New-York tribune., 1905-06-11
FAMOUS SURRENDERS.
Il Record of Disasters Which Haze
BefaILen Other Leaders.

The tragic element underlying every great sur
render in history is not wanting at Port Arthur
saws 'sThe London Globe" Since the beginning
OF the bombardment last February the trend OF
affairs has been almost unbrokenly TO the ad-
vantage of the japanese, and 1t only remains 10
conjecture the spirit in which the gallant de-
tenders of the fortress conveyed to the triumph
ant enemy their inability to continue an uneven
struggle The final act of the drama has been
played out again and again in the worlds rec
ords of capitulation, the curtain has been runs
down repeatedly upon heartbroken COM
mander a suffering and detected garrison, a
generous but infexible conqueror; the story of
one siege differs from the story of another most
essentially in the matters of detail, and yet IN
the spirit Of the surrender lies World OF slgnln-
cance
Take the two disasters in the Franco-Gerllan
War. of Sedan and Metz. and compare ehe
genuine cry of despair from Napoleon III, who'
'betrayed by fortune, had lost all, ana had
placed in the hands of his conQueror the sole
thing left hm-his liberty" with Bazalne .
pompous address to his soldiers: Nanqulsleu
by famine, we compelled to submit 10 tne
laws of war In constituting ourselves prisoners
At different epochs of our military hlstoiS'
brave troops commanded by Massena, Aleper
and Gouvion St Cyr, have experienced the same
lot, which 6etracts not from military hohoI'
when, like you, they have so gorlously per er-
formed their duty to the extreme or human en-
durance" This when surrenderlng a 1orress
and garrison of the first order TO a peSieSlns
army only slightly superior In NUMBERS Whlle
guns and ammunition were pentIul I anu tI tIou
supplies were at least sufficient for ahother
weeks consumption! Napoleon on tne otiien Iie
hand, made attempt TO concedi Ihe liiiol'Iy
of his disaster as he fingered in the garQen OF
the Belgian weavers cottage, where negolia-
tions had been held. broken, despohoGiiI 9 Hs9te
dressed in jaunty red cap with gold border
a black paletot lined with red, red trousers anu
white kid gloves.
as flIIIy by General Lee in the American Clvll
War. although he had been sayed the NORTH
cation OF proposing a surrender by Genera!
Grants letter: 1.-THE result Of the last week,
he wrote TO Lee on April Z, 1860, must con
vince you of the hopelessness of further resist
ance on the part of the Army of Northern Vir-
gfnia In this struggle Two days later meet
ing was effected at AppomattoX. ana thls sur
render of which the victory OF Five FORKS was
the prelude, practically ended the war, the re
naming armies of the Confederates laying
down their arms one after another Lee knew
when the end had come. Not SO Napoleon l.
whose letter to the Prince Regent consequent
on Waterloo can be regarded only diplo-
matte attempt to gain time for fresh rally of
forces Exposed to the factions which distract
nv, country he wrote land to the enmity of
tha greatest powers of Europe, have closed my
political career. and come, like Themistocles.
to throw myself upon the hospitality of the
British people. 1 put myself under the pro-
lection of their laws, which claim from your
royal highness, the most powerful the most
constant and the most generous of my enc
miles,
hX he
Edinburgh Castle in 1859 to the Earl Of Leven.
Gentlemen and soldiers" he said, II know not
wherein have been unkind to any of you, but
if have ever wronged any man in your ranks
let him speak we part forever. Do not
brawI with the newcomers. for you are too few
to conquer and too many to sacrifice" General
Gordon's message Of defiance when you,
Mahdi order the Nile to dry up and walk
across with YOUR troops and come into Khar-
tounl to me and take me, then 1 will surrender
the town to you, and not before Little we
know of the details accompanying the fall OF
3fol-r
the relief expedition reached that city to find
it had fallen into the hands Of the Mahdi two
days previously Gordon had surrendered moth
ing save his life.
An unsatisfactory capture was that of Sc
bastopol since the enemy had fed, leaving be
hind a smoking mass of ruins. Zutphen fell
through a ruse soldiers being introduced into
the town apparelled as Flemish country
women, their baskets filed with swords and
loaded pistols. One of the most bloodless /
capitulations considering the Importance of
the fortress surrendered, was that of Gibraltar /
wrcsted from the Spaniards in 11O4 our total |
loss in gaining this important acquisition to
the Crown being 60 men killed and PIG
wounded On the other hand Lucknow was /
the scene of dreadful bloodshed when the |
siege was raised b. Sir Colin Campbell no |
quarter being given. 1t was said that after /
the massacre of Cawnpore the soldiers divided |
among them the tresses of a murdered girl and |
swore that for every hair of her head one Sepoy |
should die. At the surrender of the Bastile in /
the French Revolution there was no fighting. |
the governor, de Launay, after making a hest /
tating defence capitulating on promise CT |
safety for all the garrison. A picturesque sur I
render was that of Cetewayo, who was captured I
on August %. 1879, by Major Marter during the !
Zulu War Troops had been pursuing the chief |
since August 13. and he was finally tracked to
deserted kraal In the Ngoma Forest. Major |
Marter himself rode to the entrance of the hut
and called upon Cetewayo to yield. Enter
was the reply; II your prisoner" From
motives of prudence Marter' refused, again
sumnoning the Zulu chief. Thereupon the
fortunate Cetewayo. weak, weary, footsore and
very sick at heart forth from the kraaI,
and repulsing, with remnant of dignity, the
dragon guardsman who ventured to lay hand !
him. said: white soldier touch not-I
surrender TO your chief"
The capitulation of Cronje and his 1000 men