Grand Trisnop, at Versailles, the Da,
| d'Aumale presiding. The Mars ha! had beer
| in prison since the tenth of May, 1873. Dur
| ing the preliminary examinations which
| were held since that time and previous t.
! the trial the evidence of more than 1901
witnesses was taken. At the trial just ended
hundreds of witnesses were examined, rhs
| most of them persons of small note. Bul
Oh the other hard many of the Witnesses
| were among the best known soldiers Oi
| France. In The number of those " no nave
| testified in defense Of the Marshal were teL
| Generals of division, eight Generals of bl g
| ade, five cUfonels, several captains, SUI
| geOna, priests, etc. At the very beginning
| of the trial the chances seemed ominous tt
| the prisoner, and even at that time the
| president OF the court. the Duo HAnmale
| was reported to have declared that SO con
| elusive was the testimony against the Mar
| shall that sentence OF deai b was almost
| certain against the accused, although it wa-
| thought, in case of such "a result, he would
! either be pardoned by the government OF
| have his sentence committed.
| The Indictment against the Marshal filled
| three large folio VOin!nes. The report OF
| General Riviere, which consumed three
| day 8 in lis reading, gave tle main points vi
| accusation against the Marshal in connec
! ton with his alleged treason III his conduct
| of the campait Ii at Metz. 1t arraigned him
| for having caused the defeat OF the french
| at Forbach IN consequence OF hls failure to
| 90 to General FrOssarsl's assistance. He
| was also charged with having left Marshal
| Canrobert to contend at the battle of st.
| Privar, with only 10000, against the Ger
| man army corps of 10000, although Can
! robert repeatedly sent to him for assistance.
| Among other spt citicatiOns ganst him was
| one charging hum, as commandment chief of
! the French forces. with the primary respon-
| sibiiity for the catastrophe Of Sedan, in that
| he failed in a critica! Iu0ment TO commuui-
| cate with Marsha NacMahon, or that he
connived at the interceptiOn of hls dis
| patches to hat officer by Colonel StOtfel, Gi-
rector of tie diligence department of
! Marshal MacMahnn's staff.
lie was accused Of reasonable ccinmuni
cations with tho enemy and Of clandestine
| war upon the then existing government OF
France in favor of the banished imperial
government, by receiving N. Regnier. an
.missary of the Empress and person in
the confidence of the Germans and, i'll con-
sequence of this interview, of sending Gen
erai Dourbaki upon a missisn to the EN-
press in London. The report further de-
clared that the Marshal never intended or
desired to leave Metz, and that he was hold
ing his army intact in that city in order, at
the fitting moment, and in COL junction with
a secret understaL ding with tue Germans,
to restore the empire and the Napoleons
whose forfeiture had been declared by the
government OF national defence.
AS the trial progressed Marshal Bazaine
was examined at great length through sew
eral consecutive days by the president of
the court, and gave his version OF the diff
culties by which he was surrounded, and
denied Ill detail the accusations against him
regarding his conduct toward General Eros
sard and Marshal MacMahon. He declared
himself innocent OF the defeat at Forbach,
and in regard To MacMahun's movements
he asserted that he did not receive precise
information of that commanders situation
in time to prevent the disaster at Sedan.
He also protested that he had sent to Can
robert at the battle OF st. Privat all the
assistance that he had asked for. In gen
eral justification of himself against his CON
duct after the eighteenth of August, he
brought forward the orders that he had re
ceiyed to be cautious in his movements. la
support of many of his statements made
during this examination no offered numer-
Gus affdavits.
The Narshal's explanation OF his conduct
was received with GOODNESS by the Duo
d Aumale. and his self vndicatory evidence
left an uninvorable impression on the minds |
OF those who Listened to il. Referring to
ReSnlers mission, he asserted that he never |
treated IL as serious matter, and he ex-
planned his capitalization of Metz by declar-
ing that he could not do otherwise than sur
tender as the provisions in the city were ex-
hansted. He said il regard to :he conven-
ton which he had concluded with the Ger
mans looking to the surrender, that his posi- |
tlon was such that he Was in II certain st pse
lls own government, and that being in the |
presence OF an lnsurrect'o nary government |
that OF the national defensel he could not |
uitlll the Guties of military chief. which.
.nder the legal government, are strictly de. |
ineu.
At the time fe capitulat ted "lhere was |
hen no government. There was nothing u,
10 said. To this observation the Due |
IAumaie responded, sternly: "What! |
france then no longer existed.''-a remark
vhich produced sensation. He defended
himself against the charge of conspiring to
e-establsh the regency of the Empress,
md asserted that lie wished to obtain an
rmistlce with the view of esra blishing a
egnlar government in France. In response
o a question as to whether all bis acts and
thoughts were for his country and the army.
e replied: They were; l always acted
onestiy, according 20 the dictates of nv
ouscienee."
The taking of testimony for the yroseou-
ution began on October o. Among those
n I
ert, Lebceut, Generals Bourbaki and Lad
nirault, and NM. Schneider and Rouher
,anrobert testified that at the battle of St, |
'rivat his two request to Bazaine for am.
nunition were unheeded, and that the In
erial Guard. which Bazaine had promised |
o send to his assistance, was never sent.
n consequence of these failures he was OBJ
ged to retreat before the preponderating
rtilery of the Prrssians. Marshal Bazains
rdered him to abandon his position at
lars la-Tour on August l6, and this posi-
ion CaDrObert declared he could have held |
farshal Leb6ut testified that Bazaine Or
cred his corps. which had been successful
n August Is, to retreat, the latter alleging
fear OF the ammunition and provisions |
ailing. General L'Admiraul,s evidence
'as regarding the possibility of Bazaine's
laking junction with Marshal Mac Mahon |
bont the same time. and expressed the |
pinion that it would have been possible to
ross the MOselle in time to join Machiahon |
Ieneral BOurbaki said that he received no
rders TO proceed to the assistance of Can
)bcrt at st. Privat. The evidence OF MN.
,ouher and Schneider showed that the |
larshal had never solicited the chief COM | ,
land of the army.
General Boyer, in his testimony in the
azaine trial, on November 25, gave the ,
blowing interesting account of his inter
lew with the Empress Eugene aud with |
riuce Bismarck alter he had been sent by ,
larshal Bazaine from Metz to endeavor to
range terms OF eapitulation. L. should |
o understood that the events to which he | ,
9ters occurred before the departure of
eneral Bourbaki upon a similar mission |
ttore his return, and while the situation of | ,
10 army was daily becoming more des-
crate.
left Metz on the twelfth of October. and
rived at Versailles on the fourteenth.
as received by Count Bismarck, and de-
anded OF him upon what conditions the ,
reDch army night march out of Metz
I'm the honors OF war. lie replied that it
as useless to seek to obtain apy other