New-York tribune., 1902-06-27
THE FRENCH AT SEDAN
QUESTION SETTLED THAT THEY COULD
NOT HAVE ESCAPED.
Paris, June Is.


n Duquet. the historian OF the Franco-Ger-
,,a, War Of 1S70-'71. has Just completed a work
,-,-l-d La Retraite Sedan" which is accept
a here as settling once for all the much dis
.,,,+ed question whether not II would have
IAN possible for the French army to have ex-
.r3cated Itself from Sedan by retreating to the
,o--b toward Mezieres, according to the plan
t,rrned al the time by General Ducrot to whom
,-orshal MacMahon, after he had been wound
: turned over the command, not knowing that
General de Wimpfen had in his pocket secret
,r;s- from the Minister of War designating
~, as the marshaIs successor. When Marshal
,rscsfahon was wounded at 6 o'clock in the
-orring Of September l. General Ducrot, in ac-
,-dsnce with the marshals orders, assumed
.on,rnand and Immediately ordered that q re-
--aa- he made to the north Just as the troops
r,are in motiSn General de Wimpfen rode up
aud claimed the chief command by virtue of his
letter from the Minister of War. and ordered the
-atreat 10 the south by way OF Carignan. The
army was driven back into Sedan, and the
e,t is q matter Of history.
Nevertheless. there has been much bitter con-
.roversy as TO which of the two generals adopt
"A the correct course Most Of the French his
tarans. with the exception of NJ. Duquet, have
maintained that had General Ducrot been al
laxed 10 have his way. the disaster might have
bAsn averted, because they pretend that when
tho French army began its movement to the
north toward Mezieres the Germans had not
vet crossed to the north bank 1f the Meuse,
and the road thus open for retreat.
MN Paul and Victor Marguerite sons of the
Gallant general killed in the famous cavalry
charge at Sedan. recently issued a pamphlet
seeing to prove that the French army would
have been saved had General Ducrot's plan
been carried out. This theory is contrary TO the
S~;,l Of. .1,af
General staff. and also Of the French narrative
drawn UP by General Lebrun.
N Duouet TO whom the German General staff
have given every facility for ascertaining the
facts. has now summarized the events Of the
dav with great clearness and accuracy. It is
shown that as early as $50 o'clock on the morn
ing Of September the Germans had completely
crr off all possible exit from Sedan, for While
fbe saxons barred the roads TO the south. the
Fifth and Eleventh Iorussian Army Corps and
the Wirternberg Division were already in posi-
tions TO the north and northwest Of Sedan where
the roads were commanded by twelve batteries
Of Prussian artillery. In short, had the tTench
army of 115eo0 men marched in accordance
with General Ducrot's orders towards Mezleres
they would have been opposed as early as %
o'clock in the morning by 10000 Germans in
strong defensive positions, while the SaXons ana
The rest OF the German army pressed them on
their rear and flank from the south Even NM
Paul and Victor Marguerite. and the most
chauyiuist French authorities, now admit that
II we:lG have been impossible for the French
army 10 have extrica.e2 itself from Sedan on
serteulber i no matter in what direction the
sortie might have been attempted, c l. b.