2
THE DAILY KVKNINw rKLEGIUril PHILADELPHIA, MONDAY, JANUaUY ,0, 1871.
sins rAi.li or rAiiis.
OoHmI firm ihi Fir Hff.
cramcnt of Defense remalued as stated to the
downfall of Paris.
The French Uepnblle.
The Empress, deserted by all bat one or two
of her most dvotcd friend, left the Tullerlcs
on Sunday evening, and In tbo general excite
ment escaped from Paris, making her way
through Belgium to England, reaching Hastings,
whero Ibe Prince Imperial bad already arrived,
on the evening of Thursday, September 8. She
was accompanied by M. Ferdinand de Lcsseps,
of Suez Canal fame, and a slnglo female com
panion. With the exit of Eugcuie from Tarls tbo
Empire vauisbed, and its adherents united with
the Republicans, Orleanlsts, and all the other
political parties, to make a supreme effort at
pushing back the invader.
At Lyons, Marseilles, and Bordeaux the Re
public was proclaimed almost simultaneously
with the movement in Paris, aid tbo transition
was complete and practically Instantaneous
throughout France, the whole country, In the
porll of the moment, acquiescing in the solf
atsumed authority of the eleven Republican
Deputies of Paris. In a few days, however,
trouble arose in some ol the larger cities of the
provinces. The socialist Democracy of Lyons
and Marseilles were disposed to be troublesome
for a time, and Indulged in spasmodic outbreaks,
but failing to secure the general support of the
people, did not create much of a diversioc.
On Wednesday, September 8, Minister Wash
burne, in pursuance of instructions from Presi
dent Grant, formally recognized the new Gov
ernment. This action was followed by Switzer
land on tho 9lh. The Spanish Minister, Senor
Olozaga, also opened official Intercourse with
tho so-called Republic on the 8th, but
misapprehended his instructions, and
became Involved in Bach a diplo
matic muddle that he was obliged to
return to Madrid. The Portugnese Minister
entered into diplomatic relations with M. Favre
on the 12th, and the representatives of some of
the minor American republics also formally
recognized tho new Government. But Lord
Lyons, the British Minister, whose recognition
was so coveted, held aloof, having nothing more
to do with the Republic than was necessary in
the abortive peace movements which en
sued, and the speedy Investment of Paris soon
put an end to all diplomatic movements and
drove all the leading ambassadors out of Paris,
except Mr. Washburne.
I'nrU Preparing for Defense.
On September 10, Paris was declared in a state
of siege, and a grand exodus at once began,
thousands of foreigners leaving the city before
the German lines were drawn about it and in
gress and egress stopped. The Government of
National Defense proceeded about their task of
preparing to encounter tho advancing foe with
great energy. The forts were manned, tho
ramparts were studded with cannon, and prac
tically the whole population capable of bearing
arms was levied en masse into the defensive
army under Gen. Trochu. On September 10, the
force under arms within the line of the forts
was estimated at 433,000 men, including 80,000
regular troops, 20,000 sailors aud marines, 20,000
gendarmes, and 318,000 National Guards, of
whom 180,000 were Mobiles from tho pro
vinces. The Government Moved to Tour.
Before the middle of September there was
talk of removing the seat of government to
Tours, 180 miles southwest of Paris, and prepa
rations were begun for the accommodation of
the Diplomatic Corps there. The admini
strative staff of the Ministry of the In
terior to avoid interruption in the exercise
of its functious by the advauclng Germans,
was the first section of the Govenrment to
desert the capital, arriving at Tours on Septem
ber 13. A number of the leading journals then
took the alarm, and were published in Tours
after the ISth. Cremieux, the Minister of Jus
tice, changed bis quarters about the same time,
discharging also the duties of Minister of
War until the arrival of Gambctta. On the
17th, the greater portion of tke Diplomatic
Corps took up their quarters at Tours, and that
city thenceforth, until its capture by the Ger
mans, shared the government with Paris, M.
Favre remaining behind to superintend the
defense of tho capital, while Gambetta, who
escaped frOm Paris in a balloon on October 8th,
relieved Cremieux of the duties of the War
Office, and by the exercise of his dual functions
as Minister of the Interior aud of War, became
the virtual Dictator of France outside cf Paris.
By the 25th of September all communication
between the two seats of government was totally
suspended, except through the agency of bal
loons and carrier-pigeons.
Marching; ea PnrU.
The victorious aimy of Sedan resumed its
march on Paris immediately after the surrender
of the Emperor. By the 12th of September the
German advance had occupied most of the towns
and villages on the east and northeast of the
capital at a distance of twenty-five miles, a tem
porary halt being then made to give tha advo
cates of peace an opportunity to accomplish
what they could. Tho small fortress of Laon,
74 miles northeast of Paris, was the first point
at which a determined resistance was made, but
the town surrendered on the basis of the capitu
lation of Sedan, on September 11, to avoid
threatened destruction. Just as the Prussians
were prepared to enter the place, the citadel ex
ploded, thiough the act of a patriotic fanatic,
K50 soldiers of both armies being killed, the
French Mobiles suffering the rnost.
The advance on the capital was made In three
parallel columns, the Duke of Mecklenburg
Schwerin commanding the northern column,
the Crown Prince of Saxony, under the King of
Prussia in person, commanding the central
column, and the Crown Prince of Prussia the
southern column. On the 10th thero was a
sharp skirmish with General Viuoy's corps,
which took place in the immediate vicinity of
Paris, between Forts Ivry aud Chareaton, and
another encounter took place on the 10th near
Forta Villejuif and Montrouge, in which Gene
ral Vinoy was defeated with considerable loss.
The Bavarians In this engagjmnt took s.-vcu
cannon and over a thousand prisoners, and
drove the French back into their IntrenchmenU.
This action completed the Investment of Paris,
which, by the 22d, was pronounced com
pletely besieged as far as strategical purposes
required.
On the l'Jth a encounter had also taken
place at Kssones, near Orleans, in which an
inferior German force was worsted "while en
deavoring to sever the railway coanections of
Paris with the south. The 6uiall comfort de
rived from this was, however, dispelled by the
fall of Toul, au important fortress a few miles
west of Naucy. The garrison made a stout
ri.Iblance, but succumbed on tbe 23d, the Gar
mans capturing nearly 2500 prisoners and 215
caunou. The fall of Toul enabled tueui to com
plete their railway communication with the
east by the most direct and desinbla route.
This was accomplished on the 20 h. On thu 27th
another terrible blow ws doalt tbe French in
The Inptiireet "crmbnr-,
ly which 451 officers and 17,HH) mon were taken
prisoners and the key to the anelont province of
Alsace placed In German hand. Tbo Invest
ment of Btrasburg had been commenced on the
10th of Auirust, Immediately after tbe bU' of
Woertb, w ith a force of 30,000 men undr the
command of the Grand Duke of ll.vlcn. The
besieging force was toon Increased to f'000 or
70,0(i0, mostly South German troop. undr
General von Wcrder, and on the If :h of August
tbe bombardment was npen"d, to bo kept up
steadily until General Vbrlcb. tho French cotj
inni'der, was persuaded to put nn end to the
Hifterinns of tbe inhabitants by Mirrenderlng
jutt as au assault In force was about to be made,
the Mnr ol I'nrU.
The siege of Paris had at last become a stub
lorn reality, and tho Parisians Inaugurated that
series of sorties which has become not less
famous for Its pertinacity than for its futility.
Tbe first sortie in force was made on Septemlwr
:;0th, on tbe south of tbe beleaeuered capital,
against tbo 5th and 6th Prussian Corps, portions
of tbe Crown Prince's army. The struugle lasted
two hours, at tho end of which time the French
Fought shelter under tho guns of the forts, with
a loss of at least 1000, while tho Germans suf
fered inconsiderably.
Meaawhllo thero had been some futile talk of
peace. Lord Lyons and Senor Olozaga had
teen busy to no purpose, and finally Favre
himself tried bis hand at it. On the 22d of Sep
tember M. Favre had visited tho Prussian head
quarters at Meaux, where ho had an interview
with Count Bismarck. Tho only terms to
which Bismarck would listen involved the an
nexation of Alsaco and Lorraine to Germany.
This concession Favre, supported by his col
leagues, repudiated, and in a circular issued on
tbe 24th declared that "Paris is exasperated,
and will rather bury herself beneath her own
ruins than agree to such insolent pretensions."
M.Thiers had likewise, on September 13, started
on a peace mission, visiting London, Vienna, and
St. Petersburg, in tbe endeavor to interest the
neutral powers in the cause of an honorable
peace. But his mission was a total failure, and
by the end of tho month he was homeward
bound.
The talk about peace had led the Govcrumont
of Defense to contemplate tbo calling of a Con
stituent Assembly to ratify its terms and estab
lish u permanent and authoritative government,
but the failure of the negotiations led the Paris
ecction of the Government to declare the elec
tions postponed indefinitely. The Tours branch
of the Government, however, concluded to pro
ceed w ith the elections, and issued a djerco fix
ing the 10th of October as the date. This
action, which was taken on October 1, was re
verted on the Dth. and the election? de:Iared
postponed until France should be free from 1l
vasion. Considerable discontent was man'
festcd, both in Paris and tho proviLtial c tic,
at this course. Early in October there were
serious disturbances in Lyon s, and la'er in tbo
month Marseilles was greatly agitated by the
demonstrations of the Red Republicans. Gam
bctta, escaped from Paris, announced his arrival
at Tours on the 9th of October by the first of a
series of formidable proclamations, by which
cheap method he strove to tho last to smother
discontent and dispel despair. Gradually tbe
provinces were quieted, before a grand crisis
was precipitated by the fall of Motz on! the
occurrence of serious disturbances In Paris.
The friends of France, meanwhile, took en
couragement from the noble manner hi which
Metz still held out, from several successful sor
ties from Soiseons about the first of Oiober,
and from the stout resistance made by the petty
fortress of Bitohe, near the Bavarian frontier.
Soissons, however, succumbed on the morning
of October 16th, after a terrible destruction of
life and property and a most heroic resistance.
The Germans, under the command of the Duke
of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, had invested the for
tlers with a force about 22,000 strong, for three
weeks, the destructive bombardment, however,
lasting only four days. With the surrender
4725 prisoners and 123 guns were captured, and
a second railway lino was opened between the
army Investing Paris and Its base of supplies.
Even more Important, temporarily, was
Tbe Capture ol Orleans,
which the Germans entered on the night of
October 11, after a struggle lasting from 9
o'clock in the morning until 7 in the evening.
The German army, which was commanded by
General Yon Der Tann, was made up principally
of Bavarians, and was greatly superior, in point
of numbers, to the French Army of the Loire,
then just entering on that famous career upon
which tho hopes of France were centred so
long. The Germans captured 6000 prisoners,
drove the French to the left of the Loire, and
threw the Government at Tours into a fright,
by threatening to swoop down upon that city.
The Fall of Metz.
But a still more terrible blow was impending.
On the 27th of October, all France was con
vulsed with desperation and despair by tho capi
tulation of tho 'Virgin City" of Metz, through
whose gates a hostile army had never before
marched. A German force of about 200,000
men, under Prince Frederick Charles, had com
pletely invested the fortress after Bazaine had
been driven to the walls at Gravelotte, on tho
18th of August. The Investmc nt partook of the
character of a blockade rather than a siege, the
policy of the German commander being to re
pulse all sorties merely, and leave the rest to
famine. On tho 23d of September, Marshal
Bazaine had made a serious attempt at break
ing throu;h the German lines, following up
this futllo ateault ou the 24th of September,
and again on the 27th. Oa October 3 there was
another sortie, and still another on the 7th,
most formidable and desperate of all, but
equally unsuccessful. During the latter month,
Bazaine figured occasionally iu the negotiations
for peace, but without auy concert with the
Republican Government, from whom he re
ceived no official communications, and to whom
Le was indebted for no pretense of an attempt
at relief. General Bourbakl also engaged in the
1 tace movement, passing, by permission,
through the German lines pud holding a con
ference with tbe Empress which came to
. LOUgbt.
TLere was anything but harmony in the coun
sels of the generals shut up in the beleaguered
fortress. It was believed that Metz could have
held out much longer, but the policy of Bazaine
prevailed, und on the morning of the 27th he
capitulated, to be greeted throughout France,
and especially by Minister Gambetta and other
members of the Government of Dwfouse, as a
traitor for so doing.
The capltulutiou of Metz was even more
disastrous than that of Sedan. The Germans
ruue into possession of 53 eaglo, 541 field and
800 siege guns, 00 mitrailleuses, and 300 OM rillos
and subic, iu addition to about 155,000 prison.
era wbo swelled the rnVs of the captured
1'iencb hot to about 2S5,(K)0. Among the pri
st nera were three Marshals of the Empire,
Baralne, Cnnrobcrt, and Le Boeuf, and Gene
rals ldrn1rnnlt. Frorsard, De Caen, Coffinlere,
Solcillc and I Rruo, ud ."7 other division and
1 brigadicr-eeneral. Iiut most important of
all was the capture of tbe city itself, and its
restoration to the dominion of Germany, to
which It had belonged centuries before. The
eunt was, indeed, one of such signal propor
tions that King William celebrated it by be
stowing the unnsual rank of Field Marshal upon
Prince Fredeiitk Clonics, ou October 23, the
Crown Prince being complimented with a
similar promotion, while General von Moltke,
whose directing genius presided over all, was
lifted from a simple baron to the rank of a
cnnt.
About this grand turning point In the history
of the war alo clustered the capitulation, on
October 2. of the Important city of SchlesUdt,
below Strasburg, with 2100 prisoner and liO
cannon, ai d the occupation of Dijou, 1VJ miles
houlheaet of Paris, on the 30;h.
serleu Dint urbanren Id PnrU.
The news of lie fall of Metz was carried into
Paris by M. Thiers, who had no sooner returned
from his unsuccessful tour of the European
courts than he resumed bis efforts in behalf of
at least a temporary cessation of hostilities. M.
Thiers was suffered by tho German authorities
to enter Paris In the Interest of an armistice,
and ns sojn as news of the terrible disaster ou
the Moselle was generally known and admitted
by tbe Government, and the announcement
made that M. Thiers had ontorcd tho city to
arracgo for an armistice, the temporary re
action was tremendous. Tho dis
contented elements of the population were
bended by Gntave Flourens, the blatant dema
gogue who had gained so much notorioty by his
participation In the uUlurbauccs attending tho
funeral of Victor Nolr during the previous win
ter, and had, like Victor Hugo, returned to
Paris with the republic. By his rampant courso
Le had succeeded in disgusting and alienating
even Rocbefort, his former coadjutor on La
Marti 'Maine, aud he seized upon this opportuno
moment for nn attempt at supplanting the ex
isting government. On the 31st of October,
Flourens threw all Paris into a terrible tumult
by invading with his adherents the Hotel de
Vlile, and making prisoners of several members
of the Government. Tho Mobiles, the National
Guard, and the sober-minded clement of the
population came to the rescue, and with their
assistance tho mob was dispersed bef re any
serious mischief had been done. The Govern
ment, immediately after the suppression of tho
Red Republican demonstration, made an appeal
to the people of Paris, who, by a vote of 557,!.0
yeas to 62,038 nays, declared their confidence In
tbe constituted authorities
Ited Kepnbllcr.n Dlturance at Marseille.
Following closely upon the disturbances iu
Paris, there was a serious commotion at Mar
seilles, in which city the Red Republican ele
ment, thoroughly organized through the agency
of the International Workingmea'a Association,
had from the first been formidable in numbers
and pretensions. M. Alphonso Gent, who had
been despatched by Gambctta to succeed Es
quiros as Government Administrator, was
assaulted on his arrival In the city on November
2d, and seriously wounded by a pistol shot.
Tbe proclamation of an Independent Southern
Republic followed on Nov. 3, but the demonstra
tion did not assume formidable proportions, and
at a municipal election held a few days after
wards, tho Ited Republicans mustered but 80.) )
votes, against 29,000 la tho interest of order.
Faille Negotiation for ai Armlitlre.
The disturbances which had marked the close
of October in Paris did not dampen tho peaceful
ardor of M. Thiers. Tbe latter had entered
Paris on the 30th of the month, and after assur
ing the capital of the fail of Metz, had a pro
longed conference with the Government. On
the following day he returned to the German
headquarters at Versailles, where he had consul
tations with the King aud Bismarck, aud on the
7th of November he was again permittod to con
sult M. Favre on tho pending question. General
Burnside had gone back and forth between Paris
and Versailles several times just previous to M.
Thiers' visits to the capital, and, by obtaining
the views of the leaders of both parties to tbe
struggle, had paved tho way for M. Thiers'
labors, although his own had been without any
favorable result.
A fatal disagreement between Favre aud Bis
marck was developed by M. Thiers' negotia
tions. The Germans offered an armistice of
twenty-five days to enable elections for mem
bers of a Constituent Assembly to be held,
on the basis of the status quo. The French
Government insisted, however, on the revlctual
ling of Paris; to this the Germans would not
consent, and so the negotiations ended In
smoke. M. Favre, in a circular dated November
8, recounted the progress of the negotiations
and their failure, saying that ''Prussia proves
anew, in rejecting tho armistice, that she makes
war for personal aims merely, and not for the
interests of Germauy." As a counterblast to
this, Count Bismarck, in a circular bearing the
same date as M. Favre's, expressed the convic
tion that tho rulers of Franco did not desire to
hear the views of the nation expressed through
a representative parliamentary body, and In
sisted on a concession which they know from
the first to be unacceptable, "in order not to
give the neutral powers, on whose support tucy
counted, a direct refusal" to negotiate for
peace.
Tbe tirrnsM Drive from Orleans.
After General Von Der Tunn's victory at
Orleans on the 11th of October, tho Army of tho
Loire, now under the command of General
d'Aurcllcs do Pulladines, was thoroughly reor
ganized, and early 1b November assumed the
offensive. De Palladir.es assaulted Von Der
Tann'8 force on the 0th, the engagement, which
was of a straggling character, continuing
through the 10th, and resulting, through an
overwhelming superiority in numbers, in driving
the Germans out of the city of Orleans, which
was occupied by the French on the last day of
the fight. Von Der Tann was in a few days re
inforced by General Wlttich, Prince Albrecht,
and tbe Duke of Mockloaburg-Schwerin, aud,
after effecting an orderly retreat to the north
east, awaited the advance of a portion of the
army of Prince Frederick Charles, while the
Army of the Loire, all aglow with the first sub
stantial triumph which had attended the French
cauee, prepared togo to the relief of beleaguered
Paris.
The Tide Toroed Axata.
On the 8th of November, the important for
trees of Verdun, 25 miles west of Met., ou the
Meuse, capitulated to the Germans, who added
here about 4000 prisoners to the enormous uu ji
be r already captured. Neuf Breisach surren
dered oh the 10th, with 5000 additional, aud the
Germans thereby came into possessioa of all the
strongholds on the Rhine. Dijon, from which
tie (unmans had retired after their first oecupa
I vy of the pi.ue, v. re entered ou the lom,
and Thlonvllle, just above Mctr, on tho Moclle.
capitulated on the morning of the 25th, aftar a
determined and heroic resistance.
In the north alormidnble Fronch army, under
General Faldherbe, had been organized in the
neighborhood of Amiens Ou November 2i
this army was brought into action for the first
time, a few miles south of the city, aud was
completely routed by a portion of the First Ger
man Army under General Mantenffcl. The en
gagement was not a bloody one. but at its close
tbo Germans, some 70,000 strong, occupied
Amiens.
A Oranil but Futile KITort to Welleve Pnrl.
Simultaneous with the occupation of Amiens,
the French were engaged in making a desperate
effort at breaking the. lines around Paris.
During October and November, tbe invested
city had not been idle, but tho sorties made by
General Trochu had been more in the nature of
feints, and the only thing accomplished had
been the temporary disturbance of the German
lines In tho neighborhood of Versailles and St.
Denis, about the middle of October.
On November 28, tho main body of the Army
of the Loire attempted to force a pasage to
wards Fontainebleau. They encountered tho
army of Prince Frederick Charles at Boaune-la-Rolande,
20 miles northeast of Orleans, where
they sustained a complete defeat, with the loss
of over 5000 In killed and wounded, and several
thousand prisoners, while the German loss was
but little over 1000.
Simultaneous with tbe advance of Do Palla
dincs, General Trochu sallied out of Paris in
great force. A wild rumor llew over the wires
throughout the world that the German lines
had been successfully pierced, and the Armies
of tho Loire and of Paris had effected a junc
tion. But, after a struggle protracted from tho
evening of November 28 to the 3d of December,
General Ducrot, who wa iu immediate com
mand, was obliged to withdraw across the
Manie, with an acknowledged loss of over 0000
in killed and wounded.
The Army of the Loire, undismayed by the
defeat sustained on November 28th, renewed its
efforts to advance towards Paris, but sustained
successive defeats on the 1st of December, west
of Orleans, by General Von Der Tann ; on tho
"d, near Bazoches-lcs-Uautos, by the Grand
Duke of Mecklenburg; and on the 3d, near
Artcnay, by Prince Frederick Charles. Tho
result of those protracted engagements, accord
ing to M. Gambetta, was that "tho Army of the
Loire discontinued its forward movement," and
evacuated Orleans, to savo the city from de
struction. For his grand failure, General Do
Palladincs was deprived of his command, to
which General Chanzy succeeded. During the
scries of engagements, tho Germans captured
10,000 prisoners, 77 cannons, an! 4 gunboats on
tho Loiro.
I The Frearh (ierernment Kemovetl to Bji'
deaux. Thus the first "supreme effort" to savo France,
after the full of Metz, canie utterly to naught,
inessential result of the accumulation of dis
aster was tha removal of tho French Govern
ment from Tours to Bordeaux, which commenced
on December flth.
Further IHnaniera to the Army ol the Loire.
Ou the 7th the assault on the Army of the
Loire was renewed by Prince Frederick Charle3
and the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, and after
four days' severe fighting around Beaugency,
a few miles southwest of Orleaus, the French
were driven back upon Blols and Tours, with
great loss. Vendome, to tho west of Orleans,
u lo occupied, tho French retiring in the
direction of Le Mans, 112 miles southwest of
Paris, and tho most Important railway station
west of the capital. Hero General Chanzy
mode a halt, and was strongly reinforced before
he again confronted the enemy. Tours, the
abaudoucd deputy capital, was temporarily occu
pied by the Germaus ou December 20, without
terlous opposition.
n January 0 tbo German forces beyond Ven
dome encountered two corps of tho Army of the
Loire, which had again made an advance. A
severe engagement ensued resulting in the de
feat of the French, who retreated to the west
ward. Prince Frederick Charles, who was in
command of tbe Germans, followed Chanzy
closely, and on the 10th and 11th torrific en
gagements ensued near Le Mins, ending In the
total rout of the Army of the Loire and IU
practical destruetlon. Tbe Germans lost 177
officers aud 3203 men killed and wounded, while
the French, besides their killed and wouuded,
lost 22,000 uuwounded prisouers. Thus the
"forloru hope" of Paris vanished.
Operation la the North.
General Manleullcl bad occupied Koucn on the
4th of December, after several encounters with
the army of Faldherbe, and left General vou
Goeleu In command there. At the same time
the Germans withdrew from Amiens and made a
feint upon Havre. Serious fighting was renewed
on tha 22d aud continued on the 23d, the French
being defeated, and the year closed with Man
teufltl in pursuit of Faidhcrbe's retreating army.
On tbe 2d, and again on the 3d of Jauuary,
there were severe engagements near Bapaume,
25 n-lle nortaeant' of Amiens, In which Fald
herbe claimed the victory; but, if such It was, It
was a fruitless one. After receiving heavy re
inforcements, Faldherbe resumed the ofteuslve,
but on the l'Jth, after an oustlnate tight of seven
hours, was driven Into St. tjuenlln, 40 miles
east of Amiens, by General von Goeben, who
had succeed td ManteutTel in the chief command
lu the north. St. 0.uentln was subsequently
abandoned by the French, who retreated, in a
totally demoralised condition, on Cnmbray, 20
miles north, to w hich place the Germans at once
laid siege; and thence to the uorlhwesl, on
Arras, Douai, aud Lille, Inundating the country
to preveut effective pursuit. The disaster to
the Army of the North were (airly on a par with
those sustained by the Army of the Loire at Lo
Mans, the French loss being over 15,000, of
whom MX.0 were uuwounded prUouera. The
German lobs was officially reported at 01 officers
andi00men.
On the Uthof January, the fortress of Pcronne,
bctweeu Amiens and 6t. (Jueutln, had been cap
tured, with 30U0 prisoners, after the lowu was
nearly destroyed by bombardment.
Operation la the Kaat.
After the fall of Strasburg, Geueral von Wcr
der had proceeded to the South lu the direction
of Bel fort, at the head of a considerable force.
The badly-disciplined troops of Garibaldi and
his two sons hadtacn operating in the southern
section of the Yoeges for some time, without
doing much damage or achieving many laurels.
On November 20 aud 27, they were routed by
vonWerderat Pasques, after which the latter
proceeded to Belfort, to strengthen the besieg
ing force. The fortress had been luvested on
November 3, and on the 10th and 23d tho garri
son hod indulged in unsuccessful sorties. On
December 18, a severe engagement took place
at Nuits, 15 miles 8. 8. W. of Dijou, lastiug
fho hours aud eudiug lu the capture ot the
town.
About the middle O' December a formidable
army under Geueral Bourbakl wi de-patc'jl
to the Voge, to confront Von Wcrder and
raic the siege of Belfort. Dijon, which hvl
been occupied the second time by the Germans
on the ROth of October, was evacuated on tho
Approach of the French, and occupied by Gari
baldi's forces ou December 29. On January 9
Bourbakl was defeated at Vlllerscxel, 20 miles
W. 8. W. of Belfort, and on the l.Vh Von
Wcrder aucccsbfully resisted a fierce assault on
his position south of Belfort. Bourbakl re
newed the attack on the 10th and 17t'i, but sus
tained a damagtrg defeat on both opinions,
with heavy loss. Ho then wllhdrew his bulled
arrny from tho immediate vicinity of the Ger
man forces, and contented himself for some
time with outpost skirmishing.
Active operations, however, were subsequently
resumed in the neighborhood of Dijon, near
which place the Germaus were repulsed on
January 22 by tho Garibaldians." after a severely
contested fight, according to French reports.
But this success could not materially afloet tho
critlcnl position of Bourbakl, who found him
self between tho army of Von Werder, around
Belfort, and a force under Mauteullel, who was
hastening to the latter'6 assistance aud to assume
the chief command in the East.
minor Military IHorrmentn.
On December 13, the minor stronghold of
Pfaltburg, in the Vosges, 25 miles northwest of
Strasburg, capitulated, after a protracted siege,
which bad commenced ou August 14, immedi
ately after the battle of Woerth. Nearly 2000
prisoners and 63 cannon were captured with the
fortress.
On December 14, Montmedy, 25 miles north
of Verdun, surrendered, after a severe bombard
ment which i fleeted a breach in the walls. Tbe
first engagement in the neighborhood had oc
curred on September 8, after which the town
had been closely Invested, tho garrison making
sorties on October 11 and November 16 and 17,
but without any success except on the !a-a oc
casion. The Germans captured 3000 prisoners
and 65 cannon with tbo fortress.
The next minor capturo of importance by the
Germans was Mezleres, 50 miles northeast of
Rheims, and near tbe scene of MtcMahon's
crushing defeat in September. Tho siege com
menced Immediately after the latter event, and
the defense made by the garrison was heroic
and unflagging. On September 20, an armis
tice of forty-eight hours was granted for tho
removal of the wouuded; the garrison made a
determined sortie on November 14; aud on No
vember 30, the Germans were twice repulsed ia
attacks on the town. On January 2, however,
the fortress capitulated, with 2000 prisoners ami
100 cannon.
Next came tho fate of Longwy near the Bel
gian frontier, 33 miles uorth-norihwot of Met.
Here the Germans again encountered a deter
mined resistance. On January 21 the garrison
made a successful sortie, dUinouuling several of
the besiegers' guns and forcing them to with
draw their batteries to a greater distance. But
on tbe 251. tbe tovtn at li t fell iuto the hands
of the Germans, with 3000 pri.-oners and 200
cannon.
The Bombardment of PnrU.
Returning to the siege of Paris, we find Von
Moltke politely informing Trochu of the disas
ters to the Army of the Loire aud tho reoccupa
tion of Orltans, In a note dated Dacember 5th.
Trot hu declined to verify the fact by sending
one of his officer through tho. line, underj a
proffered safe conduct, and prepared for another
sortie. On the 21 st, Vinoy and Ducrot again
ventured beyond the range of the forts, Vinoy
assaulting the Gormau lines oa the east of the
city, and Ducrot ou tho south. It Is said that
100,000 French troops participated in thoso
sorties, which were comprehensive in plau, but
feeble in execution aud easily repulsed.
Thus far, tho Girman army around the capi
tal had been content in strengthening its Hues
and repelling the sorties of the garrison. Bui
by Christmas it was prepared for more exciting
work, ai d on the 27th the bombardment of
Fort Avion, the most advanced of th French
outworks east of Paris, was commenced. The
French guns were silenced, and a Saxon de
tachment on advancing found the works
abandoned. The Germans were thus established
within tho outer works of the French, at one of
tbe weakest points along their line of defense,
and within shelling distance of the city itself.
The beginning of the end was at hand. To
trace the progress of tho bombardment
iu detail is as yet impossible;
the I barest outline must suffice. The
abandonment of Fort Avron rendered the evacu
ation of other advanced posts In tbe neighbor
hood necessary, and the whole line of forts to
the east was soon reduced to comparative silence.
On January 5 the bombardment of tho southern
forts was opened, and continued with destruc
tive effect, the fiery cordon being extended from
the south to tho north by tho opening of the
German batteries upon St. Denis on the 2M.
Gradually the aim of the besiegers' guns was
directed upon the city its!f, and shells fell
almost in the heart of the city, creating con
sternation and making havoc with life and pro
perty. The first shells fell within tho enceinte
on the 5ih, and on the Sth the fire upon the city
itself became well directed and continuous
In a circular issued on the 15th, the Gov
ernment of Defense protested against the
bombardment, because it was not preceded by a
special warning to remove non-combatants and
characterized it as "an act coldly calculated to
devastate the city and strike terror to the citi
zens by murder and Incendiarism."
Sorties, however, were again resorted to on
the 13th, on the northe tst, south, and south
west of the city, but, like all that had preceded
thiru, tbey were unavailing. A more formida
ble sortie was made from Fort Mont Valeriea,
on tbe west, on the morning of the l'Jth. The
French attacked the Germans lu immense force,
but after a terrible conflict, lasting six hours,
thtlr left was broken aud they were driveu
back. The French loss was so great that they
wre compelled to ask an armistice of forty
ckht hours, to colli ct their wounded and bury
their dead, wllch was tacitly granted by the
i Gtiuun pickets, although refused by the com
uiutdiDg general.
Tbe result of this unsuccessful attempt at
diverting the enemy from their dosiructive work
ou the other side of the city was extremely
depressing upon the army and people of Paris.
Both so'dier aud citizens at last abandoned
their faith lu Trochu, and tho latter tendered
his resignation, to appease tho popular clamor,
and lto the Government of Defense at liberty
to meet the emergency as best they could. The
Council of Ministers, ou the afternoon of the
21st, accepted Trochu' resignation as Military
Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Army
of Paris, General Vinoy being appointed his
successor. Trochu was retaiued, however, as
Civil Governor of the city und nominal Presi
dent of the GoverBineut of Defense. (Jen. Viuoy
accepted the commaud, ou condition that stern
measures bbould be adopted to repress the dls
tut l.auce which wcto threatened by tho Red
LepuO'.Uau elcuieut. There u iuiueu'uto op
portunity for enforcing his repressive policy"
On the night of Saturday, January 2v, a disor
derly . mob assailed the M izas prison, In
which Gustavo Flourens, Felix Prat, and other
tevolutionary characters were incarcerated.
Tbey succeeded in liberating the prisoners, and
on the following day a demon
tiation was made upon the UoUl
de Ville, with tho avowed object of deposing
the' Government. The crowd was not a large
one, but their momentary succes would have
precipitated a crisis, and decisive measures
were takcu to avert a serious catastrophe. Five
of the rlotors and spectators wore killed, and
eighteen wounded, and this small expenditure
of blood sufficed to suppress the demonstration
and dicperse the crowd.
The t npltnlRtlon of PnrU.
The end was at hand. The new year was
lithertd In by the one hundred and fifth day
of the siege. Saturday, January 23, extonded
the period of investment and isolation to one
Lotdn d and thirty-three days. For fully nine
teen wieks Paris had beeu shut in from the
great world of which It claimed to be the capi
tal and centre. During the whole of this extend-
d orlod a population of two lullllous had
subsisted upon the slock of provisions accumu
lated iu expectation of a 6ege. Not a loaf of
bread or an ounce of meat had found Its way
into tho city from without. Hone-flesh
in time took tbe place of tho ordinary animal
food of civilized nations, and when this too
began to fall. dogs, cats, aud rats were brought
into requisition. Even these unsavory ailments
failed at last, aud tbe people, long inured to
unsatisfied hunger, were at last on the very
verge of starvation. Terrible missiles of death
were falling in tbe heart of the city; Flourens
was again loose, and at tho head of tho mob
which respected iieithcr life, nor property, nor
principle; the last "supreme effort" at a sortie
had been tho most signal failure of all the end
had come at last.
On tho evonlng of Monday, January 23, M.
Jules Favre, whose belief in tbe Impregnability
of Paris against the combined assaults of
famine, fire, and fusillade had undergone a
change, arrived at Bismarck's headquarters in
Veisailles, to propose capi'.u'atlon. With the
course of the negotiations we are not yet fami
liar, because of the conflicting aud unauthentl
cated reports which have beeu borne across the
ocean by the cable. There was naturally a hig
gling over tho terms of the surrender, and several
consultations were necessary before they could
be arranged satisfactorily to both sides. On
Thursday, the 20th, Favre again met Bismarck,
being accompanied by M. Dorian, who had just
succeeded General Leflo as Minister of War, and
M. Picard, tho Miulster of Finance. On Friday,
the 27th, another eonterenco resulted in the
settlement of the terms, and the fall of Paris
was consummated on the following day, when
the signatures of Bismarck and Favre were
affixed to the capitulation and an armistice of
three weeks' duration.
The War on the Oeettn A Greater Farce than
that oh. liiiud.
At the time of the declaration of war by
France against Prussia, the relative strength of
the two powers cn the ocean was us follows:
Frarr,i Aorth Germany.
Number of vessels 401 102
" " guns 8,M5 20
ilorse-rower W,;T 10,TTU
Of thu French licet of 401 vessels, 63 were
lron-cli ds, 264 screw steamers, 62 paddle-wheel
steamers, and 113 sailing vessels. The German
total of 103 vessels consisted of 7 iron-clad
screw steamers, 0 frigates and corvettes, 27
gunboats, and 59 sailing vessels. The French
fleet was manned, when on a peace footing, by
2218 officers and 39,340 sailors, the total being
swelled by the men of all grades and in all
capacities attached to the service to 74,403;
while there was provlsloa lor Increasing this
formidable force to about 170,000 in time of
war. The German flo. t, on tho contrary, was
manned by only 216 officers and 3500 seamen
and l oys.
This great disparity, as a matter of coarse,
drove Germany from the ocean, and rendered a
naval contest of any importance Impossible from
the outset. It likewise sufficed almost to anni
hilate the foreign commerce of Germany with
out the firing of a gun, whiio that of France
remained practically secure from molestation.
But Germany apprehended a greater misfortune
even then this a descent by a formidable flet.
upou her coat,and the devastation of her eea
board, if not an actual invasion of her territory.
To guard against such disasters, extensive precau
tionary measures were taken; tbo buoys and
lights were all removed, ' rendering the ap
proaches to the coast exceedingly hazardous;
the mouths of the Weeer, Elbe, aud Oder, and
the harbors of Kiel and Stralsund, were protected
by chains, sunken vessels aud torpedoes; and
two formidable armies were held in reserve
one of 108,000 men, under the command of the
Grand Duke of Meeklenburg, on the Baltic
coast, near the mouth of the Oder, and an
other ol 58,000, under General vou Falkcu&teln,
near the mouth of the Elbe.
Prtvious to the outbreak of the war, the
l iiiud States had become eut'.iely dependent
upon the North German lines of steamers for
postal facilities w ith Europe, aud au effort was
made by our Government to secure the ex
emption ot their steamers from capture or in
terference, which favor ithe Imperial Govern
ment declined to grant; and iu consequence of
the refusal, tbe North German steamers plying
between New York and Bremen and Hamburg
w ere obliged to seek safety in home or neutral
ports.
Immediately upou the declaration of war
great activity was displayed by France in pre
paring ber navy for service against the enemy,
Cherbourg being the natural point of departure
for tbe armor-plated fleet, from which the most
effective service was expected. The first divi
sion of the fleet which rendczvousod at Cher
bourg took its departure for tho Biltic on July
24th, uuder Vice-Admiral Bouet-Willaumez, to
be. followed soon after by the second division
under Rear-Admiral Penhoet. Previous to
snlliDg Admiral Bouet-Willaumez's fleet was
honored by an unexpected visit from the Em
press Eugenie, who came to bring the proclama
tion of tho Emperor and bid adieu iu tbe name
of France. Subsequently, the Fronch fleet froia
the Mediterranean, under Vice-Admiral Fourl
cbon, who became Minister of Marine uuder the
Government of Deleiise after the downfall of
Napoleon, was despatched to tbe North Sea. It
was by Admiral Fourichou that tho proclama
tion, dated August 12, was issued announcing to
tbe world the blockade of the whole North
German coast, and grautlng a delay of only teu
days to enable neutral vessels to complete their
cargoes and leave the embargoed ports.
Before entering the Baltic Admiral Boaet
Willaumcz captured two l'russiau gunboats at
the mouth of tho Elbe, and tried the range of
his tius on Wilhelmshaven, but without endea
voring to effect a landing. At Copenhagen thd
French fleet was received wnn great eut .ust- I
asm, and it was generally thought at the time
Coiifiduai on the TM'ii I'ajt.