Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-18


of nations sometimes hangs upon a mere
thread, and in this case it is not too
much to say that the fate of Europe
might have been materially changed had
a certain telegram been delivered, as 1t
should have been, into the hands of
Marshal dc MacMahon, the commander
of one of the French armies during the
| Franco-German conflict of 1870. Always
spoken of by the French as "the dis
patch of the Goth of August" It has been
surrounded by the deepest mystery and
has been a source of many accusations,
insinuations and recriminatlons. Many
authors pass lightly over this event, but
in the inquiry into the war made by a
committee of deputies from the French
| Parliament In 1S7l-72, much was made OF
| the famous telegram, and Marshal de
| MacMahon said repeatedly. on the wit
ness stand, that had nc received It his
entire course of action would have been
changed and the terrible disaster OF
| Sedan avoided.
After the battle of Reichshoffen in
upper Alsace, August 6. 1870 In which
| tho French were badly defeated, the 1st
5th, and 7th corps of their army under
| Marshal de MacMahon fell back TO
| Chalons, where they were reconstructed
and reinforced by the 18th corps, COM
posed of new levies The French EN-
| pcror, Napoleon 1T, had meanwhile left
| the army OF Metz (called by the French
| Army OF the Rhine'D and Joined that Of
Chalons. On August II a council of war
OF the principal generals was called by
him to decide what was to be done in the
exceedingly grave conditions then exist
ing. The principal French army, 1sO, 900
strong, was In the neighborhood of Metz
commanded hV Marshal ~
supposed to be partially hcmmed in by
the German army under Prince Frederick
Charles, but nothing definite could be
learned
The question was, should the Emperor
Napoleon and the army of Chalons move
forward and try to unite with Marshal
Bazaine's army or should 1t fall back on
Paris, thoroughly reinforce and reconsti-
tute itself there and offer a defensive bat
tie on the Germans drawn far away from
their base. This plan, the only feasible
one under the circumstances, was adopt
ed unanimously by the Emperor and all
those present at the council of war. The
army at Metz, the largest and best
equipped in France, and composed of vet
Grams. was thought capable of taking caro-
OF itself alone, If not of nfictins signal
defeat on the German army opposed to
II. Unfortunately at this time the popu-
lation of Paris was seething with turbu-
lence and discomfort, due to the first de-
feat OF the French army, which they,
rightly or wrongly, attributed to the Em-
peror and his Government
INFLUENCE OF THE EMPRESS.
When the Empress Eugene, who was
the regent, owing to the absence OF the
Emperor from Paris, and the Cabinet
learned of the plan to fall back on Paris
they telegraphed urgently to the Emperor
and Marshal de MacMahon that il this
were carried out there would be a revolu-
ton and the Emperor dethroned. They |
insisted that the army of Chal- |
ons make a rapid circuItous flank march
northeastward and unite with Marshal |
Bazuines army near Metz. This they |
thought would save France and the Ma |
polconc dynasty. After many misgivinGs |
and forebodings, the Emperor and Mar
shall de MacAlahon agreed to carry out
this plan. The only chance of success in
an operation like this, a flank march in
front OF an enemy, lay In celerlty and vet
eran troops. Now the army of Chalons
l25,OO strong, was more than half made
up of raw levies recently called to the
cclors. At this time Napoleon III was
already suffering from the disease which
eventually caused his DEATH He could
remain on horseback only for short
periods and even this entailed intense
agony. so that he accompanied the army
JLlS as a volunteer Marshal de Mac |
Mahon assumed full command and the re.
;ponsiblity therefor
At last, after many delays. caused prin
cipally by the commissariat service, the
lrny of Marshal de MacMahon left Cha
ons August 2l on It's march northeast
ward. Several emissaries were sent to
Marshal Bazalne to tell him of the ap-
roach of the army on its way to join him,
md asking his cooperation. The messen-
gers arrived safely, but Bazaine made but
me or two feeble, half-hearted demonstra-
Ions, which resulted in nothing. We
low come to the lost dispatch: ON Au-
ust 20 Marshal Bazaino sent two detec-
ives of the Paris police force, Mics and
with a dispatch addressed to the ,
Emperor. Translated freely it was as /
olloWs
METZ, Aug. 20.
I am in position near Metz to rest
my men and replenish my supply OF !
food and ammunition. The enemy Is |
constantly thickening around me- ,
Probably in order to join you / shall
follow the line of northern fortresses I
(meaning fortified towns). L will let :
you know OF my march if | am able :
to undertake it without compromising /
my army 4
The extreme indeflniteness of it would Z
Lrike any one and Marshal de MacAfahon
aid that he never would have continued | n
Ie dangeours flank movement if he had ! +
sceived this telegram, more especially as | Fl
Is army was already in contact with the | I
scond German army. who had learned of q
ie proposed march through the indscre- 9
ons of French newspapers, and were in | n
'rpOsng between the French armies. :,
he telegram reached MacMahon's head :,
IarteTs at Courcelles very late at night a.
a August %, or early in the morning of y
L. I'D. :,
Colonel Baron Stoffel, the former mill =
ny attache at Berlin, was head of the :
rueau of Military Information of Mac =
ahun's army. lie received and receipted =
n the telegram, but what became of it u
ter that is a mystery which has never ~
zen solved. At the inquiry after the o
ar Colonel StUffel when pressed with s.
testions, said that being suddenly walked u
in the middle of the night he may y"
I've thought the telegram OF no impor- ~
noe and destroyed 1t, for he believed at p'
at time that they knew where Bazlne's | al
my was. This explanation. of course, | tt
unds improbable. The general impress VI
Oh is that stofel. being an ardent Bon st
artist, Was under secret instructions "a
om the Empress Eugene to let nothing I'll
tertere with the forward march OF Mac tl
ahon's army, and so suppressed the ca
egram. This led afteTward to his dis uT
ssal from the army but il does not ao