The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1913-07-25
A HEROIC DEFENSE
Story of "The Last Cartridges"
and the French Marines.
THE BATTLE Ar BAZEILLES.

Commandant Lambert's Simple Report
of the Desperate Conflict With the
Bavsrians That Was ln,nortaiixed In
De Neuville's Famous Painting.
A famous French battle painting
called ''The Last Cartridges" the work
of Alphonse de Neuville. represents the
desperate defense OF an old house at
Bazeilles by handful Of French ma
rines against great odds. Doubt hav-
ing been cast upon the authenticity Of
this episode, the French government
has published the official report made
by Commandant Lambert, who COM
manded the detachment at Baxeilles.
The report Is simply plain, unvar-
nished recital OF the events of a thrill
Ing and heroic series of engagements
In which undaunted bravery and reck-
less courage were truly displayed and
which would furnish abundant mate
rial for dramatist in need of text
for a stirring play. This Is the brief
story as 1t was recounted by the brave
commandant:
Lambert had been wounded by ball
In the leg and was unable to walk more
than few steps. With few officers
and a detachment of his soldiers, cut
OF from the main body OF the French
army. he took refuge in an isolated
house at the highest point in Bazeilles
and defended 1t against the Germans.
Firing from the windows and any
other openings that they could find,
| the soldiers inflicted heavy loss upon
the enemy, who swarmed through the
streets of the town They believed
that they would soon be rescued by
their own troops.
| They still heard the sound OF their
mitrailleuses and the detonations or
the French chassepots, which they
could distinguish perfectly well from
the sounds OF the guns Of the Bava-
rians about them.
They did not know that these sounds
came from French force as hopeless
ly walled in as they themselves were
and that the main body Of their coun-
trymen had deserted them.
at one time seeing chance for
their escape, Lambert tried TO send his
comrades away while he and few
| soldiers were to remain and fall into
| the hands of the enemy, but they re-
/ fused to go. Meantime projectiles Of
all sorts were raining into the old
house. Bullets perforated the doors
and windows until but little remained
of them. The building was entirely
surrounded by the Fifteenth Bavartan
regiment.
bombshell crashed through the
roof. bearing down with it several
men. Others were cut down by yava-
| rian bullets. But the fight went on for
long time, and the Frenchmen were
able to keep their assailants at bay.
| At last, however, the ammunition
| gave out. AS the last cartridges were
fred the men, having heard the Bava-
rians' demand that no quarter be given
those Frenchmen because OF the heavy
losses they had inflicted, proposed to
issue from the building with charged
bayonets and sell their lives dearly in
a hand to hand conflict
But their commander, the wounded
Lambert, waited until the last car
fridge was fred; then no limped
through the door and confronted the
swarming Bavarians alone. He de-
clared that If they killed him 1t would
be time for his soldiers to die. and 1t
was possible that he, their commander.
could make some terms for them
AS soon as he limped out and stood
| with folded arms q dozen bayonets
were at his breast. He would have
been killed In another instant IL the
Bavarian captain had not. at the risk
OF his own life, precipitated himself
upon the French officer and beaten
back his own men. Infuriated by the
frightful loss which the defenders had
inflicted upon their own regiment, they
would have put the whole detachment
to death.
| The Bavarian captain prevailed, and
| the Frenchmen were made prisoners
Of war. The Bavarian officer congrat-
ulated the French commander warmly
upon the desperate and heroic stand
they had made