The daily gazette., 1878-03-30
The Battle Of Sedan.
Viotor Hugo's History ofa Crime.
The French NOveIist's Vivid
Description Ofthe Great Ger
man VictOry-A Striking
Portrayal of Napoleon
Ills blundering and
the Efficient Tactics
offhe Germans,tkc

THE FALL OF THE SECOND EMPIRE,
L was returning from my fourth term
of exile-a Belgian exile OF slight ac-
count. 1t was at the close of September,
1871. / was re-eftering France by the
frontier of Luxembourg. | had fallen
asleep In the car. Suddenly the jolt of a
stoppage awoke me. opened my eyes.
The train was drawn up in the midst
of lovely landscape.
was in the hall-light of broken
slumber: my ideas, indstinct and con-
fused. 1oated about, still half-dreams,
between reality and myself; experience
the vague dazzle of an awakening.
A river flowed on beside the track, a
clear river surrounding green and cheer
ful Isle. The growth about the isle was
so thick that the watel fowl, when they
landed, delved into.it and disappeared.
The river wandered away through a
valley which looked like deep garden.
There were apple trees which made one
one dream of Gala ca.
The time Of The year, as said, was
one Of those equinoctial months in which
the charm of ending seasons Is felt; if
winter departs, the song of spring reach
es one; if summer dies aw ay, vague
smile, autumn, dawns upon the horizon.
The wind quieted and reduced to hal
mony all the happy nois es which form
the rumor of the plain the tinkling of
little bells appeared to cradle the muir
mur Of the bees the last butterflies met
the first clusters Of grapes this hour OF
the year mingles the joy of actual life
with the unconscious melancholy Of ap-
preaching death the gentleness of the
sun was not 10 be expressed. Beautiful
lands striped with furrows, and honest
peasants roofs under the trees, grass
covered with shade, the lowing of oxen,
as in Virgil, and the smoke of hamlets,
lighted by sunbeams-su was the pic
ture. Distant anvils were ringing the
rhythm of labor i'll the harmony of ma
ture. listened and meditated in con-
fused manner the valley was beautiful
and tranquil, the blue heavens rested,
as it were, upon pleasant circle of hills.
there were voices of birds far away, and
children's voices near by, like two angels
chants commingled the universal linz
pidity surrounded me all this grace and
all this greatness put dawn into my
soul.
Suddenly traveller asked of me.
"What place is this ?"
Another answered.
"Sedan."
/ started.
The paradise was a sepulchre.
| looked about Inc. The valley was
round and hollow as the bottom of era
ter the river, quite tortuous, bore like
ness to serpent the hlghs hills, steried
above each other, inclosed the mysterious
spot as with triple row of inexorable
wall once there, one had to remain. 1t
made one think of the circuses of old.
An indescribable and disquieting vege-
tation, which had the semblance of pro-
longation Of the Black Forest, invaded
the beights and was lost on the horizon
like an immense impenetrable snare the
sun shone, the birds warbled, the team
sters passed by whistling there were
sheep, lambs and doves here and there,
the foliage curled and whispered the
grass, the thick grass, was filled with
flowers. 1t was terrible.
fancied beheld the flaming of the
angels sword trembling over the valley.
The word Sedan had been as rent
veil. The landscape had of a sudden
become tragcal. 4he vague eyes which
the bark draws upon the trunks of trees
gazed upon-what ? Something terrible,
vanished.
Here ii was, indeed and at the date,
13 months less a few days had gone by,
since the monstrous adventure OF the I'd
of December had ended here. A for
midable stranding.
The sombre ways of fate cannot be
studied without a deep oppression of the
heart.
On August 81, 1870, an army found
itself assem- bled and, as it were, massed,
under the walls of Sedan, in place
| called Fond dc Givonne. This army
was French army: 20 brigades, 10
divisions, four amy corps, 90, 900 men.
This army was at this place no one knew
why, without order, without purpose,
pell-mell, as a kinu of a heap of men
| thrown there as though to be grasped by
giant hand.
This army did not experience or seem
| to experience, for the moment, any I'M
mediate uneasiness. 1t knew, or thought
it knew, that the foe was pretty remote.
Calculating the marches at Jhe rate OF
| four leagues day, it was removed by a
three days march. Still, toward even
| ing, the chiefs made some wise strategi-
| cal arrangements, at the rear rested upon
| Sedan and the Meuse River, they pre-
| tected it by two lines of battle; one con-
sistlng of the Seventh Corps, and extend
Ing from Floing to Givonne; the other
| consisting of the Twelfth, triangle TO
which the MeHse formed the hypo-
| thenuse.
The Twelfth Corps, including the three
divisions of Lacretelle, Lartigue and
| Wolff, drawn up in a straight line, with
| the artillery between the brigades, con
| stituted real barrier, having at its ex
| tremities Bazeilles and Givonne and in
its centre Daigny; the two divisions of
Petit and Lheritier abutted the barrier.
Gen. Lebruh commanded the Twelfth
Corps.
The Seventh Corps, commanded by
General Douay, included only two divi-
sions, Dumon's division and Guibert's,
and formed the other line of battle
| covering the army from Givonne TO
Floing, toward lily; this line was rela-
| lively weak-too open in the direction of
Givonne, and only protected in the direc-
tions of the Meuse by the two cavalry
divisions of Marguerite and Bonne-
mains, and by Guyomar's brigade resting
in square upon Floing. In this triangle
were encamped the Fifth Corps, under