New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-01
EORREN ON RAZ1INE.

FORBES ON BAZdLNE.
Mr. Archibald Forbes has an article in The
F0rtnighHy ReUieW for the current month on
Bazaine's vindicatiOn. Mr. Forbes writes on
this subject with certain authority, for he was
an eyewitness of every battle in which Marshal
Bazaine took part during the FrancO-German
war; he was one of the first to enter Metz
after tho capitulatiOn, and he was present at
Bazainc's cOurt-martial. His opinion is that the
Marshal was made a scapcgOat for the sins of
his official supcriors, and that few men have
ever suffered more unjustly. "Ihc truth ls,"
says Mr.. Forbes, that of all the madncsscs OF
q the half-heroic, half-basc time that followed
the dfchfdnce of all the false trails of ven
"gcanco along which the French nation hunted
with yclpings and clamOrs purposcly loud III
:" their efforts at sclf-dcccptOn, of all the injus-
=" tccS which people mad with shame, tortured
"by Inundated pride, infatuated by lust for a
scapcgoat, ever perpetratcd, the persecution Of
"Bazainc was the most lunatic, the falscSt, the
~crucllcst; the most utterly unworthy, malcyo-
lent and unrcdccmably base episode of period
(which. if not infcrtc in patriotism bore far
arankcr crop of unworlhincss, malcyolence and
"bascncss." This is vigorous language and
il demands stronS proofs to Justify it. 1t is
therefore only fair to say that Mr.. Forbes has
furnished. if not absolute demonstration, Ger
tainly prcsumptivc evidence, of the truth of
what he asserts
PERHAPS, outside Of France, the crime of
Marshal Balanc has never been clearly APP
preciatcd. Perhaps, in France, great many
thoughtful men have come to doubt the
Justice of his condemnation. But it unfortn-
natoly happens that those who are sacrificed as
Bazainc was always are refused redress until it
is too late 10 do them any good And III the case
of Bazainc the purposes of those who chose him
for a scapcgoat were helped by his own de-
Gccts. For he was not clear lighted or n saga
cious man. Risen from the ranks. he preserved
a stolid fidelity To his own ideal of honor, and
hc could obey orders admirably. But though
he had held large commands, he had not the
qualities of a great commander, and when left
to his own initiative he WAS apt To hesitate ana
to act too slowly. But indeed everything, as
Mr.. Forbes shows, was against him throughout.
He was hampcrcd by the unmlitary dictation of
the Emperor. He had the command thrust upon
him at a iuncture when he could only bear the
brunt of evils prepared for him by others. He
was fatally handicapped by the dcmoralizcd
condition of the officers and troops placed under
!
Of division who deliberately disObcycd orders,
and with regiments which no longer possessed
any discipline He was called upon to take the
offensive when his army was only capable OF the
defensive. A man of genius, Napoleon,
might, and probably would, have overcome
these difficulties. But hc was not man of gen
Jus. and he was unable to cope with his cm-
barrassmcnts Mr.. Forbes is decidedly of opin-
on that he never could have escaped from
Metz, ut least with any usefulness to France.
IIc thinks it possible that he would have been
! allowed to make his exit after the catastrophe
M Sedan, but the result could only have been
the destruction of his army in the open. The
capituation of Metz was inevitable The army
was starving when it was determined upon.
| Sortics had proved futile. Every officer i'll the
| council of war realized that Sedan had de
| stroycd the last hope of France. Under the
! circumstances there was but the choice between
suicide and surrender.
Perhaps if Marshal BaMinc had taken his
army ont of Metz, and had sacrificed it In
a great BATTLE his fame would have stood
! hipLcr. But il is by no means certain that
! his army would have fought such battle
! and III il had tho result would have only
! been To hasten the investment OF Paris. In
! fact, it is impossible to see how Bazaine could
have done anything else than what he did do !;
but the fact remains that he was deliberately
offered to the fury of the people ms scapegoat,
and that the vindicatiOn of his conduct which
| ne has published comes too late. History will
no doubt do him tardy justice, but his ruined
life cannot he restored, and he will be com
PEELED to "dree his weird" as the Scotch say,
despite the injustice of his condemnation.