The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-10-12

tofh year, deserves 70 De rated as soA1lsf
Of remarkable personal courags and en-
erwy; possessed Of more than ordinary
military talent. He was patriot. m hon
est, incorruptibie man. A. statesman
he did not conceal his monarehial preju-
ciees. bat ~ president Of the French re-
public he behaved ike man ofhonor aud
did his ful daty under the Law. He vas
descended from one OF that band Of he
rotc Irish exiies who. after the defeat OF
James n. in Ireland, followed their leader,
the gallant sars.ieId. Earl OF Lacan. 10
FRINGE aud entered the service Of Louis
XIV. These Irish exiles won the battle of
L2nden for France, sarsGe!d falling in the
moment Of victory, saying II would that
this had been suffered for ireland" The
descendants Of these Irish exiles saved
Fontenoy 10 Marshal SAKE. Marshal Mac
Nahon was therefore a Frenchman of
Irish lineage Just as Napoleon's Marshal
Macdonald vas OF Scotch lineage.
MacMahon won brilliant laarels when
on the sth of September. is55. at the head
Of bis division he storrned the Malakof
bill, the key TO the defenses Of Sebastopol.
The attacks at all other points failed the
French were repulsed at the Little Redan,
and the English from the Great Redan.
MacMahon alone won and held the Maia-
kon. saying. 'Here am, and here I will
remain" and the possession of the Maia-
koff was the possession of Sebastopol, for
il completely dominated the harbor, the
town and all the imporsan. defenses The
Russians, realizing this, made almost
superhuman efforts 10 recapture il. A ter
ribie contest was waged, bot MacMahon
kept his word: he remained" and at
dusk the Russians sulienly retired The
last fight for sebastopol had been fought
and won. When morning dawned the
Russians were gone: Sebastopol had been
burned and lis vast magazines blown up.
This practically closed the crimean war,
and Gen. MacMahon was justly entitled to
the name Of the Hero of Sebastopol."
He was made a marshal, with the title of
Duke of Malakoff.
In the Italian campaign of 1850 Marshal
MseMahon was easily the most brilliant
soldier. MacMahon decided the victory of
Magenta, which but for his extraordinary
energy and daring would have been de-
feat for the French.
When the Franco-Gerrnan war broke out
Marshal MacMahon was 62 years old and
commanded the First corps of the French
army of less than 49, men, which de-
Tended the line between Metz and Stras-
burg. against which Moltke was directing
the assault of the German army more
than 400, 600 strong. on the 4th of August,
1870, the Germans in overwhelming force
rtormed Weissenburg and DESTROYED
Douay's division of MacMahon's CORPS.
MacMahon hurried from Metz to join his
corps. and With but 5000 men fought
good battle against overwhelming num-
bers AT Worth on August 6, but was de-
feated. When the battle ended Mac Mahon's
corps was wreck, and a French army Of
$4,000 men was desperately striving 10
make head against q German army Of 800
600 men. For this disaster MacMahon was
not to blame, for Napoleon was in COM
mand; nor was he TO blame for the ad-
vance from Chalons after Bazaine was
shut up in Metz that ended in the dis
aster of Sedan. MacMahon urged that
the army of Chalons, l40 900 strong, should
retreat on Paris and accept, if need be. a
battle for its defense, but he was over
ruled and ordered to march to the relief of
BaEaine
Had MacMahon been a soldier of Napo-
leonic genius and marched his army AZ
rapidly as the Germans marched 10 sur.
round him. he could have formed n iunc-
ton with Hazaine. but he was only man
Of talent undertaking what seemed TO him
hopeless movement. and he failed miser-
ably. Probably his troops were too demon
Allied to be capable of the necessary
CELEBRITY. 1t was a sad ending of brilliant
military career that the gallant Mae Mahon.
who had won the bright laurels OF Sebasto-
pol. Magenta and Solferino. should be
obliged TO surrender an army of 100 go
men 10 q victorious foe. Nevertheless
MacMahon was not justly responsible for
this dreadful disaster. for he protested
against the movement and only oheyed
the peremptory orders OF his military
saperiorS.