New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-04-13
MARSHAL BAZAINE.
An Interview in Prison with EapoieOn's
ACCOMPLISHMENTS Version of the
Defeat at GravelOtte and Surrender of
Metz, and His Reply to the Charges
linen which He is Arrnigned.

followed the HeratGs plan by interviewing
Marshal Bazaine, at the house in Versailles
where he has beer in confinement under
military guard for nearly year. After
describing his cordial reception by a sol
dierly man of sixty. with deeply fuIrowed
brow and grave aspect. he proceeds:
The Marshal opened the conversation in a
general manner, expressing IN very clear
language his opinion respecting the dlversi'
ties OF military temperament among the
European nations, concluding with the
curious remark that the Latin nations were
too nervous to profit equally with races Of
calIner blood by the use OF long range
weapons, and that for long time 70 come.
owing to this physiological inaccuraCy of
aim with small arms, the Latin race vii! be
interior to the Saxon OF slave armies, and
in proof of that view he referred 10 the per.
feet calmness with which the English III.
fantry took aim before firing, even il the
midst of battle. The Marshal then stopped,
and, turning to me, said, Il have the pleas
ure of receiving you. In what can | bc of
service to youl" / replied that my visit
was not from simple curiosity, but feared
he might be offended if l ventured
to question HIM respecting some
of the rumors which were eur
rent, and ! added that not having any
other feeling than enc OF absolute impair
TALLY, | would simply repeat what it
might please him 10 reply, il he would
allow me to put a few questions to him.
-. am aware" said, " that it is hardly
respectful manner Of proceeding. but IL is
the only one BY which rapid interchange
of ideas can be Effected. and with tie con
ciseness requisite for their being repro
duced." AS he consented with great reaGi-
ness. asked him, - Is it true that during
the battle of GTavelOtte you had to be
sought for at twenty kilometres distance
from the battle ueld. and that you were
found theIe playing DIT billiards ~ In
the first place" replied he, d" do not play
billiards. and never have played; then
again, what was iOr the Germans the
battle of GraveIOUte was tor Us the battle
of Amanvilliers. ! was from noon
a little in the rear Of the lines OF Aman.
villers, overlooking the battlefield; pre-
cisely where a general should be, giving or
ders during the whole time. and preserving
nv communications with Marshal Canr0-
bert, who was posted at Saint PriVat. and
had thrown portion OF his troops into
Saint Marie aux Chense, and thus / 0ccu-
pied the only position which | could have
advantageously taken up. did not quit
the position until the battle was ended. and
there was not single General capable of
an army who would venture
to suggest that l should have occupied any
other. 1t is not the business Of the Cen
eral-in-C Chief to fight sword in hand, and
had experienced that two days before at
RezOnyille, where, finding some batteries
had been abandoned, rushed forward,
sword in hand. and il ten minutes later l
had not been eXtricatGd by vigorous efforts
| should have remained a prisoner in the
hands of the Brunswick Hussars"
But, NJ. le Ma:echal. there are
some officers who say that during
the whole of that day the French
army had gained ground. and that, beley-
ing it had won victory, they were greatly
surprised in the evening to hnd that the
troops were TO retire to their former en-
campment." The battle of Amanviiliers
or GravelOtte,' said the Marshal, The plan
of which | alone had conceived, was never
intended by lie for an offensive movement.
| could never have thought Of fighting,
with 10000 men whose pulse | had felt. an
army of 100000 men eOlidiy intreEched.
What ! wished to DO was 10 bring ca de-
tensive engagement and 20 destroy as many
OF the enemys men as possible, taking care
to spare our own; then, after several affairs
OF that character, ] hoped suddenly TO force
passage, not. as might be expected. by
my line OF retreat, but by repassing the
MOselie, and. throwing myself briskiy into
Alsace, to relieve Strasburg and to cover
Alsace and Lorraine. Such was the object
| had in view. During the engagement at
the regiments simply, there
fore, occupied defensive positions which. |
had marked out for them and at the hours
] had prearranged. hu. they made no ad-
vance. One corps emily itnG t0uTtb) made q
pretended turning movement in order to
1,r,. !
70 the others they took part in a defensive
engagement, which succeeded admirably,
and which was 10. the Germans the most
murderOus conflict ~ he whole campaign"
- But when you assumed the command
ven must have had instructions to enable
you to act in concert with tire OTHER
corps, and Am ast0nished that you
should speak Of arrangements az pecIl-
liarly your own. and which wOnid cDus i
tUte isolated and Independent action" Il
had absolutely no instructions. When. on
the twelfth. saw oar beloved and unt0rtu-
nate Emperor, ] entr8ated him to give
the command to Marshal MacMalon
Or TO Marshal CanrDbert. but the Emperor
insisted and gave the orders. When asked
MIN for Instructions, ne said, DO your
best At that moment the position was
already very bad and embarrassing. After
Reichshoffen aud FOrbach we had no longer
any right wing, and the Germans were able
1t their leisure to perform their turning
movement, which resulted in my being in
vested. | wrote at the moment to Marshal
Vac Mahon that l should ordeavor to retire |
lot upon NerduD, but upon the fort |
,esses Of the north. When tho Mar.
hal, after some hesitation and after |
having sought to fall back upon Paris. |
,beyed the instructions OF the Minister of |
Var and quilted Bethel, be believed me to |
De already in the direction Of the tortlessc. |
# the north. and he arrived at Sedan. Fox |
ny own part, who had not the power of |
dining him, being invested. had then only |
o rely upon my own Judgment Still it |
S said that gGi'de tic chGsSc named Scala |
'rinO delivered TO you personally, on the
wenty-third. dispatch from General Mac |
lahon. which explained to yea the line
-ou should follow and the direction you
hould take" The Marshal shrugged his
houlders. Il never received coUreIs: | |
ever saw Scalabiinc nor any galCe ds
hGSSc. | never received any dispatch from
larshal MacMahon before the thirtieth OF
August. After that day [ received many,
because II was the interest o.! the Ger
mans to allow them 10 pass. The trial
will very clearly suci,!ate 1hat point. No
ne has ever been brought face to face with
ne who maintains that he had delivered
ny despatch from Marshal MacMahon 10
ne before the ".llrtietE." You sal. lust
ow that YOU had but 1000 men to oppose
D the German armies. hit there were
5000 men made prisoners Yes Lad
10000 men rati0ned. buc ! bad only
1000 fighting men. There is :, tralisac-
ion which has greatly excited pRh'.r ouri-
sity, and which : even to-day euveloaoG
] mystery-the affair # Roglier" YES,
es,' replied the Marshal. after nom M,