The Washington herald., 1911-08-21
"RED PRINCE" LONG
UNJUSTLf BLAMED

Of the vanquished who SO cordially hated
the red prince so called because he
always wore the uniform Of the Red
Hussars. Friedrich Karl, a nephew of
the old King wilhelm L Of Prussia
Qater the first German Emperor) shared
with his cousin. the crown prince, I'm
ser Fritz" father Of the Kaiser, the
credit OF the victories over France and
also over Austria four years previous
0S66. at Gitshin and Sadowa-Koenigs-
gratz) It fell to the first army"
commanded by Friedrich Karl, to besiege
Field Marshal Benzaine IN Metz and TO
receive the surrender of the more than
100000 unfortunate victims of Bazaine's 8
unbelievable stupidity. When the ancient
capital city Of Lorraine was handed
over to the Germans. Moltke ordered the
red prince" to make a military
promenade" through central and south
ern France to disperse the strugglers
from the vanquished army. But he found
that his task was far more difficult
one than he had bargained for, or
than even the great strategist Moltke
had anticipated.
Prince Friedrich soon was to be unde-
ceived. The recruits quickly gathered
| by the National Defense In Paris made
II clear that. with a capable leader at
\ the head, France still could give an ac-
| count OF itself. and the princes declara-
ton that 1t was mostly treason in the
Loire section that aided the Germans to
| complete victory after the decisive battles
OF Gravelotte and Sedan had been
Fought will be a great surprise to the
Frenchmen of to-day. The "reminiscences
OF that prince. who never was named in
France except In hate, reveal him to be
exactly the opposite of the cold, arrogant,
brutal avenger the contemporary records
charged him with being. In his treat
ment OF the French army at Metz, he
showed himself scrupulously sensitive
for the feelings of the betrayed soldiers.
His diary Of the events during the siege
OF Metz ought to be of more than pass
Ing interest to the French.
Prince Frederick Karl was fettered
by the persistent demand of Bismarck
to ave political aims carried out, which
as soldier and commander of an army
the prince looked upon as equivocaI. Bis
marck's intrigues were for the purpose
Of demoralizing the French people, TO
divide them in o. er to make any CO.
herent defense impossible. 1t was to
this end that he ordered the prince to
allow the emissaries, claiming authority
from the Empress-Regent. to enter Metz
and conspire with Bazaine. That un-
qualified miscreant from the first made
no secret to the prince that he consid-
cred himself bound to receive orders only
from the imprisoned Emperor Napoleon
III. Bismarck kne perfectly we'll that
Napoleon and all OF the name were ex-
ecrated In France. and that under no
circumstances would the people accept
him again. ev~n II he appeared at the
head of Bazaine's liberated army.
The prince sets down in his diary the
reflection:
To receive such orders is for me- who
carries the respon: ,ility, demoralizing,
depressing to the last degree. Am I
a mere gatekeeper to stand here to let
go In and out the conspirators without
knowing what they are doing or not
doing?' But from the headquarters at
Versailles he got the decisive word:
Count Bismarck attaches great impor-
lance to the mission of Gen. Boyer, which
Is of purely political nature. It is
already known In Paris that Razatne Is
treating for himself alone. This will
spread presently throughout the country
and result in the dividing of the masses.
Discord between Paris and the provinces
Is what Bismarck wants. Bazaine for
this purpose supplies him the best posi-
bic means. Gen. Boyer declares that
Bazaine is firmly fixed in the resolution
to fight his army only for the empire.
We are hurrying up proclamations en-
bodying this to spread through the prov
inces.
When, on the 18th Of October, 1870, the
betrayed army marched out Of Metz.
unarmed. the prince owns that he
couldn't restrain a sentiment Of COM
passion for the soldiery, who had shown
themselves equal to any effort demanded
Of them wherever they had been allowed
to fight. He was deeply moved by the
strange devotion Of the private soldiers
to their officers, for when the time came
to separate the rank from the file the
prtvates seized the hands Of their OFF, |
GERS, kissed them. and made no efforts |
to conceal their tears. The officers strove !
to remain impassive, but their eyes were |
dim.
As Prince Friedrich Karl, thus far
of the first Of Germanys |
three invading armies, marched into the
city of Metz, he found |
awaiting him the commission of field |
He appears joyful and greatly |
pleased. He owns that this grade had |
been the object of his dreams for many
a year; that its possibility had sustained
him during forty years Of incessant mill
tary study and active work. Won Moltke
advised him to take but one corps to
subdue the provinces, and he set out
gayly, confident that his work would be
over in month. At Orleans he
on the hastily formed legions
thrown together by de Freycinet, under
authority. The Prussians
met a fierce resistance, and succeeded
only after two days fighting in driving
the French out of the city. Supposing
that he had beaten all the forces raised
by the National Defense, the prince
made preparations for q march forward.
But fate was again his ally. There was
among the French correspondent of
the London Times, one Hozier, whom
the prince had met In the Austrian
four years previous. This man
Informed him that still larger French
force was a few miles to the east
ward, moving on Paris to break UP the
siege.
II, as Hozier asserted. Bourbaki, a
general was at the head Of
force. the Germans about
Paris were In no condition to resist such
In onset. This was the second time the
Germans had been saved or the French
iiscomfited by sympathetic British cor
for at the critical time when
MacMahon was marching to the relief
II Bazaine in Metz, Sedan would never
have ended the campaign had not
British correspondent sent him word In
lime to divert Moltkes columns from
! different direction, and bring them on
columns forty-eight hours
before they could have reached the. de-
.ihvs spot.
This diary of the prince win tend to