Omaha daily bee., 1898-05-15
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Ashes Of Empire.
By ROBERT ". CHAMBERS.
By ROBERT ". CHAMBERS.

each OF the latter commanded by an admiral
or general.
The city therefore, was divided like pie
into nine sections, each section having its
commander whose role was not only mill
tary, but also civil, and who in concert with
the municipal authorities included in his
district. was responsible for the mainte-
nance Of order, the policing Of the ramparts
and streets and the organization OF the ma
tional guard. This scheme was admirable,
and, had 1t been maintained after the end OF
the siege until the city resumed its normal
condition the commune might have been
impossible The city, then. was surrounded
by double line of defense, the forts out
side the walls and the Notifications proper.
But this was not all. Bellevile, that rabbit
warren Of the ragtag and bobtail, that ever
smmerng caldron of anarchy, lifted up its
voice and bawled for barricades. To keep
the vivacious denizens of that quarter in
good humor the government permitted them
to surround the outer boulevards with
third line OF defense in the form OF barri-
cades. This they did with an enthusiasm
and ability that was none the less suspi-
cious because superintendent by Henri
Rochefort For the defense Of the forts and
the ramparts 1900 cannon were mounted and
800 held in reserve. These cannon were
served by $4,000 artillerymen, including ma
rine gunners and engineers. The garrison
itself consisted of:
f1rst-Two army CORPS the Thirteenth vi
noys, the Mezieres Prodigals, and the Four
teenth corps, commanded by General Ducrot.
ABOUT $4,000 men in all, and $50 field pieces
Vinoys men camped on the left bank Of
the Seine, Ducrot's on the right bank
Second-One hundred and five thousand
Mobiles, not only from the Department of
the Seine, but also from every department
OF France. They were distributed between
the forts and the city.
Third-Seven thousand sailors from the
war ports on the coast 5000 customs
guards, forest guards and ex-policemen.
Fourth-About sixty franc corps more or
less unruly and useless, total of nearly
Is, 900 Inen.
Fifth-A few thousand regular troops at
st. Denis. brave, devoted men.
sixth-The National Guard, 266 hattalions
u. 'hem' nuisance to everybody except
themselves, partly on account of the foolish
policy pursued by their superiors. in Keen
ing them inside the ramparts instead of
habtuating them to the discipline and Sc
we're regime of active service outside the
city, and partly on account Of the elective
system common to each battalion. ANYBODY
might believe. after this long enumeration
OF offensive works, that the labor of trans
FORMING Paris into a vast fortress was
pusned with unexampled, not to say miracu-
ious, speed. That was not the case. and
TWO generals OF engineers, whose names Il
Is not necessary to mention, were to blame,
win the German armies within a few 6fays'
march from Paris, with two great redoubts
OF Chatillon and Montretout unfinished.
these generals did not think It necessary
for the workmen, masons stonecutters. ter
rassiers and carpenters to labor during the
night. With energy and the employment of
lO,OOO or $4,000 wOrkmen ChatillOn and Nom
tretout could have been saved before the
arrival OF the Germans. More than that
tnere existed weak points along the ram
parts that were crininally neglected-es-
pecially the Bas- -Meudon gate, where the
moat was scarcely begun, and not a mine
was placed.
Was Moltke badly informed? Was Bis
marck asleep? Where were their spies
The German army. with . little autacity
| could have made itself master of Paris dur
Ing the first days of investment How?
| It would merely have been sufhcient to mass
rapidly during the night o corps of 20 600
resoiute men between Sevres and Bas- Mcu-
don. This corps, composed Of equal divisions
OF cavalry. artillery and infantry, could
have been hurled at the Bas-Meudon gate
where only a handful of Mobiles stood
guard. At the same time the cavalry, ar
arriving at gallop along the Vanguard and
Point de Jour bastions could have sabred
the cannoneers and National Guards on the
ramparts leaving the artillery to uniirnber
behind the Ceinture railroad tracks and hold
the ground against any attack Reinforce
ments could have arrived from Sevres and
Versailles embarrassed, except by the fort of
Issy.
1t was too simple, perhaps for the great
German masters Of strategy. II, therefore,
| the work on the defenses Of Paris attained
really splendid results, the credit was
neither due to the two engineer generals
nor to the apathy Of the Germans; it was
due-strange as it may appear-to Hauss-
mann. Why? Because the work could
| never have been accomplished had not the
government been able to summon to its aid
the splendid army Of contractors, and their
men. schooled, during NJ. Haussmann's 8
magnificent administration. to undertake
and execute vast enterprises of construction
and demolition with incredible rapidity.
How the irony of history repeats itself!