Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-07-01
MARSHAL BAzAlNE.
The Exiled French Commander Talks
About the Surrender of Metz

the EAheu rrench Commander Talks |
About the Surrender of Metz.
An interesting conversation with Mar
shall Bazalne, at present living in exile
ct Madrid, is published by morning
paper. Despite the volumes that have
been written on the subject, the con-
versation is calculated to throw some
additional light on the dramatic events
of 1870. The Marshal is now seventy
Eve years old, bloated, white-bearded
and decrepid; and, according to his in
terlocutor, he bears his dishonor and
his exile with the utmost resignation.
hot to say Indifference. He began the
conversation by saying that he was very
little known in /, France because he had
always been in the field, where he won
his distinctions step by step, and fight
ing as soldier. He was called .tfhe
Man of Metz" and was made re-
sponsible for ali that had taken place.
although the capitulation had been ad-
yecated by the council of defense. Be-
sides, he did not take the command on
August 10, because the Emperor-who.
although he was very i'll, was the master
end arbiter of the situation-was pres
sent. Referring to the charge brought
against him of having naked up politics
with his duty as soldier, the Marshal
denied this. His misfortune after the war
was to have been on good terms with Nj.
Rouher, and to have called on NJ. Theirs
instead nof going to pay his respects to
NJ. GanzDetta at the Hotel DIES Reservoirs
in Versailles, where the tribune was be-
ing made a good deal of by certain Gen
erals. Moreover, the task of pleading
the Marshars cause with Gambetta was
afterward delegated to NJ. de Valfort,
who, instead of doing so, drew up a
hostile report against him, which de-
cided the tribune to act. 1t was not
true that he had done any thing in a
political way, except to remain firm in
bis & llegiance to the Emperor
1.-THE worst of it wasthat after Sedan
the army was split up into Bonapartists,
Orleanists, Legitimists and Republicans.
For my part, l asked Prince Frederic
Charles of Prussia what Importance was
to be attached to the Government of ma
tional defense? only knew that it was
Prince replied that the Government Of
national defense was not even reeoe
nized by all the powers
Asked whether he had not erred by
thus corresponding with the enemy
the Marshal averred that he haC
perhaps overstepped his limits by doing
so. His object was to assemble the
Chambers at Rheims and to get them te
appoint Government which should ar
range the treaty of peace. He was O
opinion that peace should have beer
signed after Forbach. Again returning
ing to the subject of Metz, the Marsha
brought forward strong charges against
his colleague, Marshal MacMahon.
''MacMahon it is who should have
been most blamed. Why did he give
battle without a chance of success? Hi
defeat produced deplorable impression
at Metz. Instead of ordering out tn,
Third and Fifth army corps he opposed
to the Germans the First or African
corps, which is no good out of Algiers
He should at leasthave gone into an en-
trenched position at Strasburg, ant
after that all that was left to him was t.
fall back on Verdun. Had he gon'
toward Verdun might have attacked
the rear of the Germans with one hun
dred thousand men,"
The Marshal repeated that it was i'm
possible to get out of Metz with safety
The place might have been held littl,
longer had the garrison eaten rats, bu
the prolongation of the situation woult
have been useless. As to his sentence o
twenty years. imprisonment, the Mar
shall seemed to lay the blame of it OIL
Marshal MacMahon. for he thinks NJ
Theirs would have. pardoned him alto
gether Finally the broken soldier feebl.
complained that he was penniless, AM
that he might at least have been allowe'
his pension to keep him from starva
ton His wife, q Spaniard, had gon
to Mexico to look after some hous
property given to him by the Empero
Macmillan in halcyon days, and hi
rights to which were contested.-Part
Cor. London Telegram.