The Washington herald., 1914-09-20
PARIS BITTERLY
Fought ENEMIES
Prussians Were Held OFF Four
Months in Memorable
1901 Campaign.
DEFEAT DUE TO HUNGER
Yet First Teuton Shells Fell On City
Two Weeks Before the
Capitulation.

Two Weeks Before the
Capitulation.
Paris. Sept 19-Though apparently the
German plan Of battle has been changed
! and Paris now does not appear 10 be In
any danger Of siege, the time when the
Kaiser's troops menaced the French cap
ital and were within a few miles OF the
| Paris forts served to remind the people
very vividly Of the former siege of Paris
by the Germans in the Franco-Prussian
war OF ls70-Tl
There are today in Paris thousands Of
people who remember the former siege,
and to them the feverish activity of a
few weeks ago when tons of provisions
were massed in the city and herds Of
cattle grazed in the Bois de Boulogne.
were pregnant with memories
StnRds out Four Months.
On September ?, 1870. MacMahon sur
rendered at Sedan and Napoleon III and
an army Of 81 900 officers and men be-
came prisoners Of war. That catastrophe
! brought down the empire and two days
later the provisional government was set
up In Paris. A fortnight afterwards the
investment Of the capital was complete.
| The victorious Prussian army which had
captured MacMahon, had made straight
for Paris in the hope OF an immediate
entry and the Prussian cavalry hurriedly
| completed the circle Of investment by a
| rapid sweeping movement around the
city to the west
The siege began on September ls The
final armistice was signed on January
q Paris therefore stood out for four
months and there Is little doubt that
she would have kept the flag flying for
much longer il she had been better
provisioned and II there had been the
slightest chance Of any assistance reach
ing her from without. But by the end
OF January her two millions OF popula-
ton were within a week OF absolute
starvation and one by one the hopes of
outside aid with which they had been
buoyed up were dashed to the ground.
Everything Favored Germans.
Everything was in favor OF the be-
slegers. Politically Paris was in a state
OF confusion. The fall Of the empire nee
essarily meant that the government was
in the hands OF men who were absolutely
new to the work OF administration. Jules
Favre. Gambetta Rochefort, and the rest
were ardent patriots, but they were quite
inexperienced.
Their military position was, IL possible.
even worse. Only isolated fragments of
the regular armies OF the empire were at
their disposal The main armies had suf-
fered succession OF shattering blows
and were no longer in being. One corps
saved from Menieres. another newly
formed, a large number Of marines, sail
ors. etc. together made up a dependable
force OF 5000 men. The Gardes Mobiles
from the provinces furnished another
ll5.O0o and the Gardes Nationales. raised
in Paris herself. comprised 10000 more.
The military value, however. of the last
body was very slight They manned the
ramparts OF the city but rarely came into
close contact with the besiegers. The
real defense fell on the men in the forts
and the mobile army under the direction
Of Ducvot
BeseIEers Took Their Time.
These forts formed a ring around Paris.
much closer TO the city than the outer
ring OF modern forts which are the prin-
cipal defense today but still requiring
the Germans to hold an enciente OF
fifty miles. At the outset the besiegers
had only about 10000 men available for
the purpose and their situation was one
of great dificulty. considering the length
OF their communications, their lack OF
adequate numbers. and above all. the
guerrilla tactics with which they were
harasSed on every side. II there had been
any well-trained French armies in the
provinces capable OF taking a vigorous
with the Germans.
Their difficulties explain the leisurely
methods with which the siege was con-
Quoted during the first six weeks when
the population OF Paris was scarcely put
to serious discomfort. But there was no
well-trained field army on which to rely. !
Frenchmen responded CALAMITY enough
to the fiery appeals OF Gambetta and De
Freycinct, but the raw levies had no
time to acquire discipline and their brav-
cry was unavailing. Fiereck in the west. !
D'Aurelles de Paladnes and ChanZy in !
the Loire country. Faidherbo in the north |
near Arras and Finally Bourbaki on the
Swiss frontier did their best. but each I
in turn was effectually disposed Of and !
the hopes to which their activities gave
rise in Paris died away. The garrison |
in Paris was continually elated by cheer
ing rumors OF victory outside which new
er materialized and by confident prom
ises Of success in the next sortie. which
when it took place invariably ended like
its predecessors, in repulse.
Bismarck Made Idle Boast.
Every direction was tried in turn.
There was the sortie OF Chatillon, on the
heights OF, which the Prussians had es-
tablished their most formidable batter
les. There was the big sortie OF Cham
pigny, on the eastern side. across the
Marne on November 2, but the only
result Of three days fighting was that
Gen. Ducrot lost some 1000 men and
was thrown back to his own lines.
The sortie OF lie Bourget, on Decem-
Der q, met with no better fate and the
final sortie OF BuzonvaL a month later
was the last fash in the pan. BY that
time even the most optimistic Parisians
had ceased to believe in the mysterious
plan by which Gen. Trochn was to cleave
a way for the garrison TO the outside
world.
It is often forgotten that the Prus-
slams did not begin their serious bonn
bardment % the forts Of Paris until De-
cember q. three months after the invest
ment was complete. and that they did
not throw shells into Paris herself until
s.
Bismarck had spoken contemporary Of
the French forts. We can take two or
three with ease he said. whenever we
like to try"
But that was an idle boast. The forts
Of Paris, notably those which faced the
Prussian batteries at Mendon. Clamart
and Chatillon. held out manfully to the
very end and though the most exposed
forts at D'1ssy Tanves and Montrouge
we're greatly knocked about they re-
mained in action down to the capltula-
ton.