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-The Project Gutenberg eBook, With an Ambulance During the Franco-German
-War, by Charles Edward Ryan
-
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
-almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
-re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
-with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
-
-
-
-
-
-Title: With an Ambulance During the Franco-German War
-       Personal Experiences and Adventures with Both Armies 1870-1871
-
-
-Author: Charles Edward Ryan
-
-
-
-Release Date: December 22, 2012  [eBook #41689]
-
-Language: English
-
-Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
-
-
-***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH AN AMBULANCE DURING THE
-FRANCO-GERMAN WAR***
-
-
-E-text prepared by Moti Ben-Ari and the Online Distributed Proofreading
-Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by
-Internet Archive (http://archive.org)
-
-
-
-Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
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-
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-      Images of the original pages are available through
-      Internet Archive. See
-      http://archive.org/details/withambulancedur00ryan
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-Transcriber's note:
-
-      Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).
-
-      A carat character is used to denote superscription. A
-      single character following the carat is superscripted
-      (example: Sept^r). Multiple superscripted characters are
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-
-[Illustration:
-James Robinson & Sons Dublin, Photo.
-Walker & Boutall Ph. Sc.
-Charles E Ryan]
-
-
-WITH AN AMBULANCE DURING THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR
-
-Personal Experiences and Adventures with Both Armies 1870-1871
-
-by
-
-CHARLES E. RYAN, F.R.C.S.I., M.R.C.P.I.
-
-Knight of the Order of Louis II, of Bavaria
-
-With Portrait and Maps
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-New York
-Charles Scribner's Sons
-153-157 Fifth Avenue
-1896
-
-Aberdeen University Press.
-
-
-
-
-    TO
-    JAMES TALBOT POWER,
-    MY OLD FRIEND AND SCHOOLFELLOW,
-    I DEDICATE
-    THE FOLLOWING PAGES.
-
-
-
-
-PREFACE.
-
-
-Ere I attempt to set before the public this slight record of my
-experiences during the Franco-German War, I must first disclaim all
-pretence to literary merit.
-
-It was written in 1873, and is simply an embodiment of a series of notes
-or jottings, taken during the war in my spare moments, together with the
-contents of a number of descriptive letters to my friends. They were
-written solely for them, and nothing was farther from my mind at the
-time than the idea of publication.
-
-Thus, they remained in a recess of my study for nearly a quarter of a
-century, until a new generation had grown up around me; and doubtless,
-but for their friendly importunity, there they would have lain until the
-memory of their author, like the ink in which they were written, had
-faded to a blank.
-
-I would ask my readers to bear in their kindly recollection that the
-scope of such a work as the following must of necessity be limited.
-
-As a medical man, I had at all times and in all places my duties to
-perform; hence I have been unable to be as elaborate as other
-circumstances might warrant.
-
-I would also remind them (and every one who has been through a campaign
-will know) how vague and uncertain is the information which subordinates
-possess of the general movements of the army with which they are
-serving.
-
-It happens occasionally that they are wholly ignorant of events
-occurring around them, the news of which may have already reached the
-other side of the world.
-
-Again, I am greatly impressed with the difficulty of representing, in
-anything like adequate language, those scenes--some of which have
-already been delineated by the marvellous pen of M. Zola in _La
-Débâcle_--which the general public could never have fancied, still less
-have realised, except by the aid of a masterly exposition of facts such
-as that stirring chronicle of the war has given. In it the writer has
-dealt rather with history as it occurred, than invented an imaginary
-tale; and those who were eye-witnesses of Sedan can add little to his
-description.
-
-For many reasons, therefore, I am filled with the sense of my own
-incompetence to do justice to my subject. But I console myself with the
-reflection that my theme is full of interest to the present generation.
-Nor does it appear a vain undertaking if one who was permitted to see
-much of both sides should give his impressions as they occurred, and in
-the language he would have used at the time. My feeling throughout has
-been that of a witness under examination. I have endeavoured to narrate
-the incidents which I saw, certainly with as close an approach to the
-reality as I could command, and, if in a somewhat unvarnished tale, yet,
-as I trust, have set down nought in malice. I have added no colour which
-the original sketch did not contain; and have been careful not to darken
-the shading.
-
-    CHARLES E. RYAN.
-
-    GLENLARA, TIPPERARY,
-    _January, 1896_.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER I.
-
-FROM DUBLIN TO PARIS VIA BRUSSELS.--THE WAR FEVER.--LEVIES TO THE FRONT.
-
-
-The first question friends will naturally ask is, how I came to think of
-going abroad to take part in the struggle between France and Germany,
-what prompted me to do so, and by what combination of circumstances my
-hastily arranged plans were realised.
-
-These points I will endeavour to explain. From the outset of the war I
-took a deep interest in the destinies of France, and warmly sympathised
-with her in her affliction. I longed earnestly to be of some service to
-her; indeed, my enthusiasm was so great at the time that I would even
-have fought for her could I have done so. I was then studying medicine
-in Dublin, and was in my twenty-first year. Just about the time of the
-battles of Weissenburg and Wörth nearly every one in Dublin was
-collecting old linen to make _charpie_ for the French wounded; and, as I
-could do nothing else, I exerted myself in getting together from my
-friends all the material I could procure for the purpose. Day by day
-news poured in of French defeats following one another in close
-succession, with long lists of killed and wounded; while among other
-details I learnt that the French were very short of medical men and
-skilled dressers, and that the sufferings of the wounded were, in
-consequence, beyond description. I thought to myself, "Now is my
-opportunity. If I could but get out to those poor fellows I might render
-them some substantial assistance; and what an amount of suffering might
-one not alleviate did one but give them a draught of cold water to
-appease their agonising thirst!"
-
-For a few days these thoughts occupied my mind almost to the exclusion
-of every other. It happened one evening, when I was returning by train
-from Kingstown, that I met Dr. Walshe, surgeon to Jervis Street
-Hospital. During the course of our conversation, which was upon the then
-universal topic of the Franco-German War, he remarked that if he were
-unmarried and as young and active as I was, he would at once go over to
-France, and seek a place either in a military field hospital or in an
-ambulance, or endeavour to get into the Foreign Legion, which was then
-being enrolled, adding, that he greatly wondered no one as yet had left
-Dublin with this object. I replied, "I shall be the first, then, to lead
-the way"; and there and then made up my mind to set out.
-
-It was the 12th of August, 1870.
-
-I endeavoured to discover some kindred spirit who would come out with me
-and share my adventures, but not one could I find. Those who had not
-very plausible reasons at hand, to disguise those which perhaps they
-had, laughed at my proposal, and appeared to look upon me as little
-better than a mad fellow. How could I dream of going out alone to a
-foreign country, where the fiercest war of the century was raging? Even
-some of my professors joined in the laugh, and good-humouredly wished me
-God-speed and a pleasant trip, adding that they were sure I should be
-back again in a few days. Two of them had, in fact, just returned from
-Paris, where they could find nothing to do; and they reported that it
-was dangerous to remain longer, as the populace were marching up and
-down the streets in the most disorderly fashion, and strangers ran no
-small risk of being treated as Prussian spies.
-
-All this was unpleasant to hear; but I was determined not to be
-thwarted; and so, portmanteau in hand, I stepped on board the Kingstown
-boat. It was the 15th August, a most glorious autumn evening, and the
-sea was beautifully calm. I now felt that my enterprise had begun, and
-as I stood on deck watching the beautiful scenery of Dublin Bay receding
-from my view, the natural reflection occurred that this might be the
-last time I should see my native land. I was leaving the cherished
-inmates of that bright little spot, which I now more than ever felt was
-my home. It would be my first real experience of the world, and I was
-about to enter upon the battle of life alone.
-
-Arriving in London on the morning of the 16th, and having spent the day
-with some of my school friends, in the evening I went on board the
-Ostend boat at St. Katharine's wharf. We were to start at four o'clock
-next morning. I slept until I was awakened by the rolling of the vessel
-out at sea. The boat was a villainous little tub, and appeared to me to
-go round like a teetotum. We had an unusually long and rough passage of
-sixteen hours, and I was fearfully ill the whole time. When we arrived
-at Ostend, so bad was I that I could not leave my cabin until long after
-everybody else. Hence a friend of mine, Monsieur le Chevalier de Sauvage
-Vercourt, who had come up from Liège to meet me, made certain when he
-failed to perceive me among the passengers that I had missed the boat.
-On inquiring, however, of the steward if any one had remained below he
-discovered me.
-
-My friend gave me two letters of introduction, one to M. le Vicomte de
-Melun, which subsequently got me admitted into "La Société Française
-pour le secours aux blessés de terre et de mer"; the other to the Mayor,
-M. Lévy, asking him whether he could find a way for me into the Army as
-an assistant. When I had pulled myself together a bit, Vercourt and I
-dined together in the open air, at a Café on the Grande Promenade.
-
-It was the fashionable hour, and every one seemed to be in gala dress.
-Half, at least, of those we saw were English, the remainder French and
-Belgians. It is a curious sensation, that of being for the first time in
-a foreign country, where one's whole surroundings differ from all one
-has been accustomed to see and hear in one's native land. My boyish
-experience made everything, however trivial, a subject of interest. As I
-walked through the town with Vercourt, I was greatly struck by the
-civility of the people, their cleanliness and the neatness of their
-persons and dress, and above all by the absence of any visible
-wretchedness even among the poor.
-
-These points occupied our attention and conversation until we found
-ourselves on our way to Brussels. The country through which we passed,
-though really most unattractive, had for me many points of interest, and
-gave me an agreeable picture of what was meant by "foreign climes".
-
-The bright clean cottages and farmsteads, with their gardens and
-flowers, contrasted lamentably to my mind with the tumble-down
-dilapidated hovels of mud, surrounded by slush and water, which I had
-been accustomed to see from my childhood. Everything bespoke the
-comfort, happiness, and prosperity of these people. The neatly trimmed
-hedges with which every field is fenced, the lines of poplars skirting
-the roadways and canals give a surprisingly smart and cultivated aspect
-to the whole face of the country. I was greatly struck by the blue
-smocks and wooden sabots of the men and women. Even the children in the
-rural parts of Belgium wear these wooden shoes. During our stoppages at
-the different stations the Flemish jargon, as in my untravelled
-ignorance I called it, of the rustics amused me. I noticed in one part
-of the country that all the pumps had their handles at the top, and that
-these moved up and down like the ramrod of a gun. It was novel to see
-the people on stools working them. At ten o'clock that night we arrived
-in Brussels, and put up at the Hôtel de Suède.
-
-My friend and I rose early next morning, and went sight-seeing. He was
-an _habitué_ of the place, so our time was spent to the best advantage.
-That Brussels is a most charming town was my first impression; and I
-think so still. My delight at seeing the Rue de la Reine and the
-Boulevards leading from it I shall not easily forget. A city beautifully
-timbered and abounding in fountains, grass, and flowers, was indeed a
-novelty to one whose experience of cities had been gained in smoky
-London and dear dirty Dublin. In the Rue de la Reine I remarked the two
-carriage-ways, divided by a grove of trees. This plantation consisted of
-full-grown limes, elms, sycamores, arbutus, and acacias. There was yet
-another row on the footpath, next the houses. The breadth of this long
-Boulevard may be about that of Sackville Street. It was a beautiful
-sunny day, and as I sauntered along beneath the trees something new met
-my eye at every turn. I was struck by such a simple matter as seeing the
-carriages dash into the courtyards through the open gates, instead of
-stopping in the street, whilst the occupants were making a morning call.
-Then the high-stepping horses and the gaudy equipages were enough, as I
-thought, to dazzle the youthful mind. One could live here a lifetime and
-never know that such a thing as dirt existed,--at all events, in the
-sense with which we were only too conversant in some parts of my native
-land twenty-five years ago.
-
-These simple observations of the boy at his first start in life make me
-smile as I read them over. Yet I do not think that I ought to suppress
-them; for who is there that has not felt the indescribable charm of
-those early days, when the commonest things in our journeying fill the
-mind as if they were a wonder in themselves? And what is there in the
-grown man's travels to equal that opening glimpse of a world we have so
-often heard talked about, yet never have seen with our eyes until now?
-
-But to return. It was in the Rue du Pont that I first saw the tramways.
-I went in one of the cars to the superb Park, which is as fine as any in
-Europe, and of which Brussels is so justly proud. It amused me beyond
-measure to see the butchers', bakers', and grocers' boys driving about
-their carts drawn by teams of huge dogs, varying in number from one to
-four. While the drivers were delivering their goods the poor animals
-would lie down in their harness with their tongues out, until a short
-chirp brought them on their feet again, ready to start. This seemed for
-them the most difficult part, since once set going, they went at a great
-rate, apparently without much trouble, and rather enjoying their task
-than otherwise. I have seen teams of dogs so fresh that they were all
-barking whilst they tore along the street at full speed. In the evening
-the cafés were beautifully illuminated; and seated beneath the trees
-hundreds of people enjoyed their cigarettes and _café noir_, while they
-discussed, with many and vigorous gesticulations, the affairs of Europe.
-In the afternoon of the 18th I bade good-bye to my kind friend Vercourt,
-who had been so admirable a cicerone to me, and took my seat in the
-train for Paris.
-
-During our journey I was rudely awakened from a sound sleep at one
-station by every one suddenly jumping on their legs and crying out, "_La
-douane!_" while they seized their luggage, and rushed out of the train
-as if it were on fire. If you did not do the same you were
-unceremoniously bundled out by the officials. To every inquiry I got the
-same answer, "_C'est la douane_". Now this word was not in my
-vocabulary. I may observe that at my school French was taught on the
-good old plan, out of Racine and "Télémaque," in which commercial terms
-are not abundant, and hence I did not know in the least the meaning of
-"_la douane_"; it might have signified fire, blood or murder; and I was
-for a long time sorely puzzled. I thought in my drowsy confusion that
-some part of the train had broken down, and that all the passengers and
-luggage had to be removed with as much haste as possible. But when I, a
-passenger to Paris, saw a fellow seize my portmanteau and disappear with
-it through one of the doors, it was too much for me; I went after my
-effects, collared him, and asked him, in the best French I could muster,
-where he was going with my property. A big gendarme explained the
-situation, and pointed to a large room, where the rattling of keys and
-opening of boxes soon made his interpretation unnecessary.
-
-On returning to my carriage I found myself next a middle-aged gentleman,
-who, though he spoke French fluently to his neighbours, was evidently an
-Englishman. We joined in conversation, and he seemed to know more about
-Ireland and Irish affairs than I did myself, which, in truth, might
-easily have been. He had such a frank, genial manner, and appeared to
-feel so genuine a sympathy, not only with my own countrymen, but with
-poor suffering France, that I confided to him my story and mission,
-which evidently pleased him; and he told me that he would get me a cheap
-billet from his landlady in the Hôtel de l'Opéra, a comfortable hotel
-centrally situated opposite the new Opera House. He had told me his name
-was Steel, but vouchsafed no further information about himself. When we
-arrived in Paris he was accosted by several of the officials as Monsieur
-le Général; and he bade me stay with him, and said that he would
-accompany me to my hotel. Having, after much tiresome waiting, got
-possession of our luggage, we passed out of the station between two
-lines of soldiers, and were carefully and closely inspected before being
-allowed to proceed. A whisper from my new friend the General appeared to
-be a magic pass, for every one seemed to know him. A stalwart gendarme
-demanded my passport, took down my name and address, where I last came
-from, and what was my business in Paris, and then let me go. When we
-arrived at the Hôtel de l'Opéra, again the concierge greeted my
-mysterious friend with the title of M. le Général, when he hurried
-upstairs, bidding me wait until he came down, and he would go out with
-me to dine at a restaurant.
-
-As I stepped outside the door and looked up and down the Boulevards, I
-knew at once that what I had heard and read of the beauties of Paris as
-seen by night was no fiction, but a bright reality. What added to the
-novelty of the scene was that the whole populace seemed to be in a fever
-of excitement. I asked my friend what was it all about. He told me that
-they were rejoicing because a proclamation had just been made from the
-Mairie of three glorious victories won by their arms. This accounted for
-the bands of civilians, thousands in each, composed of labourers and
-artisans, who were marching boisterously up and down the streets,
-cheering and singing the "Marseillaise," with flags and banners flying
-of every colour and description. The sight was at first appalling, as
-that momentary glance recalled to my mind so vividly what I had read
-about the scenes enacted in the streets of Paris during the first
-Revolution, by a similar communistic and ungovernable mob. Yet I thought
-the whole thing good fun; but my friend warned me not to speak, and told
-me to keep out of the streets at night. It was dangerous for a stranger
-to go out after dark, since the populace were apt to take him for a spy,
-or as being there in the interest of the enemy, and this might mean
-instantaneous death. Such things had occurred lately. We now turned
-into the Café Anglais, and dined very well, after which my mysterious
-friend took leave of me and disappeared. I only saw him again for five
-minutes a few days subsequently, and have never set eyes on him since,
-nor could I get any satisfactory information at the hotel, although they
-informed me that he was a resident in Paris, and was often at the Hôtel
-de l'Opéra. Perhaps some reader of these pages may know more concerning
-M. le Général Steel than I ever did. Who and what was he? But conjecture
-is idle work, and I must get on with my story.
-
-Having seen Brussels before Paris, the latter did not make that
-impression which it generally does on one who views it for the first
-time, before he has visited any other of the capital cities on the
-Continent,--for Brussels is a miniature Paris. I walked up and down the
-Boulevards, observing everything and everybody, until, feeling somewhat
-tired, I looked at my watch, and found to my astonishment that it was
-nearly one o'clock, so I returned to my hotel and went to bed, and
-dreamed of the glories of the city of pleasure.
-
-Next morning, the 19th, I sallied out in quest of the Mansion House to
-which I had been directed. For some time I walked up and down the
-Boulevards in order to make observations as to my whereabouts, and to
-note my surroundings. My first great landmark was the beautiful new
-Opera House, which is one of the sights of Paris. Its massive pillars
-and wonderful display of allegorical figures, all in white marble,
-delighted me--as also did the wooded Boulevards with their gorgeous
-shops and all the pleasing sights which met my gaze at every turn.
-
-Having been only a few days in the country, I naturally felt a little
-shy at venturing into anything like a long conversation with the
-natives. Soon, however, I mustered up sufficient courage (to be wanting
-in which was to fail in my errand) to ask my way of one of those gaily
-dressed officers of the peace, who, from their gorgeous uniform and the
-dignity of their manners, I had made up my mind could be nothing less
-than majors-general of the reserve out for a stroll.
-
-My bad French elicited from this worthy only the most courteous
-civility, and he took the greatest pains to explain to me my route. As I
-went on I felt elated at this first experience of the proverbial
-civility of Frenchmen, and was sure that I should find it easy to get on
-with them.
-
-After some two miles of pleasant rambling, I arrived at the Mairie in
-the Place du Prince Eugène; but found that M. le Maire was out, so
-returned and dined at the Café Royale, opposite the Madeleine and
-afterwards visited the church, and walked outside it several times. It
-was from all sides alike massive and beautiful, nor was I disappointed
-at its interior, though I confess it did not impress me so much as the
-façade. Having spent an hour inspecting its details I took a cabriolet
-to the Mansion House, where, having sent in Vercourt's letter, I was
-ushered into the presence of M. le Maire, after about ten minutes
-waiting.
-
-This polished gentleman received me with the greatest kindness and
-civility, but explained that he could not procure me a place in the Army
-Medical Department. He referred me to l'Intendance Militaire, Rue St.
-Dominique, which was the Foreign Legion Office. I at once started
-afresh, and, having found out the officials to whom I was directed, they
-informed me that they had not the power of giving appointments, but that
-M. Michel Lévy, Medicine Inspecteur, Val de Grace, was the person to
-whom I should apply, at the same time assuring me that there was not the
-least use in my doing so, as the Foreign Legion was fully equipped and
-all the vacancies filled up. Believing this information to be correct, I
-set this last proposition aside and kept it in my sleeve as a _dernier
-ressort_. Although defeated in my object I was not in the least
-discouraged, for I had determined to make every effort before confessing
-myself beaten.
-
-As I was much fatigued, and it was too late to prosecute my plans any
-further that day, I went out for a stroll on the Boulevards. Presently
-I heard the trampling of horses coming down the street, mingled with the
-loud cheering of the populace. It was a troop of Cuirassiers, and in
-another minute I was in the midst of a seething crowd, and could
-perceive nothing around me but a sea of hands, hats, and heads in
-commotion. The civilians, who were in a wild state of excitement,
-cheered the troops, "Vive les Cuirassiers!" while the dragoons in return
-shouted "A Berlin!" and "Vive la France!"--not "Vive l'Empereur!" When
-they had passed, the excitement continued in another form, for a
-desperate-looking mob marched up and down in detachments as they had
-done upon the previous night, with flags flying, and banners waving,
-singing all the while "La Marseillaise" and the "Champs de la Patrie,"
-with intervening shouts of "A Berlin". All this was of great interest to
-me, especially the singing. When the crowd joined in the chorus of their
-National Anthem the effect was something never to be forgotten.
-
-I now went to bed, feeling sleepy and done up from sheer excitement.
-Next day, the 20th August, a lovely morning, I found my way to the
-Palais de l'Industrie, where, after waiting three hours in a crowded
-ante-room, I presented my letter to M. le Vicomte de Melun, who came out
-to see me. This kind old gentleman spoke graciously, and desired me to
-come next day, when he would give me a place in an Ambulance. Fully
-satisfied this time with the result of my efforts I returned with a
-light heart, and having dined in the Rue Royale went out sight-seeing. A
-few hundred paces brought me into the Place de la Concorde, and, oh,
-what an incredibly magnificent sight presented itself from the centre of
-that beautiful square! I passed the rest of the evening in the Bois de
-Boulogne, and rising early next morning, full of hope, hastened to the
-Palais de l'Industrie, where, without much delay, I saw M. de Melun. He
-informed me with regret that every place in the Ambulances about to
-start had been filled up previous to my application. However, if I left
-my letters and certificates and came again on Tuesday morning, he would
-let me know, should there be a vacancy for me in any of those which were
-starting at the end of the week.
-
-This second disappointment greatly annoyed me, but I did not give in. As
-it was Sunday I hastened back to High Mass at the Madeleine, a grand
-choral and musical display. The constant clink of the money and the
-click of the beadle's staff as he strode along bespangled with gold lace
-and gaudy trappings, made prayer and recollection well nigh an
-impossibility. Coming out of church, I met an old schoolfellow of mine,
-a Parisian, with whom I had a long chat and pleasant walk in the
-Tuileries. He pointed out to me the Empress leaving the Palace by a
-private way, accompanied by some of her ladies-in-waiting. I may remark
-that she wore a dress of grey silk, trimmed with black crape.
-
-During the whole of this day troops continued to march through the city,
-some mere regiments of beardless boys, awkward and unsoldierlike, but
-with a true martial spirit, if one might judge by the hearty way in
-which they sang as they went along, and joined in the choruses.
-
-These were the latest levies, and were going to the front. Next day,
-Monday the 22nd, after many circuitous wanderings, I made my way to the
-Irish College; and left my letter of introduction to Father M----, who
-was not at home, but was expected the following day. When I got back I
-found that the Boulevards and Champs Elysées were thronged with noisy
-workmen singing the "Marseillaise" on their way home from the
-fortifications, where they had been employed in great numbers on the
-extensive works which were being now pushed forward night and day. To
-avoid being jostled by the mob I took a place on the top of an omnibus.
-It was dusk, and as we came down the Champs Elysées, the beautifully
-illuminated gardens, with their cafés chantants, merry-go-rounds and
-bowers,--surrounded by the most fanciful and pretty devices imaginable,
-and lighted up with miniature lamps,--together with the lively din of
-music and singing followed by rounds of applause, made me feel
-transported for the moment to fairyland. But it was a short-lived
-delusion; and who would imagine, with all this folly, at once so
-frivolous and so French, that the great tragedy of war was being enacted
-around us? However, that such was the case even here was abundantly
-evident, for it was the sole topic of conversation. Soldiers were
-everywhere in the streets; the public vehicles and omnibuses were
-crammed with them; their officers seemed to monopolise half the private
-carriages; they crowded the public buildings, and soldiers' heads
-appeared out of half the street windows. I had always heard that
-Frenchmen were a highly excitable people, and the truth of that saying
-was never so clearly demonstrated. Here they were in their thousands,
-moving about in a state of restless, purposeless commotion, singing
-songs from noon to midnight, and, as it appeared to me, most of them
-quite out of their senses.
-
-Tuesday, the 23rd August, I went once more to try my luck at the Palais
-de l'Industrie; and M. le Vicomte de Melun again told me that there was
-no vacancy, but my name had been placed on the Society's books for an
-appointment, and when the vacancy occurred he would communicate with me
-at the Hôtel de l'Opéra. I felt disappointed that every effort up to
-this had been a failure, but consoled myself at having gained one point,
-_viz._, that of having been registered as a member of the Red Cross
-Society.
-
-I now determined to try some of the working staff, who, though perhaps
-less influential than the Vicomte, might be able to help me quite as
-well. Not to be daunted, I went to another part of the Palais, where I
-informed a gentleman, who, I perceived, was a superintendent and active
-manager, that my name had been placed on the Society's books by M. de
-Melun. This made him all attention. He spoke English well, and was very
-civil to me. His name was M. Labouchère, 77 Rue Malesherbes. In few
-words I told him the object of my mission, how I wanted to work, and was
-willing to accept a place in any capacity whatever, in the service of
-the wounded. He now informed me that there was one vacancy as aide in a
-Belgian Ambulance, and as I was most anxious to fill it he had my name
-put down. He gave me the casquet and badge of the Society, and told me
-to come to-morrow for my outfit and all necessaries.
-
-In the meantime I was sent out with eight or ten others of the Swiss
-Ambulance, to collect money in the streets through which we passed. We
-went in a body, and had each a little net bag at the end of a long pole,
-very like a landing net, but with a longer handle and a smaller net. As
-we passed along we cried out, "Pour les blessés," and as the omnibuses
-and carriages drew up while we were passing, we availed ourselves of
-this opportunity by putting our bags up to and sometimes through the
-windows, and landing them in the laps of those within. By this means we
-got heaps of silver pieces, and even gold from some of the best dressed
-personages. We also put our nets up to the windows, wherever we saw them
-occupied, and into the shops. Large crowds gathered along the route, and
-everybody gave something,--a great many two and five franc pieces. It
-was several hours before we reached the railway station, as we went very
-slowly. All knew by my accent that I was a foreigner, and perhaps
-British; and they seemed to like the idea, for they pressed forward to
-throw their coins to me, when there were other nets nearer them. When
-the time of reckoning came I found that I had collected more than my
-comrades. I saw ladies in the carriages that passed us crying bitterly,
-and the weeping and evident grief of the ambulance men on parting with
-their friends at the railway terminus were very touching. Having placed
-my money in the van I returned to the Palais de l'Industrie, where I was
-introduced to M. le Verdière, second in command in the Belgian
-Ambulance. He desired me to come at nine o'clock next day to get into my
-uniform and prepare for starting.
-
-Highly pleased at what I considered at last a success, I went, as I had
-previously arranged, to see Dr. M---- at the Irish College. He received
-me very warmly, and introduced me to a Chinese bishop with a pigtail,
-whom I found a most intelligent and agreeable man.
-
-That evening I saw troops going to the front in heavy marching order;
-and although they were four abreast, they reached from the Arc de
-Triomphe to within some little distance of the Place de la Concorde. On
-my way home I met a man who told me sorrowfully that before the war he
-had been a successful teacher with a large class, but that all his
-pupils were drawn in the conscription, and his occupation was gone.
-
-Next morning, the 24th, I was all excitement, as I fully expected that
-this day might see me on my way to the front. I hastened to the Palais
-de l'Industrie, where M. Labouchère informed me of the nature of my
-appointment in the Belgian Ambulance. What was my astonishment when I
-found that I should have ten _infirmiers_ under me, for whom I was to be
-responsible, and to whom I must issue orders! Much as I desired to
-accept this most tempting offer, common sense got the better of my
-ambition; and I declined, feeling conscious that my imperfect knowledge
-of French would prevent my being able to discharge my duties with
-efficiency.
-
-All this was a disappointment and a humiliation, but I had now become
-used to reverses. My friends, of whom I had already quite a number,
-comforted me by saying that I should be most likely sent to Metz, which
-was full of wounded with but few attendants, numbers of the latter
-having been carried off by typhus fever, which was making great havoc in
-the town. I stated that I had not the least objection to going if the
-Society wished me to do so; but I felt that I should prefer some other
-mission. Later on in the day, as I was searching for M. Labouchère in
-the Palais de l'Industrie, I was astonished to perceive that one of the
-large open spaces of the Palais, which was used but yesterday for
-drilling the recruits, now contained rows of mounted cannon placed close
-beside each other, while the unmounted guns were piled in lines one
-above another; great heaps of cannon balls were also stacked in the
-centre, like ricks of turf. This change, wrought since the evening
-before, will give an idea of the rapidity and energy with which the
-Government plans were being executed. Emerging by one of the upper doors
-of the building, I was startled at seeing the whole Champs Elysées
-occupied by masses of soldiers, flanked at each side by double rows of
-cavalry. They were being inspected before going to the front. It was a
-splendid sight. I went out afterwards to the Bois de Boulogne, where the
-timber next the ramparts was already being cut down. There were crowds
-of men at work on the fortifications as I passed through, making ready
-for the siege.
-
-As it was growing dusk I moved towards home, and met on my way a stream
-of soldiers dressed in a most elaborate uniform, differing in every way
-from that of the Line. From the enthusiastic reception they met with on
-all sides, and the familiar smiles and nods which they exchanged with
-the admiring citizens, I knew that they were the Garde Nationale, the
-pride of the Parisians.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER II.
-
-I JOIN THE ANGLO-AMERICAN AMBULANCE.--M. DE FLAVIGNY'S SPEECH.--TO
-MÉZIÈRES AND SEDAN.
-
-
-August 25th I went to my official quarters full of hope, but found that
-nothing further had been decided. M. Labouchère told me that I was
-certain of a place in a French Ambulance, and presented my testimonials
-and papers to the chief of the 8th Ambulance, who disappeared with them
-into the committee room, promising to send me an answer at once. This he
-never did, though I waited his reply for some hours, until hunger
-compelled me to go in search of dinner, which I found in the Boulevard
-St. Michel, No. 43, Café-Brasserie du Bas Rhin, where I had as much beef
-as I could wish for. (I was afterwards told that nothing but horse flesh
-was sold at this restaurant.)
-
-I then returned to the Palais de l'Industrie, where I was offered a post
-in the Medical Staff in charge of a train between Paris and Metz. I
-declined, upon the ground of my expecting to hear every minute of my
-having been appointed to an Ambulance. Hours passed without a syllable
-from the Chief of the 8th Ambulance; and now for the first time I felt
-discouraged, but pulled myself together, and again threw myself with
-energy into the struggle.
-
-I still had forces in reserve; for my friend, Madame A----,
-lady-in-waiting to the Empress, had promised me letters of introduction,
-which I daily expected, but which had not yet arrived. As I was whiling
-away the time conversing with one of the understrappers of the Palais,
-he told me that the siege of Paris by the Prussians was confidently
-expected by most Parisians; they talked of cutting down all the trees
-around Paris, and demolishing the farmsteads and farm produce in the
-vicinity, and my informant observed, "Déjà on cherche la démolition du
-Bois de Boulogne".
-
-I walked out to the fortifications and saw batches of men throwing up
-mounds, whilst others were making excavations beneath the mason-work of
-the permanent bridges, to facilitate their being blown up on the
-approach of the enemy. Upon my return the garçon at the Hotel showed me
-with much pride his uniform and accoutrements, with which he had been
-presented that day on being made a member of the National Guard.
-
-The loud beating of drums and the clatter and din of horses and men as
-they passed along the Boulevards before dawn, made it easy to be up at
-an early hour next morning, the 26th of August.
-
-I set out for the Palais de l'Industrie, where an order was handed me
-to hold myself in readiness to start that night for the front, so I
-returned quickly to my hotel, paid my bill and packed up my traps. I
-found two letters awaiting me: one from Madame A----, with an
-introduction to Professor Ricord, the Emperor's surgeon; and another
-from the Princess Poniatowsky, enclosing a note to the Count de
-Flavigny, President of the Society. They were now of no use, as I had
-been appointed to an Ambulance; but had I got them at first I should
-have been saved many days of anxious waiting. As it afterwards turned
-out, it was my good luck that they did not arrive sooner. An order was
-now issued that all strangers should quit Paris; and a heavy gloom
-seemed to be settling down rapidly over every one and everything. The
-conviction was daily growing that the Prussians were approaching Paris;
-but no one really knew, as every day's intelligence contradicted that of
-the day before. There seemed to be a great national competition in
-lying, in which every one manfully struggled for the prize.
-
-At this juncture I was introduced to Dr. Frank, second in command of an
-Ambulance which had lately been organised in Paris by a number of
-English and American surgeons, and which was known as the
-Anglo-American. Dr. Frank received me courteously, and appointed me one
-of his _sous-aides_ or dressers. Having given me directions as to my
-outfit, he sent me off with another young member of the Ambulance, John
-Scott of Belfast, to procure all necessary supplies. The pleasure I
-experienced at finding myself in harness at last was beyond expression;
-and it was not lessened by discovering in my new mate a bright, jovial,
-and witty companion and a fellow-countryman to boot. We hurried off to
-the Palais Royal, where we ordered our uniforms, knapsacks and kits, and
-then went out and had a chat and a stroll.
-
-Saturday morning, the 27th, Dr. Frank introduced me to Dr. Marion Sims,
-now chef or surgeon-in-chief, and also to his staff, which was composed
-of Drs. MacCormac, Webb, Blewitt, May, Tilghman, Nicholl, Hayden, and
-Hewitt, and Drs. Wyman and Pratt, as also to Mr. Fred Wallace and Harry
-Sims. Hewitt and I worked away for some hours getting the stores ready.
-Having finished this task we went to be photographed at Nader's, in full
-marching kit. I now packed up everything I did not want and sent them to
-M. de B----'s house (where they remained until after the war was over),
-and made my final preparations for starting. I received a month's pay in
-advance from Dr. Frank, so there was but little chance of my being hard
-up for money, as we were to be found in everything. Colonel Loyd
-Lindsay's English branch of the "Société pour le Secours aux Blessés"
-furnished the English contingent of the ambulance with the sinews of
-war; and of this Dr. Frank was the representative.
-
-On the 28th August I went in full uniform to the Madeleine, after which
-I took all my traps to the Palais de l'Industrie, where I met Marion
-Sims and had a chat with him. He addressed me kindly as "my dear boy";
-and from the gentleness of his manner and his sympathetic nature, I felt
-that I should like him very much; and so it afterwards came to pass. We
-all now worked with a will, getting together our stores, provisions,
-horses and waggons, and making all ready for the procession, which,
-after a scene of confusion, noise, and excitement, left the Palais de
-l'Industrie about three o'clock, in the following order:--In front,
-carried by Dr. Sims' three charming daughters, the flags of England,
-France, and America; then the surgeons and the assistant surgeons; after
-these the dressers or _sous-aides_, of which I was one; then the
-_infirmiers_, all fully equipped, with the waggons for stores and
-wounded bringing up the rear.
-
-While we were standing in our places, in the Champs Elysées, waiting for
-the final start, a young girl, pretty, and elegantly dressed in deep
-mourning, stepped up and tried to address me, but she sobbed so much
-that I could with difficulty understand what she said. After a little
-time she made her wish intelligible. Should her husband ever come
-across my path in a wounded condition, she charged me to be kind to him,
-and to bestow upon him particular care for her sake. The earnestness
-with which she confided her sorrow to me, a stranger who had nothing to
-recommend him but his youth, well nigh overcame me, so that the poor
-thing very nearly had a companion in tears. She gave me her card, which
-I still possess. The girl could not have been more than twenty. I tried
-to say something to her that was kind; but so confused and upset was I
-that I could hardly utter a word. Presently the Count de Flavigny came
-forward and addressed us in a long and eloquent speech, flattering alike
-to our nationalities and to our cause.
-
-A death-like silence reigned throughout the crowd as he reminded us of
-the scenes upon which we were about to enter; the cause we were to
-vindicate; the hardships we were likely to undergo; the good that each
-of us was bound in duty to perform; the sacrifice of every personal
-consideration, and even of our lives if necessary, in the grand and holy
-cause of the service of the wounded.
-
-There were tears in many eyes, for not a few of the bystanders had at
-that moment friends near and dear, in dread suffering and perhaps in the
-agony of death. These few minutes made a deep impression upon me.
-
-I now realised that I was entering upon a hazardous campaign, and felt
-the weight of the task that I had undertaken; and as the word
-"_Marchez_" was given I stepped out strong in mind and body, proud of
-the privilege which it had pleased Providence to bestow upon me, and
-yearning to fulfil that mission of charity which we had that day
-inaugurated.
-
-As we passed through the streets in the order I have already given, the
-dense crowds cheered us along the way to the railway station (de l'Est),
-crying, "Vive les Americains!" "Vive l'Angleterre!" while the
-handkerchiefs of the ladies waved from all windows. Tears flowed
-abundantly on every side, as they readily do in France for less reason
-than the present one. All were delighted at the practical sympathy of
-the foreigners, on behalf of their wounded and suffering
-fellow-countrymen.
-
-The crowds were so great that we found it difficult to make anything
-like rapid progress, and were several hours reaching the station.
-
-Having arrived at our destination, we took our seats in the
-waiting-room, not knowing in the least where we were going, as no one
-did but the chief and Dr. Frank. After waiting a couple of hours we got
-into a train in which we started off into the darkness, for it was ten
-o'clock. We travelled all night, and as morning dawned arrived at
-Soissons. Here we learned that we were under orders to join MacMahon's
-army at once. As from information received, Dr. Sims supposed him to be
-somewhere in the vicinity of Sedan, it was his intention to make for
-Mézières, a small town in that neighbourhood, which we reached on Monday
-night, 29th August, arriving at Sedan the following morning, Tuesday,
-30th, and remaining there to await further orders.
-
-As we entered the town I was astonished to perceive that not a single
-soldier was visible, and that the sentinels on duty at the gates were
-peasants dressed in blue blouses, bearing guns upon their shoulders, a
-military képi being the only attempt at uniform.
-
-All was still as we hastened through the streets to our quarters, at the
-Croix d'Or in the Rue Napoléon.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER III.
-
-AT SEDAN.--THE EMPEROR IN TRANSIT.--OUR FIRST RETREAT BEFORE THE
-PRUSSIANS.--THE CASERNE D'ARSFELD.
-
-
-On the 30th of August we got orders through the _Courrier des
-Ambulances_, the Vicomte de Chizelles, to proceed at once to Carignan,
-where hard fighting had been going on, and where, we were told, the
-field had been won by the French. Accordingly at noon the whole
-ambulance moved out of the town, by the Torcy gate to the railway
-station, a few hundred yards outside the ramparts, whence a special
-train was to have carried us on to the field of our labours. Through
-some mismanagement on the part of the French authorities, and through a
-combination of adverse circumstances, our transport was delayed so long
-that we were unable to leave that evening. The railway officials
-contended that the cause of the delay was neglect, on the part of our
-_comptable_, to specify the exact amount of accommodation required for
-the transport of our waggons, stores, and horses, without which we could
-not work efficiently on the field of battle; but the real cause of the
-delay, we subsequently discovered, was the capturing and blocking of
-the line by the Prussians, which fact was, in French fashion, studiously
-concealed from us. All this was very annoying to our chiefs, who were
-most anxious to get to the front. In order, therefore, that we might be
-able to start at daybreak next morning, we took up our quarters for that
-night in the station house. Being much fatigued after the excitement of
-the day we went to the bureau, where all our luggage was, and, after
-much ado, got hold of our wraps. There was one large waiting-room
-through which every one was obliged to pass in order to enter or leave
-the station, and here I and a number of my comrades stretched ourselves
-upon the bare boards, covered up in our rugs and overcoats.
-
-Shortly after eleven o'clock, the arrival of a train caused us to start
-to our feet. The Germans, we knew, were in the neighbourhood, and the
-thought of a surprise flashed simultaneously through the mind of each
-one, when, to our intense astonishment, the door opened, and Napoléon,
-with his entire état major, marshals, and generals, walked into the
-room.
-
-The Emperor wore a long dark blue cloak and a scarlet gold-braided képi.
-At first he seemed rather surprised at our presence, and for a moment or
-two delayed returning our salute, which he eventually acknowledged by a
-slight inclination of the head. He had a tired, scared, and haggard
-appearance, and, besides looking thoroughly ill, seemed anxious and
-impatient. After a few moments' delay he hurried off on foot, in the
-midst of his _entourage_, through the station house, and along the road
-leading to the town of Sedan.
-
-I and two of my comrades followed until we saw the Emperor and his
-attendants arrive at the gate, through which, after some parley with a
-blue-bloused sentry (for there was not a regular soldier in the town),
-they gained admittance. As we were about returning to our temporary
-quarters, speculating on the probable future as suggested by the scene I
-have described, we met a party of soldiers straggling along, composed of
-men of different regiments, both line and cavalry. We addressed one of
-them, who seemed more tired and worn out than the rest. He told us they
-belonged to the 5th and 12th Army Corps, and that they had escaped from
-the affair at Beaumont, where, having been several days short of
-provisions and exhausted with hunger and fatigue, the French were
-thoroughly routed. He said that they numbered about eighty, and were
-accompanied by an officer whom I afterwards heard give the name of De
-Failly, when challenged by the sentry. This was no other than the
-General de Failly who, on that very day at Beaumont, was deprived of his
-command for bad leadership, and superseded by De Wimpffen. In the rear
-of this party of fugitives was a cartload of women and children. One of
-the women told most pitifully how the Prussian shells had that morning
-devastated their homes in the vicinity of Beaumont and Raucourt, and how
-several parts of those villages were then in flames. These poor
-creatures, numbed with cold and fright, gladly partook of the contents
-of some of our flasks; and we were all pleased when, after half an
-hour's parley with the peasant sentry, the drawbridge was let down and
-they were admitted into the town.
-
-I now returned to my quarters in the station, where I slept soundly
-until I was awakened at break of day by Dr. Frank, who enjoined us to
-get ready at once, so as to push on to the front. This was the morning
-of the 31st August. At early dawn there was a thick fog, which, however,
-soon cleared away, revealing to us the fact that we were not far from
-the Prussian lines, and that they had actually during the night got full
-possession of the range of hills commanding the station and the whole
-town of Sedan. At times we could see distinctly numbers of Prussian
-Uhlans appearing now and then, from behind woods and plantations, on the
-heights of Marfée opposite us, and again disappearing, leaving us fully
-convinced that there were more where those came from. A little later,
-when the fog cleared off, we perceived in the opposite direction, at the
-north-east side of the town, numbers of troops moving about. These we
-found to be MacMahon's forces. Now we became conscious of how we really
-stood. Our chief called us together, and with the stern manner and firm
-voice of an old veteran said, "Gentlemen, by a combination of unforeseen
-circumstances over which I had no control, we are now in the awkward
-position of finding ourselves placed between the line of fire of two
-armies. If they commence hostilities we are lost. It is therefore my
-intention as promptly as possible to retreat behind the French lines."
-Having said so much, he gave the order to move on. This we did across
-some fields, which we traversed with ease; but presently we came upon
-some heavy potato and turnip plots. Here our progress was necessarily
-very slow, heavily-laden as we were, with our three waggons ploughing
-through the soft furrows; and as we were not quite sure of the country
-that lay between us and the army, our position was most unenviable.
-
-Two of our party, Drs. May and Tilghman, went ahead upon horseback, one
-of them carrying an ambulance flag. These two galloped along rather too
-impetuously as it appeared, for they came unexpectedly upon the French
-outposts, who, not knowing them to be friends, quickly fired a volley at
-them. Having discovered who they were they did not repeat this salute.
-It was just as our waggon horses had come to a standstill, being
-completely exhausted from pulling and floundering in the soft ground,
-that Drs. May and Tilghman returned at a gallop to inform us that the
-Meuse lay between us and the main body of the army, and that there was
-no bridge, or other means of crossing, without going round through the
-town.
-
-Just at this moment a courier came up in hot haste to say that, as the
-Prussians had just been seen in the immediate vicinity, the gate of the
-town would be immediately closed, and that the Military Commandant
-required us at once to make good our retreat, and get in the rear of the
-French army. We now saw that there was no alternative but to leave our
-baggage, stores, and waggons just where they were, and to fly into the
-town, which we did with all possible expedition, as from the position of
-the enemy we expected every minute that an engagement would take place.
-When we got inside the gates, two civilians volunteered, for a reward,
-to recover the baggage and waggons, with May and Tilghman as their
-leaders. These two gentlemen were veteran campaigners of the American
-Confederate Army, as were also all the other Americans of our ambulance,
-save Frank Hayden, who hailed from the North.
-
-These not only brought back all our effects, but also a quantity of
-potatoes which were found in the field where the waggons had been left,
-and upon which we largely subsisted during the week following.
-
-We now reported ourselves to the Intendant Militaire, who told us that
-he had the night before received an order to have in readiness 1800 beds
-for the use of the wounded. There was not a military surgeon in the
-town, nor any medical stores or appliances save our own; and of civilian
-doctors we never heard, nor were they _en évidence_.
-
-The Intendant Militaire put all the beds which he had provided at our
-disposal, and gave us full control over their disposition and
-management.
-
-Accordingly we took possession of the Caserne D'Asfeld, and made ready
-for receiving the wounded. We also had our stores arranged so that
-everything might be at hand when required.
-
-It was while thus busily engaged, transporting our stores, and putting
-things in their place ready for use, that I saw the Emperor Napoléon
-slowly pacing up and down in front of the Sous-Préfecture, cigar in
-mouth, with his hands behind his back and head bent, gazing vacantly at
-the ground.
-
-All that morning we had heard the distant booming of cannon, in the
-southward direction of Carignan and Mouzon. As the day advanced the
-cannonading came nearer, and grew more distinct, until it seemed to be
-in the immediate neighbourhood of the town. At nightfall the firing
-ceased, and we could perceive the glare of a distant village, in the
-direction of Douzy, lighting up the darkness.
-
-A brief sketch of the defences of Sedan, as well as an explanation of
-the position in which our hospital stood with regard to the
-fortifications, will not be out of place. The river Meuse, on the right
-bank of which Sedan is situated, communicates by sluice-gates with two
-deep trenches about thirty feet wide, separated from one another by a
-high embankment. On opening these gates, the trenches and a vast expanse
-of meadow land, extending nearly to Bazeilles and along the river beyond
-it, had been flooded, and the city was thus defended by a double wet
-ditch for about three-fourths of its circumference. All this lay
-external to the stone-faced ramparts, upon which stood heavy siege-guns,
-ostensibly to protect the town. They were, in fact, obsolete dummies.
-Outside these, again, were high earthworks, faced by strong palisades of
-spiked timber. At the summit of the north-east corner of the
-fortifications, towering above the plateau of Floing, rose the
-Citadel,--a huge, dark mass of mason-work and grassy slopes, which
-seemed to frown over a series of steep cliffs upon the town beneath.
-Above this stood our hospital of the Caserne D'Asfeld, called after a
-French Marshal of Louis XIV.'s time. The Prussians afterwards knew it as
-the "Kronwerk D'Asfeld". It was a fortress which had a drawbridge and
-defences of its own. From these details we may judge what a stronghold
-Sedan would prove, were it not for the range of hills opposite, called
-the Heights of Marfée. But these command the town; and the Prussians had
-been permitted to occupy them.
-
-Now, as to the Caserne itself. Standing on the highest point of the
-fortifications, about 100 feet above the Meuse, it might have seemed the
-very position for a hospital. It was a two-storied bomb-proof building,
-with a flat roof, 240 feet long, and contained nine large wards,
-fifty-three feet by seventeen, and ten feet high, as well as four small
-ones with twenty beds in each. There were two spacious windows in every
-ward. The floors were concrete. On the fortifications outside were rows
-of magnificent trees, which gave the grounds a picturesque appearance.
-But in front, facing the town, there were no trees; and from this point
-we had an unbroken view of Sedan and the valley of the Meuse, with the
-hills opposite. The villages of Donchery, Frénois, and Wadelincourt were
-all visible.
-
-Six cannon commanded the outer breastworks, behind the buildings, and
-two sallyports led out beneath the fortifications, on to the plains of
-Floing. We heard from the wounded, as well as from other sources, that
-the French were retreating on Sedan, and that the Prussians held the
-left bank of the Meuse, and the valley and hills about it. The French,
-on their side, occupied the Illy heights to the north of the town above
-the plateau of Floing, the Bois de Garenne, and the east and south-east
-plains, from Daigny and the valley of Givonne to Bazeilles. Hence, it
-was evident, even at so early a date, that the French army had only the
-strip of small country to the north and east of Sedan, between the right
-bank of the Meuse and the Ardennes, by which to make good their retreat
-on Mézières. And of this narrow space, the defile of St. Albert alone
-was available for the passage of large bodies of soldiers.
-
-The Prussian outposts were already in Vendresse and Donchery. Could they
-succeed in moving further north before the French started, they might
-cut off the retreat of the whole army.
-
-The movements of the French in these straits had been extremely
-perplexing to us. They must have known their situation, if not on the
-29th, certainly on the 30th and 31st. Why, then, did they not keep to
-the left bank of the Meuse, and seize the only available strong position
-visible on that side--the Heights of Marfée, which they could have held,
-and the possession of which would have covered their retreat along the
-defile of St. Albert? Instead of doing so, they chose to fall back on
-Sedan; a trap out of which no sane man, military or civilian, could,
-under the circumstances, expect an army to free itself. These positions
-were occupied by the Prussians at the earliest possible moment. But even
-if the French could not have come up by the left bank of the Meuse,
-they might, as late as the night of the 31st, have retreated by
-Moncelle, the plain of Floing, and the right bank of the river. Thus, at
-all events, they would have got clear of the enemy's heavy guns, which
-assailed them from the hills in front; and would have had some chance of
-meeting their foes on more equal terms. But they went to their
-destruction like men in a dream.
-
-Late that evening, several large batches of wounded came into the
-Caserne. These kept us employed till after midnight, when we slipped out
-and ascended the fortifications, that we might look once more at the
-still blazing village, the name of which we had not then heard. Of
-course it was Douzy. And now we perceived, by the innumerable camp-fires
-gleaming around us on all sides, that we were close to the ill-fated
-army, of which Marshal MacMahon held the command. To-morrow it would
-cease to exist, and with it the Napoleonic Empire would come to an end.
-
-[Illustration:
-
-    BATTLE OF SEDAN
-    Positions at Daybreak
-    Sept^r. 1^{st}. 1870.
-
-    French                      | Germans
-    A _12^{th} Corps (Lebrun_)  | G _Prussian Guards_
-    B _1^{st}    " (Ducrot)_    | S _Saxons_
-    C _5^{th}    " (Wimpffen)_  | Bav. _Bavarians_
-    D _7^{th}    " (Doucey)_    | W _Wurtembergers_
-    E _Cavalry_                 |
-
-    _London, John Murray, Albemarle Street._
-    E. Weller]
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IV.
-
-THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER, 1870.--EXPERIENCES AT THE CASERNE.--WOUNDED
-HORSES.--THE FRENCH RETREAT BECOMES A STAMPEDE.--SOLDIERS DESPAIR.
-
-
-Full of strange forebodings, I retired to the guard-room at the end of
-the building which overlooked the town, where Père Bayonne, our
-Dominican chaplain, Hewitt, and myself had our stretchers. Tired out, I
-slept as soundly as if nothing had happened, or was to happen. But about
-a quarter to five on the following morning,--that historic Thursday, the
-1st of September,--Père Bayonne and I were aroused by the strange and
-terrible sound of roaring cannon. We heard the shells whizzing
-continually, and by-and-by the prolonged peals of the mitrailleuse. On
-looking out, we saw a thick mist lying along the valley, and clinging
-about the slopes of the hills in front of us. Presently it cleared away;
-the morning became beautifully fine, and the sun shone forth with genial
-warmth.
-
-Immediately beneath us lay the town, with its double fortifications, and
-its trenches filled by the Meuse, which seemed a silver thread winding
-through a charmingly wooded and delightful country. The whole range of
-hills which commanded the town was occupied by the Prussians; and we
-could see their artillery and battalions in dark blue, with their spiked
-helmets and their bayonets flashing in the sunlight.
-
-Neither had we long to wait before 150 guns were, each in its turn,
-belching out fire and smoke. For the first couple of hours the heaviest
-part of the fighting was kept up from the left and further extremity of
-this range of hills. But as the morning wore on, the guns immediately
-opposite us opened fire, although the main body of the Prussians had not
-yet come up the valley into view. The plains and hills to the north and
-north-east of the town and immediately behind us were covered with
-French troops, the nearest being a regiment of the Line, a Zouave
-regiment, and a force of cuirassiers. It was magnificent to see the
-bright helmets and breast-plates of the latter gleaming in the sun, as
-they swept along from time to time, and took up fresh positions. I
-watched them suddenly wheel and gallop at a headlong pace for some
-hundred yards, then stop as they were making a second wheel, and tear up
-to the edge of a wood on a piece of high ground, where they remained
-motionless. A regiment of the Line then advanced, and opened fire across
-them, down into the valley beneath the wood; while for twenty minutes a
-hot counter-fire was kept up by a force of advancing Prussians, the
-French still moving forward, and leaving plenty of work for us in their
-rear. As the firing ceased, the cuirassiers, who had been up till then
-motionless spectators of the scene, suddenly began to move, first at a
-walk, then breaking into a trot, and, finally, having cleared the corner
-of the wood, into full gallop. They dashed down the valley of Floing and
-were quickly lost to our view. This was the beginning, as I afterwards
-learned, of one of the most brilliant feats of the French arms during
-that day. It has been graphically described by Dr. Russell, the war
-correspondent of the _Times_. Beyond doubt, until noon, when all chance
-of success vanished, the French fought bravely. I shall here instance
-one out of many personal feats of valour, which came under our notice.
-
-While I was assisting in dressing a wounded soldier, he told me the
-following story, which was subsequently corroborated by one of his
-officers who came to see him. This soldier was St. Aubin, of the Third
-Chasseurs d'Afrique, concerning whom I shall have more to say by-and-by.
-He was only twenty-three, and a tall, fair, handsome fellow. He had been
-in action for seven hours, and had received a bayonet thrust through the
-cheek. His horse was shot under him during the flight of the French
-towards Sedan. Still undismayed, he provided himself with one of the
-chassepots lying about, and falling in with a body of Marines, the best
-men in the French army, he, in company with this gallant band, faced the
-enemy again. Numbers of his companions fell; he himself got a bullet
-through the right elbow. Promptly tearing his pocket handkerchief into
-strips with his teeth, he tied up his wounds, and securing his wrist to
-his belt, seized his sword, determined to fight on. Unfortunately, the
-fragment of a shell struck him again, shattering the right shoulder. In
-this plight he mounted a stray horse, and, as he told me, holding his
-sword in his teeth, put spurs to his steed, and joined his companions at
-Sedan, where he sank out of the saddle through sheer exhaustion and loss
-of blood.
-
-Early in the day vigorous fighting was going on outside the town, about
-Balan and Bazeilles, and between us and the Belgian frontier. As early
-as ten o'clock, it was evident that the Prussians were extending their
-line of fire on both sides, with the ultimate object of hemming in the
-French army, now being slowly forced back upon the town. By eleven
-o'clock, the plains to the north and east between us and the Belgian
-frontier were occupied by dense masses of the French; and at noon, the
-Prussian artillery on the hills in front turned their fire over our
-heads, on the French troops behind us. From this moment, we found
-ourselves in the thick of the fight. Around us on every side raged a
-fierce and bloody conflict. The Prussian guns in front, which had kept
-up an intermittent fire since early morning, now seemed to act in
-concert, and the roaring of cannon and whizzing of shells became
-continuous. It was an appalling medley of sounds; and we could scarcely
-hear one another speak.
-
-During this murderous fire, we received into our hospital twenty-eight
-officers of all grades (among them two colonels), and nearly 400 men of
-all arms. Occasionally, one of the shells which were passing over us in
-quick succession would fall short, striking, at one time, the roof of
-our Hospital or the stone battlements in front, at another the
-earthworks or a tree within the fort. One of these shells burst at the
-main entrance, close to where I was at work, killing two _infirmiers_
-and wounding a third,--the first two were, indeed, reduced to a mass of
-charred flesh, a sight of unspeakable horror. A second shell burst close
-to the window of the ward, in which Drs. MacCormac, Nicholl, Tilghman,
-and May were operating, chipping off a fragment of the corner stone; a
-third struck the coping wall of the fortification overhanging the town,
-about twenty feet from our mess-room window; and a fragment entered, and
-made a hole in the ceiling. The bomb-proof over our heads came in for a
-shower of French mitrailleuse bullets, which so frightened our cook that
-he upset a can of savoury horseflesh soup, which he had prepared for us.
-But, to add to the danger, about half-past two a detachment of
-artillery, bringing with them three brass nine-pounders, came into our
-enclosure (for, as I have said, the guns supposed to be guarding our
-fort were absolute dummies), and opened a hot fire on the enemy, in the
-vain attempt to enable Ducrot's contingent to join De Wimpffen at Balan.
-It was a brave and determined effort, but as futile as it was rash, for
-it brought the Prussian fire down upon us; and in less than half an
-hour, the French had to abandon their guns, which were soon dismantled,
-while the trenches about them were filled with dead and wounded. At one
-time, Dr. May and I counted on the plain a rank of eighty-five dead
-horses, exclusive of the maimed. The sufferings of these poor brutes,
-which were as a rule frightfully mutilated, seemed to call for pity
-almost as much as those of the men themselves. For the men, if wounded
-very badly, lay still, and their wants were quickly attended to; but the
-horses, sometimes disembowelled, their limbs shattered, kept wildly
-struggling and snorting beneath dismounted gun-carriages and upturned
-ammunition waggons, until either a friendly revolver or death from
-exhaustion put an end to their torment.
-
-Everywhere on this plain, to the north of the town, there was now the
-most hopeless confusion. The soldiers, utterly demoralised--more than
-half of them without arms--were hugging the ramparts in dense masses,
-seeking thus to escape the deadly fire directed on them by the advancing
-Prussians. It was clear that the fortunes of the day were going against
-the French; and if we ask the reason, some reply may be found in the
-testimony of a Colonel, who told us, with sobs and tears, that for six
-hours he had been under fire, and had received no orders from his
-General. A little later on, about half-past three, an officer, carrying
-the colours of his regiment, rushed into our Hospital in a state of the
-wildest excitement, crying out that the French had lost, and entreating
-Dr. May to hide his flag in one of our beds,--a request with which the
-latter indignantly refused to comply.
-
-About a quarter to four, although the din of battle was still raging, we
-could see the white flag flying, and rumours of a truce were current.
-The space round the Caserne D'Asfeld was at this time crowded with
-troops; and a knot of them were wrangling for water about our well,
-which, being worked only by a windlass and bucket, gave but a scanty
-supply. The events that now followed have been described by the French
-as an attempt on the part of Ducrot to get his forces through the town,
-and out by the Balan gate, there to reinforce General Wimpffen, and
-sustain his final attempt to break through the German lines. But what
-really happened was this: The French, aware that the battle was lost,
-had become panic-stricken, and getting completely out of the control of
-their officers, their retreat on Sedan was, in plain truth, the stampede
-of a thoroughly disorganised and routed army. It was a strange sight,
-and by no means easy to picture. A huge and miscellaneous collection of
-men, horses, and materials were jammed into a comparatively small space,
-all in the utmost disorder and confusion. Soldiers of every
-branch--cavalry, infantry, artillery--flung away their arms, or left
-them at different places, in stacks four or five feet high. Heedless of
-command, they made for the town by every available entrance. And I saw
-French officers shedding tears at a spectacle, which no one who was not
-in arms against them could witness without grief and shame.
-
-A Colonel, who had carried his eagles with honour through the battles of
-Wörth and Weissenburg, related how he had buried the standard of his
-regiment, together with his own decorations, and burned his colours, to
-save them from falling into the hands of the enemy. All these officers
-had but one cry: "_Nous sommes trahis!_" openly declaring that the loss
-of their country, and the dishonour of its arms, were due to the perfidy
-and incompetence of their statesmen and generals. That some of these
-allegations of treason were well founded is beyond question: the
-universal incompetency we saw with our own eyes.
-
-I observed one remarkable incident during this state of general
-disorder. A regiment of Turcos came into our enclosure with their
-officers, in perfect order, fully armed and accoutred. These
-gaunt-looking fellows, fierce, bronzed, and of splendid physique, stood
-stolid and silent, with their cloaks, hoods, and gaiters still
-beautifully white. Watching for some minutes, I noticed a movement among
-them, and they commenced a passionate discussion in their own tongue,
-evidently on a subject of interest to them all. In another minute the
-conclusion was manifest. Approaching the parapet in small parties, and
-clubbing their rifles, they smashed off the stocks against the
-stonework, and flung the pieces into the ditch beneath. In like manner
-they disposed of their heavy pistols and side-arms. Then, having lighted
-their cigarettes, they relapsed into a state of silent and dreamy
-inactivity, in which not a word was spoken.
-
-Along the roads leading to the gates of the town, more particularly
-along the one beneath us, streamed a dense mass of soldiers belonging to
-various regiments, with numbers of horses ridden chiefly by officers,
-and some waggons, all bearing headlong down on the gates. As they passed
-over the narrow bridges, literally in tens of thousands, packed close
-together, some horses and a few men were pushed over the low parapet
-into the river, and many of the fugitives were trodden under foot. At
-length, between four and five P.M., the firing gradually slackened. For
-some time it was still kept up, but in a desultory manner, towards
-Balan. At half-past five it ceased altogether; and the sensation of
-relief was indescribable.
-
-The grounds about the Caserne D'Asfeld had, in the meanwhile, become
-packed with runaway soldiers, whose first exploit was forcibly to enter
-our kitchen and store-rooms, and plunder all they could lay hands on. Of
-course, they were driven to these acts by the exigencies of the
-situation. The blame for such excesses cannot but attach to that centre
-of all corruption, the French Commissariat, which broke down that day as
-it had done at every turn during the whole campaign. We had some wounded
-men in the theatre, Place de Turenne, down in Sedan; but the streets and
-squares were so densely crowded that it was with difficulty some of our
-staff could make their way to them. All were now burning with anxiety to
-know whether the French would surrender, or hostilities be resumed on
-the morrow. A continuance of the struggle, as we felt, would mean that
-some hundred and twenty thousand soldiers, and ourselves along with
-them, were to be buried in the ruins of Sedan.
-
-Our fears, however, were soon allayed. Before nightfall we heard that
-the Emperor had opened negotiations with the German King, and that the
-capitulation was certain.
-
-At last darkness set in. The stillness of the night was unbroken, save
-for a musical humming sound as if from a mighty hive of bees;--it was
-the murmur of voices resounding from the hundred thousand men caged
-within the beleaguered city. As we stood for a moment on the
-battlements, sniffing the cool air, with which was still intermingled
-the gruesome odour of the battlefield, how impressive a sight met our
-gaze! Bazeilles was burning; its flames lit up the sky brilliantly, and
-brought out into clear relief the hills and valleys for miles around;
-they even threw a red glare over Sedan itself; while above the site of
-the burning village there seemed to dance one great pillar of fire, from
-which tongues shot out quivering and rocketing into the atmosphere, as
-house after house burst into flames.
-
-The number of Frenchmen wounded during those few hours of which I write,
-is said to have been 12,500. Probably a third of that figure would
-represent the number of Prussian casualties. As for our own ambulance,
-during that day it afforded surgical aid to 100 officers and 524 men.
-The number of those killed will never be known; all I can state is, that
-in places the French were mown down before our eyes like grass. There is
-a thicket on a lonely hill side, skirting the Bois de Garenne, within
-rifleshot of the Caserne D'Asfeld, where six and thirty men fell close
-together. There they were buried in one common grave; and few besides
-myself remain to tell the tale.
-
-Such is the story of Sedan as I beheld it, and as faithful a record as I
-can give from my own experience, of that never-to-be-forgotten 1st of
-September, 1870.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER V.
-
-THE BURNING OF BAZEILLES.--WORTHLESS FRENCH OFFICERS.--A WALK ABOUT
-SEDAN.--IN THE VALLEY.
-
-
-To our labours in the Hospitals I shall presently return. On the 31st,
-Drs. Frank and Blewitt had established a branch hospital at Balan, and
-during that day and 1st September, had rendered assistance, both there
-and at Bazeilles, to those who were wounded in the street-fighting or
-injured by the flames. Dr. Blewitt informed me that at one time, the
-house in which they were treating a large number of wounded had its
-windows and doors so riddled with bullets, that, in order to escape with
-their lives, they had to lie down on the floor, and remain there until
-the leaden shower was over. The French inhabitants also, he said, had
-fired upon the Bavarians; they had set their bedding and furniture
-alight, and thrown them out on the heads of the Germans, who were packed
-close in the streets; and after the first repulse of the invaders,
-several wounded Prussians had been barbarously butchered, some even
-(horrible to relate) had had their throats cut with razors. This, it
-was reported, had been the work of French women. On the other hand,
-several of the native soldiers had been found propped up against the
-walls in a sitting posture, with pipes and flowers in their mouths. Upon
-retaking the village, when the Germans discovered what had been done,
-they retaliated by shooting down and bayoneting all before them, nor in
-some instances did the women and children escape this cruel fate. So
-exasperated, indeed, were the Germans by the events of those two
-dreadful hours on the 1st, that not a life did they spare, nor a house
-did they leave intact, in that miserable town.
-
-Such, in brief, was the history of Bazeilles. It is not a subject which
-one can dwell upon. When, within a day or two later, I had occasion to
-pass through it, and saw the still burning ruins which bore witness to
-the awful deeds done on both sides, my heart sank. All that fire and
-sword could wreak upon any town and its inhabitants was visible here;
-and it is not too much to affirm that, so long as the name of Bazeilles
-is remembered, a stain will rest on the memory of French and Germans,
-both of whom contributed to its ruin.
-
-On the 5th September Dr. Frank took possession of the Château Mouville,
-which belonged to the Count de Fienne. It is situated between Balan and
-Bazeilles, and was quickly filled with wounded from both places. But
-for some time our ambulance was unable to get its waggons through the
-streets, so impeded were they with the charred remains of the dead and
-dying.
-
-I have now described what I can vouch for, on the testimony of some of
-my companions, as having occurred at these two places; and I will leave
-my own account of what I saw myself in Bazeilles until a later occasion.
-
-To go back to Sedan. As night drew near, the refugees outside the
-Caserne lighted their fires, and put up their tents. Those who had no
-tents rolled themselves in their cloaks, and lay down just where they
-happened to be. All were overcome by fatigue, long marches, and want of
-food and sleep; they seemed only too glad to rest anywhere, and to enjoy
-a respite from the sufferings and hardships which during so many days
-had weighed upon them.
-
-The true story of these unhappy soldiers will never become known in
-detail; and if it did, the public would hardly believe it. Many of them
-started, as I heard from their own lips, with only two-thirds of the kit
-they were booked as having received. In some instances their second pair
-of boots were wanting; or, if not, the pair supplied had thick brown
-paper soles covered with leather, and were often a misfit. The men, as
-we read with perfect accuracy in _La Débâcle_, were marched and
-countermarched to no purpose; they received contradictory orders; and I
-learned from their statements, that neither general officers nor
-subalterns knew whither they were going; and that one corps was
-constantly getting foul of the other, simply from not being acquainted
-with the map of the district in which they found themselves. More than
-one declared to me that their officers were _officiers de salon;_ they
-were _canaille_, said the men, who when under fire were the first to
-seek shelter, and from their position of security to cry "_En avant, mes
-braves!_" In fact, the common soldiers felt and expressed the heartiest
-contempt for them. Of this I had abundant evidence. It was enough to see
-how the rank and file came into the cafés and sat down beside the
-officers of their own regiment, as I have seen them do, taking hardly
-any notice of them, or deigning them only the lamest of salutes. On the
-other hand, when officers came into a café (which they did upon every
-possible occasion), the men would pretend not to see them. I have
-observed, not once, but scores of times, captains of the Line, wearing
-decorations, seated in taverns drinking beer and absinthe with the
-common soldiers. They were as despicable in their familiarities as in
-their want of courage; and who can be surprised if their men did not
-respect them, or wonder that such leaders had no control over the
-privates when in action?
-
-As I mentioned before, we treated a number of officers of high grade
-who were wounded on the 1st. They, in their turn, did not hesitate to
-show how small was the confidence which they reposed in the grades above
-them, by insisting that they had been sold and betrayed. They had
-received no orders; and the generals of division had failed to make
-their different marches in the appointed time, and to bring up their
-commissariat, because their movements were hampered by the Emperor and
-his staff, with their infinite baggage and useless attendants.
-Statements such as these, together with what I witnessed myself,
-convinced me in a very short time that it was not the soldiers of France
-who were wanting in courage and endurance, but their officers who were
-thoroughly incompetent, and their commissariat and whole military
-organisation, which was rotten to the core.
-
-But to my Hospital. As I walked around the building the sight was
-picturesque and very human,--the camp fires showing all the ground
-strewn beneath the great trees with jaded sleepers. Entering by one of
-the doors, I stumbled against something, which turned out to be a
-slumbering Turco. The fellow yelled out words quite unintelligible to
-me, and rolled over, without giving himself any more trouble, out of my
-way. The medical staff now retired, and attacked what bread, meat, and
-soup had been saved from the depredators of our larder that morning;
-after which we resumed work once more. We were kept at it the whole of
-that night, the following day, and some hours of the night after that,
-without intermission. During the whole of the next day we were engaged
-in receiving and conveying wounded men from the cottages and farmsteads
-scattered over the plains at Illy and Floing, all of which were crammed
-with disabled combatants. My duty in the Caserne was to dress the
-lightly wounded, and assist at the operation table until the afternoon,
-when I was desired by our kind and considerate chief to take four hours
-off duty, and get some sleep.
-
-Instead, however, of taking this rest, which no doubt one required, I
-sallied forth with F. Hayden on an expedition into the town, to the
-Croix d'Or, where I had left something on the 31st, which I thought I
-might recover. We found it hard to get out of our own enclosure; and
-even on the steep path leading to the town, men were lying asleep, while
-others roamed about in search of food. But when we got into Sedan, the
-streets were thronged with soldiers. At several corners we stopped to
-see men who were hacking and hewing the carcases of horses, which they
-had just killed. Hungry crowds surrounded them, many of whom were
-munching the lumps of raw meat, which they had secured, without waiting
-to have it cooked; and in the Place de Turenne lay the bloody skeletons
-of two horses, from which every particle of flesh had been cut away.
-Here, as our cook, "nigger Charlie," assured me, was the source of my
-morning's meal, which I had washed down with brandy, and thoroughly
-relished. I may be pardoned for turning quickly from the revolting
-scene.
-
-Finding that it was impossible to proceed, we retraced our steps to the
-Caserne, and, making our exit this time through one of the sallyports,
-went over the scene, at least in part, of yesterday's battle.
-
-It was a beautiful autumn evening, and the sun shone bright. Butterflies
-flitted to and fro, and myriads of insects danced in the light as if for
-a wager. Just as we were walking along the entrenchments outside, we
-very nearly met with an inglorious end from a shower, not of bullets,
-but of _pistols_, which came over the battlements, and continued falling
-at intervals. On looking up, I perceived, standing on a projecting
-angle, a stalwart Turco, who made signs that I should keep in close to
-the parapet, which I did. This friendly fellow persuaded his comrades to
-desist for a little, and thus enabled us to retreat.
-
-On getting clear of the ramparts, we found ourselves north of the town,
-with the Bois de Garenne crowning the heights in front, and the valley
-of Floing sloping away to our left. But the plateau which yesterday
-swarmed with a surging mass of soldiers in conflict with the enemy, and
-upon which we had seen the Cuirassiers and Chasseurs d'Afrique, at the
-sound of the trumpet, tear headlong in their mad career to death,--was
-now hushed, and presented a field of such horrors as are not to be
-described.
-
-The burying parties had been hard at work for hours, but still the dead
-lay scattered about on every side:--here singly, there in twos and
-threes,--and again, in groups huddled together, which had been mown down
-where they stood, by the same missile. Their features in some instances
-were contorted and dreadful to behold,--some with portions of their
-skulls and faces blown away, whilst what was left of their features
-remained unchanged; others with their chests torn open and bowels
-protruding; others, again, mangled and dismembered. The larger number
-lay either on their backs or faces, without any apparent indication of
-the nature of their death-wound. And some there were who had received
-the first aid of surgical treatment, and died in the positions in which
-they had been placed.
-
-Lower down the valley the corpses in red and blue, and the ranks of dead
-horses, the broken spears and sabres, and the bent scabbards, spoke
-silently but forcibly of the fury of that historic encounter. When one
-looked along the plain for about half a mile on each side, one saw that
-now deserted battlefield strewn as far as the eye could reach with
-guns, and ammunition, and upturned waggons. There were carriages, and
-dead horses by the side of them; firearms of every kind, in places
-stacked several feet high, and knapsacks innumerable; caps, helmets,
-belts, plumes, shakos, spurs, and boots, and every description
-imaginable of military accoutrements. We remarked, besides, all manner
-of articles--sponges, brushes, letters, pocket-books, soldiers'
-regimental books, band-music, tin boxes various in size, and showing the
-most diverse contents, others empty and their former contents scattered
-about; as also nets for hay, saddles, saddle-trappings, whips, bridles,
-bits, drums, portions of band instruments, and, in fact, as many
-descriptions of objects great and small as would furnish an immense
-bazaar.
-
-In one place I found a chassepot inverted together with a bayonet, set
-at the head of a French soldier's grave, and a cavalry sword which lay
-unsheathed beside its owner, who, still unburied, gazed vacantly in
-front of him with a glassy stare, whilst the flies swarmed about his
-half-opened mouth. The only indication of how he met his death was a
-small patch of blood-stained earth beside him--not red, but tarry-black.
-Near at hand, also, lay, covered with blood, a bit and bridle, without
-anything to betoken how it came there.
-
-The dismal monotony of the scene was relieved only by those little
-mounds of fresh earth scattered here and there, which marked where the
-bodies of the slain, varying from one to ten in each place of sepulture,
-had been consigned. Burials were still going on before our eyes.
-
-Over many of the graves were set up rustic crosses, made with two pieces
-of wood tied together, or more frequently devices in arms.
-
-Silent as the prospect lay in front of us, its mournful stillness was
-occasionally broken by the neighing and scampering of bands of horses,
-still uncaptured, which were wandering in a fruitless search for food
-and water. As they looked wildly round with their nostrils
-distended,--some with just sufficient trappings left to indicate the
-military status of their former masters,--one could almost think that,
-still unconquered, they sought their comrades and the fray.
-
-In my ramble I passed through several gardens and orchards skirting the
-Bois de Garenne. It was pitiful to see their condition. The trees were
-utterly ruined, and their branches all broken; the flower beds were
-ploughed up by the bursting of shells, and the houses had become mere
-wrecks. Through some of them these missiles had made a clean breach.
-Further on to the right, there had been a pretty little cemetery,
-planted with yew trees, evergreens, and flowers, which had many small
-monuments in marble and cut stone; but these, for the most part, were
-broken or disfigured, and the iron railings and the shrubs around them
-had been torn down.
-
-As I walked through, I paused for a moment to look upon the two
-graveyards,--the one with a history of centuries, judging from its many
-ancient tombs,--the other of yesterday's making--its only monuments the
-little mounds of fresh earth, over which, a few months hence, the green
-corn of spring would be waving, to obliterate the record of to-day's
-ghastly scene.
-
-Hastening from this melancholy spot, I passed several burying parties.
-The ceremonies which they used were rude and scant enough; for all they
-did was to heave the body into the newly-made grave, and heap the earth
-over it in silence.
-
-Next we ascended the tree-crested height above the plateau of Floing,
-where we had seen the cavalry massed on the morning before. We first
-entered the wood. It was intersected by walks which led to an
-observatory and a Château in the centre. Here, as everywhere else,
-disorder reigned. One might easily have conceived that an army had been
-annihilated in the act of preparing their toilet: for all things
-belonging to a soldier, from his full-dress uniform to his linen and
-boots, were scattered about in all directions. Rifles and arms of all
-sorts were cast away in hundreds. The brushwood in many parts was very
-thick; but even in the midst of almost impenetrable scrub we found arms
-and accoutrements in abundance. More than once we came upon the corpses
-of French soldiers, who lay as if asleep. They had probably dragged
-themselves from the scene of carnage to this lonely spot, and there
-expired, unmolested.
-
-At one place in particular the underwood was so thick, that I had to
-crouch down in order to get through it. My attention was drawn thither
-by the signs of a path having been forced in that direction. A little
-further in, I found an open space of a few yards square, which was now
-occupied by a grave. It had no device upon it, except a cross scratched
-in the red clay. Lying beside it, I found a piece of shell, a religious
-picture, a prayer-book, and fragments of a uniform, which I still have
-by me. I fancy some kind comrade had paid his friend a last tribute, by
-giving him, as it were, a special burial in a place to himself.
-
-In order to reach the building in the centre of the wood, I had to pass
-through a little garden, whose only flowers seemed to be rows of
-dahlias, of every colour and description. Among these the shells had
-made havoc. In one bed, I remarked a deep hole where a shell had fallen,
-and some of the plants had been lifted several feet away. In other
-places, furrows of some yards in length were made by shot and shell, as
-if a plough had worked intermittently here and there. Some were deep,
-others just skimmed the surface and ran a zigzag course, as if a
-gigantic animal had been turning up the ground with his muzzle. The
-building, into which I made my way, seemed to be an observatory or
-pavilion, belonging to the Château, which stood some distance behind.
-Its doors and wood-work were riddled with bullets, and the roof was
-blown away. There, curiously enough, a large quantity of music was
-strewn about. Under cover of this wood, the Bois de Garenne, we had seen
-the French massing their troops; and they had evidently been lying here
-in ambush when the Prussians detected and shelled them, before the final
-rout, during which they abandoned their arms and ammunition. Down the
-slope of the hill, and in the bottom of the valley facing the Meuse,
-dead men and horses, with groups of hastily-dug graves,--many of them
-German,--and broken spears, and numbers of unsheathed cavalry swords,
-told the same tale of a death struggle in which hundreds must have
-perished.
-
-Further along the valley, beside a lonely thicket, was a large mound
-with a stake driven into it, and an inscription in German characters,
-made with some material which looked like blacking, "Here lie thirty-six
-men of the 5th corps". Who shall reckon the number of French dead in the
-many graves adjacent?
-
-As my time was up, I now hastened back to my post, feeling like one who
-had awakened from a terrible nightmare. Yet I was much invigorated by
-this expedition, so mournful in its circumstances, and went to work with
-renewed energy.
-
-On the evening of the 3rd, word was brought us that some of the wounded
-lay in a bad way in a cottage outside Balan. Dr. MacCormac, accompanied
-by Dr. Hewitt and myself, at once proceeded through the town and along
-the high road, which we followed only for a short distance. Then we
-struck out to the left until we arrived at a small wood, where certain
-of the French troops were still encamped, but as prisoners.
-
-The night was fine, and would have been pitch dark had not the camp
-fires shone around numerous and bright. When we came to the house in
-question, Dr. MacCormac performed several amputations, at which Hewitt
-and I assisted. In a couple of hours we started again for home, but
-being both hungry and thirsty, turned aside into a little cottage, where
-we told the poor woman in occupation that we had been attending the
-wounded, and had had nothing to eat all day. We were willing to pay for
-anything she could give us. At first she looked at us sternly; but when
-we told her on which side we had been engaged, she melted, and received
-us with a welcome, which, if not effusive, was, under the circumstances,
-cordial.
-
-Out of her larder she offered us bread, and a quantity of what she
-informed us was beef. We could not be particular; and it was not without
-enjoyment that we made our doubtful, but much needed supper on her
-viands. No further incident delayed our return to the Caserne D'Asfeld.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VI.
-
-WORK IN THE HOSPITAL.--THE ISLE OF IGES.--MY ARAB HORSE.--PRISONERS SENT
-INTO GERMANY.
-
-
-I do not intend entering here into full details of our work during this
-eventful period. But, to give unprofessional readers some idea of its
-nature and extent, I may state, that after the battles of August 31st,
-and 1st September, we had 72 amputations of upper and lower extremities,
-the great majority of which operations were performed by Dr. MacCormac.
-Besides these, there were scores of equal magnitude--ligatures of
-arteries of the neck, arm, and thigh,--and a host of operations, which,
-in comparison, are usually termed minor, most of which, especially when
-very serious, were accomplished by the same skilful hand. After the
-hurry and rush of the first few days, we adopted a general routine of
-work, and divided the number of wounded equally among the staff of
-surgeons and assistants. We were eighteen, all told. Dr. Marion Sims was
-our head, Dr. MacCormac our chief operator, Dr. Webb our _comptable_,
-and Mr. Harry Sims our storekeeper. As I stated before, Drs. Frank and
-Blewitt managed a branch hospital in the Château Mouville, where they
-rendered to the victims of fire, sword, shot, and shell, of bullet and
-bayonet, the most signal assistance at the imminent peril of their
-lives.
-
-Thus for our three hundred and eighty wounded at the Caserne D'Asfeld we
-had but twelve men, six being surgeons, and six assistants and
-_sous-aides_; so that the number of wounded which fell to the share of
-each surgeon and his assistant was sixty-three. Almost every case
-occupying a bed in the hospital was of a serious nature, such as to
-require much time and care in dressing it daily. But, besides, we had to
-dress the lightly wounded who came to our hospital for inspection, and
-who were quartered in the town wherever they could find room. The work
-was simply enormous. We rose at six and breakfasted at half-past seven
-upon horseflesh soup, or coffee and condensed milk (Mallow brand) with
-musty bread, for our special supply of provisions was exhausted, and
-neither bread nor beef could be obtained at any price. The duties to
-which we then applied ourselves are easily imaginable; they included the
-setting of fractures, extracting of bullets, ligaturing arteries,
-resecting bones and joints, and assisting at the operation table. This
-last was frequently my province. I was under Dr. May, an experienced
-American surgeon, who, as I have mentioned earlier, had served in the
-Confederate Army. No one could be more considerate. We worked most
-agreeably together, and soon were the best of friends.
-
-During the press of the first few days, we juniors had lots of bullets
-to extract and plenty of minor surgery; for although we were not
-supposed to perform any operation, yet under the strain of necessity we
-could not but often neglect this otherwise wholesome arrangement. Every
-day numberless operations were gone through, at which we assisted in
-turn; and thus had what we sometimes thought more than enough of
-practical surgery. I spare the reader details; yet only perhaps by such
-ghastly touches as are here omitted, can the nature and ravages of war
-be truly described.
-
-At one o'clock the meal which we took resembled our breakfast, with the
-addition of a little brandy; then we fell to work again, sometimes not
-giving over until six, when we had supper, which was a repetition of our
-other meals,--coffee or horseflesh soup, and sometimes horseflesh with
-black bread and brandy. Then each took his turn of night duty. It was
-very important to keep strict watch on the infirmarians, all soldiers
-under the direction of a sergeant who remained in the guard-room when on
-duty. We still owed allegiance to the French, and were nominally under
-the Intendant Militaire, M. Bilotte. This gentleman paid us a daily
-visit, and laid under requisition all the provisions he could get in the
-neighbourhood, which was not much, considering that the presence of
-200,000 men had involved the consumption of every particle of food in
-the town and the surrounding villages.
-
-Being junior member of the Ambulance Staff, I came first on night duty
-and took my position on a stretcher in the guard-room, where it was all
-I could do to keep myself awake. My eyes would close in spite of
-resolution, and I sometimes awoke just in time to escape a reprimand
-when Dr. Marion Sims came round at midnight to make his inspection. As a
-veteran in the American War he kept the strictest discipline, and
-occasionally made our blood run cold by a description of the penalties
-inflicted during that lively time for the smallest dereliction of duty.
-However, except that a dozen or so of poor sufferers required morphia to
-tranquillise them, nothing occurred until the small hours of the
-morning, when it struck me that some of the _infirmiers_ might be, like
-myself, inclined to doze. Accordingly, I went round and looked them up.
-
-All were stirring, except the infirmarians of wards 2 and 5, who were
-stretched out, one on a bench, another on the ground, fast asleep. I
-kicked them up to attention, and left them certainly more frightened
-than hurt. On my reporting the matter, as I was bound, next morning, the
-sleepy delinquents were put in the cells for twenty-four hours.
-
-Later on, one of them had twice as much punishment for the same offence.
-Poor fellows, I could not really blame them.
-
-A source of disturbance during the night was the droves of loose horses,
-principally Arabs, that kept neighing and pawing the pavement outside
-the building, in their endeavour to reach the water which was stored in
-buckets near the open windows. Every night, as their thirst increased,
-they became more frantic; and during the daytime they came in dozens,
-drawn by the scent of water, all the while kicking each other furiously.
-Some had bridles, some mere fragments of their trappings, and the rest
-had got quit of all their furniture. It was novel to see these chargers
-careering about in demi-toilette. In a few days, however, all the
-wounded animals, now become useless, were shot; the others were brought
-together--chiefly by the sound of the trumpet, to which they quickly
-answered--and were picketed in the valley beyond the Meuse and above
-Donchery.
-
-One morning Hayden and I made an expedition, and secured two of them.
-Mine was a fine chestnut Arab, which I kept tied to a tree in our
-enclosure, while one of my _infirmiers_ contrived to get fodder for him
-outside the ramparts, in addition to what I could procure myself from
-the ambulance stores. Mounted on our captures, Hayden and I used
-occasionally to explore the country during our hours off duty.
-Afterwards, when leaving Sedan, we turned them out again upon the
-plains, where, doubtless, they enjoyed a short-lived freedom. Some of
-the unsound horses, which the Prussians did not require, they sold for a
-trifle to the inhabitants. I saw a remarkably useful pair of horses,
-apparently sound and in good condition, which were sold by auction in
-the Place de Turenne for twelve francs, that is to say, ten shillings
-the pair. But we must bear in mind that, with a little vigilance, and by
-evading the Prussian pickets, horses might then be had on the plains for
-the trouble of catching them.
-
-What had become, meanwhile, of the defeated and entrapped army of
-prisoners? After much trouble, their officers had got together all that
-remained of the regiments, and had sent in a return of their strength to
-the Prussians. For three days our enclosure was not clear of them. One
-afternoon, when the prisoners had been shut up into their Island "Park,"
-the Isle d'Iges, Hayden and I paid them a visit. It was a melancholy
-sight. That imposing army, which included the best soldiers of France,
-had been marched ignominiously, though 85,000 strong, out of Sedan, and
-penned like sheep in this island, formed by a bend in the Meuse. There
-they were kept in view by Prussian sentinels and mounted pickets. We
-passed the guard without difficulty, for there was no prohibition
-against Red Cross medical men entering the camp. In addition to the
-French rank and file, those officers who refused to take the parole were
-confined upon the island. We saw them to be in a miserable plight, the
-mud up to their ankles, and their clothing scanty and torn. Many had
-lost everything and were wholly without kits. The rain, which had
-succeeded to that brilliant sunshine of the 1st, had now been coming
-down in torrents for twelve hours, and was drenching them to the skin;
-for their tent-accommodation was altogether insufficient, and failed to
-shelter them. Men and officers alike looked miserable.
-
-This open-air prison, I have said, was formed partly by a bend of the
-Meuse, and partly by a broad, deep, and impassable canal. Within such
-narrow limits we observed the captives, who were walking up and down in
-batches, trying to get a little warmth. Some endeavoured to light a
-fire--no easy task with wet sticks--others were making coffee, or busied
-themselves in cutting timber to throw on their smoking branches. Their
-food was a scanty supply of bread and coffee, served out every two days;
-and for this there was quite a scramble, which ended in many failing to
-secure more than enough for a single meal. Thus they were condemned to
-starve until the next supply was served out. We may well ask how such a
-multitude could exist during those weary days, at the mercy of the
-weather, and in a sea of filth. But many died, and the sufferings of
-the rest were deplorable. These poor fellows told us that hundreds of
-them were victims of dysentery, and begged us to give them such opiates
-or astringents as we might have about us. Unfortunately, we could do but
-little under the circumstances.
-
-Whilst I was speaking with a knot of soldiers, my friend fell into
-conversation with a captain of the line, M. le Marquis de ----, of the
-4th Chasseurs d'Afrique. He, too, was suffering from the effects of wet
-and exposure. Hayden, with that generosity for which he was remarkable,
-promised to come the next day, and to bring all the medicine required.
-In return, the captain pressed upon him a fine grey Arab, with bridle
-and saddle, which Hayden accepted, but could not take away then, for the
-guard would not have passed him out. However, when he came the day
-after, with a plentiful supply of medicaments and brandy, he rode an old
-grey _garron_ which he had picked up somewhere, and on his departure
-went off with the captain's beautiful mount;--a change of steeds that
-the Prussian did not trouble to remark.
-
-Every day we saw from our quarters regiment after regiment bundled off
-(there is no other word for it) into Germany. As we watched the whole
-French army slouching away to the sound of Prussian music, I confess
-that some of us had strong language on our lips and still stronger
-feelings in our hearts at the shameful sight. We anathematised the
-enemy, who now seemed to be pursuing their advantage so unrelentingly.
-
-Yet, candour compels me to add, that when I looked at the Prussian
-sentinels guarding our gates and pacing our ramparts, I could not help
-admiring their stern, yet frank and honest countenances, and their
-stalwart physique. A notable contrast, indeed, they presented to the
-stunted, nervous-looking, and worn-out French soldiers, who, however, it
-is only fair to add, were suffering from the effects of long exposure
-and privation, and whom we had seen at their worst. Still, there was a
-difference in the men themselves which no one with eyes in his head
-could fail to observe. What was the explanation of it? He that can reply
-to this question as the truth demands, and he alone, will explain why
-the French campaigns of 1870 and 1871 were such a dismal series of
-misfortunes. The break-down of the Commissariat, the peculation in high
-quarters, the confused plans, and the military disorder must be ascribed
-to causes which were long in action before the French entered on their
-struggle with the Fatherland. I am convinced that those causes were
-moral and intellectual; and that they still exist. The future of France
-will depend on how the nation deals with them.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VII.
-
-MORE WOUNDED.--SIGHTS AFTER THE BATTLE.--A COUNTRY RAMBLE.--HEAVY
-HOSPITAL TASKS.--L'EAU DE ZOUAVE.
-
-
-Every day Sedan became more and more crowded with the soldiers who were
-hurt; and on the 12th we found ourselves so much pressed for room that
-we had to put up thirty-six auxiliary tents, which, for this humane
-purpose, we had stolen from the French.
-
-The first contingent arrived from the neighbourhood of Bazeilles. When
-they came in we saw that the poor fellows were in a bad way, many still
-groaning from the pain of their wounds, which had been much increased by
-their being jolted about in waggons, with only a scanty supply of straw
-beneath them. Some had fractured limbs; others had undergone severe
-surgical treatment, such as amputations; and these latter suffered
-inexpressible torture.
-
-All were craving for food and water, neither of which had been given to
-them during many hours. Some, altogether exhausted, died on the night of
-their arrival. One detachment of the sufferers had been allotted to Dr.
-May and myself; and I heard from a soldier that he, and a number of his
-companions, several of whom had lost their legs, were permitted to
-remain on their backs upon a little straw for whole days, in a deserted
-farmhouse outside Givonne. Their dressings had neither been removed nor
-changed; they had had only water to drink, and a small quantity of musty
-black bread to eat.
-
-Another suffered from a terrible bed-sore, which arose in the same way.
-
-But what was our surprise, when, on the following day, the Germans sent
-us up from the town 130 French wounded, to make room for their own in
-Sedan! They had them conveyed on stretchers; and, as it happened to be a
-pouring wet day, the unhappy men arrived in their new quarters drenched
-to the skin and shivering with cold, for many of them had nothing but a
-light shoddy American blanket to cover them or their tarpaulin.
-
-These new comers, the victims of neglect, exposure, and overcrowding,
-became soon the victims also of fever, secondary hemorrhage, dysentery,
-pyæmia, and hospital gangrene. It cannot be surprising that they died
-every day by the dozen. One morning, in particular, I call to mind that
-there had been fourteen deaths during the night.
-
-Whether it was that the Germans had more wounded of their own than they
-could conveniently attend to,--which I believe was the case,--and were
-therefore unable to look after the French wounded, or that they were
-unwilling to do so, I cannot tell, but I know, from personal
-observation, that large numbers of French soldiers died from the neglect
-which they had undergone previous to entering our hospitals.
-
-I am aware that the Germans have been blamed, on more than one occasion,
-for the fearfully neglected state of the French wounded in the districts
-occupied by them. But I think the true explanation may be found, first
-and foremost, in the great desire which the peasants had to convert
-their houses into ambulances, outside of which they could hang the Red
-Cross flag. Thereby, they exempted themselves from having the invaders
-billeted on them. But also, it was owing to the reluctance which these
-same peasants felt at parting with their wounded, which would have put
-an end to their own immunity. Furthermore, we must take into our account
-the undoubted fact that the Prussians were themselves anxious to leave
-them with the inhabitants, and so get quit of the trouble which it
-involved to transport and treat them surgically. Besides this, so great
-was the dread which the French wounded experienced of being handled by
-German doctors and taken to German hospitals, that, in many instances,
-they persuaded their own people to conceal their presence as long as
-possible. And, all through, we cannot but remember the appalling
-disorganisation and incompetence of the French voluntary ambulances,
-which were never to be found when wanted, and which when they did
-appear, brought with them little or nothing that was necessary to make a
-battlefield ambulance useful. They possessed no stores; they had few
-willing hands or cool heads, and discipline was unknown to them.
-
-I think it but right to add, that once the French were transmitted to a
-German hospital, they invariably (as I can testify from experience) met
-with the greatest kindness at the hands of the military surgeons, and
-had all that science and good order could do for them.
-
-During all this time we were virtually prisoners in the hands of the
-Prussians, and they kept a regular guard upon our quarters, while
-numerous sentries paced up and down the ramparts beside us, as we went
-to and fro. Nevertheless, far from interfering in any way they gave us
-help in every possible manner, and showed us the most marked deference.
-But the sentries who, after nightfall, were placed every fifty yards in
-the streets, were, at first, constantly challenging us, until they came
-to recognise our uniform, and knew who we were.
-
-An incident, which I ought not to pass over, occurred one evening as
-Hayden and I rode out for an airing. We were going along the road which
-led through the Prussian artillery camp outside Donchery, and we met a
-carriage or landau, accompanied by a strong guard of Uhlans, in which
-was a French officer, evidently wounded, for he lay on his back, propped
-up on pillows. Another officer of rank sat beside him. We were informed
-that the wounded prisoner was Marshal MacMahon, and that he was on his
-way to Germany through Belgium; but I have found since that this could
-not have been the case, for Marshal MacMahon was taken away early on the
-day of Sedan itself. Next we trotted on to the cottage at Frénois,
-where, a few days previously, the Emperor had met Count Bismarck. We
-then rode to the Château Bellevue in which Napoléon had had his
-interview with the King of Prussia and the capitulation was signed. Here
-I was shown, and sat upon, the chair in which the fallen Emperor had
-been seated. The pen and ink were shown us, also, with which, as it was
-alleged, the articles had been written. But I felt by no means sure of
-this and told my companion so. It was amusing to see his indignation,
-and the vehement way in which he put down my scepticism, as detracting
-from the interest of our pilgrimage.
-
-Our next move was to inspect some of the enemy's positions on the
-heights of Marfée. Here we could trace no débris of any kind,--a
-sufficiently striking contrast to what we had observed on the other
-side, where one might conceive that myriads of the French had come
-together for a death struggle. Over many of the Prussian graves were
-erected small improvised crosses, with the numbers of the dead marked in
-black paint. Of these graves not a few were afterwards opened, and the
-bodies buried deeper down; for they had been lying so close to the
-surface that the odour became most offensive. The Prussians wisely got
-their dead out of sight quickly, and buried them hastily, without caring
-how imperfectly the work was executed at the time. This they did lest
-the sight of the dead might have a demoralising effect upon the living.
-As we took a zigzag course towards home, we passed close by the railway
-station, and perceived that it was full of wounded men. The Salle
-d'Attente and all the offices and rolling-stock had been converted into
-ambulances. In many of the carriages the partitions had been removed, so
-that they now presented the appearance of a hospital upon wheels.
-
-The sight was interesting to me, for I had been one of the last who had
-travelled in those carriages and alighted on that platform. As we passed
-on we skirted the French camp, and scanned the remaining occupiers--now
-reduced to a handful--of this plague-spot. And before returning, we
-inspected the pontoon bridge which the Prussians had thrown across the
-Meuse upon the evening of the 31st. I had never seen a bridge of the
-kind, and was naturally struck with this wonderful result of an hour's
-labour. By-and-by, fortune gave me an opportunity of seeing a still more
-marvellous bridge of boats, constructed and destroyed on the Loire at
-Orleans.
-
-Next day, when I had finished my work, which consisted, as usual, of
-dressing wounds of every conceivable description, I was despatched by
-Dr. Sims to Dr. Frank at Bazeilles, in order to ascertain what
-additional surgical material was required to carry on his hospital at
-that place. Passing through the town, I noticed that the streets of
-Sedan were no longer overflowing with French soldiers. They were filled
-with Prussians, wearing that grave or stolid expression which marked
-them out so clearly from their adversaries. All the shutters were up,
-the doors closed, and not an inhabitant to be seen. One could imagine
-that the town had been completely deserted before the hostile troops had
-entered.
-
-Such, however, was by no means the case. The inhabitants had shut
-themselves up as a silent protest, and that their eyes might be relieved
-from the spectacle of the invader rejoicing over his victory. For, true
-it is that with a Frenchman, to be out of sight is to be out of mind. A
-few days later came a decree from the German Commandant, obliging the
-citizens to open their doors and shops, and to resume the ordinary
-traffic.
-
-I left the town by the Balan gate, stepped off the high road, which was
-blocked with transport and Commissariat waggons, and took my way through
-the fields. In this short journey of less than a mile, I unwittingly
-stepped over many a grave, and was sometimes made unpleasantly aware of
-the proximity of its occupant to the surface. Having arrived at my
-destination, which was easily found,--for the château was an ancient
-mansion, standing in the midst of fine woods and gardens, and had an
-avenue leading from the village through a handsome entrance.--I
-delivered my orders, and then looked round the hospital. It was airy,
-clean, and commodious, was evidently worked on system, and not
-overcrowded. In attention to this latter point, lies the secret of
-success in a field hospital.
-
-I was privately made aware of an interesting fact, that the pleasant old
-man who went about dressed in a rustic costume, blue blouse, loose
-trousers, and rough shoes, and made himself generally useful, was the
-owner of this pretty place. He had adopted the disguise as a safeguard
-against the Prussians, and in order to keep an eye on his property. From
-time to time, he produced out of his secret stores wine of an old
-vintage and corned meat,--both welcome delicacies during those days of
-horseflesh soup and black bread.
-
-Having done my errand, I walked through a plantation which communicated
-by a wicket with the road leading to the village. More than a week had
-elapsed since our attention was being drawn in the direction of
-Bazeilles by those continued volleys of musketry, and the fearful
-conflagration which had been so conspicuous in the darkness. Yet some of
-the houses were smouldering as I passed through. One of our Ambulance
-surgeons who had been present at the street-fighting, gave a vivid
-description of the scenes enacted there under his own observation; but
-to these I have already alluded, and I shall relate only what I saw.
-Here it was that the dead lay in such heaps that they had to be cleared
-away before the cavalry could pass. Now all were decently buried, except
-such as lay beneath the burning ruins, and of these, people said, there
-were numbers. As the weather was again very close, the odour was in some
-places most disagreeably perceptible. Strewn about was débris of every
-kind; arms, accoutrements, broken furniture and household effects,
-portions of bedding, and shreds of women's and children's clothing. I
-pulled at one piece of a garment which was visible through the débris of
-a ruined house, and fancied that its wearer was lying only a few inches
-beneath. It was a child, so far as I could judge from the dress. That
-thought made me hurry away from the spot with a feeling of sickness.
-Before its downfall, Bazeilles had been a pretty little town, each
-house having its own trees and garden; but now, with the exception of a
-few flowers and shrubs at the Mairie, all had been destroyed. There were
-statues and vases still standing in their place; but not a single thing
-which could lead one to suppose that, a few days previously, this heap
-of ruins had been a thriving village, its streets lined with comfortable
-houses, and its people flourishing.
-
-The village church, standing in the centre of the Square, was a total
-wreck. On entering, I perceived that here, too, the shells had done
-their work effectively; for the altar seemed as if it had been struck
-and shivered to pieces by a mighty hammer. The stone font set in the
-wall was broken to bits, the glass hung in cones from the windows. I
-have kept some of these as memorials to this day. Among the rubbish of
-the altar and tabernacle, I came upon a piece of shell,--the same, no
-doubt, that wrecked the sanctuary. This I have also preserved.
-
-For some time I wandered about the deserted streets, taking in the sad
-sight. So fierce had been the conflagration that the trees were burned
-down to the bare trunks. On turning a corner, I espied at the top of the
-street, facing me, a man with a portfolio and easel in front of him,
-hard at work sketching the ruins. As I approached he gave me a searching
-look, and resumed his work. Later on he came up to the Hospital, and I
-found he was an artist on the staff of the _Illustrated London News._
-In that paper I saw afterwards the sketch he was taking; and a very
-excellent one I judge it to be.
-
-On the way back to my quarters I saw a crowd of children at a convent
-door, from the steps of which two nuns were distributing bread from a
-large basket. These children, I was informed, were some of the innocents
-who had fled with their mothers from the burning village. It made my
-heart ache to see the eagerness with which these half-famished little
-creatures snatched at and began to devour the bread. And now as I slowly
-trudged up the steep path which led to our Hospital, I could not but
-reflect how terrible a curse is war, and what a very faint idea he will
-have of it who has not seen the detestable thing face to face.
-
-Our Hospital work, hitherto very heavy indeed, was now increased by our
-thirty-six tents. All were filled with wounded; and we should soon have
-overtasked our strength, but for the timely assistance which the English
-Society lent us. About the 11th September, Drs. A. O. Mackellar,
-Sherwell, Beck and Warren, and two dressers, accompanied by two English
-nursing Sisters--Miss Pearson and Miss McLoughlin--arrived, the former
-from Metz, the latter from London. They brought a supply of Mallow
-condensed milk and potted beef--a welcome supplement to black coffee
-and horseflesh soup. Up to this we had quite forgotten the outer world;
-and we knew little of the great events which had passed, and were
-passing, outside our own limited experience.
-
-Some days previous to being thus reinforced, several of us were attacked
-by intestinal disorders, from which I, among the number, suffered
-severely. In a few days, the origin of this malady was accounted for.
-The body of a Zouave, in a state of semi-decomposition, was drawn out of
-the well which alone supplied the Hospital.
-
-His presence there was discovered by the bumping of the bucket against
-something soft, when a grappling iron was let down and brought up the
-dead body.... This poor fellow had, we supposed, been wounded slightly
-on the 1st; and, during that night, or the night after, had dragged
-himself to the edge of the well, and had fallen in, probably owing to
-his efforts to procure some relief from his thirst. There was no other
-way of accounting for his presence. Dr. MacCormac christened this well
-"L'Eau de Zouave". I resolved never again to complain of the coarse and
-scanty fare upon which we subsisted; but my blood curdled at the thought
-that this unsavoury and deadly beverage, in the shape of a cold infusion
-of Zouave and brandy, had for some days past been my chief drink. Such
-is war!
-
-The weather, which had been fine and warm since we left Paris, had now
-become wet and stormy. In spite of all we could do, the misery and
-wretchedness of the wounded under canvas was beyond description. For the
-rain came through the tents and soaked their scanty bedding. I occupied
-a small tent in the middle of the others; and to give some notion of the
-weather, I may mention that one night, when I had taken off nearly all
-my clothes (by no means a usual, or always possible, proceeding) and had
-got between the blankets, being stretched on a straw mattress, I awoke
-to find myself in the open air, with the rain and wind beating fiercely
-upon me. The tent had been swept away by a gust of wind. I started out
-of bed, and, standing in the dark, up to my ankles in mud, drenched, and
-not half-dressed, called to the Hospital guard. One of them brought a
-lantern, and guided me to the main building close by, where I found some
-dry clothes, and made up a bed with a few benches in the mess-room. With
-the help of a tumbler of brandy and hot water, and a dose of chlorodyne,
-I had an excellent night's rest in my new quarters.
-
-But this bad weather, exposure, and overcrowding--all things beyond our
-control--brought disaster into our camp. Pyæmia and secondary hemorrhage
-showed themselves everywhere. All our secondary operations died, and I
-regret to say that their places were immediately filled up by the
-Germans, who turned all the French wounded that they could out of the
-principal buildings of the town, and sent them up to us, in order to
-make room for their own. Though the position of the tents was changed,
-and disinfectants used as far as possible, numbers of these new invalids
-had been hardly with us a couple of days when they were seized by the
-same infection. The Hospital had become a centre of the plague, and
-threatened to be a death-trap to all who should be sent thither.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER VIII.
-
-TWO THOUSAND PATIENTS.--NIGGER CHARLIE.--LOUIS ST. AUBIN, CHASSEUR
-D'AFRIQUE.--THE BOY PEYEN.--GUNS CAPTURED IN THE TOWN.
-
-
-THE number of wounded in the care of our Ambulance was at this time,
-roughly speaking, about 500. There were 218 in the Caserne; each of the
-thirty-three tents held 4 patients, and Dr. Frank had in his Hospital
-150 Bavarians. This will make the total given above a fairly accurate
-estimate. During and after the battles of the 31st August, and the 1st
-September, the number of men whose wounds we dressed and attended to,
-without receiving them into the Hospital, was calculated by us at about
-2000. Nor can this be thought excessive, when, within rifle range around
-us, there were of French wounded alone, over 12,500.
-
-A further insight into the magnitude of our labours may be gained from
-the fact that in our Hospital at Sedan we had a total of 436 primary
-operations,--152 for injuries of the upper, and 284 for injuries of the
-lower extremities. Another interesting fact worth recording is, that
-during the battles about Sedan, not a single case of wound by a
-mitrailleuse bullet was met with by any member of our staff.
-
-Dr. Marion Sims assured us that the hardships we endured, and the amount
-of work we actually got through, went beyond the limits of his varied
-experience. To enter at length into details would, besides involving
-obscure technicalities, be tedious to the general reader. I will confine
-myself to a brief account of our Staff and General Management, and
-select from my observations a few interesting cases. I have named the
-original members of our Ambulance, and those who had recently joined us.
-Nor must I forget Père Bayonne, the Dominican Friar, who was a general
-favourite, and untiring in his efforts to deal with the religious wants
-of the dying soldiers--no easy task among Frenchmen. Neither ought I to
-omit M. Monod, our Protestant chaplain, a quiet, gentlemanly man, who
-moved noiselessly about, and slipped little pamphlets with stories of
-the usual type, and sheets of paper with Bible-texts printed on them,
-into the patients' beds as he went along.
-
-But I have yet to mention, at such length as he deserves, one of the
-most notable characters in our Ambulance, our _chef de cuisine_ and
-stud-groom, "Nigger Charlie". He was coal-black, and he and his
-forefathers had been Virginian slaves in Dr. Pratt's family. When the
-slaves were enfranchised, and slavery abolished, Charlie came to Paris
-with his master, whose family were ruined by the emancipation, for all
-their wealth had consisted in their slaves. At Paris, Charlie served Dr.
-Pratt faithfully for years; indeed, he often told me that he loved his
-master more dearly than his life. Dr. Pratt, on the other hand, knew and
-said that in spite of his undoubted devotion, Charlie would sometimes
-steal his money and pawn his plate, after which he would take to his
-heels, coming back only when all he had gained in this unrighteous
-fashion was spent. But, though chastised not too leniently with the
-whip, nothing would induce him to run away for good. It was, in fact,
-impossible to get rid of him.
-
-When, therefore, the negro heard that his master had joined the
-Ambulance, although he had a good salary as courier in an American Bank
-in Paris, he packed up his traps, and, without saying a word, landed
-himself into the train by which we arrived at Sedan. He was a wonderful
-cook, and knew how to serve up horseflesh soup and steaks so as to defy
-detection. He was also a wit of quite a brilliant type, a great rider
-and judge of horses, and as a liar beat all records. But his most
-decided characteristics were hatred of the Yankee, contempt for black
-men, and a chivalrous devotion to white women. I had many a pleasant
-chat with him. His descriptions of slave life in Virginia, as he said it
-went on in nine cases out of ten, and of the happiness of their
-domestic situation and surroundings, were extremely vivid and even
-touching. I presume he was, at any rate, a true witness in his own
-behalf.
-
-Now, as to the exact nature of our Hospital work and its results. It is
-to me a constant subject of regret that our knowledge of the antiseptic
-treatment and drainage of wounds was then only in its beginning.
-Although lint and _charpie_ dressings were used, saturated with carbolic
-solution, yet covered as they were with oiled silk and a bandage, their
-effect was spoiled. Neither was any serious attempt made to render the
-instruments, operating table, and surroundings of the patients, aseptic.
-Hence the high rate of mortality which ensued. Startling, in fact, as
-the statement may appear, I am convinced that if we had refrained from
-performing a single secondary operation at Sedan, our results would have
-turned out far better.
-
-There was associated with every individual in this great host of
-patients an interesting story,--how, when, and where did they receive
-their wounds? And among the number some cases could not fail to be
-exceptionally romantic or affecting. The sketch I have already given of
-Louis St. Aubin's adventures,--that brave Chasseur d'Afrique who was
-thrice wounded on the 1st,--may be taken as an instance; and I will now
-add what happened in the sequel.
-
-St. Aubin came into the Hospital under Dr. May's care and mine. Two days
-afterwards, Dr. MacCormac performed resection of both his joints. But so
-afraid was Louis that advantage might be taken of his induced sleep to
-amputate his arm (a mutilation to which the poor fellow would in no case
-submit) that he refused utterly to be put under chloroform. Throughout
-the operation, which was of necessity a protracted one, he bore up with
-amazing courage. When the bones had to be sawn through, he clenched his
-teeth on the fold of a sheet, and, except to give utterance to a few
-stifled groans, neither flinched nor moved a muscle. His powers of
-endurance were wonderful. Day after day I attended at this brave
-fellow's bedside, and he and I became much attached to one another. I
-took him little delicacies when I could procure them, and I was
-determined not to let him die if I could help it. Dr. MacCormac visited
-him very often; but he was quite jealous of allowing any one but Dr. May
-or myself to dress his wounds.
-
-For some time he went on favourably,--a progress which I observed with
-pleasure; but then fell back so much that we almost despaired. At this
-time his sufferings were intense; and I had much to do to keep him in
-bed. One day he implored of me to put him altogether out of his pain; I
-expostulated with him as firmly as I could, and pointed out how unmanly
-it was to use such language, whatever he might be enduring; when he
-said, with an agonising earnestness, "Tell me, doctor, is it possible
-that Christ suffered as much as I am suffering now?" I answered, "Your
-pain is as nothing to His," and he calmed down and went through his
-agony in silence.
-
-Happily, it was not long until he became better; and when in course of
-time, I was obliged to leave with the Ambulance and go to the front, he
-was rapidly recovering. Our parting was sorrowful, for I honoured and
-loved the noble spirit of that dauntless soldier. He begged for my
-address in Ireland, that he might write to me; and he has done so
-several times. I subjoin the translation of one of his letters sent to
-me while he was in Hospital after I had left Sedan.
-
-    "SEDAN, Oct. 10th, 1870.
-    "Monsieur le Docteur,
-
-    "I do not wish to delay any longer before giving you an account
-    of myself, and once more expressing my gratitude for the
-    interest you have taken and the care you have lavished on me.
-    What am I to tell you about my wound? It is slow in healing, and
-    since your departure, I have had to undergo treatment very
-    different from yours; but I have not given up the hope of a
-    complete recovery, although I suffer a good deal, and am obliged
-    to stay in bed.
-
-    "I should be very happy if I could see you at my bedside, M. le
-    Docteur. In spite of the pains taken with me, I feel your going
-    away; you were so kind and patient. Shall I ever see you again,
-    and thank you with my own lips? I hope so with all my heart. I
-    will never forget you.
-
-    "Please accept, with the expression of my deepest gratitude, my
-    entire devotion.
-
-    "LOUIS ST. AUBIN.
-
-    "I take the liberty of sending you my address, and I hope you
-    will do me the honour of letting me hear from you. Thanks to the
-    kindness of M. de Montagnac, I shall receive your letter
-    direct."
-
-The address given was that gentleman's, at Bouillon.
-
-I insert this touching note, less on account of the generous
-acknowledgment which Louis St. Aubin makes to his doctor, than to show
-what fine qualities were in him, and how gracefully his French courtesy
-enabled him to express himself. Indeed, when his Colonel came to see the
-lad, he declared that Louis was the best and bravest soldier in his
-troop, and that he did not know what fear was.
-
-Another young fellow, quite a boy, Peyen of the 50th Regiment of the
-Line, had been shot through the wrist, and Dr. May considered that
-amputation was necessary. He was a bright young fellow, with a beaming
-countenance and a twinkle in his eye; and when I came to let him know
-our determination, and take him to the operation ward, I found him
-smoking a cigar. Not a bit dismayed, he got out of bed, slipped on his
-trousers, and tripped briskly up the cloister, smoking his cigar all the
-while, until he mounted the operation table. His arm was amputated; but
-when he recovered from the chloroform state, he declined to go back to
-bed until he saw his comrade's leg cut off. "I want," said Peyen, "to
-tell him how it was done." This might be an incident in _Le Conscrit_ of
-MM. Erckmann-Chatrian.
-
-He quietly smoked another cigar which I procured for him, and
-attentively watched every step of the operation; after which, he and his
-companion returned to their ward together.
-
-Peyen wrote me a letter, which I still possess, and will here append, to
-show me how well he could write with his left hand. Nothing but a
-facsimile could do justice to the quaint and brave caligraphy of this
-letter, which I am sorry not to reproduce in the original. It read
-pretty much as follows:--
-
-    "AT SEDAN, September 18th, 1870.
-
-    "On the 4th of August, took place the Battle of Bixembourg
-    (_sic_) from 9 in the morning till 9 at night. The _division
-    Douai_, composed of about 8000 men, too weak to resist an enemy
-    six times their number, was forced to beat a retreat to Hagenau.
-    In this sad engagement General Douai was killed at the head of
-    his Division. The battle was won by the Prussians,--that is
-    true, but the honour remains with France, the Division having
-    stood against 60,000 men all that day, and having even prevented
-    them for five hours from ascending the slope of Bixembourg.
-
-    (Signed) "PEYEN, LOUIS,
-    "Ever your devoted servant.
-    "To M. le Docteur of Ward No. 5."
-
-This plucky young fellow recovered without a single bad symptom. But,
-alas! it was not so with a vast number of our other patients; for, about
-the 14th, many of them were in a bad way, and nearly all our staff
-complained of not feeling well. Dr. Sims noticed one day that the work
-was telling on me, and ordered me off duty, sending me out for a walk.
-
-Accordingly, I went into the town, and saw the French guns which had now
-been stored in the Park, or exercise ground for the troops during times
-of peace. I never shall forget that sight. There were 400 pieces of
-artillery of all sizes, including 70 mitrailleuses packed close
-together. The question suggested itself, Would an army of 100,000
-Englishmen, with this amount of guns and ammunition, submit to lay down
-their arms and skulk into Germany? Could any combination of
-circumstances make such a thing possible? I do not believe it. An
-officer on duty about the place kindly took me through the Park, and
-showed me the working of the mitrailleuse, as well as a number of heavy
-cannon. He warned me against picking up unburst shells, for they had
-been known to explode as long as seventeen days after being fired--a
-statement which I thought unlikely.
-
-Standing beside this plateau was a large building which belonged to the
-Nuns of the Assumption, and in which a sister of mine, who is in that
-Order, had until recently been living. I paid them a visit and the
-Mother Superior received me cordially, telling me of their labours on
-behalf of the wounded, and pointing out where a shell had struck one of
-the doors leading into the garden. There was also a round hole in
-another door, as clean cut by a bullet as if it had been done with a
-punch.
-
-The refectory of these good Sisters was now made the operation room; and
-many of the lightly wounded were limping on crutches up and down the
-cloisters, their faces beaming with contentment, as well they might, for
-the Nuns were indefatigable in attending to their wants. Having bidden
-adieu to the amiable Superior, I directed my steps to the Place de
-Turenne. Here the church, theatre, public schools, and extensive
-buildings of the cloth and silk factories in the Rue Marqua, were
-crowded with invalids, as was every second house in the town. All these
-showed the Red Cross flag--under Prussian management, and I looked into
-some of them, thinking that the Church especially, was an uncanny sight
-when turned into a hospital and full of the wounded.
-
-I now passed on through the town, and out by the Torcy Gate, and so home
-again. It was four days before I was allowed another ramble, as Dr. May
-had a slight attack of blood poisoning, and his work was given to me.
-Most of our _infirmiers_ had been drawn by the Prussians. Those that
-remained were French ambulance men; and, if we except three, were
-altogether ignorant, lazy, and good-for-nothing fellows. They had
-received no technical training; and the task, therefore, which devolved
-upon me taxed the energies of mind and body.
-
-Some of our patients were wounded in three, four, five, and, in one
-instance, in six places, which made the dressing of their wounds a
-tedious affair. I had also to dress ten or a dozen amputated limbs. At
-one time I had in my charge eighteen of these, a couple of resections,
-no end of flesh wounds from bullet and shell, numerous fractures--most
-of them compound ones--and all varieties of lacerations and contusions.
-About this time there were some forty secondary operations, in all of
-which conservative surgery had been tried; but owing to the overcrowded
-state and vitiated atmosphere of the Hospital, these patients nearly all
-succumbed. From the commencement our lightly wounded men were removed as
-soon as possible, and sent to some French or Belgian Military Hospital.
-The result was that, after a few days, we had none in our care but the
-severely wounded. I cannot conclude without mentioning the kind way in
-which Dr. Marion Sims dealt with me. Nor shall I ever cease to recall
-with gratitude, his invariable consideration for one so much younger
-than himself and wholly without experience.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER IX.
-
-SUSPICIOUS PRUSSIANS.--THE ILLUSTRIOUS STROMEYER.--OPEN-AIR
-TREATMENT.--NEUTRALITY BECOMES DIFFICULT.--DR. SIMS LEAVES US.--UNDER
-ARREST.--FAREWELL TO SEDAN.
-
-
-I forgot to mention a curious story told me by a French soldier, who had
-a bullet wound through his arm. To account for it, he said that it had
-been received from the pistol of a Prussian horseman, to whom he was in
-the act of handing a piece of bread, which the fellow had asked of him.
-Could this be true? It seems to me incredible, and, for the honour of
-our common humanity, I hope was false.
-
-A strange encounter which one of our new arrivals, Dr. Warren, had with
-two Prussian sentinels caused some excitement, and not a little
-amusement, among the rest of us. Dr. Warren was returning after dark,
-with some arms that he had secured as trophies, and secreted a few days
-previously. When he was passing beneath the ramparts a sentinel from
-above halted him, and challenged him to give the word. Dr. Warren, who
-could then neither speak nor understand French or German, shouted and
-made such explanations as he could in English, which it is needless to
-observe the sentinel did not comprehend. How unsatisfactory they were to
-him our friend was quickly convinced, by the sentry raising his rifle
-and firing at his head. He heard the bullet hit the bank close beside
-him, and, as it was dusk, the flash revealed two other sentries on their
-beat near by, one of whom followed suit; but luckily with no better
-success.
-
-A yet more extraordinary method of assault was now resorted to by a
-third, who, being conscious, no doubt, of his incompetence as a
-marksman, began to hurl large stones over the ramparts at our stranger.
-Thus far, Dr. Warren had been standing petrified with astonishment, but
-now realising his position he made up his mind to run, which he did at
-the utmost speed, for he expected every second to feel a bullet through
-him, the only doubt being where he would get hit. He escaped, and the
-whole affair was reported to the Prussian commandant. This officer had
-two of the sentinels mildly reproved for their excess of zeal, and the
-hurler punished in that he had adopted an unsoldierly method of attack.
-Dr. Scott suggested to me that this last man must have been by descent
-from Tipperary.
-
-Misadventures were in the air just then; for, a morning or two
-afterwards, Drs. Parker and Marcus Beck happened to ignite some
-cartridges which were lying on the ground near the Hospital, and thereby
-caused an explosion. The guard turned out, arrested our two heroes, and
-took them before the commandant, who, upon receiving their explanation,
-set them at liberty. As time wore on, our relations with the Teutons
-became more and more friendly. At first they had looked upon us with
-distrust; but, when they found that our organisation was thoroughly
-international, that we were independent of the French, and our staff and
-management as complete and efficient as they proved, the invaders seemed
-to take unusual interest in us. Their surgeons came in numbers to the
-Hospital, where, of course, they met with all civility; and we, on our
-side, had nothing of which to complain.
-
-Not only so. Their surgeon-general, the great Stromeyer, condescended to
-inspect our hospital, and complimenting the Chief on its details and
-management, invited him to visit his own Ambulance at Floing. Dr.
-MacCormac did so, and was highly pleased with all he saw. The success of
-the Prussian surgical operations was very striking. It contrasted most
-favourably with our results; but this depended, in great measure, on the
-Floing Hospital having been a temporary structure, consisting of
-improvised shanties, boarded all round in such a way that the sides
-could be opened at will in louvre fashion, so that, weather permitting,
-the patients were treated practically in the open air, yet without
-subjecting them to chill or exposure. I conceive that this was the
-explanation of their low death-rate, for the surgical methods of
-procedure were identical with our own. And I may anticipate here a
-remark which my experience at Orleans afterwards confirmed, _viz._, that
-such open-air treatment is the only effective protection against
-blood-poisoning.
-
-This was the first introductory step to our transition from the French
-to the German side, but the change was slow and gradual. Hints, indeed,
-were constantly thrown out that our services would be well received, if
-we followed on in the track of their army. At first we firmly asserted
-our neutrality. But we were made to understand that the attitude we had
-assumed was impracticable; we must make up our minds to be on one side
-or the other. These warnings did much to determine the line of action
-upon which we finally resolved. Our movements were also influenced by
-the fact that while, as regarded the majority of our staff, our
-sympathies were undoubtedly French, yet later on, when we came in
-contact with the Prussians, and got to know them thoroughly, the
-admiration with which we started for the other side was very much cooled
-down. We looked on the belligerents with less prejudiced eyes, and, in
-the long run, had no decided leaning one way or another.
-
-In a few days from the time of which I have spoken above, Dr. May was
-sufficiently well to resume duty. There was a fresh addition to our
-staff in the person of Dr. Sherwell, and our duties becoming less
-laborious, suffered us at length to breathe. We could now go down
-frequently in the evening, for an hour, either to the Hôtel de la Croix
-d'Or, or to a first-rate café in the Rue Napoléon, where it was possible
-to enjoy a smoke or a drink, and a game of billiards upon a table
-without pockets. This was a great recreation, and I found it did one
-good after the labours of the day. There we met the French officers who
-were on parole, and not a little surprise did we feel to see them smoke,
-drink, and crack jokes as if the capitulation of Sedan were ancient
-history. There also we came across the surgeons and assistants of the
-Prussian Military Hospitals, many of whom knew French fairly well, and
-not a few spoke English. We, however, had to be back again by nine
-o'clock, before our drawbridge was taken up; for the standing order had
-been issued that any one found in the streets after that hour was liable
-to be shot.
-
-On one occasion I happened to be returning with a fellow "Chip," who,
-after the labours of the day, had partaken rather too freely of "bock"
-and "cognac de café". With no small difficulty I had induced him to
-start, and we found the streets dotted with sentries on night-duty.
-Hence, every few minutes we were halted, and made to advance until their
-bayonets almost touched our shirt-fronts. This would not have made me
-nervous, had not my friend, who was a good deal more noisy since he
-tasted the open air, objected to being stopped by the sentries in so
-rude a fashion. He declined, in short, to account for himself. Fearing
-unpleasant consequences, I came forward on the approach of every sentry
-and gave the name of our corps, specifying our quarters, and adding
-gently, "Mein Freund hat zu viel bock getrunken". They invariably met
-the palaver with a laugh, and let us pass on, for some of them knew who
-we were. One fellow, either a little more inquisitive than the rest, or
-else not recognising our uniforms, put us through a regular examination,
-upon which my companion began to speak roughly, and even made a clutch
-at his rifle. Fortunately, the sentinel perceived what was the matter,
-and was willing to let him pass; but my man wouldn't stir an inch. Here
-was a predicament! As he could speak a little German, he used his
-knowledge to abuse the good-natured sentry, and when he had come to the
-end of his vocabulary, began again in French (of which language he was
-perfect master), winding up at last in English. The soldier presented
-his rifle, I daresay with the intention of frightening my comrade; and
-I thought it time to seize him by the collar and get him along by main
-force. Thus we arrived within regulation distance of the gates of the
-Citadel.
-
-The bridges were up, and the sentry on duty refused to let us advance
-any further. By this time my friend had quieted down, and was beginning
-to realise his position; for here we had to wait fully half an hour
-while the sentry was hailing the others, who in their turn hailed some
-more, and so on, until the officer of the watch came on the scene. His
-business was to call out the guard, when, after much shouting,
-shuffling, and shouldering of arms, the drawbridge was let down and we
-were admitted. I was glad enough to get my obstreperous friend safely
-landed within. It was a parlous incident, though my friend's drollery
-and witty _sotto voce_ remarks--for he was not really overcome by the
-"bock" to the extent of intoxication--have often made me laugh heartily
-since.
-
-I have thus brought my readers to the middle of our third week at Sedan;
-and it was with feelings of sincere regret that we now bade adieu to Dr.
-Marion Sims, who, in so short a space of time, had won the regard of
-every member of our staff. He appointed in his place Drs. Frank and
-MacCormac as co-surgeons in chief--Dr. Frank for the Balan and Bazeilles
-division of our Ambulance, Dr. MacCormac for Sedan.
-
-As our work was growing gradually less, we now had time for a ride
-nearly every afternoon. There was one in particular which I enjoyed
-much, and often took in company with my friend Hayden. It was from Sedan
-to Bouillon, conveying or bringing back the post. This was the only
-channel through which we could receive letters from home. Bouillon, as
-is well known, is a very picturesque town, about six miles from the
-frontier, and twelve from Sedan. The road thither goes through Balan,
-Givet, and Givonne, over hills and dales, and through a finely wooded
-country, partly lying in the Forest of Ardennes, from which there
-stretches a vast succession of woods for twenty or thirty miles. As we
-near our destination the road winds circuitously, and turns at last into
-the Valley of Bouillon. When I saw it, the autumn colours were all
-abroad, and no prospect could be more enchanting. There, beneath us,
-nestling amid the foliage, now rich and golden, which clothed its hills,
-lay in the noonday sun, the ancient town of Bouillon, through which a
-rapid and boiling river, the Somme, flowed over a rocky bed, and was
-leaping and dancing round one huge boulder, above which rose the
-ivy-mantled turrets of Godfrey's once mighty fortress. The steep and
-grassy slopes seemed to come down sheer to the water's edge. It was a
-place of sunshine, quiet and secure; and, at first sight, one would have
-thought it inaccessible.
-
-I may mention that it was in this little expedition, when passing by
-Givonne, that I espied, lying on his side and basking at full length in
-the sun, a beautiful black and tan hound, identical in appearance with
-the old breed of Kerry beagles. My companion was amused that I could
-feel excited about Kerry beagles. But I had my reasons, and I asked the
-owner of the house to whom the dog might belong. He replied that it was
-the property of a Marquis in the Ardennes, who kept a pack for hunting
-deer and wild boars, and he added that probably such a dog would not be
-sold under 500 francs. The "Black and Tans" are an old-established pack
-in my neighbourhood, with which I have long had very close associations;
-and it made my blood run faster to be reminded of them in the
-neighbourhood of the Forest of Ardennes, which for the world at large
-has other memories, less personal, if more poetic.
-
-Having arrived at our destination, and delivered and received our
-letters, we had a good dinner and a smoke. None of my readers can know
-the pleasure of a good dinner if they have not lived in a situation like
-that which was then allotted to us. We went to see the old castle, with
-its corridors hewn out of the solid rock, and its manhole in the parapet
-leaning over the river, from which highwaymen and robbers--if not others
-less guilty--were hurled into the waters beneath. Lingering about the
-place for hours after we ought to have started, the evening came on so
-quickly that we shirked the long journey in the dark. We thought it
-better to stay the night at Bouillon, and take our chance of getting off
-a reprimand by means of this explanation.
-
-At first light next morning we started, but on arriving at the Hospital,
-Dr. May, without asking why we had come after time, informed us from the
-chief that we must consider ourselves as under arrest until further
-notice. This was not exactly pleasant. But we had our work to do, and
-there can be no doubt that the strict discipline kept in our Ambulance
-was what made it so successful.
-
-Many members of the French Hospital staff, whom I met here and
-elsewhere, assured me that jealousy and want of discipline among them
-were potent causes of their failure; their supply of material--which was
-generally very short--in some cases outlasting the final disruption.
-
-I had one other most interesting expedition, to the Château Bellevue and
-along by the hills where the Prussians established their heavy guns on
-the First. It commanded the whole valley, and as we looked down upon the
-Plateau of Floing, the Bois de Garenne, the slopes of Givonne, and our
-hospital standing on its huge embankment above the ramparts of Sedan
-between them and us, the only wonder was that a single man of us
-remained alive.
-
-It was now time to think of a fresh field for our labours. Dr. Parker
-and I were deputed to visit Arlon, a town in Belgium about thirty-five
-miles distant, to consult with Capt. H. Brackenbury, who was secretary
-to the English Aid Society on the Continent. We made the journey in a
-two-horse open carriage by way of Bouillon in about ten hours; and with
-such charming scenery, and in agreeable companionship, the journey could
-not fail to prove delightful.
-
-On the next day, Sunday, we had an interview with Brackenbury's
-secretary, for he was not at home himself; and we then started off again
-for Sedan before there was a soul in the streets, so that my
-recollections of Arlon do not amount to a great deal.
-
-On our return the staff held a meeting, at which Dr. MacCormac gave in
-his resignation as chief in favour of Dr. Pratt (son-in-law to Marion
-Sims), who succeeded him. Dr. MacCormac was engaged, as we knew, to
-deliver an inaugural address at the Queen's College, Belfast, about the
-middle of October; and his pupil, Scott, accompanied him on his
-departure. As Dr. Nicholl also wished to return to America, it was
-arranged that Wyman and Hewitt should continue with Dr. Frank for some
-time before we disbanded, for the Hospital at Bazeilles had to be wound
-up with our own. The following members were then selected to proceed to
-the front,--our new chief, Dr. Pratt, and Drs. May, Tilghman, Mackellar,
-Parker, Warren, Hayden, Sherwell, Wallace, Wombwell, Adams, and myself.
-These formed the staff. With us went, of course, Nigger Charlie, and a
-Turco named Jean. This Turco had received a bullet in the back at Metz,
-during an effort (which proved successful) to get water from a well
-which was guarded by a Prussian picket, who had already bowled over four
-or five others intent on the same enterprise.
-
-The 4th of October, which was the day appointed for starting, arrived.
-We said good-bye to the few patients now remaining, who were to be taken
-over by Dr. Frank. Among them was my friend Louis St. Aubin. The poor
-fellow on taking leave of me, in his weak state, sobbed like a child,
-and I felt equally grieved at having to part from him. We bade farewell
-to Dr. MacCormac with much regret; and then the drawbridge was let down,
-Dr. Pratt gave the word to start, and the Anglo-American Ambulance made
-its exit from the Caserne, slowly wending its way down the rugged path,
-_en route_ for Paris.
-
-The first chapter in my experience of a military Hospital, and of the
-battlefield, was closed.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER X.
-
-RISKY TRAVELLING.--AT BRUSSELS.--FRENCH AMBULANCE BREAKS DOWN
-COMPLETELY.--WE START AGAIN FOR PARIS.
-
-
-Dr. Pratt was of opinion that, if the Germans did not require our
-services, they might perhaps allow us to get into Paris, where, as it
-was rumoured, medical men were scarce. With this object in view, we had
-determined to go round by Belgium, and now made for Bouillon, the
-nearest frontier town. It was a lovely evening when we arrived. As we
-came near the custom-house--"_la Douane_," the meaning of which I now
-understood--we were in a state of trepidation lest, on the waggons being
-overhauled, our trophies of Sedan should be discovered and taken from
-us. For my part, I had hidden my chassepot, pistol, sword, and lance-top
-from the Plain of Floing, securely beneath some sacks of corn. But the
-officers allowed us to pass with only a formal scrutiny. As it was late,
-we stayed that night in Bouillon at the hotel. All our baggage, waggons,
-horses, and infirmarians were quartered in the old Castle yard; and,
-having given my horse to the groom to be picketed (for I had turned my
-grey Arab loose again on the plains of Sedan), I joined Hayden, and went
-down into the town to look for quarters. When we had secured them, we
-dined very comfortably at our hotel with the rest of the staff. This was
-the first meal we had enjoyed for many weeks in a neighbourhood free
-from war's alarms, and we found it pleasant.
-
-After a sound night's rest we arose at three, and had our horses and men
-together at the appointed time, which was an hour later. But more time
-elapsed before all was ready, and it was quite five when marching orders
-were given. We reached Libramont after a pleasant five hours' journey
-through a pretty and very interesting country. Here all our staff, with
-the exception of Hayden and myself, took the fast train to Brussels.
-
-We two had been told off to stay in charge of the _infirmiers_, waggons,
-horses, and stores, which we were to take on to Brussels in the evening,
-by luggage-train. This was a heavy task, and occupied nearly all the
-afternoon. Moreover, we had to get our ten horses fed, watered, cleaned,
-and boxed, which was far from easy, considering that few of the
-_infirmiers_ knew anything about the management of horses, while their
-boxing and conveyance by train were quite beyond them. Here my
-experience of boxing horses for the world-renowned Fair of Cahirmee,
-near Buttevant, stood me in very good stead. Three of our waggons were
-heavily laden with stores and corn, and required a truck each for
-themselves. The fourth was a light covered fourgon which contained our
-personal luggage, and in this we resolved to travel up to Brussels.
-
-Having dined on mutton and fruit in a clean little inn near the station,
-at 7·30 P.M. we started, comfortably stretched out at the bottom of our
-fourgon, and covered up in rugs and coats. The night wore on, and we
-were suddenly aroused from our slumbers by feeling the movement of our
-waggon upon the truck, which latter was only a sand train. As we went
-along, the line became more and more uneven; our van rolled several
-times backwards and forwards, and was kind enough also to sway from side
-to side in a most uncomfortable manner. I crept out and found its
-moorings loose. The night was dark and misty, and we had no light, nor
-the means of getting one; and, as the wheels of the fourgon were high,
-and the edges of the truck low, while the motion of the train was very
-rough, we thought it would be dangerous to try our hand at putting the
-concern straight. We discussed our chances of being pitched overboard;
-but concluded that the risk was small, although the jolting and swaying
-from time to time vexed us not a little. However, at one in the morning,
-we found ourselves at Namur, and were told we should have to stay there
-four hours.
-
-Accordingly, leaving men, horses, and waggons at the station, my friend
-and I strolled into the town. It was a beautiful moonlight night. After
-some wandering we saw a gleam in one of the restaurants, and roused up
-the landlady, who kindly gave us some hot coffee and braised mutton.
-Thus fortified we settled down in a couple of arm-chairs, and slept for
-some hours. At half-past four we took our places again in the waggon;
-but not until we had seen it firmly secured.
-
-We arrived in Brussels at 10 A.M., having been _en route_ more than
-fourteen hours. When we alighted we were in a sad plight,--sleepy,
-hungry, and disreputable-looking, bearing upon us all the marks of the
-hardships which we had gone through since entering on the campaign. Not
-many minutes after our arrival, Dr. Pratt came up, and expressed his
-satisfaction that orders had been carried out punctually. There was a
-conveyance waiting, he said, to take us to the Hôtel de France; and
-there we should find breakfast and comfortable quarters ready.
-
-After the wear and tear of the last couple of months, one may fancy our
-joy at this sudden return to the comforts, and even the luxuries, of
-civilised life. No longer the din of armed men on the march, or going to
-their exercises; no longer sentries at every step; no longer the
-streets thronged with military! Yet, the sight of an occasional French
-officer limping about on crutches, or with his arm in a sling, reminded
-us that the seat of war was not far distant. When breakfast was over, we
-turned in and slept until evening. Then, with some others of the staff,
-and certain friends of Dr. May's who had fled from Paris, we took a box
-at the Circus, and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
-
-Next day it was our business to report to Captain Brackenbury. After
-filling up forms, answering questions, and submitting to a deal of red
-tape, we were handed our pay up to date and a month in advance.
-
-Here we learned that the French Society, under whose patronage we had
-started from Paris, was now disorganised, and had stopped supplies. Not
-only were its funds exhausted, but its Ambulances had failed to render
-efficient service on the field of battle. Although we had now joined the
-English Society, and, in consequence, were associated also with the
-Prussians, it was a graceful act on the part of the Vice-President of
-the French Association to make his acknowledgments, as he did, for the
-assistance which we had given to his countrymen in our Hospitals around
-Sedan.
-
-At noon on the 8th of October, we received orders to hold ourselves in
-readiness; and great excitement arose when it was noised abroad that the
-Prussians had cut the line between Lille and Brussels. Thus, we might
-have to go round by London, in order to reach Paris. We ascertained,
-however, that the line had not yet been injured, although the enemy had
-come into its immediate neighbourhood near the town of Lille.
-
-In the evening, therefore, we quitted Brussels by train, taking with us
-stores, waggons, and horses. The journey to Lille was a short one, and
-from thence we travelled by Douai and Arras to Amiens, where we halted
-for a few hours to eat and sleep until the next train set out for Rouen.
-At daybreak we resumed our expedition, and as we entered Normandy the
-whole aspect of the country, which had been hitherto flat and
-monotonous, changed for the better. The red-brick houses, some tiled,
-some thatched, reminded me a little of villages I had remarked in my
-journey from London to Holyhead; but here most of the houses had timber
-built into them, which made them more quaint and picturesque.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XI.
-
-AT ROUEN.--ON THE ROAD TO PARIS.--IN THE WOODS AMONG THE
-FRANCS-TIREURS.--TAKEN FOR SPIES.--A REFUGEE FENIAN.--TO MANTES.
-
-
-We arrived in Rouen at four o'clock in the afternoon of the 9th, and
-found the town full of Gardes Mobiles, who were marching about in
-civilian dress, but armed to the teeth.
-
-Our few hours of sight-seeing next day were not long in coming to an
-end; but on going to the Railway Terminus, we heard that a telegram had
-just been received, saying that the Prussians had torn up the line to
-Paris, and we could travel no further.
-
-However, in a couple of hours, we succeeded in chartering an
-engine,--four waggons and a carriage--in which we determined to proceed
-as far as we could. Our advance, when we had started, was so slow and
-deliberate that we felt sure our conductors were only waiting to pull up
-at the first opportunity, and jump off the train as soon as they saw
-danger ahead. After going no faster than a horse could have trotted for
-two hours or so, we came to a dead stop at a little country village
-called St. Pierre. Beyond this point our guard and driver stoutly
-refused to carry us; and, as it was now late, we thought well to stay
-there for the night. We occupied the village inn and a private house
-close by. As we had orders to start at daybreak, we were up betimes next
-morning. I went out as soon as it was light, and took a stroll through
-the village, in which many of the houses seemed to have been deserted.
-On inquiry, I found that, since the first intelligence, a few days back,
-that the Prussians were coming, the owners of these houses had packed up
-their moveables and gone north, leaving their dwellings to take care of
-themselves. The situation of St. Pierre, overlooking the Seine, was
-pretty enough. On the heights above stood its quaint little church,
-built of flint-stone, and as black as coal in appearance. I went inside,
-and saw that it was unadorned, but scrupulously clean.
-
-In another hour we were on our journey again, this time by road. We took
-the _route Impériale_ through the valley beside the river, and it would
-be difficult to do justice in description to the varied and picturesque
-scenes that came repeatedly into view, along the many miles which we
-pursued of its winding course.
-
-About midday we gained Gaillon, where we halted to refresh our horses
-and ourselves. Gaillon is a large village, with a refreshing air of
-comfort and cleanliness about it, and has a broad central street, lined
-on each side with handsome trees. Having rested a couple of hours we
-pushed on for Vernon, which was, perhaps, some ten miles distant,--a
-long journey, during which we had to accommodate our pace to the jaded
-horses with their heavy-laden waggons. Our way took us through vast
-orchards, and, from an elevation at one part of the road, we could see
-nothing for miles round us but fruit trees. But as we were now in
-constant expectation of meeting the Prussian outposts, our Chief picked
-out Hayden and myself, being the lightest and keenest horsemen in the
-party, and sent us ahead, my friend to reconnoitre on one side of the
-road, and I upon the other.
-
-For a long while not a soul did we meet, and Dr. Pratt came to the
-conclusion that Vernon was unoccupied, whether by the French or the
-Prussians, as had been the case at St. Pierre. Believing that it was so,
-Hayden and myself received orders to push on thither, and report our
-approach at the Mairie, where we must secure the necessary accommodation
-during the night for all our party.
-
-With these commands we started, I on a mare of Dr. Pratt's, which we had
-got from the Prussians at Sedan, and Hayden upon a black belonging to
-Dr. May. As evening came on, it grew so dark that we could hardly see a
-few yards in front of us. On we went gaily for some miles, chatting
-unconcernedly on various topics, until our road entered a thick and
-gloomy wood, with high forest trees towering up on each side. The
-darkness was now such that we could not see one another. It was
-necessary to slacken rein, and let our horses go at a slow walk, lest
-they might leave the road and get us into unexpected trouble.
-
-My friend here remarked to me cheerfully what a helpless condition we
-were in, should any accident happen to us, or supposing we fell in with
-the French outposts. The words, which echoed through the woods (for he
-was speaking at the top of his voice, and it was a still night), had
-hardly passed his lips, when suddenly we heard, first a rustling, and
-then the sound of voices; shouts were raised on every side of us; and
-through the brushwood in all directions we could hear men crashing
-headlong towards the place where we stood entrapped.
-
-We held our ground, for to attempt escape was certain death. We should
-have received a volley before we had gone many yards.
-
-The challenge now came to us on all sides in French, "_Qui vive?_" We
-replied, "_Deux officiers de l'Ambulance Anglo-Américaine_".
-
-They seemed not to be satisfied, and challenged us twice, finally
-shouting, as if we were half a mile away, though but a few short paces
-from them, "Advance, two officers of the Anglo-American ambulance,
-twenty paces, and halt!"
-
-We had no time to obey, for, in a moment, we were surrounded by armed
-men. One seized my wrists and another my horse's rein. In a moment a
-lantern was produced, wherewith having examined us and found that we
-were unarmed, they let go their hold, but roughly hustled us out of our
-saddles.
-
-We watched these men, whom we knew by their uniforms to be
-Francs-Tireurs, as they carefully examined our horses by the light of
-their lanterns. All this time Hayden and I were kept apart, and, on my
-attempting to speak to him, I was told that if I did so, I should be
-shot straightway.
-
-By a dim light, which some one held behind me, I discovered that I was
-standing in a circle of these irregulars with bayonets set. This was the
-less assuring that we had heard much of their lawlessness, and in what
-fashion they dealt with those who fell into their hands. I now made a
-motion towards the breast pocket of my tunic, to get my official papers,
-when a musket was pointed at me and I was told not to move. Having held
-a council of war over the horses, some of the men now came up and
-informed their comrades that they had at last caught two Prussian spies.
-For they had discovered, on my mare's flank, the Prussian brand, and,
-moreover, we spoke French with a German accent; while our uniforms also
-were not French but Prussian. When they had come to this conclusion, I
-need hardly say that the treatment we received was not the most
-courteous. They cursed and swore at us, and flourished their bayonets
-about as if they had been walking-sticks. They marched us along
-separately, often threatening that if we stirred or spoke, except by
-their direction, they would shoot us. Two of these brigands (for they
-were nothing else) marched behind me, two in front, and as many on each
-side with fixed bayonets, as if I were likely to overpower them unless
-guarded by the whole eight. Even when I put my hands into my trousers
-pockets, the flourish of a bayonet near my stomach (from a fellow whom I
-discovered to be more than half drunk) compelled me to take them out
-again.
-
-What distance we marched before arriving at Vernon we could not even
-guess, so much upset and, I must acknowledge, so daunted were we at the
-possible fate in store for us. We knew too well that these ruffians were
-capable at any moment of hanging us from the nearest tree. Indeed,
-before we entered the town, I came to the conclusion that several of the
-band were under the influence of drink. I believe there was quite as
-much risk of our being shot accidentally as on purpose. They appeared to
-have no officer among them; nor could any of them, I suspect, so much as
-read or write. They would be admirable judges, therefore, all
-considered, of the difference in speaking French between the Prussian
-and any other foreign accent!
-
-We must have tramped some three or four miles, when we got into the
-town; and there it was an advantage to have even these drunken bullies
-as our escort, for crowds gathered in the streets as we passed along,
-and taking us to be Prussian spies, stared and scowled fiercely--some
-even menacing us with clenched fists. Had not our captors guarded their
-prey jealously, I am confident that we should have had a rough handling
-from the populace.
-
-When we were taken into the principal barrack, I supposed that we should
-be allowed to see the officer of the guard, to whom we could show our
-papers, and then pass out. But nothing of the kind; the officer of the
-guard was not to be found. He had gone into town to dine with the
-Commandant of the place. We were put in the lock-up at the rear of the
-guard room, with two sentries over us. Our courage now returned, and we
-opened fire at the fellows on guard. Hayden, who spoke French fluently,
-gave them his mind concerning the Francs-Tireurs individually, and the
-whole French Army collectively, in such scathing language that they must
-have thought we were most certainly Prussians. I, not being of so
-excitable a temper as my friend, gave them to understand that such an
-exhibition of military ignorance and _gaucherie_ as we had witnessed
-that night would have been impossible anywhere but in France; and I
-think with good reason.
-
-We had been in the lock-up for about an hour, when the officer of the
-guard appeared and examined our papers. These he forwarded to the
-Commandant Militaire, who inspected them once more, and immediately
-ordered our release.
-
-The Commandant came down himself to apologise for the manner in which we
-had been treated, and added the information that the Francs-Tireurs were
-_canaille_, who had neither military status nor any organisation. But he
-assured us, as we did not need telling, that it was a mercy we had not
-been shot by them.
-
-We were never in a thorough passion until now. My companion repeated his
-strong language, and shook his fist at this gentleman; but he, measuring
-the situation like a true Frenchman, became very civil and declined the
-contest. After that, I begged him to overlook anything discourteous that
-had been said in the heat of provocation; and our interview ended by his
-ordering two gendarmes to escort us to the Mairie. We had just time to
-secure the requisite quarters when our corps arrived.
-
-I need hardly say how concerned our friends were about this ugly
-incident, or how great was their satisfaction at our having escaped a
-fate which had befallen others at the hands of this undisciplined but
-armed rabble. It is a matter of history that the Francs-Tireurs showed
-no respect even for the property of their own countrymen; and we must
-not be surprised if they were relentless towards any of the invaders
-whose ill luck it was to fall in with their companies. They reminded me
-a good deal of what I had read about Italian brigands, whom it is
-certain they resembled. And their very existence, in such a province as
-Normandy, was a striking proof that France had sunk into the utmost
-disorder. The Empire had perished; the Republic, established on the 4th
-September, was struggling feebly for its life.
-
-Another incident of a different nature, but of considerable interest to
-me, occurred next morning, just as we were on the point of continuing
-our journey.
-
-I was standing outside my quarters ready to march, when I noticed a
-smart-looking, well-dressed young man, more like an American than a
-Frenchman, eyeing me at a little distance off.
-
-There was something about him that excited my curiosity. As he
-approached rather timidly, I smiled, and said, to relieve his
-embarrassment, "You are not a Frenchman, I presume?" upon which his
-hesitation disappeared, and, in unmistakable Tipperary accent, he
-exclaimed, "No, indeed, Mr. Ryan. I'd make the queer Frenchman, born
-and reared as I was in the parish of Cullen, and educated near your
-father's place in the Street of Kilteely, by Mr. William Lundon."
-
-As the speaker had uttered all this in one breath, my amazement was
-considerable. Suddenly, and under such circumstances, to meet a man at
-Vernon who came from the village of Kilteely, and was acquainted with
-me, gave me, so to call it, a shock; and I stared at him for some
-seconds without speaking. The new-comer went on to inform me that his
-name was Timothy Nihil; that he was an enforced exile from his native
-land; and that, at the time of the Fenian rising in 1867, he had been
-the leader of that party which attacked and fired on the Glenbane Police
-Barracks, near Cullen. He was, in consequence, obliged to flee the
-country. He had come over to this place, and, being a man of some
-education and intelligence, had found a situation as Professor of
-English in the Pension of Vernon; which appointment, he told me, was
-worth nearly £100 a year to him.
-
-Timothy Nihil had been brought up in the National school; and, indeed,
-went through his classics, as he had said, under Mr. William Lundon, a
-teacher of great ability in his own line. To him, perhaps, it was owing
-that my Fenian had a very polished address. Poor fellow! his face
-lighted up with pleasure when he spoke of "the Old Country"; and when,
-in answer to his inquiries about different friends, I told him all I
-knew, he beamed with delight. Rebel though he had been, he was yet a
-fellow-countryman; and as such I gave him the hand of friendship, and
-could not but sympathise with him in his exile. With tears in his eyes,
-he repeated that he could never go back to Ireland again.
-
-He was particular in asking about my brother John, for whom he had from
-his earliest youth a warm affection; neither did he forget the Black and
-Tan hounds at home, in which I have already expressed my own interest.
-When he had walked out of the town with me a couple of miles we parted,
-after an earnest request that I would give his people news about him on
-my return, which I did very gladly. During our conversation not a little
-amusement was caused among the party by an English officer, Captain
-F----, of the Carbineers, who, when he heard that my new acquaintance
-had been a Fenian, became much excited, and was with difficulty kept
-from laying hands on Nihil. I explained, however, under what
-circumstances he had spoken to me, and the Captain cooled down. His
-strong feeling against these men was in itself not unreasonable, as he
-had been on active service in Ireland during the winter months of 1867,
-and had commanded a flying squadron there.
-
-During these four days of our journey to Paris, the weather continued
-very fine, and our walking tour through so pleasant a country was most
-enjoyable. Sometimes we chatted with the peasant folk who crossed our
-footsteps; and I am bound to say that, in these districts, numbers of
-those with whom we talked were loud in praise both of the Emperor and
-the Empire. "Look," they often said, "at our beautiful roads,--the
-_route Impériale_, for instance, between Rouen and Paris--look at our
-towns and villages, with their magnificently wooded streets, and their
-public buildings and monuments; look at the fine bridges and aqueducts
-which you see all round! Whom have we to thank for these things but the
-Emperor? Who has given work to the millions of the labouring class
-throughout France? Who has made Paris one of the most beautiful cities
-of the world, and the Capital of Europe? Who ruled France when she was
-the most rich and prosperous of nations, with a trade and commerce more
-extensive than ever before?" Such were the facts on which these humble
-people became eloquent. Were they altogether in the wrong? Let others
-decide.
-
-The country between Vernon and Mantes is very hilly, and some parts of
-the road were rendered almost impassable by the deep trenches which the
-French had cut across them to hinder the German progress. Strangely
-enough, although they went to such great trouble to destroy the road,
-they yet left a narrow causeway, over which a waggon might pass, with a
-few inches to spare. Afterwards, round about Orleans, I saw this
-business of making the roads difficult for the enemy, much more
-cunningly contrived, as I shall relate in its place.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XII.
-
-A TOWN CAPTURED BY FIVE UHLANS.--MANTES TO VERSAILLES.--WE ARE ANNEXED
-BY THE GERMANS.--GENERAL SHERIDAN AND NIGGER CHARLIE.--SOUTHERN EXILES.
-
-
-Our horses being fatigued from the long journeys and heavy roads, we
-made but slow progress. On coming to Mantes we put up for the night at
-the Hôtel de France. This famous town is a wonder of cleanliness, with
-streets as tidy as they are kept in Holland, and not a disagreeable nook
-anywhere. Much consternation had been caused the day before, by five
-Uhlans coming into the market-place with a train of waggons, and
-carrying off all the corn and fodder they wanted for the troops about
-Versailles. After they had satisfied these demands, the Uhlans proceeded
-to set the station house on fire, as also to saw down the telegraph
-posts and cut the wires. "What pluck these five must have had!" will be
-the reader's exclamation. "Imagine such a force riding through a
-populous town and carrying away with them half the produce of the
-market, while the people looked on and never dreamt of molesting them!"
-
-But the feat was not so daring, after all. Every one knew that, if the
-inhabitants had interfered with these Uhlans, the place would have been
-visited the day after, and reduced to ashes. Such was the punishment
-inflicted upon whole villages of innocent and peaceable inhabitants,
-sometimes in revenge of what had been done by a few individuals. I shall
-give, by-and-by, a proclamation which was posted up on the walls of
-Orleans, describing such an execution, and threatening to repeat the
-like under similar circumstances.
-
-Here it was that Pratt, who was anxious to get a vehicle in which most
-of the medical staff could travel, produced an order which he had got
-from the Prussian authorities at Sedan, requiring the Mairie of any
-French town through which he passed, to provide him with whatever horses
-and vehicles he might need for the use of his corps. Hayden and I were
-sent to carry out this unpleasant task. Armed with our peremptory
-document, we made a tour of discovery through Mantes, and, by throwing a
-couple of francs to a lad, were informed of a large, private,
-four-wheeled omnibus,--the very thing we wanted,--and a dashing,
-stoutly-built pair of greys that might draw it. The yard gate stood
-open, so in we walked, with the boldness of highwaymen, and asked to see
-the owner. I knew by the servant's face that he suspected what was in
-the wind. He retreated without uttering a syllable; but soon came back,
-followed by his master--a middle-aged man of gentlemanly appearance. He
-seemed very uneasy; but, when we showed him our requisition, and told
-him that we had come to relieve him for a time of his carriage and pair
-of horses, his face wore an aspect of the blankest dismay.
-
-We, however, gave a sign to our own ostlers outside the gate, and
-directed them to harness the horses and put to, which they did with as
-great alacrity as if they had been Prussians, the owner looking on in
-sullen silence. But what were his feelings, when, twenty minutes after,
-he saw us driving his team through the gate and out of the town, I dare
-not guess. This carriage and pair, I may here subjoin, we used until the
-end of the war, when they were returned to the Mayor of Versailles, with
-a request that they might be given back to the original owner at Mantes,
-minus, however, one of the horses, which died from overwork and
-hardship.
-
-Thus it is, that, during times of war, the sacred rights of property are
-violated, and systematic robbery is held to be justifiable by those who
-can successfully practise it. In this instance the property was
-ultimately restored to its rightful owner; but, in how many cases is
-that never done? To be sure, the Government is supposed to indemnify any
-individual who can produce the counterfoil of the requisition: yet it
-would be interesting to hear from such injured persons, the story of how
-much they asked and how little they got.
-
-We pushed on rapidly towards St. Germain, for Dr. Pratt was in haste to
-get there as soon as possible. Curious to relate, we had not thus far
-fallen in with a single German outpost; neither did we, until our
-entrance into the Forest of St. Germain, when we were challenged, and
-had to give up our papers for inspection. A few miles outside that town
-we passed through the village of Mézières, which had been burned to the
-ground a few days previously, and was now a smouldering heap of ruins.
-One burned village is like another, and I might have fancied myself in
-Bazeilles. Whole streets in the suburbs of St. Germain, through which we
-passed, had been plundered, and, in some cases, the soldiers had gone
-from house to house by means of holes, which they had picked through the
-partition walls. I rambled over a pile of such buildings, and certainly
-the wanton destruction within them was astounding. The Germans, I must
-say, when not watched, are rare good hands at pillage; but they were
-kept down by such rigid discipline, and so severely punished for every
-offence, how trivial soever, that they were, and are, I suppose
-(although not with their goodwill), the best conducted soldiers on
-active service in Europe. In the matter of discipline, nothing appears
-to have been changed, at least in the way of relaxation, among the
-Prussian rank and file, since the good old days of Frederick the Great
-and his eccentric and brutal father.
-
-Soon after leaving St. Germain we came upon the heights of Marly, just
-below the aqueduct. From this position we commanded that historic view
-which is too well known for me to think of describing it, even if I
-could. Beneath us we observed the Palace of St. Cloud, destined in a few
-short hours to be a ruin; and beyond, towering gloomily above it, the
-fort of Mont Valérien. Nor was the garrison of the latter idle, for it
-kept up a brisk cannonade in our direction, even as we were looking
-towards it.
-
-Presently we noticed a number of men descending beneath its guns.
-Evidently, something unusual was about to take place. Of this fact we
-were soon made certain by the shells dropping much nearer to us, some
-bursting at the other side of the road beneath;--which, for a moment,
-led us to imagine that the fort had mistaken us for an ammunition train.
-The shells came very close; and the ladies who were with us felt, as was
-not unreasonable, a good deal of alarm.
-
-Just then two bodies of Bavarian cavalry and a regiment of infantry
-passed us in hot haste, doubling down the hill, along a by-road, to join
-other troops of the Line which were concealed in the woods beneath us,
-and under cover of them were advancing. Directly to our left and below
-us, the Prussian batteries opened fire from their positions, which
-covered their cavalry and infantry on the right and left flank. For some
-time the booming and rattling were kept up vigorously, reminding us of
-the 31st August and 1st September on a small scale. But in about an hour
-all was quiet again, and the French had retreated within their big fort.
-
-This was only one of numberless little skirmishes, which were constantly
-taking place between the besiegers and besieged, according as either
-made excursions in the country around them in quest of provisions,
-fodder, or fuel.
-
-Early in the afternoon we entered Versailles, and reported ourselves
-immediately to the Prussian General Commandant of the place. We
-established our headquarters at the Hôtel des Réservoirs, in the street
-of the same name. There Dr. Pratt and one or two others secured
-apartments, which was a troublesome business, for every room in the
-hotel seemed to be occupied by a Baron, a Prince, a Duke, or some high
-officer of King William's household. I have heard that in the Hôtel des
-Réservoirs alone there were four or five such magnates, among them
-Prince Pless, and that Prince of Hohenzollern whose candidature for the
-Crown of Spain was the pretext on which Louis Napoléon had declared war.
-This latter I used to see constantly about the Conciergerie of the
-hotel,--a gentlemanly, gay, and handsome youth, wearing the uniform of
-the White Hussars, and certainly the last man in the world one would
-picture to oneself as having originated this tremendous conflict.
-
-Staying at the same hotel were two American Generals of great, but
-unlike celebrity,--Sheridan, the famous cavalry hero, and Burnside, who
-lost the battle of Fredericksburg. They made most friendly advances
-towards the Americans of our Staff; but their attentions were received
-by the latter with the utmost indifference, as they might have
-anticipated; for our men, with the exception of Hayden, were
-Southerners, and hated the ground these Yankees trod upon. Nigger
-Charlie, whom their efforts had made a freeman, gnashed his teeth at
-Sheridan when that General condescended to notice him. It was an honour
-of which the darkie felt by no means proud. I may here state that no one
-who has not lived for some time among a number of Southerners can
-realise how bitter was their hatred in those years towards the North. So
-great was it, indeed, that, when they could avoid it, they would not
-even eat at the same table, or have any social intercourse with them. I
-must add my suspicion that this was strictly true only in the case of
-men like my _confrères_, who had been large slave-owners and landed
-proprietors; and who, having been completely ruined by the war, had gone
-into voluntary exile. On such as these the indulgent policy of the
-United States Government, after the ruin of the Southern cause, had no
-power to efface the memory of what they had lost. Wherever one travelled
-in Europe twenty years ago, one still found Southern exiles, as deeply
-imbued with hatred of the Yankee as if their subjugation had taken place
-only the day before. But that feeling was not likely to outlive them.
-And I am told that the gentlemen of Virginia and South Carolina have
-acquiesced now in the abolition of slavery, against which they fought so
-fiercely and to such little purpose, although we have just been
-witnessing the renewal of their efforts to disfranchise the coloured
-voters, and restore the local and State government to their own class.
-
-But I am wandering from my subject. As I have already said, our chief's
-private wish was, if possible, to get into Paris; and, with this object
-in view, Dr. Pratt held a long consultation with Colonel Lloyd Lindsay,
-R.A., president of the English Society, from whom we now awaited our
-orders. He declared the project impossible, and placed our contingent at
-the service of Prince Pless, Inspector-General of the German Ambulance
-Corps, who told us that we were wanted very badly indeed at Orleans,
-where there had been some days' severe fighting, with great loss on
-both sides. The town was full of wounded, and the medical staff quite
-insufficient to take charge of them.
-
-Ostensibly, therefore, under the direction of Colonel Lloyd Lindsay and
-the English Society, but, as a matter of fact, under German orders, we
-had henceforth to carry on our mission. This change of control was
-disagreeable to us; but there was no help for it. We had been at first
-exclusively in the service of the French, but were always international;
-and we could not, in honour or conscience, refuse to enlist in the
-service of the Germans. As it had been rumoured about Versailles that we
-wanted to get into Paris, there was felt a certain amount of suspicion
-regarding our neutrality; and to have hesitated at this moment would
-have been fatal to our usefulness in the forthcoming campaigns. We made
-preparations to start as soon as might be. Colonel Lloyd Lindsay
-objected to our present Ambulance uniforms, and thought them too French.
-The Francs-Tireurs who had captured us, it will not be forgotten, had
-taken them to be Prussian. At his suggestion, we were to wear the
-undress uniform of the Royal Artillery while attached to the German
-Field Hospital Service; and a supply was ordered immediately from
-London. We received them, and wore them until we left Orleans. Such were
-the circumstances under which our transfer from the French to the
-Germans was effected.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XIII.
-
-THE PRUSSIAN HEADQUARTERS IN VERSAILLES.--A POLISH LADY.--THE BURNING OF
-ST. CLOUD.--GERMAN PRINCES.--BY ÉTAMPES AND THE BATTLEFIELD OF CHEVILLY
-TO ORLEANS.
-
-
-As Dr. Pratt had arrangements to make for our transit, and stores to lay
-in, and as our horses sorely required rest, our departure was delayed
-for two days, during which I had ample opportunity of seeing everything
-that was worth while at Versailles. My quarters were comfortable; and I
-ought not to pass over the circumstances which enabled me to come by
-them.
-
-A Polish lady of great wealth, Madame Urbonouski, who lived in the Rue
-des Réservoirs, hearing that our Ambulance corps had entered Versailles,
-came out in person and accosted Dr. Mackellar; telling him that it would
-give her much pleasure if he and two others of his companions would
-accept the use of her house and the hospitality of her table, whilst
-they were staying in the city. So generous an offer could not be
-refused. Mackellar, Hayden, and myself were only too well pleased to
-accept such agreeable lodgings. Our apartments were exquisitely
-furnished, and provided with all manner of luxuries, to which the sorry
-plight wherein we had come from Rouen hardly allowed us to do justice.
-Nothing could exceed Madame Urbonouski's kind attention during the
-couple of days that we lodged under her roof. Provisions were scarce and
-costly; but that did not prevent her from giving us the best of
-everything to eat, and the choicest of wines at dinner. Before I left,
-my hostess, understanding that I was an Irishman, and being well aware
-of the sympathies which have existed between her own nation and Ireland
-(countries alike in their religious history and their long disasters),
-insisted that, if ever I returned to Versailles, I should pay a fresh
-visit to the Rue des Réservoirs. I promised, and should have been glad
-to have kept my word. But I did not see Madame Urbonouski a second time,
-nor do I know if she is still living.
-
-On the day after our arrival every one was talking of the burning of St.
-Cloud, which occurred the previous evening. It was the unhappy result of
-that fighting which we had witnessed, and, thanks to the shells from
-Mont Valérien, had as good as shared in, on the 13th. Next morning we
-visited the Château of Versailles, and saw the picture galleries and the
-Chapel Royal. Here, too, the tokens of war made themselves conspicuous
-elsewhere than in the smoky battle pieces which stared at us from the
-walls. All the galleries on the ground floor had been turned into a
-Hospital, and were filled with wounded Germans. And a first-class
-Hospital they made,--commodious and airy, the arrangement and general
-organisation as nearly perfect as possible. But on the well-tended grass
-plots in front of the Palace, I saw numbers of the King's horses
-exercised, where, but a short time previously, it had been almost a
-crime to set foot.
-
-I must not speak of the Grand and Little Trianon, the trim walks, or the
-fountain which I beheld playing into the basin of Neptune. It was all
-new and delightful to a raw youth, whose reading of French history had
-been neither extensive nor profound. Mackellar and I took a drive
-through the Park, out of Versailles, and enjoyed a distant view of Paris
-from certain heights whence now and then we could hear the booming of
-cannon as the forts discharged their thunder. On our homeward journey we
-met the old King driving in an open landau. He was accompanied by the
-German Chancellor. When I saw him another time, General von Moltke was
-in the carriage. Thus I had now set eyes on the man at Sedan who had
-lost one Empire, and on those who were destined, in the halls of Louis
-XIV., to set up another ere six months should have passed.
-
-But, indeed, it would seem that half the inhabitants of Versailles
-consisted of Princes, Dukes, Barons, and commanding officers. I counted
-nine of these notables at the Hôtel des Réservoirs; yet some were such
-shabby-looking specimens of their class, that for the time they
-extinguished in me the respect which I had supposed myself to entertain
-for Royalty and its surroundings. A Prince, a Duke, or a General who
-walked about the streets munching alternately a piece of raw ham or
-sausage from one hand, and a junk of bread from the other, was not
-exactly one's idea of feudal, or even German dignity, and modern
-civilisation. Yet such were the manners of not a few whose high-sounding
-names read well in the "Gazette".
-
-I have been offered a share of these rude repasts, and, famished as I
-might be at the time, my self-respect, nay, my very appetite, revolted;
-and it was not without an effort that I was able politely to decline.
-The proverb runs, "A la guerre comme à la guerre". I do not mean to
-imply that in a campaign the decencies of life can be always observed;
-but there is such a thing as a gentlemanly bearing, and, out of that
-great assembly which boasted of the oldest German blood in its members,
-I saw few that came up to the standard which English officers are
-expected to fulfil, as they do with the rarest exception.
-
-I must confess that, when I looked at several of our _attachés_ in the
-German Court, and contrasted them with their perhaps more intellectual,
-and certainly more uncouth and burly, cousins from across the Rhine, and
-from the Mark of Brandenburg, I could not help feeling proud of that
-sister country which gave them birth. But, alas! when we compare, not
-the officers and men individually, but the English army with the German,
-we can no longer boast: our methods of training, until lately, have been
-old-fashioned; our military science lags behind; and our neglect of the
-training, to which all young men in town and village might, with the
-greatest advantage, be submitted, is, I venture to think, no less
-shortsighted than imbecile.
-
-On the evening of the 15th, I saw 12,000 men marched through Versailles.
-These were new levies from Germany, coming to reinforce the army of
-investment around Paris; and a splendid body of men they looked. The
-general topic of conversation now was the fighting about Orleans, the
-taking of that town, and the defeat of the Army of the Loire, news of
-which had just reached us. Fresh combats in the neighbourhood were
-expected, and Dr. Pratt made all ready to start on the morrow. At
-Versailles it seemed to be the general opinion that Paris could not long
-hold out; and, with its capitulation, the war must end.
-
-On the same night, we had orders to report ourselves next morning at
-headquarters, and to be ready to start at a moment's notice.
-
-October 16th was Sunday. I was up at cockcrow, heard Mass at the Grande
-Église, and bade good-bye to my amiable hostess. Our staff was assembled
-at headquarters, in the midst of the Princes, Barons, Dukes, and the
-rest whom I have already mentioned. When everything was ready, and the
-waggons and stores had got into line, those who had horses rode forward,
-while we others drove in the comfortable private omnibus we
-had--borrowed, I suppose, is the word,--at Mantes. Our departure created
-a little stir in the town. As for Prince Pless, he made himself
-agreeable to all of us, and was even so thoughtful as to give us a
-supply of cigars.
-
-Moving along in procession we made somewhat of a display. From the
-foremost of our Ambulance waggons floated the flags of England and
-America on the breeze. Just as we arrived at the broad avenue in front
-of the Mairie, which is the way out of the town, a Prussian regiment
-passed us in full marching order. As they approached, we heard orders
-passed along among officers and under officers, in loud harsh tones,
-with the result that, as each Company went by, it presented arms, our
-chief and those who rode with him returning the salute.
-
-We were soon clear of Versailles and on the way to Longumeau, at which
-place, after a pleasant journey, we arrived towards evening, and
-secured quarters for the night. Before we were in the town very long, it
-appeared that our arrival had created a commotion among the Prussian
-authorities, who had no knowledge as to what we were, and whither we
-were going. On these points several of us were questioned repeatedly by
-the German officers. This was the case. Our chief, finding Longumeau
-such a trifling village, did not think it necessary to report himself to
-the Commandant. That such was not this dignitary's opinion we soon
-discovered by his coming down to the hotel where we had put up, and
-storming in most vociferous and unparliamentary language at all and
-sundry, but especially at Dr. Pratt, for not reporting to him as soon as
-we were in his jurisdiction.
-
-However, the matter was made straight by the production of the Doctor's
-credentials, signed by the authorities at Versailles, upon which our
-boisterous little friend, who wore a uniform of rusty gold lace, fell
-into a surly silence. Before it became dusk, I went out with Dr. May to
-buy such odds and ends of eatables as might eke out what was provided
-for dinner. We went into a store, which was crowded with German
-soldiers. While I was waiting to be served, I watched the different
-purchases that were being made. One of our Teutons was buying butter,
-old and rank, another lard, another candles, another fat pork or bacon.
-All were investing their groschen and small change in something or other
-greasy. One of these fellows took a piece of butter in his fingers,
-weighing about half a pound, and then asked the price of it; but while
-the poor French shopkeeper was looking in another direction, the hero
-slipped out and decamped to his quarters. I felt inclined to follow him
-up, but judged it wiser to control my indignation, as I had to do many a
-time before and afterwards. Within an hour from our arrival, the
-townspeople learned on what errand we were going, and became, in
-consequence, most polite and communicative. One of the most respectable
-among the bourgeois went so far as to ask us into his house to tea and
-supper.
-
-Some four of us accepted the invitation. We slipped across the street,
-after dark, to our good friend's abode, and spent a pleasant evening
-over an excellent cup of coffee, with fair bread and butter. No one, who
-has not served during a campaign, can conceive how impossible it is to
-get anything like a comfortable meal, or to procure good and eatable
-bread, not to mention good butter, which was a rarity indeed. And I am
-afraid the same must be said of beef and mutton,--in fact, of all the
-ordinary articles of consumption.
-
-Next morning we made an early start. Our road still lay through a finely
-wooded country, each side lined with cherry, apple, and pear trees, to
-the fruit of which we helped ourselves abundantly. The weather continued
-open. And, as before, we had to keep a sharp look-out for the
-Francs-Tireurs, rumours of whose wanton doings were rife amongst the
-peasants, who bore them a cordial hatred.
-
-About midday, we arrived at the little town of Arpajon, where we made
-our luncheon. What struck us, in passing through the hamlets and
-villages on our route, was the utterly deserted and forlorn aspect of
-their houses, streets, and public places. The country seemed to have
-become a wilderness, so far as inhabitants were concerned.
-
-Early in the afternoon we reached Étampes, a clean little town, with
-wide boulevards, and a prettily planted square. Curious to tell, we did
-not find a single German in occupation, and had no difficulty in getting
-quarters. I took a stroll through the town with Mackellar and Warren.
-The first building which drew our attention was the parish church,
-standing in the principal street, and not inelegant. We entered,
-expecting to see everything in that state of gaudy neatness which is
-characteristic of French country churches; but what was our horror to
-find the air laden with a foul odour, and the floors of the aisle and
-transept littered with straw! It was evident that a troop of cavalry
-horses had been quartered here, some having been tied to the benches,
-which supplied the place of mangers, and others secured to the railings
-of the side-chapel.
-
-It was also plain that the stalls in the Sanctuary had been used in like
-manner, judging from the amount of stable débris that lay about on all
-sides; many of the benches, too, had been broken up, and fires lighted
-with them in different parts of the church. The steps and the altar
-showed signs of having been used for the purposes of eating and sleeping
-upon them. At the foot of the altar, which was flashy and splendid, lay
-upon straw a ham bone picked clean. All this was very revolting.
-Hitherto, we had indeed seen the churches in and around Sedan and
-Versailles turned into hospitals; but no one will describe that as an
-improper use of them. It was quite another thing to make of the
-Sanctuary a noisome den.
-
-On quitting the desecrated church, we crossed the railway to the old
-Château, which stands on the hill above Étampes. It is a place of
-historic associations, but the Prussians had ransacked it, and all was
-confusion within. When we came back it was reported to our chief that
-the mayor had made some objection about giving fodder to our horses; so
-that my friend Hayden was forthwith deputed to call on him and put the
-matter straight. To him the mayor abruptly reiterated his objection,
-little knowing the character of the man whom he had to deal with. Hayden
-resorted to his store of strong terms, and warned him, with the
-audacity of a Yankee, that if the provender was not forthcoming and sent
-in before night, he would have his worship publicly hanged next morning
-from one of the trees in his own garden. Panic-stricken at the energy
-with which Hayden announced his doom upon the morrow, the poor man,
-without more ado, gave orders to have the fodder and corn delivered at
-once, which was accordingly done.
-
-There was something not a little daring in this procedure of Hayden's,
-though nothing, perhaps, really courageous; for M. le Maire had no
-soldiers, and not so much as a gendarme in the town at his command.
-Hence his instantaneous surrender. We had a great laugh over the whole
-affair.
-
-Next morning we resumed our march, and pushed on briskly, for we now
-heard, from two Ambulance couriers who came against us, that fighting
-was going on about Orleans, and that our services were much needed in
-that town.
-
-As the day advanced, we could distinctly hear the ceaseless booming of
-cannon many miles ahead. Towards evening, when we had passed by Artenay,
-we found the road and the plain on both sides covered with the débris of
-a battle. Numbers of torn uniforms, knapsacks, arms, accoutrements, dead
-horses, and newly-made graves,--all were tokens that the neighbourhood
-had lately seen severe fighting. An unexploded shell lay beside the
-road, but we avoided touching it. Many of the trees were severed midway
-up their trunks, and nearly all had small branches broken here and
-there, showing that the fighting was not confined to artillery. Some of
-the tree trunks were grooved in a most curious manner, evidently by
-shell or shot.
-
-During the whole of this day, 18th October, we pushed on as fast as we
-could, arriving late at the village of Chevilly. We heard from the
-Mayor, who kindly gave us quarters for the night, that a fierce and
-bloody battle had been fought both in and around the village during the
-previous week. His little flower-garden had been the scene of an
-infantry charge; and I marked by the trampled and uprooted plants, and
-the scattered earth, the very spot where several deadly struggles had
-taken place. The ground was furrowed, and the branches of the trees
-broken by bombshells. Our hostess, who had retreated with her husband
-into a cellar during the fighting, gave me a vivid description of the
-affair. The whole village was a heap of ruins. But I shall remember the
-poor lady and her kind husband, who gave us so hospitable a welcome,
-despite the agitation which their late experience and the spoiling of
-their dwelling place had caused them.
-
-It was a problem what would become of the inhabitants in these country
-districts, where the Prussians (as my host and hostess informed me) had
-eaten up their meat, bread, and vegetables, had carried off their
-cattle, their hay, straw and corn, and in many instances had finished
-up, when they thought the people had balked them of supplies, by burning
-the houses over the heads of the Frenchmen. Such things, we were
-assured, had come to pass round Orleans. On several occasions since
-leaving Longumeau, we had encountered waggon-loads of women and
-children, who told us piteous tales how their houses had been destroyed,
-and themselves obliged to fly; and, perhaps, the saddest part of their
-story was, that when we asked whither they were going, they seemed, in
-some instances, not to have the faintest idea. They were wanderers on
-the face of the earth, and dazed by the calamities which had fallen on
-them so unexpectedly.
-
-We left Chevilly for Orleans on the morning of the 19th. Our road still
-lay through the heart of the battlefield; and innumerable horses,
-knapsacks, broken muskets, and military trappings of all sorts, were
-lying about on every side. The frequent graves told their own monotonous
-tale. It had become a strange and painful journey; but our adventures
-were not yet over.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XIV.
-
-ENTERING TO THE SOUND OF CANNON.--66 QUAI DU CHÂTELET ASSIGNED TO US,
-ALSO THE RAILWAY TERMINUS.--DESCRIPTION OF OUR NEW QUARTERS.
-
-
-About midday we entered Orleans by the Faubourg Bannier. All this time
-the cannon had been actively engaged at the other side of the town in
-the direction of Châteaudun, and, as we passed in, we met several
-companies of German regiments marching along some by-roads towards the
-quarter whence the sound of firing came, doubtless with the intention of
-joining in the fray. Orleans had fallen into the hands of the Bavarians;
-but at present the garrison was small, for all the available troops had
-been sent to the front, where they were now pursuing the Army of the
-Loire in its retreat upon Tours. In passing through the Faubourg
-Bannier, we saw convincing proofs of a severe and very recent conflict.
-Whole lines of houses were burned to the ground, while others had been
-partially demolished by shell, or had their doors and windows riddled.
-Many of the doors bore marks of having been broken through by the
-crowbar, or the hatchet of the sapper. In the streets the litter of the
-bloody battle which had been fought in the previous week, lay scattered
-about; and, judging from appearances, the street fighting must have been
-a very hot affair indeed.
-
-[Illustration: F.S. Weller.]
-
-[Illustration:
-
-    REFERENCE.
-
-    1. _S^t. Paterne._                 C.2.
-    2. _Cathedral._                    F.4.
-    3. _Hôtel de Ville._               E.4.
-    4. _Museum._                       E.5.
-    5. _Hôtel Cabul & Hist^l. Mus^m._  D.5.
-    6. _Notre Dame de Recouvrance._    C.5.
-    7. _S^t. Aignan._                  H.6.
-    8. _S^t. Euverte._                 H.4.
-    9. _S^t. Pierre._                  E.4.
-    10. _House of Agnès Sorel._        D.5.
-    11. _House of François I._         C.5.
-    12. _S^t. Paul._                   C.5.
-
-    Hôtels.
-    a. _d'Orléans._                    D.2.
-    b. _d'Aignan._                     C.1.
-    c. _du Loiret._                    D.3.
-
-    ORLÉANS.
-
-    _London; John Murray, Albemarle Street._
-    _F. S. Weller._]
-
-We reported ourselves at once to the Commandant; for I need hardly say,
-that during the time of war, this is the first thing to be done by every
-sort of men entering a town, be they Regiment, Ambulance Corps,
-Couriers, or any persons whatsoever. Even a stranger whose business is
-not well known is at once taken by the Military Police before the
-General Commandant, and required to give a full account of himself;
-which if he cannot do to that officer's satisfaction, he is placed under
-police supervision, and compelled to report himself every morning at
-headquarters. This regulation I mention, because a certain auxiliary
-member of our staff was compelled to do the like, on account of his
-speaking unguardedly of the position of the forces to some of the
-townsfolk.
-
-Our Ambulance train came to a standstill in the Place Bannier, while Dr.
-Pratt was making his report, and getting our quarters assigned to us. In
-the centre of the Place stood a large drinking fountain, around which
-were congregated a troop of horses, jostling each other in their anxiety
-to get at the water. They appeared so fatigued, that I judged they must
-have returned quite lately from the field. While our Ambulance was
-awaiting the return of Dr. Pratt, Mackellar and I strolled round
-leisurely. The excitement of the people was at this period remarkable;
-for they imagined that, in spite of all their recent reverses, the Army
-of the Loire, which was still fighting at a short distance outside the
-city, would beat the Germans back, and again occupy the place.
-
-Hundreds of men, women, and children flocked about the bridge of the
-Loire, and kept a steady look-out down the river, in the direction of
-the fighting. But their expression was that of scared sheep; and when we
-ventured to ask one intelligent-looking young fellow why he was not
-fighting, and driving the invader from his country, he answered, "Sir,
-we have no arms, and no leaders". It was manifest that they did not
-think, as others in the like circumstances have done, of improvising
-either.
-
-The beautiful statue of Jeanne d'Arc, which seemed to be gazing on the
-battle from afar, had been entwined with wreaths and garlands, placed
-there by townsfolk who desired thus to win her prayers for the success
-of their army.
-
-Soon after, we were informed that Nos. 66 and 68 Quai du Châtelet, on
-the bank of the Loire, had been allotted to us as our quarters. On
-arriving there we found two very spacious and elegant houses, commanding
-a beautiful view of the city opposite, as well as of the river, and the
-two famous bridges, which are among the finest monuments of the Imperial
-rule. Up to this date, the larger of the two houses, No. 66, had been
-unoccupied; and the owner, probably not knowing that we had a billet
-from the Commandant, was at first unwilling to let us take up the whole
-house. He showed a sullen countenance, and was proceeding to lock up his
-best suite of apartments, when our chief informed him quietly that if he
-gave any further trouble, and did not at once surrender the keys of
-every door in the house, he, Dr. Pratt, would convert the whole of his
-charming mansion into a hospital, and make an operation theatre of his
-drawing-room. This was a stern, but necessary, warning, which cleared up
-the situation. Monsieur yielded to _force majeure_ thus vigorously
-threatened, and ever after behaved towards us with the civility which in
-the French nature is inherent, and which our mission at Orleans might
-fairly be said to demand.
-
-Our chief had many interviews with the authorities on the two days
-succeeding our arrival. The question was, whether we should take on
-ourselves only the duties of a stationary Hospital, or follow in the
-track of the army. A middle course was fixed upon. We were to have a
-Hospital in town, and, when required, were to take the field with the
-German Ambulance Corps. Our services were gladly accepted by the
-Surgeon-General, and two large Hospitals were at once handed over to
-us; the first--a sick and fever Hospital--containing 150 men; the
-second, consisting of the railway terminus, with its waiting and
-refreshment rooms, stores and offices, in which lay 65 wounded; and
-there were beds to accommodate 150 more. We received, therewith,
-Hospital plant, and a staff of trained military infirmarians. We were
-also given a liberal supply of provisions, which were dealt out to us
-and our wounded by requisition. On the morning of the 21st,
-Surgeon-General Dr. Von Nussbaum was present at the chemin de fer
-d'Orléans to make us acquainted with the former staff, who were now
-handing over their charge to us. Our installation was a very formal
-proceeding. The German Guard turned out, and saluted as we passed in.
-
-This was the beginning of our labours at Orleans. As I have stated, it
-was at the railway terminus, which had been converted into a Hospital by
-the Prussians the day after they took possession of the town.
-
-Entering from the Place in front of the station into the principal
-waiting-room, we passed through two lines of soldiers, drawn up at
-attention, and out on the platform. There were no carriages within the
-precincts of the terminus, but some dreary-looking trucks might be seen
-scattered about on the sidings, and, except a few men on guard at the
-coal depôt, there was not a human being within sight.
-
-The terminus was covered, and of great extent. All the buildings
-connected with it were spacious, and fitted up in the ordinary way. We
-made ourselves at home immediately in the first-class waiting-room. Its
-sofas were placed back to back in the centre; and there were lines of
-beds at each side, every bed occupied by a wounded man. The second- and
-third-class _salles d'attente_ were arranged in like manner, and as full
-as they could hold.
-
-The next room was the Bureau des Inspecteurs, or the office of the
-railway directors. Here also there was a single row of wounded.
-
-In the buffet there were double rows, and, as it was very spacious, the
-numbers it accommodated were proportionately great. In the ticket office
-were kept all the medical and surgical stores and requisites. In the
-telegraph office was the operation theatre, and in the station-master's
-private bureau the instruments to serve it were kept; there the surgeon
-on night duty remained during the period of his watch. In this room
-there was always a good fire, and outside the door paced up and down a
-German sentinel on guard.
-
-At the other side of the platform, approached by the level crossing, we
-found the goods department, and the carriage, waggon, and engine depôt,
-which latter, in its general appearance, was nothing more or less than
-an immense shed, with open archways at both ends. In this most airy
-apartment lay, also, numbers of wounded.
-
-When we pointed to several large holes in the roof (which had been made
-by falling shells a few days previously), and then to the open archways,
-suggesting to our friends that they were, perhaps, a degree too airy to
-be beneficial, Prof. Nussbaum informed us that the wounded in this place
-got better more rapidly than those in the Salles, who were kept warm,
-and completely protected from the weather.
-
-We remained there nearly two hours, seeing the more interesting cases
-dressed, and then looked on at an operation by Nussbaum. As several of
-the parcel and lamp offices were also occupied by wounded, it may be
-conceived that the whole mass of buildings around the platforms made a
-very extensive hospital. It was a curious and novel sight, and for a
-long time afterwards I never entered a large terminus of the kind
-without speculating on the numbers of wounded that it would accommodate.
-
-We were received very kindly by our German friends; and before evening
-were in charge of the whole place, having an efficient staff of nurses
-to assist us, and to look after the wants of our invalids.
-
-As we had now enjoyed a considerable experience in the working of a
-military field-hospital, it took us but a few hours to get into the
-routine; and the Germans were evidently pleased at seeing how briskly we
-fell into line, and took up from them the whole management.
-
-With regard to the Barrack across the river, which was full of sick and
-fever patients, it had been, I say, assigned to us; but we never
-actually took it over. The German surgeons who were in charge had to
-join their field-hospital, which was about to move in the track of the
-army. Nor did the Bavarians possess any medical reserve in Orleans at
-this time, so that we came to their assistance at a juncture when we
-were much needed; and they showed themselves extremely grateful. When,
-however, they were on the point of delivering up the second hospital to
-us, their orders to move were rescinded; and we were saved, thereby, an
-amount of labour and responsibility, to which our limited staff would
-have been altogether unequal.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XV.
-
-ASSISTANT SURGEON.--IMPRESSIONS OF THE GERMAN CHARACTER.--THE ARMY AND
-ITS DISCIPLINE.--STATE OF SIEGE.--VON DER TANN'S PROCLAMATION.--LEOPOLD
-SCHRENK.
-
-
-I was now promoted to be Assistant Surgeon by our chief, and was given
-charge of seventeen patients, under Dr. Mackellar. As much of the
-doctor's time was employed in registering and taking notes of the cases
-in Hospital, except when he performed operations, I was virtually in
-sole charge of my section, though under his supervision.
-
-We breakfasted at 7·30, dined at 12·30, and supped at 6·30; all our
-meals were abundantly furnished at our quarters in the Quai du Châtelet.
-
-With such hard work in hand, there was certainly need of substantial
-food, or we could never have got through it. Every day brought us fresh
-batches of wounded, and with them news of fresh encounters, and
-skirmishes in the field.
-
-On 23rd October, I had to perform my first amputation. It was the
-removal of a portion of a foot, which had been crushed by a waggon
-wheel. The patient, I should explain, lay in a private house, at the
-rear of the Quai du Châtelet. Dr. Mackellar, who had kindly given me the
-operation, and Jean the Turco, assisted me. But when I had made the
-first incision, Jean bolted out of the room, and then tumbled downstairs
-in a faint.
-
-I went on with my task; but no sooner was it completed, than we were
-both taken aback on finding that my subject had been given an overdose
-of chloroform: his face was livid; and it seemed that he had already
-ceased to breathe. In a moment, we flung the windows and door open, and
-were slapping him with cold wet towels, and using artificial
-respiration.
-
-To my great relief, in a few seconds the poor man breathed freely again,
-and before long came back to himself. He made a very prompt recovery;
-was convalescent, and able to hobble about on crutches in a fortnight,
-and had still a useful limb.
-
-My patients increased daily, until from seventeen they became double
-that number. And at this time it was my duty to stay up every fifth
-night.
-
-Three or four days now passed away in constant hard work, part of which
-consisted in rearranging and cleaning up the whole Hospital, which our
-predecessors had left in anything but an orderly state.
-
-Later on, when I had time to go out, I saw numbers of the Bavarian
-troops returning from the recent fighting,--dirty, foot-sore, and jaded;
-they reminded me, in fact, more of French than of German soldiers. The
-campaign seemed to be taking an unfavourable turn for them.
-Occasionally, in the evening, the bands played in the Place Martroi,
-where the German officers and men were wont to assemble to smoke and
-chat. This was one of their customs at home which they had imported into
-France; and by no means a disagreeable one. I heartily enjoyed the
-musical treat which they gave; but I liked still better to listen while
-whole companies were singing glees in perfect harmony, during their
-bivouac under the trees on the Boulevards. There we saw them awaiting
-the assignment of their quarters with stolid patience, and cooking their
-food in cauldrons over wood fires, all to this delightful accompaniment,
-which showed them at their best.
-
-All the German soldiers had a knowledge of music, and more than half
-were fairly well trained to sing. Nearly all the Infantry regiments in
-Orleans at this time were Bavarians; but several detachments of the
-Prussian Cavalry regiments were likewise quartered in the town. I could
-never have imagined such a variety of uniforms and colours as I have
-seen among the hosts of the Emperor William. Let me recall a few of
-them.
-
-There were Bismarck's Cuirassiers, in scarlet and gold; a gorgeous
-uniform, the undress of which (pure white) is, I think, no less
-becoming. Then there were the Black Brunswickers, whose uniform is like
-that worn by the Royal Irish Constabulary, but who wear on their shakos
-an emblem representing a death's head and cross bones. Again, besides
-the dark blue with red facings of the Prussian Infantry, and the
-Bavarian light blue with green facings, I could count up Hussars of all
-colours, red, black, and white, light blue, dark blue and gold, and the
-Würtemburg green. The German soldiers are certainly a magnificent body
-of men; and, although at the bottom of my heart my sympathies and
-affections are altogether with the French, despite their shortcomings, I
-am bound to declare the superiority of their adversaries, as men of fine
-physique and manly bearing, and of cool undaunted courage; and I need
-not repeat how admirable is the discipline under which they have been
-brought to such perfection.
-
-In 1870, the French did not realise that they had to deal with an army
-the rank and file of which not only was composed of the muscle and sinew
-of the German people, but included their best brains also. Perhaps the
-more observant of the French writers, such as the late M. Renan, or
-George Sand, might have summed up the war as a contest of science
-against civilisation. Certain it is, that the highly wrought
-intelligence of the invaders was a force against which the Republic and
-the Empire alike contended in vain. The general run of soldiers from
-beyond the Rhine were well educated, and few, indeed, were unable to
-read and write. Those few might be found among the Bavarians--in my
-judgment, a slow, dull race, yet accustomed to fight in a dogged
-fashion, who neither went into action with the dash and ardour, nor ran
-away with the alacrity, of Frenchmen. Their movements were on system,
-and according to rule: they fought because they were bidden to fight,
-and mowed down the enemy, not from hatred of them, but because such were
-their orders; and, if they did not take to flight, it was in the same
-spirit of passive obedience.
-
-I should give the result of my impressions, therefore, somewhat as
-follows: Take no notice of a German soldier, and do not molest or
-interfere with him, especially when he is carrying out the orders of his
-superiors, and he will be as harmless as a child, and as easily pleased.
-But if, on the other hand, you do meddle with him, and stir up his rage
-on any pretext, his revenge will be no less prompt than terrible. In the
-battlefield, when once he is excited, he will use his bayonet and musket
-as a Zulu his assegai, or an Indian his tomahawk.
-
-As for his manners, they are, at the best of times, uncouth, not to say
-detestable, and when at meals, disgusting. He is an enormous eater,
-caring not so much about the quality of what he devours, so long as
-quantity is provided; and though he drinks an amount of beer that would
-make any other European helplessly intoxicated, he is seldom drunk.
-Nothing irritates him like hunger and thirst; in which circumstance he
-furnishes the most unpleasing contrast to a French soldier,--always
-patient, and commonly cheerful under such privations. When suffering in
-this way, physically (which seldom occurred under the admirable
-organisation of the German commissariat), he would pillage and plunder
-all before him to get food or beer. For such depredations, when caught,
-he was mercilessly punished. And the German soldier submits impassively
-to this treatment at the hands of his officer, as if he were a dog,
-without seeming to resent it. I have seen officers and their subalterns
-on the quays of Orleans strike their men repeatedly, and on parade drill
-make their recruits dress in line, with the flat of their
-broad-swords,--a disgraceful procedure, to which neither an English nor
-a French lad would submit. All these features of the German system, as
-brutal as it has proved effective, I observed, long after I had seen
-them at Orleans, in the vivacious and sparkling pages of _Barry Lyndon_.
-So little does the world change in a hundred and thirty years!
-
-For some days no one but the military had appeared in the streets. All
-the shop windows in the town were closed, all business suspended; and
-the place, in these circumstances, had anything but a lively aspect. The
-Commandant, however, issued an order to all shopkeepers, obliging them,
-under pain of severe punishment, to take down their shutters, and open
-their establishments. In accordance with this regulation, on a certain
-day, before the appointed hour, down came all the shutters; but the
-display of goods in the windows amused me very much. In one, exhibiting
-a frontage of perhaps twenty feet or more, where silks, satins, and the
-most costly stuffs were usually spread out, now appeared in a tasteful
-arrangement several pieces of glazed calico, which were, it seemed, the
-only goods one could purchase in that establishment. Another equally
-large shop in the Rue Royale, a hardware house, exhibited as its stock
-in trade some dozen or so of rusty kettles, saucepans, and gridirons. In
-like manner did nearly all the other shopkeepers.
-
-The pastrycooks, however, drove a roaring trade; their counters were
-crowded at all hours of the day with the conquering heroes, for Germans
-eat sweetmeats and confectionery as a cow munches young clover in the
-month of May. But the owners of these establishments were not at all
-particular as to the quality of the articles they provided. I once
-walked into such a place, and was about to eat of some tempting-looking
-things in the way of tarts, when the man behind the counter recognised
-me, for we were acquaintances, and whispered that he would give me in a
-moment something more agreeable, instead of those greasy things,
-pointing to what was before him, which were made only for Prussians. I
-ought to remark on the characteristic way in which Frenchmen, who are
-the most ignorant people in the world with regard to foreigners and
-their languages, called every stranger a Prussian, no matter of what
-nation he might be.
-
-Meanwhile Orleans continued in a state of siege, and strict watch was
-kept on every one who moved about during the daytime. After dark no one
-could walk abroad without being liable to be shot down by the sentries,
-who were placed at every hundred yards along the streets, unless he
-carried a lighted lantern. I took great pleasure in listening to the
-bugles sounding the order for citizens to retire indoors at nine
-o'clock. Standing four abreast at the top of each street, the musicians
-sounded their call, which was a most plaintive and melodious strain.
-
-Before going on with my narrative, I ought not to omit the curious
-proclamation, still on the walls of Orleans, which the Bavarian General,
-Von der Tann, had put forth after his capture of the city, October 13.
-It ran as follows:--
-
-    "FRENCH CITIZENS!
-
-    "As I desire, so much as in me lies, to alleviate the burden of
-    the population now suffering from the evils of war, I appeal to
-    your good sense, and trust that the sincerity with which I
-    address you will open your eyes to the real state of affairs;
-    and will persuade you to take your stand with the party of
-    reason and peace.
-
-    "Your late Government declared war against Germany. Never was
-    there a declaration more frivolous. Nor could the German armies
-    do otherwise than reply by passing the frontier.
-
-    "They won victory after victory; and your own army, deluded upon
-    system, and demoralised, was all but annihilated.
-
-    "Another Government has arisen. We hoped that it would make
-    peace. It has done no such thing. And why? Because it feared for
-    its own existence; and, pretending that the German conditions
-    were impossible, it has chosen to continue a war, the outcome of
-    which cannot fail to be the ruin of France.
-
-    "Now, what are the conditions which they call impossible?
-
-    "They are the restoration of those provinces that belonged to
-    Germany, and in which the German language still prevails in town
-    and country; in other words, of Alsace and the German Lorraine.
-
-    "Is this proposal too much?
-
-    "What conditions would a victorious France have exacted?
-
-    "You have been told that the purpose of the German armies is to
-    degrade France. That is simply a falsehood, invented to stir up
-    and excite the masses.
-
-    "On the contrary, it is your Government which, by its conduct,
-    is forcibly drawing on the German battalions into the heart of
-    the country, and is leading up to the ruin which it will
-    accomplish if it persists in itself degrading that fair France,
-    which might have proved to be the warmest friend of the nation
-    it has driven into hostilities.
-
-    "Orleans, 13th Oct., 1870.
-    "BARON DE TANN,
-    "General of Infantry."
-
-The olive-branch of this good General of Infantry, held out at the point
-of the sword to a people than whom a more touchy or sensitive does not
-exist, was hardly intended to produce an effect. Orleans was eagerly
-waiting all through that month and down to the 10th November, in the
-feverish expectation of succour from without, which would rid them of M.
-de Tann and his proclamations.
-
-But day passed after day, until the monotony of our routine was broken
-by the astounding news, long foreseen, yet, when it came, overpowering,
-of the capitulation of Metz, with Bazaine, 3 Marshals, 66 Generals, 3000
-cannon, and 173,000 men. It was the greatest surrender in
-history,--perhaps, the most flagrant act of treason.
-
-Accounts given by the wounded stragglers, whom we daily received into
-our Hospital, told us that a desultory warfare, but no regular fighting,
-was going on between the opposing armies in our front. On one day, about
-November 3, two Bavarians were admitted, rather severely wounded. They
-related that in the direction of Blois, a party of skirmishers, with
-which they were serving, came upon, and surprised, a body of French, of
-whom, after a desperate fight, they captured two only, but left forty
-dead on the field. This, they stated, had taken place eight hours'
-distance (_i.e._, 24 miles) from Orleans. A few days later, I received
-three others, who had been engaged in a similar small skirmish with the
-rear guard of the enemy. All three, by an odd coincidence, were wounded
-in the upper extremity. One Hussar had received a bayonet-thrust through
-the upper and fleshy part of his arm; but, with a beaming smile, he
-related how he had cleft the Frenchman's head in two, while his opponent
-was in the act of making his thrust. The other two had bullet wounds in
-their arms, evidently received at close quarters.
-
-On another day, two men were brought in, who had been shot by a couple
-of Francs-Tireurs. These latter wore no uniform, and had coolly potted
-them from behind a hedge. Yet, as the following notice from General
-Wittich announced,--and it was a sample of others posted up throughout
-the country,--all such civilian aggressors were liable to the extreme
-penalty. "I declare to the inhabitants," so ran this document, "that all
-persons, not being soldiers, who shall be taken bearing arms against the
-German troops, or committing other acts of hostility or treason, will be
-irrevocably put to death. Only those will be considered as military who
-wear uniforms, or who are recognisable at rifle distance by distinctions
-not separable from the clothes which they have on."
-
-In the general arrangement of our Hospital, and particularly in the
-nursing department, we were greatly assisted by a most generous and
-kind-hearted little Bavarian, named Leopold Schrenk, Captain in a
-Regiment of the Line. He used to come every day when off duty, and work
-in our Hospital, ready to help all round, but was of especial service in
-looking after the patients' rations. I have seen him making the beds of
-my wounded men, and washing their faces. This devotion to his suffering
-and wounded fellow-countrymen was admirable; but he displayed a hatred
-for all Frenchmen and Roman Catholics, and he detested priests, in a way
-which I could never account for, as it was very unusual among South
-Germans. However, he behaved like a staunch patriot, and was a favourite
-with us all. When I parted from him he gave me his address and his
-photograph.
-
-Some ladies who belonged to Orleans also came and distributed soup to
-the wounded; among them one who was by birth from Ireland, Madame
-O'Hanlon. Actuated solely by motives of charity, they ministered alike
-to Prussians and French, with equal kindness and attention.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XVI.
-
-CASES AND PATIENTS.--MARTIN DILGER.--HEAVY LOSSES.--FRENCH IRRELIGION
-CONTRASTED WITH GERMAN PIETY.
-
-
-As it is my object to exclude as much as possible professional details
-of my labours at the bedside, description of wounds, and the like, I
-shall again merely mention particulars of a few cases, in order to give
-my reader a general idea of the nature of the wounds received by
-soldiers in battle.
-
-Take No. 6, for instance, as I find it in my notes. It was a very bad
-case. A German soldier of the Line had received a bullet wound behind
-and below the calf of his leg, which passed up, without touching the
-bone, behind his knee joint, beneath the muscles of the thigh to the
-joint of the hip. Having pursued this most extraordinary course, it
-lodged so deep beneath the muscles that neither the German doctors nor
-ourselves, to whom the case was handed over, could find the exact
-position of the bullet; yet I laid open its track in four or five
-places. Despite all treatment, he died eventually of blood-poisoning. On
-making a post-mortem examination, I traced the bullet actually into the
-abdomen, and still was unable to find it, although certain of its
-general position. These particulars I mention to show the unaccountable
-course a bullet may take after entering an extremity. There were dozens
-of similar curious cases, for which this may suffice as an example.
-
-In another instance the bullet, having entered the right thigh and
-fractured the bone, carried along with it, impacted in its centre, a
-splinter of this bone, and pieces of the tunic and lining, as well as of
-trousers and shirt. It then entered the left thigh, lodging close to the
-skin on the outer side, from which I extracted the different fragments
-in the order just described.
-
-By this time we had evacuated the large shed, which was now only
-occupied by those who suffered from pyæmia, or blood-poisoning. All the
-rest had comfortable quarters in different portions of the building; but
-these unfortunates were doomed to remain in the shed, though exposed to
-the biting frost and bleak winds of November. The simple reason was that
-their presence under the same roof with their comrades would mean
-certain death to all. When they had contracted this dread disease, which
-they chiefly did by infection, their only chance,--and a poor one it
-proved,--was to be placed in a current of fresh air. Hence their removal
-to this shed was commonly but their first step to the deadhouse.
-
-This plague of the Field Hospital made great havoc amongst our men
-during the month of November in Orleans, as it had done at Sedan in
-September. The only instance of recovery after it, which came under my
-notice during the whole campaign, was that of the Bavarian named Martin
-Dilger; and his was of a very bad type. His thigh had been amputated;
-and, when the symptoms set in, I sent him out to the shed, where he
-quickly became as bad as his comrades. I attended him several times
-every day; but he speedily grew worse, until at last, his case seemed
-more desperate than all the others. The soft parts sloughed, leaving the
-thigh-bone protruding; while the patient was almost comatose, and had
-that violent hiccough which is generally, in such cases, the forerunner
-of death. Several of my fellow-surgeons, moved by feelings of humanity,
-advised me not to put him to the useless pain and annoyance of dressing
-his stump, since he was _in articulo mortis_, and his recovery beyond
-the range of possibility. However, I resolved that while he lived, I
-would do as much for him as possible; and I continued to dress his
-wounds.
-
-Dilger had prolonged and repeated rigors, followed by profuse
-perspiration, and was generally of a bluish livid colour,--all symptoms
-of most deadly omen. I gave him as much brandy as he could take, and
-chloral every two hours, for the hiccough, which was so violent that it
-shook not only his whole frame, but the bed on which he lay. Yet, in a
-few days these rigors subsided; he opened his eyes, and became
-conscious. In the face of such a decided improvement, I ventured the
-opinion that he would recover. He was now taking immense quantities of
-brandy, which was supplied from the stores, and broth which I had made
-for him in the town. Under this treatment his wounds took on a healthy
-action, his pulse and temperature came down, and rational speech
-returned, instead of his low muttering delirium; my colleagues now
-admitted that his recovery was possible. I suffered him to remain in the
-shed, as I felt that his safety depended upon having him there. Some
-suggested his removal into a warm comfortable room in the town. Indeed,
-it was with difficulty that I turned a deaf ear to these suggestions,
-and overcame my own inclinations, when, on going to visit him on a cold
-November night, I heard the wind whistling through that goods store in
-the most melancholy manner, and the rain coming pitter-patter through
-the holes in the roof. Nevertheless, in this cave of Æolus he outlived
-all the others, and found himself at last its sole occupant.
-
-This was my first case of pyæmia at Orleans, but it was to be quickly
-followed by many more. A Black Hussar, in the first-class waiting-room,
-developed it in a most virulent form, and died in twenty-four hours.
-That frightened me very much, and I trembled for the safety of the rest.
-So I had my wards washed out with a strong solution of carbolic acid
-immediately. What made me still more apprehensive was the awful fact
-that, out of seventeen patients in a neighbouring ward, all hitherto
-going on favourably, fourteen died in a very short time of this dreadful
-scourge. In spite of my precautions, I found a few days subsequently
-that one of my patients had severe rigors, followed by perspiration; and
-bitter was my disappointment to see a case which had been going on
-splendidly, almost even to complete success, suddenly turn to the bad in
-a few hours. I had my man at once removed to the shed, and, as I well
-remember, on a biting November night; but I had no choice. I would have
-put him out on the road-side, rather than have allowed him to sow the
-seeds of inevitable death amongst the rest of my patients.
-
-The poor fellow had now plenty of company in his dismal quarters, for my
-colleagues had sent just as many out there as I had.
-
-Not three days afterwards, a bright, handsome, fair-haired lad of about
-twenty, with a quick, piercing eye, and manly countenance, showed also
-the dreaded premonitory symptoms. I said nothing to him, but asked the
-Hospital sergeant to get two of his men and have him removed on a
-stretcher to the deadhouse. Such I can only call the place from which
-none that entered it came out alive, except in the single instance I
-have quoted. Shall I ever forget the moment when the _infirmiers_ came,
-and that poor young lad, looking me wistfully in the face, read his doom
-in my silence? He knew what it meant. He had seen his comrades go, and
-had learned their fate, which was so soon to be his own. A few days
-later, I lost a fourth,--a good, pious fellow, who was continually
-telling his beads. His name was Johann Krum, particulars of whose case
-have been already given. He was a man that never smiled; and when I
-discovered that he had left a wife and three children at home, I pitied
-him greatly.
-
-I am thankful to say that this was the last of my patients who succumbed
-to pyæmia. Any others whom I lost died from shock, hemorrhage, or the
-severity of their wounds.
-
-The days went on, until we had reached the second week of November.
-Skirmishes with the enemy,--that is to say, with the French, who were
-advancing upon Orleans,--now became an everyday occurrence; and the
-number of wounded that came straggling in meant a very considerable loss
-to the Bavarians.
-
-About this time, Dr. Pratt made a journey to Versailles, in quest of
-stores and money, leaving Dr. Tilghman in command. Inspector-General
-Nussbaum made several visits to our Hospital, and expressed himself
-greatly pleased with the way in which it was conducted. The truth was
-that nobody could teach our veteran Americans anything new in the
-management of a Field Hospital. They had all served their time during
-the four years of the American War, and under a system of military
-medical organisation which, as all authorities acknowledge, they had
-brought to perfection. This was the secret of the undoubtedly successful
-career of our Ambulance. And I must not omit to observe that it was they
-who introduced the anterior suspension splint for fractures and wounds
-of the joints, which we were the means of having adopted in many of the
-German Hospitals.
-
-To turn for a moment, before the Germans evacuate Orleans, to a subject
-on which their presence and behaviour often set me thinking. It was a
-fine sight when the Bavarians heard Mass in the great Cathedral, to mark
-them fully equipped in heavy marching order, as they stood in close
-military array in every available portion of the church, with sabres
-drawn, glittering helmets, and waving plumes. The officers, too, stood
-with drawn swords during Mass; and at the Elevation they gave, in their
-deep sonorous tones, the word to present arms. Altogether the spectacle,
-though not calculated to inspire devotion, was most impressive.
-
-The Bavarians are, as a rule, good Catholics, and large numbers of them
-were to be seen at daily Mass, reading their prayers attentively, and
-going up to receive Communion. In the Hospitals also, they showed the
-same devout temper. Their Chaplains were zealous men, always at work
-among them, sharing their fatigues, and seeing that they attended to
-their religious duties. One of the infirmarians in the ward next to me,
-a common soldier, was in Holy Orders, though not yet a priest; and a
-more saintly young fellow I never met. He was light-hearted and merry,
-had a pleasant word for every one, and fulfilled punctiliously the
-duties devolving upon him as a soldier, and as a minister of religion.
-In this matter, as in other things of less importance, the Bavarians
-struck me as very unlike the French. When you saw a French soldier in
-church (which was but seldom), he never seemed to utter a prayer. And I
-feel bound to set down my experience, that so long as I was among them,
-I never noticed a French soldier with a prayer-book; nor did I ever hear
-one pray when dying. Others may have been more fortunate; but such was
-the fact in my case, and I think it deplorable. But the average French
-citizen appears to think nothing at all of religion.
-
-Far otherwise was it with the Bavarians. And I have seen large numbers,
-also, of the Prussians and North Germans, who belonged to the
-Evangelical or other Churches, reading their prayer-books and their
-Bibles in the Hospitals, and praying earnestly as a matter of course.
-These manifestly had religious convictions; they served God with zeal
-and courage according to their lights. But in France the decadence of
-religion had been complete. No wonder, therefore, if she has fallen.
-Such, indeed, was the judgment of Europe a few months later, when the
-Commune, breaking out like a volcano, startled men from the Voltairean
-lightness which, during too many years of frivolity and thoughtlessness,
-had been the fashion. For a moment all were agreed in proclaiming the
-necessity of a return to the beliefs and practices of their Christian
-forefathers,--was it, perchance, too late?
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XVII.
-
-FALL OF METZ ANNOUNCED.--THE BAVARIANS EVACUATE ORLEANS.--OUR DIFFICULT
-POSITION.--WE ARE TOLD OFF TO THE BATTLEFIELD.--THE ENGAGEMENT AND
-VICTORY OF THE FRENCH.
-
-
-On 28th Oct. the inhabitants of Orleans had read with dismay and
-amazement the official report, printed and posted up as a placard on
-their walls, of the surrender of Bazaine with his army, and the
-capitulation of Metz. The majority were of opinion that the Marshal was
-nothing but a traitor. Many, nevertheless, whom I met, scorned to
-entertain such an opinion; whilst others went so far as to declare that
-the whole thing was a German lie.
-
-But to return to the subject of our Hospital. The wounded, as I have
-already stated, came straggling in by twos and threes, bringing with
-them reports of numerous skirmishes, which, according to their accounts,
-invariably terminated in victory for the Germans. On the 6th and 7th
-November, large caravans of wounded came into Orleans; and we now became
-aware, through information gained from them, that the great Army of the
-Loire, so much vaunted by the French, and which up to this moment we
-thought had existed only in the imagination of the townsfolk, was no
-myth, but a reality; while these convoys of wounded were the result of
-something far more serious than skirmishes between the outposts.
-
-With all this there was very little excitement in the town; and the
-evening of the 8th arrived without anything happening to disturb the
-ordinary routine of our Hospital work. About eight o'clock our Chief was
-summoned to the headquarters of the Bavarian Commandant. Here he was
-privately informed that the troops were going to evacuate Orleans that
-very night; that there would most likely be a general engagement on the
-morrow outside the town; and that, as they would be obliged to withdraw
-their Field Hospital corps and their surgeons, they laid upon our
-Ambulance the task of looking after all the wounded in their absence,
-and thus formally delivered them over to our charge.
-
-When we heard of this most unexpected move, we were, as may be supposed,
-not a little excited. We could hardly believe that such a thing had
-happened to the ever-victorious armies of the Fatherland as a set-back,
-compelling them to give up this important position; and to describe our
-state of mind during that night would be difficult. I had gone to the
-Hospital about seven o'clock to see some patients, and all seemed quiet
-and peaceable. Now, I could not help thinking that it would be a
-sterling proof of the admirable organisation and discipline of an army
-amounting to 15,000 men, if, at a couple of hours' notice, it could
-evacuate, during the dead of the night, a large town like Orleans,
-carrying away arms, ammunition, and a heavy train of guns, without the
-knowledge of any but a few among the citizens. Some must have had their
-suspicions aroused by the preparations which were already being made in
-the Parks. But, until the appointed moment, when the bugle sounded, and
-the whole garrison turned out to join their regiments, by far the
-greater proportion of the inhabitants suspected nothing. Eleven o'clock
-P.M. was the hour appointed to commence the evacuation.
-
-At half-past ten I took my stand at the door of 64 Quai du Châtelet; and
-as the clock tolled eleven, I saw the sentries on the bridges leaving
-their posts and filing off in the direction of the Place Martroi.
-Presently, battalion after battalion marched past, on their way from the
-quarters in the side streets which adjoined the Quai. To our great grief
-we found that our infirmarians were also ordered out, leaving not a soul
-in charge of the Hospital, except the two surgeons on duty and their
-assistants. These had to minister, as best they could, to the wants of
-the poor deserted patients. The truth was that the Germans could not
-spare a single man, and were compelled to take them along with the Army.
-
-Some days before this, the bridge next us had been mined, and the powder
-laid; we expected that it would be blown up during the night. As this
-bridge was no more than a hundred yards from my bedroom window, I
-retired to rest with such pleasant anticipations as may be supposed.
-But, in spite of the excitement, I was quite overcome by fatigue, having
-been at work all that day, and on duty the previous night; so that, in
-my drowsy mood, I seemed to care little whether the bridge or myself
-took an aerial flight. Next morning I repaired to the Hospital at six to
-look after my wounded. On my way through the town I was astonished to
-meet several pickets marching along the streets; but not another
-soldier, save a few sentries, was now in the place; the latter being
-left, as I afterwards heard, merely to keep up appearances. Everything
-that they did not want to carry away with them the Germans put into a
-luggage train, which started from the platform of our Hospital during
-the night.
-
-Great excitement now prevailed among the townspeople, and they moved
-about the streets in crowds. All this time a heavy cannonade was going
-on at the North-West side, in the direction of Orme; and the din and
-roll of battle apprised us of the fact that a hot engagement was being
-carried on not far off. Multitudes surged up on the bridge, and kept
-their gaze fixed in the direction of the fighting, which was indicated,
-not only by the booming of cannon, but by the wreaths of smoke which we
-could see many miles away, ascending in the still air. All these
-spectators chattered and gesticulated vehemently; nor could anything
-exceed their emotion. They ran about shaking each other by the hands in
-a fever of excitement, as the hour of their deliverance drew on apace.
-Once again I saw wreaths of _immortelles_ placed upon the statue of the
-Heroic Maid, which stands with drawn sword by the river.
-
-When we had got through our Hospital work, we received orders to prepare
-for an expedition to the field of battle. It had been determined,
-however, that, in any circumstances, we should return to the Hospital
-that night, and take up our medical duties again.
-
-It was only now that we realised the awkwardness of our situation. Bound
-to stand our ground, no matter who might be victorious (though none of
-us anticipated the defeat of the Germans), the possibility of a French
-victory and a fresh occupation of Orleans by the latter, filled us with
-disquietude. We were under the direction of the foreigners, identified
-with their cause, receiving our orders from them. Our sympathies were
-supposed to be Prussian, while our Hospital and ourselves had been
-maintained by requisitions on the town. Hence the question arose, what
-kind of treatment should we receive at the hands of our new masters,
-when the last of the Germans had quitted Orleans? Would they, in the
-flush and the tumult of victory, overlook the fact that we were
-neutrals, engaged simply in alleviating the horrors of war? It seemed
-not to be impossible, so far as the population was concerned. But again,
-would the French military admit of our claims to be an International
-Ambulance? or take us prisoners and send us beyond the frontier? for
-they could not detain us under the Convention of Geneva. Such were our
-speculations when we left the town about 9 A.M. in our Ambulance
-waggons, and with our flags flying. Drs. Parker and Warren were left
-behind in charge of the Hospital. We took the road to Coulmiers, where
-the firing was heaviest, and from which place it appeared to be rapidly
-extending northwards.
-
-As we passed along, the crowd on the bridge gave us a friendly cheer,
-and I cannot recall a salutation that caused us more pleasure. The town
-was still in the possession of the Germans, although their only
-representatives were an under officer and a handful of men on sentry
-duty, who could at any moment have been easily overpowered by the mob.
-As our conveyances rolled through the gate of the Faubourg St. Jean,
-leading out into the open country, we were surprised to find a solitary
-German on guard, who saluted us as we passed. Probably he was even then
-convinced of his approaching fate; but he knew his duty too well to
-abandon his post. There, as Dr. Warren afterwards told us, he remained
-until the French came and relieved him of his guard for ever.
-
-In half an hour from our exit, we came up with a Bavarian battalion,
-consisting of a regiment of 2000 men, about 300 cavalry, and a battery
-of guns. Many of the officers were old friends of ours, and received us
-very kindly. They were short of surgeons, and prevailed on us to stay
-with them; saying that every minute they expected to be called into
-action, and to receive their orders to advance. Our position, at this
-time, was close in the rear of the fighting Bavarian army, and within
-sight of the field of battle.
-
-Thus it was that we were placed on the high road, upon a little rising
-ground which commanded a view of the country between Baccon and
-Coulmiers. Thence we saw that a fierce battle was raging, a host of
-above 60,000 Frenchmen giving fight to perhaps some 15,000 Bavarians.
-The result of so uneven a match became evident very early in the day. A
-short time after noon, the South Germans had retreated from their
-position in the woods and village in front of us, and the French were
-appearing in force on the ground that their opponents had occupied an
-hour previously.
-
-The firing was now vigorous and incessant: the din and roar of battle
-were something tremendous; and the French bombshells fell short of us
-only by a few hundred yards. Our party, which was halting in ambush, and
-as yet unperceived by the enemy, every moment expected the order to
-advance. For ourselves the suspense was most painful, and yet we had to
-remain there stationary for as much as an hour. During all this time the
-men were in their ranks, ready for action. In that vast concourse not a
-word was spoken: all appeared sullen and out of spirits; but that
-sullenness was usual with them. Some, overcome by fatigue and
-hunger--for they had not tasted anything but the bread which they
-carried since the previous night--slept soundly just as they were,
-leaning back on their knapsacks. While these slept, the others watched
-their comrades being picked off on the plain below, apparently without
-the smallest concern or excitement. Thus did they placidly view the
-course of the battle, awaiting their turn to join in the fray, and add
-to the number of the dead or dying.
-
-About three o'clock the artillery fire slackened, and we joined in the
-general backward movement which took place along the whole line. The
-rattle of musketry resounded on every side of us, and was kept up
-without intermission. The Bavarians, though fighting hard, were now
-rapidly losing ground; and the French were not only advancing as fast as
-they gave way, but threatening to close in upon them all round. They
-were likewise striving to outflank them on the right; so that, by
-half-past three, the German soldiers found themselves compelled to
-retreat, though fighting still, lest the enemy should effect this
-object. Thus, with the Loire at our back, we had only a narrow strip of
-country between us and Orleans, by which to make good our escape. The
-French, who swarmed along in every direction, fought desperately; and,
-in particular, one regiment of Chasseurs à Pieds and Gardes Mobiles made
-a most brilliant charge against the trained Bavarian veterans, who were
-occupying in force the heights of Renardier. From this place they
-dislodged the Teutons, who had then to join our force in the general
-retreat.
-
-By four o'clock on this autumnal day it was quite dark. The firing
-gradually ceased, and the French remained in possession of all they had
-captured. Now on the Bavarian side there was a general order given to
-retreat; it was obeyed with alacrity. We followed the defeated army for
-some distance; but when we learned that Étampes was their destination,
-and that the German troops were utterly to abandon Orleans, we parted
-company with them; for under any circumstances, and at all risks, we
-were bound to return to our Hospital. From the first sound of the
-retreat, which was carried out in quite an orderly but still in a
-precipitate manner, we expected every moment to hear the French Cavalry
-coming down upon us. It had been rumoured that they were present in
-great force. This pleasant expectation compelled us to hasten our steps,
-but neither we nor (as it turned out afterwards) any of the German
-troops experienced the least molestation in our rapid retreat. What was
-the explanation of so remarkable a pause in pursuit, considering that
-General d'Aureilles de Paladine had a host of mounted men at his
-command? We were told by the French that it was the result of
-interference on the part of M. Léon Gambetta, who forbade Paladine to
-follow up his victory. M. Gambetta suspected that the flight of the
-Bavarians was a ruse to entice the French into a trap. He dreamed that
-they had an auxiliary force somewhere in the neighbourhood, which might
-surround the Army of the Loire, and bring about its irreparable ruin.
-Whatever may have been the reason, certain it is that the Bavarians were
-saved from annihilation. They retreated that night in perfect safety,
-and were joined next day by the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg. They had
-allowed the French to gain a victory, which proved to be their first and
-last in this sanguinary contest.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XVIII.
-
-AFTER THE BATTLE.--ORLEANS FROM WITHOUT AND WITHIN.--THE MOB AND THE
-AMBULANCE.--THE BAVARIAN GIANT.
-
-
-Our duty was now to return to the battlefield, and render all the
-assistance we could to the wounded, so forthwith we retraced our steps;
-and, though our day's experience, owing to circumstances over which we
-had no control, had not been very fruitful of work, it was fraught with
-much strain and anxiety. The night was dark, but we had no difficulty in
-making out our way, the numerous camp fires in front serving us as
-beacons. We pushed on to the scene of the day's conflict, Tilghman and
-Sherwell riding ahead, to see that the route was clear.
-
-One part of the road had a shrubbery at the left hand side; and, just as
-we came to the corner of it, we perceived a figure standing amongst the
-bushes. As we approached, the man stepped forward, and the light of our
-waggon lamps revealed the uniform of a French soldier. He challenged,
-and brought us to a halt. The difficulty of our situation was now
-apparent. We were about to enter the French lines, having served the
-Germans all day in a medico-military capacity, and having come from
-their headquarters at Orleans.
-
-A patrol on outpost duty quickly appeared on the scene, and we were
-detained some time until an officer was brought up. Having questioned us
-about all these particulars, and heard our replies, he informed us that
-it would be necessary to conduct us to headquarters, and take us into
-the presence of the General, before he could permit us to go on our way.
-At the same time he showed us the utmost courtesy. We were now
-surrounded by a strong escort, and had no choice but to follow. We soon
-came in sight of the French camp, and as we passed by the rows of
-cheerful blazing fires, around which were clustered, in merry groups,
-the victors of the day, the ring of their mirth and revelry contrasted
-with the deep gloom which had hung both upon ourselves and our German
-colleagues since morning.
-
-This great army was reckoned at 100,000 men, who now lay in the open
-plain under canvas. We passed along through several regiments of the
-Line, of Turcos, Zouaves, and Gardes Mobiles, all in excellent trim, and
-as jolly and pleasant as possible. They did not at all appear to be the
-undisciplined rabble which the Germans had represented to us. A rare
-opportunity was now given of contrasting the relative strength of these
-opposing armies; but on this subject no inquiries were made. On the
-contrary, we received orders not to exchange a word on the matter.
-
-Singing, eating, and drinking, appeared to be everywhere the business of
-the night. Presently we came to a halt before M. de Paladine's tent; and
-our chief, Dr. Tilghman, was conducted alone into his presence. The
-doctor told him exactly what our position was; and how we had left our
-quarters at Orleans to come and assist the wounded on the battlefield.
-Our duty had been to pick up any that had escaped the notice of the
-military surgeons, and to get them into the neighbouring houses. But,
-said Dr. Tilghman, we were bound to return to Orleans next day, and
-resume charge of our wounded. This was a difficult matter to settle;
-for, as the French had not followed up their victory, they were still
-under the impression that Orleans was in German hands, nor could we
-undeceive them. The question was, would it be safe to let us go back
-when we had been through the camp of the French, and had made
-observations on their position? Upon this head Dr. Tilghman speedily
-received a satisfactory answer. General de Paladine observed courteously
-that, in dealing with us, he had to deal with English and American
-gentlemen, who had already given abundant proof of their honour and the
-integrity of their word. In short, when Dr. Tilghman had shown all his
-papers, and the testimonials of past services rendered to the French,
-the old General was profuse in his acknowledgments, being evidently in
-high good humour over his day's success.
-
-When the interview came to an end, the members of the 5th Ambulance
-received us most cordially, and invited us to mess with them. But, after
-some deliberation, Dr. Tilghman, thanking them for their kindness, and
-deeming our position an awkward one, determined immediately to retrace
-his steps to Orleans, from whence he could, on the following day, send
-waggons to take as many of the wounded as possible into the town. He had
-good reasons for thus acting, and without waiting for a morsel of bread
-or a glass of wine, we moved out of the camp on our way homewards.
-
-In a large space, near the General's quarters, lay the bodies of several
-Bavarians--perhaps a dozen, some of whom had their faces turned up as
-they were lying, and looked very ghastly. Outside the camp, the ground
-was strewn, in some places quite thickly, with the Bavarian soldiers who
-had fallen on that day, which had proved so disastrous to their arms.
-The sight, though no longer strange, was all the same a sad one to us,
-for we had begun to look upon the wearers of the light blue uniform with
-friendly fellow-feeling, and we seemed (so fast does the time run in a
-campaign) to have been long associated with them. I shall not here
-describe the battlefield, since my view of it, by the light of our lamps
-and of the moon (for a beautiful moon arose just in time to show us the
-way home), was, of necessity, rather limited. But, in any case, I doubt
-the possibility of depicting, as they really present themselves, the
-details of a battlefield. Who can do justice to the heartrending scenes
-of warfare as carried on with modern weapons, the chief excellence of
-which seems to consist in the degree of mutilation which they can
-inflict on the bodies of those against whom they are directed?
-
-Before relating our entrance into Orleans, I will give Warren and
-Parker's account of what had happened in the town after our departure.
-
-As the day advanced, and rumours were spread of a French victory, the
-excitement of the townsfolk knew no bounds. They rushed frantically
-about in all directions, but did not dare to interfere with the few
-soldiers on guard at the gates of the Mairie and at the Hospital.
-
-In the afternoon, however, when it became generally known that the
-Germans were retreating, not towards the town but in the direction of
-Étampes, the populace became most riotous, and from the manner in which
-they menaced the unfortunate guards, it was plain that their lives were
-in great danger. At our Hospital, indeed, where there were ten men on
-guard over some Ambulance waggons at the door, the mob met with a stern
-opposition. The German soldiers stood together, with their swords drawn,
-and, bidding defiance to the crowd, were determined not to budge an
-inch, but rather to die than relinquish the charge assigned to them.
-
-These brave fellows, who stood so resolutely by their post, would most
-assuredly have met with a violent death at the hands of the Orleaners,
-had not the Mayor sent out a _Parlementaire_, accompanied by a body of
-the Gendarmerie of the town, and requested them, in the name of the
-Government of National Defence, to lay down their arms. This they did
-willingly, as they saw the danger of their position, and so they were
-taken off as prisoners to the Mairie. A great crowd followed, howling
-and yelling in the most disgraceful manner during the whole journey.
-
-Just about the time when the sentries were removed, the blue blouses
-rushed into our Hospital and seized all the rifles which they could lay
-hands on. The wards and other offices of the railway terminus now
-presented a scene of unutterable confusion. Drs. Warren and Parker, like
-true Britons, in spite of all this, remained at their posts; they
-refused to allow any of the mob to enter our store-rooms, or private
-Bureaux, and, although repeatedly threatened, would not submit to the
-intrusion. But their demeanour was so calm and steady that they
-experienced no rough usage. Their situation during that tumultuous day
-was certainly far from enviable. In the forenoon, several officers who
-had been wounded, and were in consequence left behind, came to our men
-entreating them to keep their swords for them, or else to let them hide
-them in our store-rooms. This request we were bound to refuse; but they
-succeeded in putting their weapons away among some bedding, which was
-lying in the waggon sheds at the terminus.
-
-A very amusing incident occurred at this time. There was a young
-Bavarian officer, the tallest man I have ever seen except one (who was,
-of course, an Irishman), who had been slightly wounded in the hand. For
-this reason he had been left on duty in the town, and not seeing any way
-of escape, slipped into our Hospital in the afternoon; but, finding that
-the mob was becoming riotous and might at any moment discover him, he
-divested himself of his helmet, cuirass, and uniform--he belonged to the
-household cavalry--which Drs. Warren and Parker consented to stow away
-in a corner. But in vain did they search for a bed long enough to cover
-the prostrate form of their giant; and it was only by stratagem that
-they succeeded at last in concealing him. The young man spoke English
-well, and was evidently by birth a gentleman. I cannot recall his name.
-Hardly was he settled in his hiding-place when, as Dr. Warren told us,
-some of the mob rushed wildly through the Hospital; whereupon the doctor
-sat down leisurely on the bed beneath which our hero lay half smothered.
-When the tumult had somewhat subsided, and darkness set in, our brave
-cuirassier, bruised and sore from the hard boards, at length was allowed
-to creep out.
-
-He now donned a suit of peasant's clothes, or rather two suits, for it
-took all that to cover him, and even then, as the Irish proverb has it,
-he looked "like a crane in a crate". All this notwithstanding, he
-appeared in his disguise every inch a soldier, and a German to boot. For
-a heavy bribe he procured a donkey cart, in which he seated himself,
-with legs crossed on some bundles of fuel, and a carter's bullock whip
-in his hand, and thus set out on his perilous journey. Having arrived
-safely outside the town, he took to his heels, and by-and-by chartering
-an old worthless animal from a peasant, reached the German headquarters
-in Étampes. It will be of interest to state that, subsequently, at the
-retaking of Orleans, this officer was one of the first to greet us on
-entering the town; and his satisfaction at recovering his helmet,
-cuirass, and accoutrements was unbounded.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XIX.
-
-OUR AMBULANCE RETURNS.--ENTRY OF THE FRENCH.--THEIR DISHEVELLED
-APPEARANCE AND DISARRAY.--WE ARE SENT OUT OF THE RAILWAY STATION.
-
-
-Now that I have given a rough sketch of some of the experiences of Drs.
-Parker and Warren, to whom I am indebted for the foregoing particulars,
-I must return to our Ambulance cortège, which I left in the moonlight
-making its way back to Orleans at the dead of the night.
-
-About an hour after our interview with the General we found ourselves in
-the open country, whence we could see the glare in the sky thrown up by
-the numerous fires in the French camp which we had just quitted. The
-early part of the night had been bright and fine, but ere long we had to
-encounter a storm of wind, hail, and rain. For some time we had much
-difficulty in picking our way, as the roads were narrow and winding, as
-well as rugged. Calling at the few peasants' houses which we passed, in
-order to get directions, we found the inhabitants in a frenzy of fear,
-and either unwilling or incapable of assisting us. We learned,
-subsequently, from the owner of Château Renardier, that they took us for
-Prussians, and our French _infirmiers_ for spies. When we had gone past
-these scattered dwellings, we came at length on the broad _route
-Impériale_, which we needed only to pursue in order to arrive at our
-journey's end. Frequent were our surmises as to whether the French or
-the Germans, or either, were in occupation of Orleans. After what had
-happened that day, and especially as the Army of the Loire seemed to be
-making no effort to advance, we could none of us tell what the case
-within the city might be. We drew near anxiously, but observed that no
-pickets had been set, nor were we challenged by outposts or sentries.
-This led us to imagine that the place was no longer in the occupation of
-the Germans; for otherwise we never should have come thus far without
-being halted by their numerous sentinels. Outposts, we knew, would have
-been planted along the roads for miles outside the town by them; whereas
-experience told us that the present state of things was not in the least
-incompatible with a French occupation, and with French military tactics.
-
-We passed on unmolested until we got to the same gates by which we had
-come out that morning. Then, at last, as we entered, the challenge came,
-and we were brought to a standstill. We all now tried to catch a
-glimpse of the sentry in the darkness; we advanced slowly, and our lamps
-revealed a slight, well-built man, in a grey tweed uniform and tan
-leather leggings, with a Tyrolese, or kind of wide-awake hat, surmounted
-by a feather, set on the side of his head. Clearly this was no German.
-With his rifle slung across his shoulder in the most nonchalant manner,
-he put his questions to us. Who were we, whence had we come, and whither
-were we going? Having satisfied himself upon these points, he leisurely
-blew his whistle, and quickly brought to his side about half a dozen men
-similarly clad, accoutred and armed. One of these turned out to be an
-Englishman, who conversed freely with us, and was most polite, giving
-our chief the password. He informed us that they were a body of
-Francs-Tireurs, who had come from the country across the Loire, and had
-occupied the town a few hours before nightfall. They numbered only a
-hundred, and with the exception of a company of Gardes Mobiles, there
-were no regulars in the town. On the way to our quarters we were several
-times challenged by pickets patrolling the streets, but giving the
-password we were allowed to go forward, and so reached our quarters,
-thoroughly worn out, at three in the morning.
-
-Dr. Sherwell and Mr. Adams were immediately sent to the Hospital to
-relieve Parker and Warren, who came back to the Quai du Châtelet and
-reported the thrilling incidents which had happened while we were away,
-some of which I have endeavoured to set down above. We were given only a
-brief interval for sleep. At an early hour we had to be up and about the
-Hospital, dressing and attending to the wounded, who had suffered
-considerably in our absence, not so much from lack of surgical aid, as
-from want of food and drink. For all the military nurses had been drawn
-away; and the onerous task of giving them food and looking after them
-had devolved on Parker and Warren, a duty which, in spite of all
-difficulties, they did their utmost to fulfil. Much credit is due to
-these gentlemen for their brave and noble conduct upon that memorable
-day. By their coolness and determination they made all safe for their
-helpless patients, and protected them from the violence, which might
-easily have gone to great excess, of the rabble of Orleans.
-
-About ten o'clock on the morning of the 10th, Mackellar, Wallace, and
-our acting chief, Dr. Tilghman, went out with their waggons to the
-battlefield about Coulmiers and Baccon, and picking up some thirty-three
-badly-wounded men brought them into the city. We were much distressed to
-hear from them, how, on going over the battlefield, one of the first
-bodies which met their gaze was that of a young Bavarian surgeon, who
-used to work with us at the railway terminus when we first came. The
-poor fellow lay on his back, his face turned up, stripped of his boots
-and trousers, which no doubt had been appropriated by some plundering
-Frenchman, who was in need of both. It is incidents like this which
-bring home to one the horror and the waste of war.
-
-That same morning, when business required me to go through the town, I
-was astonished to see the motley collection of French soldiery which had
-flocked in from all quarters. It was not their numbers which surprised
-me,--I had set eyes on the Grande Armée of Sedan,--but the variety of
-uniforms, and the quaint unmilitary get-up of the individuals who
-composed this array of M. Gambetta's. Many in the first regiment that
-passed along seemed to be half in German and half in French costume. One
-fellow had put on a pair of Bavarian trousers and boots, another had a
-complete French costume all but his helmet, another German sidearms and
-belt, or a French uniform and a Bavarian plume. The trousers and boots
-of the enemy appeared, however, to be in greatest demand. Fully one
-third of the new-comers were raw recruits, and little more than boys. To
-complete the incongruity of the scene a large _American_ flag was borne
-upon a staff as the standard of this regiment, having the words
-"Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" stamped on pennants which hung from each
-corner.
-
-One could not help smiling as one watched this miscellaneous rag-tag
-collection marching past. We asked one fellow where they were going; he
-answered gravely, "To Paris, in order to crush (_écraser_) the Germans".
-After these came a regiment of poorly clad boys, looking cold and weary,
-as well as homesick. Some of the latter had wooden shoes, in which they
-clogged lamely along the pavements, in a slouching style that was by no
-means soldierlike. Then followed, by way of a redeeming feature, one of
-the regiments of the Line, in which every man bore himself splendidly.
-After these, we remarked companies of Francs-Tireurs, and detachments of
-the Garde Mobile, who marched along in the haphazard manner of civilians
-during a public procession. One youth, possibly a half-witted fellow, or
-a volunteer who had joined _en route_, made me laugh heartily. He was
-dressed in full Bavarian costume, plume and all, and marched along
-bearing a most impassive countenance, quite unaware of the ridiculous
-figure he was cutting, in a uniform that was much too big for him, and
-in a helmet and plume which no doubt became their original broad-faced
-owner, but certainly never were meant to adorn the head of a thin and
-sharp-featured Frenchman. How it came about that these fellows were
-permitted by their officers, for very shame, to make such a spectacle of
-themselves, I did not understand, until an intelligent townsman let me
-into the secret of the soldiers' wardrobe, by assuring me that the
-men's boots and clothes were made for sale rather than use, and were
-all thoroughly rotten.
-
-The excitement and enthusiasm of the townspeople were, as I need hardly
-say, beyond description. They rushed about shaking each other by the
-hands, and swearing to do terrible things on the Prussians, when their
-troops had once got into Germany.
-
-Early in the afternoon, during the entry of the French divisions, no
-less amusement than bustle was created at our quarters on the Quai du
-Châtelet, by our Turco Jean rushing wildly up the town, in his white
-apron and cap, with a rifle in his hand, to meet the regiment of his
-fellow-Turcos, which, as some one had told him, was among the arrivals.
-He went as on wings to the Place Martroi, and finding that such was
-indeed the case, threw himself into the embraces of his companions.
-These were also in a fever of excitement. They crowded round the statue
-of Joan of Arc, and waving turbans on the points of their bayonets,
-yelled as loudly as their throats would suffer them: "Vive l'Empereur! A
-bas la République!" Had they been natives they might have been shot for
-sedition. In this little episode Jean cut the most ludicrous figure,
-entering into the demonstration heart and soul; for like every Turco, he
-dearly loved his Imperial master. Even now, when all was over, the Turco
-was still his devotedly attached friend, and scorned to conceal his
-loyalty towards the man for whom he had fought with such valour and
-desperation. It may perhaps be asked whether to introduce these Algerian
-barbarians into civilised warfare was not as great a crime as the
-employment, during the last century, of Red Indians by the English and
-French in North America. Their appearance at the statue of the Maid was
-certainly in a high degree picturesque.
-
-I am, of course, incapable of describing the varied scenes of excitement
-which greeted the soldiers on every side. How long would such an army
-keep its hold on Orleans, I asked myself as I moved about, bewildered by
-the seething crowds. Not long, it seemed to me. When later in the day,
-every café was crowded with soldiers, they appeared to be feasting
-freely in order to make up for past short commons. All seemed
-thoughtless, gay, and oblivious of danger. Nor did they care one jot,
-apparently, what had become of the Germans. Truly, these French are an
-astonishing people!
-
-In my short walk from the Quai du Châtelet I could not have seen less
-than ten thousand men, and again I was struck by the contrast between
-the soldiers of the two nations. In the stunted and undeveloped make of
-these youthful French levies, any observant spectator, though not a
-physician, might have beheld the offspring of parents who had overtaxed
-their vital energies by dissipation and luxury. Physical degeneration
-had set in among the inhabitants, not of the large towns only,--such as
-Marseilles, Lyons, and Paris, or Roubaix and St. Étienne,--but in the
-rural parts of the country likewise, ever since the days of the
-Revolution. Napoléon's wars had consumed the men of France during his
-twenty campaigns. But that was not all. I have spoken of the decay of
-religion; it was a patent fact; and, with religion, morality had seen
-its own influence decline. Legal restrictions on the disposal of
-property had given strength to the system, whereby married persons
-limited their families according to their means and social position.
-That is the undoubted cause of the estrangement between the average
-layman and the Catholic clergy that has so long prevailed; for against
-this system the clergy have set their faces, as they were bound to do.
-With such parents, and especially when their fathers set them the
-example, it was not to be wondered at if the growing lads had put away
-religion at an early age, and so lost the moral restraint which would
-have enabled them to turn out valiant men, sound in mind as in body, and
-a match for any Germans. Their sunken eyes and pinched faces, their
-whole bearing, indeed, told a very different tale. We were looking on,
-in those unhappy days, at the wreck of a population which, in shame and
-defeat, was paying the penalty of laws not to be broken with impunity.
-
-So much for the rank and file. As regards the singular want of courage
-no less than competency among their officers, it may with truth be
-affirmed that one of the main factors, in addition to those already
-mentioned, was the total neglect of early training, and the absence of
-that physical education which tends to a manly development. This system,
-which characterises public school life in England and Germany, and which
-results for the most part in a straightforward character, and an
-undaunted temper, had not then been introduced into France. It is now
-not unknown there, and will perhaps change the disposition of the coming
-generations. Many tokens there are to prove that such a change is
-greatly needed.
-
-Towards evening equal confusion and consternation was caused by our
-receiving an order from the French Commandant to evacuate the railway
-station in two days. We were told that we must by that time have all our
-wounded taken away. Dr. Tilghman protested that we could not complete
-the evacuation of the buildings in less than four days, and we were
-allowed the time required, but informed that as traffic would recommence
-immediately, our business was at once to clear out of the
-stationmaster's and superintendent's offices, which we did forthwith.
-
-On the next morning, the 11th, a long train full of people arrived on
-the platform. They were the first passengers we had seen since our
-coming to the place. The change now suddenly wrought was wonderful.
-Where up to this we had been masters, and where the profound silence had
-for a long time been broken only by the chat of the medical staff, or by
-the groans and cries of the wounded, we were now jostled about on a
-densely crowded platform, and could hardly hear our own voices, so great
-were the din and clamour of passengers endeavouring to secure seats in
-an outgoing train, or to get their luggage from the one which had just
-arrived. I enjoyed the novelty of the thing much, although the shrieking
-of railway whistles, and the hissing of the steam-engines were no
-pleasant sounds to have continuously in one's ears.
-
-While we remained, I saw numbers of French soldiers going round to the
-beds of our wounded Germans and shaking hands with them. These friendly
-enemies tried to convey their meaning by signs and gesticulations; they
-gave away their tobacco; arranged the beds; and did many other little
-acts of kindness, which were received with no less good will by the
-Germans. It was a pretty sight. On one matter French and Bavarians
-seemed of one opinion, which the latter expressed in their quaint phrase
-of "Bismarck Caput". "Caput," that strong man armed undoubtedly had
-proved himself to be.
-
-It was whilst standing on the platform awaiting the arrival of a train
-when I had finished my Hospital work, that I saw the new Dictator, M.
-Léon Gambetta. I knew him at once from the description that had been
-given me. He was speaking in low, earnest tones to an elderly gentleman,
-a member of the Provisional Government, and when I had surveyed his by
-no means elegant form, and caught from beneath a pair of prominent and
-bushy eyebrows several glances of his dark piercing eyes, I came to the
-conclusion that his appearance was not at all prepossessing. His
-military discernment on the day of Coulmiers, which had saved the
-Bavarian army from total ruin, I have mentioned in its place. I never
-saw him again.
-
-Our chief was now busily engaged looking out for a building, public or
-private, in which we could establish our Hospital. After much
-difficulty, a large and spacious mansion, belonging to a gentleman named
-D'Allaine, was placed by him at our disposal, and thither we determined
-to transport our wounded as soon as practicable. The house was situated
-off the Place du Grand Marché, behind the Quai du Châtelet;--that being
-the old market-place, and one of the most ancient parts of the town. It
-had one great advantage; it was only a few minutes' walk from our
-quarters. The authorities also put at our disposal the Caserne St.
-Charles, a large building across the river. We despatched the greater
-part of our invalids into that caserne at once.
-
-The first man to be sent out of the railway station in order to make
-room for the traffic was Martin Dilger, the surviving tenant of the
-goods-shed, to whose successful battle for life I have already alluded.
-His almost miraculous recovery made him better known to my colleagues
-than all the rest; and though I had upwards of twenty at that time under
-my charge, he commonly went by the name of "Ryan's man". I had taken
-particular care of his food, getting him meat, wine, and fruit as I
-could, and even that great rarity, a chicken, which latter was not easy
-to come at, especially if there happened to be Turcos about, for at
-stealing poultry these Africans are worse than foxes. Dilger was quite
-strong and merry when I removed him to D'Allaine's house. He showed his
-delight and gratitude in every possible way, often alluding to his
-condition when in the shed at the railway station; and he had a somewhat
-German habit of making me laugh by hiccoughing in order to recall to me
-that painful symptom from which he had suffered. He has since written to
-me several times, and I will give a specimen of his letters in due
-course. The poor fellow had left at home a wife and children, which was
-no slight addition to his other troubles.
-
-As great numbers of wounded were being brought into the town, and it was
-difficult to find accommodation for them, we hastened to get the Caserne
-St. Charles ready, and received into it a large batch of them. These
-were principally Germans, sent to us by reason of our previous
-association with their armies. When we had got everything here into
-working order, conceive our amazement and wrath on hearing that Dr.
-Tilghman had been told immediately to evacuate the Barracks! Room was to
-be made for the Foreign Legion. There was no alternative; remonstrance
-would have been waste of time; and we put our hand to this fresh and
-most provoking move. While it was being carried out, as the wounded must
-be taken to our Hospital at D'Allaine's, Dr. Parker and I were busily
-employed in transporting them across the town, using for this purpose
-every available conveyance. Thus we were compelled by the French
-authorities to take out of their beds, as best we could, men in dire
-agony, some even at the door of death, and all severely wounded.
-
-I could not recall without pain the details of the scenes which
-accompanied their transportation. As I have said, their wounds were all
-of the gravest character; some were mortal, the majority were
-amputations, and the remainder compound fractures, or severe lacerated
-shell wounds. To shake the bed of many of these patients, or even to
-move them gently, was to cause them acute suffering. One may imagine the
-agony of these brave fellows when they were hauled out on their
-mattresses and put, two or three together, into a cart or waggon, which,
-no matter how carefully driven, had to jostle them along the weary
-streets to their place of destination.
-
-I went successively into several of the waggons where some of the worst
-cases were, and did all in my power to mitigate their dreadful pains;
-but, in spite of everything I could do, they moaned most piteously as
-the wheels bumped over any roughness in the pavement. I thought a bullet
-through the heart was preferable to such agony as they endured. Even to
-look on at it was too much.
-
-About 18th November, we had completely evacuated the Station. The last
-batch consisted of those who had been lying in the refreshment rooms,
-and, as these apartments were not required by the railway officials,
-they did not oblige us to remove our wounded in such precipitous haste.
-Every day fresh supplies of wounded were being brought in; and not only
-every available nook and corner in our Hospital was occupied, but also
-many of the neighbouring houses. It was, however, expressly forbidden by
-the public authorities that any house should harbour the military,
-whether wounded or not, unless a declaration of their presence had been
-made, and leave obtained.
-
-Our work was now very heavy and our energies tasked to the utmost.
-Besides the evil of overcrowding, we had to contend against the
-innumerable difficulties consequent on our having been ordered about
-from one place to another without notice, or sufficient time to make
-preparations for departure. Then upon getting into our new quarters we
-had to re-establish our culinary and commissariat departments, on which
-everything depended, as well as to re-organise the system of Hospital
-management, and put the whole into working order. Until this was
-effected (which would take about a week) our whole day's work was
-nothing but a scramble from morning till night. Our chief was completely
-distracted from constantly receiving orders to have certain things done,
-and then (as in the case of the Caserne St. Charles) just when he had
-accomplished them, and was settled down, getting fresh orders
-countermanding the first. All this was thoroughly French,--at least, it
-was quite in accordance with our experience of their system.
-
-For the first few days after the return of the French, the revelry and
-rejoicings of the townspeople were excessive. From the appearance of the
-streets, the bustle, and the dense crowds, one would have thought that
-some great festival was being celebrated. It was astonishing to hear
-these people talk and boast of their glorious victory of Coulmiers--the
-first they had gained, and, as it was to prove, also the last. But it
-would sadden the heart of any lover of France to witness these
-frivolities, these humiliating follies of her vain-glorious and
-light-hearted citizens, who never seemed to think seriously of anything,
-no matter how grave the issue.
-
-Soon, however, the bustle in the streets subsided, and the military
-became comparatively few in number; many had gone to the front. But
-there was an evident intention of making a stand at Orleans, should the
-main body of the army be compelled to fall back again. I saw hundreds of
-men hard at work erecting barricades and earthworks across the
-faubourgs; while trenches and rifle pits were cut in all directions
-through the vineyards which lay about the suburbs of the town. An order
-was issued by the Commandant to leave the tall vine stakes standing, so
-that they might hinder the progress of the enemy, should they re-invest
-the place. If I may be allowed to anticipate, these very stakes were a
-most serious impediment to their own retreat before the Germans during
-the following month. Wherever they are abundant in vine-growing
-districts they make the country impervious both to cavalry and
-artillery, and form a splendid ambuscade for infantry troops in action.
-But the disadvantages of them from another point of view seem to have
-been overlooked.
-
-It was a source of deep regret to me, during this campaign, that I was
-not better posted on military matters; for, had I been acquainted even
-with the rudiments of war tactics, the numerous and important military
-operations which were carried on immediately under my observation would
-have been intelligible to me without the aid of an expert, and that
-blank which now must be left in this slight record might have been
-filled up with many most interesting details.
-
-The few convalescents who had acted as our _infirmiers_ and attendants,
-and with whom we had been working the Hospital since the evening of the
-8th,--at which time, as the reader will not have forgotten, all our
-regular nurses and _infirmiers_ were drawn away for active service--were
-now sent off to Pau as prisoners of war. This we thought unwise and
-intolerable; but it was done in spite of remonstrances on our part that
-such dealing was nothing less than a violation of the Geneva Convention.
-What did we get in their place? Simply a scratch company of French
-_infirmiers_, whom we had much difficulty in knocking into shape, and
-whom we found by no means so ready to submit to discipline as had been
-their German predecessors. One of the new arrivals was a little fellow
-named Jack, by birth a native of Flanders, but who had been all his life
-on board a ship in the British Merchant Service, and who had had the
-top of a finger shot off. He had joined the Foreign Legion, not, as he
-told us, from any liking for war or for France, but in order to be with
-an old companion who had joined that corps. He was quite a little dwarf,
-and unsuited to hospital work; but his superiors, deeming him, I
-daresay, no great ornament to his regiment, had handed him over to us as
-an _infirmier_. Besides his native language, he spoke English, French,
-and German fluently, and professed to be able to converse in Spanish and
-Italian. This might have been of service to us in an emergency; but the
-following anecdote will show what a treasure we had got in our Fleming.
-
-One night Dr. Mackellar and I were on duty with Jack when a case of
-extensive contusion (with compound fracture of the leg) began to bleed;
-and Mackellar came to the conclusion that immediate amputation was the
-only course possible. We therefore set about removing the limb. Dr.
-Mackellar operated, and I assisted and gave chloroform, while Jack was
-to hand the sponges, carbolised water and other requisites. In the
-middle of the operation, our good dwarf, getting nervous at a sight to
-which he was so little accustomed, lost his self-control and while
-endeavouring to effect a retreat, fell on his head to the ground in a
-swoon. I am afraid we both laughed at the prostrate brave, who was a
-regular lion in his own opinion. Left to ourselves to do the work, we
-had some difficulty in finishing the operation satisfactorily. But that
-was the last occasion on which Jack figured as an assistant in the
-operation room.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XX.
-
-AMERICAN FRANCS-TIREURS.--PONTOON BRIDGE OVER THE LOIRE.--FRENCH
-CARELESSNESS.--SOLITARY DEATHS OF THE WOUNDED.
-
-
-About this time a small regiment of American volunteers, in Franc-Tireur
-uniform, passed through Orleans on their way to the front. Their Colonel
-called on us, and offered a place as assistant surgeon to any who might
-be willing to join. Had I been at liberty, the spirit of adventure would
-assuredly have prompted me to accept his offer, and he pressed me hard
-to do so; but the required permission was wanting. These men, I
-afterwards heard, joined General Bourbaki, and having been driven over
-the Swiss frontier, were detained as prisoners of war.
-
-About the 20th November Dr. Pratt returned, bringing with him two
-gentlemen, Mr. Olive and Mr. Wombwell, who were to take charge of the
-commissariat and store department. They had been in London, and brought
-a large supply of stores. They, like Hayden and myself, had been taken
-by Francs-Tireurs, not once, however, but twice, and only the French
-passport which Dr. Pratt held ever since his departure from Paris,
-prevented them from being shot out of hand as Prussian spies.
-
-A work of great interest was being carried on by the garrison within
-sight of our windows on the Quai. It was the construction of a pontoon
-bridge across the Loire, for the more speedy passage of troops. The
-Germans, some weeks previously, at the time we arrived in Orleans, had
-attempted a similar bridge; but before they had half finished it, a
-flood came one night and swept the whole thing away, to the intense
-amusement and delight of the Orleaners. The pontoon bridge which the
-French now constructed, showed not only the perfection to which military
-engineering had been brought, but also the acquaintance which the
-natives possessed with the sudden and violent floods which were wont
-unexpectedly to swell the current of that great river, causing its
-waters to rise in a few hours so as to overflow its banks and flood the
-adjoining country. The bridge was composed, not of pontoon boats, but of
-large barges, which had been used on the river for the freight of
-merchandise. These were connected with one another by pine trees, which
-themselves had been lashed together by spars. A rough idea of the size
-of the bridge will be given if I state that it took thirty-three such
-barges to make its length, and that they were about ten feet apart.
-
-Active preparations were now being made on all sides for a determined
-stand. Every one said that ere many days were over, the enemy would be
-once more upon them, but they reckoned that an engagement, though sure
-to be bloody and desperate, would end in a decisive victory for the
-French army. Such was the gossip of the town, and of officers in the
-cafés whom I fell in with.
-
-Another event, of even greater interest than the construction of the
-bridge, was the entrance, one frosty morning, of a body of marine
-infantry, bearing with them four gunboats placed on long timber waggons,
-each drawn by eight horses. It is not easy to describe how very novel
-and curious an appearance this flotilla on dry land presented as it
-passed slowly down the Rue Royale, each gunboat fully rigged, and
-carrying on board its bright brass cannons which glistened in the sun.
-
-As I happened to have half an hour to spare, I followed the marines,
-curious to see what would become of this extraordinary naval procession.
-
-The limber waggons with their cross beams, on which the keels of the
-boats rested, took up nearly the entire breadth of the street. When they
-arrived on the Quai du Châtelet, I found myself one of a large crowd
-that had been drawn there by the same motive, and we wondered much how
-these unwieldy things could be launched. It was surprising with what
-facility this was done by comparatively few hands; but, presently, when
-our interest in the performance had yielded to admiration, we saw the
-last of the gunboats turn upside down as soon as it was in the water,
-flinging cannon, men, and everything on board into the Loire. The danger
-seemed not so great as it might have been, and we were much amused.
-There followed universal scramble of excited Frenchmen to haul their
-comrades out of the stream; but their whole idea of assisting the
-struggling men was to gesticulate frantically at them, and at their
-neighbours on shore, and to maul one another in a fashion as ludicrous
-as it was unseasonable. Some of the marines, however, let down a boat
-and brought their comrades on shore. But it was not until next day that
-they were able to right the gunboat, and they never fished up the cannon
-and other materials which had sunk with it.
-
-I often watched these diminutive men-of-war as they cruised about at a
-great speed, for they were driven by steam, with their guns as bright as
-gold, and the tricolour flying from their sterns.
-
-On the banks of the river opposite our quarters, there were several
-cannon placed on the footpath with a sentry on each. And speaking of
-sentries, I am reminded how great was the difference between the French
-and the German method of occupying a town in time of war. When the
-Germans were at Orleans, they set a sentry at every street corner,
-several at either end of the bridges, one in every public square, and
-one at the door of every person at all distinguished. A stranger would
-be challenged at every couple of hundred yards, nor could he pass along
-anywhere unobserved. Not so was it with the French. During their stay we
-seldom came across a sentry, and, when we did, he took no more notice of
-those who passed by, or of what went on in his neighbourhood, than if he
-had been at a review.
-
-Again, during the French occupation, we missed the noise and rattle of
-the many hours of morning drill in which our Germans troops were daily
-practised, no matter how long had been their previous marches, or how
-severe the hardships they had undergone. During the weeks which the
-French spent in Orleans I never once saw their soldiers at drill. When
-they came into the town they simply threw their arms into a corner in
-their quarters, and left them there until they were again on the move.
-That such was the case I have personal reason to know; for in a house
-where I was attending a wounded man, I saw such a collection of arms,
-and they remained untouched till the regiment to which their owners
-belonged took its departure.
-
-But this was only in keeping with all that I had seen of the discipline
-and internal _régime_ of their armies. A significant token of their
-ignorance with regard to the country in which they were fighting was
-that, immediately on entering Orleans, they requisitioned, by public
-placards, all maps of the surrounding districts which might be in the
-hands of the inhabitants, ordering them to be delivered up forthwith to
-the military commandant. Thus did their organisation prove itself in
-every detail either deficient or slovenly. And on all sides there was
-accumulating evidence of something radically unsound in the army as in
-the people.
-
-About November 22, the Inspector-General of French Ambulances called to
-see us formally at the railway station with Messieurs Crémieux and
-Bezoin, two active members of the Provisional Government. With all three
-we shook hands solemnly, and received their thanks for the assistance we
-had rendered to the French wounded. They signified to our chief that
-France would be in a position, by-and-by, to make some public
-recognition of our services; and after the exchange of other compliments
-bade us a cordial farewell.
-
-In the midst of the excitement and bustle, consequent on the fact that
-Orleans was now the headquarters of the Army of the Loire, we continued
-our daily labour at the bedsides of the wounded, caring little about
-what was happening outside our own sphere of work. Many of our wounded
-were scattered through the town; and these, comfortably established in
-private houses, we visited every day. As already stated, after leaving
-the terminus we took up our quarters at M. d'Allaine's in the old
-market-place. Here we set up our Hospital exclusively for German
-wounded, as, in the circumstances under which we found ourselves in the
-town during the French occupation, and taking into consideration the
-nature of our mission there, we considered the care of the wounded whom
-the Germans had left to us as our primary duty. For this reason we kept
-them together as much as possible, that they might not fall into other
-and less attentive hands; and when we had done our duty by them, we
-bestowed such time as we could spare upon any French wounded that came
-under our charge.
-
-At this time our position in Orleans was extremely critical. All knew
-that we had been in the service of the Germans, and that they had looked
-upon us as part and parcel of their medical army corps; and we could
-hear many a subdued expletive when we passed along the streets. It was,
-however, most likely for this reason that no one dared to molest us.
-They had learned by a bitter experience how inevitable was the
-Prussians' day of retribution, and they knew with what severity the
-invaders punished any outrage on their friends.
-
-Now it was that Colonel Reilly, Captain Frazer and Colonel Hozier
-arrived in Orleans with the headquarters of General d'Aureilles de
-Paladine, as _attachés_ to the Foreign Embassy. They came several times
-to mess, and spent their evenings with us,--pleasant jovial men, and as
-brave as they were agreeable. Nothing could be more welcome, when one
-was fagged and worn out after a long day's work among the wounded, than
-to turn in to a comfortable dinner with nearly a score of good-natured
-fellows, who vied with one another in making the evening pass pleasantly
-for all. Never a wrangle, never a hasty or bickering word was exchanged;
-never did an unkind remark or an ungenerous act mar that friendly
-harmony which existed among the Ambulance corps then working unitedly
-under the banners of England and America.
-
-I often look back with feelings of satisfaction to the cheery circle we
-used to form when mess was over, seated round a large wood fire; and I
-can still see the grinning face of "Nigger Charlie" as he entered the
-room, bearing in his hand a large wash-hand basin of steaming punch with
-a dash of brandy and port in it, flavoured with spices and lemon, which
-we could pronounce with a good conscience to be all it seemed.
-
-Our work was taxing and incessant, but nothing is too hard if one goes
-at it with a will. Yet my advice to anybody who has a soft drop in him,
-and who contemplates entering upon a campaign, would be that he had
-better stay at home.
-
-One of our party was a good musician, and every evening entertained us
-by playing on a piano which we borrowed from a merchant, as the Scotch
-would call him, in the town. This was a grand resource after supper when
-we all came together. And so much for our leisure hours.
-
-In the daily routine of professional work at this time I have nothing
-out of the way to chronicle. There was one case, however, the
-particulars of which might be interesting. The patient's name was Karl
-Melchers, a young artilleryman, who had been shot in the leg at the end
-of October, and whose thigh was subsequently amputated at the railway
-station. He had been transferred then to M. d'Allaine's, where, to my
-grief, he showed symptoms of approaching pyæmia. Reluctantly, but
-forthwith, I determined that he must be put out of the Hospital; and I
-took peremptory orders from my chief to that effect.
-
-Now the difficulty was to find a place where I could lodge poor
-Melchers. I tried at the neighbouring houses, but all that were not
-occupied by invalids were full of the rank and file of the army now
-billeted through the town. Not a nook could I discover anywhere. In the
-yard, however, there was an empty stable, and into this I had no choice
-but to have Melchers conveyed. In order to give the place a less dreary
-appearance--it was dismal enough--I procured some straw, and had it laid
-on the pavement. He was then brought down on his mattress, and I never
-shall forget the poor fellow's face when he caught the first glimpse of
-those new quarters which he felt that he should not long occupy.
-
-When he found himself laid on the straw, alone, and separated from his
-companions perhaps for ever, the utter desolation of his fate dawned
-upon him, and he sobbed audibly. Yet he was a fine brave young fellow,
-with piercing black eyes, dark hair and whiskers, and a very high
-forehead. We were the best of friends; and I did all in my power, little
-enough as it was, to comfort him. I persuaded one of our nursing
-sisters, a native of Luxemburg, who belonged to the convent of Notre
-Dame de Recouvrance, to sit beside him on the straw, and talk to him for
-a while. However, both Soeur Berthe and I had soon to go about our own
-business, and leave him to himself. Day after day he complained bitterly
-of being where he was, in the damp and cold, but there was no help for
-it; his presence in the neighbourhood of any other wounded must have
-meant the death of many, if not of all. Once he called the sister and me
-to his bedside, and said: "My end is now not far off; I should die happy
-had I but one half-hour with my comrades, behind my gun, with a thousand
-Frenchmen in front of me".
-
-Another day and this poor fellow, after having bidden us a touching
-farewell,--for he knew that we could not help his unhappy
-position,--died in a manner and in a place that I should not have liked
-his poor old mother away across the Rhine to have seen. Yet melancholy
-as were the circumstances attending the death of this dauntless soldier,
-still more pitiable was the fate of many others as brave as he, who were
-condemned to drag out the last few hours of their existence on some
-bleak and lonely hillside, or in the thick brushwood skirting some
-silent forest, or in the swampy sedge beside some rivulet. Such
-tragedies were not uncommon during that stern winter which was now
-setting in, as I can but too surely bear witness.
-
-Always we were expecting to hear of an engagement taking place in our
-neighbourhood; but none happened until Thursday, the 24th November, when
-we learned from the military in command that hostilities had begun in
-the direction of Neuville. During the evening of this day, some of us
-were told off for field service, and made preparations to depart. I was
-among the number.
-
-It gave me, I must confess, no small pleasure to be chosen to go to the
-front. There is a fascination in the excitement of the battlefield; and,
-even in its horrors and imminent deadly perils, a seduction, which one
-cannot easily resist. A life of campaigning seems to bring out what
-moralists would perhaps term a diseased hankering after its
-uncertainties and adventures. But in the case of the Ambulance officer
-this not altogether human quality is liable to be merged in one more
-useful. He is in the field not to give wounds, but to heal them, and to
-assuage the suffering that makes war so detestable in one aspect, so
-heroic in another.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXI.
-
-TO THE FRONT.--TURCO AND ZOUAVE ENCAMPMENTS.--SKIRMISHING.--FALSE
-NEWS.--THE SHAM FIGHT AT NEUVILLE.--RETURN TO THE CITY.
-
-
-On the evening of the 24th, our chief reported himself to the General
-Commandant, and asked for a "_Feuille de route_," and "_Laissez
-passer_," which were freely granted, together with instructions to push
-on as far as Neuville at once; for no doubt our services would be
-required there before many hours. Already we could hear the cannon
-booming in the distance, which satisfied us that this speculation was
-correct. Early next morning we started with our omnibus and train of
-waggons, leaving the town by the Faubourg Bannier. Every man carried
-with him all the portable necessaries, consisting of bandages,
-chloroform, morphia, lint, tourniquets, and instruments. When we were
-clear of the town, a good insight into the doings of the French during
-the past few weeks was permitted us. We saw how they had executed their
-plan for the fortification of Orleans, and had made an entrenched camp
-round about it, with ninety-five naval guns manned by the seamen from
-Cherbourg.
-
-At regular intervals the road was intersected by trenches of great depth
-and width, running parallel to each other, and extending for miles round
-the town. They had been driven alike through the woods, the open
-country, and the vineyards. The cuttings which were thus made in the
-road had been filled with bundles of twigs and birch tops, packed
-together and covered with sods, so as to admit of one waggon crossing
-them.
-
-It surprised me that our horses' feet did not go through; but I remarked
-that the bundles on the top were made of fine slender maple tops. The
-sensation experienced when crossing these elastic surfaces was very
-peculiar. The omnibuses and waggons sprang up and down, and rocked from
-side to side, as if they had been on india-rubber, until I thought we
-should be upset; but we were perfectly safe, and the materials proved
-admirably suited for their purpose. They had, of course, the advantage
-of being easily removed on the shortest notice. The covering of sods was
-nothing to speak of, and had by this time resolved itself into a mere
-crust.
-
-The trenches, however, were not by any means so numerous as the shallow
-rifle pits and earthworks, which, taking a zigzag course, intersected
-one another, and seemed to form a network in every direction. It was
-clear to us that the deep trenches were intended to arrest the progress
-of artillery and cavalry, while the pits and mounds were for sheltering
-advancing infantry. All this pointed to the determination of the French
-to make a resolute stand at Orleans; but we all agreed that we should
-yet see the Germans making use of those very trenches to defeat the army
-which had constructed them. And so it turned out.
-
-On our journey we passed through the forest near Orleans, where one
-portion of the French army had recently encamped. They had cut avenues
-through the trees, and crossed them again at right angles by others. At
-each side of these were erected little huts, made of branches set
-upright in the ground, and interwoven with smaller branches and twigs,
-while a rough thatch of broom and birch tops covered them. This gave the
-whole the appearance of an Indian village.
-
-Some of the huts were large and commodious, and if not perfectly strong,
-made a comfortable shelter against the blast. When inhabited, one could
-well imagine what a picturesque appearance they must have presented, as
-seen at night by the blaze of the camp fires. We were told that here had
-been the quarters of some of the troops from Algiers. The French always
-kept these wild fellows as much as possible by themselves, and away from
-the towns, where they are apt to become unmanageable.
-
-Some miles further on, in the middle of an open country, we met an
-encampment of Zouaves. The ground was all converted into a heavy slush,
-for it had been raining; and these unlucky men, stationed here during
-the past four days, were under orders to move on to the front in the
-morning. As a group of them stood beside a fire near the road, I was
-struck with their jaded and draggled appearance. Half famished, and up
-to their ankles in mud, they gave little earnest of the spirit with
-which they would go into action on the morrow. Numbers of them were
-moving about, carrying wood and water, while others were cooking their
-victuals. I felt much amused at the manner in which some of them
-performed their morning ablutions. Two fellows whom I noticed were
-kneeling on a board, washing their faces in some dirty water that had
-lodged in a waggon track. There were Turcos among them;--one a dark,
-fierce-looking brigand, who stalked up with an old barn-door cock in his
-hand and a turkey under his arm, jabbering to each of his victims a
-jargon, which they probably did not understand, though they fluttered
-and screamed in answer to him. These feathered captives were, no doubt,
-the result of a visit to some old dame's farmyard; for Turcos never pass
-through a country without stealing all the poultry and eggs they can lay
-hands on. Such is the "loot" on which they set value.
-
-Further on, we marched through several hamlets which were almost
-entirely deserted, as were, indeed, most of the farmhouses. Presently,
-one of the sentinels at an outpost challenged us, and in half an hour we
-found ourselves at our destination. Neuville is a tidy village situated
-on the north-east of Orleans, which can boast its little square and town
-hall, or Mairie, and presented the clean and neat appearance of which I
-have so often spoken when describing the hamlets I came upon in my
-French travels. It lies on the outskirts of the forest of Orleans, and
-has a small but decent church at one end, and a fine corn market at the
-other. Its central square now afforded a most lively scene, being
-covered with tents from which the French soldiery were swarming out; and
-by their excited manner and,--even for them,--unusual volubility, it was
-not difficult to guess that some event of the gravest importance was
-threatening.
-
-We reported ourselves to the Commandant, who looked at our papers, was
-made aware of our business and destination, and assigned us quarters.
-This gentleman, who was most courteous and communicative, informed us
-that there had been a battle on the day previously, in which the
-Prussians were repulsed, and that, although the engagement had been long
-and hotly contested, the losses on the French side were trivial; while
-those of the Germans, if not heavy, were yet not inconsiderable. We
-also learned that a few small skirmishes had taken place during the
-early part of the day, and that the cannon which we heard were further
-up the French lines to our right. The Commandant said that for the
-wounded at Neuville he had ample provision in his military surgeons; but
-added that he expected an engagement on the morrow, when our services
-would probably be useful.
-
-Such appear to have been the facts. Yet, a few days afterwards, the
-French journals gave a glowing account of an engagement which had taken
-place on that very day, and in which a large number of Prussians were
-killed, with the loss of only one Garde Mobile and half a dozen wounded
-on the French side. Well and good, if the papers had confined themselves
-to the doings of the 24th, when there was really some brisk fighting,
-and some cannonading too, as I can testify; for I saw where a bombshell
-had entered the mayor's house, and, having passed through the roof, had
-burst inside, knocking in the ceiling of the sitting-room, and riddling
-the partition walls so that one could see into the adjoining chamber.
-But all beyond this was exaggeration or fable.
-
-I remarked that many of the houses in Neuville had received the like
-treatment, and that, here and there, doors, windows, and sashes had been
-smashed by fragments of shells. Presently, while wending our way through
-the camp to our quarters, we fell in with a young corporal, who was of
-English descent on the mother's side. He had known Dr. May in Paris,
-spoke English fluently, and showed much refinement and intelligence. He
-told us that, on the day before, some thousand and odd Frenchmen had
-defeated in a pitched battle four thousand Prussians; but as the French
-had had fresh reinforcements that morning, they were now on a more equal
-footing with the enemy, and could muster, at least, three thousand men.
-About the movements or position of the other side no one seemed to have
-precise information, which rather astonished us, since they talked so
-confidently.
-
-When we had put up in a little tavern, situated in a by-lane, and as
-clean and comfortable as we could expect in time of war, we went out
-again to see what was going forward. On one side to the north of the
-village, our friends had constructed rifle pits, mounds, and trenches
-just as at Orleans, but on a smaller scale.
-
-We directed our steps to the church, and found there several score or so
-of wounded, the greater number of whom were German. These latter were in
-charge of a very uncommunicative young surgeon of their own, who,
-although I have no desire to misjudge him, did not seem to be very
-deeply concerned about his patients. They were all gravely wounded, and
-lay on the flags, with but a scanty supply of straw beneath them,
-having neither blankets nor anything else to cover them, except their
-overcoats. Many were in a dying condition, their limbs mangled by
-fragments of shells, or traversed by bullets in some vital part. Two of
-them assured me that their wounds had not been dressed since they were
-brought in from the battlefield, and that the bullets were still
-unextracted; but this may have happened from want of Hospital plant and
-material. We had, however, the gratification of seeing the few out of
-that dying multitude who could bear removal, transported to our depôt at
-Orleans; while the rest were left under the charge of their German
-doctor, let us hope to die in peace.
-
-Some lay in the sanctuary of the church beside the altar; others made
-use of the steps to support their aching heads; and we noticed others
-again who were writhing on the ground in the agony of death.
-
-But war had imposed its burden on us, and we took an early rest in order
-to be fresh for our work next morning. Dr. May was told off to rise at
-three, and ascertain when we might be expected to be up and moving. The
-morning came; but no firing had as yet begun, and Dr. May let us lie
-until seven. When we came down, the village presented a very different
-aspect from that of yesterday. Not a civilian was to be seen in the
-streets. A regiment silently drawn up was in the centre of the square.
-Every man stood in his place, with his hand on his rifle, and ready to
-begin at a moment's notice. Our forces at this point consisted of a
-regiment of marine infantry, a couple of regiments of the Line, a few
-hundred cavalry, and three batteries.
-
-We took our position on the _route Impériale_, immediately outside the
-town, from which place one could observe how the forces were disposed,
-and the relation which we bore to the enemy. There was a forest in front
-of Neuville, some few thousand yards away from the earthworks, and in
-and beside this wood the Prussians held their ground. The French
-infantry were drawn up within and in front, as well as on the left of
-the town; while the artillery had taken up their position on a small
-hill to the right, from which they could rake the plain before them,
-should the Prussians give them battle. In the rear of the artillery, and
-away from the town, were placed the cavalry.
-
-Now, when I talk of the infantry being drawn up, be it understood that
-they were not ranged in lines on the open plain, as the uninitiated
-might suppose,--far from it,--for, positively, on looking over the
-country, it was hard to make out their presence. The French forces were
-scattered about in farmyards; behind woods, orchards, and hedges; and
-close to the houses themselves.
-
-The early part of the morning had been wet, but it was now quite fine;
-and my reader can imagine with what burning anxiety we kept our eyes on
-the plain before us, and with a fixed gaze waited for the moment when
-the familiar rattle at the outposts should declare that hostilities had
-begun.
-
-Time passed, and no wounded were coming in. Some of us walked about
-unheeded, observing all we thought of interest. The Prussians were not
-visible, and we were moving along the road, when we saw the outposts
-engaged at two different points, as we judged by the smoke and the
-sounds of musketry.
-
-We now retreated to our lines, feeling sure that this was the
-commencement of a hot day's work. However, it turned out otherwise; for
-after a considerable amount of shifting their position on the part of
-the infantry, and the advancing of a few companies, there was very
-little firing on either side save that which was kept up between the
-outposts; and they, in the end, got tired of firing in the air in the
-direction of one another. I should say, from the distance they were
-apart, that they might have gone on firing till the day of judgment, and
-done no execution on their respective enemies. In a little time two
-companies went forward and exchanged a few volleys with the Prussians,
-whereupon the latter retired altogether from the scene. Thus ended the
-battle of the 25th, without a drop of blood being shed or a single man
-being wounded.
-
-Now, it may appear strange that I should have travelled into the details
-of so bloodless an engagement; but my reason for doing so is simply
-this, that a few days later, when perusing one of the French journals, I
-lighted on a glowing report of three brilliant victories which had been
-gained at Neuville by the French, on the 24th, 25th, and 26th of
-November, with all particulars at length.
-
-The comments on the battle of the 24th, as I have said, were
-exaggerated; but in describing the two days subsequent, my newspaper
-stated that, after a determined resistance of many hours, the Prussians
-were completely routed, and had left eighty prisoners in the hands of
-the French, with a quantity of baggage and waggons. I have given the
-circumstances of this notable victory of the 25th, and the reader may
-draw his own conclusion. So much for French journalism, which, to my
-thinking, was not wholly guiltless of many of the disasters that befell
-the French arms. The facts I have related speak for themselves; they
-furnish, however, an example of the mania, which, at this period, seized
-the French press, and led them persistently to falsify the news from the
-seat of war. Not only did they strain every effort to blindfold their
-own people, and screen the truth from them,--which was that they were
-being hopelessly beaten,--but they did their best to persuade the world
-that they were winning, and that their ultimate success was certain.
-
-These bare-faced falsehoods, which delayed negotiations, and put off the
-treaty of peace until the country was exhausted, could be matched only
-by a story which I heard long afterwards. An acquaintance of ours, who
-was staying at Tours in 1880, used to relate how his French host was in
-the habit of saying, when they fell to talking about old times,
-_"Franchement, nous avons vaincu dans cette guerre, mais les gens ne
-veulent pas le reconnaître"_. No, I say, they hardly could!
-
-We returned to Orleans on the night of Saturday, the 26th, and next day,
-during a leisure half-hour, I wrote home rather a tame account of these
-glorious French victories.
-
-Wonderful (I used to think), how easy it is to revive by abundant
-palaver the drooping spirits of the French! Not two months ago they had
-looked upon their prospects, if not with despair, yet with the most
-gloomy forebodings; but to-day, elated by a few slight successes, they
-were swaggering about the streets, boasting of what France had done in
-generations past, and of what she would do in the future. It was no
-uncommon thing to hear them in the cafés talking of the requisitions
-they would make when they had raised the siege of Paris, and were
-marching through Germany, about which they knew little more than they
-did of the interior of China. Nor would it have been safe to hint, at
-this period, that any Germans would still remain on French territory by
-that day six weeks.
-
-It was amusing, if also, perhaps, exasperating, to hear them run on in
-this fashion; for we non-combatants all expected that ere many days we
-should see the German sentinels again at our Hospital gates. For
-ourselves, we were still branded by public opinion as Germans, and had
-nothing to protect us save our calling, and the flag which hung out all
-through, over our door on the Quai du Châtelet. Hence we were careful
-how we moved about after nightfall, lest we might come into collision
-with the soldiery, or such of the townsfolk as might have been disposed
-to interfere with us.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXII.
-
-BATTLE OF PATAY.--THE FRENCH RETREAT.--KNIGHTS TEMPLARS.--THE BATTLE
-CONTINUED.--ATTACK ON ORLEANS BY THE GERMANS.--BURNING OF THE PONTOON
-BRIDGE.
-
-
-Time went by in the ordinary routine of Hospital work, until the 1st
-December, when the news of a successful sortie from Paris, made by
-Trochu and Ducrot, put the whole town into a fever of excitement. Report
-said that the Army of Paris was already approaching Étampes.
-
-Next day, 2nd December, we heard heavy firing going on all along the
-lines, so far as we could judge, from Neuville and Chevilly on the
-right, to Patay on the left. A severe frost had set in during the past
-fortnight, and there had been a heavy fall of snow during the last few
-days. The ground was hard, and the air clear, so that the roar of the
-guns thundered in our ears as if they had been only a few furlongs
-instead of eight miles away. Of course, it was devoutly held by the
-Orleaners that Trochu was fighting his way through the Prussian lines,
-and would be in Orleans to-morrow.
-
-We, however, guessed what the real state of things was. During the last
-week we had obtained permission from the French authorities to have the
-old Church of St. Euverte, in the Rue St. Aignan, fitted up as a
-Hospital, and the Mayor had provided about 300 beds with their bedding.
-We had been actively employed the past three days in transferring our
-wounded from D'Allaine's to our new abode; and by the evening of the 3rd
-all our arrangements were made to receive the wounded. The cooking
-department was seen to by an energetic Frenchman, M. Bonjour, whose
-services throughout our stay at Orleans can never be forgotten by us.
-
-Towards the evening of that same day, the firing became fierce and
-continual; it appeared to come nearer than it had been in the morning.
-Both sides had heavy guns, eighteen and twenty-four pounders, hard at
-work. Nor were the mitrailleuses inactive. It was not until long after
-dark that the cannonading ceased. As may be supposed, no one knew,
-though every one pretended to know, the result of this long engagement.
-Some I heard saying that Prince Frederick Charles had been taken
-prisoner with 20,000 men; while others ventilated equally foolish
-reports. But ere long convoys of wounded arrived, and we soon had no
-doubt as to what had happened. The French were evidently getting the
-worst of it.
-
-Next day, the 4th December, a furious cannonade raged outside the town,
-making a most terrific din, though still several miles away. It told us
-that the French were making a determined stand. Early in the morning our
-Ambulance, minus Tilghman, Mackellar, Hayden and myself, quitted
-Orleans, and went on to the battlefield. We four were left behind to
-receive the wounded, as well as to look after those who were already on
-our hands. I had been under orders to go; but Dr. Warren, who was
-burning to be in the thick of it, asked me to effect an exchange with
-him; and I consented to the arrangement, subject to the necessary
-permission of our chief. My friend had never been among the bullets; and
-great was his anxiety to receive what Louis Napoléon called in a famous
-despatch, the "baptism of fire". As I had a great deal of useful work to
-do, I was quite willing to stay. After my late experience, curiosity
-alone, without the call of duty, never would prompt me to go again into
-a battlefield; but I had had my baptism. As regards the success of this
-expedition, I may add that, when they arrived on the scene of action,
-they found the French were fighting in retreat, and there was no
-possibility of establishing a temporary field Hospital. They had,
-therefore, to content themselves with bringing home as many of the
-wounded as they could accommodate in their waggons.
-
-The description which they gave of the slaughter was fearful. The
-Prussian artillery had raked the French lines through and through before
-their eyes; and Dr. Warren confessed to me that, short as was the time
-they had been on the battlefield, he had seen sights so horrible that
-the recollection of them would haunt him till his dying day.
-
-Long before the return of our comrades, we became aware that the French
-must be fighting in retreat, by the extended convoys of provision and
-baggage waggons, that streamed down the Rue Royale and across the Loire.
-For upwards of ten hours the baggage, provision, and ammunition train of
-the French army continued to pour across that bridge in unbroken
-succession. It was a sight to fill one with amazement; one could hardly
-believe that it was not all a dream.
-
-In the middle of the day, while going to see some of my wounded who were
-quartered in a neighbouring street, I met a convoy of Prussian prisoners
-being hurried along by a detachment of marines. They must have been some
-time in the hands of the French, for they looked thin and worn; and it
-made my blood boil to see the malignant delight which beamed in the
-faces of the townsfolk as they scanned these famished and half-frozen
-wretches passing along.
-
-But an hour later, I witnessed in the Rue Jeanne d'Arc a scene, the
-novelty of which, to my mind, was without a parallel. Moving down the
-street towards me at a slow hand-gallop,--almost at a walking
-pace,--came a troop of African cavalry, from the borders of the Sahara.
-I don't know that anything had ever excited in me so much curiosity as
-did the sight of these Spahis; and a more strange and wild-looking
-collection of men and beasts it would be impossible to conceive. They
-halted opposite the Cathedral, so that I had ample time to take stock of
-them. The townspeople displayed as much astonishment as I did, and
-flocked after them in crowds, just as if they had been the outriders of
-some great circus.
-
-They were tall, fine-looking men, with bronzed faces, but of various
-tints, some light, some almost black, some handsome, others
-square-faced, and, one had almost said, ugly. There were those among
-them who had well-chiselled features, with dark eyes, and so piercing a
-look as to give one the idea that they could see right through one.
-Their outer dress consisted of long-flowing mantles in white flannel,
-which trailed along the ground when they dismounted, and were fastened
-over one shoulder, somewhat after the fashion of the Roman toga. This
-garment, however, had attached to it a hood and a short cape. On their
-heads I saw what appeared to be a high coil of whitewashed rope,
-entangled in the hair, which, so far as I could judge, they wore long.
-This coil was looped up about their head-dress like the ordinary
-turban. The hood, of which I have spoken, was partly drawn up over the
-turban or coil, just far enough to catch the apex, and the whole
-appeared as if each man carried on his head a small turret. Add to these
-details, a lean, ugly, big-boned, square-hipped, straight-shouldered
-Arab horse, with a wooden frame set on a large pad for a saddle, and
-having a high piece going up behind, so as to reach half-way up the
-rider's back. The whole thing looked more like a diminutive chair than a
-saddle. The girths by which it was secured passed round saddle, horse
-and all. Wooden shoes came out at each side, with strips of hide for
-stirrups; there was a strong crupper behind, and blinkers were set on
-the bridles of untanned leather. It was, I think, the oddest specimen of
-an equestrian turn-out that ever showed on a European battlefield.
-
-These men are supposed to be about the best riders in the world. As they
-moved on, I remarked that they all rocked in their saddles in the most
-curious fashion, and thrust out their toes in tailorlike style. They
-each carried a musket about the length of one's arm, a brace of pistols,
-and a sword, which did not look like a sword, it was so much bent. Yet
-this is their favourite weapon. I could well imagine an enemy being
-taken aback when he approached these mysterious foes, and beheld their
-grim dark faces peering through a small loophole at the top of a tower
-of white flannel. They certainly had more the resemblance of cowled
-monks than of a troop of cavalry, and might have been introduced by Sir
-Walter Scott in _Ivanhoe_, as Moslem Knights Templars.
-
-When I had seen this curious sight, I went on my way to look after a
-captain of the Garde Mobile, who was shot through the foot, and a young
-corporal of the Line, shot through the left lung. The latter was a very
-bad case, not likely to recover; the ball had descended in the cavity of
-the chest, and the air which the poor lad was breathing entered and
-escaped through the perforation. Presently, a boy of about sixteen came
-in, the friend and companion of the dying corporal. He had but a few
-minutes to remain, and in this short time he learned from me that his
-friend's wound was mortal, and that he must now bid him a hasty
-farewell. The parting scene between them was most touching, for they
-were attached comrades.
-
-Among the number brought in to-day by our ambulance was one who came
-under my charge, and whose case was of interest by reason of his tender
-years. He was a fine lad, only seventeen, and had served in the Garde
-Mobile. He had been shot through the leg; but the principal cause of his
-lamentation was not his wound; it was that he had not fired a shot the
-whole day, nor even so much as got a chance of bowling over a German,
-though all the while shells and bullets were falling about him like
-rain, and dealt wholesale destruction on his company. The account which
-he gave of the fighting outside was terrible; it seemed to have made a
-deep impression on his imagination, yet did not in the least take from
-his courage. He told me he had not eaten for twenty-four hours. How, I
-often said to myself, could soldiers fight, who were habitually
-suffering from hunger, cold, and fatigue, like these poor fellows?
-
-All this time the ground literally shook from the conflict which was
-going on outside the town. I think that, as an artillery fight, it was
-second only to Sedan.
-
-It had been freezing very hard every night, and snow was lying deep on
-the ground.
-
-If people at home (and there are some who talk much around their
-comfortable fires about going to war on every paltry provocation) could
-have seen the waggon-loads of half-frozen wounded which were brought in
-to us on the night of the 4th, and those again who lay outside the town
-without assistance, their wounds uncared for, and exposed to the
-bitterly cold night air, how soon they would change their idle tone! how
-they would loathe and abominate the very name of war!
-
-I can understand that men find a pleasure in studying the art of
-fighting, as they do in playing a game of chess; and I have allowed in
-my own case the fascination which even its horrid reality is capable of
-exercising over one. But for the man who deems it a pleasure and a glory
-to use the science of war as a weapon wherewith to annihilate thousands
-of human beings, for the delusion called "prestige," or in the game of
-politics, I would have him to know that it is a foul and monstrous
-thing, full of hideous suffering, cruelty, and injustice, with nothing
-to redeem it, save the courage whereby such miseries are endured.
-
-However, let me go on with my proper theme. Immediately the darkness set
-in on the 3rd, the cannonading ceased. This night we snatched but a few
-hours' sleep; for, at the first dawn of daylight, a repetition of
-yesterday's performance began with redoubled vigour. From the belfry
-tower of our church, during the past two days, we had been able to get a
-fair idea how the battle was going. It commanded a fine view of the
-country around. But now that the Germans had driven the French back on
-the outskirts of the town we could see much more of the contest. Early
-on the 4th we beheld the whole cavalry, numbering about 3000 men, come
-down the Rue Royale and pass over the bridge on the Quai du
-Châtelet,--some at a swinging trot, others at a gallop. It was a rare
-sight, for here were represented men of every regiment in
-France--Cuirassiers, Lancers, Chasseurs d'Afrique and the rest. This
-host of armed men and horses, extending as far as the eye could reach
-(which was certainly half a mile), formed a _coup d'oeil_ not easily
-forgotten; and the clatter they made on the pavement, during their
-stampede, was loud enough to have been heard far outside the town.
-
-Towards evening I availed myself of a few minutes' leisure to ascend the
-church tower and watch the battle, which still continued. The roar of
-the fighting, which was now going on in the vineyards and entrenchments
-at the end of the Faubourg Bannier, baffles description. The heavy
-French marine guns were all going simultaneously, while on each side of
-the town the infantry also were in close conflict. Quite near us, at the
-end of our own Faubourg St. Vincent, just where the convent stood in
-which Miss Pearson and Miss McLoughlin were at work, the fighting seemed
-heaviest. On some portion of the ground that was not so thickly covered
-with vineyards, the dead were strewn in heaps, many being the victims of
-their own mitrailleuses which the Germans had captured, and were now
-using with more precision and deadly effect than their original
-possessors. But all this time, the French, though retreating, kept up a
-continuous and well-directed fire upon the advancing Prussians, whose
-losses, as we afterwards discovered, were quite as great as those of the
-vanquished.
-
-This they attributed themselves to the great tact and ability which the
-French marines displayed in the management of their heavy guns. But for
-these, indeed, as I have heard the French say, it would have been
-difficult, if not impossible, for them to have covered the retreat of
-their army.
-
-The sun shone brilliantly that afternoon of the 4th, and the arms and
-accoutrements of the contending forces were flashing brightly, as they
-moved about among the vineyards. In the distance we could see in several
-places the field-artillery galloping along in different directions,
-wheeling round suddenly, and stopping, when the little puffs of smoke
-told us their reason for doing so. But these reports were lost in the
-general tumult of the battle. One or two more repetitions of these
-little puffs, then a limber-up, and a dash ahead as before in their
-onward course, only to repeat the same manoeuvres further on; such were
-the tactics which, as from a box at the theatre, we repeatedly noticed,
-standing in the belfry of Ste. Euverte.
-
-And here I may mention an incident witnessed by Drs. May and Tilghman.
-There was a hot contest being waged close to the Hospital, among the
-double rows of trees on the Boulevard St. Vincent, when, in the midst of
-the confusion, a young lieutenant of the Line was seen stepping out from
-a house just beside the church. He had gone but a few paces, when a
-young girl rushed out after him and took a last embrace, after which he
-moved quickly out of her sight. But evidently he was not yet out of the
-mind of the young girl; for she stood as if rooted to the spot, gazing
-after her lover, heedless of the bullets which were whistling past, and
-of the storm of the battle raging round her. In another moment, May and
-Tilghman realised her frightful situation. May sprang over the paling
-which was between them, but arrived only in time to receive her bleeding
-and senseless into his arms. A spent bullet had struck her between the
-angle of the eye and the cheek bone, and had stripped back the soft
-parts of the side of the face as far as the ear, with a portion of the
-scalp.
-
-The wound, though not so very dangerous,--for the bone of the head was
-only grazed and not broken,--was, nevertheless, an ugly one. The girl
-was at once taken into her own house, where May and Tilghman skilfully
-adjusted the torn portions of the scalp by a neat operation, bestowing
-on the case every attention in their power. It will doubtless be
-gratifying to my reader when I tell him that this girl made a splendid
-recovery. I had the privilege of watching her convalescence in the
-absence of Dr. May. Nor was she much disfigured; for, in consequence of
-the prompt treatment, the parts united admirably, leaving an almost
-imperceptible scar, which was, however, sufficiently well marked to
-remind her of that romantic, but perilous, moment at Orleans. Love is
-proverbially blind. In this case, love was blind and deaf too.
-
-I was kept hard at work in the Hospital, and could steal only a moment
-to observe the stirring scenes which were going on around. Each
-new-comer brought with him, in addition to his own sad story, a list of
-harrowing details from the day's battlefield. But things were all going
-one way. Early in the afternoon, the main body of the French army had
-fallen back upon the town. The Germans had gained possession of the two
-principal approaches of the Faubourgs Bannier and St. Vincent, and had
-already demolished numerous buildings on the outskirts. They did not,
-however, shell the town itself, as we feared they were on the point of
-doing; and when night set in, there was a temporary armistice. Both
-sides, by mutual consent, desisted, on the understanding that the
-bridges were not to be blown up.
-
-Now it was that the whole French army commenced their hurried march
-across the Loire, by the pontoon bridge, and the two permanent ones. It
-was a bright, still, moonlight night, and nothing was to be heard but
-the trampling of feet, as that mighty host hurried along. I stood at the
-corner of the Quai du Châtelet and watched them. Some of the regiments,
-which had happened to lag behind, doubled down the Rue Royale, but they
-marched over the pontoons at the regulation pace.
-
-Not a word was spoken,--an unusual state of things among Frenchmen,--and
-all, as they well might, seemed dispirited. Some of the men had no arms;
-many had lost their képis; and all showed visible signs of having lately
-seen hard times. Tired, at length, of watching them pass in that
-unbroken stream, I went to my quarters at No. 64 on the Quai hard by.
-
-I had hardly entered, when my attention was called by the tramp of feet
-on the pavement outside the open window. On looking out, I beheld what
-appeared to be the remains of several regiments. Most of them were
-without arms, and all went limping along, evidently quite foot-sore,
-while numbers were slightly wounded, to judge from various bandages,
-which they displayed round their heads, legs, and arms. They looked more
-like a procession of invalids out for a walk, than soldiers still
-capable of fighting. The poor fellows were dead beat, and did not so
-much march as shuffle along, some in a tottering condition, and lagging
-behind the rest, having evidently done as much as was in their power.
-
-But what was my rage and indignation, when a captain, in the rear, who
-carried in his hand not a sword, but a thick cane, belaboured with it,
-again and again, any unfortunate who did not keep up with the rest! One
-of these poor fellows made a sign to me for something to drink. Swiftly
-as possible, I seized a large can of water which stood beside the
-window, and poured it slowly on the footway. Several that were near put
-their mouths under the little jet, and then began a sort of scramble for
-what one of them told me he had not tasted during fourteen hours. But
-their gallant leader, having dealt half a dozen blows at random with his
-stick among this thirsty crowd, dispersed them, indulging the while in
-strong language, and gesticulated at me in the most excited manner.
-However, the frame of mind I was in--to say nothing of my safe
-position--made me equal to the occasion. I complimented him on the able
-style in which _Monsieur le Maréchal_ used his _bâton_; and he slunk
-away, muttering curses, as he did so, at me and his men.
-
-This piece of excitement over, I went to the pontoon bridge, where the
-stream of soldiers continued to pour across. Although I had been on duty
-the previous night and all that day, I could not but stay up to watch
-this historic and interesting spectacle,--the retreat of 200,000 men,
-composing the whole Army of the Loire, across that river. It was now
-nearly eleven o'clock, and they had been passing for hours. But the
-living current flowed on unceasingly during the night, until the last of
-the troops were over. When this had been accomplished, then the silence
-of the frosty scene was broken by the sound of hammers, hatchets, and
-saws; and the air resounded with the hacking and the chopping of the
-sappers, who were busily engaged cutting the moorings and the cross
-planks, while others set fire to the bridge in about a dozen places.
-Just at the same hour, there was a great tramp and rattle of horses and
-waggons over the permanent bridge to our right, caused by a number of
-batteries of artillery, which galloped furiously onwards in headlong
-career. They were the last of the fugitive army. The battle of Patay had
-been lost and won.
-
-Now the Loire was much flooded, and the blocks of ice borne down in the
-current were very large, so that when the different sections of the
-bridge were cut loose,--and, later on, when they became again
-subdivided, as well as during the process of freeing themselves,--the
-grating, groaning, creaking, and crashing of one against the other, and
-also against the great blocks of ice, was unlike any other sound I ever
-heard. Moreover, every raft of boats and planks formed the base of a
-pillar of fire, which brilliantly illuminated the snow-covered slopes,
-the trees, and the ice-bound banks of the river,--reflecting in the
-water above and below us, as if in a looking-glass, the arches and the
-battlements of two of the finest bridges in France, which now stood out,
-in all their architectural beauty, relieved against the pitchy darkness
-of the night.
-
-As each of these burning sections of the pontoon became disconnected
-from its fellow, it turned round on its own axis, and staggered about in
-the river for a short time, until finally, having arrived in mid stream,
-it swept down with the current,--making a loud grating noise as it
-struck the ice blocks,--and at last with a tremendous crash was hurled
-against the mighty granite bulwarks of the bridge. There it either
-became a total wreck, or, being broken up into fragments, swirled hither
-and thither till it passed out of view. It was a strange and magnificent
-spectacle, unequalled by anything I have seen before or since, in the
-combination of light and dark, the enormous power displayed, and the
-gigantic ruin upon the waters.
-
-When I was taking a last look at all this before retiring to rest, a
-number of soldiers came up, intending to cross over; but they found the
-bridge demolished, and themselves cut off from retreat.
-
-These, I heard afterwards, were some few hundred men, inclusive of the
-Foreign Legion, who formed the rear guard of the army, and had got lost
-in the darkness. They neglected to avail themselves of the railway
-bridge nearest them, which, like that in our neighbourhood, was also,
-during this night, taken and guarded by the Prussians.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXIII.
-
-FIGHTING IN THE STREETS.--THE TOWN CARRIED BY ASSAULT.--NARROW
-ESCAPES.--THE RED PRINCE ENTERS WITH HIS WHOLE ARMY.
-
-
-Overcome by fatigue and excitement, I had thrown myself on my bed just
-as I was, and never stirred until daylight, when Warren awoke me with
-the news that fighting was going on in the streets. I rubbed my eyes and
-went to the window, when, to my utter astonishment, I beheld six
-Prussians confronting about fifteen Frenchmen. They had come upon the
-latter by surprise round a corner, and the French looked at first as if
-they were going to fire; but, on seeing a large body of Prussians
-advancing under cover of the trees, they lowered their rifles, and
-coolly stacked their arms not twenty paces from my window. The six
-Germans, meanwhile, quietly stood round them with fixed bayonets. In
-another minute they were walking off up a by-street as prisoners.
-
-All this came upon a man who had been just awakened rather by surprise;
-but, when I heard some desultory firing in different parts of the town,
-I made up my mind that we were to have hot work in the streets. Having
-performed a hasty toilette, I sallied forth, eager not to lose the sight
-of what was going on. I had not proceeded many yards up the Quai, when I
-perceived a body of Prussians stationed near the bridge at the end of
-the Rue Royale. Seeing these drawn up in battle array, and finding
-myself the only person on the Quai du Châtelet, I paused for a moment or
-two, and looked down in the other direction towards the railway bridge.
-There I beheld a goodly number of Frenchmen, ranged over against the
-church of St. Aignan at the other extremity of the Quai. Thinking that
-this looked like business I remarked to Dr. Warren that we were in an
-awkward position, and had better retire. The words were no sooner out of
-my mouth, and we had only just stepped back into the hall, when a volley
-of bullets whizzed along by us in the direction of a French officer, who
-was galloping across the bridge at that moment. Some of the balls must
-have gone very close to him, for he ducked his head repeatedly behind
-his horse's neck and redoubled his speed. Shot after shot went after him
-until he lay quite flat on his saddle. How he rushed the guard on the
-bridge was a mystery I could never solve; but that he did escape I can
-certify.
-
-This was the signal for a general fusilade. The Germans at the end of
-the Rue Royale, advancing on the bridge, knelt down behind the parapets,
-so that we could see nothing but the spikes of their helmets and the
-muzzles of their rifles which glittered in the morning sun. The French
-answered from behind the trees on the Quai, and from the corners of the
-by-streets. We now perceived that a company of Prussians were advancing
-in single file down the Quai towards us, and were entering the houses.
-This was more than we could stand. So slipping out of No. 64 up the
-nearest lane, we ran out by the rear into our headquarters at No. 66.
-
-Here we found Dr. Parker, who had just been out in another part of the
-town, but was very nearly seeing and experiencing more than he had
-bargained for. In going up a side street off the Rue Bourgogne, he found
-a sharp cross-fire opened from each end of the street, and as the
-bullets struck the wall beside him, he had to take refuge in the
-doorways, in order to escape them. The company of Prussians, to whom I
-have already referred, were still advancing slowly in our direction; and
-a brisk return fire was kept up by a small knot of French at the other
-end.
-
-The manner of the Prussian advance was peculiar. First went four
-sappers, who in one second broke through each of the doors which did not
-happen to be open. These carried hatchets, handsaws, jemmies, and
-crowbars; and it was marvellous how short a time they took to enter, and
-how they made the timber fly like match-wood. Our gate was thrown open,
-and in due course a number of men filed in one by one from the next
-house. Three of them went through the form of searching the place, while
-the remainder, about a dozen in number, were ordered out, two by two, to
-kneel on the footway and fire at the enemy. When they had done so, they
-withdrew until their turn came round again. The house was speedily
-filled with smoke, for the soldiers crouched close into the wall, and
-remained almost inside the porch.
-
-The necessity of this proceeding was soon apparent. For in another
-minute bullets came hitting the wall beside the door, and sent the
-plaster flying into my eyes, while I was craning my neck round the jamb
-of the open door to see what was going on. Luckily, they glanced off the
-flags a couple of feet away from where I stood.
-
-The leaden pipe, which ran down beside the entrance, was now riddled in
-various places; our old English flag, which hung down over the door from
-a long pole above the window, was likewise torn; but I have it in my
-possession yet.
-
-We were at the highest pitch of excitement while all this was going on.
-Prompted by curiosity, I went upstairs, and looking out from one of the
-windows, saw standing in the middle of the street, exposed to all the
-fire, a German Captain of the Line, coolly giving, or rather shouting,
-his orders to the various non-commissioned officers and soldiers, who
-lined the walls or manned the doorways above and below us. I expected
-every moment to see him fall. Amongst the French, who were replying
-persistently from their position at the end of the Quai, I espied one
-Zouave in particular, who fired five or six shots at this officer. I
-felt satisfied that it was at him he aimed, for he singled himself out
-from his comrades, and crept on his hands and knees to the middle of the
-roadway, taking a deliberate shot, and we could not perceive that there
-was any one else in the direct line of his fire. When the Zouave had
-discharged about the sixth shot, a ball from the Prussians tumbled him
-over on his back with his legs in the air; but for all that, he was not
-killed, as he scrambled away with the aid of a companion. A thud and a
-splutter of the plaster on the wall just beside me, suggested the
-advisability of curtailing my observations; so I shifted my quarters to
-the hall below, where I found Dr. Parker giving some of the Prussians a
-nip of brandy,--in order, as he jocosely remarked, to put a twist in
-their powder. I knelt down behind one of the men at the doorway, as he
-was taking aim at the Frenchmen, and looked over the sight to see where
-his game lay. He fired, and, as he did so, a ball struck the pavement
-above five yards from where he and I were kneeling.
-
-It was a regular business of sharp-shooting; for a head, or a head and
-a pair of shoulders, were all we could see of the enemy.
-
-In the midst of the practice great commotion was caused by an old woman
-appearing on the Quai. For a few seconds firing was suspended; an
-officer came out into the middle of the street and made signs to her to
-retire, which the ancient dame speedily did. What she meant by coming
-out thus, it would be vain to conjecture, unless she was stone deaf. She
-was clearly no Jeanne d'Arc.
-
-In a short time the French, seeing that they had no hope of making good
-their retreat across the bridge, ceased firing. A flag of truce went to
-them from the Mairie, stating that the town had been in possession of
-the Germans since midnight; and they had better yield. They laid down
-their arms; and the town of Orleans, as we had all along anticipated,
-was once more in the hands of the Prussians. It was eight o'clock in the
-morning of 5th December. An hour passed, and the Prussians came marching
-in, the bands playing their most lively strains; and we found ourselves
-among our old acquaintance.
-
-The first step which the invaders took was to get together all their
-prisoners, numbering 10,000, and shut them up in the Cathedral.
-
-Of course, the minute we were free to do so, we all got off to our work
-at Ste. Euverte, where we already found many of our old friends awaiting
-us.
-
-The little Captain Schrenk was there; also the young ecclesiastic of
-whom I have spoken; and, later on in the day, the giant cuirassier
-stalked in, gorgeously arrayed in scarlet and gold, and seeking for his
-hidden cuirass. They shook hands with us over and over again, exhibiting
-unmistakable satisfaction and pleasure at finding we were still at our
-posts, and safe and sound. Surgeon-General Von Nussbaum paid us a visit,
-and complimented us on the manner in which we had stood by their wounded
-during the French occupation. In fact, congratulations rained down on
-all sides; and from this time forward the Germans looked upon us as
-their staunch and trusty friends, giving us notice that in due time our
-services would be officially remembered. The wounded now began to pour
-into the town, and our Hospital church was quickly crowded, together
-with every house in the vicinity.
-
-At eleven a.m. we went to our quarters for breakfast; but hearing that
-the entry of Prince Frederick Charles's troops had commenced, I snatched
-a few mouthfuls, and hurried off to witness the scene from a window in
-M. Proust's house, No. 12 Rue Royale, with which I was to be more
-intimately acquainted ere I left Orleans.
-
-The troops entered with bayonets set, flags flying, bands playing, and
-all the pomp and circumstance which are usual on such occasions, and the
-air resounded with a storm of military music. It was noteworthy,
-indeed, to see that host pass by, consisting of 130,000 as fine-looking
-men as any country in the world could produce; and what was most
-astonishing about them was the neatness and cleanliness of their dress,
-the brightness of their arms and accoutrements, and their general
-well-dressed appearance, reminding me more of our handful of soldiers at
-home, as they marched past the Lord Lieutenant in the Phoenix Park on a
-field day, than of an army that had been fighting all the past week, and
-had endured the privations and hardships of a six months' campaign.
-
-The sun shone through the frosty air, and, as the mist had now cleared
-off, the helmets and bayonets of that mighty array flashed and glistened
-everywhere. While these sturdy, well-built and well-fed fellows passed
-on, I compared them mentally with the regiments I had seen straggling
-onward to the bridge. The difference spoke eloquently in favour of that
-elaborate and admirable scheme of military organisation which had
-brought them to such a degree of perfection. It also elicited from a
-British officer who was with me at the time, a remark that, unless we
-ourselves take up some more comprehensive system of organising our
-forces, we shall be thrashed by this ambitious race of soldiers the
-first time we come into conflict with them. Nay, more, it is possible
-that they might invade and overrun England in a short campaign, should
-they ever become as great adepts in the art of war on the high seas as
-they are on land.
-
-Many of the German officers whom I have met were of opinion that such an
-enterprise was not beyond the scope of German ambition and German
-energy. More than once I heard them anticipating that the result of
-their victorious career would be to bring all the nations of Europe
-under the wing of their Imperial eagle. And though willing to allow that
-England would be the last to come in, since without a mighty fleet they
-could not get at her, yet she too must share the fate of her neighbours.
-It amused,--perhaps it angered us,--to find these highly intellectual
-men of the world holding such views, gravely arguing among themselves
-and with us, that such would be the inevitable result of a united
-Germany, and that all she wanted to annex Europe, and carry out the
-ideas of Alexander the First of Russia, was a little time, and a
-favourable opportunity.
-
-The army of Prince Frederick Charles, now marching through Orleans, was
-on its road to Blois, and in pursuit of General Chanzy. Turning from
-this splendid sight, I went back to St. Euverte; and there spent the
-remainder of that day--and a long day it was--in assisting at the
-operation-table, and dressing and attending to the wounded who were
-brought to us in crowds. As we had only accommodation for 250, we were
-obliged to send out into the houses of the Rue de St. Aignan all who
-were not seriously wounded; after which we still found it necessary to
-lay a number of those who were gravely wounded on the floor, with straw
-under them. These latter were not at all so badly off, when we consider
-that some half score waggon-loads of men had to remain out in the frost
-and snow for a whole night and part of the next day, so greatly did the
-demand exceed the supply of accommodation in Orleans just then. To add
-to their misfortune--and I am speaking literally of hundreds,--there
-followed a great scarcity of bread, which was felt chiefly by the civil
-population, and by those quartered on them. It did not affect the
-garrison in the least; for their commissariat never failed.
-
-An army entering thus, devours, like a swarm of locusts, in a few hours
-everything that is eatable in a town, and leaves the inhabitants nothing
-but what they can supply from their secret stores--which, however, they
-always manage to reserve. The condition of chronic hunger, from which
-the inhabitants of Orleans suffered for several weeks at this period,
-was truly distressing to witness.
-
-By noon on the 6th of December, all was quiet again, the garrison had
-been billeted in their quarters, the sentries were at their accustomed
-posts, and everything in Orleans betokened the return of the old
-orderly _régime_, to which we had been so long accustomed. There was an
-entire absence of that wild disorder, and noisy confusion, which had
-lasted, not for hours but for days, after the French took possession of
-the town, and which I have endeavoured to describe, but have not
-adequately depicted in the words at my command. And thus began the
-second German occupation of Orleans.
-
-
-
-
-Chapter XXIV.
-
-DESECRATION OF THE CATHEDRAL.--MY FIRST CAPITAL OPERATION.--MORE
-FIGHTING.--WOUNDED BAVARIANS.
-
-
-Soon after the mayor had issued his parlementaire, all the French
-prisoners, to the number, as I have said, of 10,000, were marched into
-the Cathedral, where they were confined until such time as preparations
-could be made for their transport into Germany.
-
-As the weather was bitterly cold, the prisoners--it will be remembered
-that they were French and Catholic--began at once to break up the chairs
-and benches with which to make fires. These they kindled at the base of
-the great stone pillars for which the Cathedral is celebrated. Towards
-evening, as I happened to pass that way, I saw the men and lads warming
-themselves at these great blazing fires, that lighted up the whole
-edifice, the roof of which, however, could scarcely be seen through the
-wreaths of thick smoke that formed a dense cloud overhead. It was an
-ungodly spectacle, the more so that many of the men sang and joked,
-while one amused himself at the organ.
-
-I confess the scene was very disagreeable to me. Every now and then one
-of these fellows would lay hold of a chair, and with one blow shatter it
-in pieces against the tiles or the nearest pillar, and then cast the
-fragments into the blaze. There they sat, smoking, eating, and
-drinking,--what little they could get to eat and drink,--cursing
-Bismarck and the Emperor, and rehearsing that oft-told preposterous lie,
-how universal treachery was the cause of their presence there that
-night. I stood for some time looking on at a display which, if curious,
-was still more revolting. The stalls of the Sanctuary, which I had seen
-a few days previously graced by the canons and other dignitaries who
-surrounded Monseigneur Dupanloup, during the pomp and splendour of the
-Episcopal ceremonies, and at High Mass, were now filled with the vilest
-of the French soldiery, some of whom lolled about at their leisure and
-conversed together, while others, overcome by hunger and fatigue, were
-lying fast asleep all over the church. On the steps of the High Altar
-fellows were stretched out in deep slumber, and not one appeared to
-regard the nature of the place in which they were quartered. The lines
-of fires down each side of the building, the din and the confusion to
-which this herd of men gave rise, and the manner in which they seemed to
-be swarming about all parts of the Cathedral, as the light of the fires
-glanced on them, made an extraordinary combination, and one might have
-fancied that the age of Gil Blas had returned in the nineteenth century.
-
-For two days the Cathedral was possessed by this motley congregation;
-then the prisoners were sent off in batches by train from Orleans, and
-we were glad to get rid of them. Their destination, as usual, was over
-the Rhine.
-
-I met one of these convoys on their way to the station. They were
-marched, or rather driven along, before half a dozen mounted troopers;
-and when any straggled or fell behind, these put spurs to their chargers
-and rode in amongst their captives, in some instances trampling them
-under the horses' feet, and lashing them with their riding whips in the
-most wanton manner. The sight was enough to make one's blood boil. Had
-any one told me of such a thing, I should have received his statement
-with caution, if not with distrust; but I relate that of which I was
-myself an eye-witness. When I had cooled down a little, I consoled
-myself with the idea that such was the treatment which these very
-Germans received at the hands of their own officers and under-officers,
-while going through their training and their drill, as I have already
-testified from personal observation. They gave the French, therefore,
-only what they had been treated to themselves.
-
-During the whole of the 6th and 7th, and the intervening night, we were
-hard at work in the Hospital, the greater part of our time being taken
-up at the operation table. I may here mention a fact, which is highly
-interesting to me, _viz._, that now, by permission of our chief, I
-performed my first capital operation, in a case of compound comminuted
-fracture of the bone of the arm, which I had to amputate below the
-shoulder. Nor were the circumstances of the place in which I went
-through my task, of a common sort. It was Sunday morning; and the
-operation table stood in a side chapel, at the foot of the Lady Altar,
-not many yards from the Shrine of Ste. Euverte. But although one's first
-impressions might be that such work, on such a spot, was a profanation,
-yet on second thoughts it will not appear so. The deed, though
-sanguinary, was not cruel; and where should the wounded find refuge if
-not under the sacred roof?
-
-On the evening of the 7th, we received intelligence that the Germans had
-come up with the French army; that fighting had begun; and that a
-general engagement was expected. Accordingly, Dr. Tilghman, with May and
-Mackellar, started with a supply of surgical appliances and waggons for
-bringing the wounded off the field.
-
-I was set down for work at the Hospital, and did not go with them. But
-Dr. Tilghman subsequently gave me a full account of the whole affair,
-and described the carnage as very great. The town of Beaugency and the
-neighbouring villages were literally crammed with wounded; and they had
-hardly any one to look after them, and but very little to eat. In fact,
-so scarce were provisions that many sank from privation alone,
-aggravated, indeed, by the bitter cold, which just at this time was
-intense. He mentioned, among other ghastly details, that owing to the
-hard frost, the bodies of the slain were glued to the ground, while
-their clothes were so hard and stiff that it was impossible to move the
-dead from where they lay.
-
-Dr. Tilghman returned on the 10th with his _confrères_, bringing some
-waggon-loads of wounded. That the fighting about Beaugency had been
-severe I could discern from the appearance of all that was left of the
-Bavarian army, which returned to Orleans about the 14th. Jaded and
-fatigued, spattered with mud, with their uniforms in some instances
-torn, and their plumes lost, they trudged sulkily and silently into the
-town. About 8000 of all ranks had survived of the 30,000 men that left
-Germany. They, too, like the French, were a contrast to their North
-German brethren in arms. But, as usual, they had been set in the
-forefront of the hottest battle; they had everywhere borne the brunt
-against vastly superior forces; and had in the end conquered, though at
-the expense of half their numbers. From the beginning of the war this
-had been the inevitable fate of the Bavarians; they were butchered to
-make the new German Empire.
-
-In return for these heroic services, the Prussians affected to look down
-on them; they snubbed them openly; and took pains to hinder rather than
-to cultivate a friendly feeling between themselves and their Southern
-allies. I have seen quarrels take place in private houses where
-Prussians and Bavarians were billeted together, simply because my lords
-of Brandenburg disdained to share their quarters with King Ludwig's men.
-Such bickerings went from words to blows, in which the hearty ill-will
-of both branches of the great Teutonic race to one another became only
-too visible.
-
-In the week which followed the battle of Beaugency, nothing happened
-worthy of special record; we were always at work from daylight to dark,
-and fresh convoys of wounded were brought in daily from that
-neighbourhood. When one has such an absorbing subject of interest as the
-routine of an Ambulance, from its very nature, and especially after a
-severe engagement, the days pass like hours. So it was with us; for,
-except an occasional few minutes which we spent in listening to the
-splendid military bands that performed every day in the Place Jeanne
-d'Arc, we had little to divert our minds from our business. There is,
-however, a matter of interest connected with the battle of Beaugency
-that I will ask leave to set down here.
-
-The 11th Prussian infantry regiment, serving under the Red Prince,
-had suffered severely, and were nearly decimated on the 8th December.
-Six of these men came under my care. One of them gave me the following
-history of a most dangerous bullet wound, which he had received
-through the upper arm. His name was Henry Schroeder, under-officer
-(_Unter-officier_) in that regiment, and he spoke French fluently and
-English intelligibly. He was advancing with his company along the skirts
-of a wood, in the face of a most murderous fire from the French, and his
-men were falling on all sides, when he perceived two of these, whom he
-knew to be rascals, edging away from the rest into the wood, with the
-clear intent of shirking their duty, and endeavouring to screen
-themselves from the fire.
-
-He sent a soldier to them with this message, that he would have them
-shot forthwith, unless they returned to their places. Not many minutes
-had elapsed, when, in the confusion and heat of a charge, as they were
-bursting along in the open, he received a bullet from behind which
-felled him to the earth. A single glance made him aware that these two
-miscreants were at his back, but were now hard at work against the
-enemy.
-
-This poor fellow, of whom we shall hear more later on, eventually
-succumbed, at home in Hamburg, to his wounds. He died with the firm
-conviction that it was one of these two villains who had shot him,
-though, of course, no one could prove it against the man.
-
-Just about this time it happened that I got permission from Dr. May to
-amputate a thigh midway between the hip and the knee. As I was on the
-point of making the first incision, who should walk up to the operation
-table but Professor Langenbeck, of Berlin? This great person had come
-into the Hospital to glance at our surgical work, and to observe the
-manner in which we treated his Imperial master's subjects. For a moment,
-the presence of perhaps the greatest military surgeon living, and the
-father of German field surgery, made me very uncomfortable. However, I
-regained my self-possession pretty quickly, and was fortunate enough to
-get through the operation without a hitch or misadventure, receiving at
-the end a gracious bow, and a "_Sehr schön, mein Herr_," from the old
-veteran, who diligently smoked a cigar all the while. I need hardly add
-that my _confrères_ had a great laugh over the incident, and at my
-sudden exhibition of panic, which they assured me was quite evident.
-
-In our Hospital we made, as far as possible, an equal division of
-labour, by allowing to each man so many beds. Though I was only an
-assistant surgeon by promotion, I had practically the position of
-surgeon and not assistant, having the sole charge of my division, which
-consisted of all the beds between the pillars and the wall down the
-middle aisle of the Church, and numbered about thirty-three. It must be
-remembered that these beds were occupied by none but the gravely
-wounded, and that we had under our charge numbers of others, placed out
-in private houses through the town, along with those who were billeted
-in the houses just outside the Church. These last were under the same
-management as those in Ste. Euverte itself.
-
-About the 18th December an incident occurred which caused some stir
-among our circle. Mr. Frederick Wombwell, who had started the previous
-day for Versailles to bring back medical stores, arrived with the
-intelligence that Dr. Pratt and Captain Hozier had been arrested in
-Étampes. It seems that they had met Captain Keith Fraser and the
-correspondent of the _Illustrated London News_, as also the
-correspondent of the _Pall Mall Gazette_, on their way to Versailles,
-and that whole party fraternised and dined together at the hotel. The
-Prussian Commandant's suspicions were aroused by this convivial meeting
-of foreigners, and he promptly placed them under arrest. Captain Hozier
-and Dr. Pratt, after a day's detention, were allowed to return to
-Orleans; but Captain Fraser and his two companions were sent on to
-Versailles under a heavy escort of dragoons, at which place they were
-liberated without delay.
-
-Just about this time, also, there was much excitement caused by the
-arrival from Kiel of two hundred sailors to man the gunboats on the
-Loire, which had been captured from the French. These bearded tars were
-fine, burly fellows, and to judge by their rollicking spirits seemed to
-enjoy the prospect of the job before them.
-
-Another week elapsed in the old routine, without any stirring events
-having come to pass, and we found ourselves on the eve of Christmas, but
-with nothing to remind us of its approach, save the snow, which lay more
-than a foot deep on the ground, and the intense cold of the weather. It
-was freezing so hard, both in and out of doors, that the water in the
-jug and basin of my bedroom became almost a solid mass.
-
-The manner in which we spent Christmas Day may be described in five
-words,--it was all hard work. Nevertheless, we contrived in the
-afternoon to have a good dinner, and a little jollification over a
-blazing fire in our quarters on the Quai. The custom of Midnight Mass,
-so impressive in Catholic countries, had been this year abrogated by the
-Bishop's order. And there was no religious service for our wounded,
-though all had been arranged with a view to it. I ought not to omit the
-reason, which was hardly, in my judgment, a sound one. The hour fixed
-for Mass was 7 A.M. It came to pass, however, that when in the morning
-the old Curé learned that the Protestant Chaplain had been before him,
-and had preached a sermon to his Protestant brethren from the pulpit, he
-straightway refused to begin his own service. I confess I was much
-scandalised at this unreasonable exhibition of bigotry. Under the
-circumstances, I hold, the Protestant Chaplain only did what it was
-perfectly right and proper that he should do. And I expressed that
-opinion pretty strongly to the Sisters of Charity, and the Curé himself,
-who was referred to me as the only Roman Catholic on the staff.
-
-However, we dressed the Church with holly and ivy, and had a Christmas
-tree in the middle decorated with ribbons. We likewise gave each man a
-flannel shirt and a pair of drawers, which were looked upon by them as
-most appropriate and acceptable Christmas boxes.
-
-Friends have asked me since how much I saw of that famous Bishop
-Dupanloup, and what was his line of conduct during the German
-occupation. I can but reply, that I never saw him in the city. All the
-while he remained shut up in his palace, the greater part of which had
-been converted into ambulance wards, despite a vehement protest from the
-cathedral chapter. But their protest did not avail; and when the very
-churches had to serve as hospitals for the wounded, and accommodation
-was everywhere less than sufficient, I do not know that even a Bishop's
-palace could have been exempted from so plain a duty of love and
-compassion towards the suffering, whether friends or foes.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXV.
-
-CHRISTMAS DAY AT STE. EUVERTE.--GOING THE ROUNDS.--YOUNG
-HEROES.--ARRIVALS DURING THE NIGHT.--A GLIMPSE OF THE DEAD-HOUSE.
-
-
-I have not, so far, given a description of our new Hospital, nor any
-particulars in connection with individual cases; and I cannot do better
-than submit to my reader a revised copy of some notes I made while on
-duty that Christmas night. These may furnish a tolerable idea of the
-nature of our work, and of such reflections as the time and place
-suggested to me.
-
-The Church of Ste. Euverte at Orleans is a fine old Gothic building, in
-the style of the twelfth century. Its exterior would present few
-interesting details, except for the crumbling granite walls, and the
-ancient carved portals, on which the hand of time may be plainly traced.
-The interior also is devoid of ornament; but the rich stained glass in
-the windows is not likely to be equalled by any attempt of our modern
-artists in the same line.
-
-The nave is about 300 feet long, and broad in proportion, while the
-plain vaulted roof springs lightly from the massive pillars which
-support it. The High Altar is of granite, as well as those in the
-chapels, and they in nowise relieve the cold stern appearance of the
-building. It had now become the third Hospital which we of the
-Anglo-American Ambulance had set up in this hotly-contested city.
-
-It was late on Christmas Eve that I repaired to the Church, and took my
-turn of night duty. The night was bitterly cold. It had been freezing
-for weeks, and the snow lay deep and crisp underfoot. Let me describe
-what followed in the present tense.
-
-As I approach the long narrow street, at the end of which the gloomy
-mass of buildings can be seen through the darkness, I hear the steady
-pace of the Prussian sentinel who keeps guard before the gate. The dim
-light of a lantern hanging above the door shows my uniform as I pass,
-and the soldier, checking his half-uttered "Halt!" salutes. The door is
-opened by a Zouave, who also salutes; but this time in French fashion.
-He is an old Mexican campaigner, and wears, among other decorations, the
-war-medal given by his now deposed Sovereign, who is spending Christmas
-at Wilhelmshöhe, a broken exile. He swings open the heavy, studded oak
-door, and I enter. I pause for a moment to contemplate a scene, the
-misery and pain of which none could realise who have not beheld it.
-
-Along the central aisle, to the right and left, are double rows of
-beds, each with its suffering occupant. On every pillar hangs a lamp,
-one to every four beds. Precisely the same arrangement has been made
-along the side aisles.
-
-Between every fourth and fifth pillar a stove is burning, with the
-bright and cheery blaze of a wood fire. Thus a dim light is cast over
-the beds of the patients, but not sufficient to penetrate the gloom of
-the lofty roof. Impressive as the sight is taken as a whole, the deep
-interest which it excites is heightened by the thought that every one of
-those 300 beds bears its wounded sufferer, and that each sufferer could
-tell his own long history of privation and pain.
-
-Assuredly the saddest congregation that this old Church has ever held!
-Around the stoves are huddled knots of soldiers, French and German,
-whose common affliction has changed bitter foes into sympathising
-friends. These are men whose wounds are comparatively light; and who,
-poor fellows, for five or six days have not enjoyed the privilege of a
-bed. They lie in all postures around the fires, trying to sleep,--a
-difficult task with a broken arm, wrist, or rib, or with severe flesh
-wounds; and they have no covering of any kind, and only a little straw
-and the hard flags to rest upon.
-
-Passing along the lines of beds are Sisters of Charity, who administer
-every comfort they can, arrange the patients' beds, smoothe their
-pillows, and whisper words of solace and consolation. In the stillness
-of the Christmas night the tones of agony and suffering echo through the
-Church, which for centuries has resounded at that hour with the grand
-and solemn music of the Midnight Mass. What a comment on the words of
-the "_Gloria in Excelsis_," in which these Christians say they believe!
-"_Et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis._" Man, I cannot but observe
-to myself, thou art as much a scandal as a mystery to the reflecting
-mind!
-
-I begin my rounds, visiting first the more urgent cases. To some of the
-greatest sufferers I give morphia in pills, or else introduce it in
-solution under the skin, by means of a syringe with a sharp perforated
-needle affixed. The effect is wonderful. In a few minutes they are out
-of pain, and fall asleep quietly. In this manner I am compelled to
-silence those whose groans would disturb the other patients. I now go on
-in succession, stopping at every bed to satisfy myself as to the
-condition of its occupant, giving medicines when required, arranging
-bandages here and there, and soothing with hypnotics those whose wounds
-prevent their sleeping.
-
-This done, I repair to the sacristy, which serves the purpose of a
-surgery and a waiting-room, and read before the fire for an hour, when I
-return to the Church to see that all is right, and that the infirmarians
-are awake and at their posts. As I stand in the Sanctuary and listen, I
-can hear the heavy tread of the watchers pacing to and fro: nothing
-else, save the heavy breathing of the sleepers. What a change in less
-than two hours! The cries of pain are silenced, and the restless day of
-suffering is succeeded by a night of calm repose;--a pleasant sight for
-the surgeon, and one which is entirely due to that friend of humanity,
-so long as rightly administered,--the drug opium. To be prepared,
-however, for emergencies, I return to my room, and lay out my
-instruments so as to be ready for an operation if necessary; secondary
-hemorrhage, and such-like mishaps, being of frequent occurrence.
-
-Were such an accident to take place, I have but to send for my "sleeping
-partner," Dr. May, whose quarters are next door; and who is only bound
-to be present when sent for by the responsible officer on duty for the
-night. Thus as the hours advance, and my previous hard day's work begins
-to tell upon me, I grow sleepier every moment, and am soon nodding in my
-chair before the fire. But I have scarcely become unconscious when I am
-roused by an _infirmier_, who tells me that two men are awake and in
-their intense agony are creating a disturbance. I rub my eyes, shake
-myself together, and proceed to see them.
-
-The first I come to is a young Prussian artillery volunteer. He is only
-sixteen, a mere boy, with large blue eyes, fair soft complexion, and
-fair hair, and, though stoutly built, has very white and delicate
-hands. His graceful and engaging manner, and his developed mind, show
-that he is of a good German family. Yet he is but a private soldier.
-What has induced him to leave his home and country at such an age? Two
-reasons alone,--hatred of the French, and a thirst for glory. Poor boy!
-his leg has been shattered by the fragment of a shell. His large tearful
-eyes turn to me as I approach his bed, and a kind smile comes over his
-face, so pale and worn with suffering. He takes my hand, and begins his
-sad story,--of a kind familiar enough by this time. He tells me that the
-pain from his wounds has become insupportable; that he can neither eat
-nor sleep; that every day makes him thinner and weaker; and that he
-thinks he shall not last long. With as favourable a forecast as I can
-muster up, I try to cheer him, and give the poor fellow hopes which I
-fear can never be realised. I bid him go to sleep. I give him some
-morphia to help that consummation, wish him good-night, and leave him.
-
-My next patient is a subject of special interest to me. I received him
-some weeks ago into my ward, suffering from a comminuted fracture of the
-leg; in other words, the limb was very badly crushed. He gave me to
-understand that he came of a respectable and wealthy family in
-Wiesbaden. He was the only son of his mother, and the last of his name;
-and in saving his life, I should save his mother's too, for he believed
-that she would not survive him.
-
-Never did I see a man cling more passionately to life, and never had one
-stronger motives for so doing; but never again did I see a man so ill
-and yet so incredulous of his danger. Now in the stillness of this
-Christmas night I come to his bedside to see him die. For days and
-nights I have helped him all in my power; I have denied him nothing that
-I could give him; and he has always been so gentle and affectionate that
-every trouble I took for him was truly a pleasure. He speaks French and
-English fluently, is a graduate of the University of Bonn, and is young
-and good-looking. All through his illness he has had one thought in his
-mind, and that was his mother. He now complains of excessive weariness
-and pains in every part of his body. He is an Evangelical, and at my
-request the clergyman had visited him late that evening. I speak to him
-in a low voice, and tell him that I fear he is not better. It appears
-that his last efforts at speaking have been too much for him; he is now
-too weak and prostrate to do more than gasp out something about his
-mother, home, and Fatherland. Now his lips quiver, now they cease to
-move, and a cold sweat stands out in large beads over his face. I
-smoothe his pillow and wipe his forehead, as I had often done before.
-
-This makes him alive to the fact that I am in my old place at his
-bedside. He takes my hand, presses it feebly in his, looks earnestly
-into my face, and becomes again unconscious. By this time several of the
-Sisters and one or two of the infirmarians have assembled around the bed
-of the dying man. For some minutes the brave fellow remains motionless;
-his breathing becomes shorter and shorter; when suddenly he starts
-convulsively forward, and makes an effort as it were to rise; his eyes,
-which are now fixed and glassy, stare out with a vacant expression, and
-he falls back heavily a corpse. As we gaze for a second, the old tower
-clock strikes the hour, the sentinel on watch cries out in reply to the
-challenge of his superior officer who is on his rounds, "One o'clock and
-all's well". Yes--all is well,--only a poor soldier has given up his
-life into the hands of his Maker, for his country's cause. One more
-German mother has lost her son,--one more German heart is desolate.
-
-Not many minutes elapse before the fair youth of yesterday is lifted on
-a _brancard_, or stretcher, and conveyed to the dead-house. Here the
-bearers tumble the body on the cold shiny floor and leave it until
-morning, when the mayor's cart will convey it and the other lifeless
-remains in that ghastly chamber, to the brink of a deep pit at the back
-of the church, and into that they will be roughly heaved. A little
-quicklime will be thrown in, then a little earth; and the burial
-ceremony is over. Thus the scene closes for this brave lad, who was my
-friend as well as my patient. "_Dulce et decorum est_," wrote Horace.
-Here is the reality of that boast.
-
-Having seen that all is quiet again, I return to my fireside in the
-sacristy. When I am once more in my cosy chair, the details of what I
-have witnessed,--to such scenes,--alas, I am now accustomed,--pass from
-my thoughts, and are replaced by others of a different and more
-agreeable nature. The little bunch of holly which is set above the
-Tabernacle on the High Altar reminds me that it is Christmas morning;
-the glow of the burning wood brings before me the recollection of that
-bright fireside at home across the water; and as my eyelids gradually
-close, many a well-known and much loved face appears before me as if to
-cheer me in this solitude.
-
-I have slept thus for nearly two hours, when my pleasant dreams are put
-to flight for the second time by the infirmarian of the watch, who tells
-me in an excited manner that a young Bavarian soldier is bleeding
-profusely from the mouth, and cannot live if I delay many minutes. I
-despatch a messenger in haste to call Dr. May; and another second takes
-me to the bedside of the dying man.
-
-This patient, a young Bavarian, has been shot through the open mouth.
-Curiously enough, the ball had traversed the substance of the tongue
-from apex to base, and had buried itself in the back of the throat, from
-which position it has hitherto been impossible to get it removed.
-
-At once I compress the common artery of the neck with my thumbs, and
-while thus supporting him, kneeling up behind him in bed, I am able for
-the time being almost to stop the blood completely. But when I look into
-the basin that is placed beside me on a stool, I perceive to my horror
-that it is half full of what appears to be pure blood. I now ask the
-infirmarian why he had not made me aware of the fact, and called me
-sooner. He answers that some five minutes previously the sick man had
-sat up in bed, and had been, as he thought, very sick in his stomach. By
-the extremely faint light he had not perceived that what the sick man
-was ejecting was blood. Immediately upon discovering the true state of
-things, he had come for me.
-
-In a few minutes Dr. May arrives; but he and I are both too late. The
-man becomes ghastly pale, and writhes as if in a fit, then he is still
-for an instant, and sinks heavily and without life into my arms.
-
-A momentary feeling of sadness comes upon me, while I gaze on the
-remains of that unhappy young man, the victim of such an awful, such an
-unnatural death! But I must quickly repress my feelings; I have to see
-that these sleepy fellows remove the body, change the bedding, and
-clean the blood from the floor, so as to make way for another, who will
-at once occupy the place that has been thus left empty.
-
-This done, I pass round to the bedside of the young soldier whom it will
-be remembered that I visited first. His dreams of glory are now at an
-end; for he sleeps the sleep that knows no waking. Doubtless his spirit
-is at peace. What would his mother feel did she know that her son had
-died this lonely death in a dreary place, with no hand save mine, that
-of a stranger, to wipe his brow! When he, too, has been consigned to the
-dead-house, I return as before to the sacristy, where I take another
-interval of rest.
-
-Between four and five o'clock the infirmarian awakes me for the third
-time, to say that there is a waggon at the gate with three wounded who
-are begging earnestly to be admitted. I have only two vacant beds; the
-third was occupied already by a bad case which had been lifted from the
-floor. I order two of the arrivals to be brought in. Upon examination I
-find that both have been badly frost-bitten in the feet. One, indeed,
-showed me half his foot almost black and simply rotting off. Their tale
-was a fearful one. They had been wounded,--one in the hip, and the other
-in the fleshy part of the thigh--in a skirmish about a fortnight before,
-near Beaugency. Overcome by loss of blood, each had dragged himself
-into a thicket--for the spot was a lonely one in the open country; and
-there they had remained in terrible frost and snow, during the whole
-night and part of the next morning. Some peasants discovered them, and
-they were removed to a cottage several miles distant. Here they had
-remained until now without surgical treatment; and hence their miserable
-condition.
-
-Their sufferings are not to be described; and I administer at once a
-hypodermic injection of morphia, which gives them speedy relief. Then I
-go to see the remaining occupant of the cart. By a gleam of the lantern
-I perceive that his leg is badly fractured; and the blood which oozes
-through the bandages, and trickles down the mutilated remains of his
-trousers, indicates that matters have not been improved by an eighteen
-miles' journey over rugged country roads. The sight of this famished and
-half-frozen unfortunate, whose agony is increased by the bitter cold of
-the winter night, and his pitiful supplication to be let in, determine
-me at once to make out a place for him. This is the work of a minute;
-for I know of a comparatively light-wounded fellow whom I can dislodge
-from his bed, although he is sound asleep and does not want to be
-stirred. The garments of the new-comer are, some stripped, some cut off
-him; and he is put into the bed which is still warm from its late
-occupant. A hot bowl of bouillon is swallowed down with avidity; to the
-fracture I adjust a temporary splint, for he is much too weak to undergo
-an operation. A sleeping draught is given, and I leave him to enjoy some
-hours' repose.
-
-Once more I satisfy myself that all is right, the fires burning up, and
-the men on duty at their posts; and as I yawn, and stretch my weary
-limbs in the arm-chair again, I find it difficult to imagine that it is
-Christmas Day.
-
-Another walk round the Hospital, and dawn is here at last. Soon after I
-repair to a neighbouring house, where I address myself to a large bowl
-of café-au-lait, and a loaf of bread, with some Liebig's extract of
-meat. This accomplished, I return and find our staff assembled, making
-ready for the day's work. I give in my report to the chief, and
-immediately set about attending to my own wounded.
-
-I never felt the long watch in the least irksome, nor did the others. At
-ten I assist my seniors during two amputations and a resection. One of
-the amputations is our arrival of the night, who last occupied the
-waggon: a consultation has just decided the fate of his limb.
-
-The operations being over, I return to my men, and work away, with the
-assistance of two male nurses and Soeur Berthe. The Sister is a native
-of Luxemburg, as bright and active as possible, and my great mainstay.
-At three my work is finished, and in our house on the Quai I get a good
-substantial dinner. But I must still go back to Ste. Euverte, and wait
-the expiration of my term of duty.
-
-On looking into the dead-house to make sure that my poor friends of the
-night, with their companions, had been committed to the grave by the
-Mayor's officials, I perceive that one is still unburied, probably
-because the dead-cart was full. It is the young soldier, on whose sad
-end I have dwelt, I hope not too insistently. I felt very sorry for him.
-Our affection in that short space had grown to be that of brothers; for
-we were, after all, only boys together. I shall miss him even in the
-stir and excitement of these unruly times. But I can do no more. Dr.
-Mackellar comes to take my place, and my watch is at an end.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXVI.
-
-VISITORS.--NEW YEAR IN HOSPITAL.--THE CHURCH EVACUATED.--I GET
-FURLOUGH,--AND CATCH A NIGHT-GLIMPSE OF PARIS.
-
-
-Christmas week passed away, and we had anything but a pleasant time of
-it. The frost and cold were so intense that it was with much difficulty
-we could keep ourselves sufficiently warm to enable us to do our work.
-About this time we had several visitors at our quarters. They were
-Captain Brackenbury, of the Royal Artillery, Prussian Military Attaché;
-Captain Frazer, also of the Artillery; and Colonel Reilly, French
-Military Attaché,--the last of whom had been captured in Orleans on the
-morning of 7th December, by the Prussians, and kept there ever since. He
-was now ordered with an escort of Uhlans to the frontier. We had a great
-laugh when he walked into our place on that unlucky 7th; and related
-how, on awaking, he found to his surprise that the town was in the
-possession of the Germans. It was certainly not pleasant for him.
-
-We had also with us Major de Haveland, a knight of Malta, and, as I was
-informed, the only English member of that order. It is well known,
-however, that the knights of St. John are divided in their obedience;
-and I do not believe that the Grand-Master, who lives in Rome, would
-recognise many who in England are spoken of as Maltese Knights. The
-major, I presume, was of the Roman Obedience. Two members of the press
-were our guests, Mr. Mejonelle of the _Daily Telegraph_ and Mr. Holt
-White of the _Pall Mall Gazette._ The former, who was an artist, made
-sketches also for the _Graphic._ He has given a representation of Ste.
-Euverte, in which several of us figure. The day I was showing him round,
-there was a dead soldier laid out on the High Altar, wrapped up in his
-sheet, with nothing but his head and toes to be seen. He had been taken
-out of one of the beds beside the Altar immediately after his death, so
-as to make room for a fresh occupant, and merely laid there while the
-infirmarians were arranging the bed. The sight struck our guest
-forcibly, as it could not fail to do; it was most uncanny.
-
-These gentlemen expressed their satisfaction at the way in which
-everything was carried out at Ste. Euverte, and the clean and decent
-condition in which we kept the Hospital, despite the presence of almost
-every circumstance which could militate against cleanliness and order.
-
-Another couple of days, and we found ourselves celebrating the
-obsequies of the old year, and welcoming, after the fashion of heathens,
-the advent of the new, by partaking of the unlimited supply of rum
-punch, which nigger Charlie served up. I have already praised it.
-
-On the evening of New Year we dined together, and toasted not only our
-noble selves, but our respective countries, homes and friends;
-endeavouring to feel as happy as possible in the midst of occupations
-which demanded good spirits as the best way of keeping up our health and
-courage. It would be unfair to nigger Charlie if I forgot his most
-eloquent and humorous oration, delivered in choice Virginian or negro
-dialect, in reply to the toast of his health which Colonel Hozier
-proposed. The most remarkable portion of it was, perhaps, that in which
-Charlie exulted over the former wealth and greatness of Dr. Pratt's
-family, as large slave-owners! What could a Declaration of Independence
-do for such feudal enthusiasm as this?
-
-The weather continued bitterly cold; and Henry Schroeder, the
-sub-lieutenant whom I mentioned as having been shot at Beaugency by one
-of his own men, asked me as a favour to find quarters for him in some
-private house in the town. After much trouble I heard, by accident, that
-at the convent of Notre Dame des Récouvrances, the superior, Mère
-Pauline, desired much that the cloisters, dormitories and schoolrooms
-which the convent possessed, should be occupied by our Ambulance. The
-Sisters were afraid lest the Germans should establish in their house an
-Ambulance of their own, to which the nuns highly objected.
-
-But the fact that Mère Pauline was an Englishwoman, in great measure
-accounted for her anxiety to have us. I need hardly say that I did not
-want much pressing; at once I had Schroeder, Rüdiger, and four or five
-others, removed into their new quarters, and took formal possession in
-the name of the Ambulance.
-
-Here, in good beds and warm rooms, with every care and attention paid to
-them, and good food to eat, they were very snug and comfortable--a
-pleasing contrast to the cold, dreary church which they had just left. I
-appointed one nurse, Soeur Léopoldine, to look after these men, whose
-number, in a few days, I increased to ten, so that I had quite a
-hospital there, though on a small scale.
-
-The patient named Rüdiger, a young fellow of seventeen, and a volunteer,
-whose leg was fractured, became a particular favourite with his nurse
-and with Mère Pauline. He had not a hair on his face, which was of a
-ruddy hue, and wore a perpetual smile. He spent his time mostly in
-learning the French Grammar, a task in which he was helped by Soeur
-Léopoldine during her spare moments. Most of the others were Bavarians,
-and, I must say, a sleepy uninteresting lot.
-
-Schroeder was the son of a wealthy tobacco and wine merchant in Hamburg.
-He had one brother, who was captain in an infantry regiment. Their
-mother was still living. He told me with pride that he had supplied
-Bismarck with many a cigar; and promised me a case of them and a barrel
-of oysters, when he returned. Poor fellow, he little knew what was
-coming; for at this time he was comparatively strong, and, in the
-opinion of many, out of danger. But, from my conversations with him, I
-learned that his family history was very bad; and from the first had
-grave misgivings about his case, which, however, it was my duty to
-disguise from him. When, occasionally, without being able to help it, I
-looked serious, he used only to laugh, and chaff me, singing, in the
-most comical way possible, the well-known English ditty, "Champagne
-Charley is my name". I liked Schroeder.
-
-I now put two of my men from Ste. Euverte into No. 44 Rue de Bourdon
-Blanc. They were Martin Dilger, my old patient--the survivor of the
-railway-shed--and Jacob Venheiser. There they received the kindest care
-and attention from their good host and hostess, M. and Madame B----.
-
-By 4th January I had removed all my worst cases into private quarters in
-the town; leaving only about a dozen in the church, all of which were
-now on the high road to convalescence, and fit to be removed to Germany
-by the next ambulance train. On this happy disposal of my patients I had
-greatly to congratulate myself; for just now pyæmia and hospital
-gangrene of the worst type, showed themselves in the church; and we knew
-from our experiences at Sedan and the railway station how sure they were
-to be attended by terrible results, where such a number of wounded were
-kept together.
-
-And so it proved now. In a few days, blood-poisoning made great havoc
-among the men, and its victims lay piled one above another in the
-dead-house,--truly a sorry sight for those who had spent so much care on
-them! We determined at once to evacuate the church; for even the
-convalescent were not safe from this dread malady, which some of the
-savants in our profession tell us is preventable; such, however, is not
-my experience. Disinfectants and carbolic-acid dressings were used
-unsparingly. Fresh air, as I have said, is of paramount importance in
-the management of this disease; and it must come to the patient in a
-continuous current,--moreover, to be effective, it must be dry air,
-while about the patient it requires to be warm, or at least the patient
-himself must be warm, and at no time suffer a chill. Every day the
-members of our staff eagerly sought new quarters for their wounded in
-the private houses of the town, which was now not a difficult task, the
-garrison not being very large, for Orleans had ceased to be that
-theatre of war which heretofore it had been.
-
-As time rolled on, and fresh arrivals did not come in, we had more
-leisure. And well for me that it happened so! I had begun to find the
-work tell upon my health, and now a little relaxation was as necessary
-as it was agreeable.
-
-During all this time no startling event happened, save an attempt that
-was made by some demented person at Orleans to assassinate a Prussian
-soldier. For this offence a fine of 600,000 francs was levied on the
-town; and to show the amount of trade which was carried on by the French
-with the invaders, out of this sum imposed, 400,000 francs were paid
-down in Prussian money. The fine was demanded on the 16th, and paid up
-fully on the 23rd of December.
-
-Now, as I was daily beginning to feel more and more exhausted, and
-feared my health was becoming undermined, I determined to seek leave of
-absence for a few weeks. Dr. Tilghman, who was again _locum tenens_
-during Dr. Pratt's absence on business for ten days, knew how much I
-wanted a change, and did not hesitate to give me leave, under condition
-that I would report myself again before that day month. A matter of
-urgent private business obliged Dr. Sherwell to start for Hamburg on the
-next day, and I resolved to get ready that evening, 7th Jan., 1871.
-
-I went with Dr. Fritz to the Commandant of the place and the Head
-Military Surgeon, from whom I obtained sick passes all through France
-and Germany, and Railway and Hotel billets free. The Northern parts were
-still in the hands of the French, so that I had no chance of getting
-home in that direction. I handed over my cases to the care of Dr.
-Parker, who, with his usual good nature, promised to give them his best
-attention in my absence. I made as little as possible of my departure to
-them, merely saying that I should be back at the end of some days.
-
-At six o'clock next morning Dr. Sherwell and I were at the Railway
-Station, where we found that a train full of wounded was to be put under
-our charge as far as Corbeil. Our way of getting on was a novel one, for
-we were to be drawn by horses the whole distance. After much confusion
-and waiting we started. The entire train was composed of goods trucks,
-in which the wounded were laid on straw, using their rugs to cover them.
-There were many officers among them who took pot luck with the men, for
-there was no special accommodation. Every three trucks were drawn by
-four horses, and thus it was that we took the train to Corbeil,--a
-distance of some fifty miles.
-
-The morning was bitterly cold, and a dense fog hung about, which made it
-hard for us to keep ourselves warm; but matters mended when we came to
-Artenay, where hot soup and bread were awaiting us.
-
-In one of the trucks sat Martin Dilger and one or two other of my
-patients, all in high spirits at the thought of getting back to the
-Fatherland, though minus a limb each. In another carriage we had a
-company of soldiers as an escort to the cavalcade, and these made
-themselves useful when required.
-
-Thus we went along at a snail's pace; but Sherwell and I got out now and
-then, and ran ahead of the train to warm ourselves, for the weather did
-not mend, and many of our charges suffered severely from it. During the
-journey I fell into conversation with the sergeant of our guard, a mere
-lad, like so many others, and a volunteer. He spoke English well, with
-hardly any accent, and had lived and studied in London during the past
-two years, hence his knowledge of the language. He had been at
-Gravelotte, of which tremendous affair he gave me a most interesting
-account.
-
-He was a gentle youth, with a soft musical voice, and plainly of
-position, as well as education. He said that he had been recommended for
-the Iron Cross. Here was the third volunteer I had met under the age of
-twenty, and all three were of good social standing.
-
-There was one old wounded colonel who had a large flask bottle of
-chartreuse, with which he repeatedly plied Sherwell and me during the
-journey. I think we neither of us disliked it just then. The next stop
-we made was at Étampes, where we remained half an hour to have some hot
-coffee served out. At dusk we had got as far as Juviose, where we
-changed lines, and in due time arrived at Corbeil about 8 P.M. Our
-convoy excited notice and wonder among the country people in the
-districts which we passed, and in many places they came out in crowds to
-see us go along. When we arrived at Corbeil, we called on the
-Etappen-commandant, got our passes checked, and went to the major for
-our billet and rations,--in other words, our requisition for board and
-lodging, which he gave us on a very snug well-furnished little house in
-a central part of the town. Having dined off a piece of coarse beef and
-some bread and beer, we strolled out for a short time. Next morning we
-were up betimes, and went out to see the town, which is a quaint old
-place. We stood on the ruins of the bridge, which we had crossed over on
-piles and planks, in the parts where it had been damaged by the French
-explosion. It formed a pretty sight when seen at a little distance.
-
-What struck me most about the place was that all the trade of the town
-seemed to be in the hands of German sutlers, principally Jews, who had
-followed in the footsteps of the army. Few of the inhabitants kept
-establishments open for the sale of merchandise. In one of these shops
-where we turned in to buy some trifles, we met a friendly German
-civilian, who told us that our best route eastwards was by Lagny, beyond
-Paris,--a station some forty miles from Corbeil--which was in direct
-railway communication with the Rhine. He added that a convoy of
-provision was to leave at noon for that place, and advised us to secure
-a seat in one of the waggons. Accordingly, we found out the conductor,
-promised him a couple of thalers for the lift, and secured places in one
-of the least uncomfortable of these vans. It was, by the way, of very
-simple construction. The body, made of osier-work and tapering to a
-point, rested on a heavy beam which ran lengthwise, and which rested, in
-turn, on the pair of axles, the upper part being supported by stays
-which went from the main ribs of the boxes of the wheels; in short, the
-whole resembled a boat resting on a piece of timber, which again found
-support on the axles. Then there were twists of osiers overhead, covered
-with canvas which made the thing like a gipsy's tent.
-
-In this queer turn-out we started from Corbeil, drawn by two Dutch
-ponies; but, though our horses were fresh and spirited, our progress was
-very slow, the ground being as slippery as ice. Just before nightfall it
-began to snow hard, and when we came to the hamlet of Brie, our
-conductor would go no further. The roughing on his horses' shoes was
-worn, and it would be too dangerous for us to travel at night on such
-unendurable roads.
-
-We got down, therefore, rather unwillingly, with our traps in our hands;
-and going about in quest of lodgings for the night, as fortune would
-have it, we espied at the further end of the village a line of waggons
-similar to that which we had just left. Upon hailing the conductor, we
-found that they also were for Lagny, and starting at once; so that again
-we took our seats, this time in a waggon load of hay, which helped to
-keep us warm, or, at all events, prevented us from being thoroughly
-frozen. It was snowing fast, and by now was quite dark. We thought the
-cold fearful. As we went along the horses seemed to take it in turns to
-fall; but sometimes our ponies would be down together; happily, they
-were not encumbered with harness, and soon righted themselves. Yet, once
-or twice it took the united ingenuity of us all to extricate them from
-the rope-traces, in which their legs had become entangled.
-
-We had a lantern hung out over the front of our waggon, by the dim light
-of which we were barely able to see the road before us. In time, to our
-great relief, the snow-storm, which had lasted for hours, cleared up. We
-had been afraid that our steeds would either miss the road, or tumble us
-into a ditch. At one place I got out, and trudged through the snow for a
-couple of miles. There was a part of this road turning round the crest
-of a hill, from which we could see the flashes from the forts round
-Paris, and hear the booming of the cannon distinctly. Several times I
-saw the little thin streak of sparks rising into the sky, which the fuse
-of the bombshells threw out on their journey, while sudden flashes in
-the air, followed by a loud report, signified that a shell had
-prematurely burst.
-
-It was a splendid sight, and resolving to get the best view possible, I
-climbed into an apple tree by the way side, where, kneeling on a huge
-bunch of mistletoe, I could see every few minutes a shot directed from
-the forts and one in reply, each leaving its comet-like train of fire
-behind it. Though the besiegers and the besieged were many miles
-distant, I could hardly realise that they were not close at hand. So
-little, at the time, did I comprehend the magnitude of the siege guns,
-and the remoteness at which they could be heard. Much as I should have
-liked to linger on the scene, I could not tarry; I had to come down from
-my apple tree, and trot along until I had rejoined my waggon. Such was
-my second glimpse, and that at night, of the siege of Paris. My first,
-if the reader has not forgotten it, showed me the assault which ended in
-the burning of St. Cloud.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXVII.
-
-TRAVELLING IN FROST.--AMMUNITION TRAIN IN DIFFICULTIES.--FERRIÈRES.--THE
-CAMP OF CHÂLONS.--HOW GERMAN OFFICERS TREAT JEWS.
-
-
-The snow-storm had given over, but it was freezing hard, and the road
-was now almost impassable. Our horses were constantly falling, and we
-were getting on very slowly indeed. At last we came to the hamlet of
-Chivry,--it does not deserve the name of a village. We could see no inn;
-it was stark midnight; and, except a lonely candle in one small cottage,
-there was not a light in the place. At the cottage, therefore, we
-knocked. A regular parley ensued; and after much explanation and fair
-promises, the door was opened by an old woman, who admitted us into a
-warm room, as clean and neat as any room could be, though everything
-testified that the owners were in humble circumstances. The only other
-inmate of the house, an old man, was in bed. All we asked was a cup of
-coffee, and a mattress to lie upon, both of which our hostess readily
-provided. As to eatables, we had brought a loaf of bread with us, which
-we finished without delay, then took a pull at our flasks, and so made
-a meal which for my part I relished as much as any I had ever eaten.
-
-Next, divesting ourselves of our outer clothing, we threw ourselves on
-our mattresses, and slept a deep and refreshing sleep until seven next
-morning, when we made the acquaintance of a well in the yard, at which
-we performed our ablutions, after the manner of professional tramps.
-This done, we notified to the old lady that we were still hungry, and
-asked her to get us some bread and meat. She replied civilly that she
-had neither the one nor the other;--an unpleasant piece of news, for we
-were famished. I enlarged to her on our inward sufferings, and at the
-same time slipped four francs into her hand, bidding her get as good a
-meal as she could, and as soon as possible.
-
-This douceur had its effect. Madame, or "la bourgeoise," as
-country-folks say, disappeared, only to return with a loaf of fresh
-bread, though a few minutes before I had been assured by a peasant that
-none was to be had for love or money. The truth was, that we were taken
-for Prussians, and treated accordingly. After a while, the dame
-announced that breakfast was ready, mentioning that she had a pot of
-stewed rabbit for us, which we set about demolishing with the loaf of
-new bread. As we sat devouring, neither of us spoke; but morsel after
-morsel of the rabbit disappeared, and we eyed one another
-significantly, for the same horrid suspicion was passing through our
-minds, that this white, insipid stuff was not rabbit at all, though what
-it might be we could not guess. Our natural history declared it to be
-cat, but we could not tell, nor did we much care. However, I inquired
-afterwards whether rabbits existed in the neighbourhood, and was assured
-that never a one dwelt within ten miles of it.
-
-Just as we were wishing ourselves at Lagny, who should pass through with
-his waggon, but the driver of the convoy with whom we had started from
-Corbeil? An accident to his waggon had delayed him on the road, which
-was a great piece of luck for us; and we thanked our hostess at once for
-her equivocal, but nourishing breakfast, put our traps in the buggy, and
-drove off. It was the 10th of January. We found it still very difficult
-to travel, but lest our driver should pull up as he did before, we plied
-him with brandy and liqueur out of a stone jar, that I had bought at
-Orleans. In consequence, he was in the best of humour all through the
-journey, and not in the least disconcerted when the horses fell or
-stumbled about.
-
-Some miles of our route lay through the Forest of Champigny; but here
-the road was impassable, for it had thawed during the small hours and
-frozen again, making the causeway one solid sheet of ice. Wherever we
-could we travelled along the edges; but it was dreadfully slow work, and
-the horses themselves, poor beasts, were afraid. While we were loitering
-at this funeral pace, I witnessed a sight that I never shall forget. We
-fell in with an ammunition train, about half a mile in length, conveying
-war material of all kinds to the positions before Paris. Our own waggon
-we had to draw in among the trees for safety, as the horses were falling
-every minute; and now when we looked along the line, we could see as
-many as ten horses on the ground at once. Sometimes two of the animals
-would slip down side by side, and fall again and again whenever they
-attempted to pull on their traces. Nay, more, I saw a team of four
-horses all come down simultaneously, not once, but twice. No
-description, indeed, could exaggerate the confusion of the
-scene,--drivers shouting, waggons slipping, and horses falling in all
-directions; while the more their guides interfered the more they fell,
-until the poor brutes became so terrified, that they trembled all over
-from fright.
-
-The ground was amazingly hard. In one place I saw a heavy ammunition
-waggon drawn by four horses, when coming down a slight incline, slip
-five or six yards along the road, and then glide off into the ditch,
-without a single wheel having turned on its axle. As it was now evident
-that they could not proceed through the Forest without inflicting grave
-and perhaps fatal injuries on their cattle, the men began to pick out
-the middle of the road where the horses trod, and strewed along it coal
-dust, which they carried with them on purpose. This made the road
-sufficiently passable to allow of the train to advance. But, meanwhile,
-it was about two hours before we of the convoy could move, though when
-we did we rattled on at a spanking pace. From time to time we met
-numbers of newly organised cavalry,--with droves of horses led by
-halters; and of these steeds I was ready to lay any odds that some were
-Irish bred. Men and horses were on their way to the front to replace the
-maimed, killed, and wounded, and to contribute themselves to a similar
-contingent.
-
-Early in the afternoon we came to Ferrières, where having dined, so to
-call it, we paid a visit to the splendid château of M. de Rothschild.
-Unheeded and unhindered, we roamed through this lovely demesne,
-marvelling at the beauty of house and grounds which, as all the world
-knows, would not disgrace the abode of royalty. The mansion of cut
-stone, the terraces with their marble statues, the flower-gardens,
-shrubberies, stables,--these last, a wonder in themselves,--all were in
-perfect preservation. Not a stick or a stone in the whole place had been
-touched by the Prussians, nor did a soldier set foot in it. Such was the
-good pleasure of William I. who had taken up his quarters here, such
-the reverence paid to the kings of finance by the House of Hohenzollern!
-
-We started again on our journey, but had proceeded only half a mile,
-when we fell in with a train of siege guns, some of them drawn by six
-horses. They were on the road to Paris, and would do service there. I
-remarked that some of the smaller guns were of brass, and shone in the
-sun like gold.
-
-The country we passed through was charmingly wooded, and looked pretty
-enough in its garment of snow. It was night when we arrived at Lagny. On
-demanding our billet, we were directed to the sick officers' quarters,
-in the upper portion of the station house, where we should find plenty
-of room. There we came upon two of our friends who had been quartered at
-Orleans. They, also, were on their way out of France, and we engaged to
-make a party of it. At four o'clock next morning a couple of soldiers
-called us, and at five we started. There were several officers in the
-carriage, from whom Sherwell and I received every civility. Passing
-Meaux we arrived at Épernay, and later on traversed the great camp at
-Châlons, which now presented a vast and beaten plain of enormous extent.
-By way of Vitry and Chaumont we came on to Toul and Nancy, of the
-fortifications round both of which we got an excellent view, in
-particular at Nancy, where we halted for some time, and were able to
-look about us.
-
-None of these places, however, was of so much interest to me as the
-little town of Lunéville. I knew nothing of the famous treaty concluded
-there by the First Consul, and had never heard of the Court of King
-Stanislaus, or of Voltaire and Madame la Marquise du Châtelet, in
-connection with it; I simply admired the view. Lunéville is situated on
-a hill, with some of its fortifications overlooking a steep precipice
-which serves as a natural protection for perhaps a third of its extent.
-From the railway which runs along the flat country, below the town, it
-appeared to be an impregnable stronghold; for where nature's protecting
-barriers were wanting, there were huge embankments, deep fosses, and
-steep artificial declivities. A picturesque place too. The face of the
-cliff and the old turreted walls were covered with ivy, a broad stream
-ran beneath the hill, which on the lowest slope was well wooded all
-round,--and now imagine all this clad in new-fallen snow, and you will
-have as lovely a scene as I remember.
-
-Close to the town we passed a bridge which had been blown up, but was
-now reconstructed on timber piles. It had been destroyed, not by the
-regular army, but by a band of Francs-Tireurs. This I learned from one
-of the officers who knew all about the place.
-
-I had seen Ferrières, the palace of a Frankfort Jew, with admiration,
-all the more that it had been respected as a sanctuary by orders from
-the Prussians. Yet it was during this same journey that I witnessed an
-incident in which a Jew was the hero or the victim, that filled me with
-astonishment, as it may do my readers who happen not to be acquainted
-with the ways of the Fatherland. I had frequently heard the Jews spoken
-of by my German friends in language of supreme contempt; but never did I
-realise the depth of that feeling until now.
-
-In the railway compartment in which I travelled, all were German
-officers except myself and one civilian. The latter had got in at a
-wayside station, and sat at the furthest corner opposite me. My
-companions began without delay to banter and tease him unmercifully, all
-the while addressing him as Lemann. He was a small stunted person, in
-make and features an Israelite, and not more than twenty-five. The
-behaviour of his fellow-travellers seemed to give him no concern; as
-they fired off at him their sneering jests, he scanned them with his
-sharp eyes, but did not move a muscle.
-
-I inquired of the officer next me, who spoke English well, how it came
-to pass that they knew this stranger's name. He explained that Lemann
-was the common term for a Jew in their language, going on to describe
-how much the sons of Jacob were detested throughout Germany; and for
-his part he thought they were a vile horde, who laid hands on everything
-they could seize, in a way which we English were incapable of fancying.
-The officers, he added, were all getting down to have some beer at the
-next station, and by way of illustration he would show me what manner of
-men these Jews were; and as he said the words, he took off his hairy
-fur-lined gloves, and threw them across the carriage to our man in the
-corner, remarking, "There, Lemann! it is a cold day". The Jew picked up
-the gloves eagerly, which he had missed on the catch, and pulled them
-on. When we were nearing the station, the officer who had thrown the
-gloves at him, took off his fur rug, and flung that also to the Jew.
-Once more he accepted the insulting present, and quickly rolled the rug
-about him. Finally, a third threw off his military cloak, and slung it
-on the Jew's back as he was passing out. This, again, the wretched
-creature put on; and their absence at the buffet left him for the next
-ten minutes in peace.
-
-Presently the horn sounded, and our Germans came back. One seized his
-rug, another his cloak, and finally, my first acquaintance recovered his
-gloves by one unceremonious tug from Lemann's meekly outstretched
-fingers. My own face, I think, must have flushed with indignation; but
-the others only laughed at my superfluous display of feeling; and
-Lemann, shrugging his shoulders,--but only because of the sudden change
-of temperature when his wraps were pulled away,--took out of his pocket
-a little book with red print, which he began to read backwards, and,
-turning up the sleeve of his coat, began to unwind a long cord which was
-coiled round his wrist and forearm as far as the elbow. Every now and
-then he would stop the unwinding, and pray with a fervour quite
-remarkable, then unwind his cord again, and so on till the whole was
-undone. For a time the officers resumed their jeering; but, seeing that
-it was like so much water on a stone, they turned the conversation, and
-allowed the unhappy Jew to continue his devotions unmolested till he got
-out at Strasburg.
-
-What would these officers have done, had they travelled in the same
-railway carriage with M. de Rothschild?
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXVIII.
-
-STRASBURG AFTER THE SIEGE.--ALONG THE RHINE.--HOME, AND BACK AGAIN TO
-VERSAILLES.--CAPTAIN BRACKENBURY.--I LOSE MY PAPERS AND HAVE TO GET
-FRESH ONES.
-
-
-At half-past nine we arrived at Strasburg, and were all billeted
-together in the most central part of the town, at a grand hotel, where
-we had the best of living and accommodation. There were about thirty
-officers quartered there, with whom we messed. I strolled out in the
-evening through some of the busiest streets. They were brilliantly
-lighted up; the shops were open, and as much bustle and business seemed
-to be going on, as if we were in the heart of a peaceable country, and
-no siege of Strasburg had just taken place.
-
-However, before long I learned that a large section of the inhabitants
-looked upon the Germans with anything but friendly feelings.
-
-Next morning, 12th January, we went out, six in number, to see the town.
-We visited the fine old Cathedral, and hung about it for an hour,
-examining every detail so far as time permitted. One of the chief
-attractions was its famous clock, which I was quite ready to admire;
-but the complicated details, and curious performances of this wonderful
-timepiece are too well known to need description. When Sherwell and I
-parted from our companions, we went to visit the ruins of the great
-Library and the Theatre, both of which were burned to the ground during
-the siege.
-
-Our dinner in the evening was splendidly served, in the French style,
-and with abundance of wines.
-
-Next morning Sherwell, myself, and two of our old travelling companions
-chartered a spacious waggonette, in which we set out, determined to see
-all that we could in and around Strasburg. We first drove through that
-part of the town which was destroyed by the besiegers,--a dreary but
-most interesting excursion. So far as I could judge, about one fifth of
-the suburbs had been ruined. When I say ruined, I don't mean simply made
-roofless and windowless,--that might have happened in a huge
-conflagration; but that whole streets were reduced to long heaps of
-stones, with a few yards' interval between, which marked where the
-roadway had formerly passed. Nothing could have given a more vivid idea
-of the effects of a bombardment now-a-days. Even where the demolition
-was not so complete, and where portions only of the house had been
-carried away, the sight was appalling. Some of the furniture still
-remained in its place on the half-shattered floors, being too high to
-reach easily, or not worth the trouble and danger of removing it.
-
-Here was a second edition of Bazeilles, on a far more extensive scale. I
-believe one of the best accounts of what took place during the siege is
-to be read in Auerbach's novel on the subject, called _Waldfried_.
-
-Having wandered for a couple of hours through the ruins, we drove
-outside the town. Then we alighted, and one of our party, a captain of
-artillery who had been through the siege, acted as our guide, and made
-all the particulars clear to us. Walking along the fortifications, we
-arrived at the immense breach in the parapet which sealed the fate of
-Strasburg. It was of great extent, and already hundreds of men were at
-work repairing it;--but in the interests of Germany, not of France, from
-whose dominion the city had passed, for who knows how many years?
-Further on we saw a second breach, not so wide as the other. We now
-proceeded a considerable distance along the parallels and rifle pits,
-and visited the captured French lunettes, which seemed to be matters of
-intense interest to my military friends. A curious fact I learned about
-this siege was, that of the garrison in the town a comparatively smaller
-number were killed than of civilians, who met their death in the streets
-by the bursting of shells. This I was told by several who had been
-present, and who were likely to be well-informed.
-
-When we had explored the various evidences of the mining operations
-during this memorable blockade, it was almost evening. We returned to
-our hotel, overcome with admiration at the skill of those who had not
-only devised, but successfully carried through, these intricate plans
-for approaching, storming, and capturing a stronghold with such mighty
-defences. Assuredly, the campaigns of 1870, in the open, and about the
-historic fortresses of France, afford examples of science, courage, and
-endurance which it will not be easy to match, and may be impossible to
-surpass, in the future.
-
-On the 14th, I was up early, went out to make some purchases, came home,
-packed up, and set off from the station. We crossed the Rhine on the
-beautiful bridge to Kehl, took our seats in a fresh train, and started
-northwards. We went by Karlsruhe and Heidelberg, at the latter of which
-places we halted twenty minutes; and soon after leaving it we found
-ourselves in a hop-growing district, where there was nothing to be seen
-but hop-stacks; we passed, also, through extensive vineyards: but, as
-yet, had only an occasional glimpse of the Rhine in the distance.
-
-During part of our journey, we skirted round steep mountain barriers,
-which, at times, towered above us with their impenetrable masses of
-fir-trees, at others, being thickly sprinkled with snow and tipped with
-hoar-frost, shone resplendent in the sunlight, as if silver dust had
-been shaken all over them, while here and there peeped out the
-snow-capped towers of some old castle or baronial hall. I do not pretend
-that these hills would have looked anything wonderful, had they not been
-covered with snow, and had not the pellicles of ice, formed on the fir
-trees by a thick fog the night before, first run into tears, and then
-been frozen hard, covering the trees with brilliants which sparkled in
-the sun. These decorations, indeed, gave them an air of fairyland.
-
-On arriving at Darmstadt I took leave of Sherwell and my
-fellow-travellers, who were going on to Hamburg, and took the train to
-Mayence. It was very late when I got there, and I stayed the night at
-the Railway Hotel; for, having a sick officer's pass, I could break my
-journey where I pleased, which was a great convenience, besides being a
-cheap mode of travelling. I had practically nothing to pay; my
-sufficient warrant was the pass, stamped with the royal seal, which I
-exhibited to inquiring officials.
-
-Mayence is not interesting. I went on next morning as early as I could,
-had to wait at Coblentz and Bonn to allow some special military trains
-to pass, and did not get into Cologne till the afternoon. The Rhine
-scenery, which one gets at times from the train, is very fine; but
-somehow this was the grand disappointment of my journey. It did not come
-up to my expectations; and I felt far more delight on viewing the
-unrivalled beauties of our own Killarney, and of the river Blackwater.
-But I had not yet gone up the Rhine in a steamboat, which is quite
-another expedition than the one I was taking just then.
-
-From Cologne, which I explored in a few hours, I travelled by Aix la
-Chapelle to Liège. At the Hôtel de l'Europe my quarters seemed
-comfortable; but I had no longer a free billet, and might consider
-myself to be now in the enemy's country.
-
-It was the 16th, and I went off to call on my friend Vercourt, with whom
-I spent the forenoon. Then by Ostend, London, and Holyhead, I prosecuted
-my journey, and arrived in Dublin on the morning of the 19th, and at
-home at Scarteen on the 22nd.
-
-My furlough was made out for a month: but eight days after my arrival, a
-telegram came from Dr. Pratt, saying:--
-
-"I return to-morrow; go to Versailles as soon as possible, find out
-Ambulance, and join it".
-
-I had no alternative but to pack up and start next day, which I did by
-the morning train on Jan. 31st. On reaching London, I called at the
-English Society's rooms in Trafalgar Square, and reported myself to
-Colonel Lloyd Lindsay. Mr. Pearce, the secretary, made me known to
-Captain Burgess; and I met there my _confrère_, Dr. Frank, who greeted
-me cordially, and sent many affectionate messages to his former
-colleagues. It will be remembered that Dr. Frank was chief of that
-section of our Ambulance which had a hospital at Balan and Bazeilles,
-and which afterwards established itself at Épernay, where it worked for
-some months before disbanding.
-
-Having got all requisite papers and certificates of identification, I
-started from London Bridge for Newhaven. As I was taking my ticket I met
-Captain Brackenbury, who told me that he also was going to Versailles to
-rejoin the headquarters of the Crown Prince, that he had a private
-carriage at Dieppe, was going to drive all the way, and would willingly
-give me a seat. This kind offer I gladly accepted, and was delighted to
-have so entertaining and accomplished a host on my journey. At Newhaven,
-as we were crossing by night, we turned at once into our berths, and
-slept until called by the steward in sight of Dieppe.
-
-Going up on deck I found it was a lovely morning, warm and genial, and
-very unlike the weather we had been enduring of late. As we approached
-Dieppe in the morning sun, we could see the glistening bayonets of the
-ubiquitous Prussian sentries. They were pacing to and fro on the pier,
-in what appeared to us an aggressive, not to say, menacing fashion. I
-confess the sight startled me: we had the vision of England still in
-our eyes, and these ambitious warriors seemed too dangerously near. I
-felt that I should have liked to take them by the collar, and pitch them
-into the sea. I could not help saying to Capt. Brackenbury that I felt
-inclined to ask them what they were peering at across the Channel.
-
-But, as he dryly remarked, their answer might be that they were peering
-at a little island fortress on the high seas:--a mere speck in creation
-when compared to the great German Empire which had just been proclaimed
-at Versailles. He was in the right of it; and we had already held
-conversations on this subject at Orleans, which I should like to set
-down, were not my space fast running out.
-
-The carriage in which we travelled from Dieppe was a large and
-comfortable sort of landau, from which we could view the country at our
-ease.
-
-The weather was now mild and bright, the snow had disappeared, and our
-journey became a pleasure. But when travelling between Mantes and St.
-Germain, as I was getting out of the carriage to walk up a steep hill, I
-had the misfortune to lose out of my overcoat pocket all my passes,
-letters of identification and the other documents I carried with me. At
-the gates of the Forest of St. Germain, a Prussian non-commissioned
-officer stepped out, and demanded our papers. I was minus every
-document which would have accounted satisfactorily for my being there;
-and I should certainly have been arrested and sent off to the Commandant
-of Versailles under an escort, had not Capt. Brackenbury assured the
-officer on duty that he had seen the papers in question. I had, as it
-happened, shown them to him that very morning. This satisfied the guard,
-and I was allowed to pass; but I need hardly say that I was supremely
-uncomfortable at the case I was in, and thought my journeys along the
-valley of the Seine were always doomed to misfortune. Last time the
-Francs-Tireurs had arrested me; now it was the turn of the Prussians.
-
-When we reached St. Germain, we dined, in spite of my lost papers, and
-visited the Palace and the Bois, from the terrace of which there is such
-a glorious view, away to Mont Valérien and one or two other of the
-forts. As we were looking about us, there was quite a stir, bordering on
-excitement among the soldiers. King William, now the Emperor of Germany,
-and the Crown Prince, were expected every moment from Versailles, and
-the road was lined with infantry and cavalry to receive them. But we
-waited an hour, and his Imperial Majesty did not arrive, so we resumed
-our journey to Versailles.
-
-There I left Capt. Brackenbury at a private house, where he and Dr.
-Russell, the _Times_ correspondent, put up; and thanking him for his
-great kindness I bade him good-bye. This was the last time I saw him. It
-would be difficult to do justice to the character of this noble soldier;
-a more generous heart or more gracious disposition, I never had the
-privilege of knowing.
-
-My business now was to search for lodgings, I could no longer
-requisition one at the Mayor's, since I had lost all my papers. Having
-secured a niche, I resolved to call at the Hôtel des Réservoirs, where I
-knew I should find Prince Pless, or some one who would recognise me, and
-get me these important testimonials. By way of introduction I looked in
-at the office of the Military Ambulance stores, and inquired whether all
-those belonging to the Anglo-American Corps had been taken to Orleans or
-not. This was a happy thought; for they informed me that all the
-particulars I required would be given by Major de Haveland in the Rue
-des Réservoirs,--the Maltese knight to whom I have referred as visiting
-us at Ste. Euverte. This was what I wanted. I called at once on the
-Major, and he undertook to see the commandant of the place, and explain
-the whole matter. Thus, thanks to his kind attention, I was given the
-necessary papers next day, and that evening I chartered a car to
-Étampes, from which place I could get to Orleans by train.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXIX.
-
-IN ORLEANS ONCE MORE.--PEACE IS SIGNED.--AN EASY TIME.--SENDING AWAY THE
-CONVALESCENTS.--THE AMBULANCE BROKEN UP.
-
-
-I had to bribe the driver whom I thus engaged with an extra napoleon, so
-afraid was he that his trap and horse would be seized; but when I showed
-him my German papers he knew that he was safe. Accordingly, I started
-before daylight, and after a pleasant journey arrived at Étampes in the
-evening, soon enough to escape an awful downpour of rain, and to catch
-the night train to Orleans.
-
-The train was crowded with peasants, some of whom had no tickets, and it
-was amusing to watch the stratagems which they adopted in order to hide
-themselves from the German guard. This fellow was much too good-humoured
-and indifferent to pretend to see them, though all the while knowing
-their whereabouts, as I could tell by the twinkle in his eye when their
-crouching forms betrayed them. It was nothing to him, and he left them
-under the delusion that they had got to the blind side of their
-Prussian,--a parable which might serve to describe the whole French
-tactics during the war!
-
-When I arrived at Orleans it was nearly midnight, and as there were no
-vehicles at the terminus, I had to tramp across the town to the Quai du
-Châtelet, where the door was opened to me by our faithful Turco Jean.
-This barbarian, becoming excited at seeing an old friend, shrieked with
-delight, and gave utterance to much unintelligible jargon, accompanied
-by low bows, reverences, or salaams, all which, I believe, is the
-orthodox method of greeting adopted by Mohammedans.
-
-As I entered our general sitting-room, I heard a ringing cheer from my
-_confrères_, who, in this most cordial manner, welcomed me back. I
-confess that I felt pleased and proud at this spontaneous outburst of
-kindly feeling.
-
-Nigger Charlie, who had been grinning from ear to ear for the past ten
-minutes, now disappeared, and after the lapse of a quarter of an hour,
-came back, bearing in his hands the historic bowl of punch. That was his
-salaam,--not unkindly meant either.
-
-Next morning I went to see my patients in the Convent of Notre Dame des
-Récouvrances. Mère Pauline, Soeur Léopoldine, and the other sisters
-welcomed me into the wards, and Henry Schroeder cried so heartily that I
-had to put it down to the weakness from which he was suffering. Young
-Rüdiger cheered, Kirkhof clapped his hands, and all my patients looked
-pleased,--which things I mention as giving me a real gratification in
-themselves, and showing what rewards a doctor who tries to do his duty
-may expect.
-
-I went on to see other patients, among whom were two in the Rue de
-Bourdon Blanc. One of these had had his knee joint resected, an
-operation in which both ends of the bones of the leg and thigh, which
-enter into the formation of the knee joint, were removed, the limb
-remaining otherwise intact. It was at this period rather a rare
-operation, and was performed by Dr. Nussbaum of Munich, who then handed
-the invalid into my care. The limb was swung in an anterior
-suspension-splint, which was Dr. May's improvement on the American
-splint by Smyth. This was a case in which Dr. Nussbaum felt deeply
-interested, and he inquired of me repeatedly as to its progress.
-
-After one or two days I fell again into the routine, and was running
-along smoothly in the old groove, which I had left for so short but
-eventful a period. Several weeks now passed away without anything worthy
-to chronicle, if I may judge from the blank in my notes. The work had
-become easier, and my patients, though scattered about the town, had
-become fewer and less troublesome to manage as they approached
-convalescence.
-
-We had now much time to ourselves. The armistice continued, and no fresh
-supplies of wounded came in. Yet, we did not feel sure that hostilities
-would not recommence, until on the afternoon of the 26th of February,
-news reached us that peace was signed. Yes, peace was signed! The joyful
-tidings spread quickly through the town, and exclamations and prayers of
-joy and gratitude were on every tongue; nor was it easy to discern
-whether the townsfolk or the garrison were filled with greater gladness
-at the news. Indeed, the change that came over the face of the town in
-an hour was marvellous. Civilians rushed about the streets shaking hands
-in the most frantic style with those German soldiers who had hitherto
-been their deadly enemies, while the soldiers cordially returned these
-friendly advances on the part of their vanquished foes. As the evening
-drew near, the cheering and confusion increased, and the streets became
-crowded with a mixed assembly of soldiers and inhabitants. Nor did the
-authorities appear to object; nay, all the military bands in the town
-turned out, and marched up and down the principal streets, playing
-popular French airs, and even the "Marseillaise".
-
-It was amusing as well as touching to see these mighty processions, the
-bands in front, and long lines of French and Prussians linked arm in
-arm, marching some fourteen abreast, and keeping time with the music.
-Thus in one hour did the memory of yesterday seem quite obliterated.
-While I was following one of the bands, and listening to the stirring
-airs which they were playing, I descried a white figure among the crowd,
-and what was my astonishment to find that this was Nigger Charlie! Still
-in his white kitchen-suit, with white sleeves and a paper cap, he was
-carrying on all kinds of antics, and grinning for the amusement of the
-juveniles who crowded after the procession.
-
-Our duties now became so light that I was able to do all my work in a
-couple of hours, and generally had the rest of the day to myself. This
-time I employed in making excursions on horseback and on foot, to all
-the places of interest in the adjoining country. I could always get a
-mount from the ambulance equerry when I wished for one. As March came
-on, the weather grew fine, and I rode out to Gien, Chevilly, Patay, and
-Coulmiers; but Olivet and its neighbourhood, and the picturesque Source
-du Loiret, were especially my attraction. Dr. Warren, who, like me,
-preferred walking to riding, often accompanied me on these excursions.
-
-But time rolled on, and we found ourselves in March, with March weather
-accompanying it. I now met Miss Pearson and Miss McLoughlin, who gave me
-a stirring account of themselves and their doings during the battles
-outside Orleans; for the convent, full of wounded, of which they were
-in charge, was situated in the suburbs. The adventures undergone and the
-work accomplished by these energetic English ladies have been admirably
-described in the volume which relates their experiences during the
-Campaigns of 1870 and 1871. Too much praise cannot be given for the
-untiring zeal and heroic self-sacrifice which they always displayed in
-the discharge of their mission, under circumstances which were
-constantly most trying.
-
-On the 3rd, Dr. Pratt, who had some time back returned from headquarters
-at Versailles, announced to us that our mission was over, and he must
-now disband us. We agreed, however, not to separate until we got to
-Paris, for which place we were to start in a few days. There we should
-meet Dr. Duplessy, and the heads of the French Ambulance, into whose
-hands we could deliver the horses, waggons, and _infirmiers_ that we had
-originally received from them in the Palais de l'Industrie. We wished,
-also, in the presence of the above-named gentleman, to give an account
-of our stewardship, so far as the care of the French wounded in our
-charge was concerned. Accordingly, every preparation was made to start.
-I sent away the wounded that were on my hands, including poor Henry
-Schroeder, who said, that since I must leave, he would leave too. I had
-the poor fellow conveyed through town to his railway carriage in a
-sedan chair. When we parted he shed bitter tears.
-
-I had grave misgivings for the ultimate success of his case, for his arm
-was suppurating profusely; and he had that delusive hectic freshness of
-appearance, which I had now learnt was so untoward a symptom. Afterwards
-I had the pain of hearing from his brother that my forebodings were
-verified, and that Henry died soon after his return home.
-
-On the 4th of March, we had finished nearly all our preparations; and
-our kind host Proust seemed inconsolable at losing Warren and myself,
-towards both of whom he had evinced a parental affection. But my time to
-leave Orleans was not yet come.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXX.
-
-I FALL ILL OF FEVER.--GERMANS LEAVE ORLEANS.--MY BROTHER ARRIVES FROM
-HOME.--END OF MY EXPERIENCES AS A FIELD SURGEON.
-
-
-One bright evening, as I was out walking on the bank of the Loire, I had
-felt a dead dull pain at the back of my head and in my back. On my
-return the pain became so intense that I was obliged to go straight to
-bed. All night and next day I felt very unwell, and Dr. Bouglet was sent
-for. He pronounced me to be in fever, of what kind he could not exactly
-tell; but as small-pox was prevalent in Orleans, he feared it might be
-that. Subsequently he came to the conclusion that it was low fever of a
-typhoid sort.
-
-On the 6th, I felt very ill indeed, and beyond a dim recollection of
-saying good-bye to my _confrères_, and the consciousness that my old
-friends Warren and Hayden were continually at my bedside, I can recall
-but little of what passed around me for the next fortnight.
-
-In a few days all the members of the Anglo-American Ambulance, who had
-been my friends and companions throughout this adventurous campaign,
-were off to Paris. So there was I in No. 12 Rue Royale, away from home,
-and prostrated by a dangerous illness. To those who read this, it may
-appear that I was alone and friendless. But it was not so. For no
-father's care could have been more tender, no mother's solicitude more
-lavish, than that bestowed upon me by M. and Madame Proust, on the one
-hand, and, on the other, by my guardian angel and nurse, Soeur Berthe,
-from Notre Dame des Récouvrances.
-
-During five long weeks, this indefatigable woman never left my bedside
-day or night, save for an interval of an hour or so. She had been
-working under me in the Hospitals, attending the wounded for many
-months; and to her valuable and skilful aid I owe any success which may
-have attended my efforts on behalf of the patients in those wards. Now
-this good sister saw me, a stranger, but a fellow-labourer in the same
-cause, struck down at the end of the campaign; and she bestowed upon me,
-as she was wont to bestow upon them, with that grace of manner and
-beaming kindness which characterised all she undertook, the same devoted
-attentions. It was a privilege to be ill in her hands. I learned much
-from her; and I should be ungrateful indeed, were I to forget the
-lessons which her refinement, self-sacrifice, and unwearied good temper
-printed on my mind and heart during those weeks.
-
-Dr. Bouglet came and went, sometimes making a second visit the same day.
-Evidently he thought my case a serious one. At the end of about ten days
-from the beginning of my illness, I became so stupid and lethargic that
-I remembered nothing for the next fortnight, save that during one of my
-lucid intervals I saw Hayden, Parker, and Warren at my bedside, the
-first two having come from Paris for the express purpose of seeing me.
-Warren stayed until I was getting better, and wrote home for me. He
-finished his letter, but almost failed in getting the address from me,
-so weak was my mind at the time. Hayden, on being questioned by one of
-the townspeople as to the chances of my recovery, answered, that it was
-all up with me. Soeur Berthe, likewise, wrote to Scarteen in my name;
-but I could do nothing of the kind myself.
-
-About the fourth week I had completely regained consciousness, and was
-daily getting stronger; but that was not saying much, for I could
-neither turn in bed, nor lift an arm. I was simply skin and bone, and
-used to wonder how my knuckles did not come through the skin. When I
-looked at my limbs, I began to cry like a child, and this loss of
-control over my feelings was particularly distressing to me. They never
-let me see myself in the mirror until I was far advanced on the road to
-recovery; and then I beheld what looked more like a corpse than my
-living self, and was much taken aback. When allowed to speak, many hours
-were spent in pleasant conversation with Madame and M. Proust, and with
-Soeur Berthe, who was always an interesting and lively companion. She
-used to pray with me, read to me, both serious and amusing books, and
-instruct me in the secrets of the science of which she was mistress. She
-would bring me flowers and fruit according to my fancy. And so the weeks
-passed by, and, with the assistance of such good friends, they were
-pleasant enough.
-
-Before my brain got quite clear, I used to imagine that I saw numbers of
-my friends at home, and was talking with them. Nor were the persons
-phantoms. For I spoke to those who happened to be paying me a visit to
-see how I was going on. Upon discovering my mistake, I felt it bitterly,
-but was soon put into good humour again by Soeur Berthe. I have not yet
-said much of my hostess Madame Proust; not because she was wanting in
-any way,--far from it, indeed. That kind lady put her house and all
-therein at my disposal, and was a most agreeable and sympathetic friend.
-Occasionally, after returning from her walk in the town, she would tell
-me of the people who were inquiring for me, which was an equal pleasure
-and help to a convalescent.
-
-Just about this stage of my illness the Germans evacuated Orleans. I
-can remember well hearing the last of their bands playing in one
-direction; while the French were advancing in the other. This was
-succeeded after a while by frantic cheering, by the din of music, and
-the tramp of soldiery,--a tramp which I knew to be very different from
-the measured tread that I had heard an hour previously. And so had come
-and gone the second German occupation of Orleans,--an epoch in the life
-of those who took any share in it which is indelibly stamped on their
-memories.
-
-As time wore on I was removed to the arm-chair by the open window, where
-I used to remain for several hours every day, when the weather
-permitted, propped up with pillows and covered against the cold. Many of
-the passers-by seemed to think me worth looking at, for quite a number
-stopped in very French fashion to stare up at me. This was only
-curiosity, and by no means rudeness. At last I was able to go out, or
-rather to hobble out; and for the first few days had enough to do to
-keep on my legs while shaking hands with the many kind and friendly
-townspeople who came forward to greet me. I would go into one shop and
-rest there for a few minutes, and then move a few doors further on. Thus
-I spent some hours every day. Many of our old Ambulance friends and
-acquaintances came also to pay me a visit. There was no end, I may truly
-say, to the kindness I met with on all sides.
-
-One day I went to the Church of St. Aignan, which is at the end of the
-Quai du Châtelet, to hear a grand High Mass, offered up for the
-regeneration of France, which was attended by the _élite_ of Orleans. I
-settled myself in a chair at the end of the church, and presently the
-ceremonies began by a procession. As it passed me a priest stepped out
-of the ranks, and, taking me by the arm, led me up the church, and, to
-my great confusion, showed me into one of the stalls in the Sanctuary. I
-never saw the priest before or since.
-
-When I look back on those days of trial and sickness, and how I lay on
-that bed unable to stir hand or foot, I remember what a longing came
-over me for the sight of one familiar face, though but for a few
-minutes. One was still in one's youth; and I fancied, whilst my head was
-buried in the pillow, that if I could but speak just a few words to my
-mother, or to some one at home, it would be enough to cure me. Until
-then, I never knew how much I loved my native land, or realised my
-heart's deep devotion to that little spot called home, and to all those
-dear friends about it.
-
-Little by little I came round. I used to drive out with M. Proust to his
-lovely little country house near Olivet, and visited the camellia houses
-and orange groves, all of which were under glass, at the great château
-there. But during my convalescence, the event of the day was the
-morning post, which brought my letters and newspapers, every line of
-which I read and re-read with the greatest avidity, until I knew them by
-heart. One letter in particular, from a great friend of mine, was so
-amusing, and had such a reviving effect on me, that I read it certainly
-a score of times, and I laughed as much the last time as the first.
-
-I was strictly prohibited by the doctor from writing; but in spite of
-his orders I coaxed Soeur Berthe to let me have pen and ink. Her
-consternation was great when she saw me fainting from the exertion. One
-letter I wrote to my mother while my hand was held on the paper, placed
-on a desk before me; so that I had only, as it were, to form the
-characters. I used to write a sentence or two every day, and so put them
-together bit by bit. I compiled several commonplace and uninteresting
-productions, and sent them home in great glee at the success of my
-performance. I could not guess how startled they would be at receiving
-these curious epistles, some of which afterwards came back into my
-hands. They resolved to send my brother Arthur to fetch me home; and he
-travelled immediately to Orleans, where he received a hearty welcome
-from M. and Madame Proust and my other friends.
-
-I insert as an Appendix, from the journal which my brother kept, the
-impressions made on us both by a visit we paid to the field of
-Coulmiers.
-
-It was my last view of the scenes in which I had taken part.
-
-My brother arrived on 8th April, and on the 21st we bade farewell to our
-home in the Rue Royale, and the friends who had made it such, and set
-out on our journey to Ireland.
-
-
-
-
-CHAPTER XXXI.
-
-AN APPENDIX.--M. AND MADAME COLOMBIER.--VISIT TO THE BATTLEFIELD OF
-COULMIERS.--THE SOLE FRENCH VICTORY.--CONCLUSION.
-
-(_From Arthur Ryan's Diary, Wednesday, 19th April._)
-
-
-Our déjeûner had not long been over when a carriage drove up, and
-Charlie bade me prepare for a drive with some friends into the country.
-We wished M. and Madame Proust good-bye for the day, and stepped into
-the carriage, where our new host and hostess were awaiting us. M. and
-Madame Colombier welcomed me cordially as the brother of their friend,
-and I was not long in their company before I knew how truly they had
-been such to him. M. Colombier had been a Papal Zouave, but, on the
-outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war, had joined the ranks of his
-countrymen. A middle-aged man with a frank warm manner, and evidently
-very proud of his wife,--as well he might be. I have seen but little of
-men or women; but I fancy that many years of experience may fail to
-remove Madame Colombier from the place she gained that day in my
-estimation. She was a heroine, and, what is still rarer, a humble
-heroine. Being a Canadian she spoke English very fairly; and as we drove
-along she told us many stories of her war experiences, and with so much
-gaiety that I felt it hard to believe those experiences had been so
-often bitter ones to her and her husband. Privations, loss of property,
-personal danger, all were related as if she were inventing and not
-recording; all were jested about whenever they affected only herself.
-But when she spoke of the sufferings of others, of her husband's danger,
-of the poor soldiers whom she had lodged and tended to the last, then
-her woman's heart revealed itself, and showed that though gay it was
-tender, though buoyant it was thoroughly unselfish; and, through all,
-she seemed so perfectly unconscious of any merit on her part, that one
-would have thought that her services had been remunerative or a part of
-her ordinary duty, instead of absorbing as they did the great part of
-what the war had left them.
-
-A shower came on, and to my surprise Madame Colombier unpinned her warm
-shawl, and insisted in wrapping Charlie up in it, lest in his weak state
-he should take cold. "This is my campaigning dress," said she, as I
-expressed my fears as to the insufficiency of her black silk dress in
-the teeth of the driving rain; but little she seemed to care, her only
-anxiety being to shield the "poor invalid" from the storm.
-
-After what seemed a short drive, we were so pleasant together, we came
-to the battlefield of Coulmiers. On each side of the road the ground was
-littered with the débris of camp fires, and with the straw that had
-served to keep some of the soldiers off the frosty ground, as they slept
-after their fight. Deep ruts--ploughed by the wheels of the guns, cut up
-the roads and fields; but beyond these marks, and the general bare,
-down-trodden look of the ground, nothing remained to speak of the
-terrible battle that had so lately covered these fields with the dead
-and dying. But as we drove into the Château Renardier, M. Colombier's
-country place, the sad remembrances of war were multiplied ten-fold. The
-great trees on each side of the drive were riven in all directions, by
-the shot and shells; and I remarked several thick firs cut clean in two
-by what was evidently a single shot.
-
-But here we are at the Château. It was a large house, in the regular
-French style, prettily situated in the midst of a well-planted lawn. It
-was not, however, at the architecture of the house, nor at the beauties
-of the lawn, that I looked, as I drove up. No: what riveted my gaze was
-the number of round holes that perforated the front in every direction.
-The shells had done their work well; shattered windows and pierced walls
-were sorry sights for M. Colombier to show his guests; and little more
-could be seen of the Château Renardier on the front side. As we
-entered, and passed from room to room, we began to realise the full
-extent of the damage. Deep stains of blood were on the dark oak floors,
-which in many places had been splintered by the bursting shells. Madame
-Colombier took us to her boudoir. Panelled in gold and white, it must
-have been a lovely room--but now it was a wreck. Right through the
-mirrors had the splintered shells crashed; in one corner of the rich
-ceiling the sky was visible through a large shot hole,--"and here," said
-our hostess, "here they used to skin their sheep"; and she pointed to
-the chandelier, which had sadly suffered from its unwonted use, and
-beneath which the floor was stained, this time not with human gore.
-"This is my room," said M. Colombier, as he showed us into the billiard
-room. The slate table was cracked in two, and on the tattered green
-cloth lay the remains of the oats which had fed the horses; for that
-room had served as a stable.
-
-We passed into the garden. It had been the scene of a French bayonet
-charge; and little shape remained, or sign of garden beauty, save that
-in one trampled bed, we found some plants of the lily of the valley
-sprouting to the early spring sunshine. Deep in the gravel walks, and
-through the once well-trimmed turf, had the wheels of the guns sunk, as
-the Prussians made their hasty retreat before the victorious French;
-and it must have been some consolation to the fair owner of this
-desolated garden, to think that it was the scene of the solitary French
-victory in that disastrous war.
-
-In the front garden every vine was dead, cut from the wall. For the wall
-had served as a shelter for the German soldiers, and was pierced all
-along for rifle rests, and by every hole was a heap of empty cartridge
-cases. The greenhouse and conservatories,--who shall tell their ruin?
-Glass is a poor protection against artillery, and the fierce frost had
-completed the work. There were the plants all arranged on their stands;
-there stood the orange trees--all were dead and brown--not a twig was
-alive. I thought of my mother and her flowers, as Madame Colombier
-turned with a sigh from her ruined conservatory, and walked back through
-the melancholy garden. But she was gay enough, though her husband seemed
-to feel deeply the destruction of his lovely home. He had been married
-but five years, and had spent much money in making this a happy spot for
-his wife and children--and now, the wreck! But even M. Colombier laughed
-with us when we came to the piles of empty bottles that lay in the yard;
-they were all that was left of two well-filled cellars. The French
-soldiers had celebrated their victory at the expense of the master of
-the Château Renardier.
-
-In the coach-house were Madame Colombier's two broughams; they had been
-used in the battle as temporary fortifications, and were literally
-riddled with bullets. We walked to the fish pond--a piece of ornamental
-water in the lawn. It had been netted, and not a fish was left. I
-stumbled on something under the trees by its brink. It was a Prussian
-cavalry saddle, not a comfortable-looking thing, thought I, as I
-surveyed the angular hide-covered wood,--but certainly economical when
-it is so easily lost. But evening was coming on; so having had lunch in
-the Château (the strangest ruin I ever picnicked in), we bade adieu to
-Renardier, and drove back to Orleans.
-
-M. Colombier's house there had, like his country château, been used
-during the war as a little hospital; and Charlie told me, as he waited
-in the drawing-room before dinner, how many wounded and dying inmates
-that room lately had.
-
-Dinner was served in an ante-room, for which Madame Colombier made her
-apologies, as her dining-room was occupied--by whom we presently saw.
-Having dined heartily, and been highly amused by the penalties with
-which the children threatened the Prussians,--such as feeding them on
-poisonous mushrooms, wood, and such like, I was surprised by Madame
-Colombier taking out a cigar case, handing it round, and helping
-herself. "Necessity has made me a smoker," she laughingly observed, as
-she saw my ill-concealed wonder; and if any lady would condemn my
-hostess for her cigar, let her follow Madame Colombier as she slips
-quietly out; and see for herself how false is that delicacy which would
-place a difficulty in the way of true and heroic Christian charity. We
-were not long before we followed our hostess. We found her in her
-dining-room, which had been fitted up as a temporary hospital. There she
-was tending the wound of her last patient, with a skill which was the
-result of long and hard-earned experience. And here we will leave Madame
-Colombier, with the firm trust that her unselfish charity and
-unostentatious heroism will not go unrewarded before Him, who has
-promised to repay a cup of cold water given for His sake.
-
-
-
-
-EPILOGUE.
-
-
-A quarter of a century has elapsed since the occurrence of the events
-which I have described. When I view the scenes of those eventful days
-through this long vista, and when sometimes for a moment one particular
-picture of hospital or camp life presents itself before my mind, I start
-as if awakened from a troubled dream, to find there still the shape and
-form of fact.
-
-The years have come and gone, and with them have passed away many of the
-principal actors in that great drama.
-
-Wilhelm, Napoléon, Moltke, the Crown Prince, the Red Prince, Gambetta,
-d'Aureille de Paladine, Bazaine, MacMahon, have disappeared from the
-stage.
-
-Modern surgery and medicine have lost some of their ablest pioneers in
-Langenbeck, Nussbaum, Esmark and Marion Sims; and I personally have to
-mourn for many who were kindly and helpful to me in those days, amongst
-them M. and Madame Proust and General Charles Brackenbury.
-
-I have often wished to revisit Sedan and Orleans; but the desire to make
-the most of a somewhat limited holiday-time, and to gain fresh
-experiences, has always led me to new districts and countries previously
-unknown to me, and I have never had my wish fulfilled. I am glad to say,
-however, that I never quite lost sight of my old friends M. and Madame
-Proust, and a visit from their nephew revived all the old associations
-and remembrances afresh.
-
-It may interest my readers to hear something of our ambulance surgeons.
-Sir William MacCormac, who succeeded Marion Sims at Sedan, is now one of
-the greatest living authorities on military surgery and gunshot wounds.
-His colleague Dr. Mackellar is distinguished on the staff of St.
-Thomas's Hospital, and Dr. Parker is an eminent London specialist. The
-others, scattered over the face of the globe, I have lost sight of, but
-would fain hope one day to meet some of them again.
-
-One object I have had in view in publishing these notes may be worthy of
-mention.
-
-As I have tried to write down exactly what I witnessed, they may help to
-afford some idea of what war really means,--war as a hard practical
-fact--stripped of all the glamour, and poetry, and pride of conquest,
-that are so attractive when seen in history.
-
-Even from my own observations I could gather that all is not victory to
-the victors themselves.
-
-When the German soldiery learnt that Louis Napoléon was present in the
-trap at Sedan, there broke out among them the wildest exhibition of
-delight; for they believed--wrongly as it came to pass--that his capture
-would end the war and enable them to go back to their homes. And when
-peace was finally proclaimed, the Germans in Orleans were no less
-demonstrative and enthusiastic than the French, whose cup of suffering
-had been filled to overflowing.
-
-Now-a-days there is perhaps a tendency to undervalue this aspect of the
-case. People talk very lightly of the great European war that is said to
-be inevitable. It can do no harm to measure as far as possible what such
-a war may mean.
-
-Those who count the cost in advance are far more likely to be able to
-meet it, should the necessity arise, and to bear themselves resolutely
-and bravely to the end, whatever the event, than those who rush blindly
-forward, depending mainly on enthusiasm for organisation, and on the
-reputation of the past to achieve victories in the future. That seems to
-be the great lesson taught by the war of 1870 and 1871.
-
-There never was, perhaps, a more flagrant instance of disregard for that
-wise Shakesperian saying familiar to us all:--
-
-                              "Beware
-    Of entrance to a quarrel: but, being in,
-    Bear it that the opposed may beware of thee".
-
-However, my readers will probably be disposed to form their own opinions
-on these subjects, and will have far more attractive material elsewhere
-on which to found them.
-
-Before concluding, I think I am not out of order in mentioning a notable
-occurrence which took place during the year 1895, and which to my mind
-affords a favourable augury for the future of France. I mean the
-celebration at Orleans, with all the pomp and ceremony due to the
-occasion, of the festival of Jeanne d'Arc. From the general enthusiasm
-then displayed by the French people, I cannot help thinking that greater
-things and brighter hopes are in store for that beautiful country, the
-fortunes of which have ever been as dramatic in their circumstances as
-they are interesting in themselves.
-
-Finally, I wish here to record, if I may, my own admiration, sympathy
-and delight in the bright and genial character of the French, and to
-bear witness that as this feeling was at first so it is now; nor do I
-think it will ever change.
-
-My task is finished. Though the re-writing of these notes has been a
-source of great pleasure to me, bringing back as it does old memories
-and picturesque scenes so vividly, yet I lay aside the unaccustomed pen
-with--perhaps not unnaturally--some little sense of relief, trusting to
-the indulgence of my readers that they will overlook the blemishes
-incidental to a first literary performance. And thus I bid them
-farewell.
-
-
-THE END.
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration: PART OF FRANCE
-To illustrate the journey of D^r. Ryan from Sedan to Orleans, 1870-1.
-London, John Murray, Albemarle St.
-Edw^d. Weller]
-
-
-
-
-    INDEX.
-
-    A.
-
-    Ambulance, Anglo-American: staff, 27;
-      labours at Sedan, 47-59, 79;
-      routine, 71;
-      discipline, 73;
-      additional staff, 89;
-      number of operations, 93;
-      use of antiseptics, 96;
-      transferred to German side, 108, 143;
-      fresh arrangements, 115;
-      leaves Sedan, 116;
-      at Orleans, 160 to end;
-      routine there, 166;
-      at battle of Coulmiers, 194-207;
-      evacuates terminus, 215;
-      given French _infirmiers_, 223;
-      visited by M. Crémieux, 231;
-      critical position, 232;
-      at battle of Neuville, 242, _seq._;
-      at Patay, 253;
-      at Beaugency, 283;
-      disbanded, 343.
-
-    Ambulance, Belgian, 21.
-
-    Ambulance, French, 16;
-      want of discipline, 82, 103, 114;
-      broken up, 121.
-
-    Ambulance, German: treatment of French wounded, 81;
-      at Floing, 107;
-      amputation, Dr. Ryan's first, 166.
-
-    Antiseptic treatment, 96.
-
-    Ardennes, Forest, 113.
-
-    Arlon, 115.
-
-    Arpajon, 153.
-
-    Artenay, 154.
-
-    Asfeld, Caserne d', 39-49, 59.
-
-
-    B.
-
-    Bavarians: cavalry, 140;
-      occupy Orleans, 176;
-      fighting there, 176;
-      their religious behaviour, 185;
-      losses, 189;
-      evacuate Orleans, 190;
-      at Coulmiers, 195;
-      retreat, 196;
-      leave dead on field, 200;
-      at Beaugency, 285;
-      despised by Prussians, 284.
-
-    Bayonne, Père, 43, 94.
-
-    Bazeilles, burning of, 53, 56, 85;
-      visit to, 87.
-
-    Beaugency, battle, 282, _seq._
-
-    Beaumont, village, 35.
-
-    Beck, 89, 107.
-
-    Berthe, Soeur, 235, 303, 348, 351.
-
-    Bilotte, Intendant Militaire, at Sedan, 72.
-
-    Bismarck, Count, 83, 147, 217.
-
-    "Black and Tans," the, 113.
-
-    Blood poisoning, 91;
-      open-air treatment, 108;
-      at Orleans, 179, 183, 310.
-
-    Bonjour, M., 252.
-
-    Bouglet, Dr., 345, seq.
-
-    Bouillon, town and castle, 112, 117.
-
-    Bourbaki, General, 226.
-
-    Brackenbury, Captain C., 115, 121, 334-337.
-
-    Brussels, 5, 8, 118, 120.
-
-    Burnside, General, 142.
-
-
-    C.
-
-    Cahirmee, Horse Fair, 119.
-
-    Carignan, village, 22.
-
-    Caserne d'Asfeld, 39, _seq._, 49, 59.
-
-    Caserne St. Charles, at Orleans, 217-219.
-
-    Cases, remarkable, 179, and _passim_.
-
-    Cathedral, Orleans, desecrated, 280.
-
-    Charlie, Nigger, 61, 94, 142, 233, 307, 339, 342.
-
-    Château Bellevue, 83, 114.
-
-    Château Mouville, 56.
-
-    Château Renardier, 196, 207, 354.
-
-    Châtelet, Marquise de, 324.
-
-    Châtelet, Quai du, 160 to end.
-
-    Cavalry, African, 255.
-
-    Cavalry, Bavarian, 140.
-
-    Chevilly, village, 56;
-      battle, 251, _seq._
-
-    Chivry, 318.
-
-    Chizelles, Vicomte de, 32.
-
-    Churches desecrated, 153.
-
-    Colombier, M. and Mme., 353, _seq._
-
-    _Conscrit, Le_, incident resembling, 99.
-
-    Corbeil, 312, 314.
-
-    Coulmiers, battle, 191, 193, 209;
-      visit to field, 353 _seq._
-
-    Crémieux, M., 231.
-
-
-    D.
-
-    D'Allaine, M., 217.
-
-    _Débâcle, La_, accuracy of, 57.
-
-    D'Iges, Isle of, 75, _seq._
-
-    Dilger, Martin, 181, 218, 309, 313.
-
-    Donchery, village, 41.
-
-    Douai, General, killed, 100.
-
-    Douzy, village, burning of, 42.
-
-    Ducrot, General, 48, 251.
-
-    Dupanloup, Bishop, 289.
-
-
-    E.
-
-    Étampes, 154, 197, 338.
-
-    Eugénie, Empress, 17.
-
-    Euverte, Ste., Church of, 252, 273, _seq._;
-      evacuated, 310.
-
-
-    F.
-
-    Failly de, General, 34.
-
-    Flavigny, Count de, 29.
-
-    Floing, Plain of, 39.
-
-    Francs-Tireurs, 126, 177.
-
-    Francs-Tireurs, American, 226.
-
-    Frank, Dr., 26, 35, 55, 56, 115.
-
-    Frazer, Captain, 232, 287.
-
-    Frederick Charles, Prince, enters Orleans, 274-276.
-
-    French: commissariat breaks down, 34;
-      Marines, 46;
-      also at Orleans, 228;
-      bravery at Patay, 261;
-      prisoners, 75;
-      wounded, 81;
-      miserable clothing, 212;
-      want of physique, 214;
-      imaginary victories, 248.
-
-    Frénois, village, 40, 83.
-
-    Fritz, Dr., 312.
-
-    Fugitive peasants, 157.
-
-
-    G.
-
-    Gaillon, 124.
-
-    Gambetta, M., 197, 217.
-
-    Garde Nationale, 23.
-
-    Garenne, Bois de, 53, 64, 67.
-
-    Geneva Convention, 223.
-
-    German: ambition, 276;
-      treatment of French prisoners, 281;
-      character and manners, 170;
-      piety, 185.
-
-    Giant, a Bavarian, 204, 274.
-
-    Glenbane, 132.
-
-    Gravelotte, battle of, 312.
-
-    Gunboats on Loire, 229.
-
-
-    H.
-
-    Haveland, Major de, 305, 337.
-
-    Hayden, Frank, 37, 60, 74, 77, 83, 112, 345, 347.
-
-    Hewitt, Dr., 43, 68, 115, 118, 125, 145, 154.
-
-    Hohenzollern, Prince of, 141.
-
-    Holt White, Mr., 306.
-
-    Horses, suffering of, 48, 74.
-
-    Hospital: at Sedan, 39, 52-116;
-      at Balan, 56;
-      at Orleans railway, 162;
-      invaded by townsfolk, 202;
-      au Grand Marché, 217;
-      at Caserne St. Charles, 2, 8;
-      at Ste. Euverte, 273-310.
-
-    Hozier, Colonel, 232, 287, 307.
-
-
-    I.
-
-    _Illustrated London News_, 89.
-
-    Isle d'Iges, 75, _seq._
-
-
-    J.
-
-    Jean the Turco, 116, 167, 339.
-
-    Jeanne d'Arc, 160, 192.
-
-    Jews, 314.
-
-    Journalism, French, 248.
-
-
-    L.
-
-    Labouchère, M., 19, 21, 25.
-
-    Lagny, 315, 323.
-
-    Langenbeck, Prof., 286.
-
-    Léopoldine, Soeur, 308, 339.
-
-    Lévy, M. Michel, 14.
-
-    Libramont, 118.
-
-    Lille, 122.
-
-    Lloyd-Lindsay, Col., 27, 143, 333.
-
-    Loire, Army of the, 158, 254, 263.
-
-    Lundon, Mr. W., 132.
-
-
-    M.
-
-    MacCormac, Dr. (now Sir W.), at Sedan, 47, 68, 70, 90, 97, 111, 115.
-
-    Mackellar, Dr., 89, 145, 209, 224, 282.
-
-    MacMahon, Marshal, 31, 83.
-
-    Madeleine, La, 16, 28.
-
-    Manners, French, 161;
-      German, 148, 172.
-
-    Mantes, 135, 138.
-
-    Maps, requisitioned, 231.
-
-    Marfée, Heights, 35, 41, _seq._
-
-    Marly, 140.
-
-    May, Dr., 36, 47, 49, 71, 97, 99, 114, 245, 282, 340.
-
-    McLoughlin, Miss, 89, 260.
-
-    Mejonelle, Mr., 306.
-
-    Melun, Vicomte de, 4, 8, 15, 16, 18, 20.
-
-    Metz, 22;
-      surrendered, 176, 188.
-
-    Meuse, river, 37;
-      bridge over, 84.
-
-    Mézières, village, burnt, 139.
-
-    Moltke, General, 147.
-
-    Monod, M. Chaplain, 94.
-
-    Mont Valérien, 140.
-
-    Mouzon, village, 38.
-
-
-    N.
-
-    Napoléon III., 33, 38, 83.
-
-    Neuville, 236;
-      fighting at, 243, 251.
-
-    Nicholl, Dr., 47, 115.
-
-    Nihil, T., Fenian exile, 131.
-
-    Nussbaum, Prof., 162, 340.
-
-
-    O.
-
-    O'Hanlon, Mme., 178.
-
-    Olivet, 350.
-
-    Orleans: march to, 154;
-      entering, 158;
-      in Quai du Châtelet, 160, _seq._;
-      at railway, 162-215;
-      Place Martroi, 168;
-      state of siege, 172;
-      shop windows, 172;
-      Bavarians evacuate, 190;
-      hospital invaded, 203;
-      ambulance returns, 207;
-      French enter, 210;
-      French Marines arrive, 228;
-      Ste. Euverte, 252;
-      French retreat upon, 254;
-      German assault, 263;
-      street fighting, 269;
-      surrendered, 270;
-      Red Prince enters, 274;
-      chronic hunger, 277;
-      prisoners in cathedral, 279;
-      Christmas Day at, 292;
-      fined 600,000 francs, 311;
-      evacuated by Germans, 349.
-
-    Ostend, 4, 333.
-
-
-    P.
-
-    Paladine, General de, 197, _seq._
-
-    Paris, 11-25;
-      siege of, 317.
-
-    Parker, Dr., 95, 107, 115, 193, 202, 270, 312, 343, 347.
-
-    Patay, battle, 251-260.
-
-    Pauline, Mère, 307, 339.
-
-    Peace, signed, 341.
-
-    Pearson, Miss, 89, 260, 347.
-
-    Peasants, 134.
-
-    Peyen, Louis, 99, 101.
-
-    Poniatowsky, Princess, 26.
-
-    Pontoon bridge over Meuse, 84;
-      over Loire, 277;
-      burnt, 266.
-
-    Pratt, Dr., 95, 115, 120, 137, 141, 151, 158, 161, 184, 226, 287,
-      311, 343.
-
-    Prince Frederick Charles, 276.
-
-    Prince of Hohenzollern, 141.
-
-    Prince Pless, 141-3, 337.
-
-    Prisoners at Orleans, 279.
-
-    Property, rights of, in war, 137.
-
-    Proust, M. and Mme., 274, 346-350, _seq._
-
-    Prussians, 35, 41, 123, 140, 276, 349.
-
-
-    R.
-
-    Raucourt, village, 35.
-
-    Reilly, Colonel, 232.
-
-    Renardier, Château de, 196, 207, 354.
-
-    Rouen, 123.
-
-    Rüdiger, 308.
-
-    Russell, Dr., of the Times, 45.
-
-    Ryan, Arthur (now Canon), 352;
-      diary, 353, _seq._
-
-    Ryan, Dr. C. E., leaves Dublin, 3;
-      at Paris, 10-30;
-      joins Anglo-Americans, 27;
-      arrives at Sedan, 31;
-      first sight of Germans, 35;
-      during 1st Sept., 1870, 43-59;
-      goes over battlefield, 61, _seq._;
-      at Isle d'Iges, 75;
-      visits Bazeilles, 86;
-      work in Caserne, 102;
-      rides to Bouillon, 112;
-      leaves Sedan, 116;
-      goes to Brussels, 118;
-      to Rouen, 123;
-      in Seine Valley, 125;
-      captured by Francs-Tireurs, 126;
-      to Mantes, 134;
-      sees fighting from Marly, 140;
-      at Versailles, 141-150;
-      marches to Orleans by Étampes, 153-160;
-      enters to sound of cannon, 157;
-      remarkable cases, 179;
-      at battle of Chevilly, 195;
-      visits that field, 352, _seq._;
-      in French camp, 199;
-      back to Orléans, 207;
-      sees French enter, 213;
-      at Neuville, 242;
-      sees battle of Patay, 259;
-      and French retreat across Loire, 264;
-      and burning of bridge, 266;
-      during assault on Orleans, 271;
-      sees entry of Red Prince, 274;
-      at Ste. Euverte, 252-310;
-      night duties, 292, _seq._;
-      leaves Orleans on furlough, 312;
-      journeys home by Lagny, Strasburg, etc., 315-332;
-      recalled, 333;
-      loses papers in Seine Valley, 335;
-      at Versailles, 336;
-      in Orleans again, 339;
-      falls ill of typhoid fever, 345;
-      recovers and leaves Orleans, 351.
-
-
-    S.
-
-    Sailors, French, 46, 228, 261;
-      German, 288.
-
-    Schrenk, Captain, 177.
-
-    Schroeder, Henry, 274, 285, 307, 343.
-
-    Sedan, arrival at, 31;
-      no surgeons or medical appliances, 38;
-      defences, 39;
-      battle, 43-53, _seq._;
-      number of wounded, 53;
-      field after the battle, 62-65;
-      operations in hospital, 70, _seq._, 93;
-      inhabitants shut up, 85;
-      captured guns in Park, 101;
-      ambulance leaves, 116.
-
-    Seine Valley, 124, 336.
-
-    Sentinels, French, 207;
-      German, 230.
-
-    Sheridan, General, 142.
-
-    Sherwell, Dr., 89, 208, 311.
-
-    Sims, Dr. Marion, 27, 28, 31, 70, 73, 94.
-
-    Sims, Harry, 27.
-
-    Soissons, 30.
-
-    Soldiers' burials, 62.
-
-    Southern exiles, 142.
-
-    St. Aignan, Church, 350.
-
-    St. Aubin, Louis, 45, 96, _seq._, 116.
-
-    St. Cloud, burnt, 146.
-
-    St. Germain, 139;
-      forest of, 336.
-
-    St. Pierre, village, 124.
-
-    Ste. Euverte, 252, 273, 276, 291, 306, 310.
-
-    Steel, General, 10.
-
-    Strasburg, 328-330.
-
-
-    T.
-
-    Tann, Von der, his proclamation 174.
-
-    Tilghman, Dr., 27, 36, 47, 184, 200, 209, 282.
-
-    Torcy, gate of Sedan, 32.
-
-    Trochu, General, 251.
-
-    Turcos, 51, 212, 240.
-
-
-    U.
-
-    Uniforms, German, 169.
-
-    Urbonouski, Mme., 145.
-
-
-    V.
-
-    Vercourt, M. de, 4, 330.
-
-    Verdière, M. le, 20.
-
-    Versailles, 145;
-      the Château a hospital, 147, 287, 337.
-
-
-    W.
-
-    Walsh, Dr., 2.
-
-    Warren, Dr., 89, 105, 193, 202, 253, 269, 342, 345, 347.
-
-    Webb, Dr., 70.
-
-    Weissenburg, battle of, 1, 50.
-
-    William I., king and emperor, 147, 323.
-
-    Wimpffen, General de, 34, 48.
-
-    Wörth, 1, 50.
-
-    Wounded, number at Sedan, 53;
-      in hospital, 70-93.
-
-    Wyman, Dr., 115.
-
-
-    Z.
-
-    Zouaves, 241.
-
-    Zouave, Well of the, 90.
-
-
-
-
-      *      *      *      *      *
-
-
-
-
-Transcriber's note:
-
-Obvious errors of punctuation and diacritical markings were
-corrected, although "Orleans" appeared frequently without the
-accent aigu and was not modified.
-
-Hyphen removed: "bomb[-]shells" (p. 317), "towns[-]people" (p. 152).
-
-The following words appear both with and without hyphens and have not
-been changed: "dead-house", "side-arms", "station-master's".
-
-P. 217: "Coulmier" changed to "Coulmiers".
-
-P. 229: "univeral" changed to "universal" (universal scramble of excited
-Frenchmen).
-
-P. 248: "befel" changed to "befell" (befell the French arms).
-
-Index:
-Many page numbers seem to be wrong but have been left as printed.
-Entry "Madelieie" changed to "Madeleine".
-Entry "Nihill" changed to "Nihil".
-Entries moved to their correct alphabetical positions:
-"Frénois, village"
-"Hayden, Frank"
-"Loire, Army of the"
-
-
-
-***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH AN AMBULANCE DURING THE
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