The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-09

defeat under the walls Of Paris, for such defeat
mnst have degenerated into q rout. rifl
WHAT BAzAINE SHOULD HAVE D0ks IL F0Bc1D TO
CAPITULATH.
"But,n 1t may be urged, III Bazaine had prop
erly defended himself in Metz he would only have
succeeded in massing the entire strength OF the
Germans round his CITADEL and he would nave
been forced to yield In the end.n Possibly; but q
generals duty Is to consider how best he may
serve the common interests Of the country and the
prospect OF losing his own entire army has no bust
ness to check his operations. II Bazatne had
forced the Germans to raise the siege OF Paris the
capitulati0n OF Metz would have been but OF sec
Ondary Importance. He was bound, however, to
prolong his resistance IN Metz until It was abso-
lutely impossible, from want OF food and ammu-
milton, = hold out any longer, and, when the
capitulauon doomed ahead as unavoidable then he
should have opened negotiations with the enemy
and stipulated that all his garrison should march
out with the honors OF war-that is, free to go
away with their arms under pledge OF not lighting
again during the campaign. II the enemy had
been KEEP. In ignorance OF the exhaustion Of sup
plies inside the city 1t s probable they might have
acceded to these terms; but had they not done SO,
then it was Bazaine's duty to act as Todleben dlo
at SebastOp0l-blow up his fortifcations. destroy
the arsenals and casemates smash all his ries and
cannon. drench his ammunition and burn his nags
and stores so that nothing whatever should have
fallen into the hands OF the enemy. Thus the
capituation Of Metz would have been one Of the
grandest most heroic on record
ln SUMMARY.
Now, suppose Eazaine had acted in the manner
above sketched the Germans, in possession OF dis
mantled Metz, would have one OF two alternatives
they might either have marched back upon Paris
or have offered to conclude peace, and all the
probabilities are that they would have adopted the
latter course. To march back and face the Loire
armies and those Of the North, arrayed with the
Paris garrsons under the walls Of the capital,
would have been a measure demanding more men
and more energy than the Germans would have
been able to bring to bear after prOtracted war
fare round Metz. The armies under Paris would
have had time to organize themselves, to fortiiy
their positions, to establish themselves securely on
every river and eminence around Paris, and the
Germans would have known well that II they at
tackled these reorganzed armies unsuccess'ully
their retreat from France must have resembIed the
rout OF Napoieon's Grand Army in the Russian
campaign OF 1872 Therefore, Count Bismarck
would have offered peace; but peace offered with
strong and indicated French army still In the
field could have comprised no Illuminating cOnd-
tiOns. At most a small war indemnity would have
been stipulated but there could have been no talk
OF annexng Alsace and Lorraine OF subjecting
France to q foreign occupation. 1t follows, then,
from all this that Bazane is really responsible Tor
the loss OF two provinces and for all the cruel
depradatiOns which have accompanied that loss.
He may urge In extenuatiOn-and, indeed he
does so--that he could not foresee all that would
happen and did not order sortes because he
wished to save his army from being useessly
dominated. But the answer to this is one which
o general must henceiorth lay to heart:-He Is
bound to defend himself to the death without
counting the losses he may incur. War is not a
humanitarian game, but If 1t were, humane con-
alterations should still have prompted Bazaine to
attack the enemy without mercy and without
regard Tor himself seeing that every man slain In
defending Metz would have spared two or three
lives In other parts Of France-to say nothing Of
the tears that have been shed over the loss OF
Observation-Disclosures which must count for
something in computing the horrors Of war.