The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-11-16
sew ORLEANS, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 49, lsT
Trial Of Narshal Bazaine,

the whole Privy Council. begged of the
Emperor not to return to Paris, where his
presence would be the signal for revolution.
In spite of the urgent terms of that despatch,
MacMahon would never consent to march
his army to join that of Bazsine, as he was
advised to do. He had the German army,
under the orders Of the Crown Prince, on
his flank. That army was observing the
marshaps movements, ready to take him
in flank, or cut off his line Of retreat on
Paris, If he gave the line mp. Now, the
marshal not only did not want to give up
that line, but he absolutely did now know
in what direction he would have q chance
Of being able to join Bazaine's army, which
was to be his principal object. Such was
the position of the marshal when Messrs.
Rouher and de st. Paul arrived at Rheims.
The mission of those two gentlemen was to
decide the marshal to 60 and meet Bazaine,
to form junction with him at any cost
and, that junction formed, either to fall
back on Paris together, or to attack or stop
with their united forces the German army.
The four persons destined to debate that
solemn question met on the evening of
August 10. They were the Emperor, MAJ
shall MacMahon, M. Rouher, and M. de St.
Paul. The conference lasted till one in
the morning. To everything. that was
urged to him, the marshal replied, Ny
ing the last, the only army of France.
Paris is the heart of France, and that is
my post. ! do not know where Bazaine is.
I cannot, on vague conjectures, give up my
line of retreat, and drag after me towards
an unknown goal the last military chance
of France" It was impossible to get him
to consent to the urgent solicitations of
those gentlemen, who, at one in the morn
ing, wearied by their efforts, broke up the
sitting. Now, here is what happened
abort time before, and what will explain
that which follows. The Emperor had
orr NV khn 0f r1I1
Stoffel, military attache at Berlin. He had
very warmly recommended him to Mar
shall MacMahop, who had intrusted Stoffel,
with kind of complimentary information
bureau, in which post, thanks to his perfect
knowledge of Germany and the Germans,
Colonel Stoffel was specially charged to
insure the successful Transmission Of the
dispatches expedited OF received, all which,
OF course, passed under his eyes. He had
asked Mr.. Pietri, the Project of Police, for
some spies, to whom he had given the neces-
sary Instructions for the transmission of the
dispatches to and from Metz. Now, on the
Goth of August, the day after the conference
mentioned above, when MacMahon had al
ready given Colonel d'Absac the order to
60 to Paris and to search out at the Min
istry of War all the document relating to
former sieges of Paris, Mr.. Pietri was seen
to arrive holding in his hand despatch
Of which he seemed to know the impor-
tance. That despatch, signed "Bazaine,"
ran thus :--"The army has fought all day
ON the positions of st. Private and Rozeri-
erlles, and has maintained them. We
shall again descend the left bank of the
Moselle in the morning. / still intend
going northward and reaching by Monte
medy the road from St. Menehould to Cha
lous, if it is not strongly occupied. In the
contrary case, l shall go on to Sedan or
even to Mezieres to reach Chalons." For
fhof Ia
in his turn, gave the order to make every
thing ready for march towards the east,
and then turning sadly towards his staff,
"Gentlemen," said he, 1--WE have nothing
to do now but go and get our. brains
Knocked out.n In effect, 80 long az the mar
shall was at Rheims, 90 long as he kept his
line Of retreat, there was nothing lost; but
the day he left Rethel, in the direction of
the fOrtresses of the north, the German
army, which was marching in q parallel
line with him and observing him, suspend
ed its march, aud by degrees made an
oblique movement 80 as to cut off his re-
treat At that moment the disaster of
Sedan could be mathematically foretold.
Now, the next day Bazaine sent despatch
which was very far from indicating in such
the 18th the march of the army of the
Rhine on Mezieres and Sedan. That des-
patch was as follows ITO Marshal Mac
Mahon-I have had to take up a position
near Metz to give the soldiers rest aud
supply them with food and ammunition.
The enemy is constantly thickening round
me, and to join you shall probably follow
the line of the strong places in the North,
and inform You of my march-that is, if
can risk it without endangering the
army ;" Certainly, when we are aware of
Marshal MacMahon's repugnance to go
eastward, we conceive that had he received
that despatch he would have retired on
Paris in optic of the applications and the
orders of the Empress and the Privy Coun-
Gil. Now, that despatch never reached the
marshal. The indictment says it was in
tercepted, but that it first reached Colonel
Stofel. Here is the critical question Why
and by virtue of what order was that des-
patch intercepted Who dared to urge
the destinies Of France and the Empire to-
wards the fatal funnel called Sedan, where
the fortune of France was to receive the
fatal blow, of which the first consequences
are called September 4, )" but the end Of
which no one dare predicts
BEST AND OLDEsr FAMILY MEDIcNE.-San-
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