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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3beed3a --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51195 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51195) diff --git a/old/51195-0.txt b/old/51195-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index fa6428b..0000000 --- a/old/51195-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6223 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Camp Court and Siege, by Wickham Hoffman - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Camp Court and Siege - A Narrative of Personal Adventure and Observation During Two Wars: 1861-1865; 1870-1871 - - -Author: Wickham Hoffman - - - -Release Date: February 13, 2016 [eBook #51195] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAMP COURT AND SIEGE*** - - -E-text prepared by John Campbell and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by -Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/campcourtsiegen00hoffiala - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - A detailed transcriber's note can be found at the end of - the book. - - - - - -CAMP COURT AND SIEGE - -A Narrative of Personal Adventure and Observation During Two Wars -1861-1865 1870-1871 - -by - -WICKHAM HOFFMAN - -Assistant Adj.-Gen. U. S. Vols. and Secretary U. S. Legation at Paris - - - - - - - -London -Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington -Crown Buildings, 188 Fleet Street. -1877 - - - - - Dedication. - - TO - - THE HON. E. B. WASHBURNE, - - MINISTER OF THE U. S. AT PARIS, - THESE PAGES ARE CORDIALLY DEDICATED, - IN ADMIRATION OF THE STERLING QUALITIES OF MANHOOD - DISPLAYED BY HIM DURING THE DARK DAYS OF THE SIEGE - AND COMMUNE, AND IN RECOLLECTION OF MANY - PLEASANT HOURS PASSED TOGETHER DURING - AN OFFICIAL CONNECTION OF - NEARLY SIX YEARS. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - - Hatteras.--"Black Drink."--Fortress Monroe.--General Butler. - --Small-pox.--"L'Isle des Chats."--Lightning.--Farragut.--Troops - land.--Surrender of Forts Page 11 - - - CHAPTER II. - - New Orleans.--Custom-house.--Union Prisoners.--The Calaboose. - --"Them Lincolnites."--The St. Charles.--"Grape-vine Telegraph." - --New Orleans Shop-keepers.--Butler and Soulé.--The Fourth - Wisconsin.--A New Orleans Mob.--Yellow Fever 23 - - - CHAPTER III. - - Vicksburg.--River on Fire.--Baton Rouge.--Start again for Vicksburg. - --The _Hartford_.--The Canal.--Farragut.--Captain Craven.--The - _Arkansas_.--Major Boardman.--The _Arkansas_ runs the - Gauntlet--Malaria 35 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - Sickness.--Battle of Baton Rouge.--Death of Williams.--"Fix - Bayonets!"--Thomas Williams.--His Body.--General T. W. Sherman. - --Butler relieved.--General Orders, No. 10.--Mr. Adams and Lord - Palmerston.--Butler's Style 47 - - - CHAPTER V. - - T. W. Sherman.--Contrabands.--Defenses of New Orleans.--Exchange - of Prisoners.--Amenities in War.--Port Hudson.--Reconnoissance - in Force.--The Fleet.--Our Left.--Assault of May 27th.--Sherman - wounded.--Port Hudson surrenders 59 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - Major-general Franklin.--Sabine Pass.--Collision at Sea.--March - through Louisiana.--Rebel Correspondence.--"The Gypsy's Wassail." - --Rebel Women.--Rebel Poetry.--A Skirmish.--Salt Island.--Winter - Climate.--Banks's Capua.--Major Joseph Bailey 74 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - Mistakes.--Affair at Mansfield.--Peach Hill.--Freaks of the - Imagination.--After Peach Hill.--General William Dwight.--Retreat to - Pleasant Hill.--Pleasant Hill.--General Dick Taylor.--Taylor and - the King of Denmark.--An Incident 87 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - Low Water.--The Fleet in Danger.--We fall back upon Alexandria. - --Things look Gloomy.--Bailey builds a Dam in ten Days.--Saves - the Fleet.--A Skirmish.--Smith defeats Polignac.--Unpopularity - of Foreign Officers.--A Novel Bridge.--Leave of Absence.--A - Year in Virginia.--Am ordered again to New Orleans 98 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - Visit to Grant's Head-quarters.--His Anecdotes of Army Life.--Banks - relieved.--Canby in Command.--Bailey at Mobile.--Death of - Bailey.--Canby as a Civil Governor.--Confiscated Property.--Proposes - to rebuild Levees.--Is stopped by Sheridan.--Canby appeals.--Is - sustained, but too late.--Levees destroyed by Floods.--Conflict - of Jurisdiction.--Action of President Johnson.--Sheridan abolishes - Canby's Provost Marshal's Department.--Canby asks to be recalled.--Is - ordered to Washington.--To Galveston.--To Richmond.--To - Charleston.--Is murdered by the Modocs.--His Character 105 - - - CHAPTER X. - - The Writer appointed Assistant Secretary of Legation to Paris. - --Presented to the Emperor.--Court Balls.--Diplomatic Dress.--Opening - of Corps Législatif.--Opening of Parliament.--King of the Belgians. - --Emperor of Austria.--King of Prussia.--Queen Augusta.--Emperor - Alexander.--Attempt to assassinate him.--Ball at Russian - Embassy.--Resignation of General Dix 119 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - Washburne appointed Minister.--Declaration of War.--Thiers opposes - it.--The United States asked to protect Germans in France.--Fish's - Instructions.--Assent of French Government given.--Paris - in War-paint.--The Emperor opposed to War.--Not a Free - Agent.--His _Entourage_.--Marshal Le Bœuf 134 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - Germans forbidden to leave Paris.--Afterward expelled.--Large - Number in Paris.--Americans in Europe.--Emperor's Staff an Incumbrance. - --French Generals.--Their Rivalries.--False News from the Front. - --Effect in Paris.--Reaction.--Expulsion of Germans.--Sad - Scenes.--Washburne's Action.--Diplomatic Service.--Battle of - Sedan.--Sheridan at Sedan 145 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - Revolution of September 4th, 1870.--Paris _en Fête_.--Flight of the - Empress.--Saved by Foreigners.--Escapes in an English Yacht. - --Government of National Defense.--Trochu at its Head.--Jules Simon. - --United States recognizes Republic.--Washburne's Address.--Favre's - Answer.--Efforts for Peace.--John L. O'Sullivan 159 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - Belleville Demonstrates.--Radical Clubs.--Their Blasphemy and Violence. - --Unreasonable Suspicion.--Outrages.--Diplomatic Corps.--Some of them - leave Paris.--Meeting of the Corps.--Votes not to Leave.--Embassadors - and Ministers.--Right of Correspondence in a Besieged Place. - --Commencement of Siege, September 19th.--Besiegers and Besieged. - --Advantages of Besieged 170 - - - CHAPTER XV. - - Balloons.--Large Number dispatched.--Small Number lost.--Worth. - --Carrier-pigeons.--Their Failure.--Their Instincts.--_Times_ - "Agony Column."--Correspondence.--Letters to Besieged.--Count Solms. - --Our Dispatch-bag.--Moltke complains that it is abused.--Washburne's - Answer.--Bismarck's Reply 182 - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - Burnside's Peace Mission.--Sent in by Bismarck.--Interview with - Trochu.--The Sympathetic Tear.--Question of Revictualment.--Failure - of Negotiations.--Point of Vanity.--Flags of Truce.--French - accused of Violation of Parole.--Question of the Francs-Tireurs. - --Foreigners refused Permission to leave Paris.--Washburne - insists.--Permission granted.--Departure of Americans.--Scenes - at Créteil 196 - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - Mob seize Hôtel de Ville.--"Thanksgiving" in Paris.--Prices of - Food.--Paris Rats.--Menagerie Meat.--Horse-meat.--Eatable only - as Mince.--Government Interference.--Sorties.--Are Failures.--Le - Bourget taken by French.--Retaken by Prussians.--French - Naval Officers.--Belleville National Guard.--Their Poetry. - --Blundering.--Sheridan's Opinion of German Army 207 - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - The National Guard.--Its Composition.--The American Ambulance.--Its - Organization.--Its Success.--Dr. Swinburne, Chief Surgeon.--The - Tent System.--Small Mortality.--Poor Germans in Paris.--Bombardment - by Germans.--Wantonness of Artillery-men.--Bad News from the Loire. - --"Le Plan Trochu."--St. Genevieve to appear.--Vinoy takes Command. - --Paris surrenders.--Bourbaki defeated.--Attempts Suicide 221 - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - Election in France.--Terms of Peace.--Germans enter Paris.--Their - Martial Appearance.--American Apartments occupied.--Washburne - remonstrates.--Attitude of Parisians.--The Germans evacuate - Paris.--Victualing the City.--Aid from England and the - United States.--Its Distribution.--Sisters of Charity 234 - - - CHAPTER XX. - - The Commune.--Murder of French Generals.--The National Guard of - Order.--It disbands.--The Reasons.--Flight of the Government to - Versailles.--Thiers.--Attempts to reorganize National Guard.--An - American arrested by Commune.--Legation intervenes.--His Discharge. - --His Treatment.--Reign of King Mob.--"_Démonstrations Pacifiques._" - --Absurd Decrees of the Commune.--Destruction of the Vendôme - Column 243 - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - Diplomatic Corps moves to Versailles.--Journey there and back.--Life - at Versailles.--German Princes.--Battle at Clamart.--Unburied - Insurgents.--Bitterness of Class Hatred.--Its Probable Causes.--United - States Post-office at Versailles.--The Archbishop of Paris.--Attempts - to save his Life.--Washburne's Kindness to him.--Blanqui.--Archbishop - murdered.--Ultramontanism.--Bombardment by Government.--My Apartment - struck.--Capricious Effects of Shells.--Injury to Arch of Triumph. - --Bas-reliefs of Peace and War 256 - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - Reign of Terror.--Family Quarrels.--The Alsacians, etc., claim - German Nationality.--They leave Paris on our Passes.--Prisoners of - Commune.--Priests and Nuns.--Fragments of Shells.--"Articles - de Paris."--Fearful Bombardment of "Point du Jour."--Arrest of - Cluseret.--Commune Proclamations.--Capture of Paris.--Troops - enter by Undefended Gate.--Their Slow Advance.--Fight at the - Tuileries Gardens.--Communist Women.--Capture of Barricades. - --Cruelties of the Troops.--"Pétroleuses."--Absurd Stories about - them.--Public Buildings fired.--Destruction of Tuileries, etc., etc. - --Narrow Escape of Louvre.--Treatment of Communist Prisoners. - --Presents from Emperor of Germany 271 - - - - -CAMP, COURT, AND SIEGE. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - Hatteras.--"Black Drink."--Fortress Monroe.--General Butler. - --Small-pox.--"L'Isle des Chats."--Lightning.--Farragut.--Troops - land.--Surrender of Forts. - - -In February, 1862, the writer of the following pages, an officer on -the staff of Brigadier-general Thomas Williams, was stationed at -Hatteras. Of all forlorn stations to which the folly and wickedness -of the Rebellion condemned our officers, Hatteras was the most -forlorn. It blows a gale of wind half the time. The tide runs through -the inlet at the rate of five miles an hour. It was impossible to -unload the stores for Burnside's expedition during more than three -days of the week. After an easterly blow--and there are enough of -them--the waters are so piled up in the shallow sounds between -Hatteras and the Main, that the tide ebbs without intermission for -twenty-four hours. - -The history of Hatteras is curious. There can be little doubt that -English navigators penetrated into those waters long before the -Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. But the colony was not a success. Of the -colonists some returned to England; others died of want. The present -inhabitants of the island are a sickly, puny race, the descendants of -English convicts. When Great Britain broke up her penal settlement -at the Bermudas, she transported the most hardened convicts to -Van Diemens Land; those who had been convicted of minor offenses, -she turned loose upon our coast. Here they intermarried; for the -inhabitants of the Main look down upon them as an inferior race, -and will have no social intercourse with them. The effect of these -intermarriages is seen in the degeneracy of the race. - -Until within a few years their principal occupation was wrecking. -Hatteras lies on the direct route of vessels bound from the West -Indies to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. The plan adopted -by these guileless natives to aid the storm in insuring a wreck -was simple, but effective. There is a half-wild pony bred upon the -island called "marsh pony." One of these animals was caught, a leg -tied up Rarey fashion, a lantern slung to his neck, and the animal -driven along the beach on a stormy night. The effect was that of a -vessel riding at anchor. Other vessels approached, and were soon -unpleasantly aware of the difference between a ship and a marsh pony. - -The dwellings bear witness to the occupation of their owners. -The fences are constructed of ships' knees and planks. In their -parlors you may see on one side a rough board door, on the other an -exquisitely finished rose-wood or mahogany cabin door, with silver or -porcelain knobs. Contrast reigns everywhere. - -But the place is not without its attractions to the botanist. A wild -vine, of uncommon strength and toughness, grows abundantly, and is -used in the place of rope. The iron-tree, hard enough to turn the -edge of the axe, and heavy as the metal from which it takes its -name, is found in abundance, and the tea-tree, from whose leaves the -inhabitants draw their tea when the season has been a bad one for -wrecks. This tea-tree furnishes the "black drink," which the Florida -Indians drank to make themselves invulnerable. They drank it with due -religious ceremonies till it nauseated them, when it was supposed -to have produced the desired effect. What a pity that we can not -associate some such charming superstition with the _maladie de mer_! -It would so comfort us in our affliction! - -But we were not to stay long on this enchanted isle. Butler had -organized his expedition against New Orleans, and it was now ready -to sail. He had applied for Thomas Williams, who had been strongly -recommended to him by Weitzel, Kenzel, and other regular officers -of his staff. Early in March we received orders to report to Butler -at Fortress Monroe. We took one of those rolling tubs they call -"propellers," which did the service between the fortress and Hatteras -for the Quartermaster's Department; and, after nearly rolling over -two or three times, we reached Old Point. Here we found the immense -steamer the _Constitution_, loaded with three regiments, ready to -sail. Williams had hoped to have two or three days to run North and -see his wife and children, whom he had not seen for months. But with -him considerations of duty were before all others. He thought that -three regiments should be commanded by a brigadier, and he determined -to sail at once. It was a disappointment to us all. To him the loss -was irreparable. He never saw his family again. - -It has always appeared to me that General Butler has not received -the credit to which he is entitled for the capture of New Orleans. -Without him New Orleans would not have been taken in 1862, and -a blow inflicted upon the Confederacy, which the London _Times_ -characterized as the heaviest it had yet received--"almost decisive." -The writer has no sympathy with General Butler's extreme views, and -no admiration for his _protégés_; but he was cognizant of the New -Orleans expedition from its inception, he accompanied it on the day -it set sail, he landed with it in New Orleans, he remained in that -city or its neighborhood during the whole of Butler's command; and -a sense of justice compels him to say that Butler originated the -expedition, that he carried it through, under great and unexpected -difficulties, that he brought it to a successful termination, and -that his government of the city at that time, and under the peculiar -circumstances, was simply admirable. - -It is not perhaps generally known that it was Butler who urged -this enterprise upon the President. He was answered that no troops -could be spared; M'Clellan wanted them all for his advance upon -Richmond. Butler thereupon offered to raise the troops himself, -provided the Government would give him three old regiments. The -President consented. The troops were raised in New England, and -three old regiments--the Fourth Wisconsin, the Sixth Michigan, and -the Twenty-first Indiana--designated to accompany them. At the -last moment M'Clellan opposed the departure of the Western troops, -and even applied for the "New England Division." It was with some -difficulty that, appealing to the President, and reminding him of his -promise, Butler was able to carry out the design for which the troops -had been raised. - -We sailed from Old Point on the 6th of March with the three regiments -I have named. We numbered three thousand souls in all on board. -If any thing were wanting at this day to prove the efficacy of -vaccination, our experience on board that ship is sufficient. We took -from the hospital a man who had been ill with the small-pox. He was -supposed to be cured. Two days out, his disease broke out again. The -men among whom he lay were packed as close as herring in a barrel, -yet but one took the disease. They had all been vaccinated within -sixty days. I commend this fact to the attention of those parish -authorities in England who still obstinately refuse to enforce the -Vaccination Act. - -Five days brought us, in perfect health, to Ship Island. Here was -another Hatteras, with a milder climate, and no "black drink;" a -low, sandy island in the Gulf, off Mobile. This part of the Gulf of -Mexico was discovered and settled by the French. They landed on Ship -Island, and called it "L'Isle des Chats," from the large number of -raccoons they found there. Not being personally acquainted with that -typical American, they took him for a species of cat, and named the -island accordingly. From Ship Island and the adjacent coast, which -they settled, the French entered Lake Borgne and Lake Pontchartrain, -and so up the Amite River in their boats. They dragged their boats -across the short distance which separates the upper waters of the -Amite from the Mississippi, embarked upon the "Father of Waters," -and sailed down the stream. Here they played a trick upon John Bull; -for, meeting an English fleet coming up, the first vessels that ever -entered the mouths of the Mississippi, they boarded them, claimed -to be prior discoverers, and averred that they had left their ships -above. There existed in those days an understanding among maritime -nations that one should not interfere with the prior discoveries of -another. The English thereupon turned, and the spot, a short distance -below New Orleans, is to this day called "English Turn." - -We remained at the "Isle of Cats" about six weeks--the life -monotonous enough. The beach offered a great variety of shell-fish, -devil-fish, horse-shoes, and sea-horses. An odd thing was the -abundance of fresh, pure water. Dig a hole two feet deep anywhere in -the sand on that low island, rising scarcely five feet above the sea, -and in two hours it was filled with fresh water. After using it a -week, it became brackish; when all it was necessary to do was to dig -another hole. - -When on Ship Island, I witnessed a curious freak of lightning. One -night we had a terrible thunderstorm, such as one sees only in those -southern latitudes. In a large circular tent, used as a guard-tent, -eight prisoners were lying asleep, side by side. The sentry stood -leaning against the tent-pole, the butt of the musket on the ground, -the bayonet against his shoulder. The lightning struck the tent-pole, -leaped to the bayonet, followed down the barrel, tearing the stock to -splinters, but only slightly stunning the sentry. Thence it passed -along the ground, struck the first prisoner, killing him; passed -through the six inside men without injury to them; and off by the -eighth man, killing him. - -Finally, the expedition was complete. Stores, guns, horses, all -had arrived. Butler became impatient for the action of the navy. -He went to the South-west Pass, where Farragut's fleet was lying, -and urged his advance. Farragut replied that he had no coal. Butler -answered that he would give him what he wanted, and sent him fifteen -hundred tons. He had had the foresight to ballast his sailing ships -with coal, and so had an ample supply. A week passed, and still the -ships did not ascend the river. Again Butler went to the Pass, and -again Farragut said that he had not coal enough--that once past -the forts, he might be detained on the river, and that it would be -madness to make the attempt unless every ship were filled up with -coal. Once again Butler came to his aid, and gave him three thousand -tons. We were naturally surprised that so vital an expedition should -be neglected by the Navy Department. The opinion was pretty general -among us that the expedition was not a favorite with the Department, -and that they did not anticipate any great success from it. They -were quite as surprised as the rest of the world when Farragut -accomplished his great feat. - -At length all was ready. The troops were embarked, and lay off the -mouth of the river, waiting for the action of the fleet. Farragut, -after an idle bombardment of three days by the mortar-boats, which -he told us he had no confidence in, but which he submitted to in -deference to the opinions of the Department and of Porter (the firing -ceased, by-the-way, when it had set fire to the wooden barracks in -Fort Jackson, and might have done some good if continued), burst -through the defenses, silenced the forts, and ascended the river. -It is not my province to describe this remarkable exploit. Its -effect was magical. An exaggerated idea prevailed at that time of -the immense superiority of land batteries over ships. One gun on -shore, it was said, was equal to a whole ship's battery. The very -small results obtained by the united English and French fleets during -the Crimean war were quoted in proof. Those magnificent squadrons -effected scarcely any thing, for the capture of Bomarsund was child's -play to them. The English naval officers, proud of their service and -its glorious history, were delighted to find that, when daringly -led, ships could still do something against land batteries, and all -England rang with Farragut's exploit. - -The part played by the army in this affair was minor, but still -important. Our engineer officers, who had assisted in building forts -St. Philip and Jackson, knew the ground well. Under their guidance we -embarked, first in light-draught gun-boats, then in barges, and made -our way through the shallow waters of the Gulf, and up the bayou, -till we landed at Quarantine, between Fort St. Philip and the city, -cutting off all communication between them. As, in the stillness of -an April evening, we made our slow way up the bayou amidst a tropical -vegetation, festoons of moss hanging from the trees and drooping -into the water, with the chance of being fired on at any moment from -the dark swamp on either side, the effect upon the imagination was -striking, and the scene one not easily forgotten. - -Farragut had passed up the river, but the forts still held out, -and the great body of the troops was below them. When, however, -they found themselves cut off from any chance of succor, the men -in Fort St. Philip mutinied, tied their officers to the guns, and -surrendered. Fort Jackson followed the example. No doubt our turning -movement had hastened their surrender by some days. I once suggested -to Butler that we had hastened it by a week. "A month, a month, sir," -he replied. - -It was here they told us that the United States flag had been hauled -down from the Mint by a mob headed by that scoundrel Mumford, and -dragged through the mud. I heard Butler swear by all that was sacred, -that if he caught Mumford, and did not hang him, might he be hanged -himself. He caught him, and he kept his oath. There never was a wiser -act. It quieted New Orleans like a charm. The mob, who had assembled -at the gallows fully expecting to hear a pardon read at the last -moment, and prepared to create a riot if he were pardoned, slunk home -like whipped curs. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - New Orleans.--Custom-house.--Union Prisoners.--The Calaboose. - --"Them Lincolnites."--The St. Charles.--"Grape-vine Telegraph." - --New Orleans Shop-keepers.--Butler and Soulé.--The Fourth - Wisconsin.--A New Orleans Mob.--Yellow Fever. - - -On the evening of the 1st of May, 1862, the leading transports -anchored off the city. Butler sent for Williams, and ordered him to -land at once. Williams, like the thorough soldier he was, proposed -to wait till morning, when he would have daylight for the movement, -and when the other transports, with our most reliable troops, would -be up. "No, sir," said Butler, "this is the 1st of May, and on this -day we must occupy New Orleans, and the first regiment to land must -be a Massachusetts regiment." So the orders were issued, and in half -an hour the Thirty-first Massachusetts Volunteers and the Sixth -Massachusetts Battery set foot in New Orleans. - -As we commenced our march, Williams saw the steamer _Diana_ coming up -with six companies of the Fourth Wisconsin. He ordered a halt, and -sent me with instructions for them to land at once, and fall into -the rear of the column. I passed through the mob without difficulty, -gave the orders, and we resumed our march. The general had directed -that our route should be along the levee, where our right was -protected by the gun-boats. Presently we found that the head of the -column was turning up Julia Street. Williams sent to know why the -change had been made. The answer came back that Butler was there, and -had given orders to pass in front of the St. Charles Hotel, while the -band played "Yankee Doodle," and "Picayune Butler's come to Town," -if they knew it. They did not know it, unfortunately, so we had one -unbroken strain of the martial air of "Yankee Doodle" all the way. - -Arrived at the Custom-house late in the evening, we found the doors -closed and locked. Williams said to me, "What would you do?" "Break -the doors open," I replied. The general, who could not easily get -rid of his old, regular-army habits, ordered "Sappers and miners to -the front." No doubt the sappers and miners thus invoked would have -speedily appeared had we had any, but two volunteer regiments and a -battery of light artillery were the extent of our force that night. I -turned to the adjutant of the Fourth Wisconsin, and asked if he had -any axes in his regiment. He at once ordered up two or three men. We -found the weakest-looking door, and attacked it. As we were battering -it in, the major of the Thirty-first came up, and took an axe from -one of the men. Inserting the edge in the crack near the lock, he -pried it gently, and the door flew open. I said, "Major, you seem -to understand this sort of thing." He replied, "Oh! this isn't the -first door I have broken open, by a long shot. I was once foreman of -a fire-company in Buffalo." - -We entered the building with great caution, for the report had -been spread that it was mined. The men of the Fourth Wisconsin had -candles in their knapsacks; they always had every thing, those -fellows! We soon found the meter, turned the gas on, and then -proceeded to make ourselves comfortable for the night. I established -myself in the postmaster's private room--the Post-office was in the -Custom-house--with his table for my bed, and a package of rebel -documents for a pillow. I do not remember what my dreams were that -night. We took the letters from the boxes to preserve them, and piled -them in a corner of my room. They were all subsequently delivered to -their respective addresses. - -Pretty well tired out with the labor and excitement of the day, I -was just making myself tolerably comfortable for the night, when -the officer of the day reported that a woman urgently desired to -see the general on a matter of life or death. She was admitted. She -told us that her husband was a Union man, that he had been arrested -that day and committed to the "Calaboose," and that his life was in -danger. The general said to her, "My good woman, I will see to it -in the morning." "Oh, sir," she replied, "in the morning he will be -dead! They will poison him." We did not believe much in the poison -story, but it was evident that she did. Williams turned to me, -and said, "Captain, have you a mind to look into this?" Of course -I was ready, and ordering out a company of the Fourth Wisconsin, -and asking Major Boardman, a daring officer of that regiment, to -accompany me, I started for the Calaboose, guided by the woman. The -streets were utterly deserted. Nothing was heard but the measured -tramp of the troops as we marched along. Arrived at the Calaboose, I -ordered the man I was in search of to be brought out. I questioned -him, questioned the clerk and the jailer, became satisfied that he -was arrested for political reasons alone, ordered his release, and -took him with me to the Custom-house, for he was afraid to return -home. Being on the spot, it occurred to me that it would be as well -to see if there were other political prisoners in the prison. I had -the books brought, and examined the entries. At last I thought I had -discovered another victim. The entry read, "Committed as a suspicious -character, and for holding communication with Picayune Butler's -troops." I ordered the man before me. The jailer took down a huge -bunch of keys, and I heard door after door creaking on its hinges. At -last the man was brought out. I think I never saw a more villainous -countenance. I asked him what he was committed for? He evidently did -not recognize the Federal uniform, but took me for a Confederate -officer, and replied that he was arrested for talking to "them -Lincolnites." I told the jailer that I did not want that man--that he -might lock him up again. - -Having commenced the search for political prisoners, I thought it -well to make thorough work of it; so I inquired if there were other -prisons in the city. There was one in the French quarter, nearly two -miles off; so we pursued our weary and solitary tramp through the -city. My men evidently did not relish it. The prison was quiet, -locked up for the night. We hammered away at the door till we got -the officers up; went in, examined the books, found no entries of -commitments except for crime; put the officers on their written oaths -that no one was confined there except for crime; and so returned to -our Post-office beds. - -The next day was a busy one. Early in the morning I went to the -St. Charles Hotel to make arrangements for lodging the general -and his staff. With some difficulty I got in. In the rotunda of -that fine building sat about a dozen rebels, looking as black as a -thunder-cloud. I inquired for the proprietor or clerk in charge, and -a young man stepped forward: "Impossible to accommodate us; hotel -closed; no servants in the house." I said, "At all events, I will -see your rooms." Going into one of them, he closed the door and -whispered, "It would be as much as my life is worth, sir, to offer to -accommodate you here. I saw a man knifed on Canal Street yesterday -for asking a naval officer the time of day. But if you choose to -send troops and open the hotel by force, why, we will do our best to -make you comfortable." Returning to the rotunda, I found Lieutenant -Biddle, who had accompanied me--one of the general's aids--engaged -in a hot discussion with our rebel friends. I asked him "What use in -discussing these matters?" and, turning to the rebs, with appropriate -gesture said, "We've got you, and we mean to hold you." "That's the -talk," they replied; "we understand _that_." They told us that the -rebel army was in sight of Washington, and that John Magruder's guns -commanded the Capitol. Why they picked out Magruder particularly, -I can not say. This news had come by telegraph. We used to call -the rebel telegraphic lines "the grapevine telegraph," for their -telegrams were generally circulated with the bottle after dinner. - -The shop-keepers in New Orleans, when we first landed there, were -generally of the opinion of my friend the hotel-clerk. A naval -officer came to us one morning at the Custom-house, and said that -the commodore wanted a map of the river; that he had seen the very -thing, but that the shop-keeper refused to sell it, intimating, -however, that if he were compelled to sell it, why then, of course, -he couldn't help himself. We ordered out a sergeant and ten men. The -officer got his map, and paid for it. - -But Butler was not the man to be thwarted in this way. Finding this -_parti pris_ on the part of the shop-keepers, he issued an order -that all shops must be opened on a certain day, or that he should -put soldiers in, and sell the goods for account "of whom it might -concern." On the day appointed they were all opened. So, too, with -the newspapers. They refused to print his proclamation. An order -came to us to detail half a dozen printers, and send them under -a staff officer to the office of the _True Delta_, and print the -proclamation. We soon found the men. From a telegraph-operator to -a printer, bakers, engine-drivers, carpenters, and coopers, we had -representatives of all the trades. This was in the early days of the -war. Afterward the men were of an inferior class. The proclamation -was printed, and the men then amused themselves by getting out the -paper. Next morning it appeared as usual; this was enough. The editor -soon came to terms, and the other journals followed suit. - -On the 2d of May Butler landed and took quarters at the St. Charles. -There has been much idle gossip about attempts to assassinate him, -and his fears of it. In regard to the latter, he landed in New -Orleans, and drove a mile to his hotel, with one staff officer, and -one armed orderly only on the box. When his wife arrived in the city, -he rode with one orderly to the levee, and there, surrounded by the -crowd, awaited her landing. As regards the former, we never heard of -any well-authenticated attempt to assassinate him, and I doubt if any -was ever made. - -That afternoon Butler summoned the municipal authorities before -him to treat of the formal surrender of the city. They came to -the St. Charles, accompanied by Pierre Soulé as their counsel. -A mob collected about the hotel, and became turbulent. Butler -was unprotected, and sent to the Custom-house for a company of -"Massachusetts" troops. The only Massachusetts troops there were -the Thirty-first, a newly raised regiment. They afterward became -excellent soldiers, but at that time they were very young and very -green. It so happened, too, that the only company available was -composed of the youngest men of the regiment. They were ordered out. -The officer in charge did not know the way to the St. Charles. No -guide was at hand, so I volunteered to accompany them. We drew the -troops up on Common Street, and I entered the hotel to report them -to Butler. I found him engaged in a most animated discussion with -Soulé. Both were able and eloquent men, but Butler undoubtedly got -the better of the argument. Perhaps the fact that he had thirteen -thousand bayonets to back his opinions gave point to his remarks. -Interrupting his discourse for a moment only, he said, "Draw the -men up round the hotel, sir; and if the mob make the slightest -disturbance, fire on them on the spot," and went on with the -discussion. Returning to the street, I found the mob apostrophizing -my youthful soldiers with, "Does your mother know you're out?" and -like popular wit. It struck me that the inquiry was well addressed. -I felt disposed to ask the same question. I reported the matter to -Williams, and he thought that it would be well to counteract the -effect. That evening he sent the band of the Fourth Wisconsin to play -in front of the St. Charles, with the whole regiment, tall, stalwart -fellows, as an escort. In a few minutes the mob had slunk away. An -officer heard one _gamin_ say to another, "Those are Western men, and -they say they _do_ fight like h----." One of the officers told me -that his men's fingers itched to fire. - -I suppose that all mobs are alike, but certainly the New Orleans -mob was as cowardly as it was brutal. When we first occupied the -Custom-house, they collected about us, and annoyed our sentries -seriously. The orders were to take no notice of what was said, but -to permit no overt act. I was sitting one day in my office, the -general out, when Captain Bailey, the officer who distinguished -himself so much afterward in building the Red River dam--and a -gallant fellow he was--rushed in, and said, "Are we to stand this?" -I said, "What's the matter, Bailey?" He replied that "One of those -d----d scoundrels has taken his quid from his mouth, and thrown it -into the sentry's face." I said, "No; I don't think that we are to -stand that: that seems to me an 'overt act.' Arrest him." Bailey -rushed out, called to the guard to follow him, and, jumping into -the crowd, seized the fellow by the collar, and jerked him into the -lines. The guard came up and secured him. The mob fell back and -scattered, and never troubled us from that day. The fellow went -literally down upon his knees, and begged to be let off. We kept him -locked up that night, and the next day discharged him. He laid it all -to bad whisky. - -As the course of this narrative will soon carry the writer from New -Orleans into the interior, he takes this opportunity to say that he -has often been assured by the rebel inhabitants, men and women of -position and character, that never had New Orleans been so well -governed, so clean, so orderly, and so healthy, as it was under -Butler. He soon got rid of the "Plug-uglies" and other ruffian bands: -some he sent to Fort Jackson, and others into the Confederacy. There -was no yellow fever in New Orleans while we held it, showing as -plainly as possible that its prevalence or its absence is simply a -question of quarantine. (Butler had sworn he would hang the health -officer if the fever got up.) Before we arrived there, the "back -door," as it was called--the lake entrance to the city--was always -open, and for five hundred dollars any vessel could come up. In 1861, -when our blockade commenced, and during the whole of our occupation, -yellow fever was unknown. In 1866 we turned the city over to the -civil authorities. That autumn there were a few straggling cases, and -the following summer the fever was virulent. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - Vicksburg.--River on Fire.--Baton Rouge.--Start again for Vicksburg. - --The _Hartford_.--The Canal.--Farragut.--Captain Craven.--The - _Arkansas_.--Major Boardman.--The _Arkansas_ runs the - Gauntlet.--Malaria. - - -Admiral Farragut was anxious, after the capture of New Orleans, to -proceed at once against Mobile. I heard him say that, in the panic -excited by the capture of New Orleans, Mobile would fall an easy -prey. The Government, however, for political as well as military -reasons, was anxious to open the Mississippi. Farragut was ordered -against Vicksburg, and Williams, with two regiments and a battery, -was sent to accompany and support him. When one reflects upon the -great strength of Vicksburg, and the immense resources it afterward -took to capture it, it seems rather absurd to have sent us against it -with two regiments and a battery. The excursion, however, if it is to -be looked upon in this light, was delightful. We had two fine river -boats. The plantations along the banks were in the highest state -of cultivation; the young cane, a few inches above the ground, of -the most lovely green. Indeed, I know no more beautiful green than -that of the young sugar-cane. Our flag had not been seen in those -parts for over a year, and the joy of the negroes when they had an -opportunity to exhibit it without fear of their overseers was quite -touching. The river was very high, and as we floated along we were -far above the level of the plantations, and looked down upon the -negroes at work, and into the open windows of the houses. The effect -of this to one unused to it--the water above the land--was very -striking. Natchez, a town beautifully situated on a high bluff, was -gay with the inhabitants who had turned out to see us. The ladies, -with their silk dresses and bright parasols, and the negro women, -with their gaudy colors, orange especially, which they affect so -much, and which, by-the-way, can be seen at a greater distance than -any other color I know of. - -One often hears of "setting a river on fire," metaphorically -speaking: I have seen it done literally. The Confederate authorities -had issued orders to burn the cotton along the banks to prevent its -falling into our hands. But as the patriotism of the owners naturally -enough needed stimulating, vigilance committees were organized, -generally of those planters whose cotton was safe at a distance. -These men preceded us as we ascended the river; and burned their -neighbors' cotton with relentless patriotism. The burning material -was thrown into the stream, and floated on the surface a long time -before it was extinguished. At night it was a very beautiful sight -to see the apparently flaming water. We had to exercise some care to -steer clear of the burning masses. - -Arrived opposite Vicksburg, we boarded the flag-ship to consult -for combined operations. We found Farragut holding a council of -his captains, considering the feasibility of passing the batteries -of Vicksburg as he had passed the forts. We apologized for our -intrusion, and were about to withdraw, when he begged us to stay, -and, turning to Williams, he said, "General, my officers oppose my -running by Vicksburg as impracticable. Only one supports me. So I -must give it up for the present. In ten days they will all be of my -opinion; and then the difficulties will be much greater than they are -now." It turned out as he had said. In a few days they were nearly -all of his opinion, and he did it. - -But we found no dry place for the soles of our feet. "The water was -down," as the Scotchmen say (down from the hills), and the whole -Louisiana side of the river was flooded. It would have been madness -to land on the Vicksburg side with two regiments only. Nothing could -be done, and we returned to Baton Rouge, where, finding a healthy -and important position, a United States arsenal, and Union men who -claimed our protection, Williams determined to remain and await -orders. - -Here cotton was offered us, delivered on the levee, at three cents a -pound. It was selling at one dollar in New York. I spoke to Williams -about it, and he said that there was no law against any officer -speculating in cotton or other products of the country (one was -subsequently passed), but that he would not have any thing to do -with it, and advised me not to. I followed his advice and example. A -subsequent post-commander did not. He made eighty thousand dollars -out of cotton, and then went home and was made a brigadier-general; I -never knew why. - -But the Government was determined to open the river at all hazards. -Farragut was re-enforced. Butler was ordered to send all the troops -he could spare. Davis was ordered down with the Upper Mississippi -fleet. Early in June we started again for Vicksburg, with six -regiments and two batteries. It was a martial and beautiful sight -to see the long line of gun-boats and transports following each -other in Indian file at regular intervals. Navy and army boats -combined, we numbered about twenty sail--if I may apply that word -to steamers. On our way up, the flag-ship, the famous _Hartford_, -was nearly lost. She grounded on a bank in the middle of the river, -and with a falling stream. Of course there was the usual talk about -a rebel pilot; but no vessel with the draught of the _Hartford_, a -sloop-of-war, had ever before ventured to ascend above New Orleans. -The navy worked hard all the afternoon to release her, but in vain. -The hawsers parted like pack-thread. I was on board when a grizzled -quartermaster, the very type of an old man-of-warsman, came up to the -commodore on the quarter-deck, and, pulling his forelock, reported -that there was a six-inch hawser in the hold. Farragut ordered it up -at once. Two of our army transports, the most powerful, were lashed -together, the hawser passed round them, and slackened. They then -started with a jerk. The _Hartford_ set her machinery in motion, the -gun-boat lashed along-side started hers, and the old ship came off, -and was swept down with the current. It required some seamanship to -disentangle all these vessels. - -We found that the waters had subsided since our last visit to -Vicksburg, and so landed at Young's Point, opposite the town. -Some years previously there had been a dispute between the State -authorities of Louisiana and of Mississippi, and the Legislature of -the former had taken steps to turn the river, and cut off Vicksburg -by digging a canal across the peninsula opposite. This we knew, and -decided to renew the attempt. We soon found traces of the engineers' -work. The trees were cut down in a straight line across the Point. -Here we set to work. Troops were sent to the different plantations -both up and down the river, and the negroes pressed into the service. -It was curious to observe the difference of opinion among the old -river captains as to the feasibility of our plan. Some were sure -that the river would run through the cut; others swore that it would -not, and could not be made to. The matter was soon settled by the -river itself; for it suddenly rose one night, filled up our ditch, -undermined the banks, and in a few hours destroyed our labor of days. -A somewhat careful observation of the Mississippi since has satisfied -me that if a canal be cut where the stream impinges upon the bank, -it will take to it as naturally as a duck does to water. But when the -current strikes the opposite bank, as it does at Young's Point, you -can not force it from its course. Had we attempted our canal some -miles farther up, where the current strikes the right bank, we should -have succeeded. Grant, the next year, renewed our ditch-digging -experiment in the same place, and with infinitely greater resources, -but with no better success. - -Farragut had now made his preparations to run by the batteries. He -divided his squadron into three divisions, accompanying the second -division himself. The third was under command of Captain Craven, -of the _Brooklyn_. We stationed Nim's light battery--and a good -battery it was--on the point directly opposite Vicksburg, to assist -in silencing the fire of one of the most powerful of the shore -batteries. Very early in the morning Farragut got under way; two -of his divisions passed, completely silencing the rebel batteries. -The third division did not attempt the passage. This led to an -angry correspondence between the commodore and Craven, and resulted -in Craven's being relieved, and ordered to report to Washington. -There was a great difference of opinion among naval officers as to -Craven's conduct. He was as brave an officer as lived. He contended -that it was then broad daylight, that the gunners on shore had -returned to their guns, and that his feeble squadron would have been -exposed to the whole fire of the enemy, without any adequate object -to be gained in return. Farragut replied that his orders were to -pass, and that he should have done it at all hazards. - -And now an incident occurred which mortified the commodore deeply. -His powerful fleet, re-enforced by Davis, lay above Vicksburg. The -weather was intensely hot, and the commodore, contrary to his own -judgment, as he told Williams, but on the urgent request of his -officers, had permitted the fires to be extinguished. Early one -morning we had sent a steamboat with a party up the river to press -negroes into our canal work. Suddenly a powerful iron-clad, flying -the Confederate colors, appeared coming out of the Yazoo River. There -was nothing for our unarmed little boat to do but to run for it. The -_Arkansas_ opened from her bow-guns, and the first shell, falling -among the men drawn up on deck, killed the captain of the company, -and killed or wounded ten men. It is so rarely that a shell commits -such havoc, that I mention it as an uncommon occurrence. - -The firing attracted the attention of the fleet, and they beat to -quarters. But there was no time to get up steam. The _Arkansas_ -passed through them all almost unscathed, receiving and returning -their fire. The shells broke against her iron sides without -inflicting injury. The only hurt she received was from the -_Richmond_. Alden kept his guns loaded with powder only, prepared -to use shell or shot as circumstances might require. He loaded with -solid shot, and gave her a broadside as she passed. This did her some -damage, but nothing serious. - -In the mean time the alarm was given to the transports. Farragut had -sent us an officer to say that the _Arkansas_ was coming, that he -should stop her if he could, but that he feared that he could not. -The troops were got under arms, and our two batteries ordered to the -levee. A staff officer said to General Williams, "General, don't let -us be caught here like rats in a trap; let us attempt something, even -if we fail." "What would you do?" said the general. "Take the _Laurel -Hill_, put some picked men on board of her, and let us ram the rebel. -We may not sink her, but we may disable or delay her, and help the -gun-boats to capture her." "A good idea," said the general; "send for -Major Boardman." Boardman, the daring officer to whom I have before -referred, had been brought up as a midshipman. He was known in China -as the "American devil," from a wild exploit there in scaling the -walls of Canton one dark night when the gates were closed; climbing -them with the help of his dagger only, making holes in the masonry -for his hands and feet. He was afterward killed by guerrillas, having -become colonel of his regiment. Boardman came; the _Laurel Hill_ -was cleared; twenty volunteers from the Fourth Wisconsin were put -on board, and steam got up. The captain refused to go, and another -transport captain was put in command. We should have attempted -something, perhaps failed; but I think one or other of us would have -been sunk. But our preparations were all in vain. The _Arkansas_ had -had enough of it for that day. She rounded to, and took refuge under -the guns of Vicksburg. - -Reporting this incident to Butler subsequently, he said, "You would -have sunk her, sir; you would have sunk her." - -Farragut, as I have said, was deeply mortified. He gave orders at -once to get up steam, and prepared to run the batteries again, -determined to destroy the rebel ram at all hazards. He had resolved -to ram her with the _Hartford_ as she lay under the guns of -Vicksburg. It was with great difficulty he was dissuaded from doing -so, and only upon the promise of Alden that he would do it for him in -the _Richmond_. Farragut, in his impulsive way, seized Alden's hand, -"Will you do this for me, Alden? will you do it?" The rapidity of the -current, the unusual darkness of the night, and the absence of lights -on the _Arkansas_ and on shore, prevented the execution of the plan. -To finish with the _Arkansas_, she afterward came down the river to -assist in the attack on Baton Rouge. Part of her machinery gave out; -she turned and attempted to return to Vicksburg, was pursued by our -gun-boats, run ashore, abandoned, and burned. - -The rebels never had any luck with their gun-boats. They always came -to grief. They were badly built, badly manned, or badly commanded. -The _Louisiana_, the _Arkansas_, the _Manassas_, the _Tennessee_, the -_Albemarle_--great things were expected of them all, and they did -nothing. - -But we were as far from the capture of Vicksburg as ever. Fever -attacked our men in those fatal swamps, and they became thoroughly -discouraged. The sick-list was fearful. Of a battery of eighty men, -twenty only were fit for duty. The Western troops, and they were our -best, were homesick. Lying upon the banks of the Mississippi, with -transports above Vicksburg convenient for embarkation, they longed -for home. The colonels came to Williams, and suggested a retreat _up_ -the river, to join Halleck's command. Williams held a council of war. -He asked me to attend it. The colonels gave their opinions, some in -favor of, and others against, the proposed retreat. When it came to -my turn, I spoke strongly against it. I urged that we had no _right_ -to abandon our comrades at New Orleans; that it might lead to the -recapture of that city; that if our transports were destroyed, we -should at least attempt to get back by land. I do not suppose that -Williams ever entertained the least idea of retreating up the river, -but thought it due to his officers to hear what they had to say in -favor of it. The plan was abandoned. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - Sickness.--Battle of Baton Rouge.--Death of Williams.--"Fix - Bayonets!"--Thomas Williams.--His Body.--General T. W. Sherman. - --Butler relieved.--General Orders, No. 10.--Mr. Adams and Lord - Palmerston.--Butler's Style. - - -Of the events which immediately followed the council of war referred -to in the last chapter, the writer knows only by report. He was -prostrated with fever, taken to a house on shore, moved back to -head-quarters boat, put on board a gun-boat, and sent to New Orleans. -Farragut, with his usual kindness, offered to take him on board -the _Hartford_, give him the fleet-captain's cabin, and have the -fleet-surgeon attend him. But Williams declined the offer. Farragut -then offered to send him to New Orleans in a gun-boat. This Williams -accepted. The writer was taken to New Orleans, sent to military -hospital, an assistant-surgeon's room given up to him, and every care -lavished upon him; for one of Williams's staff--poor De Kay--wounded -in a skirmish, had died in hospital. Butler had conceived the -idea--erroneous, I am sure--that he had been neglected by the -surgeons. When I was brought down he sent them word that if another -of Williams's staff died there, they would hear from him. I did not -die. - -Meantime, unable to effect any thing against Vicksburg, with more -than half his men on the sick-list, Williams returned to Baton -Rouge. The rebel authorities, with spies everywhere, heard of the -condition of our forces, and determined to attack them. Early one -foggy morning twelve thousand men, under Breckenridge, attacked our -three or four thousand men fit for duty. But they did not catch -Williams napping. He had heard of the intended movement, and was -prepared to meet it. Our forces increased, too, like magic. Sick -men in hospital, who thought that they could not stir hand or foot, -found themselves wonderfully better the moment there was a prospect -of a fight. Happily a thick mist prevailed. Happily, too, they first -attacked the Twenty-first Indiana, one of our stanchest regiments, -holding the centre of the position. This fine regiment was armed -with breech-loaders, the only ones in the Gulf. Lying on the ground, -they could see the legs of the rebels below the mist, and fire -with a steady aim upon them, themselves unseen. On the right the -Thirtieth Massachusetts was engaged, but not hotly. The left was but -slightly pressed. Williams had carefully reconnoitred the ground the -afternoon before, and marked out his different positions. As the -battle progressed, he fell back upon his second position, contracting -his lines. As it grew hotter, he issued orders to fall back upon the -third position. As he gave the order, the lieutenant-colonel of the -Twenty-first, Colonel Keith, as plucky a little fellow as lived, came -to him and said, "For God's sake, general, don't order us to fall -back! We'll hold this position against the whole d--d rebel army." -"Do your men feel that way, colonel?" replied Williams; and turning -to the regiment, he said, "Fix bayonets!" As he uttered these words, -he was shot through the heart. The men fixed bayonets, charged, and -the rebels gave way. But there was no one competent to take command. -The Fourth Wisconsin, on our left, waited in vain for the orders -Williams had promised them, eager to advance, for he had meant that -this regiment should take the rebels in flank. The victory was won, -but its fruits were not gathered. - -I think that grander words were never uttered by a commander on the -field of battle as he received his death-wound than these words of -Williams's. "Fix bayonets!" means business, and in this instance they -meant victory. - -Thomas Williams was a noble fellow. Had he lived, he would have been -one of the great generals of our war. Butler told the writer that, -had Williams survived Baton Rouge, it was his intention to have -turned over the whole military command to him, and confined himself -to civil matters. The "General Order" he issued on Williams's death -is a model of classic and pathetic English. It is quoted as such by -Richard Grant White in his "Miscellany." I give it entire, for it can -not be too widely circulated, both on account of its style and its -subject. - - "Head-quarters, Department of the Gulf, - "New Orleans, August 7th, 1862. - - "GENERAL ORDERS, No. 56: - - "The commanding general announces to the Army of the Gulf the - sad event of the death of Brigadier-general Thomas Williams, - commanding Second Brigade, in camp at Baton Rouge. - - "The victorious achievement, the repulse of the division of - Major-general Breckenridge by the troops led on by General - Williams, and the destruction of the mail-clad _Arkansas_ by - Captain Porter, of the navy, is made sorrowful by the fall of - our brave, gallant, and successful fellow-soldier. - - "General Williams graduated at West Point in 1837; at once - joined the Fourth Artillery in Florida, where he served with - distinction; was thrice breveted for gallant and meritorious - services in Mexico as a member of General Scott's staff. His - life was that of a soldier devoted to his country's service. His - country mourns in sympathy with his wife and children, now that - country's care and precious charge. - - "We, his companions in arms, who had learned to love him, weep - the true friend, the gallant gentleman, the brave soldier, the - accomplished officer, the pure patriot and victorious hero, and - the devoted Christian. All, and more, went out when Williams - died. By a singular felicity, the manner of his death illustrated - each of these generous qualities. - - "The chivalric American gentleman, he gave up the vantage of the - cover of the houses of the city, forming his lines in the open - field, lest the women and children of his enemies should be hurt - in the fight. - - "A good general, he made his dispositions and prepared for battle - at the break of day, when he met his foe! - - "A brave soldier, he received the death-shot leading his men! - - "A patriot hero, he was fighting the battle of his country, and - died as went up the cheer of victory! - - "A Christian, he sleeps in the hope of a blessed Redeemer! - - "His virtues we can not exceed; his example we may emulate, and, - mourning his death, we pray, 'May our last end be like his.' - - "The customary tribute of mourning will be worn by the officers - in the department. - - "By command of Major-general BUTLER. - - "R. T. DAVIS, Captain and A. A. A. G." - -Williams was an original thinker. He had some rather striking ideas -about the male portion of the human race. He held that all men -were by nature cruel, barbarous, and coarse, and were only kept in -order by the influence of women--their wives, mothers, and sisters. -"Look at those men," he would say. "At home they are respectable, -law-abiding citizens. It's the women who make them so. Here they rob -hen-roosts, and do things they would be ashamed to do at home. There -is but one thing will take the place of their women's influence, and -that is discipline; and I'll give them enough of it." I used to think -his views greatly exaggerated, but I came to be very much of his -opinion before the war was over. - -A curious thing happened to his body. It was sent down in a transport -with wounded soldiers. She came in collision with the gun-boat -_Oneida_ coming up, and was sunk. Various accounts were given of -the collision. It was of course reported that the rebel pilot of -the transport had intentionally run into the gun-boat. I think this -improbable, for I have observed that rebel pilots value their lives -as much as other people. Captain (afterward Admiral) Lee lay by the -wreck, and picked up the wounded: none were lost. Shortly afterward -Gun-boat No. 1, commanded by Crosby, a great friend of Williams, came -up. Lee transferred the men to her, ordered her to New Orleans, and -himself proceeded to Baton Rouge. Crosby heard that Williams's body -was on board. He spent several hours in searching for it, but without -success. He reluctantly concluded to abandon the search. Some hours -later in the day, and several miles from the scene of the disaster, -a piece of the wreck was seen floating down the current, with a box -upon it. A boat was lowered, and the box was picked up. It turned out -to be the coffin containing the body. His portmanteau too floated -ashore, fell into honest hands, and was returned to me by a gentleman -of the coast. - -It had been General Butler's intention, on my recovery, to give me -command of the Second Louisiana, a regiment he was raising in New -Orleans, mostly from disbanded and rebel soldiers. My recovery was -so long delayed, however, that he was compelled to fill the vacancy -otherwise. Shortly afterward General T. W. Sherman was ordered to -New Orleans, and I was assigned to duty on his staff. He was sent -to Carondelet to take charge of the post at the Parapet, and of all -the northern approaches to New Orleans. This was done under orders -from Washington; but of this Sherman was not aware, for no copy of -the orders had been sent him. He never knew to what an important -command it was the intention of the Government to assign him till -some years later, when the writer, having become Adjutant-general of -the Department of the Gulf, found the orders in the archives of the -Department. - -But the days of Butler's command were brought to a close. Banks -arrived with re-enforcements, and exhibited his orders to take -command of the Department. No one was more surprised than Butler. -He had supposed that Banks's expedition was directed against Texas. -His recall seemed ungrateful on the part of the Government, for it -was to him that the capture of New Orleans at that early date was -principally due. It is probable that the consuls in that city had -complained of him, and our Government, thinking it all-important to -give no cause of complaint to foreign governments, Great Britain and -France especially, recalled him. - -As General Butler will not again appear in these pages, I can not -close this part of my narrative without endeavoring to do him justice -in regard to one or two points on which he has been attacked. The -silver-spoon story is simply absurd. Butler confiscated and used -certain table-silver. When Banks relieved him, he turned it over -to him. When a howl was made about it toward the close of the war, -and the Government referred the papers to Butler, for a report, he -simply forwarded a copy of Banks's quartermaster's receipt. I was -amused once at hearing that inimitable lecturer, Artemus Ward, get -off a joke upon this subject in New Orleans. He was describing the -Mormons, and a tea-party at Brigham Young's, and said that Brigham -Young probably had a larger tea-service than any one in the world, -"except," said he, and then paused as if to reflect--"except, -perhaps, General Butler." Imagine the effect upon a New Orleans -audience. It is perhaps needless to observe that Butler was not at -that time in command. - -The only charge against Butler which was never thoroughly disproved -was that he permitted those about him to speculate, to the neglect -of their duties and to the injury of our cause and good name. He -must have been aware of these speculations, and have shut his eyes -to them. But that he himself profited pecuniarily by them, I do not -believe. - -The famous General Orders, No. 10, "The Woman's Order," was issued -while I was in New Orleans, and excited much and unfavorable comment. -Butler ordered that ladies insulting United States officers should -be treated "as women of the town plying their trade." Strong, his -adjutant-general, remonstrated, and begged him to alter it. He said -that he meant simply that they should be arrested and punished -according to the municipal law of the city, _i.e._, confined for one -night and fined five dollars. Strong replied, "Why not say so, then?" -But Butler has much of the vanity of authorship. He was pleased with -the turn of the phrase, thought it happy, and refused to surrender it. - -In this connection, when in London, I heard an anecdote of Mr. Adams -and Lord Palmerston which is not generally known. It was not often -that any one got the better of old "Pam," but Mr. Adams did. When -Butler's order reached England, Lord Palmerston was the head of the -Government; Lord John Russell was Secretary of State for Foreign -Affairs. Lord Palmerston wrote to Mr. Adams to know if the order as -printed in the London papers was authentic. Mr. Adams asked if he -inquired officially or privately. Lord Palmerston replied rather -evasively. Mr. Adams insisted. Lord Palmerston answered that if -Mr. Adams must know, he begged him to understand that he inquired -officially. Mr. Adams had the correspondence carefully copied in -Moran's best handwriting, and inclosed it to Lord John with a note -inquiring, who was Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign -Affairs; was it Lord Palmerston, or was it Lord John? A quick reply -came from Lord John, asking him to do nothing further in the matter -till he heard from him again. The next day a note was received from -Lord Palmerston withdrawing the correspondence. - -I have given two specimens of Butler's style. Here is another, and -of a different character. At the request of a naval officer in high -command, Farragut applied to Butler for steamboats to tow the mortar -vessels to Vicksburg. Butler replied that he regretted that he had -none to spare. The officer answered that if Butler would prevent -his brother from sending quinine and other contraband stores into -the Confederacy, there would be boats enough. This came to Butler's -ears. He answered. After giving a list of his boats, and stating -their different employments, he proceeded substantially as follows. I -quote from memory. "Now, there are two kinds of lying. The first is -when a man deliberately states what he knows to be false. The second -is when he states what is really false, but what at the time he -believes to be true. For instance, when Captain ---- reports that the -ram _Louisiana_ came down upon his gun-boats, and a desperate fight -ensued, he stated what is in point of fact false; for the _Louisiana_ -was blown up and abandoned, and was drifting with the current, as is -proved by the report of the rebel commander, Duncan: but Captain ---- -believed it to be true, and acted accordingly; for he retreated to -the mouth of the river, leaving the transports to their fate." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - T. W. Sherman.--Contrabands.--Defenses of New Orleans.--Exchange - of Prisoners.--Amenities in War.--Port Hudson.--Reconnoissance - in Force.--The Fleet.--Our Left.--Assault of May 27th.--Sherman - wounded.--Port Hudson surrenders. - - -The autumn of 1862 passed without any special incident. Sherman -rebuilt the levees near Carrollton, repaired and shortened the -Parapet, pushed his forces to the north, and occupied and fortified -Manchac Pass. All these works were constructed by Captain Bailey, -to whom I have already alluded, and of whom I shall have much to -say hereafter; for he played a most important and conspicuous part -in the Louisiana campaigns. At Manchac he constructed a _bijou_ -of a work built of mud and clamshells. He had the most remarkable -faculty of making the negroes work. I have seen the old inhabitants -of the coast (French _côte_, bank of the river) stopping to gaze with -surprise at the "niggers" trundling their wheelbarrows filled with -earth on the double-quick. Such a sight was never before seen in -Louisiana, and probably never will be again. Sherman was the first -officer, too, to enroll the blacks, set them to work, and pay them -wages. He was no _professed_ friend of the negro, but he did more -practically for their welfare to make them useful, and save them from -vagabondage, than Phelps or any other violent abolitionist, who said -that the slaves had done enough work in their day, and so left them -in idleness, and fed them at their own tables. Every negro who came -within our lines--and there were hundreds of them--was enrolled on -the quartermaster's books, clothed, fed, and paid wages, the price of -his clothing being deducted. The men worked well. They were proud of -being paid like white men. - -Later in the season, Sherman sent out successful expeditions into the -enemy's territory. One to Ponchitoula destroyed a quantity of rebel -government stores; another, across Lake Pontchartrain, captured a -valuable steamer. Sherman employed an admirable spy, the best in the -Department. As a rule, both Butler's and Banks's spies were a poor -lot, constantly getting up cock-and-bull stories to magnify their -own importance, and thus misled their employers. Sherman's spy was a -woman. Her information always turned out to be reliable, and, what -is perhaps a little remarkable, was never exaggerated. - -Butler had now left the Department, and Banks was in command. About -this time Holly Springs was occupied by Van Dorn, and our dépôts -burned, Grant falling back. The attack upon Vicksburg, too, from -the Yazoo River had failed. Banks's spies exaggerated these checks -greatly, and reported that the enemy was in full march upon New -Orleans. There was something of a stampede among us. A new command -was created, called the "Defenses of New Orleans," and given to -Sherman. In a fortnight the face of these defenses was vastly -changed. When he took command, the city was undefended to the east -and south. In a few days the rebel works were rebuilt, guns mounted, -light batteries stationed near the works, each supported by a -regiment of infantry. New Orleans, with our gun-boats holding the -river and lake, was impregnable. - -No commanding officer in our army was more thorough in his work than -Sherman. I remember an instance of this in an exchange of prisoners -which took place under his orders. The arrangements were admirable. -We were notified that a schooner with United States soldiers on board -lay at Lakeport, on Lake Pontchartrain. Within an hour of receiving -the report I was on my way to effect the exchange. I was accompanied -by our quartermaster, to insure prompt transportation to New Orleans; -by our commissary, to see that the men were fed, for our prisoners -were always brought in with very insufficient supplies, the rebel -officers assuring us that they had not food to give them; and by our -surgeon, to give immediate medical assistance to those requiring it. -Sherman told me to give the rebel officers in charge a breakfast -or dinner, and offered to pay his share. We reached Lakeport about -sunset. I went on board at once, and made arrangements for the -exchange at six o'clock in the morning. I inquired of the men if -they had had any thing to eat. "Nothing since morning." The officer -in charge explained that they had been delayed by head-winds; but -they were always delayed by head-winds. We sent food on board that -night. At six in the morning the schooner was warped along-side of -the pier. A train was run down, a line of sentries posted across the -pier, and no stranger permitted to approach. The roll was called, -and as each man answered to his name, he stepped ashore and entered -the train. Meantime I had ordered down a breakfast from the famous -French restaurant at Lakeport; and while the necessary arrangements -were being completed by the quartermaster, we gave the Confederate -officers a breakfast. It was easy to see, from the manner in which -they attacked it, that they did not fare so sumptuously every day. -Colonel Szymanski, who commanded, an intelligent and gentlemanly -officer, asked permission to buy the remnants from the restaurant for -lunch and dinner on the return voyage. The train was now ready, the -schooner set sail, and we started for New Orleans. On our arrival, -we bought out a baker's shop and one or two orange-women. It was a -long time since the prisoners had tasted white bread. They formed, -and marched to the barracks. Before noon that day they were in -comfortable quarters, and seated at a bountiful dinner, prepared -in advance for them. This was Sherman's organization. I had an -opportunity to contrast it, not long after, with an exchange effected -under direct orders from head-quarters. The contrast was not in -Banks's favor. - -On this occasion I had gone down as a spectator, and to see if I -could be of use. I was going on board the cartel, when I was stopped -by a lady who asked me to take a young girl on board to see her -brother. Of course I was compelled to refuse. She then asked if I -would not tell her brother that she was on the end of the pier, that -they might at least see each other. This I promised to do. On board -I found a number of sailors, part of the crew of the _Mississippi_, -which had been recently lost at Port Hudson. As usual, they had had -nothing to eat since the previous evening. - -Before leaving the vessel, I inquired for Lieutenant Adams. They told -me that he was in "that boat," pointing to one, having pulled ashore, -hoping to see his sister. As I approached the shore I met his boat -returning; I stopped it, and asked him if he had seen his sister. He -had not. I told him to get in with me, and I would take him to her. -He did so, and I pulled to within a few yards of the spot where she -was standing. Scarcely a word passed between them, for both were -sobbing. We remained there about three minutes, and then pulled back. -We were all touched, officers and men, by this little display of the -home affections in the midst of war. I think it did us all good. - -General Banks was not pleased when he heard of this incident. Perhaps -it was reported to him incorrectly. But Sherman thought that I had -done right. I always found that our regular officers were more -anxious to soften the rigors of war, and to avoid all unnecessary -severity, than our volunteers. On our march through Louisiana under -Franklin, a strong provost guard preceded the column, whose duty it -was to protect persons and property from stragglers till the army -had passed. If planters in the neighborhood applied for a guard, -it was always furnished. On one occasion such a guard was captured -by guerrillas. General Franklin wrote at once to General Taylor, -protesting against the capture of these men as contrary to all the -laws of civilized warfare. Taylor promptly released them, and sent -them back to our lines. General Lee did the same in Virginia. - -And so the winter wore through, and the spring came. Banks made a -successful expedition to Alexandria, winning the battle of Irish -Bend. I am the more particular to record this, as his reputation as a -commander rests rather upon his success in retreat than in advance. -And the month of May found us before Port Hudson. - -Vicksburg is situated eight hundred miles above New Orleans. In all -this distance there are but five commanding positions, and all these -on the left or east bank of the river. It was very important to the -rebels to fortify a point below the mouth of the Red River, in order -that their boats might bring forward the immense supplies furnished -by Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. They selected Port Hudson, a -miserable little village not far below the Red River, and fortified -it strongly. Sherman had seen the importance of attacking this place -when the works were commenced, but Butler told him, very truly, that -he had not troops enough in the Department to justify the attempt. - -I think that it was the 24th of May when we closed in upon Port -Hudson. Sherman's command held the left. He had a front of three -miles, entirely too much for one division. The country was a _terra -incognita_ to us, and we had to feel our way. Of course there was -much reconnoitring to be done--exciting and interesting work--but -not particularly safe or comfortable. Sherman did much of this -himself. He had a pleasant way of riding up in full sight of the -enemy's batteries, accompanied by his staff. Here he held us while -he criticised the manner in which the enemy got his guns ready to -open on us. Presently a shell would whiz over our heads, followed by -another somewhat nearer. Sherman would then quietly remark, "They -are getting the range now: you had better scatter." As a rule we did -not wait for a second order. - -I remember his sending out a party one day to reconnoitre to our -extreme left, and connect with the fleet, which lay below Port -Hudson. We knew it was somewhere there; but how far off it lay, or -what was the character of the country between us, we did not know. A -company of cavalry reconnoitring in the morning had been driven in. -Sherman determined to make a reconnoissance in force. He sent out the -cavalry again, and supported it with a regiment of infantry. I asked -permission to accompany them. He gave it, and added, "By-the-way, -captain, when you are over there, just ride up and draw their fire, -and see where their guns are. They won't hit you." I rode up and -drew their fire, and they did not hit me; but I don't recommend the -experiment to any of my friends. - -This reconnoissance was successful. We passed through a thickly -wooded country, intersected by small streams, for about two miles, -when we emerged upon the open in full view of the works of Port -Hudson. This we had to cross, exposed to their fire. We thus gained -the road, running along the top of the bluff; and, following this, -we came in view of the fleet. Our arrival produced a sensation. They -had been looking out for us for two or three days. The men swarmed -up the rigging and on to the yards. Fifty telescopes were leveled -at us; and as we galloped down the bluff and along the levee to the -ships, cheer after cheer went up from the fleet. We went on board -the nearest gun-boat, and got some bread-and-cheese and Bass--which -tasted remarkably good, by-the-way. I staid but a little while, for I -was anxious about my men. On our homeward march the enemy opened on -us, and we lost two or three men. I felt saddened at the loss of any -men while in some measure under my command, and reported this loss -first to the general. I was much comforted when he replied, "Lose -men! of course you lost men. Reconnoissances in force always lose -men!" - -A few weeks previous to my visit to the fleet, Farragut had attempted -to run by Port Hudson, with a view to communicate with Porter at -Vicksburg, but more especially to blockade the mouth of the Red -River. This, though the least known of his great exploits, was -probably the most perilous and the least successful. But two vessels -passed the batteries--his own, the old _Hartford_, as a matter of -course, and the gun-boat that was lashed to her. Several were driven -back disabled, and that fine ship, the _Mississippi_, got aground and -was lost. The _Hartford_ and her consort, however, did good service, -preventing all rebel vessels from showing themselves upon the river -between Port Hudson and Vicksburg. - -While on board the gun-boat, I remarked to her captain that I was -surprised that General Banks did not make his assault upon our left, -where we could have the aid of the fleet, instead of on the right, as -he evidently proposed to do. The remark was repeated to Farragut, who -mentioned it to Banks. A day or two after the failure of our assault -of the 27th of May, I was surprised by a summons to head-quarters, -and still more surprised when I was asked what was my plan for -taking Port Hudson. My plan was simply to utilize our powerful fleet -instead of ignoring it. Sherman, who, after his recovery from his -wound received a few days later, visited the place after its fall, -and carefully examined the ground, told me that the assault should -undoubtedly have been made on our left, not only on account of the -fleet, but on account of the character of the ground. We afterward -erected batteries here within a very short distance of the enemy's, -and commanding them; and we dug up to their very citadel. Had another -assault been ordered, as it seemed at one time probable, it would -have been made here, and would probably have been a repetition, on -a small scale, of the affair of the Malakoff. There was another -advantage on this flank. Had we effected a lodgment even with a small -force, we could have maintained our position in the angle between -the parapet and the river until re-enforcements reached us. At the -points selected for the assault of the 27th of May--had we succeeded -in getting in--we should have found ourselves exposed to attacks in -front and on both flanks, and should probably have been driven out -again. - -The siege of Port Hudson was tedious and bloody. Banks ordered an -assault. It was made, and resulted in a miserable repulse. He was -asked why assault when the place must inevitably be starved out in a -few weeks. He replied, "The people of the North demand blood, sir." -Sherman led the assault in person, at the head of the Sixth Michigan -regiment; Bailey headed the negroes, with plank and other materials -to fill up the fosse. I had heard before of negroes turning white -from fright, and did not believe it; but it is literally true. The -men advanced within a few yards of the works, but could effect no -lodgment. There never was a more useless waste of life. Sherman lost -his leg, and his horse was killed under him; one staff officer and -his horse were killed; an orderly was killed; another staff officer -was wounded, and his horse killed; and another orderly had his horse -killed. This is a pretty bloody ten minutes' work for a general and -his staff. - -The staff officer who was wounded was Badeau, our consul-general at -London, and author of that model military history, the first volume -of the "Life of Grant." - -Fortunately, probably, for me, I had been sent with orders to -Sherman's other brigade, to support the attack by an assault on the -left. It was hot enough where I was. The shells shrieked over my -head, and a round shot rolled playfully between my horse's legs. But -it was nothing like the "hell of fire" to which Sherman was exposed. - -Sherman having been sent to New Orleans, to hospital, General William -Dwight took command of the division. After a while another assault -was made: it was as fruitless as the first. But the enemy was now -getting short of provisions. They lived mostly on Indian corn. Many -deserters came to us, mostly Louisianians, for the "Wrackensackers" -(Arkansas men) and the Texans rarely deserted. These made up the -garrison. They reported great want in the place; and, what was far -better proof--for it will not do to trust implicitly to deserters' -stories--their gums showed the want of proper food. The end was -approaching. On the 4th of July Vicksburg surrendered. Our outposts -communicated this intelligence to the rebel outposts, and chaffed -them about it. The news was reported to Gardiner. He sent a flag to -Banks to inquire if it were true. Banks replied that it was, and Port -Hudson surrendered. - -It was curious to observe the sort of _entente cordiale_ which the -soldiers on both sides established during the siege. When they were -tired of trying to pick each other off through the loop-holes, one -of them would tie a white handkerchief to his bayonet, and wave it -above the parapet. Pretty soon a handkerchief, or its equivalent--for -the rebs did not indulge in useless luxuries--would be seen waving -on the other side. This meant truce. In a moment the men would swarm -out on both sides, sitting with their legs dangling over the parapet, -chaffing each other, and sometimes with pretty rough wit. They were -as safe as if a regular flag were out. No man dared to violate this -tacit truce. If he had done so, his own comrades would have dealt -roughly with him. After a while, on one side or the other, some one -would cry out, "Get under cover now, Johnnie," or "Look out now, -Yank; we are going to fire," and the fire would recommence. - -Active military operations were now suspended, and I obtained -leave of absence. But it was revoked; for General William B. -Franklin had arrived in the Department, and I was assigned to -his staff. I naturally felt disappointed at losing my leave, but -I was subsequently glad that it had so happened; for it led to -my promotion, and to the establishment of friendly and pleasant -relations which have survived the war. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - Major-general Franklin.--Sabine Pass.--Collision at Sea.--March - through Louisiana.--Rebel Correspondence.--"The Gypsy's Wassail." - --Rebel Women.--Rebel Poetry.--A Skirmish.--Salt Island.--Winter - Climate.--Banks's Capua.--Major Joseph Bailey. - - -Early in the fall of 1863, Major-general Franklin was put in command -of the military part of an expedition which had been planned against -Sabine Pass, on the coast of Texas. The arrangement was for the navy -to enter the port at night, get in the rear of the work, and capture -it; whereupon the troops were to land, garrison the place, and hold -it as a base for future operations in Texas. The plan failed. The -expected signals were not displayed. The gun-boats made the attempt -in broad daylight, got aground in the shallow and winding channel, -and were captured. Many of the sailors jumped overboard, swam ashore, -ran down through the marsh, and were picked up by our boats. The plan -had failed, and there was nothing for the troops to do but to return. - -That night we had a collision between one of our large sea-going -steamers and our light river boat used for head-quarters. Our -side was apparently smashed in. A panic seized the crew; captain, -pilot, engineer, hands, all rushed for the steamer. Most of our -head-quarters company and officers followed the example. I was -reading in the cabin when the collision occurred. The crash and the -cries attracted my attention. I went upon deck, and tried for a -moment to restore order, but in vain. The soldiers on the steamer -shouted, "Come on board! come on board! You're sinking! there's a -great hole in your side!" The waves dashed our little boat against -the sides of the steamer, and the light plank of the wheel-house -was grinding and crashing. I can easily understand how contagious -is a panic. It was with a great effort I could restrain myself from -following the example set me. I knew, however, that my place was -with the general, and I went in search of him. I found him on the -hurricane-deck, seated on the sky-light, quietly smoking his cigar. -I said, "General, are you not going to leave her?" "I don't believe -she'll sink," he replied. "But she is an abandoned ship, sir; every -one has left her." "Have they? are you sure?" "I'll make sure," I -replied; and, going to the wheel-house, found it deserted. Then I -looked into the engine-room--I remember the engine looked so grim -and stiff in its solitude. Franklin then consented to go. We found a -quiet place aft where there was no confusion; and as the waves tossed -up our light vessel to a level with the steamer, he sprung upon her -deck. As soon as he had jumped, I attempted to follow, but the vessel -was not tossed high enough. So I watched my chance, and plunged -head foremost into a port-hole, where friendly hands caught me, and -prevented my falling on the deck. - -But our little steamer would not sink. Franklin at once ordered out -the boats, secured the captain and crew, and returned on board. We -found that the outer shell of the boat was crushed in, and that she -was leaking badly; but the inner ceiling was unhurt. We easily kept -her free with the pumps until we had repaired damages. I do not think -that the general ever quite forgave me for persuading him to leave -her. - -As we had failed by sea, we next tried the land, and with better -success. We marched to Opelousas, driving the rebels before us. A -pleasant incident happened on this march, one of those trifles which -soften the horrors of war. I had known at New Orleans a charming -rebel creole whose husband was a general in the Confederate army. I -had had an opportunity to render the family some trifling service. -One day we intercepted a courier bearing a letter from General ----- to General Miles, commanding the district. He wrote that he -had fallen upon the rear of our column and picked up a number of -stragglers, and that he should send them next day to head-quarters. -Of course we laid our plans, captured the escort, and recaptured -our own men. With the general's assent, I sent the letter to the -lady in question, with a line to the effect that she probably had -not seen her husband's handwriting for some time, and might be -gratified to learn from the inclosed letter that he was well. She -would regret to learn, however, that our men had been retaken and -the escort captured; that I should spare no pains to capture the -general himself, and send him to his wife; and that if he knew what -fate was in store for him, I was sure that he would make but a feeble -resistance. She replied in the same spirit, that with such generous -enemies war lost half its terrors. - -Under Franklin nothing was left undone that could properly be done -to soften the rigors of war to non-combatants. Often have his staff -officers spent weary hours over intercepted correspondence. It was -our duty to examine the correspondence in search of intelligence -that might be useful to us; but it was no part of our duty carefully -to reseal those letters which were purely on domestic or personal -matters, re-inclose the hundred odd little souvenirs they contained, -and send them under a flag to the rebel lines. And yet we did this -repeatedly. I wonder if the rebels ever did as much for us anywhere -in the Confederacy! - -Speaking of intercepted letters, I remember that at New Orleans we -once seized a bag as it was about to cross the lake. Among other -letters, it contained one from a young lady to her brother-in-law -in Mobile. I have rarely seen a cleverer production. She gave an -account, with great glee, of a trick she had played upon a Boston -newspaper, perhaps the "Respectable Daily." She wrote that she had -sent them a poem called "The Gypsy's Wassail," the original in -Sanscrit, the translation of course in English, and all that was -patriotic and loyal. "Now, the Sanscrit," she wrote, "was English -written backward, and read as follows: - - "'God bless our brave Confederates, Lord! - Lee, Johnson, Smith, and Beauregard! - Help Jackson, Smith, and Johnson Joe, - To give them fits in Dixie, oh!'" - -The Boston newspaper fell into the trap, and published this -"beautiful and patriotic poem, by our talented contributor." But in a -few days some sharp fellow found out the trick and exposed it. - -The letter was signed "Anna" simply, and no clue to the author was -given. Anna thought that she was safe. She forgot that in the same -bag was a letter from her sister to her husband, with signature and -address, in which she said, "Anna writes you one of her amusing -letters." So I had discovered who Miss Anna was, and wrote her -accordingly. I told her that her letter had fallen into the hands of -one of those "Yankee" officers whom she saw fit to abuse, and who -was so pleased with its wit that he should take great pleasure in -forwarding it to its destination; that in return he had only to ask -that when the author of "The Gypsy's Wassail" favored the expectant -world with another poem, he might be honored with an early copy. Anna -must have been rather surprised. - -As may be supposed, there were constant trials of wit between the -rebels and ourselves, in which we sometimes came off second best. -But they had their women to help them, which gave them an immense -advantage, for in such matters one woman is worth a "wilderness" of -men. I recollect one day we sent a steamboat full of rebel officers, -exchanged prisoners, into the Confederacy. They were generally -accompanied by their wives and children. Our officers noticed the -most extraordinary number of dolls on board--every child had a -doll--but they had no suspicions. A lady told me afterward that every -doll was filled with quinine. The sawdust was taken out and quinine -substituted. Depend upon it that female wit devised that trick. - -They attacked us in poetry too, generally written by young ladies, -and some of it decidedly clever. Strong, Butler's adjutant-general, -had stopped the service in one of the Episcopal churches, because the -clergyman prayed for Jeff Davis instead of for the "President of the -United States." This furnished a theme for some bitter stanzas. Banks -had sent a light battery to drive among a crowd of women and children -collected on the levee to see their friends off, and disperse them. -This furnished a fruitful theme for the rebel muse. - -To return to our Opelousas campaign. - -We followed the course of the Teche for several days through a lovely -country, the "Garden of Louisiana," and it deserves its name. The -names in this part of the country are French. I remember we had a -skirmish at a place called "Carrion-crow Bayou." It struck me as an -odd name to give to a stream. I made inquiries, and found that a -Frenchman had settled upon its banks, named Carran Cro. - -Our march to Opelousas was without striking incident. The -Confederates once or twice came into position, as if to dispute our -progress, but they always gave way. Our return, however, was more -eventful. The rebels attacked an outlying brigade, and caught it -napping. It occupied a strong position, and could easily have beaten -cavalry off, the only force by which it was attacked. Two regiments, -however, were seized with a panic, and surrendered without firing -a shot. The alarm was given to the main body, and re-enforcements -quickly arrived, and drove off the rebels; but they carried off -many prisoners. Not long afterward we turned the tables upon them. -They encamped a regiment of Texas cavalry at a beautiful spot near -Iberville, called "Camp Pratt." Franklin organized an attack upon -them. One night he sent our cavalry to make a wide détour upon the -prairie and get into their rear. Then he attacked them in front -with infantry. They mounted and fled in disorder, and fell, nearly -to a man, into the hands of our cavalry. It was a well-organized -and well-conducted expedition, and reflected credit upon Lee, who -commanded the cavalry, and upon Cameron, who commanded the infantry. -Tradition says that Dick Taylor, who commanded in that part of -Louisiana, swore "like our army in Flanders" when he heard of it. - -There is a very curious salt island near Iberville, well worth a -visit, in a scientific point of view. Franklin wanted very much -to explore it, but he did not wish to take an army as an escort, -and he said it would be too absurd if he were captured on such an -expedition. It would not have been quite so absurd for me, however; -so I went, accompanied by Colonel Professor Owen, of the Indiana -University, and volunteers, and with our head-quarters cavalry -company as an escort. The island lies in the Gulf, and is perhaps -half a mile in diameter. In the centre is a hollow about a hundred -yards across, which has all the appearance of an extinct crater. -Here, a few inches below the surface, lies the salt, in an almost -perfect state of purity. For years our Southern brethren, who do not -shine as inventors, sunk wells, pumped up the water, evaporated it, -and so made their salt. At last it occurred to some one more clever -than his neighbors, "Why not blast out the salt itself?" And so it -was done. It seems scarcely possible, and yet I was credibly assured -that so scarce was salt in the Confederacy, that wagons came all the -way from Charleston, were loaded with salt, and returned to that -city. It must have been a journey of months. - -We wintered at Franklin, preparing for a spring campaign to the Red -River. The climate of Louisiana is delicious in winter. I have tried -both the South of France and Italy, but know no climate equal to that -of Louisiana. The summer, _en revanche_, is intensely hot, and lasts -from May to October, the thermometer ranging from 86° at night to 96° -in the day-time. Yet the heat is not stifling. You feel no particular -inconvenience from it at the time; but two seasons affect the nervous -system seriously, and a white man must from time to time get the -Northern or the sea-air. Happily the sea-coast is of easy access from -New Orleans. - -But while our command was under canvas, and preparing for the -approaching campaign, the cavalry was being mounted and drilled -amidst the allurements of a large city. Why Banks did not send it to -Thibodeaux, or to some other post where the prairie gave admirable -opportunities for cavalry exercise, is a question which was often -asked, but to which no satisfactory answer has ever been given. -Farragut said that he feared that New Orleans would prove Banks's -Capua. One of the consequences, as regards the cavalry, was, that -they started upon the campaign with "impedimenta" enough for an -army. Crossing a ford one day, Franklin spied a country cart drawn -by a mule, containing bedding, trunks, and a negro woman. He sent -the corps inspector to see to whom it belonged. It turned out to be -the property of a sergeant of a cavalry regiment. Needless to say -that the cart went no farther. After the rebels had captured their -Champagne, sardines, and potted anchovies, at Sabine Cross Roads, -they became excellent cavalry. - -And now, fortunately for the navy, Bailey joined our staff. He had -done such good work at Port Hudson--built half our works, got out a -steamboat that lay high and dry in the mud, etc., etc.--that Banks -had promoted him to be colonel of the regiment, over the head of -the lieutenant-colonel. Banks had no right to do this. In so doing, -he had usurped the prerogative of the Governor of Wisconsin; and the -governor, as might be expected, resented it. Of course the governor -was sustained by the War Department. Bailey was, naturally enough, -annoyed and mortified, and wrote to me that he should leave the -service; indeed, he supposed that he was already out of it, for he -had been mustered out as major when he was mustered in as colonel; -and now he had been mustered out as colonel. I wrote to him not to go -off at half-cock, to write to the governor and ask in what capacity -he recognized him, and then to the adjutant-general and ask the same -question. He was answered by the governor that he recognized him as -lieutenant-colonel, and by the Government that they recognized him -still as major. He then wrote me that he would gladly remain in the -service if I could get him on Franklin's staff, but that, under the -circumstances, he could not return to his regiment. I spoke to the -general upon the subject, and mentioned all that he had done under -Sherman at Port Hudson and elsewhere. The general applied for him; -he was ordered to report to us, and was announced as "Military -Engineer of the Nineteenth Army Corps." Thus it happened that Bailey -was with us when his regiment was not, and the fleet on the Red River -consequently saved from destruction or capture. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - Mistakes.--Affair at Mansfield.--Peach Hill.--Freaks of the - Imagination.--After Peach Hill.--General William Dwight.--Retreat to - Pleasant Hill.--Pleasant Hill.--General Dick Taylor.--Taylor and - the King of Denmark.--An Incident. - - -I think it was on the 20th of March that we left for the Red River. -We marched the whole distance, arriving at Natchitoches about the -3d of April. From Alexandria to Natchitoches we followed the Red -River. Here began our mistakes. Banks arrived from New Orleans, and -ordered us to take the inland road to Shreveport. Franklin suggested -the river road, where the army and the fleet could render mutual -support. Banks said no; that the other was the shorter route. It -was the shorter in distance, but for the greater part of the way -it was a narrow wood road, unfitted for the march of troops and -the movement of artillery and wagons. We marched two or three days -without interruption. Lee, who commanded the cavalry in advance, had -often applied for a brigade of infantry to support him. Franklin -had always declined to separate his infantry, answering that if Lee -found the enemy too strong for him, to fall back, and we would come -up with the whole infantry force and disperse them. On the evening -of the 6th of April, I think it was, Banks came up at Pleasant Hill, -and assumed command. The next day we were beaten; for that evening -Lee again applied for his infantry, and got them. Franklin sent in a -written remonstrance against the danger of separating the infantry, -and having it beaten in detail. He was disregarded; and we marched to -certain defeat. - -The battle of Sabine Forks--Mansfield, the rebels call it; and as -they won it, they have a right to name it--scarcely rises to the -dignity of a battle. We had our cavalry and one brigade of infantry -only engaged. We lost heavily, however, in guns and wagons, for the -wagon-train of the cavalry followed close upon its heels, and blocked -up the narrow road, so that the guns could not be got off. When -Franklin heard from Banks that the cavalry and infantry brigade were -seriously engaged, and that he must send re-enforcements, he at once -ordered Emory up with the First Division of the Nineteenth Corps, and -then rode forward himself to the scene of action. Here he lost his -horse and was wounded in the leg, while one of our staff officers -was killed. When our cavalry and brigade were finally defeated, the -rebels advanced upon us. It was a striking and beautiful sight to -see a column of their best infantry--the "Crescent City Regiment," I -think it was--marching steadily down the road upon us, while their -skirmishers swarmed through the woods and cotton fields. The column -offered so beautiful a mark for a shell or two, that the general rode -up to a retreating gun, and tried hard to get it into position, but -the stampede was too general, and we had to look to our own safety. -When he found how things were likely to turn out, Franklin had sent -an aid-de-camp to Emory with orders to select a good position, come -into line, and check the advancing enemy. Meantime, we retreated, -abandoning the road--it was too blocked up--and taking to the woods -and across the cotton fields, not knowing our whereabouts, or -whether we should land in the rebel lines or in our own. At length -we caught sight of Emory's red division flag, and a joyful sight it -was. We soon reached it, and found that "Bold Emory" had chosen -an excellent position on the summit of a gentle eminence, called -Peach Hill, and had already got his men into line. His division had -behaved admirably. In face of cavalry and infantry retreating in -disorder--and every officer knows how contagious is a panic--the -First Division of the Nineteenth Army Corps steadily advanced, not a -man falling out, fell into line, and quietly awaited the enemy. They -did not keep us waiting long. In less than half an hour after we had -joined the division, they appeared, marching steadily to the attack. -But they were received with a fusillade they had not counted upon, -and retreated in confusion. Again they attempted an attack on our -right, but with no better success. They were definitively repulsed. - -In this skirmish Franklin had another horse killed under him, shot in -the shoulder, for the enemy's fire was very sharp for a few minutes. -I offered him my horse, but he refused it. The captain of our -head-quarters cavalry company offered him his, and he accepted it. -The captain dismounted a private. - -I saw here a striking instance of the effect produced by the -imagination when exalted by the excitement of battle. A staff officer -by my side dropped his bridle, threw up his arms, and said, "I am -hit." I helped him from his horse. He said, "My boot is full of -blood." We sent him to the ambulance. I said to myself, "Good-bye to ----- I shall go to his funeral to-morrow." Next day he appeared at -head-quarters as well as ever. He had been struck by a spent ball. -It had broken the skin and drawn a few drops of blood, but inflicted -no serious injury. At Port Hudson I saw the same effect produced -by a spent ball. A man came limping off the field supported by two -others. He said his leg was broken. The surgeon was rather surprised -to find no hole in his stocking. Cutting it off, however, he found -a black-and-blue mark on the leg--nothing more. The chaplain was -reading to him, and the man was pale as death. I comforted him by -telling him to send the stocking to his sweetheart as a trophy. - -As we lay on our arms that night at Peach Hill without fire, for we -were permitted to light none, lest we should reveal our small numbers -to the enemy, we could hear distinctly the yells of the rebels as -they found a fresh "cache" of the good things of the cavalry. It was -very aggravating. They got our head-quarters ambulance too, but there -was precious little in it. Expecting to bivouac, we had thrown a few -things hastily into it. All they got of mine was a tooth-brush. I -comforted myself with the reflection that they would not know what -use to put it to. - -Banks now sent for Franklin, and communicated to him his intention -to remain on the battle-field all night, and renew the fight in -the morning. Franklin represented that we had six thousand men at -most, and the rebels thirteen thousand. Banks replied that A. J. -Smith would be up. (Smith was thirteen miles in the rear, with eight -thousand men.) "But how is he to get up, sir? The road is blocked up -with the retreating troops and wagons, and is but a path, after all. -He can't get up." "Oh! he'll be up--he'll be up;" and the interview -ended. On his return to head-quarters, partly under a tree and partly -on a rail fence, Franklin told me what had happened. - -General William Dwight, of Boston, commanded the First Brigade of -Emory's division. I knew Dwight well, for he had succeeded Sherman in -command of our division at Port Hudson. I had recommended him highly -to Franklin, when he was offered his choice of two or three generals -for commands in the Nineteenth Corps, as an officer who could be -thoroughly relied upon in an emergency. Dwight had said to me, -"Major, if Franklin ever wants Banks to do any thing, and he won't -do it, do you come to me." I thought that the time had arrived to go -to him; so I found my way through the darkness. "Well, general, we've -got to stay here all night, and fight it out to-morrow." Dwight, who -is quick as a flash, and whose own soldierly instinct told him what -ought to be done, said at once, "Does Franklin think Banks ought to -fall back upon A. J. Smith?" "Yes, he does." "Then I'll be d--d if -he sha'n't do it. Wait here a minute." Dwight disappeared in the -darkness. In ten minutes he returned and said, "It's all right; the -order is given." - -That night we fell back upon Pleasant Hill, Dwight bringing up the -rear with his brigade. Franklin asked him if he could hold his -position till half-past ten. "Till morning," he replied, "if you say -so." - -At Pleasant Hill we found General Smith with his "gorillas," as they -were profanely called. Smith's command boasted that they had been in -many a fight, and had never been defeated. I believe it was a true -boast. It was partly luck, partly their own courage, and partly the -skill with which they were handled. They were a rough lot, but good -soldiers. I have seen them straggling along, one with a chicken hung -to his bayonet, another with a pig on his back: turkeys, ducks, any -thing of the kind came handy to them. The alarm sounded, and in an -instant every man was in the ranks, silent, watchful, orderly, the -very models of good soldiers. - -The battle which now ensued at Pleasant Hill formed no exception -to the rule which Smith's corps had established. The rebels, too, -had been re-enforced, and attacked us in the afternoon with great -spirit. But they soon found the difference between an affair with -a single brigade of infantry, and one with three divisions fully -prepared and admirably handled; for Franklin and Smith had made all -the dispositions. They drove in the left of our first line, where -we had a Five Points New York regiment (rowdies, by-the-way, always -make the poorest troops); but they could make no impression on the -second line, composed of Smith's "gorillas," and were beaten off with -considerable loss. - -General Dick Taylor, son of the President, commanded the rebel army -in these engagements, and received much credit, and deservedly, for -the manner in which he had defeated us at Mansfield. It was reported -that General Smith, who commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department -of the Confederacy, found fault with Taylor for attacking us, as -he had intended to draw us on to Shreveport, and there, with the -help of Magruder from Texas, and Price from Arkansas, overwhelm us -disastrously. Perhaps it was as well that we had it out at Mansfield. -As regards the affair at Pleasant Hill, it was a mistake of the -rebels. They were not strong enough to attack us in position. Taylor -has since said that the attack was against his better judgment, but -that the officers who had come up the night before wanted their share -of glory. Perhaps, too, they had tasted the cavalry Champagne, and -liked the brand. They might not have been quite so eager for the fray -had they known what force they had to deal with at Mansfield, and -what lay before them at Pleasant Hill. - -The writer has since met General Taylor in London, and a most -agreeable companion he is. He is a great favorite in court circles, -largely for his own merits, but partly as "Prince Dick." In -monarchical countries they can not divest themselves of the idea that -our presidents are monarchs, and their children princes. "Prince -John," "Prince Dick," "Prince Fred," all received quasi-royal honors. -At Constantinople, when Fred Grant was with Sherman, a lieutenant -on his staff, it was to Grant that the Sultan addressed his remarks. -Grant tried to stop it, but could not. - -They tell an amusing story of Dick Taylor in London. Taylor plays -a good game of whist. The King of Denmark was on a visit to his -daughter, and she sent for Taylor to make up a game with her father. -Taylor won largely, and laughingly said to the king, "Your majesty -can not find fault; I am only getting back those 'Sound Dues' my -country paid Denmark for so many years." - -Banks now wanted to continue his onward march to Shreveport, but A. -J. Smith opposed it. He said that he belonged to Sherman's command, -and had been lent to Banks for a season only; that he was under -orders to return to Sherman by a certain day; that much time had been -lost; and that if he undertook the march to Shreveport, he could not -return by the date appointed. Our supplies, too, were rather short, -the cavalry having lost their wagon-train. We fell back, therefore, -upon Grand Ecore, where we rejoined the fleet. And here a curious -incident occurred. An officer in high position came to Franklin and -said that the army was in a very critical situation; that it required -generalship to extricate it; that under Banks it would probably -be captured or destroyed; and proposed to put Banks on board of a -steamer, and send him to New Orleans, and that Franklin should take -command. "And my men, general," he said, "will stand by you to the -last man." Of course Franklin treated it as a joke, and laughed it -off. But there can be no doubt that the officer was in earnest. - -General Banks did not command the confidence of his troops, -especially of the Western men. They generally spoke of him as "_Mr._ -Banks." It was a great pity that his undoubted talent could not have -been utilized in the civil service. As it turned out, he was perhaps -the most striking instance in our service of the grave, almost fatal, -mistake we made at the beginning of the war. He had been a good -Speaker, so we made him a major-general; he had roused a certain -interest in Massachusetts in her militia, so we gave him command of -armies, and sent him out to meet trained soldiers like Stonewall -Jackson and Dick Taylor. The result was a foregone conclusion. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - Low Water.--The Fleet in Danger.--We fall back upon Alexandria. - --Things look Gloomy.--Bailey builds a Dam in ten Days.--Saves - the Fleet.--A Skirmish.--Smith defeats Polignac.--Unpopularity - of Foreign Officers.--A Novel Bridge.--Leave of Absence.--A - Year in Virginia.--Am ordered again to New Orleans. - - -The Red River had now fallen very low. The gun-boats had great -difficulty in descending the stream. One chilly evening, as we stood -round the head-quarters camp-fire, word was brought us that one of -Porter's best iron-clads was fast aground in the stream, and that -they had tried in vain to get her off. I turned laughingly to Bailey, -and said, "Bailey, can't you build a dam and get her off?" alluding -to what he had done at Port Hudson. Bailey followed me to my tent -and said, "Seriously, major, I think I _could_ get that ship off, -and I should like to try." I went immediately to the general, and -got a letter from him to Porter, and sent Bailey to the grounded -ship. She was built in compartments. He found them breaking in the -partitions. He remonstrated, and said, "Pump out one compartment, -then shut it hermetically, and the confined air will help to buoy up -the ship." The navy men, naturally enough, resented the interference -of an outsider. Bailey gave Porter Franklin's letter. Porter said, -"Well, major, if you can dam better than I can, you must be a good -hand at it, for I have been d--g all night." Bailey had not met with -a very encouraging reception. He was one of those serious men, who, -as Sydney Smith said, require a surgical operation to get a joke into -their heads. He returned to camp, and reported to me that Porter had -insulted him. "What did he say, Bailey?" He told me; whereupon I -explained to him the joke, and he was perfectly satisfied. "Oh, if -that's what he meant, it's all right!" The ship was not got off. She -was blown up and abandoned. - -From Grand Ecore we fell back upon Alexandria. Franklin was put in -command of the movement, and Bailey selected our line of march. We -started at dark, and marched all night. But the Confederates were -on the watch. They threatened our rear, and compelled us to halt, -and deploy, while they hurried a strong force to take position at -Kane's Ferry. Here we had a sharp skirmish. The position is a -very strong one, the stream not being fordable at the Ferry. We -crossed two brigades higher up. Moving slowly through the woods, -for there were no roads, they struck the rebels on the left flank, -and dislodged them. The fight was very sharp for a time. Colonel -Fessenden, afterward brigadier-general, commanding a Maine regiment, -and gallantly leading it, lost a leg in this affair. - -But a severer trial awaited the fleet. About a mile above Alexandria -the river shoots over a rapid, the Falls of Alexandria. On this shoal -there was about five feet of water, and the river was falling. The -boats drew from seven to nine feet. The floods come down with great -rapidity in the Red River. One night's rain would have given the -ships plenty of water. Twenty-four hours' hard rain raises it twenty -feet. But the rain would not come. Things looked gloomy enough for -the fleet. Bailey came to me and said that he could build a dam in -ten days, and get those ships out. The river was six hundred and -sixty-six feet wide at the Falls. Franklin sent me to Porter with -the proposition. Porter said that it was not worth while--"It will -rain to-night or to-morrow." To-night and to-morrow came, and it -did not rain, and still the river fell. Again Franklin sent me to -Porter. I found him unwell and despondent. "Tell General Franklin," -he said, "that if he will build a dam or any thing else, and get me -out of this scrape, I'll be eternally grateful to him." I returned to -Franklin. "Now go to Banks, and get his permission." I found Banks -closeted with General Hunter. It was reported that the Government had -become anxious about our command, and had sent Hunter down to examine -and report upon our condition. I stated what was proposed. Banks -turned to Hunter and said, "What do you think of it, general?" Hunter -replied that he thought it impracticable, "But if Franklin recommends -it, try it; for he is one of the best engineers in the army." Banks -said, "Tell the general to give the necessary orders." The orders -were given. Maine and Wisconsin regiments, principally lumbermen, -were detailed for the work. In ten days the dam was built, the water -rose, and the fleet came over in safety. - -The rebels made a great mistake in not interfering with our work. Had -they done so, they might have embarrassed us seriously on the left -bank of the river, opposite Alexandria. But they never fired a shot. -We were told that they laughed at the idea of damming the Red River, -and said that we might as well try to dam the Mississippi. We would -have done this, had it been necessary. - -Bailey handled water as a lumberman handles his axe. One of the -gun-boats was aground, hanging by the stern some little way above the -Falls. They tugged at her with all sorts of mechanical contrivances, -but in vain. In two hours Bailey built a little "wing-dam," he called -it, turned the current under the stern of the vessel where she hung, -washed out the sand, and the ship floated off. - -Porter told me that if Bailey got his fleet out he would never -rest till he was made a brigadier-general. He kept his word. The -Government promoted him. The naval officers subscribed, and gave him -a sword of honor and a service of plate. He deserved it all. - -The fleet saved, we renewed our march to the Mississippi. It was -made without incident, except that Smith defeated the rebels in a -skirmish on the Atchafalaya. He practiced a ruse upon them: concealed -a brigade in the deep dry ditches that intersect the sugar-fields -there, then sent his skirmishers out. The rebs drove them in and -pursued them; when up rose the men in the ditches, poured in a -deadly fire, and took two hundred prisoners. We were not again -troubled by the enemy. - -Prince Polignac commanded the rebels upon this occasion. It was -reported that he had come to Louisiana expecting that the Confederacy -would become a monarchy; and it probably would have done so, had the -Rebellion succeeded. I afterward heard that his defeat was not very -disagreeable to his brother officers, for he was not popular with -them. Indeed, very few foreign officers were popular on either side. -Both Union and rebel officers were very much disposed to look upon it -as a family quarrel, and wanted no interference from outsiders. - -We crossed the Atchafalaya by a novel bridge constructed of -steamboats. This, too, was Bailey's work. He anchored them side -by side, the bows level with each other, and placed planks across -them. The whole army, with its baggage-wagons and artillery, crossed -safely and rapidly. A steam-whistle sounded, and in ten minutes the -bridge had disappeared, and every boat was under full headway to its -destination. - -The writer's connection with the Department of the Gulf now ceased -for a year. He obtained leave of absence, and went North. But he -had scarcely arrived there when Early made his daring march upon -Washington. My leave was revoked, and I was ordered to report to -Major-general Gillmore. For a year I remained in Virginia, most of -the time in Norfolk, for Gillmore had been thrown from his horse, and -was unable to take the field in command of the Nineteenth Army Corps, -as had been intended, and I had been assigned to a different duty. -Early in the spring of 1865, on application of Brigadier-general T. -W. Sherman, I was ordered again to New Orleans. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - Visit to Grant's Head-quarters.--His Anecdotes of Army Life.--Banks - relieved.--Canby in Command.--Bailey at Mobile.--Death of - Bailey.--Canby as a Civil Governor.--Confiscated Property.--Proposes - to rebuild Levees.--Is stopped by Sheridan.--Canby appeals.--Is - sustained, but too late.--Levees destroyed by Floods.--Conflict - of Jurisdiction.--Action of President Johnson.--Sheridan abolishes - Canby's Provost Marshal's Department.--Canby asks to be recalled.--Is - ordered to Washington.--To Galveston.--To Richmond.--To - Charleston.--Is murdered by the Modocs.--His Character. - - -Shortly after my arrival at the North, I paid a visit of a few days -to Colonel Badeau at Grant's head-quarters at City Point. Badeau -had been with me on Sherman's staff. I staid at head-quarters in a -tent reserved for guests, and messed with the general and his staff. -Grant has the reputation of being a taciturn man, and he is generally -so. But when seated on a summer's evening under the awning in front -of his tent with his staff, and, perhaps, a few friends about him, -he took his share of the conversation. He was full of anecdote, -especially of army life. He talked very freely, not hesitating to -express his opinions of men and things. Grant contended that no -commanding officer could succeed in the long run, if he were not an -honest and an honorable man. He did not care what were his talents, -he was sure to come to grief, and injure the cause sooner or later. -But Butler took different ground. He held that he could appoint -clever and energetic officers to command, and benefit by their -talents, while he could prevent their dishonesty from injuring the -cause. Grant was undoubtedly right, and Butler wrong. - -One evening, as we sat before his tent, Grant observed that he had -that day sent orders to remove a certain general from high command -in the West. I expressed my surprise, and said that I had always -understood, and from army men too, that the officer in question was -one of the best of our volunteer generals. Grant took his cigar from -his mouth, and remarked, in his quiet way, "He's too much mixed up -with cotton." - -Politics makes strange bed-fellows. What a pity that President -Grant was unable to carry into his civil appointments the same -admirable principle upon which General Grant acted so inflexibly -and so successfully in his military appointments! The officer whom -he removed from command as "too much mixed up with cotton" he soon -after appointed, under strong party pressure, to high civil office. - -On my return to New Orleans, I found that Banks had been relieved, -and Canby now commanded the Department of the Gulf. He was absent, -engaged in the campaign against Mobile, which resulted in the capture -of that city. Here Bailey again distinguished himself. The bay was -strewed with torpedoes. Bailey had no fear of torpedoes. He told me -that he had often navigated the Upper Mississippi when enormous cakes -of ice, swept along by the rapid current, threatened to destroy the -boat, but that it was easy enough by some mechanical contrivance to -avoid them. He thought that torpedoes might be treated in the same -way. He showed his faith by his works. He took the quartermaster's -boats up without accident. The navy followed his lead, and safely. -But the Admiral, changing his mind, ordered some of the boats back. -In backing down, two were blown up and sunk. - -But the war was now near its close. Bailey was shortly afterward -mustered out of service, and returned to civil life. He removed from -Wisconsin to Missouri, and settled in one of the border counties. -Here he was elected sheriff. His end was a sad one. With his usual -daring, he attempted to arrest two noted desperadoes, horse-thieves, -single-handed. They murdered him. He had not lived in vain. He had -rendered good service to his country. - -To return to Louisiana. The writer was now promoted to General -Canby's staff, and became adjutant-general of the Department. Canby -enjoyed the full confidence of the Government, and most justly. -He had an exceedingly important command, extending from St. Louis -to the Gulf, and from Florida to Texas. We had one hundred and -eighty-seven thousand men upon our rolls. Canby was an excellent -military commander, but his forte lay in civil government. Never -was a Department better governed than was Louisiana in his day. A -kind-hearted, benevolent gentleman, he gave one half of his pay -to the rebel poor. Often have I seen his wife driving about New -Orleans, accompanied by a Sister of Charity, dispensing his bounty. A -clear-headed, just man, he governed that turbulent city with wisdom -and justice, and with unflinching firmness. There were no riots in -his day. More than once we were told that a riot was planned for -the next day. Canby sent for Sherman; that night a battery would be -quietly marched up from Jackson Barracks, and stationed out of sight -in a cotton-press. Very early in the morning a company of cavalry -picketed their horses in Esplanade Street. The quiet citizens saw -nothing unusual, but the would-be rioters of course knew what had -been done, and there was no riot. Canby was relieved; Sherman got -leave of absence; and within a month a riot took place. - -General Canby has saved millions of money to the United States. In -these days of barefaced raids upon the Treasury, under color of bogus -Southern claims, Canby's foresight and care are brought out in strong -relief. When the war was ended, he returned all confiscated rebel -property to its owners, but he took from them a release to the United -States for all claim for rent or damage during our occupation. These -men's mouths are now closed. The only exception he made was made -most reluctantly under the orders of Sheridan. That great soldier -does not shine in civil government as he does in the field. When he -arrived in New Orleans, he told General Canby that he came there to -take military command; that as for civil matters he knew nothing -about them, and left them all to Canby. Before a month had passed -an order came that General Canby would please report why he did not -return the Metairie Ridge Race-course to its owners. This course was -owned by gamblers. The gamblers of New Orleans are an institution -and a power in that city. Canby replied with the indorsement, -"Respectfully returned with a copy of the order bearing date (a month -back) returning the Metairie Ridge Racecourse to its owners on the -usual conditions." The order came back, "General Canby will return -the Metairie Ridge Race-course without condition." Canby felt deeply -hurt. His carefully devised and impartially executed plan to protect -the Treasury had been frustrated, and this in favor of a lot of -gamblers. I do not doubt that these men are now before Congress as -"loyal citizens," with their humble petition for reimbursement for -the occupation of the race-course and the destruction of the fences. - -Had Canby been permitted to have his own way, the levees in Louisiana -would have been rebuilt in the fall of 1865, millions of money saved -to the United States, and much suffering and vagabondage among the -inhabitants avoided. In 1862 Butler had confiscated the crops on many -abandoned estates. This property, when sold, realized a fund which -was turned over to the successive Department commanders, to be used -for various public purposes. Banks gave a monster concert, with -artillery accompaniments, out of it, and balls, to dance the fair -Creoles into loyalty. Canby proposed to rebuild the levees. In his -day the fund amounted to about eight hundred thousand dollars. He -thought that this money, raised in Louisiana, could with propriety be -expended in repairing the levees in Louisiana. He said expressly that -the rebels had no right to this expenditure--as they had sown, so -must they reap; but that it was in the interest of the United States -and of humanity that he proposed to rebuild the levees. That if this -were done, the people would be occupied, contented, and quiet, they -would be no expense to the Government, and their crops would add to -the general wealth of the country. That if it were not done, the -plantations would be overflowed, the crops ruined, the inhabitants -discontented, the value of the crops lost to the country, and the -United States compelled, as a matter of humanity, to issue rations to -the starving people. In the month of October, 1865, every thing was -ready, the unemployed negroes enrolled, our negro regiments detailed, -and the work about to commence, when it was stopped by an order from -General Sheridan. Of course Sheridan did not do this from any mere -caprice. He had his reasons, and to his mind they were conclusive. -But they were purely technical and narrow. He said that the fund -referred to did not belong to the Department; that it belonged to -the Treasury, or at least to the Quartermaster-general, and could -not be used without his assent. Canby was always most reluctant to -appeal from his superior officer to higher authority, but he thought -that in this instance the interests of his Department, and those of -the United States itself, were too deeply involved for him to accept -Sheridan's decision. He appealed to Washington, and was sustained. -But the Government, instead of ordering him to commence the work at -once, sent out a board of engineers--Barnard at the head--to survey -the levees, and agree upon plans for repairing them. At length all -these most unnecessary formalities were got through with, and Canby -was ordered to proceed with the work. This was promptly done. But -it was now January, instead of October. In February the water rose, -and swept away all that had been done. All the evils predicted by -Canby now came upon the country. And not for that year only, but for -several succeeding years, the Government was compelled to feed a -suffering, discontented, and turbulent population. - -Several nice and novel legal questions arose on the termination -of the war in reference to confiscated property. These were -determined by General Canby so wisely and so justly that the -Quartermaster-general not unfrequently sent to him for copies of -his orders as guides for the Department at Washington in its own -decisions. I recollect one question particularly, which brought -him into conflict with the United States District Judge. It will -be remembered that at the close of the war an immense quantity of -cotton was found stored in the by-ways of the Confederacy, especially -far up the Red River. Part of this cotton was undoubtedly liable to -confiscation, but the greater part was not. Treasury agents thronged -all over the South. The character of these men "left much to be -desired," as the Frenchman politely puts it. They were "on the make." -Their object was to prove all cotton liable to confiscation, for -the law gave them a large percentage of the proceeds. The amount of -perjury committed by these men, and by the professional perjurers -whom they employed, was fearful. The effect was demoralizing to the -last degree, and exasperated the inhabitants; while it was the object -of the Government, and the earnest desire of the victorious North, -to pacify the South by dealing not only justly, but generously, by -it. Canby felt this, and with his usual sagacity and foresight made -a proposition to the Secretary of the Treasury, which, if adopted, -would have saved the Government millions in money, and more than -millions in peace and good-will. He proposed that ports should be -designated on the Mississippi for the receipt of cotton; that every -pound arriving there should pay the Government twenty-five cents, or -fifty cents (any thing that the Government might designate), and that -no questions should be asked as to its origin. Mr. M'Culloch replied -that it was an admirable plan, but that there were reasons why it -could not be adopted. The reason, I fear, was the influence brought -to bear at Washington by the nascent race of carpet-baggers. There -was money in the Treasury-agent system. - -This system led, as I have said, to a collision between the military -and the judicial authorities in New Orleans, which in any other -hands than Canby's might have been serious. M'Culloch wrote to the -general asking him to sustain his agents with the military power in -their seizure of cotton. Canby of course replied that he would do -so. Shortly afterward an agent applied to us for a military force. -He had seized a lot of cotton, and brought it to New Orleans. The -owner, an alleged Union man, had applied to the United States -District Court, and the United States Marshal had been ordered to -take possession of it. He attempted to do so, but was, of course, -repulsed by the military, the city being still under martial law. The -judge thereupon issued an order for Canby to appear before him, and -show cause why he held the cotton against the process of the court. -The order was an impertinent one; for the judge knew well enough -that the city was still under martial law. The judge was that Durell -who afterward came to grief. But Canby always showed the greatest -respect to the judiciary. I remember, as if it were yesterday, -seeing him start for the court-room at the appointed time, in full -uniform, accompanied by Major De Witt Clinton, his judge-advocate. -His return to the order of the court was to my mind conclusive. He -said, substantially, that the United States District Court was a -creation of the law; that it possessed precisely those powers which -had been conferred upon it by Congress, and no others; that if this -cotton had been captured by the navy on the high seas, he should have -surrendered it at once on the order of the judge, for the court was -clothed with admiralty jurisdiction, but that it had no military -jurisdiction, and that he had no right to surrender, and might be -held responsible for surrendering, powers which, under martial law, -were vested in him alone. The judge reserved his decision. The -claimant's lawyers telegraphed to the President; and Johnson, who was -then beginning to coquet with the Democrats, contrary to Stanton's -advice, and without waiting for Canby's report, ordered the cotton to -be given up, to the general's great satisfaction; for it soiled the -fingers of every one who touched it. - -General Canby had now been thwarted twice by General Sheridan in -purely civil matters--matters belonging properly to the commander of -the Department. He felt as if his usefulness were gone, and prepared -a letter to the Adjutant-general asking to be relieved from his -command, and ordered elsewhere. He showed me this letter. I felt that -his loss to the Department would be irreparable, and I persuaded -him to withhold it. But shortly afterward Sheridan again interfered -with the civil government of the city, and this time by breaking up -the provost-marshal's department of General Canby's own staff. It is -a matter of great delicacy for one general to interfere with the -staff of another. Canby felt deeply hurt, and told me that he should -forward his letter to Washington. Of course I could no longer object; -for it seemed to me that self-respect left him no choice. He was -relieved at once, for he was all-powerful with Stanton, who had the -highest esteem and regard for him, and unbounded confidence in his -integrity and wisdom. He was made president of a most important board -on war claims, sitting at Washington. But shortly afterward there was -disturbance in Texas, and Canby was immediately sent there. Again, -there was disturbance in Virginia, and Canby was transferred to -Richmond. Then came difficulty in South Carolina, and at once Canby -was ordered to Charleston. Wherever he went, order and tranquillity -followed his footsteps. - -This wise, great, and good man lost his life miserably. He fell a -victim to the Peace Commission. He commanded the Department in which -Captain Jack and those wretched Modocs gave us so much trouble. -Although the force operating against the Indians numbered but five -hundred men, and the weather was so severe that the ink froze in -his tent, Canby thought it his duty to go in person to the "Lava -Beds." Here he was rapidly unearthing the savages from "their caves -and dens in the rocks," when the Peace Commission begged him to send -the Indians a flag of truce and invite them to a "talk." He replied -that it was useless; that he knew the Indians far better than those -gentlemen could; and that the best and most humane method was to -follow up his military advantages. They entreated, and appealed to -his love of peace. He yielded, went unarmed and without escort to the -conference, and was murdered by the savages. Thus died one of the -best, ablest, and purest men the war had brought to the front. - -The writer left Louisiana in June, 1866, and shortly afterward, on -his own request, was mustered out of the service. He looks back with -pleasure to the years passed in that lovely and fruitful land. He -regrets the evil days which have fallen upon it, and can not but -think that the upright and honorable men whom he knew there--and -there are plenty of them among its inhabitants--must regret the loss -of the rule of justice, law, order, and economy under Canby, when -they contrast it with the infamous rule of the carpet-baggers--fraud -and corruption on one side met by violence and intimidation on the -other. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - The Writer appointed Assistant Secretary of Legation to Paris. - --Presented to the Emperor.--Court Balls.--Diplomatic Dress.--Opening - of Corps Législatif.--Opening of Parliament.--King of the Belgians. - --Emperor of Austria.--King of Prussia.--Queen Augusta.--Emperor - Alexander.--Attempt to assassinate him.--Ball at Russian - Embassy.--Resignation of General Dix. - - -In October, 1866, at the request of General Canby, Mr. Seward -appointed the writer to be Assistant Secretary of Legation at Paris. -Johnson was then President, but he very properly left all these minor -appointments in the State Department to its chief. Frederic Seward -told me that it was impossible to have a better friend at their court -than General Canby--"they always accepted his bills at sight." - -General Dix had then been named Minister to France, but had not -sailed. Mr. Bigelow still filled the office. On presenting my -credentials, he requested me to await the arrival of the General -before entering upon my duties, that the proposed changes might all -be made at the same time. - -Late in December General Dix arrived, and was presented. Court -carriages were sent for the minister, and he was accompanied by the -secretaries of legation, and by the "Introducteur des Ambassadeurs" -in gorgeous uniform. Those were the halcyon days of the diplomatic -service, before Congress had come to the conclusion that the safety -of the republic depended upon its foreign representatives being -dressed in swallow-tail coats. We were then permitted to dress like -other gentlemen of the diplomatic corps in the same grade. - -The Emperor was always happy in his reception of the diplomates -accredited to him. The custom was to send in advance to the Minister -of Foreign Affairs a copy of the address to be delivered, that the -Emperor's reply might be prepared. These speeches, under ordinary -circumstances, might be stereotyped: change the names, and one -will answer for another. After the formal addresses, an informal -conversation followed. General Dix then presented the secretaries. -The Emperor spoke English very well, and liked to ventilate it. -He did not speak it perfectly, however, as was claimed by his -enthusiastic admirers. He translated French into English, as we -so often translate English into French. He said, for instance, to -Colonel Hay, "You have made _ze_ war in _ze_ United States?" ("_Vous -avez fait la guerre?_") meaning, "Did you serve?" Hay was strongly -tempted to tell him that it was not he; it was Jeff Davis. - -After the presentation to the Emperor, we paid our respects to -the Empress. That charming and beautiful woman was then in the -zenith of her beauty and grace. She received us in her bonnet and -walking-dress, as she had come from mass; for in Catholic countries -diplomatic presentations generally take place on Sunday. Nor in -Catholic countries only, for in England the Prince of Wales sometimes -receives on that day. The Empress too speaks English, and with less -accent than the Emperor, though not so fluently. - -The imperial court in 1866-'67 was at the height of its splendor. -France was apparently prosperous and powerful, and Paris reigned -the queen-city of the world. All nations paid her willing tribute. -She was preparing for the Exhibition of 1867, the most successful -ever held, except our own at Philadelphia. The winter was unusually -gay, the palace setting the example. As a rule, the Emperor gave -four grand balls during the season. They were very magnificent, and -would have been very pleasant except for the great crowd. But those -balls were given principally to the military, and the garrison of -Paris thronged them to the number of two or three thousand. Some of -the subordinate officers were wholly unused to any other society -than that of the barracks, and they brought their barrack manners -with them, crowding, pushing, treading upon the ladies' dresses, -scratching their shoulders with their epaulets. When the supper-room -was opened, the Centgarde on duty at the door had great difficulty in -keeping back the hungry crowd. Once they actually broke through and -rushed in. The sentries were thereupon doubled, but even then were -compelled to threaten to report the most prominent disturbers to the -Emperor. Every private in the Centgardes ranked as an officer of the -army. - -It may interest some of my readers to know how presentations were -made at these balls. The United States Minister was allowed to -present twenty-six persons in all. They were selected generally upon -the principle of first come, first served; but the matter rested -wholly in his discretion. No one had a right to a presentation. Mr. -Seward settled this in a clear and positive dispatch to Mr. Dayton, -and his instructions now regulate the action of our ministers in -most of the courts of Europe. Occasionally we asked for one or two -extra presentations. The inquiry was then generally made, "Is it a -young and pretty woman?" If it were, there was no difficulty, for the -Empress, like other ladies, was pleased to have her balls set off -with beautiful and well-dressed women. American ladies were always -well received by her for this reason. Her balls were sometimes called -by the envious "_bals américains_." - -The persons to be presented were arranged round one of the rooms at -the Tuileries. The Emperor entered and passed down the line, each -person being named to him. He sometimes stopped, though rarely, and -addressed a few words to one of the presentees. The Empress followed -in the same manner. She exacted that every lady should be in full -evening dress, and if by chance one slipped in not _décolletée_, the -minister was pretty sure to hear of it. General Dix was once asked to -present a young lady with her mother. He consented. She turned out to -be a child of fourteen. Before many days he heard that the Empress -had said that she did not receive children. - -But the Empress's Mondays, _petits lundis_, were charming. They -were not unpleasantly crowded, and they were composed exclusively -of people who knew how to behave themselves. Frequently they were -musical parties, and there one heard the best musical talent of the -world. No money was paid to the leading artists; for the theory is -that the honor of singing before the sovereign is sufficient; but a -bracelet or other piece of jewelry was sent to the singer, and always -of value, for the Emperor was very generous--too much so for his own -interests and those of his family, as events have shown. - -The _petits lundis_ were a paradise for our American diplomates. -There we wore our swallow-tail coats, with black tights and silk -stockings. The most rabid anti-uniformist could not object to that. -To wear swallow-tail at one of the balls, however, was by no means a -pleasant duty. After one or two experiments our secretaries gave up -going. The French officers--not those of high rank, of course--would -stare with all the impertinence they could muster, and take the -opportunity to jostle them accidentally in the crowd. It was very -different in London. If one of us went to a ball at Buckingham Palace -in mufti, the page at the door simply asked, "United States, sir?" -and he passed in without difficulty. Of course every one present -noticed the dress, but no one appeared to do so. They evidently felt -sorry for the poor devil who found himself in such an awkward fix, -and wished to make it as easy for him as possible. French politeness -did not shine by the contrast. - -Early in the winter the Emperor opened the Corps Législatif. In all -constitutional monarchies this is an occasion of great ceremony and -splendor. A hall in the Louvre was used for the purpose. All the -great bodies of state attended in their gorgeous uniforms. Senators, -deputies, judges, members of the Academy and of the Institute, -marshals, admirals--every thing that France possessed of glorious in -arms, or eminent in literature, science, art, and statesmanship, was -congregated there. When all was ready, the Empress, attended by the -ladies of the imperial family, and by her ladies in waiting, walked -up the whole length of the centre aisle to her seat on the throne, -amidst the indescribable enthusiasm of the audience. Her beauty, her -grace, and her stately bearing carried the enthusiasm to its height. -You would have sworn that every man there was ready to die for his -sovereign. Within less than four years she sought in vain for one of -them to stand by her in her hour of danger. - -The opening of the Corps Législatif, splendid and interesting as -it was, did not compare in either respect--in American eyes, at -least--with the opening of Parliament by the Queen in person. She has -done this so rarely of late that, when she does appear, the interest -and excitement in London are very great. The ceremony takes place in -the House of Lords. The peers are in their robes of office, scarlet -and ermine. Each particular robe is ugly enough, very much like red -flannel and cat-skin; but the effect of all together is very fine. -The peeresses are in full dress. The diplomatic corps are present in -their rich uniforms. The princes enter and take their seats as lords. -That graceful and beautiful woman, the Princess of Wales--perhaps -the most beautiful woman in England--and the Princess Mary and the -Duchess of Edinburgh, follow and take their seats upon the wool-sack -facing the throne. When all is ready, the Queen, preceded by the -white rod and the black rod (they call them the "sticks" in England), -the lord chancellor and the lord chamberlain, and all her high -officers of state, appears and seats herself upon the throne, the -Princess Louise and the Princess Beatrice supporting her on either -side. Short and stout as is the Queen, she has the most graceful -and stately walk perhaps in Europe. It is a treat to see her move. -Then the lower doors are opened; there is a rush and a scramble, -and loud voices are heard, and the Commons of England, headed by -their Speaker, the very body for whom all this show and state and -splendor are got up, crowd into a narrow space behind a railing, -and there stand while the Queen reads her speech. It seems strange, -when one reflects that the Commons really govern England, to see -them shut out in the cold as if they were not fit to associate with -the distinguished company present. When the speech is finished, the -Speaker bows, the Queen descends from the throne, the Commons return -to their House, and the pageant is ended. - -The Great Exhibition opened on the 1st of May, 1867. It was not -nearly ready, but was opened punctually to the day with all the -well-arranged ceremony for which the French are noted. The sovereigns -of Europe began to flock to Paris. "The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein" -was then in the full tide of success at one of the theatres. It was -odd to note that among the first visits the great royalties paid (the -Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia) was one to "The Grand -Duchess." The minor sovereigns, the kinglings, rarely went; and when -they did, they saw nothing amusing in it. - -The diplomatic corps had admirable opportunities to see the -different sovereigns visiting Paris. It is the custom for a monarch -to receive the diplomatic corps accredited to the capital at which -he is a guest. We stood in a circle, and, while the royal visitor -talked to our own minister and to those near him on either side, -we had excellent opportunities to study his features, expression, -and manners. The most agreeable of them all, with an apt word for -every one, was the King of the Belgians. He had a great deal to say -to General Dix about Mr. Seward, whom he had known, and the port -of Antwerp as convenient for American shipping. He spoke English -admirably. He was accompanied by the Queen, a young and pretty -woman, who, by-the-way, was the only sovereign lady who came to the -Exposition, much to the Empress's disappointment, and somewhat, -it was said, to her mortification. Next in tact to the King of -the Belgians came the Emperor of Austria, a small, well-made, -military-looking man, with most polished manners. He spoke to me--for -General Dix was then temporarily absent--of his brother, the Emperor -Maximilian, and expressed his gratitude to our Government for its -efforts to save his life. Later, while _chargé_ at London, I met the -Empress of Germany. She, too, has the gift of saying the right thing -in the right place. I heard her conversation with two or three of my -colleagues who stood near me. It was always happy. To me she spoke -of all that the Legation at Paris had done to protect "_mes pauvres -Allemands dans ces tristes, ces pénibles circonstances_." She was -glad to have the opportunity to thank me in person, and wished me to -convey her thanks to Mr. Washburne. - -But the chief guest, the man to whom all eyes were turned, was the -Emperor of Russia, a pale, handsome, silent, gentlemanly-looking man. -For him reviews were held, gala operas given, and magnificent fêtes -at the Tuileries and at the Hôtel de Ville. I doubt if the world -ever saw a more beautiful fête than that given to him by the Empress -at the Tuileries. It was summer, the month of June. The gardens of -the palace were closed to the public. The flower-beds (the flowers -were then in full bloom) were bordered with gas-jets, the trees were -festooned with variegated lamps, the fountains played, and electric -lights--blue, pink, and yellow--were thrown alternately upon the -sparkling waters. It was very beautiful. And when, at midnight, the -Empress, accompanied by a number of ladies, and by the Emperors and -their suites, descended into the gardens, and the electric light -flashed on their bright dresses and jewels, and brilliant uniforms, -the effect was fairy-like. - -The review was next in order. Sixty thousand men passed before the -Emperors without check or delay. The King of Prussia was present, -accompanied by Bismarck and Moltke. Bismarck even then attracted much -attention. I have rarely seen a finer-looking man. More than six feet -high, large and powerful in proportion, with a grand head well set -upon the shoulders, he looks like Agamemnon--"king of men." - -It was on the return from this review that the Emperor of Russia was -shot at by a Pole. Fortunately, he was not hit. The only creature -hurt was the horse of one of the equerries. The blood spurted from -a wound in the animal's neck upon the Emperor's second son, who was -in the carriage with him. The father's only thought was for his -son; and, leaning forward, he laid his hand tenderly upon him while -he anxiously inquired if he was wounded. It was reported that the -Emperor of the French turned to his imperial guest, and said, "Sire, -we have been under fire together for the first time to-day;" to which -the Emperor replied, with much solemnity of manner, "Sire, we are in -the hands of Providence." - -That evening I saw him at a ball at the Russian embassy. It was very -small, not more than two hundred persons present. He looked pale -and _distrait_, evidently anticipating, with some apprehension, the -effect to be produced in Russia, and upon her relations with France, -when the news should reach St. Petersburg. Madame Haussmann, the -wife of the Prefect of the Seine, a well-meaning woman, but who did -not shine precisely by her tact, was trying to make conversation -with him. He looked over her head, as if he did not see her, and -finally turned upon his heel and left her. It was not perhaps polite, -but it was very natural. The Emperor and Empress of the French -made extraordinary exertions to enliven the ball, but there was a -perceptible oppression in the air. The would-be assassin was not -condemned to death. Strange to say, a French jury found "extenuating -circumstances." But the French sympathize strongly with the Poles; -and I doubt if, under any circumstances, a French jury would condemn -to death a Pole who had attempted to murder a Russian. - -The Emperor of Russia is a man of the highest sense of personal -honor. When lately he sought an interview with the English -embassador, and assured him on his honor that he had no thought of -conquest, or any desire to occupy Constantinople, those who know -his character believed him implicitly. It was reserved for certain -ultra Tory journals in London to doubt his word. No language would -be strong enough for these journals to employ if a Russian newspaper -were to doubt the word of honor of Lord Derby or any other prominent -English gentleman. Happily, the _Standard_ and its _confrères_ do not -yet direct public opinion in England. - -In the fall of 1867, the Exhibition closed with great ceremony, -and Paris settled down for a time to the even tenor of its way. In -1868, General Grant was elected President, and was inaugurated in -1869. In the spring of this year General Dix resigned. He preferred -the comforts of his home, with the society of his children and -grandchildren, to the attractions of the imperial court. No minister -ever represented the United States with more dignity than General -Dix. A man of marked ability, an accomplished scholar and gentleman, -he possessed precisely those qualities which are the most highly -prized at a court like that of France. The ladies, too, of his family -shone in their sphere; a matter of much greater importance than -is generally supposed in our country. The general has left a very -pleasant impression in France; and not unfrequently since the fall -of the empire I have been stopped in the street by some sad looking -ex-official with inquiries after his health. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - Washburne appointed Minister.--Declaration of War.--Thiers opposes - it.--The United States asked to protect Germans in France.--Fish's - Instructions.--Assent of French Government given.--Paris - in War-paint.--The Emperor opposed to War.--Not a Free - Agent.--His _Entourage_.--Marshal Le Bœuf. - - -In the month of May, 1869, Mr. Washburne arrived in France, and -entered upon the duties of his office. In the mean time I had been -promoted, at the request of General Dix, to be secretary of legation. -At Mr. Washburne's request, I was retained in that position. Paris -was uneasy and restless. Conspiracies against the empire were rife. -The Republicans, as they called themselves--Radicals is a better -name for the majority of them--became bold and defiant. France was -jealous, too, of the renown acquired by Prussia at Sadowa. She had -been so accustomed to consider herself, and to be considered, the -first military power in the world, that she could not bear the -semblance of a rival near the throne. The Emperor was suffering from -the disease of which he afterward died, and no longer governed with -"the hand of steel in the glove of silk" always needed in France. -The Church was alarmed at the rise of a great Protestant power, and -the Empress sympathized with her Church. In short, public sentiment -had reached such a pass in France, or rather in Paris, which is -France, that the Emperor was compelled to choose between war and -revolution. He naturally chose war. It was definitely resolved upon -on the 15th July, 1870, but not officially declared until the 19th. I -was _chargé d'affaires_, Mr. Washburne being absent at Carlsbad. - -On the 13th of July I went to the sitting of the Corps Législatif -to learn what were the prospects of war. In the tribune of the -diplomatic corps I met the Spanish Embassador. He told me that peace -was assured, as he had persuaded Prince Hohenzollern to decline the -proffered crown of Spain, and that now nothing remained to fight -about. On the 14th, I went again. I found Lord Lyons there, and, -falling into conversation with him, he left the impression upon -my mind that there would be war, for the proffered mediation of -England had failed. Lord Lyons had come to the sitting expecting -to hear an authoritative declaration by the Government, and this -declaration he thought would be warlike. I at once telegraphed to -Mr. Fish that the chances were strongly in favor of war. This, and -all our subsequent telegrams in cipher, were delayed by the French -Government for twenty-four hours, probably with a view to decipher -them. On the 15th I was again at the _séance_, and heard the warlike -declaration made by the Government. It was not the formal declaration -of war, but was equivalent to it. Thereupon Mr. Thiers rose, and -attempted to address the House in a speech deprecating hostilities. -The scene that followed was indescribable and most disgraceful to -any legislative body. The great mass of the members sprung to their -feet, pointed their fingers at the orator, yelled, and shouted -"_Traître, traître! Allez à Berlin!_" The little man stood like a -rock, and when the tumult had somewhat subsided, I could hear his -shrill, piping voice raised in solemn warning against the step they -were about to take. The Government had stated that their embassador -had been insulted by the King of Prussia. Mr. Thiers asked that the -dispatches might be produced, that the Assembly might judge for -itself. This the Government refused; and, on a show of hands, but -twenty members--among whom were Favre, Arago, Simon, Pelletan, and -others, most of them afterward prominent in the Government of the -National Defense--voted with Thiers. - -While the debate was proceeding I was called out by the messenger of -the Legation, with word that the German Embassador was very anxious -to see me. As soon as the proceedings in the Corps Législatif were -ended, I went to the German embassy. The embassador told me that -he had been instructed by his Government to ask the United States -Legation at Paris to assume the protection of the North Germans in -France during the coming war. I saw at once the importance of this -step, the compliment paid us by a great power like Germany, and the -advantages to the country. I replied that I felt confident that -my Government would gladly assume the charge; that if there were -no cable across the Atlantic, and it were necessary to say "Yes" -or "No" at once, I should say "Yes;" but as there was telegraphic -communication, and I could receive an answer in forty-eight hours, I -must ask instructions from Mr. Fish. He appeared to be disappointed, -and inquired when I could give him an answer, as he must leave Paris -in two days. He evidently desired the matter to be settled before -he left. I told him that I thought I should receive a reply within -that time. I went at once to the office, and telegraphed Mr. Fish as -follows. This telegram, like the other, was detained for twenty-four -hours by the French Government. - - "Paris, July 15th, 1870. - - "FISH--_Washington_:--War is certain. Can I take Prussian - subjects in France under our protection? Have promised answer - to-morrow. - - "HOFFMAN." - -On the 17th I received Mr. Fish's answer, as follows: - - "Washington, July 16th, 1870. - - "Protection of North Germans in French territory by American - representative can only be given at request of North Germany, and - with assent of France. Examine request of Mr. Moustier of July - 16th, 1867, to United States to protect French in Mexico. - - "FISH." - -On receipt of this instruction, I wrote at once to the Duke de -Gramont, to ask for the assent of the French Government. My note was -as follows: - - "Legation of the United States, - Paris, July 17th, 1870. - - "SIR,--I was requested by the embassador of the North German - Confederation, before his departure from Paris, to take the - North German subjects residing on French territory under the - protection of this Legation. To-day I am in receipt of a telegram - from my Government authorizing me to do so, provided that it be - done with the assent of his majesty's Government. I have the - honor to apply for this assent. - - "I have the honor, etc., etc., etc., - - "WICKHAM HOFFMAN. - - "His Excellency the DUKE DE GRAMONT, - Etc., etc., etc." - -The Duke de Gramont replied, on the 18th, that the French Government -gave its "entire assent," whereupon I telegraphed to Mr. Fish as -follows: - - "FISH--_Washington_:--Consented to take North Germans under - protection on application of embassador, and with assent of - France. * * * * Washburne returns immediately. - - "HOFFMAN." - -I learned afterward that my note to the Duke de Gramont produced -quite a sensation in the Emperor's cabinet. The French Government -had already requested the good offices of Great Britain to protect -French subjects in North Germany, and it had fully expected that -North Germany would make a similar request. Speculation was therefore -rife in official circles as to what the action of Count Bismarck -meant. It was supposed that he anticipated a general European war, -into which Great Britain would necessarily be drawn; and preferred, -therefore, to ask the good offices of a power which under all -circumstances was likely to remain neutral. - -The Duke de Gramont was then Minister of Foreign Affairs, and was -supposed to have had much to do with bringing on the war. The story -was current in Paris that, when he was embassador at Vienna, Bismarck -represented Prussia. They quarreled, and Bismarck remarked of him, -"_C'est l'homme le plus bête d'Europe._" He never forgave it. At -Vienna he naturally associated with the Viennese aristocracy, who -disliked the Prussians. From them he got the idea that Austria would -readily join France in a war against Prussia, and so reported to the -Emperor. He took no note of the all-powerful middle class, which -rules in constitutional countries. This class would not hear of -becoming allies of France in a war against Germany. - -Late in the evening of the 18th of July, Mr. Washburne returned -to Paris. He had been at Carlsbad for his health, but on learning -the probability of hostilities, started at once on his return -to his post. We had telegraphed him, but he never received the -telegram. Few private telegrams were forwarded at all, and none with -promptitude, in those days. - -Paris now put on its war-paint. The streets were gay with the -_pantalon rouge_, and all day long the French drum rat-a-tapped in -the streets. The Mobiles began to arrive, the National Guard to -parade--everywhere was heard the "Marseillaise." The forbidden air -was delightful to Parisian ears, because it was forbidden. Long -before the end of the siege it was rarely heard. The Parisians could -chant it as they pleased, so it soon lost its attractions. - -The war was popular in Paris. The journals clamored for it, and the -violent republican papers, whatever they may now say to the contrary, -were among the most blatant. The Emperor, personally, was opposed to -war. He was suffering from the acute disease which afterward killed -him, and was naturally depressed and despondent. He would gladly have -avoided hostilities, but he was pushed into them. They persuaded him, -too, that the continuance of his dynasty, the succession of his son, -demanded war; and this was the one ruling motive which governed both -his conduct and that of the Empress. The Emperor was by no means -the omnipotent potentate he was popularly supposed to be. He was -scarcely a free agent. It was his misfortune to be surrounded by a -crowd of adventurers--French carpet-baggers. The best men of France, -the gentry of the country, held aloof. The Emperor felt this, and -often tried to reconcile them. Had he reigned ten years longer, I -think that he would have succeeded. There were signs of relenting. He -was consequently thrown, for his high officers of state, upon a class -of clever adventurers. Look at his last cabinet before the Revolution -of September. One member was most unenviably known for the loot of -the Summer Palace at Pekin; another is now in Mazas, convicted of -swindling; and a third, it was currently reported in Paris, received -one hundred thousand francs in the Transcontinental, Memphis, and -El Paso swindle; and I have heard from high Prussian authority that -when the gates of Paris were opened after the siege, and the Germans -sold flour and cattle and sheep to meet the pressing necessities of -the starving Parisians, of a flock of three thousand sheep not one -was permitted to enter the city till this gentleman had received two -francs a head. - -I have said that the Emperor was scarcely a free agent. Here is an -anecdote in point. Prince Metternich, the Austrian Embassador, -returning from Vienna, called to pay his respects at the palace. -The Emperor asked him what military news there was in Austria. He -replied that they were arming with the Remington breech-loader. "The -Remington," said the Emperor, "what is that? I thought I knew all -the principal breech-loaders, but I never heard of that." Metternich -explained. "Where is Remington?" said the Emperor. The Prince replied -that he happened to be in Paris. "I wish you would bring him to me, -and do you bring him yourself; this will insure my seeing him." -Metternich brought him. The Emperor examined his piece, and was much -pleased with it. He wrote a note with his own hand to the Minister -of War, Le Bœuf, and told Remington to take it at once: of course he -was received without delay. "So, my good friend, you have seen the -Emperor, have you?" "Yes, sir, I had the honor to see his Majesty." -"Well, you won't see him again:" and he did not. This was the way -the Emperor was served. Le Bœuf was the capable and well-informed -Minister of War who stated in the Assembly that France was thoroughly -prepared for the field--"not a button on a gaiter was wanting." When -the sad truth became known, the French wits said that his statement -was literally correct, for there was not a gaiter in store. - -But while the war was popular in Paris, it was not so in the -provinces. After the Revolution broke out, the Provisional Government -found in the Tuileries a number of important historical documents, -and among them reports from the prefects of the different departments -on this subject. They breathed one tone. The people wanted peace; but -if they were attacked, if the honor of France were at stake, they -were ready to fight. Considering the source whence this information -came, from imperial prefects, creatures of the Government, there was -no mistaking the pacific feeling of the country. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - Germans forbidden to leave Paris.--Afterward expelled.--Large - Number in Paris.--Americans in Europe.--Emperor's Staff an Incumbrance. - --French Generals.--Their Rivalries.--False News from the Front. - --Effect in Paris.--Reaction.--Expulsion of Germans.--Sad - Scenes.--Washburne's Action.--Diplomatic Service.--Battle of - Sedan.--Sheridan at Sedan. - - -And now began our labors at the Legation, increasing from day -to day, until we had thirteen distinct nationalities under our -charge, European and South American. Nor was this all. The citizens -of other countries--countries which had not formally asked our -protection--came to us for assistance. This was particularly the -case with Mexico and Roumania. There was a large colony of Mexicans -in Paris, and Mexico had no representative in France. The diplomatic -relations which were suspended by the Mexican war are still -unrenewed, notwithstanding the friendly efforts of our Government. -As regards Roumania, its position is peculiar. Nominally it is under -the suzerainty of Turkey, and the Turk claims to represent it abroad. -But Roumania does not acquiesce in this claim, and appoints its -own agents, who are quasi-recognized by the powers to whom they are -accredited. There was a large number of Roumanian students in Paris -at the outbreak of the war. These young men were left quite destitute -during the siege. The French Government behaved very generously -by them. At Mr. Washburne's suggestion, it made them a monthly -allowance, sufficient for their support. - -The French Government had at first decided that no German should -leave France to return home. The reason given for this harsh measure -was that every German was a soldier, and would go to swell the -enemy's ranks. It was very hard on the Germans in France. They -were thrown out of employment, insulted, liable to violence, and -sometimes assaulted, and, in addition to all this, were treated as -_insoumis_ at home, and subject to severe punishment for neglect -of military duty. Mr. Washburne remonstrated against this measure, -and wrote an able dispatch to the Duke de Gramont, claiming the -right of the Germans, under all recognized international law, to -leave France if they wished to do so. It was in vain. But now came -a change of ministry. The Prince de la Tour d'Auvergne became -Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Government took precisely -the opposite course, and decided to expel the Germans. Again Mr. -Washburne intervened, claiming that this was as much a violation -of international law as the other course. All he could obtain was, -that the decree should be executed with leniency, and that liberal -exceptions should be made in individual cases of special hardship. -But the French press called for the expulsion of the Germans, and the -Corps Législatif passed a resolution that they should be expelled _en -masse_. - -As soon as the decree was published in the _Journal Officiel_, -and placarded on the walls of Paris, they came in shoals to the -Legation. From seven o'clock in the morning till five in the -afternoon, when we closed the office, they fairly besieged us. Five -hundred often collected in the street at once. We were compelled, -though reluctantly, to ask for the aid of the police, both as a -protection to the Germans themselves against the mob, and for our own -convenience. We had six gendarmes constantly on duty. It was almost -impossible to get up our own stairs, and Americans who had business -at the Legation complained of the impossibility of getting in. I -found a side-entrance through a neighbor's apartment, of which I -revealed the secret to some of my countrymen. - -The French Government required that every German leaving Paris should -be furnished with a pass from us. At Mr. Washburne's request they -dispensed with the police _visa_, and so simplified matters. But -there were forty thousand Germans in Paris; of these about thirty -thousand went away. Allowing three persons to each pass, for many -had families, we issued about three thousand passes in six weeks. -Many needed assistance to enable them to leave Paris. The Prussian -Government, with great liberality, put fifty thousand thalers -(thirty-seven thousand five hundred dollars) at our disposition, -and this sum they afterward increased. We gave those who needed -them railroad tickets to the frontier of Germany and Belgium; there -the German Government took charge of them, or rather a charitable -organization under the presidency of the Empress Augusta, who showed -the most unwearying devotion in good works during the whole war. -Eight or ten thousand remained in Paris during the siege. Of those at -least one-third came upon the Legation for support, unwillingly in -most cases, and driven by necessity. - -But while the Germans thus thronged our office, our own countrymen -were not wanting. In six weeks we issued eleven hundred passports. -Allowing an average of three persons to a passport, thirty-three -hundred Americans passed through Paris in those six weeks. To these -may be added another thousand who had passports from the State -Department. The question has often been asked me, How many Americans -do you suppose are in Europe? If to the above forty-three hundred we -add seventeen hundred for those who remained quietly where the war -found them, or procured their passports at other legations, we have -six thousand souls. At that time this was the average number of our -people temporarily in Europe. There are fewer now. - -On the 28th of July the Emperor started for the seat of war. He took -with him his Centgardes and a numerous staff. Nothing can be worse -for an army than to be encumbered with a large head-quarters staff. -It involves an immense amount of transportation, blocking up the -roads, and interfering with the march of the troops. Every thing must -give way to head-quarters trains, even supplies for the soldiers -and ammunition for the guns. This naturally breeds discontent, and -interferes with the efficiency of the army. A staff should consist -of the fewest possible number of working men, and they should be -restricted, like the line, to a limited amount of baggage. Sherman -gave an example of what a staff should be in this respect, on his -famous march to the sea. - -Meantime rumors of disaster came thick and fast from the front. The -French had fought the battle of Wissembourg with great gallantry, -but they were outnumbered and outgeneraled. Indeed, it was their -misfortune in this war to have no great generals. I was reminded of -our own experience when our war broke out, and when we appointed to -high command men who had "the Spirit of the Lord, and a disposition -to storm works," which Mr. Stanton then declared to be all that was -necessary. He lived to change his mind, and to become one of the -strongest advocates of trained military talent. Happily for us, -the war lasted long enough to enable us to sift the wheat from the -chaff. Its close found in high command the very men best fitted -to be there. The good sense of our rulers and the tenacity of our -people had enabled us to effect this vital change. The French were -not so fortunate. Their generals in high command when the war broke -out were not equal to the situation, and their armies were defeated -and overwhelmed before the officers of ability, who were undoubtedly -to be found among them, but in inferior positions, had had the -opportunity to show what was in them. For the system of advancement -under the Empire was not calculated to bring the best men to the -front. I was told during the siege by General Berthaut, now Minister -of War, that an officer who studied was looked upon as a republican, -and passed over. The road to promotion lay through the _café_. - -There were bitter rivalries, too, between the corps commanders. It -was stated, I do not know with what truth, that repeated messages -failed to bring up the supporting corps to MacMahon's assistance. The -same thing had happened at Solferino, where, as it was alleged, the -battle was nearly lost, because Canrobert would not support Niel. -A challenge passed between them, and nothing but the imperative -intervention of the Emperor prevented the scandal of a duel. - -The defeat at Wissembourg was not published in Paris till several -hours after it had appeared in the London morning papers. The press -was muzzled. The depression produced was very great. Certain Bourse -operators took advantage of the inflammable state of public opinion. -One day a man in the uniform of a Government courier rode up to -the Bourse, and, calling out his confederate, delivered a dispatch -purporting to come from the front: "Great victory; total defeat of -the Prussians; capture of the Crown Prince; French army in full -march for Berlin!" Up went stocks. The crowd shouted, sung, wept for -joy, threw themselves into each other's arms, embraced, and kissed. -Popular actors and singers were recognized as they drove through the -streets, stopped, and compelled to sing or recite the "Marseillaise." -Paris was drunk with joy. Then came the reaction. The truth was -soon known. As they had been extreme in their joy, they were now -extreme in their grief. They were not only despondent, they were in -despair. As the poor Empress said at the time to Mr. Washburne, "They -have no for-ti-tude." The crowd collected in the streets, inveighed -against the Government, and, in a pouring rain, marched to Ollivier's -residence, in the Place Vendôme, and insisted upon his addresing -them. Ollivier was then the head of the Government. He had not much -to say, but he was an eloquent speaker, and partially pacified them. - -But the defeats of the French and their consequent exasperation -reacted upon the Germans under our protection. Employers discharged -their workmen; those who would gladly have kept them dared not. -They lived in constant dread, and the number of those thronging -to the Legation to obtain the means of departure increased daily. -The suffering, both moral and physical, was very great. It must be -borne in mind that many of these people had been settled for years -in Paris; that they had married there; their children had been born -and had married there; their property and their business interests -all lay there. Yet they were pitilessly expelled, and not only their -business interests ruined, but the dearest family ties dissevered. We -have heard much in history and romance of the expulsion of the Moors -from Spain, and of the Huguenots from France, and our sympathies are -deeply stirred as we read of the misery endured by those poor exiles. -I do not see why the expulsion of the Germans does not rank with -these touching episodes, both in the suffering of the victims and the -pathos of their departure. - -Of course the French Government did not expel these poor people with -the _cœur léger_. They had their reasons. They said that in case of -siege there would be additional mouths to feed, and that it would be -a constant source of danger to have so many Germans residing in their -midst. But at that time a siege was not anticipated; and, except in -this case, there surely could have been no danger in their stay. - -There were touching scenes at the Legation among the weeping crowd -of women. Some left children and grandchildren married to Frenchmen. -Some were not in a fit condition to travel, but required the comforts -of a home, and tender care. A child was born upon a bench in the -street in front of the Legation. (It was suggested to name it after -a distinguished American diplomate.) Every thing that energy and -kindness of heart could do to facilitate the departure of those poor -people, and to mitigate its severity, was done by our minister. - -And here let me remark that no one could have been better fitted for -the difficult task he was suddenly called upon to undertake than Mr. -Washburne. He trusted to the dictates of a sound judgment, a kind -heart, and a fearless temperament; and these are pretty safe guides -in the long run. Had he been brought up in diplomacy, he would have -hesitated and read up for precedents which did not exist, and so let -the propitious moment pass. The result of my observation in Europe -during ten years of pretty active service is this: that while there -should be a permanent officer in every embassy--a _chancellier_, -as he is called in Paris--who can turn promptly to any page of -the archives, and is posted in the history of the relations of -the country in which he resides with his own; who knows the court -ceremonial, and is intimate with the court officials; in short, -"who knows the ropes"--it is quite as well that the head of the -embassy should be a _new_ man. He will attach much less importance -to trifles, and act more fearlessly in emergencies. Great Britain -and France have pursued this plan in several instances lately. The -old diplomates grumble, but it is clearly for the advantage of the -country. - -News of reverses now poured in upon us, until they culminated in -the great disaster of Sedan. That this should have been so great a -calamity--a capitulation instead of a defeat--appears to have been -the fault of MacMahon. He was compelled by imperative orders from -Paris, and entirely against his own judgment, to go to the relief -of Bazaine, and to fight against overwhelming odds. But for the -tactical disposition of his forces, by which they were penned up -in a _cul-de-sac_ from which they had no line of retreat, he, as -commander-in-chief, is apparently responsible. But the French armies -seem from the beginning to have been badly organized, badly led, and -conscious that they were so, and discouraged accordingly. I have -General Sheridan's authority for saying that the position of the -French at Sedan was a very strong one; and while it was inevitable -that they should be defeated by superior numbers, they ought to have -held their ground for three days. I have no doubt that our troops -under Sheridan would have done so. He spoke in the highest terms -of the gallantry of the French cavalry, which was sacrificed to -encourage the infantry. The remark of a distinguished French general -upon the Charge of the Six Hundred, "_C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est -pas la guerre_," would have applied equally well to the charge of the -cuirassiers at Sedan. - -Sheridan accompanied the King's head-quarters. We had asked -officially, at the commencement of the war, that he might be -permitted to accompany the French army, and been refused. The -Emperor subsequently told Dr. Evans that he had never heard of the -application. General orders had been issued that no foreign officer -should go with the army; but there was surely some difference between -the application of an officer for this permission on his own account, -and the request of a friendly Government that the Lieutenant-General -of its armies might be permitted to accompany the Emperor. The -application probably never got beyond the _chef du cabinet_ of the -Minister of Foreign Affairs. Nowhere in the world is bureaucracy -carried to the extent it is in France. A minister can scarcely -appoint a clerk in his office. The _chef du bureau_ is omnipotent in -his own department. The Republic promised to change all this; but its -ministers, after a gallant effort, have fallen in the struggle, and -things move on in the same old groove. - -At the battle of Sedan, Sheridan stood near Count Bismarck. Toward -its close he shut up his glass, and, turning to Bismarck, said, "The -battle is won." The Count replied that he should be glad to think so, -but saw no signs of it yet. In a minute or two more the French gave -way. Turning his glass toward Sedan, Sheridan observed, "The Emperor -is there." Bismarck answered that it could not be; that the Emperor -was not such a fool as to place himself in that situation. Looking -again, Sheridan said, "He is there, anyhow." He had drawn his -conclusions from the immense staff he saw, and the confusion reigning -among them. - -Sheridan was right. The Emperor and his staff were prisoners of war. -The Emperor had behaved with the greatest personal courage, and -subsequently, when dissensions arose between the French generals as -to who was responsible for the great disaster, he behaved with the -greatest generosity. But he should not have been at Sedan. The post -of usefulness and of danger for him was at Paris, and not with the -army. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - Revolution of September 4th, 1870.--Paris _en Fête_.--Flight of the - Empress.--Saved by Foreigners.--Escapes in an English Yacht. - --Government of National Defense.--Trochu at its Head.--Jules Simon. - --United States recognizes Republic.--Washburne's Address.--Favre's - Answer.--Efforts for Peace.--John L. O'Sullivan. - - -On Sunday, the 4th of September, 1870, Paris was _en fête_. The -Parisians had a new revolution, and were delighted with it. The whole -population had turned out, men, women, and children, in their holiday -clothes. They filled the beautiful Place de la Concorde, the finest -in the world; they swarmed across the bridge and into the Palais -Bourbon, where the Corps Législatif was in session. The soldiers who -guarded the imperial legislators melted away, the cocked hats of the -truculent gendarmes vanished miraculously. The Conscript Fathers did -not exactly imitate the Roman Senators when they too were invaded by -the Gauls, but disappeared as quickly as the gendarmes. These were -the gentlemen who had howled for war, and called Mr. Thiers traitor -when he pleaded for peace. The people were gay, good-humored, happy; -in short, it was a Sunday fête, and in half an hour Paris, and -consequently France, was a republic. - -From the Palais Bourbon the crowd went to the Tuileries, where the -Empress was awaiting the progress of events. There was no anger then -felt toward her, and she was not in danger; but a mob, and especially -a French mob, is a capricious creature. It may be in the gayest of -humors; a trifle turns its mood, and it becomes blood-thirsty as a -tiger. The Empress sent for Trochu, the Governor of Paris. He had -sworn on his faith as a soldier, a Catholic, and a Breton, to stand -by her to the end. He kept his word by sending an aid-de-camp to -her assistance. Of all the creatures of the court whom the favor -of the Emperor had raised from obscurity, not one came near her. -Jerome Bonaparte--the American Bonaparte--had been Governor of -the Palace. Fortunately he had been appointed to the command of a -regiment of cavalry; for had he still been Governor there would -probably have been a fight, and it was as well that there should be -no bloodshed. Happily for the Empress, two foreigners remembered -her. The Embassador of Austria and the Minister of Italy went to -her aid. They found every sign of demoralization at the palace, -the servants deserting, and pilfering as they went. They persuaded -her, much against her will, to fly. They traversed the whole length -of the Louvre to the door in the rear. Metternich opened the door, -but, seeing the crowd, closed it again. "_Ce n'est que l'audace qui -sauve_," said the Empress, and ordered it opened. They passed into -the crowd. A _gamin_ recognized her, and cried, "_L'Impératrice! -l'Impératrice!_" "I'll teach you to cry '_Vive la Prusse_!'" said -Nigra, and pinched his ear till he howled. Metternich went for his -carriage. While he was gone, a _fiacre_ passed, Nigra hailed it, and -the Empress and Madame Le Breton entered. It was agreed that they -should meet at the house of a noted Bonapartist. She went there, -and was refused admission. She went to another; he was out of town. -In this emergency she thought of Dr. Evans, her American dentist, -and drove to his residence. He was expecting two American ladies on -a visit to his family, and every thing was prepared for them. When -the servant announced two ladies, the doctor was at dinner. Excusing -himself to his guests, he went out to receive them, and found the -Empress. The next day he took her and Madame Le Breton in his -carriage to Trouville, on the coast, near Havre. There was a sort -of guard kept at the gates of Paris, though not a very strict one. -The doctor said, "You know me, Dr. Evans. I am taking this poor lady -to the asylum here at Neuilly." They passed, and arrived safely at -Trouville, where the doctor's family were spending the summer. - -In the mean time a little English yacht of fifty tons was lying in -dock at Trouville. Her owner, Sir John Burgoyne, great-nephew of -General Burgoyne, who commanded the British troops at Saratoga, had -intended to sail that day for England; but at the suggestion of an -American lady, a friend of his wife's, had decided to remain another -day, and make an excursion to the ruins of the castle of William the -Conqueror. In the evening Dr. Evans went on board, and stated who he -was, and what he had come for. As soon as he was satisfied that the -Empress was really at Trouville, Sir John said that he would gladly -take her across the Channel, and it was agreed that she should come -on board in the morning, when the tide served. That evening the -gendarmes visited the yacht, for it was rumored that the Empress was -at Trouville. In the morning she came on board, and the yacht sailed. -The voyage was very rough, and the little vessel was obliged to lie -to. She arrived safely at Hyde, however, and the Empress proceeded -at once to Hastings, where she met her son. Thus she had escaped by -the aid exclusively of foreigners--an Austrian and an Italian, an -American and an Englishman. - -The new Government, the "National Defense" they called it--the French -attach great importance to names--was duly inaugurated at the Hôtel -de Ville. Had it not been inaugurated there, and proclaimed from the -historic window, the Parisians would scarcely have looked upon it -as a legitimate Government. General Trochu was placed at its head, -and Jules Favre made Minister of Foreign Affairs. The appointment -of Trochu was unfortunate. He was an honorable man, intelligent, a -student, and a good military critic, but utterly valueless in active -service. He coddled the mob, treating them as if they were the purest -of patriots; whereas they were the marplots of the Defense. He was -selected probably because he was the only Republican among the French -generals of prominence, and not for any peculiar fitness for command -in those troublous times. - -Shortly after the inauguration of the Government of the National -Defense, Mr. Washburne had occasion to go to the Hôtel de Ville. -Jules Simon, now Minister of the Interior, seized the opportunity to -make us an oration. What particular object he had in view, unless it -were to convince the Minister of the United States that Jules Simon -was a great orator, I have been unable to discover. If that was his -object, he succeeded. Whether it was worth while to occupy his and -our valuable time for this purpose only, may be doubted. - -On the 7th of September came our instructions to recognize the -Republic if it seemed to us to be firmly established. Mr. Washburne -sent me to make an appointment with Jules Favre. It was made for -that afternoon. While Washburne prepared his address, I read up in -the archives of the Legation to learn what was done under similar -circumstances in 1848. I found that we had been the first to -recognize the Republic at that date, but that Lamartine, in his -report, had taken no notice of the fact, for fear, it was said, of -wounding the susceptibilities of Great Britain. Washburne told me to -mention this circumstance to Favre: he did not intend that we should -be ignored a second time, if he could prevent it. I mentioned it to -Favre, and he replied, substantially, that Great Britain had not -treated France so well that they need have any particular anxiety -about wounding her susceptibilities; and added that Great Britain was -now of very little consequence. - -Mr. Washburne's address was an admirable document. Favre replied -to it very happily. He said that the recognition of the "young -Republic" by the United States was a "_grand appui_;" that he "felt -gratitude and profound emotion." Jules Favre is a master of the -French language. It is a great treat to hear him, even in ordinary -conversation, roll out in a charming voice and impressive manner the -most perfectly harmonious words of that beautiful language. French -does not rise to the sublimity of poetry. Shakspeare is absurd in -French. But for charm in conversation, and precision in science, it -is simply perfect. - -The next day the interview was reported in full in the _Officiel_. -Washburne's address was very well translated, except where he quoted -from the Declaration of Independence, and spoke of the right of -every man to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Here the -translator had made him say that every man had a right "_de vivre -en travaillant au bonheur de tous_." Rather a liberal translation, -and thoroughly French both in language and sentiment. But I have not -remarked that the French Republicans labor more for the happiness -of their neighbors than other nationalities, or than their own -countrymen. If there be a political party in France which does more -in charities than another, it is the Orleanist. - -Favre was very anxious that Mr. Washburne should intervene to make -peace. When he found that under our instructions we could not join -with other European powers in political matters purely European -(advice left us by Washington, and wisely followed by Mr. Fish), he -begged Mr. Washburne to intervene in his private capacity. But he -replied very sensibly that it was impossible for him to separate his -private from his public capacity; he must always be the Minister of -the United States. - -But what Washburne felt compelled to decline, another American -gentleman, Mr. O'Sullivan, formerly our Minister at Lisbon, -undertook. He asked Mr. Washburne for a letter to Bismarck, but this -he did not feel authorized to give. He then begged for a letter of -introduction to Sheridan, who was at the King's head-quarters. This -he received. Jules Favre, who clutched eagerly at any thing that -might possibly lead to peace, gave him a safe-conduct, and he started -for the Prussian lines. But he never got to head-quarters. That -long-headed Bismarck had anticipated some such outside benevolent -efforts, and had given orders to the outlying corps that if any -distinguished gentlemen came along desiring to make peace, they -should be treated with all possible courtesy, but not allowed to -approach head-quarters without permission of the King. O'Sullivan -was stopped, and his letter forwarded to Sheridan. Bismarck sent -for the General, and asked if he knew O'Sullivan. He said he did -not. He then asked if he was anxious to see him. Sheridan replied -that he should be happy to make his acquaintance, but that he saw no -pressing haste in the matter. "Then he sha'n't come," said Bismarck; -and O'Sullivan returned to Paris. But the French did not treat him so -well as the Germans. As he approached Paris, walking quietly along -the high-road, a carpet-bag in one hand and an umbrella in the other, -a detachment of the vigilant National Guard rushed across a field and -covered him with their loaded pieces. As he made no resistance, they -simply took from him his bag and umbrella, and led him before their -commander blindfolded. That officer sent him under guard to one of -those wretched dens scooped out of the barrier where they sometimes -confined smugglers temporarily, but which were oftener used for more -unsavory purposes. There they kept him all night. In the morning -Jules Favre sent to his assistance, and he was released. - -O'Sullivan afterward left Paris in the general exodus of Americans. -He went, as they did, to Versailles; but he staid there some three -weeks, talking peace to the German princes quartered at the Hôtel -des Réservoirs, some of whom he had previously known. He had a plan, -not at all a bad one in itself, but under the circumstances entirely -impracticable. It was to neutralize a strip of territory lying -between France and Germany, annex part of it to Belgium, and part to -Switzerland, and put it under the protection of the Great Powers. -One evening O'Sullivan dined with the Crown Prince. He sat next to -Bismarck, and discoursed upon his pet neutral-strip theory. As they -parted, Bismarck shook his hand, and said that he was charmed to make -his acquaintance. "But, Mr. O'Sullivan, a curious thing sometimes -happens to me: I make the acquaintance of a most agreeable gentleman -in the afternoon, and in the evening I find myself reluctantly -compelled to order him out of Versailles." O'Sullivan mentioned -this to friends he was visiting in the evening, but did not see its -application to himself. They did, however. He went to his hotel, and -found a Prussian officer at his door with orders for him to leave -Versailles that night. He remonstrated, and it was finally agreed -that he should start at eight o'clock in the morning. A sentry was -placed at the bedroom door, who thought that a proper discharge of -his duty required him to open it every five minutes during the night, -to make sure that his prisoner had not escaped. Mrs. O'Sullivan did -not quite appreciate the situation. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - Belleville Demonstrates.--Radical Clubs.--Their Blasphemy and Violence. - --Unreasonable Suspicion.--Outrages.--Diplomatic Corps.--Some of them - leave Paris.--Meeting of the Corps.--Votes not to Leave.--Embassadors - and Ministers.--Right of Correspondence in a Besieged Place. - --Commencement of Siege, September 19th.--Besiegers and Besieged. - --Advantages of Besieged. - - -Belleville now began a series of patriotic demonstrations at the -Legation, which soon became a nuisance. When I first heard the drum -and fife coming up the Rue Chaillot, and several respectable-looking -citizens came in and inquired for Mr. Washburne, I was quite -impressed with the interest of the occasion. Washburne went out -upon the balcony and made them a speech, and thanked them for this -_démonstration patriotique_. But when they began to come daily, -and the rag, tag, and bobtail at that, and day after day Washburne -was called out to thank them for this _démonstration patriotique_, -I got very heartily sick of it. We were too busy to have our time -wasted in this way. But as the siege progressed, and we did our duty -in protecting the Germans, as we received news from the outside -when others did not, and that news was uniformly unfavorable to the -French, the _démonstrations patriotiques_ ceased; and it was only a -fear of the law, and that "divinity that doth hedge in a" diplomate, -that prevented our receiving a demonstration of a very different sort. - -For the clubs were now rampant, another bane of the Defense. Had they -been suppressed at the beginning, as they were at the end, of the -siege by General Vinoy, the result might have been different. Their -orators advocated the wildest and most destructive theories amidst -the applause of a congenial audience. Blasphemy was received with -special favor. I remember once, however, the orator seasoned his -discourse too high even for that audience. He said he "would like to -scale heaven, and collar [_empoigner_] the Deity." It was the day -of balloons, and a wag in the audience called out, "Why don't you -go up in a balloon?" This turned the laugh upon the orator, and he -disappeared, for in Paris ridicule kills. - -A curious and annoying feature in the Parisian character during the -war was the unreasoning and unreasonable suspicion of the population. -A gentleman from Philadelphia interested in Fairmount Park, which -was then just opened, was struck with the beauty of the gates at the -entrance to the _Bois_ on the Avenue de l'Impératrice--Avenue du Bois -de Boulogne they call it now, certainly not a change for the better, -for it was a beautiful avenue, appropriately named after a beautiful -woman. Our Philadelphia friend called his daughter's attention to the -gates, remarking that they would be appropriate at Fairmount, and -took out his note-book to sketch them. He was at once surrounded by -a mob, he and his daughter arrested, and hurried before the _Maire_ -of the arrondissement. They said he was a Prussian spy, and was -sketching the fortifications. He explained who he was, and what he -was doing, and offered the drawing in proof. There were the gates to -speak for themselves, but this was no evidence to them. Mr. Justice -Shallow insisted that he must be a spy. Happily for him, the mayor's -clerk was a sensible man, and spoke a little English, and through his -instrumentality our friend was discharged. - -I have seen a mob collect about a gentleman who took from his pocket -a piece of paper and a pencil to write down an address. I knew an -American friend to be arrested, mistaken for Mr. Schneider, formerly -President of the Corps Législatif. My man was dark, and Schneider -was fair; but that made no difference. During the petroleum madness, -immediately after the suppression of the Commune, an American lady -was followed to her home and very nearly maltreated because she had a -bottle of _fleur d'orange_ in her hand, which she had just bought at -the druggist's. Our vice-consul had red curtains in his sitting-room. -One evening he was disagreeably surprised by a visit of armed -National Guards. They accused him of making signals to the enemy. On -seeing the red curtains, they became satisfied. That a five-story -house on the opposite side of a narrow street must effectually -preclude his lights from being seen at a distance, was no answer to -them. Mr. Washburne called the attention of the French Government -to this outrage; but, as no harm had been done, we could not follow -the matter up. Under our consular convention with France, a consul's -house is inviolable; but a vice-consul has no official existence when -the consul is present. When he is absent, his deputy succeeds to his -privileges and immunities as consular representative of the country. - -Mr. Washburne was not the man to submit to any outrage upon German -or American property. A squad of National Guards entered and -partially pillaged the house of the German school-master Hedler, -where Washburne's son and other American boys were at school. -Our Minister was in arms at once. The Government apologized, the -battalion was paraded under arms, the Chief of Police made them a -speech, the guilty men were called out and punished, and full damages -were paid to Hedler, assessed to Mr. Washburne's satisfaction. - -To resume my narrative. On the 18th of September, several of the -principal members of the diplomatic corps left Paris. Their departure -gave rise to a good deal of discussion, and much has been written -and said upon the subject. The diplomatic corps, as a body, never -left Paris. A few days before the siege, Lord Lyons called upon -Jules Favre. Favre suggested that if the diplomatic corps wished to -leave Paris--and it was natural that they should--he was prepared -to accompany them. Lord Lyons replied that he saw no necessity for -departure at that time. Favre thereupon said that, in this case, he -should stay too. - -On the morning of the 18th, Prince Metternich, the Austrian -Embassador, came very early to the British Embassy, and said that -he meant to go away that afternoon in company with the Turkish -Embassador and the Italian Minister, and hoped that Lord Lyons -would accompany them. Lord Lyons replied that he saw no necessity -for haste, for Bismarck would let them go at any time. Metternich -answered, "I don't want to ask any favors of Bismarck, and my -Government doesn't want me to." Lord Lyons then finding that the -Great Powers of Europe had left, or were about to leave, Paris, -consented to go too, and called again upon Favre. But Favre told him -that he had then made his arrangements to stay; but that he should -send Count Chaudordy to represent his department at Tours. - -As soon as it was known that the representatives of several of the -Great Powers had left Paris, a meeting of the corps was called by -the Nuncio, at the request of several of its members. The question -was put, Shall the diplomatic corps leave Paris? and decided in the -negative. - -But the members departed one by one, till but a few were left. -Another meeting was then called, and again it was decided not to -leave Paris. - -It is quite generally supposed that Mr. Washburne was the only -Minister who remained during the whole siege. This is incorrect. -There were six in all--the representatives of Northern powers--Norway -and Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, and the United -States. In their relations to the French Government, and in their -correspondence with Count Bismarck upon their right to communicate -with their respective governments during the siege, and to due notice -in case of proposed bombardment, these gentlemen acted in unison as -the diplomatic corps at Paris. - -The division of diplomatic representatives into embassadors and -ministers appears to me to be a mistake. It is certainly pleasant for -the embassadors. They have the right of direct communication with -the sovereign, for they are held to represent the person of their -own sovereign, which the ministers do not. At Paris, at the court -festivities, they occupied arm-chairs by the side of the Emperor and -Empress, while the ministers were seated on benches in a _loge_. -They had precedence on the reception-days of the Minister of Foreign -Affairs. A minister might have waited two hours; an embassador -dropped in, and entered before him. Some of them, like Lord Lyons, -did not abuse this privilege. He transacted his business as quickly -as possible, and gave place to another. The Turkish Embassador, on -the other hand, used to gossip by the hour. That he kept a dozen of -his colleagues waiting seemed rather to please him. I once heard -Lord Lyons remonstrate with him for doing so, and he giggled as if -he thought it rather a good joke. In Prussia this is not permitted: -first come, first served, is the rule at Berlin, and it seems to -me to be the just one. Mr. Bancroft got this rule established, and -deserves great credit for the stout fight he made on the occasion. -Count Bismarck is stated to have said that if there had been no -embassadors, there would have been no war; for the French Government -could not have invented the story that their Embassador had been -insulted by the King. However this may be, there can be no doubt that -the system leads to the formation of cliques, and, consequently, to -separate action by a clique instead of by the whole corps. This is -bad under any circumstances, but particularly unfortunate in great -emergencies. - -In regard to the right of free communication with their respective -governments claimed by the diplomatic corps at Paris, Count Bismarck -refused to accord it. He argued that if these gentlemen saw fit to -shut themselves up in a besieged place when they could go away -for the asking, and when the French Government had made provision -for this case by establishing a branch of the Government at Tours, -they must take the consequences; but as a favor he would permit -correspondence if it were left unsealed. Of course the corps declined -these terms. To Mr. Washburne he wrote (and Bismarck writes and -speaks admirable English) that his position as protector of the -North Germans in France entitled him to a different answer; that as -an evidence of his gratitude for the fidelity and energy with which -the duties of this position had been discharged, it had given him -great pleasure to obtain from the King permission for Mr. Washburne -to receive a sealed bag containing his dispatches and his private -correspondence as often as military necessities would permit. - -There has been much difference of opinion expressed as to the right -of a diplomatic body voluntarily remaining in a besieged place -to receive and answer dispatches in sealed correspondence. Mr. -Washburne contended that they had such a right; and in this he was -energetically supported by Mr. Fish. I confess, however, that to my -mind the right is by no means clear. To me Bismarck's argument is -unanswerable. "You see fit to stay when the Great Powers of Europe -have gone, and when the French Government has made arrangements for -the due discharge of your duties elsewhere. By so doing you put -yourselves in the position of other inhabitants of the besieged -place, and can claim no privileges not accorded to them." In the case -of Mr. Washburne, charged with the protection of the Germans at the -request of the German Government itself, the necessity for remaining -at Paris may have existed. At all events, if he thought that it did, -it did not lie in the mouth of that Government to say that it did -not. By choosing as their agent the representative of a friendly and -independent power, they left his judgment unfettered as to the manner -of discharging his duties. The same remark applies to M. Kern, the -Minister of Switzerland, who was charged with the protection of the -Bavarians and the Badois. But as regards the other gentlemen, I can -not but agree with Count Bismarck. I was confirmed in this view, -after the siege was over, by General Sheridan. Dining at my table one -day in company with Mr. Washburne, he said to him, "If I had been in -Moltke's place, you would not have had your bag." - -The siege commenced on the 19th of September. For some days -previous the streets of Paris had presented an unwonted and curious -appearance. They were thronged with the quaintest-looking old carts, -farm-wagons, Noah's arks of every kind, loaded with the furniture of -the poor inhabitants of the neighborhood flying to Paris for safety. -On the other hand, the stations were thronged with the carriages of -the better classes leaving the city. The railroads were so overworked -that they finally refused to take any baggage that could not be -carried by the passenger himself. Imagine the painful situation of -some of our fair countrywomen, Worth's admirers and patrons! To have -come to Paris amidst all the dangers of war to procure something to -wear, to have procured it, and then to be unable to carry it away! -But what will not woman's wit and energy do under such circumstances? -A clever and energetic friend of mine hired a _bateau-mouche_, one of -the little steamers that ply on the Seine from one part of Paris to -another, and, embarking with her "impedimenta," sailed triumphantly -for Havre. - -It had been agreed between Mr. Washburne and myself that if the -diplomatic corps left Paris, and he accompanied them, I should remain -to take charge of the Legation, and look after American and German -property; and he so reported to Mr. Fish. I had quite a curiosity -to be a besieged. I had been a besieger at Port Hudson, and thought -that I would like to experience the other sensation. The sensation -is not an unpleasant one, especially in a city like Paris. If you -have been overworked and harassed, the relief is very great. There -is a calm, a sort of Sunday rest, about it that is quite delightful. -In my experience the life of the besieged is altogether the most -comfortable of the two. You live quietly in your own house, and with -your own servants; and with a little forethought you may be amply -provisioned. You sleep in your own room, instead of in a cold, damp, -and muddy tent; and if an _éclat d'obus_--as the French delicately -call it--strikes your house on one side, you move into the other. -There has been a great deal of fine writing about famous sieges, and -the suffering and heroism of the inhabitants. I imagine that there -was not so much suffering, after all, at Saragossa; and that the -"Maid" and her companions in arms had plenty of corn-meal and good -mule-meat to eat--not a disagreeable or unwholesome diet for a while! - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - Balloons.--Large Number dispatched.--Small Number lost.--Worth. - --Carrier-pigeons.--Their Failure.--Their Instincts.--_Times_ - "Agony Column."--Correspondence.--Letters to Besieged.--Count Solms. - --Our Dispatch-bag.--Moltke complains that it is abused.--Washburne's - Answer.--Bismarck's Reply. - - -At the beginning of the siege, one of the absorbing topics of -discussion among the Parisians was the means of communication with -the outer world. The French had always had a fancy for ballooning, -and were probably in advance of the rest of the world in this -respect. They now applied their experience to a practical use, and -soon a service of mail balloons was organized, starting from Paris -twice a week. At first they were dispatched in the afternoon, for the -all-sufficient reason that they always had been dispatched in the -afternoon; but soon they found that the balloon did not rise quickly -enough to escape the bullets of the Prussians encamped upon the hills -which surround Paris. So they changed the hour of departure to one in -the morning. When daylight appeared they were beyond the Prussian -lines. Indeed, the speed of the balloon is sometimes marvelous. -Starting at one o'clock in the morning, one of them fell into the sea -off the coast of Holland at daylight. The passengers were rescued by -a fishing-smack. A second descended in Norway on the very morning it -left Paris. The officer of the Post-office who was charged with the -organization of this service told me that, of ninety-seven balloons -that left Paris during the siege, ninety-four arrived safely; about -equal to railway-trains in these latter days. Two fell into the hands -of the enemy, and one was never heard of. It was supposed to have -drifted out to sea and been lost. A balloon was seen off Eddystone -Light-house. A few days afterward a gentleman spending the winter at -Torquay received a letter from the rector at Land's End, Cornwall, -stating that a number of letters had drifted ashore, supposed to have -been lost from a balloon, and among them was one addressed to him; -that it had been dried, and on receipt of twopence it would be sent -him. It proved to be a balloon letter from me, and is still preserved -as a souvenir of the siege and the sea. - -Quite at the beginning of the siege a member of my own family -received a letter from me, dispatched by the first balloon which -left Paris. Its arrival created quite a sensation in the little Welsh -watering-place where she was spending a part of the autumn. People -stopped her in the street, and asked to see the "balloon letter." The -natives evidently thought that it must have something of the balloon -about it. - -I recollect Worth's coming to the Legation one day--(and who does not -know Worth? He rules the women throughout the civilized and toileted -world; and through the women he rules the men, or their pockets at -least). Worth was in great distress. His nephew had gone out in a -balloon and been captured, and there were rumors that his life was in -danger. I promised to ascertain his fate, if possible, and prepared -a letter to Count Bismarck, which Mr. Washburne signed. Bismarck -replied most promptly, as he always did. And here let me state that -during the siege, at the request of anxious wives and parents, we -often addressed inquiries to German Head-quarters to ascertain the -fate of a husband or a son, and that these inquiries always received -the promptest and kindest attention. To the inquiry about young -Worth, Bismarck replied that he had been captured attempting to cross -the Prussian lines in a balloon; that to cross the Prussian lines -in the air was like crossing them on the land; and that the person -caught attempting it would be similarly punished; that young Worth -was in prison, and would be kept there for a few months, to teach -others not to attempt the same thing; but that no other harm had -happened, or would happen, to him. I sent for Worth, and read him the -letter. He was much relieved, and expressed himself very grateful. -Some years later a relative of mine took the material for a dress to -Worth, and asked him to make it up. Think of the audacity of such -a request! But Worth did it. If gratitude is to be measured not by -the magnitude of the favor conferred, but by the sacrifice made by -him who confers it, then Worth's gratitude stands out in unequaled -grandeur. - -But while with the help of balloons the Parisians managed very well -to send letters from Paris, it was no easy task to receive them. The -pigeon experiment proved a failure. No doubt pigeons can be trained -to do their work tolerably well, and the French Government now has -a large collection of carriers at the Jardin d'Acclimatation. But -during the siege very few succeeded in reaching home. A carrier will -scarcely ever make a two days' journey. If night overtakes him, he -goes astray, misled perhaps by siren wood-pigeons. In winter, too, -the days are short, snow-storms blind him, and hawks pounce upon him. -One of the canards circulated in Paris was that the Prussians trained -hawks for this purpose. The instinct of the animal, too, seems to -teach it to fly northward only. Two or three times a carrier arrived -safely, bringing with it one of those marvels of scientific skill, -a photographic letter. The microscope revealed the contents of a -good-sized newspaper transferred to a scrap of paper that a pigeon -could carry under its wing. - -Some of the French residing in London took advantage of the "agony -column" of the _Times_ to send news to their friends. They had faith -in the ubiquity of the great journal, and their faith was rewarded. -I doubt if you could so hedge in a city that the _Times_ would not -penetrate it. Our Legation in London sent it to us. I received one -number a week. In it I found multitudes of _prières_ addressed to Mr. -Washburne, and some to myself, begging us to inform Mr. So-and-so, -or Madame Blank, that their wife, or husband, or children, were at -such and such a place, and all well. When these messages were purely -personal, we delivered them. If they were in cipher, or susceptible -of a double meaning, we did not. I remember finding a message in -cipher, and addressed to the Minister of War. I not only did not -deliver it, but I burned it for fear that the favor of receiving -our letters and papers accorded us by the German Government might -be abused. About two days before the _jour de l'an_, I received -a _Times_ of December 23d, for the Germans purposely delayed our -bag, probably that the news, should it become known to the French -Government, might not be acted on by it, to the detriment of German -military operations. The "agony column" was full of messages to -besieged relatives. I thought that the Parisians could receive no -more acceptable presents for their New-year's-day, so I copied all -the messages which had addresses and sent them by mail. But some -had no addresses. How the writers ever expected them to reach their -destinations, I do not understand. I copied them too, however, and -sent them to the _Gaulois_. On New-year's morning that journal -published them. In a few days it received grateful letters, thanking -the editors warmly, and offering to pay a share of the expense, -"which must have been great." The _Gaulois_ replied, declining all -payment, but modestly assuming great credit to itself for its -"unparalleled enterprise," and assuring its correspondents that it -should continue to spare no expense to procure them news of their -families. - -The Prussian officers, too, at head-quarters not unfrequently sent in -letters, with the request that we would distribute them. I remember -once receiving from Count Solms, who had been _chargé d'affaires_ at -Paris after the departure of the Embassador, a letter forwarded by -him, without address, without signature, and without date. I waited -a few days, thinking that other letters might refer to it, and that -the owner would call and claim it. No one came. As the difficulties -increased, of course I was the more determined to trace out the -owner. Every thing else failing, I read the letter, to try to obtain -a clue. Fortunately, I found the name of Mr. Henri Blount. I knew -Mr. Blount, and knew that his father was in Paris. I wrote him, and -told him the circumstances. He replied that if I would trust him with -the letter, he thought that he could find the owner. He took it to -the Jockey Club at dinner-time, and asked if there was any gentleman -there whose name was Charles, and whose wife's name was Anna. A -gentleman immediately claimed it, but after a glance reluctantly -gave it up. Another claimed it, and turned out to be the right man. - -I had rather an amusing correspondence with Count Solms in reference -to this letter and other matters. I give two or three of the letters -which passed between us, as showing that we contrived to enjoy -ourselves after a fashion in Paris, notwithstanding the rigors of -the siege. I give the letters as written. One of them is, perhaps, -better adapted to the French language than to its more austere sister -English. - - "Paris, le 13 Décembre, 1870. - - "MON CHER COMTE,--Votre lettre n'est pas vraiment d'un "intérêt - palpitant," mais vous êtes bien disciplinés vous autres - Prussiens, et j'adore la discipline. Nous voyons les résultats. - - "Néanmoins, il puisse être permis à un neutre de vous remercier - de vos anxiétés à son égard. Mais il ne meurt pas absolument de - faim. J'ai dîné, il y a quatre jours, chez un restaurateur bien - connu, en compagnie de quatre jeunes gens que vous connaissez - bien. Nous avons mangé un cochon-de-lait, un canard rôti, des - truffes et du beurre frais. Ce n'est pas la famine ça--tout - arrosé de Château Margaux de '50. Ne croyez pas que dans ces - temps ci j'ai commandé un tel dîner de Sybarite moi-même. - J'ai été invité. Voilà pourquoi je ne puis rien vous dire de - l'addition. - - "J'espère qu'on ne trouvera rien de compromettant dans cette - lettre excepté pour le cochon-de-lait. Lui il a été bien - compromis. - - "Je suis toujours à vos ordres pour envoyer des lettres de - famille de vos amis. - - "Votre dévoué, etc., etc., etc. - - "Comme je plains vous autres pauvres Prussiens enfermés hors de - Paris!" - - "Versailles, le 17 Décembre, '70. - - "MON CHER COLONEL,--Merci de votre amusante lettre. Le menu - qu'elle contenait m'a complètement tranquillisé, et la solidité - de votre repas me fait espérer que vous jouissez encore des - forces physiques nécessaires pour que je puisse me permettre - de vous prier de vouloir bien vous charger de la distribution - des lettres que j'ai l'honneur de vous envoyer cijoints. Mille - amitiés de votre très-discipliné, - - "F. SOLMS." - - "Paris, le 25 Décembre, '70. - - "MON CHER COMTE,--J'ai reçu votre billet du 17, et je me suis - hâté d'envoyer les lettres y incluses. Quelques-unes j'ai livrées - moi-même; les autres je les ai mises à la poste. - - "Depuis le repas dont la solidité a tant frappé votre esprit, je - suis heureux de vous dire que j'ai mangé quelques-uns encore plus - solides. Que pensez-vous de lard salé aux haricots--pas verts? - Je me suis trouvé transporté aux premiers jours de notre petite - guerre en Kansas, au Grand-Ouest, il y a 16 ans. - - "Nous avons une nouvelle idée à Paris, une idée tout-à-fait - parisienne. Connaissez-vous la cause de la guerre? Evidemment - non. Eh bien, la Providence a trouvé que les vieilles races - d'Europe commencent à se dégénérer. Elle désire les mélanger un - peu. Il y a probablement 350,000 soldats français prisonniers - en Allemagne; il y a peut-être 600,000 soldats allemands sur - le territoire français. Vous voyez, ou plutôt vous verrez, les - résultats. Voilà l'idée que j'ai entendu développée avec beaucoup - d'éloquence par la belle marquise de ---- à une petite soirée où - j'ai eu l'honneur d'assister il y a quelques jours. Je la livre, - gratuitement bien entendu, au George Bancroft de l'avenir--'La - cause et les résultats de la guerre de 1870.' - - "Vous voyez que nous tâchons de nous amuser encore à Paris. - - "Agréez, etc., etc., etc." - -To be in exclusive receipt of news during a siege is gratifying to -one's vanity, but it has its decidedly disagreeable side. I doubt -if the siege were to begin again if Mr. Washburne would accept -a bag containing any thing but his official dispatches and his -family letters. If we gave the Parisians news, they said that we -gave them only bad news. If we withheld it, they said that we -were withholding the news of French victories. I speak of what was -said in the workmen's clubs, and by the inferior press; the better -classes and the more respectable newspapers found no fault. Then -General Moltke complained that we abused our privilege. His scouts -had intercepted a balloon letter, in which the writer spoke of the -facility of receiving letters through the Legation, and instructed -her correspondent to write under cover to me. That clever writer, -too, Labouchère, "The Besieged Resident," told in the columns of -the _Daily News_ how small a matter it was to be shut up in Paris. -"Go to the Legation of the United States on any day, and there you -find the latest London journals lying on the table." All this was -nuts to General Moltke, for he had opposed our receiving our bag, -but had been overruled by the King on the request of Count Bismarck. -Bismarck wrote to Mr. Washburne, calling his attention to Moltke's -complaint. Washburne replied. After stating the circumstances under -which I had authorized a letter to be sent under cover to me, for an -American lady whose daughter was sick with the small-pox at Brussels, -he proceeded to say that both he and I had endeavored honorably to -discharge our duties as neutrals; that we had acted according to the -best of our judgments under this sense of duty; that we proposed to -continue to act as we had done; and that if the German authorities -could not trust us, they had better stop the bag altogether, with the -exception, of course, of the dispatches from our Government. At the -same time he sent back nearly five hundred letters which had been -sent us without authority, and which had not been delivered, as the -best possible proof that he had not abused his privilege. Washburne's -letter concluded as follows: - - "Before closing this communication, I trust your Excellency will - pardon me a further observation. For the period of six months I - have been charged with the delicate, laborious, and responsible - duty of protecting your countrymen in Paris. Of the manner in - which these duties, having relation to both belligerents, have - been performed, I do not propose to speak. I am content to abide - by the record made up in the State Department at Washington. - But I can state that there has never been a time when these - duties have involved graver consequences and responsibilities - than at the present moment. As I have expressed to you before, I - have been astonished at the number of Germans who, as it turns - out, were left in the city when the gates were closed. Having - exhausted their last resources, and finding themselves in a - state of the most absolute destitution, they have applied to - me for protection and aid, which I have so far been enabled to - extend to them from the funds placed in my hands by the Royal - Government. The number of these people amounts to-day to two - thousand three hundred and eighty-five; and it is certain, had - there not been some one to protect and aid them, many must have - inevitably perished of cold and starvation. My position in - relation to these people and to your Government is known to the - people of Paris, and as the siege wears on, and the exasperation - is intensified, I now find myself exposed to the hostility of - a certain portion of the population of the city. While your - military authorities seem to be agitated by the gravest fears in - relation to my dispatch-bag, I am daily violently assailed by a - portion of the Paris press as a "Prussian representative" and a - "Prussian sympathizer;" and a short time since it was proposed - in one of the clubs that I should be hanged--rather a pleasant - diversion in these dreary days of siege through which we are - passing. - - "I will only add that, so long as I am the diplomatic - representative of my country in Paris, I shall discharge every - duty, even to the end, and in the face of every circumstance, - that I owe to my own Government, and every duty that I have by - its direction assumed toward the subjects of the North German - Confederation. - - "I have the honor, etc., etc." - -Bismarck replied with an apology. He said he knew that the privilege -accorded us had not been abused, and he was satisfied that it would -not be; that the military authorities had called his attention -to this matter, and that it was therefore his duty to call Mr. -Washburne's attention to it; that the bag would continue to be sent -as usual; and that he returned the five hundred letters, with full -authority to Mr. Washburne to deliver them if he saw fit. I heard -afterward that Bismarck was delighted with Washburne's letter, and -took special pleasure in sending a copy to General Moltke. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - Burnside's Peace Mission.--Sent in by Bismarck.--Interview with - Trochu.--The Sympathetic Tear.--Question of Revictualment.--Failure - of Negotiations.--Point of Vanity.--Flags of Truce.--French - accused of Violation of Parole.--Question of the Francs-Tireurs. - --Foreigners refused Permission to leave Paris.--Washburne - insists.--Permission granted.--Departure of Americans.--Scenes - at Créteil. - - -Early in the month of October we were surprised by a visit from -General Burnside. He happened to be at Versailles, more from -curiosity than any other motive, where, through General Sheridan, -he became quite intimate with Count Bismarck. Bismarck asked him -one day if he would like to go into Paris on a peace mission. Lord -Granville had been very urgent with the King to grant the French -an armistice, and had induced him to offer it, with a view to an -election. There would be no difficulty, Bismarck said, on any point -except that of revictualment. This General Moltke would not hear of. -Not an ounce of food should enter Paris. "Now," said Bismarck, "that -Government of the National Defense is not the wisest in the world, -but they are not such d--d fools as to stand out on a point like -that. There will be an armistice, and an armistice means peace. If -there is peace, England will get the credit of it; and as the United -States represents us, I would rather that you had the credit of it." -Burnside came in accordingly, accompanied by Mr. Paul Forbes, who -was promoted to the rank of aid-de-camp for the occasion, and dubbed -a colonel. The Prussians could not realize the idea of a general -traveling without his aid. A meeting was appointed with Trochu, and -I went as interpreter. His headquarters were at the Louvre, in a -large and convenient apartment, occupied, under the Empire, by M. -Rouher. Before Burnside had stated the object of his visit, Trochu -made us a speech. He spoke well for nearly half an hour. He told us -that France had been very wicked; that she had fallen away from the -true Catholic faith; that infidelity and skepticism were rampant in -the land; that the misfortunes which had come upon her were deserved; -that they were visitations for the sins of the people; but that, -when they had repented and humbled themselves, he had faith that the -punishment would pass from them. He continued in this strain for -full twenty minutes, speaking very eloquently; then pulled out his -handkerchief, and saying, "Excuse my emotion," he wept. After this he -came to business. Burnside confined himself most conscientiously to -the exact tenor of his message. Trochu made repeated suggestions of -such and such possibilities, but Burnside refused to follow him. He -knew nothing but his instructions. As I had feared, Trochu bristled -up at the no-revictualment clause. "Such a condition had never been -heard of. From the most remote antiquity, there had always been -revictualment allowed in case of armistice, so much per head per -diem." He gave us at that time no positive answer, but said he would -discuss the matter with his colleagues. Negotiations failed upon -this very point. The French Government called it a point of honor. -It was rather a point of vanity. We did not need the provisions, -as the result showed we had food enough for three months. Yet, for -that barren privilege of bringing in food which was not needed, the -Government of the National Defense rejected the armistice. They -could then have made peace, with the loss of one province and two -milliards. They continued the war, and lost two provinces and five -milliards (one thousand millions of dollars). - -It must be remembered that the members of the Government of the -National Defense were self-appointed. They were always preaching -of their earnest desire to appeal to the people. Here was the -opportunity, and they rejected it. It is a pleasant thing to appoint -yourself and your particular friends rulers of a great country like -France, and one does not readily resign the position. The people -might not re-appoint you. - -As we left the Louvre, I said to Burnside, "If France is to be saved, -it will not be by that man." "I don't know that--I don't know that," -he replied. He was evidently impressed by Trochu's eloquence and -emotion, and ready tear. - -It has been stated that Bismarck refused to enter into negotiations -with the Government of the National Defense; that he would not -recognize its self-assumed authority, and considered that there was -no evidence that it was recognized by the majority of the French -people; for there were riots in the great cities of the South, and -disturbances in Brittany. Bismarck recognized it or not, as suited -his policy, and that policy was exclusively the interests of Germany. -Had Trochu waived the food question, Bismarck would have promptly -recognized him and his colleagues, so far, at least, as to make an -armistice with them, as he afterward did. - -Burnside returned that afternoon to Versailles. I accompanied him -as far as Sèvres. Trochu sent a carriage for us. It was odd to find -one's self in one of the old imperial barouches, drawn by the famous -post-horses of the Emperor. We drove through the Bois by Rothschild's -house, and so to the broken bridge at Sèvres. In the Bois desolation -reigned. The trees were cut down within three hundred yards of the -ramparts, the roads torn up and torpedoes planted in them. The swans -had gone to feed the hungry soldiers, and the ducks, to avoid the -same fate, kept wisely out in the middle of the lake. When we had -reached the bridge, a bugle sounded on the French side, and a white -flag was displayed. It was soon answered from the German side, and a -similar flag was raised. At once the French troops lounged from under -cover, their hands in their pockets, and down to the water's edge. -The Prussians were kept concealed. They saw us, no doubt, but not one -of them was to be seen. Presently, a Prussian officer descended the -street, followed by a flag-bearer. He stalks across the bridge to -the broken arch, turns, takes the flag from the bearer, and plants -the staff in the bridge, with an air as if to say "Touch that, if -you dare." The French soldiers are evidently impressed. They mutter, -"_Voici des militaires_." The officer asks in French, "Are those -the American generals?" "They are." "Then let them pass." Burnside -requests permission to take Antoine with him, the messenger of the -Legation. "Is he an American?" "Yes." "Then he can come, of course." -The steam-launch puffs up, and the party cross. I cross with them, -but return at once to the French side. The soldiers disappear, the -flag is lowered, and the firing recommences. I have been rather -minute in this description, as the same ceremonies were observed -twice a week, when we sent and received our dispatch-bags. - -The German Government complained on several occasions of the -violation of flags of truce. These complaints were addressed to -the French authorities through us. Indeed, every communication -addressed to the French Government and its replies were sent -through the Legation. This kept us busy even during the quiet days -of the siege. The violation of parole was another fruitful source -of correspondence. The Germans sent us a list of over twenty-five -officers, whom they alleged had broken their paroles. In some -cases--that of General Ducrot, for instance--there are two sides to -the question. He claimed that it was a legitimate escape, and the -French press was unanimously of his opinion. There was another branch -of correspondence that occupied a good deal of our time. The two -governments, to their credit be it spoken, did not allow the war to -interfere with the administration of justice. Under their treaties -each Government was bound to serve upon its own subjects all legal -documents in civil suits emanating from the courts of the other. This -was done throughout the war, and they all passed through our hands. - -There was, too, correspondence between the two hostile governments -upon other subjects. Among them I recollect one in relation to the -Francs-Tireurs. The Germans treated these irregulars as guerrillas. -The French remonstrated. The Germans answered that they had no -uniform; that they wore the blue blouse, which is the national dress -of the French peasant; and that they ought to wear something which -could be distinguished at rifle range. I do not remember how the -matter was settled, but I believe that the Francs-Tireurs gradually -disappeared, absorbed in the Mobiles. - -Not long after Burnside's mission I paid a second visit to Trochu. -Mr. Washburne had applied to the Germans for permission for Americans -and other foreigners to leave Paris. The King accorded it at once. -Any American could leave on Mr. Washburne's pass, any other foreigner -on the same pass, provided that his name had first been submitted -to and accepted by the German authorities. Having obtained this -concession, Mr. Washburne next applied to the French Government -for its permission. To his surprise, it was refused. He could not -understand it. That the Germans should wish to keep in the city -a number of "useless mouths" to help consume the provision, was -natural, but that the French, who, for the same reason, ought to -have wished to get rid of them, should refuse to let them go, was -inconceivable. But Washburne was not the man to sit down quietly -under a refusal in a matter like this. He insisted that they must go, -and should go. Favre was evidently on his side, and we had reason -to believe that he was backed by some, at least, of his colleagues. -Trochu opposed the departure for fear of the effect upon Belleville. -If I had not heard him say so, I could not have believed it. - -As Washburne insisted, and Favre was in favor of the permission -being given, an interview was arranged with Trochu. The "Governor -of Paris," as he loved to call himself, made us another oration. -It was very much a rehash of the first. He then stated that he had -been unwilling that the "strangers" should leave Paris; it looked -like "rats deserting the sinking ship;" he feared the effect upon -Belleville. But out of regard for Mr. Washburne, and in deference to -the opinion of some of his colleagues, he would now consent. He added -that he would send an aid-de-camp to Belleville, to spread the report -that it was the diplomatic corps leaving the capital. I looked at him -with astonishment. That he should tell a lie was bad enough, but that -he should tell it out of fear of that wretched mob was a degree of -weakness I was not prepared for. - -Permission having been given, no time was lost in the preparations -for departure. On the 24th of October, forty-eight Americans and -several Russians went out by Créteil. A number of English started, -but were turned back. Their names had not been sent to Versailles -in season. Permission was subsequently received, and they left -Paris a few days later. We drove to the French outposts, and thence -sent forward the flag with an officer of Trochu's staff, and Mr. -Washburne's private secretary, Mr. Albert Ward, who was charged -with the necessary arrangements on our side. While we waited, a -German picket of six men advanced toward us, dodging behind the -trees, muskets cocked, and fingers on trigger. I confess I was not -much impressed with this specimen of German scouting. It looked too -much like playing at North American Indian. There were some twenty -traveling-carriages, open and closed, filled with ladies, and piled -up with baggage. The party had as little of a military look as can -well be imagined, and yet the picket advanced as if they feared an -ambush. - -The necessary arrangements having been made, we proceeded to the -German outposts. Here the Prussian officers verified the list, -calling the roll name by name, and taking every precaution to -identify the individuals. I heard afterward, however, that a -Frenchman of some prominence had escaped disguised as a coachman. - -I met here a young American, who was living not far from Versailles, -and who was known to Count Bismarck. I gave him a couple of morning -papers. That evening he dined with Bismarck, and offered to sell him -the papers for a quart bottle of Champagne for the big one, and a -pint bottle for the little one. Bismarck offered a quart bottle for -both; but my American indignantly rejected the terms: so Bismarck -accepted his, and paid the bottle and a half. I record this as -perhaps the only diplomatic triumph ever scored against Count de -Bismarck. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - Mob seize Hôtel de Ville.--"Thanksgiving" in Paris.--Prices of - Food.--Paris Rats.--Menagerie Meat.--Horse-meat.--Eatable only - as Mince.--Government Interference.--Sorties.--Are Failures.--Le - Bourget taken by French.--Retaken by Prussians.--French - Naval Officers.--Belleville National Guard.--Their Poetry. - --Blundering.--Sheridan's Opinion of German Army. - - -Late in October, M. Thiers came into Paris on a peace mission, but -met with no success. He brought the news of the fall of Metz. There -was great excitement in Paris. The mob collected, marched to the -Hôtel de Ville, and took possession. They arrested several members -of the Government, and shut them up--others escaped. They then -proceeded to depose the Government, and to set up one of their own. -Ducrot begged Trochu to let him fire on the mob; he could disperse -them, he said, in five minutes. The Mobiles were eager to fire; for -the Mobiles and the National Guard lived like cat and dog together. -Trochu would not consent. The insurgents remained in possession of -the Hôtel de Ville all that night, and the next day gradually melted -away. It was one of those unfortunate mob triumphs which contributed -not a little to the success of the Commune. - -The siege found about two hundred Americans in Paris. I ought to -say "citizens of the United States;" but we have taken to ourselves -the broader title, and in Europe it is generally accorded to us. -Of these two hundred about fifty went away, and about one hundred -and fifty remained. The French live from hand to mouth, buying only -what is necessary for the day, and laying no stores in. This comes, -I think, from their system of living in apartments, and the want of -store-rooms. The Americans, as a rule, laid in a stock of provisions. -The grocers of Paris had imported a large quantity of canned food -for the use of the _colonie américaine_, which was then, and still -is, a power in Paris. The greater part of the _colonie_ having gone, -there remained a quantity of canned vegetables, fruit, deviled ham -and turkey, oysters, lobsters, etc., etc., and, above all, hominy -and grits. The French knew nothing of these eatables till late in -the siege, when they discovered their merits. In the mean time the -Americans had bought up nearly all there was on hand. - -As Thanksgiving approached we determined to celebrate it, -notwithstanding our supposed forlorn condition. Some thirty of us met -at a restaurant on the Boulevard, where we feasted on the traditional -turkey, or, rather, on two of them, at twelve dollars apiece. Under -the circumstances, we had quite an Epicurean repast. Mr. Washburne -presided, and made a humorous speech, dwelling provokingly on the -good things our unbesieged countrymen were then enjoying at home. -Professor Shepherd, of Chicago, was present, and made some clever -and appropriate remarks. The Professor has written one of the most -readable and reliable books upon the siege I have met with. - -Prices of food in Paris had now reached their height. Turkeys, as I -have said, sold at $12 apiece, chickens at $6, cats $1.60, rats 15 -cents, dogs from 80 cents up, according to size and fat. There was a -refinement in rats. They were known as the brewery rat and the sewer -rat. The brewery rat was naturally the most delicate titbit, and -as the siege progressed and but little food found its way into the -sewers, the sewer rats diminished wofully in numbers, while their -brethren of the brewery increased. I know of no better evidence -of the severity of the cold, and the scarcity of food during that -winter, than an incident that came under my own observation. I was -called by the _concierge_ of the building to look at the apartment of -an American gentleman, on the floor below me. The rats had made their -way with great gymnastic agility into the kitchen; they had thrown -down and broken two or three dishes which the cook had imperfectly -washed, and on which there remained a little grease. They had then -made their way into the salons and bedrooms, had gnawed and burrowed -into the sofas and mattresses, and there several lay, dead of cold -and hunger. - -But there was no time in Paris when money would not buy good food, -though it could not buy fuel, for that had been seized by the -Government. Very late in the siege a man brought to the Legation -a piece of _filet de bœuf_ of six pounds, for which he asked four -dollars a pound. Mr. Washburne and I did not indulge in such -luxuries, living principally upon our national pork and beans, and -the poetic fish-ball. A young American happened to be in the office, -however, who took it at once, and paid his twenty-four dollars. - -In the suburbs of Paris food was more abundant. I breakfasted in -December with a French general, who commanded one of the outposts. -We had beef, eggs, ham, etc., and, from what I heard, I should say -that he and his staff breakfasted as well every day. These noonday -breakfasts, by-the-way, ruined the French army. I reached my -general's head-quarters at half-past eleven. He and one of his staff -were smoking cigars and drinking absinthe. At twelve we breakfasted -bountifully, as I have said, and with Champagne and other wines, -followed by coffee, brandy, and more cigars. We got through breakfast -about three o'clock. This was on an outpost, in presence of the -enemy. Had he attacked, what would the general and his staff have -been worth? They were very far from being intoxicated, but certainly -their heads were not clear, or their judgments sound. - -The Prussians soon learned the French habits, and attacked them in -the field when they were making their soup. The French soldiers could -not catch up their soup and pocket it, and eat it at their leisure. -They consequently lost not only their breakfasts, but frequently -their cooking utensils too. The Germans, on the other hand, had a -liberal ration of meat (_fleisch_--what a disagreeable word!)--one -pound and a half per diem. But, meat failing, they always had a -German sausage and a piece of bread in their haversacks, and could -eat as they marched. Yet such is the power of habit in France, and -the strength of tradition, that I suppose the French soldier will -continue to all time to prepare his soup, even at the expense of -defeat. - -Without stirring from Paris, I had the opportunity during the -siege to taste as many varieties of wild meat as the greatest of -travelers--as Humboldt himself. It was found to be impossible to -procure food for the animals at the Jardin d'Acclimatation, and they -were sold and killed. They were bought mostly by the enterprising -English butcher of the Avenue Friedland. I indulged from time to time -in small portions of elephant, yak, camel, reindeer, porcupine, etc., -at an average rate of four dollars a pound. Of all these, reindeer -is the best; it has a fine flavor of venison. Elephant is tolerably -good. Some of my readers may remember the charming twin elephants, -Castor and Pollux, who carried children round the Garden on their -backs, in 1867 to 1869. They were done to death with chassepots--shot -through the head. I eat a slice of Castor. It was tolerably good -only; did very well in time of siege. But all these meats are but -poor substitutes for beef and mutton; and when travelers tell us of -the delights of elephant's trunk or buffalo's hump, depend upon it, -it is the hunter's appetite that gives the flavor. - -The main-stay of the population, in the way of fresh meat, was horse. -These were requisitioned, and every horseholder having more than one -was compelled to contribute toward feeding the population. The horses -were liberally paid for, so much per pound. Some individuals made a -very good thing out of it. They got in with the horse officials. A -fine animal, requisitioned from the owner, who knew no better than -to send it, appeared at the shambles. One of these gentry, with the -connivance of the official in charge, would take him, and substitute -an old screw of equal or greater weight. I know an American in -Paris who is daily aggravated by seeing at the Bois a beautiful -mare he once owned, and whose loss he had deeply deplored, but had -been comforted by the reflection that she had perished to feed the -starving Parisians. - -The horse-meat was rationed and sold by the Government at reasonable -prices: nine ounces and a half were allowed per diem to each adult. -There is a refinement in horse-meat, as in rats. A young light-gray -is tender and juicy. Black is the worst color; the meat is coarse -and tough. But horse-flesh is poor stuff at best. It has a sweet, -sickening flavor. Some people spoke highly of it as soup; others when -_mariné_. The only way I found it eatable was as mince mixed with -potato. - -From horse-meat to beef is but a slight transition, but one -more easily made on paper than on the table in those days. The -interference of the French Government in almost every detail of -private life is something of which happily we know nothing in this -country. You can not cut down a tree on your own land without its -permission. During the siege you could not kill your own ox without -leave from the Minister of Commerce. If you had providently laid in a -larger supply of fuel than he thought you needed, he took possession -of it, and paid you Government prices for what was then almost -priceless. An American lady resident in Paris had a cow. The cow ran -dry, and she wanted to convert it into beef. She came to the Legation -to secure Mr. Washburne's intervention to obtain for her permission -to kill her own cow. At first it was refused, and it required no -inconsiderable amount of diplomatic correspondence and the waste of -many pages of good foolscap, with a large expenditure of red tape -and sealing-wax, before the permission was obtained. - -I have said very little of the sorties from Paris. The subject is -not a pleasant one. There were five hundred thousand armed men in -Paris, and only three hundred and fifty thousand outside. Yet but -one serious sortie was ever made. This was to the south-east, under -Ducrot; and the fighting was obstinate, and lasted two days. Ducrot -had published a proclamation to the effect that he should come back -victorious, or be brought back dead. He was defeated, but marched -quietly back nevertheless. We are unaccustomed among Anglo-Saxons to -this style of proclamation, and call it bombast. I am told, however, -by those better acquainted with the French character than I am, that -it has its effect upon the French soldier, and is therefore allowable. - -The garrison of Paris should have made a sortie every night, -sometimes a thousand men, and sometimes a hundred thousand, and in -two or three quarters at once. Their central position gave them -every opportunity to do this to advantage. Had they done so, they -would soon have worn out the Germans with constant _alertes_, and -with comparatively little fatigue to themselves. But this, too, was -mismanaged. They surprised and took Le Bourget, a little village to -the north-east. Of course we all supposed that it would be strongly -garrisoned, and the garrison well supported. Not at all. Two days -later the Prussians retook it. The garrison made a most gallant -defense, but they were entirely unsupported. Not a regiment of the -immense army in Paris came to their assistance. No possible excuse -can be given for this abandonment. - -The loss of Le Bourget produced great discontent among the Parisians; -and Trochu was blamed, and most justly. He made an effort to retake -it, but in vain. The sailors, under their gallant officers, made a -spirited assault, but were repulsed with great loss; for they were -not supported by the soldiers. The officers made every effort to lead -them on, but they would not assault. - -The French naval officers are a very superior class of men. They -compare most favorably with those of any other nation. They are -painstaking, intelligent, and well-informed. Under their command the -sailors fought gallantly during the war, for there was a large number -of them detailed to the army, as they had little to do at sea. They -felt strongly the deterioration of their sister service, the army. -At Versailles I was once dining at a restaurant near a naval officer. -An army officer, accompanied by two non-commissioned officers, -entered, called loudly for dinner, and made a great disturbance. They -were evidently the worse for liquor. I overheard the naval officer -muttering to himself, "_Cette pauvre armée française! cette pauvre -armée française!_" - -There was always blundering. They had shut up a brigade of cavalry -in Paris. Jerome Bonaparte, who commanded one of the regiments, told -me he had no idea why he was ordered in, unless it was to eat up -his horses. This they proceeded to do so soon as they were fairly -trained, and so doubled in value. Trochu organized a sortie to the -north-west. Two columns left Paris one night by different gates, -and were to take up their positions simultaneously and attack at -daylight. He forgot that one road crossed the other, and that one -column must necessarily halt for the other to pass. Of course one -of them arrived late on the ground, and the attack failed. When a -sortie was to be made, a flag was hoisted on Mount Valérien. The -Germans soon knew its meaning as well as the French, and prepared -accordingly. An intended sortie was known at least twenty-four hours -before it took place, and its chances discussed on the boulevards. -The National Guard, too, with some honorable exceptions, would not -fight. The heroes of Belleville howled to be led against the enemy. -They got as far as the barriers, and refused to go farther. "They -were enlisted to defend Paris, and they would not go beyond the -_enceinte_; the Reactionists wanted to get them out, that they might -deliver Paris over to the enemy." There was a popular song they sung -as they marched through the streets which perfectly illustrates their -sentiments and character: - - "Nous partons, - ons, ons, - Comme des moutons, - Comme des moutons, - Pour la boucherie, - rie, rie. - - "On nous massacra, - ra, ra, - Comme des rats, - Comme des rats. - Comme Bismarck rira! - rira!" - -An officer commanding a fort applied for re-enforcements to relieve -his exhausted men. They sent him a battalion of our Belleville -gentlemen. The next day he sent them back, saying they had been -drunk and fought in the trenches all night, and that he preferred to -get along as well as he could with his overworked garrison. - -Trochu planned a sortie to the south-east. It was necessary to cross -the Marne. The troops arrived at the appointed hour, but the pontoons -did not. A whole day was lost, and the sortie was _une affaire -manquée_. Outside, things were nearly as badly managed. No serious -effort was ever made to cut the German lines of communication. -The railways to the east were all-important to them, not so much -for provisions (for they drew these mostly from France), but for -ammunition. With the enormous guns in use, the transportation of -ammunition was a serious matter, taxing the railroad facilities -of the Germans to the uttermost. An interruption might have -compelled them to raise the siege. Sheridan, who, being at the -King's head-quarters, and treated with the greatest kindness and -attention, naturally sympathized with the Germans, could not help -exclaiming that if he had been outside with thirty thousand cavalry, -he would have made the King * * * Well, it is not worth while to quote -Sheridan's exact words; they were a little in the style, of the -commander of the Imperial Guard at Waterloo; but the substance of -them was, that an active officer with a good cavalry force could have -so broken up the communications of the German army as to compel it -to raise the siege. For the Germans are not particularly handy at -repairing a broken road or bridge; and a German general does not, as -the rebel soldier said of Sherman, carry a duplicate tunnel in his -pocket. - -As I am quoting Sheridan, let me here record his opinion of the -German army. He _believed_ that they were brave soldiers. They were -well disciplined, well led, and had every appearance of thorough -soldiers; but he could not say so positively, for, so far as his -observation went, they had never met with any serious resistance. He -looked upon the German army as in no respect superior to one of our -great armies at the close of the war--the Army of the Potomac, for -instance--except as regards the staff. That was far superior to ours, -and to any staff in Europe. Their field telegraph, too, excited his -admiration. It had been borrowed from us, but improved. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - - The National Guard.--Its Composition.--The American Ambulance.--Its - Organization.--Its Success.--Dr. Swinburne, Chief Surgeon.--The - Tent System.--Small Mortality.--Poor Germans in Paris.--Bombardment - by Germans.--Wantonness of Artillery-men.--Bad News from the Loire. - --"Le Plan Trochu."--St. Genevieve to appear.--Vinoy takes Command. - --Paris surrenders.--Bourbaki defeated.--Attempts Suicide. - - -A gentleman of rank and great historic name, of approved bravery, and -who had seen service as an officer in the French army, came one day -to the Legation in the uniform of a private. I asked him why he had -enlisted, when he could so easily have got a commission. He replied -that it was true he could easily have got a company in the National -Guard, but before he could know his men, and they could know him, and -he could drill and discipline them, they would go into action. Then -they would inevitably run away. If he ran with them, he would be held -responsible; if he stood, he would be killed. So he had decided to -enlist as a private, to stand as long as the rest stood, and to run -away when they ran. It struck me that this gentleman was wise in his -generation, but that it was not precisely in this way that France was -to be saved. - -In speaking of the National Guard as I have done, it is proper to -state that I speak of the masses, the workmen of Paris, and the -_petite bourgeoisie_ of most of the arrondissements. There were some -few battalions that could be relied upon, some composed in part of -the "gentlemen of France;" but they were insufficient to leaven the -whole lump. The masses, those who drew a franc and a half per diem -for themselves, and seventy-five centimes for their wives, or for the -women who lived with them--for the Government of the National Defense -had decided that it was the same thing--were the turbulent, unruly, -unsoldierly mob I have described. - -One of the most interesting and satisfactory features of the siege -was the American ambulance. Here were order, system, and discipline. -It was located on vacant lots in the Avenue de l'Impératrice. It -did better work than any other ambulance in Paris; and there were -many of them. A number of the wealthy people of the city gave -up their hotels, or parts of them, for this purpose. The Press -organized an admirable ambulance, copied as much from the American -as circumstances would permit. The Italians started one, and two or -three other nationalities. But the American ambulance was the only -one organized upon the tent system, which is unquestionably the true -one. Fresh air and fresh water are what is needed for the wounded. -It is impossible to get fresh air in a building, as you get it in a -tent. As Dr. Swinburne expressed it, "The air filters through the -canvas." - -At the Exposition of 1867 we had a remarkably good exhibition of our -ambulance system. It was due to the energy and liberality of Dr. -Evans. At the close of the exhibition he bought the whole collection; -and when the war broke out, he organized an ambulance association, -presented it with this material, and gave it ten thousand francs. -Other Americans contributed, and the enterprise was launched. Dr. -Swinburne, a distinguished corps surgeon of our army, and afterward -Quarantine Officer at Staten Island, happened to be in Paris, -traveling for his health and amusement. He gave up his trip, and -staid in the city, that he might be of service to the wounded French. -He deserves much credit for his humanity. Dr. Johnson, a prominent -American physician in Paris, took charge of the medical department. -Both of these gentlemen discharged their duties with devotion and -skill, and with remarkable success, and without remuneration, except -that they were decorated by the French Government. For an American -residing at home a decoration is of very little account. In France -it is useful. It procures him attention on the railways and at the -restaurants. But it has been very much abused of late years. There -are about one hundred thousand _décorés_ in France, so that they now -say it is the correct thing not to be decorated. I never heard of but -one individual, however, who refused it, and that was from political -motives. - -A number of American ladies and gentlemen who remained in Paris -offered their services in the ambulance, and were enrolled as -volunteer nurses. Among them Mr. Joseph K. Riggs was particularly -conspicuous by his skill and devotion. They went upon the field -after, or even during, an engagement and picked up the wounded. -Indeed, there was quite a contest among the ambulances to get -possession of the wounded; for while the number of the sick in Paris -was very great, that of the wounded was comparatively small. The -medical director of General Ducrot's corps became much interested in -our ambulance. He turned over to Dr. Swinburne the charming house -of M. Chevalier, the eminent French writer on political economy, and -then begged him to take charge of the wounded of his corps. Swinburne -used the house as a convalescent hospital when his tents were full. - -So successful was his treatment that of the amputated only one in -five died; while at the great French ambulance of the Grand Hôtel -four in five died. The mortality there was fearful. - -The apparatus for warming the tents was simple, but most effective. -It had grown up among our soldiers during the war. A hole was made in -the ground outside of one end of a long tent, a stove placed in it, -and the pipe carried the whole length of the tent in a trench. The -result was that the ground was thoroughly dried and warmed, and this -warmed the whole tent. I have known the thermometer outside to be at -20° Fahrenheit, while in the tents it stood at 55°. The doctor said -that for wounded men well covered up in bed 55° was better than 70°. - -The men were well fed, and admirably cared for generally. The French -Government put the best of their stores at the disposition of the -ambulances, and treated them with the greatest liberality. There was -always plenty of canned fruit, jellies, etc., in Paris, so valuable -in sickness. The ladies bought these, and brought them to the -wounded. Tobacco was provided in the same way for the convalescents. - -The American ambulance was soon so well and so favorably known, that -I heard of French officers who put cards in their pocket-books, on -which they had written the request that if they were wounded they -might be carried to _l'ambulance américaine_. - -The great drawback we had to contend with was the impossibility of -procuring new tents. Dr. Swinburne told me that at home they would -have been condemned after a month's use, and new ones substituted. -But in Europe the cloth is not to be had. We use cotton cloth, the -French use linen. Cotton is lighter, is more porous in dry and fulls -in wet weather. The result is that the air filters through it in the -one case, and the water does not penetrate it in the other. In the -absence of new canvas, the doctor thoroughly fumigated the old from -time to time. This answered the purpose tolerably well, but did not -exhibit the tent system in its perfection. - -We had now reached the middle of January, and the end of the -siege was rapidly approaching. The want of proper food, especially -for young children, was producing its necessary results; and the -death-rate had risen from about eight hundred--which is the average -number of weekly deaths in Paris--to four thousand, and this without -counting those in hospital which may be set down at one thousand -more. The number of poor Germans supported by the Legation had also -increased very greatly, and had risen to twenty-four hundred. We -were compelled to hire another room, where the weekly allowance -made them was paid and duly entered in books kept for this purpose; -for every penny expended was regularly entered and vouched for. The -poor German women were obliged to walk two or three miles on those -cold winter days; for the workmen's quarter is far from that of the -Champs Elysées. Mr. Washburne pitied these poor creatures, and gave -them omnibus tickets for the return trip. He bought a cask of _vin -ordinaire_, too, and gave a glass of warm sweetened wine to each of -them. It did them infinite good. - -Provisions were now running short; enough remained for a few days -only. Even in this most vital matter there was blundering. A -gentleman high placed in the office of the Minister of Commerce, the -_ministère_ which had charge of the supplies, told Mr. Washburne that -there were provisions in Paris to last till March. We could hardly -credit it, but it came to us from such high authority that we were -staggered. He spoke positively, and said he had seen the figures. -After the surrender this gentleman met a mutual friend, and said, "I -am afraid your minister must take me for either a liar or a fool. I -hope I am neither. The mistake we made at the _ministère_ happened -in this way: the minister appointed two officers; each was to take -an account of all the food in Paris, in order that one account might -control the other. When their statements came in, he added them -together, but forgot to divide them by two." - -Meantime we were being bombarded, but after a very mild fashion. I -have since talked with a German general who commanded at the quarter -whence most of the shells entered the city. He assured me that there -never was the slightest intention to bombard Paris. If there had -been, it would have been done in a very different style. The German -batteries fired from a height upon a fort in the hollow, and their -shells, flying high, entered Paris. Still, when nearly two hundred -lives were lost, and shells fell among us for nineteen days, people -had a right to say that they were bombarded, and no Parisian will -admit to this day that they were not. Artillery-men of all nations -become not only very careless, but very wanton. The Germans were -eager to hit something, and the public buildings of the Latin Quarter -offered a tempting mark to the gunners. I was complaining to a -French officer one day of the shameful manner in which the French -Government troops during the Commune bombarded the quarter of the -Champs Elysées, a quarter inhabited almost exclusively by friends of -the Government, who were longing for the troops to come in. He told -me that it was due to the wantonness of the artillery-men, and cited -an instance which came under his own observation. A gunner at Mount -Valérien pointed out to the captain of the gun a cart making its -slow way through the distant plain toward Paris, and exclaimed, "O, -my officer! see that cart carrying supplies to the enemy." "Where, -where?" "There, near that white house." "Give it a shell." He fired, -missed half a dozen times, but finally hit. It turned out to be -the cart of a poor washer-woman, carrying the week's wash to her -customers. - -A few days before the surrender bad news came thick and fast. A -sortie in the direction of Mount Valérien had been repulsed. Chanzy -had been defeated. All hope of aid from that quarter had vanished, -and but a few days' provisions remained. Will it be believed that -even then Trochu "paltered in a double sense" with the suffering -people? He published a proclamation in which he said the "Governor of -Paris would never surrender." The next day he resigned, and appointed -no successor. When, three days later, the city surrendered there was -no Governor of Paris. - -But even to the last moment there were people who had confidence -in Trochu's proclamation. The Parisians are credulous, and readily -believe what they wish to believe. Among the populace there was -always a sort of half belief in the "Plan Trochu," which, as he often -told us, when all else failed, was to save France. This plan he kept -mysteriously to himself, or confided it only to a few bosom-friends. -But I had it from a source I thought entitled to belief, that Trochu -confidently anticipated a miracle in his favor in return for his -devotion. St. Genevieve was to appear and save Paris. It is almost -impossible to believe that, in the nineteenth century, and in that -skeptical capital, a man of intelligence, cultivation, and varied -experience, could be found who believed in a miraculous appearance of -the saint; but Trochu was a strange compound of learning, ability, -weakness, and fanaticism, and I have little doubt that he confidently -anticipated the personal intervention of St. Genevieve to save her -beloved city. - -On the 24th of January, Vinoy took command. He suppressed the clubs, -seized the violent press, and took other energetic measures. A mob -attacked Mazas, and released the prisoners. They then tried the Hôtel -de Ville a second time; but they had now a different commander to -deal with, and they were beaten off with ease. Mr. Washburne and I -happened to be in the neighborhood of the Hôtel de Ville, and saw -something of this affair. We did not stay to the end, however, for we -felt that it was not the proper place for us, accredited as we were -to the Government the mob was attempting to overthrow. Had Vinoy or -Ducrot been in command from the beginning, the result might have been -different. There was no reason why the National Guard should not have -made good soldiers; but they needed a discipline of iron. They were -permitted to choose their own officers. This of itself was fatal. In -the beginning of our war in some of the States the company officers -were elected by the men. But the men themselves were the first to see -the folly of this course, and petitioned that their officers might be -appointed by the Executive. Had the officers of the National Guard -been appointed by the Government, and when they halted at the barrier -and refused to go farther, had a battery been ordered up, and a dozen -or so of them shot, "_pour encourager les autres_," as the French -said of Admiral Byng, they might have given a very different account -of themselves in their combats with the Germans. - -On the 27th of January, with seven days' provisions only in Paris, -with every man, woman, and child on the shortest possible allowance, -the city surrendered. An armistice was agreed upon, which was not, -however, to apply to the armies of the East operating toward Lyons. -It is said that the French commander in that quarter was not notified -that the armistice did not extend to him. He was attacked, caught -napping, and defeated. - -If I recollect correctly, it was Bourbaki who was defeated in the -East. Bourbaki is the type of the _beau militaire_ of the French -Empire. A dashing, gallant soldier, he had distinguished himself and -gained his promotion by scaling the walls of an Arab town at the -head of his troops, armed with a light riding-whip only. But these -were not the men then wanted at the head of the French armies. When -Bourbaki was defeated, and his army in retreat, making its disorderly -way to Switzerland, and needing all its General's care and attention, -he attempted to commit suicide. In the German service he would -undoubtedly have been tried for desertion. In France every thing is -pardoned to a man who acts under the influence of strong emotion; and -Bourbaki was never even blamed for leaving his army to its fate. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - - Election in France.--Terms of Peace.--Germans enter Paris.--Their - Martial Appearance.--American Apartments occupied.--Washburne - remonstrates.--Attitude of Parisians.--The Germans evacuate - Paris.--Victualing the City.--Aid from England and the - United States.--Its Distribution.--Sisters of Charity. - - -During the armistice an election took place. The Assembly met at -Bordeaux late in February, and steps were taken toward peace. All -sorts of rumors were current as to the terms, and it was said that -they were so severe that France must fight on at all hazards rather -than accept them. Ten milliards, it was rumored, were to be paid -(two thousand millions of dollars). Alsace and Lorraine and a French -colony were to be given up, and a number of French men-of-war made -over to Germany. The preliminaries were finally agreed upon: five -milliards were to be paid, and Alsace and Lorraine transferred. -German troops were to occupy Mount Valérien and to enter Paris, and -hold a part of it until peace was definitively signed. The Crown -Prince was reported to have been opposed to the troops entering the -capital, as humiliating to the French, and not a military necessity; -but he was overruled. - -On the 1st of March I was awakened by military music. I had not -heard any for a long time, the French bands having been broken up. I -hurried out, and found that the Germans were entering Paris. First -came the traditional Uhlans. The safety with which these troops rode -in pairs through a great part of France was a curious feature of the -war. They were followed by their supports. Then came a mixed band of -about one thousand troops, representing all arms and the different -German nationalities. They were sent as an advance-guard to secure -and prepare the quarters assigned the troops by the _maires_. In the -mean time, the Emperor was holding a review at Longchamps, on the -very field where, three years and a half before, he had assisted at -the review of sixty thousand French troops by the Emperor Napoleon, -and it was not until the afternoon that the main body, the Prussian -Guard, the Saxons, and the Bavarians, marched into the city. They -occupied the quarter of the Champs Elysées, extending as far as the -Place de la Concorde--in all about one-eighth of Paris. - -This was a busy day for me. Mr. Washburne was overrun with -_concierges_ and servants complaining that the Prussians were -occupying American apartments. I went to the mayor of the -arrondissement. He said that he had quartered the Germans impartially -upon all the householders; that the French law exempted apartments -of an annual value of less than one hundred dollars; that in his -arrondissement, as I knew, the apartments were either remarkably good -or remarkably poor; that the good ones were occupied principally by -foreigners, and that the poor ones were exempt. From the mayor I -went to the German commander occupying the house of Queen Christine -on the Champs Elysées, and was told at his head-quarters that they -had nothing to say in the matter; that they had requisitioned a -certain number of rooms from the French authorities, and that they -must go where those authorities sent them, and had no right to go -elsewhere; that it was then too late to make any change that day, -but that if Mr. Washburne would find them quarters elsewhere, they -would cheerfully vacate all American apartments the next day. In the -mean time Washburne had been to Jules Favre. Favre told him that -there was every prospect that the terms of peace would be accepted -by the Assembly at Bordeaux that evening, and that the Germans, in -accordance with the treaty, would leave Paris the next day. They were -accepted that evening; but Bismarck wished to give as many German -troops as possible an opportunity to enter Paris, and so refused to -accept the telegraphic announcement of the acceptance of the treaty -by the Assembly. The next day the written official notice arrived, -and the day after Paris was evacuated. The Germans remained in Paris -three days. They did no harm. I heard of nothing missing but a few -blankets. By the terms of the treaty thirty thousand were to occupy -Paris. It was rumored that the garrison was changed every night, and -that ninety thousand entered in all. - -The attitude of the people of Paris toward the conquerors was, upon -the whole, excellent. They staid away from the occupied quarter, -and minded their own business. In this quarter the shops were all -closed, except a few restaurants and cafés that the Germans insisted -should be opened. Some of these cafés were afterward gutted by the -mob, which was rather hard on the owners, as they had been compelled -to open them. But a mob is never just. Some few of the populace -fraternized with the invaders, and were to be seen talking amicably -with them; and some of the rougher element attempted to create a -disturbance, but were soon overawed by the great numbers and martial -bearing of the conquerors. While only thirty thousand were in Paris, -there can be little doubt that a hundred thousand were within a -half-hour's march, ready to enter to the assistance of their comrades -if needed. Indeed, I imagine that all the troops who passed in review -before the Emperor at Longchamps either occupied Paris, or were -bivouacked in the Bois during the three days of the occupation. - -They had come in very quietly, and with military precautions against -surprise. They went out with a flourish of trumpets. They had -bivouacked in large numbers about the Arch, and their camp-fires -lighted up the inscriptions on that magnificent monument recording -the victories of French over German arms. It certainly is most -creditable to the conquerors that they did the Arch no harm. Few -nations would have been so magnanimous. The weather was perfect, the -night mild and balmy, the moon nearly full, and the beautiful German -camp-songs, admirably sung, resounded in the stillness of the hour -till ten o'clock struck, when perfect silence reigned in the camp. -When the Germans entered Paris, they marched round the Arch; when -they went out they took down the chains which inclose it, and every -regiment of infantry and cavalry, and every battery of artillery -passed directly under it, drums beating, colors flying, and the men -cheering as they passed. They were gloriously repaid for the trials -of the campaign. - -Ten days passed after the surrender, and apparently the French -authorities had made no provision to revictual Paris. There was no -beef, to speak of, in the city, and very little mutton. The bread -remained the same wretched dark stuff, one-third flour, two-thirds -pease, beans, oats, rice, straw--in fact, any refuse. Delicious -white bread, fresh butter, and eggs were to be bought of the German -soldiers just beyond the barriers; and any one who took the trouble, -and had the means, could procure these luxuries at reasonable -prices. The peasants sold them to the German soldiers, and they -were permitted to resell them at a small profit. The first train of -provisions to enter Paris was sent by the citizens of London, to -their credit be it spoken. Will it be believed that considerable -difficulty was experienced in finding persons willing to take the -trouble to distribute this food gratuitously? It was done to a very -limited extent at the _mairies_. The great dry-goods establishment -of the Bon Marché distributed a portion; but much was stored in the -Halles de l'Abondance for want of distribution, and burned up when -that establishment was destroyed during the Commune. I remember -hearing a Chauvin of the Assembly at Versailles pitch into the -English for coming over after the Commune to visit Paris in her -desolation. He was answered by Jules Favre, as happily as truly, that -"the English, before they organized their trains of pleasure, had -organized their trains of relief." - -In this connection let me state that more than two millions of -dollars were sent from the United States. At least two cargoes of -provisions arrived at Havre, our Government supplying the vessels. -No one could be found to distribute the supplies. The French are so -government-ridden that they are unable to take the initiative in any -thing for themselves. I have seen a strong, bold man, a guide in the -Pyrenees, stand wringing his hands and crying, while his house was -on fire, waiting for the soldiers to come and save his furniture -and put out the flames. One of the shiploads of provisions I speak -of was sent to London, sold there, and the proceeds distributed to -the poor of France. Part of the relief sent was distributed through -the Government, but experience showed this method to be slow--there -was too much red-tape about it. The funds were finally placed in -the hands of American ladies and gentlemen residing at Paris and -Versailles, whose knowledge of France and acquaintance with French -people gave them the means of making a judicious distribution. A part -was expended by a committee of ladies, of which Madame MacMahon was -the President; something was placed at the disposal of the Countess -of Paris, out of regard for her husband, who had served in our army -during the war; and a very large portion was distributed through the -Sisters of Charity. Nothing could be more judicious, and at the same -time more thoroughly business-like, than the manner in which these -admirable women disposed of the money intrusted to them, rendering a -voucher for every franc they expended. One felt that every penny in -their hands had been placed where it was most needed, and would do -most good. - -Mr. Washburne left Paris early in February for Brussels, where his -family were residing, and where, by-the-way, a very large number of -our Parisian Americans had taken refuge. But he came back in a week, -feeling quite poorly. He had been so overrun with visitors making -inquiries or asking favors, that he had had no rest, and so returned -to the lately beleaguered city for a little quiet. I remained until -the Germans had made their triumphal entry, and their more triumphal -departure, and then got leave and went to London to join my family. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - - The Commune.--Murder of French Generals.--The National Guard of - Order.--It disbands.--The Reasons.--Flight of the Government to - Versailles.--Thiers.--Attempts to reorganize National Guard.--An - American arrested by Commune.--Legation intervenes.--His Discharge. - --His Treatment.--Reign of King Mob.--"_Démonstrations Pacifiques._" - --Absurd Decrees of the Commune.--Destruction of the Vendôme - Column. - - -But it has rarely been my lot, in the course of my official life, -to enjoy an uninterrupted leave of absence. The present was no -exception. I was scarcely fairly installed in England, and fighting -"my battles o'er again," and showing "how fields were lost", when -there came a telegram from Mr. Washburne telling me that there were -disturbances in Paris, and that I must return immediately. Some of -the National Guard of the Belleville and Montmartre quarters had -taken advantage of the confusion reigning immediately after the -surrender, and seized several field-guns and mitrailleuses, and -carried them off to their fastnesses on Montmartre. They now refused -to surrender them; and when the Government attempted to take them, -the troops fraternized with the mob, and deserted their generals, -Lecompte and Thomas, whom the Communists forthwith shot. It was said -that Count Bismarck had urged the disarming of the National Guard at -the time of the surrender. Trochu's Government had refused. They must -have bitterly regretted it afterward. - -On my return I entered Paris by the Gare St. Lazare. That usually -peaceful temple of traffic was thronged by _Gardes Nationaux_--"The -National Guard of Order," they called themselves, or were called, to -distinguish them from the Communists. These gentlemen appeared to be -enjoying themselves. They were comfortably housed in the building, -and lounged and chatted there, not without frequent visits to the -neighboring cafés. I found that they held the Grand Hotel, and the -new Opera-house, both strong positions, and within easy supporting -distance of each other. They also held the Bourse, the Bank of -France, the "Finances," and many other "coignes of vantage." But -"coignes of vantage" are of very little use when the heart to defend -them is lacking. In a very few days these men, outnumbering the -Communists two or three to one, backed by the power of the Government -and the wealth of Paris, and by the moral support of the Germans and -of the civilized world, had disbanded, taken refuge in flight, and -left their families, and their property, and their beautiful city to -the tender mercies of the mob. - -It was a matter of the utmost astonishment to me, and to every one -with whom I conversed, that the National Guard of Order should -have behaved as they did. I never understood it till I talked -with my barber just after his battalion had disbanded, and before -he had escaped to London. They got tired of sleeping away from -their families, getting their meals irregularly, and having to pay -restaurant-prices for them. They were in a state of disgust, too, -with the Government, who refused to pass an act to relieve them from -their rents accrued during the siege. My barber was an excellent -representative of his class, the _petite bourgeoisie_; a well-to-do -man, employing two apprentices, making a good livelihood, and laying -by something for a _dot_ for his children--economical, intelligent, -sober. He belonged to the most respectable battalion in the city, -that of the quarter of the "Finances." I expressed my surprise at -their disbanding. He said that the Government would do nothing for -them, so they would do nothing for the Government: it might put down -the _émeute_ itself. So they abandoned their property and their homes -and their idolized Paris, shut up their shops, and ran away. - -The relations between the Government and the governed in France are -difficult for an American to understand. In the United States and in -England the Government is _our_ government, its interests are _our_ -interests, and we stand by and defend it, not only because it is our -duty to do so, but because it is _ours_. This feeling does not exist -in France among the masses, the _petit commerce_ and the peasantry. -They look upon the Government as a foreign body which has somehow -or other--it matters very little how--got possession of power. As -long as it preserves order, prevents crime, insures prosperity, and -gratifies vanity by foreign conquests, it is firmly seated; but -the moment it ceases to be able to do all this, let it go, and try -another. - -It is a strange notion of the duties of a Government that it must -insure prosperity; but it prevails very generally among the masses -in France, and is not unknown among the uneducated classes in other -countries. The theory of the Long Island fisherman is more generally -acted upon than is acknowledged: "He knew Governor Dix, and he liked -Governor Dix, but he hadn't averaged an eel to a pot all summer; and -he thought he would try a new governor." - -The conduct of the Government, or, rather, that of M. Thiers--for -at that time Thiers was the Government, and he might have said with -perfect truth, "_L'état c'est moi_"--has been much and harshly -criticised. Whether this criticism is just or not, depends upon the -loyalty or disloyalty of the troops. If they were true to their -colors and ready to fight the mob, as they afterward did, there -never was a more cowardly and disgraceful surrender than the retreat -to Versailles, as unwise and unmilitary as it was cowardly, for it -discouraged the respectable citizens, and abandoned to the mob all -the advantages of position, immense war material, and the unbounded -wealth of the capital. It was proceeding upon Artemus Ward's military -plan. Artemus said that if he were in a city with fifty thousand men, -besieged by an enemy with fifty thousand men, he would open the gates -and march out, and let them march in, and then besiege them. Artemus -and M. Thiers appear to have studied in the same military school. But -if, as Thiers alleged, the army could not be relied upon, but were -ready to raise the butts of their muskets "_en air_" and fraternize -with the Communists, then there never was a wiser movement: it was -truly a "masterly retreat." Had what Thiers apprehended happened, -had the troops fraternized with the mob, a movement which was only -an insurrection--a bloody one, it is true, but confined to one -city--would have spread over France, and there would have been -a repetition, with aggravation, of all the horrors of the first -Revolution. - -Before the National Guard of Order disbanded, several -well-intentioned efforts were made by officers of rank to effect -an organization among the citizens against the insurgents. Admiral -de Saissy either volunteered, or was sent by the Government, to -take command. He made his head-quarters at the Grand Hôtel, within -a stone's-throw of the Communists intrenched in the Place Vendôme. -Here they were isolated, far from their supports at Belleville and -Montmartre. Why the Admiral did not place a battery in position -in the Tuileries Gardens, commanding the Place Vendôme by the Rue -Castiglione, or why he did not simply starve the Communists out, I -never knew: probably he could not depend upon his men. I am confirmed -in this belief by a circumstance which happened within my own -observation. Two or three French gentlemen called at the Legation one -morning, to say that a young American friend, a Mr. Delpit, of New -Orleans, had been arrested by the Communists, and was then a prisoner -in the Place Vendôme, and would probably be dragged that day before -a Communist court-martial, condemned, and shot. Mr. Washburne was -at Versailles. I immediately sent his private secretary, an attaché -of the Legation, furnished with all the necessary documents, to -his relief. In a very short time Mr. M'Kean returned, after a most -successful mission. He had seen Delpit, he had seen the insurgent -authorities, and they had promised to discharge their prisoner that -very day. They did so. The next day he came up to thank us for our -prompt intervention in his behalf, which had undoubtedly saved his -life. I naturally asked him how he happened to be arrested. He said -that he had gone to see Admiral de Saissy, whom he knew, at the Grand -Hôtel; that the Admiral was very anxious to send a dispatch to a -distant part of the city; that the Admiral's aid was ready to start, -but that there appeared to be a very unanimous indisposition on the -part of the officers of the National Guard to accompany him; that -thereupon he volunteered. The Admiral jumped at the offer, and said, -"_You_ will go, I know; _you_ are an American; _you_ are not afraid." -A French commander must have been very much provoked by the conduct -of the officers about him to use such language in their presence. -Delpit and the aid started, but had gone but a little way, when they -were surrounded by a squad of the insurgents, who ordered them to -halt. Delpit drew his revolver, and threatened to shoot, while he -told his companion to run. The aid escaped. The insurgents leveled -their pieces, and were about to fire, when Delpit, seeing that his -companion had escaped, concluded that discretion was the better part -of valor, and surrendered. They disarmed him, treating him very -roughly, and one of them--a negro--spat in his face. They shut him -up in a cellar in the Place Vendôme, and it was likely to go hard -with him, when M'Kean appeared upon the scene. Delpit told me that -when they found that he was cared for by the Legation, their conduct -changed marvelously. They treated him with the greatest respect, and -the colored brother who had spit in his face was particularly marked -in his attentions. Delpit has since distinguished himself as a poet. -His work on the siege of Paris was crowned by the Academy, and he is -the author of a successful play, which means much in France. - -But Admiral de Saissy had had enough of it. He gave it up, and went -back to Versailles. The National Guard of Order disbanded, and King -Mob reigned triumphant. - -At first King Mob was a good-natured monarch. He collected a lot of -pitch-pine torches, and lighted them on top of the Vendôme Column. -The effect was good. He made bonfires, fired off guns, organized -processions, made speeches; in fact, behaved like any first-class -American city on the Fourth of July. This did not last long, however. -The tiger soon showed his claws. The party of order, having given -up their arms and disbanded, proceeded to organize what they called -a "_démonstration pacifique_," designed to produce a moral effect -upon a horde of savages. They paraded the streets in large numbers -unarmed. The first day's procession was rather a success. It was -a novelty, and took. The second day's was not so successful. They -marched up the Rue de la Paix, intending, in the grandeur of their -moral strength, to pass straight through the Place Vendôme, the -tiger's lair. The barricades were to disappear at their approach, -the insurgents were to throw themselves into their arms, and there -was to be one huge kiss of peace and reconciliation. Unfortunately, -things did not turn out as set down in the bills. The barriers did -not melt away, and the insurgents refused to kiss and make friends. -On the contrary, they opened fire on the procession, and several of -its numbers were killed. It was a well-meant effort, but Quixotic to -the last degree. - -And now the tiger had tasted blood, and his appetite grew by what -it fed on. But his rage increased by degrees, advancing from one -atrocity to another, till it culminated in the slaughter of the -hostages. - -There was a mixture of the ridiculous with the infamous in the -early acts of the Commune. Its members were very numerous; so, for -working purposes they appointed a "Committee of Public Safety," -which very soon belied its name. These men appointed the ministers. -To call a man "Minister of War" was not democratic, so they called -him "_citoyen délégué au Ministère de la Guerre_." The title of -"General" they found inconsistent with the simplicity of republican -institutions, and so suppressed it. "Colonel" could pass muster, -but "General" was too aristocratic for their dainty ears. Then they -found that, like other mere mortals, they must live and provide for -their families. It was so much easier to pillage a shop than to work! -The shop-keeper should be proud to contribute to the well-being of -the brave defenders of the Republic! Then they published a decree -seizing all the workshops, that they might be occupied by Communist -workmen on the co-operative system. A jury was to be appointed--by -the Commune, of course--to assess the value of the property, and -compensation was to be made to the owner. As a practical measure, -this was not a success. The workmen found it pleasanter to play -soldier, and to take what they wanted, than to work even on the -co-operative system. So the workshops generally remained in the hands -of their owners. Next they commenced the work of demolition, and -almost equaled the great Haussmann in this respect. They pulled down -the house of M. Thiers (the Assembly has since built him a better -one); and they passed decrees to tear down the houses of Jules Favre -and other members of the Government, and confiscate their property. -Happily the patriots to whom the execution of these decrees was -intrusted were not perfectly immaculate; they could generally _be -seen_. In this way much less irreparable injury was done than might -have been expected. - -One of their follies was the destruction of the Colonne Vendôme. An -eminent artist--Courbet--who was a member of the Commune, said that -it offended his artistic taste. Others of this band of brothers said -that it perpetuated the victory of war over peace; that it kept alive -a feeling of triumph in the conquerors and revenge in the conquered; -that the peoples should be brothers, etc., etc. So they pulled it -down; and the present Government forthwith rebuilt it, and the courts -have condemned M. Courbet to pay the expense. - -When the Column was pulled down, all the shop-windows within half a -mile were pasted over with strips of paper to prevent their being -broken by the shock. It fell, and people two hundred yards off did -not know that any thing unusual had happened. It was a question much -discussed how far the prostrate Column would reach. Its length was -generally much overestimated. It was thought that it would extend at -least one hundred feet into the Rue de la Paris. It did not enter -the street, nor even cross the Place Vendôme. The bronze plates -were nearly all saved. Some few were disposed of by the Communist -soldiers. One was sold by a sailor to a lady for five hundred francs. -He afterward denounced her to the Government, and got five hundred -francs more for doing so. A profitable transaction! One was sold to -an American, and made the voyage to New York, where it was found by -the French Consul, reclaimed, and returned to Paris. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - - Diplomatic Corps moves to Versailles.--Journey there and back.--Life - at Versailles.--German Princes.--Battle at Clamart.--Unburied - Insurgents.--Bitterness of Class Hatred.--Its Probable Causes.--United - States Post-office at Versailles.--The Archbishop of Paris.--Attempts - to save his Life.--Washburne's Kindness to him.--Blanqui.--Archbishop - murdered.--Ultramontanism.--Bombardment by Government.--My Apartment - struck.--Capricious Effects of Shells.--Injury to Arch of Triumph. - --Bas-reliefs of Peace and War. - - -As soon as the Government had moved to Versailles, the diplomatic -corps followed. Mr. Washburne hired a large room in the Rue de -Mademoiselle (the sister of Louis XIV.--all Versailles bears the -impress of the reign of that monarch). This room had to do for -office, bedroom, and sitting-room; for Versailles was crowded, and -we were lucky to get any thing so comfortable. As we had far more -to do at Paris than at Versailles, and Paris was then, as always, -the seat of attraction, Mr. Washburne spent four days of the week in -that city, and three at Versailles, and I alternated with him. We had -passes from both sides. I made the trip twice a week, and sometimes -under considerable difficulties. I have traveled more than thirty -miles to reach Paris from Versailles, a distance of nine miles, -partly in a diligence, partly on foot, partly in flat-boats to cross -the Seine where the French had most unnecessarily blown up their own -beautiful bridges, and partly by rail. I suppose that I am better -acquainted with the westerly environs of Paris than any foreigner but -a medical student. Some of the drives in the months of April and May, -especially one by Sceaux and Fontaine-les-Roses, and up the valley of -the Bièvre, are very lovely. - -But after a while we had a regular organized line by St. Denis. -The Germans occupied this town, and insisted upon keeping open the -railroad into Paris, the Chemin de Fer du Nord. They said that under -the treaty they had a right to draw certain supplies from France, -and that Paris was the most convenient place to draw them from, and -from Paris they meant to draw them; and that if the Communists did -not keep the Porte St. Denis open, _they_ would. The Commune always -had a wholesome fear of the Germans; this was all that restrained -them from even greater outrages than they perpetrated; and they hated -the Germans less than they did their own countrymen at Versailles. -In going to Versailles we took the train to St. Denis; there we -hired a carriage, or took the public conveyance, and so drove to -our destination, a trip of about three hours in all: or we drove -out by the Porte St. Denis, and so all the way to Versailles. This -was generally my route, for a number of American and French friends -asked me to bring their horses and carriages from the ill-fated city. -If the Communist officers at the gates were close observers, they -must have thought that I was the owner of one of the largest and -best-appointed stables in Paris. - -There was very little to do at Versailles, and perhaps less to -eat. The Government was there, and the Assembly, and the Corps -Diplomatique, and consequently the crowd of people who had business -with these bodies, thronged to that city. At the restaurants it -was a struggle to get any thing; and when you got it, it was not -precisely in the Café Anglais style. I found two or three pleasant -American families who had wintered here very quietly during the -German occupation. They had had no occasion to complain of their -treatment. At the Hôtel de France I found Dr. Hosmer, the intelligent -and cultivated principal correspondent of the _Herald_. That -enterprising journal had its staff of couriers, who were always at -our service during those days of irregular postal communication. At -the Hôtel des Réservoirs several German princes, officers of the -army, were lodged--intelligent, agreeable, cultivated gentlemen. They -were only too glad to have the pleasure of the society of American -ladies, for of course they could not visit the French; and no class -of men long for and appreciate ladies' society like educated officers -on campaign in an enemy's country. They eagerly accepted invitations -to dine with my friends for a double reason, the pleasure of their -society, and that of a good dinner; for the French cook never could -manage, though of course he did his best, to cook a good dinner for -the Germans, and the landlord was always just out of that favorite -brand of Champagne. - -The day after my first arrival at Versailles I made an excursion to -the battle-field at Clamart, near Meudon. The Communists had been -defeated there the day before. I had "assisted" at the battle from -the Paris side. In attempting to reach Versailles in that direction, -I found myself in the midst of the insurgents, and under the fire -of the troops. The manner in which the insurgents behaved had not -given me a very exalted idea of their soldierly qualities. It was -all confusion, talking, drinking, and panic. A mob of them surged up -to the gate, and demanded admission. It was refused, and they were -ordered back to their regiments. But the crowd increased, and became -more clamorous. The principles of fraternity forbade the guard to -keep their brethren out in the cold, where the naughty Versaillais -might pounce upon them; so the draw-bridge fell, the gates opened, -and the runaways entered. - -When I visited the battle-field, many of the dead still lay -unburied, while the soldiers lounged about with their hands in those -everlasting pockets, and looking with the most perfect indifference -upon their dead countrymen. The class hatred which exists in France -is something we have no idea of, and I trust that we never shall. It -is bitter, relentless, and cruel; and is, no doubt, a sad legacy of -the bloody Revolution of 1789, and of the centuries of oppression -which preceded it. At the beginning of the war the peasants in one of -the villages not far from Paris thrust a young nobleman into a ditch, -and there burned him to death with the stubble from the fields. They -had nothing particular against him, except that he was a nobleman. -In Paris the mob threw the gendarmes, when they caught them, into -the Seine, and when they attempted to struggle out upon the banks -hacked off their hands. On the battle-field I have referred to, the -_frères chrétiens_, a most devoted and excellent body of men, were -moving about on their errands of mercy. Seeing these unburied bodies, -they went to the commanding officer, and begged him to detail a -party to bury them. He did it to oblige them. As the soldiers lifted -one of the dead, a young American who accompanied me said, "Why, he -hasn't a bad face after all!" At once the soldiers looked at him with -suspicion, the officer asked him who he was, and, upon being told, -advised him not to express any such sentiments again. - -Our principal occupation at Versailles was keeping a post-office -for Americans in Paris. M. Rampont, the _directeur des postes_, -had escaped, with all his staff, and established the office at -Versailles. The archives of the bureau of the Avenue Joséphine -were placed in our Legation. The Communists were angry enough to -find themselves cut off from all postal communication with the -departments. It diminished their chances of success. The only means -Americans had of communicating with their friends in Paris was to -send their letters to the care of the Legation at Versailles. We -have received as many as fifty in one day. Two or three times a -week we took or sent them to Paris. They were there mailed by the -Legation, and distributed by the rebel post-office. It cost Uncle -Samuel a penny or two, but he and his representatives at Washington -did not grumble. - -The only episode of interest that occurred at Versailles was our -attempt to save the life of the Archbishop of Paris. He had been -arrested by the Commune, and held as a hostage for the release of -some of their own rag, tag, and bobtail. One day the Pope's Nuncio -called to see Mr. Washburne. He was in Paris. The Nonce thereupon -explained his business to me, and afterward sent two canons of the -Metropolitan Church to see me. They came to beg Mr. Washburne to -do all in his power to save the life of the Archbishop, which they -considered to be in imminent danger. They had already tried one or -more European embassies, but were met with the answer that they could -have nothing to do with the Commune. They handed me their papers, -and I went at once to Paris. Mr. Washburne took up the matter with -his accustomed energy and kindliness. He got permission to see the -prisoner. He took him books and newspapers and old wine. He did -all in his power to negotiate an exchange with Blanqui, a veteran -agitator held by the Government. The Commune consented, but the -Versailles authorities would not. M. Thiers consulted his ministers -and his council of deputies. They were unanimously of opinion that -they could hold no dealings with the Commune. It was then proposed to -let Blanqui escape, and that thereupon the Archbishop should escape -too, and that there need be no negotiations whatever. This M. Thiers -declined. - -Matters were complicated by the conduct of the Vicar-general Lagarde. -He had been a prisoner with the Archbishop, and had been released -for the purpose of bringing letters to Versailles with a view to -negotiate the proposed exchange, and on condition that he should -return. Once safely at Versailles, he declined to go back. His -pretext was that M. Thiers's letter in reply to the Archbishop's was -sealed, and that he could not carry back a sealed letter in reply to -one unsealed. I remember the sad and resigned, but not bitter tone, -in which the Archbishop wrote of this desertion, and the exceedingly -cautious terms in which the Pope's Nuncio referred to it. - -But Mr. Washburne's untiring efforts were in vain. He had to contend -with the _vis inertia_ of French bureaucracy, and he who can move -this mass must be ten times a Hercules. - -The Archbishop was murdered; but Blanqui, whom the French Government -held with so relentless a grip, was condemned to a year or two's -imprisonment only. - -I thought at that time, and think still, that no determined effort -was made to save the Archbishop's life, except by two or three canons -of his Church, and by the Minister of the United States. The French -authorities certainly were lukewarm in the matter. The Archbishop -was a Gallican, a liberal Catholic, notably so. Had he been an -Ultramontane, I think that the extreme Right of the Assembly--the -Legitimists--would have so exerted themselves that his life would -have been saved. M. Thiers occupied a difficult position. He was -suspected by the Legitimists of coquetting with the radicals, and of -having no serious intention of putting down the insurrection. The -suspicion was, of course, unfounded; but it may have prevented him -from entering upon those informal negotiations which would probably -have resulted in the release of the prisoner. - -I once expressed these views to a lady in Paris, herself a liberal -Catholic. She would not admit them to be true. Some weeks later, I -met her again, and she told me that she believed that I was right; -that she had heard such sentiments expressed by Legitimist ladies, -that she was satisfied that there was an influential, if not a large, -class of Ultramontanes, to whom the death of the Archbishop was not -unwelcome. He has been succeeded by a noted Ultramontane. - -Meantime the army was being rapidly reorganized. The Imperial Guard, -and other _corps d'élite_, had returned from Germany, where they had -been prisoners of war. Marshal MacMahon took command. Why M. Thiers -did not then assault the city, and carry it, as he undoubtedly could -have done, was a matter of surprise to every one, and especially to -those whose lives and property lay at the mercies of the Commune. -But Thiers had built the fortifications of Paris. He looked upon -them with a paternal eye. To him they were not like other men's -fortifications. They were impregnable to ordinary assault, and could -only be taken by regular approaches. How I wished that Guizot had -built them! We might have been saved a month of danger, loss, and -intense anxiety. - -On my weekly visit to Paris I had a better opportunity to observe the -progress of events than if I had staid there without interruption, -while my residence of three days gave me ample occasion to appreciate -the full pleasures of the bombardment. It must always be a mystery -why the French bombarded so persistently the quarter of the Arch of -Triumph--the West End of Paris--the quarter where nine out of ten -of the inhabitants were known friends of the Government. They had -their regular hours for this _divertissement_, for so they seemed -to regard it. They took a turn at it before breakfast, to give them -an appetite; and at five o'clock in the morning I was waked by the -shells from Mont Valérien bursting and crashing in the Place de -l'Etoile. About noon they went at it again, and when I went home to -breakfast (_anglice_ lunch), I had to dodge round corners, and take -refuge behind stone columns. Then, just before sunset, they always -favored us with an evening gun, for good-night. The days, too, were -so confoundedly long at that season of the year--April and May--and -the weather provokingly fine. How I longed for a delicious London fog! - -I remember one day, as I dodged behind a stone pillar in the Rue -de Presbourg to avoid a coming shell, the _concierge_ called me in. -I went into his _loge_, but declined to go into the cellar, where -his wife and children had taken refuge. He had two _loges_, and I -strongly advised him to move into the unoccupied one as the safer of -the two, for I had observed that the shells generally passed easily -enough through one stone wall, but were arrested by a second. He took -my advice. The next day a shell from one of their evening guns fell -into the window of the _loge_ he had left, passed through the floor -into the cellar, and there exploded, and tore every thing to pieces. - -My own apartment was struck eight times by fragments of shells. -Fortunately but one exploded in the house, and that two stories above -me. It shattered the room into which it fell fearfully, but, strange -to say, did no damage in the adjoining rooms. Happily the apartment -was unoccupied. The tenants, a few days before, had taken advantage -of a law of the Commune which released all tenants from their rent if -they found it inconvenient to pay it, and had decamped, furniture and -all. - -Mr. Washburne advised me to change my residence, as it was not safe. -But I felt that the dignity of the great American people would not -permit even one of its subordinate representatives to leave the -building while a Frenchman remained in it. Mr. Washburne's practice, -too, was not in accordance with his precepts. If we heard of any part -of Paris where shells were likely to burst and bullets to whistle, -Washburne was sure to have important business in that direction. - -I was not in my house when the shell exploded. I generally came home -to dinner after dark. If there is any thing thoroughly disagreeable, -it is to have shells tumbling and bursting about you when you are at -dinner. It is bad enough at breakfast, but the dinner-hour should be -sacred from vulgar intrusion. - -I recollect one day after my midday breakfast, as I left my house, -I saw a knot of men standing on the corner of the Avenue de -l'Impératrice and the Rue de Presbourg; I thought that I would go and -see what was up. Mont Valérien was blazing away at a great rate. As I -joined the group, one of them said, "They'll fire at us soon, seeing -half a dozen people here." He had hardly said so, when there was a -flash, and a puff of smoke, and in a minute we heard the huge shell -hurtling through the air. It missed us, of course, and fell in the -Place, and exploded. All these men were friends of the Government, -and they were looking to Mont Valérien for help, longing for the -troops to come in. This was the protection the Government gave its -friends, "the protection which the vulture gives the lamb, covering -and devouring it." - -About once a week I was called in by some neighboring _concierge_ to -note the damage done by shells in apartments belonging to Americans. -Shells are strangely capricious. One end of No. 8 Rue de Presbourg, -opposite my own residence, was nearly torn to pieces; the other end -was untouched. At No. 12, shell after shell penetrated the kitchen -departments, while the _salons_ were uninjured. I was called to see -the damage done to the _premier_ of No. 8, a beautiful apartment -belonging to a New York lady. A shell had entered the _salon_ and -exploded. I have never seen more thorough destruction. The mirrors -were shattered; the floors and ceilings rent and gaping; sofas, -chairs, and tables upset and broken. In the midst of all this -destruction stood a little table with a lady's work-basket upon it, -the needle in the work, the thimble and scissors on the table, as if -she had left them five minutes before--the only objects unhurt in the -room. It was a touching souvenir of peaceful domestic life in the -midst of the worst ravages of war. - -Mr. Washburne and Lord Lyons complained to Jules Favre of this -persistent bombardment, for the property destroyed and the lives -endangered were largely American and English. He replied that it -was "bad shooting," but he smiled as he said so, and evidently did -not believe it himself. It was sheer wantonness, that irrepressible -desire of artillery-men, of which I have before spoken, to hit -something--an enemy if possible, a friend if no enemy offers. - -It was singular that while so many shells fell in the immediate -neighborhood of the Arch of Triumph, so little serious injury was -done to it. I remarked a curious circumstance in this connection. -The bas-reliefs on the arch facing the Avenue de la Grande Armée are -Peace and War--on the right, as you face the Arch, War; on the left, -Peace. War was very much injured; Peace was scarcely touched. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - - Reign of Terror.--Family Quarrels.--The Alsacians, etc., claim - German Nationality.--They leave Paris on our Passes.--Prisoners of - Commune.--Priests and Nuns.--Fragments of Shells.--"Articles - de Paris."--Fearful Bombardment of "Point du Jour."--Arrest of - Cluseret.--Commune Proclamations.--Capture of Paris.--Troops - enter by Undefended Gate.--Their Slow Advance.--Fight at the - Tuileries Gardens.--Communist Women.--Capture of Barricades. - --Cruelties of the Troops.--"Pétroleuses."--Absurd Stories about - them.--Public Buildings fired.--Destruction of Tuileries, etc., etc. - --Narrow Escape of Louvre.--Treatment of Communist Prisoners. - --Presents from Emperor of Germany. - - -As time passed, the puerilities and atrocities of the Commune kept -equal pace. They had taken possession of the public buildings and -raised the red flag upon them, suppressing the tricolor. They now -passed a decree requiring every man to be provided with a _carte -d'identité_; this, they said, was to protect them against Government -spies. They established a bureau of denunciation, where any man -who had a grudge against his neighbor had simply to denounce him -as a Versailles sympathizer, and he was arrested. They closed the -churches, or turned them into clubs. They arrested the priests; -they shut up some of the convents, and imprisoned the nuns. They -confiscated the gold and silver church plate, and turned it into -coin. It was emphatically a "Reign of Terror." It was estimated -that within a month after the outbreak of the Commune three hundred -thousand people left Paris. - -In the clubs they denounced the Legation. They said that Mr. -Washburne was about to call in the Germans at the request of the -diplomatic corps. They proposed to hang him, and to banish the -rest of us. In point of fact, I believe that Mr. Washburne could -have called in the German army at any time. He had only to report -to General Manteuffel that the lives of the Germans in Paris were -in danger, and that he found himself unable to protect them, and -Manteuffel would have occupied Paris at once. But Mr. Washburne never -entertained an idea of doing this. - -Then the Commune began to quarrel among themselves. The Happy Family -was at variance. Strange as it may appear, at the beginning of the -affair, there were many earnest, honest fanatics in Paris who joined -the movement. The first demands of the Commune under the influence -of these men were not unreasonable, in American eyes. They asked -that they might elect their own prefect, and that Paris should not be -garrisoned by Government soldiers. But events soon outstripped these -men; and as they found the city given over to organized pillage--the -Committee of Public Safety meeting in secret, instead of in the light -of open day, as they had promised, and the model republic of which -they had dreamed as much a chimera as ever--they withdrew from the -Government. Over twenty of them withdrew in a body, and published -their reasons for doing so. But the scoundrels who now directed -the movement "cared for none of these things." They had used these -poor enthusiasts while it suited their purpose; now they threw them -overboard, and replied to their manifesto by removing the Committee -of Public Safety as too mild, afflicted with scruples, and appointing -one of a bloodier type, one of its members a murderer. - -During all this time the Legation was beset from morning till night. -The Alsacians and Lorrains residing in Paris, whom the treaty had -made Germans, but who were nevertheless permitted to choose their -nationality, had fully intended to _opter_ for the French, and -refused with indignation a German nationality. But when they found -that to remain French condemned them to the National Guard, while to -become German enabled them to leave Paris, and return to their homes, -they came in shoals to the Legation to ask for German passports. It -was a renewal of the days before the siege, the days of the German -expulsion. Much of Mr. Washburne's time was taken up in visiting -German prisoners, and procuring their discharge, and sometimes that -of French priests and nuns. To procure the release of Germans was no -very difficult task, for the Commune, as I have said, had a wholesome -fear of the Teuton, and "_Civis Germanicus sum_" was an open-sesame -to Communist prison-doors. But to release the poor French nuns was a -more difficult task. Mr. Washburne effected it in many instances; but -it required all his energy and decision. - -And here I must remark how much better and more humane it was to do -as Mr. Washburne did--to hold such communication with the officials -of the Commune as was absolutely necessary, and so save human life, -and mitigate human suffering--than to sit with folded arms, and say, -"Really, I can have nothing to do with those people," and so let -fellow-creatures suffer and perish. - -Where there is a will, there is generally a way. Mr. Washburne was -able to assist and protect indirectly many persons whom he could not -claim as American citizens or German subjects. We could not give a -United States passport to a Frenchman, but we could make him a bearer -of dispatches, give him a courier's pass, and so get him safely out -of Paris. Colonel Bonaparte escaped in this way. He was on the "Black -List" of the Commune for arrest, and arrest then meant death. - -As the siege progressed, the bombardment became more and more severe. -The beautiful avenue of the Champs Elysées was like a city of the -dead. Not a living creature was to be seen upon it for hours. From -time to time a man would emerge cautiously from a side street, gaze -anxiously up the avenue, then start on a run to cross it. But the -"insatiate thirst of gold" is stronger than the fear of death; and, -at the worst of the bombardment, men and boys were to be seen lurking -near the Arch, and darting upon an exploding shell to secure its -fragments while they were still too hot to hold. A large business was -done in these fragments after the siege, as well as in the unexploded -shells. They were sold as relics; and the Parisian shop-keepers -mounted them as clocks, fenders, inkstands, penholders, and other -_articles de Paris_. - -A battery of immense strength was at length erected at Montretout, -near St. Cloud. It was probably the most powerful battery ever -erected in the world. It opened upon the gate of the Point du Jour, -and in a few days the scene of devastation in that quarter was -fearful. Not a house was left standing, scarcely a wall. Bodies of -soldiers of the National Guard lay unburied among the ruins. The fire -was too hot for their comrades to approach them. - -In the mean time dissension reigned among the Communists. A new -Committee of Public Safety was appointed. They arrested Cluseret, -their Minister of War, as they had already arrested Lullier. They -accused him of treason, and it would have gone hard with him had the -Commune continued much longer in power. They said that "a hideous -plot had been discovered," but that the guilty were known, and "their -punishment should be exemplary as their crime was unparalleled." They -announced that if the Commune fell, they would fire the city, and its -beauty and its pride should be buried with them. They wrote forcibly, -those fellows! Had they fought with as much vigor as they wrote, -the world would at least have respected their courage, instead of -pronouncing them as cowardly as they were cruel. But their career of -crime and folly was drawing to a close. - -One day a citizen of Paris, a civil engineer, was taking his -afternoon walk. As he approached one of the gates, not far from -Auteuil, he was surprised to find no National Guard on duty. He -kept on, and came to the fortifications. There was not a defender -in sight, while the French troops lay outside under cover watching -for some one to fire at. Why they had not discovered the absence -of the enemy can only be accounted for by the general inefficiency -into which the French army had fallen. The engineer raised his white -handkerchief on his cane, and when he saw that it was observed, -quietly walked through the ruins of the work, crossed the fosse, and -asked the officer in command why on earth he did not come in; there -was a gate, and no one to defend it. It occurred to the officer that -it might be as well to do so; that perhaps that was what he was -there for: so he marched in with his company, and Paris was taken. -It was rather an anticlimax! After a delay of months, and a fierce -bombardment, to enter Paris on the invitation of a citizen taking -his afternoon walk! It was never known how that gate came to be left -unguarded. It was probably owing to dissensions in the Commune. The -battalion holding it had not been relieved, as they expected to be; -so they voted that they would not stay any longer, shouldered their -muskets, and marched off. - -The troops entered on the 22d of May. Once fairly in, the work -was comparatively easy; but they proceeded with great caution. It -was said that Gallifet urged that he should take his cavalry, and -scour the city. I believe that he could have done it on that day, -for the Communists were thoroughly demoralized; but it was thought -to be too hazardous an operation for cavalry. The next morning the -troops advanced unopposed as far as the Place de la Concorde. I -have the word of an American friend, whose apartment looked upon -the Place, that the strong barricade which connected the Rue St. -Florentin with the Tuileries Gardens was then undefended, and that -if the troops had advanced promptly they could have carried it -without resistance; but while they sent forward their skirmishers, -who found no one to skirmish with, and advanced with the utmost -caution, a battery, followed by a battalion of the National Guard, -galloped up from the Hôtel de Ville. The troops then began regular -approaches. They entered the adjoining houses, passing from roof to -roof, and occupying the upper windows, till finally they commanded -the barricade, and fired down upon its defenders. They filled barrels -with sand, and rolled them toward the barrier. Each barrel covered -two skirmishers, who alternately rolled the barrel and picked off the -defenders of the barricade if they ventured to show themselves. My -informant saw a young and apparently good-looking woman spring upon -the barricade, a red flag in her hand, and wave it defiantly at the -troops. She was instantly shot dead. When the work was carried, an -old woman was led out to be shot. She was placed with her back to the -wall of the Tuileries Gardens, and, as the firing party leveled their -pieces, she put her fingers to her nose, and worked them after the -manner of the defiant in all ages, or, as Dickens expresses it, "as -if she were grinding an imaginary coffee-mill." - -Many of their strongest positions were abandoned by the insurgents, -having been turned by the troops. Those that resisted fell one after -the other, carried in the way I have described. Indeed, I can see -no possibility of a barricade holding out unless the adjacent houses -are held too. That at the head of the Rue St. Florentin was of great -strength, a regular work; for the Communists had several excellent -engineers in their ranks, graduates of the military schools, men who -had been disappointed under the Government in not meeting with the -promotion they thought they deserved, and so joined the Commune. The -ditch of the barricade St. Florentin was about sixteen feet deep. -It made a convenient burying-ground. The dead Communists, men and -women, were huddled into it, quicklime added, and the fosse filled -up. As the pleasure-seeker enters the Rue de Rivoli from the Place -de la Concorde he passes over the bodies of forty or fifty miserable -wretches--most of them scoundrels of the deepest dye--but among them -some wild fanatics, and some poor victims of the Commune, forced -unwillingly into its ranks. - -Much must be pardoned to soldiers heated with battle, and taught -to believe every prisoner they take an incarnate devil. But making -all allowances, there is no excuse for the wholesale butcheries -committed by the troops. A friend of mine saw a house in the -Boulevard Malesherbes visited by a squad of soldiers. They asked -the _concierge_ if there were any Communists concealed there. She -answered that there were none. They searched the house, and found -one. They took him out and shot him, and then shot her. One of the -attachés of the Legation saw in the Avenue d'Autin the bodies of six -children, the eldest apparently not over fourteen, shot to death as -_pétroleuses_, suspected of carrying petroleum to fire the houses. -There was no trial of any kind, no drum-head court-martial even, such -as the laws of civilized warfare require under all circumstances. -Any lieutenant ordered prisoners to be shot as the fancy took him, -and no questions were asked. Many an innocent spectator perished in -those days. An English officer had a narrow escape. He approached a -crowd of prisoners halted for a moment on the Champs Elysées; and -when they moved on, the guard roped him in with the rest, and would -not listen to a word of explanation. Happily he was able to attract -the attention of the Marquis de Gallifet and explain his position. -An officer of high rank who was escorting a batch of prisoners to -Versailles is said to have halted in the Bois, ridden down the -column, picked out those whose faces he particularly disliked, and -had them shot on the spot. The number of lives taken after the defeat -of the Commune can never be accurately known; but it was generally -computed at the time to exceed the number of those lost in both -sieges. - -Petroleum next became the madness of the hour. Every woman carrying -a bottle was suspected of being a _pétroleuse_. The most absurd -stories were told of its destructive properties. Organized bands of -women were said to be patrolling the streets armed with bottles of -petroleum. This they threw into the cellar windows, and then set -fire to it. The windows were barred, and the cellars in Paris are -universally built in stone and concrete. How they effected their -purpose under these circumstances is not readily seen. If this was -their _modus operandi_, they were the most inexpert incendiaries ever -known. The Commune should blush for its pupils in crime. I do not -believe in the petroleum story, and I do not think that one-third of -the population believed in it. Yet such was the power of suspicion -in those days, and such the distrust of one's neighbor, that every -staid and sober housekeeper bricked up his cellar windows, and for -weeks in the beautiful summer weather not an open window was to be -seen on the lower stories. No doubt every second man thought it a -great piece of folly thus to shut out light and air from his lower -stories; but if he had not done as his neighbors did, he would have -been denounced by them as a _pétroleux_. - -The leaders of the Commune, as I have said, had sworn that, if the -city were taken, they would blow up the public buildings, and bury -every thing in a common ruin. Happily, their good-will exceeded their -ability. They had no time to execute their atrocious projects. They -burned the Tuileries, the Finances, the Hôtel de Ville, the Comptes, -the Hotel of the Legion of Honor, and a small portion of the Palais -Royal. The only irreparable loss was that of the Hôtel de Ville. The -Finances, the Comptes, and the Legion of Honor had no imperishable -historical associations connected with them. The Tuileries was an -old and inconvenient building. The Emperor had already rebuilt it in -part. Plans for reconstructing the whole building had been prepared -and still exist, and nothing but the want of money had prevented -their being carried into execution long before. - -I do not propose to dwell upon the horrors of the nights of the -23d and 24th of May, when all Paris appeared to be in flames. The -view from the high ground upon which the Legation stands was very -striking. A pall of smoke hung over the city by day, and pillars -of fire lighted it by night. One of the most painful features of -those days was the prolonged suspense. We did not know which of -the magnificent monuments of Paris were in flames; for the troops -permitted no approach, and the most startling rumors were current. -The Louvre was at one time in danger, but happily escaped. - -I pass over, too, the cruelties of the march of the prisoners to -Versailles, and the sufferings they there endured. These things -are written in the annals of the times, and no good can be done -by reviving them. Beautiful France has been sorely tried with -revolutions. Let us hope that she has seen the last. - -In the hotel of the German Embassy at Paris may be seen several -articles of value, mostly Sèvres and Dresden china, which the -German Government desires to present to Mr. Washburne, General -Read, and some few other officers of the United States, in token of -its gratitude for services rendered to German subjects during the -war. These articles can not be received without the permission of -Congress. The House promptly passed the joint resolution. The Senate -still hesitates. Mr. Fox, formerly Assistant Secretary of the Navy, -and the officers who accompanied him to Russia, were permitted to -receive such presents as "the Emperor might see fit to give them." -Are Mr. Washburne and his subordinates, who certainly rendered some -services, and suffered some hardships, less entitled to receive this -permission than Mr. Fox and his companions, who took a monitor to -Cronstadt? - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - - Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been - corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within - the text and consultation of external sources. - - Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, - and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. For example, - reconnoissance; embassador; encumbered, incumbrance; titbit. - - Pg 10, 'Bass-reliefs' replaced by 'Bas-reliefs'. - Pg 234, 'mlliards' replaced by 'milliards'. - Pg 256, 'Bass-reliefs' replaced by 'Bas-reliefs'. - Pg 270, 'bass-reliefs' replaced by 'bas-reliefs'. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAMP COURT AND SIEGE*** - - -******* This file should be named 51195-0.txt or 51195-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/1/1/9/51195 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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} - </style> -</head> -<body> -<h1 class="pg">The Project Gutenberg eBook, Camp Court and Siege, by Wickham Hoffman</h1> -<p>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States -and most other parts of the world 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 <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: Camp Court and Siege</p> -<p> A Narrative of Personal Adventure and Observation During Two Wars: 1861-1865; 1870-1871</p> -<p>Author: Wickham Hoffman</p> -<p>Release Date: February 13, 2016 [eBook #51195]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: UTF-8</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAMP COURT AND SIEGE***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4 class="center">E-text prepared by John Campbell<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive<br /> - (<a href="https://archive.org">https://archive.org</a>)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - <a href="https://archive.org/details/campcourtsiegen00hoffiala"> - https://archive.org/details/campcourtsiegen00hoffiala</a> - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class="transnote"> -<p><strong>TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE</strong></p> -<p>A detailed transcriber's note can be found at the <a href="#TN">end of the book.</a></p> -</div> -<hr class="full" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class="tpage"> -<h1>CAMP COURT AND SIEGE</h1> - -<br /><br /> -<p class="small">A NARRATIVE OF PERSONAL ADVENTURE AND<br /> -OBSERVATION DURING TWO WARS</p> - -<p>1861-1865 <span class="pad3">1870-1871</span></p> -<br /> -<p><span class="wsp"><span class="smcap">By</span> WICKHAM HOFFMAN</span><br /> - -<span class="xs">ASSISTANT ADJ.-GEN. U. S. VOLS. AND SECRETARY U. S. LEGATION AT PARIS</span></p> - -<br /><br /> -<hr class="r30" /> -<br /> -<p>LONDON<br /> -<span class="small wsp">SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON<br /> -<span class="xs wsp">CROWN BUILDINGS, 188 FLEET STREET.</span><br /> -<span class="lsp">1877</span></span></p> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap pg-brk" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p4 antiqua lsp pfs120">Dedication.</p> - -<p class="p2 pfs80">TO</p> - -<p class="smcap pfs120">The Hon. E. B. WASHBURNE,</p> - -<p class="p1 lht pfs70">MINISTER OF THE U. S. AT PARIS,<br /> -THESE PAGES ARE CORDIALLY DEDICATED,<br /> -IN ADMIRATION OF THE STERLING QUALITIES OF MANHOOD<br /> -DISPLAYED BY HIM DURING THE DARK DAYS OF THE SIEGE<br /> -AND COMMUNE, AND IN RECOLLECTION OF MANY<br /> -PLEASANT HOURS PASSED TOGETHER DURING<br /> -AN OFFICIAL CONNECTION OF<br /> -NEARLY SIX YEARS.<br /> -</p> - - -<p class="p4" /> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span><br /> - <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS.</a></h2> - -<div class="center fs80"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" width="95%" summary="Table of Contents"> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER I.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Hatteras.—"Black Drink."—Fortress Monroe.—General Butler.—Small-pox.—"L'Isle des Chats."—Lightning.—Farragut.—Troops land.—Surrender of Forts</td><td class="tdr wd10"><a href="#Page_11">Page 11</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER II.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">New Orleans.—Custom-house.—Union Prisoners.—The Calaboose.—"Them Lincolnites."—The St. Charles.—"Grape-vine Telegraph."—New Orleans Shop-keepers.—Butler and Soulé.—The Fourth Wisconsin.—A New Orleans Mob.—Yellow Fever</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_23">23</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER III.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Vicksburg.—River on Fire.—Baton Rouge.—Start again for Vicksburg.—The <i>Hartford</i>.—The Canal.—Farragut.—Captain Craven.—The <i>Arkansas</i>.—Major Boardman.—The <i>Arkansas</i> runs the Gauntlet—Malaria</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER IV.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Sickness.—Battle of Baton Rouge.—Death of Williams.—"Fix Bayonets!"—Thomas Williams.—His Body.—General T. W. Sherman.—Butler relieved.—General Orders, No. 10.—Mr. Adams and Lord Palmerston.—Butler's Style</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_47">47</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER V.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">T. W. Sherman.—Contrabands.—Defenses of New Orleans.—Exchange of Prisoners.—Amenities in War.—Port Hudson.—Reconnoissance in Force.—The Fleet.—Our Left.—Assault of May 27th.—Sherman wounded.—Port Hudson surrenders</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_59">59</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER VI.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Major-general Franklin.—Sabine Pass.—Collision at Sea.—March through Louisiana.—Rebel Correspondence.—"The Gypsy's Wassail."—Rebel Women.—Rebel Poetry.—A Skirmish.—Salt Island.—Winter Climate.—Banks's Capua.—Major Joseph Bailey</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_74">74</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER VII.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Mistakes.—Affair at Mansfield.—Peach Hill.—Freaks of the Imagination.—After Peach Hill.—General William Dwight.—Retreat to Pleasant Hill.—Pleasant Hill.—General Dick Taylor.—Taylor and the King of Denmark.—An Incident</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_87">87</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER VIII.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Low Water.—The Fleet in Danger.—We fall back upon Alexandria.—Things look Gloomy.—Bailey builds a Dam in ten Days.—Saves the Fleet.—A Skirmish.—Smith defeats Polignac.—Unpopularity of Foreign Officers.—A Novel Bridge.—Leave of Absence. - —A Year in Virginia.—Am ordered again to New Orleans</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_98">98</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER IX.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Visit to Grant's Head-quarters.—His Anecdotes of Army Life.—Banks relieved.—Canby in Command.—Bailey at Mobile.—Death of Bailey.—Canby as a Civil Governor.—Confiscated Property.—Proposes to rebuild Levees.—Is stopped by Sheridan.—Canby appeals. - <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span> - —Is sustained, but too late.—Levees destroyed by Floods.—Conflict of Jurisdiction.—Action of President Johnson.—Sheridan abolishes Canby's Provost Marshal's Department.—Canby asks to be recalled.—Is ordered to Washington.—To Galveston.—To Richmond. - —To Charleston.—Is murdered by the Modocs.—His Character</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_105">105</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER X.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">The Writer appointed Assistant Secretary of Legation to Paris.—Presented to the Emperor.—Court Balls.—Diplomatic Dress.—Opening of Corps Législatif.—Opening of Parliament.—King of the Belgians.—Emperor of Austria.—King of Prussia.—Queen Augusta. - —Emperor Alexander.—Attempt to assassinate him.—Ball at Russian Embassy.—Resignation of General Dix</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_119">119</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER XI.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Washburne appointed Minister.—Declaration of War.—Thiers opposes it.—The United States asked to protect Germans in France.—Fish's Instructions.—Assent of French Government given.—Paris in War-paint.—The Emperor opposed to War.—Not a Free Agent. - —His <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Entourage</i>.—Marshal Le Bœuf</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_134">134</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER XII.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Germans forbidden to leave Paris.—Afterward expelled.—Large Number in Paris.—Americans in Europe.—Emperor's Staff an Incumbrance.—French Generals.—Their Rivalries.—False News from the Front.—Effect in Paris.—Reaction.—Expulsion of Germans. - —Sad Scenes.—Washburne's Action.—Diplomatic Service.—Battle of Sedan.—Sheridan at Sedan</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_145">145</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER XIII.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Revolution of September 4th, 1870.—Paris <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">en Fête</i>.—Flight of the Empress.—Saved by Foreigners.—Escapes in an English Yacht. - <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> - —Government of National Defense.—Trochu at its Head.—Jules Simon.—United States recognizes Republic.—Washburne's Address. - —Favre's Answer.—Efforts for Peace.—John L. O'Sullivan</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_159">159</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER XIV.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Belleville Demonstrates.—Radical Clubs.—Their Blasphemy and Violence.—Unreasonable Suspicion.—Outrages.—Diplomatic Corps.—Some of them leave Paris.—Meeting of the Corps.—Votes not to Leave.—Embassadors and Ministers. - —Right of Correspondence in a Besieged Place.—Commencement of Siege, September 19th.—Besiegers and Besieged.—Advantages of Besieged</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_170">170</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER XV.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Balloons.—Large Number dispatched.—Small Number lost.—Worth.—Carrier-pigeons.—Their Failure.—Their Instincts.—<cite>Times</cite> "Agony Column."—Correspondence.—Letters to Besieged.—Count Solms.—Our Dispatch-bag. - —Moltke complains that it is abused.—Washburne's Answer.—Bismarck's Reply</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_182">182</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER XVI.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Burnside's Peace Mission.—Sent in by Bismarck.—Interview with Trochu.—The Sympathetic Tear.—Question of Revictualment.—Failure of Negotiations.—Point of Vanity.—Flags of Truce.—French accused of Violation of Parole.—Question of the Francs-Tireurs. - —Foreigners refused Permission to leave Paris.—Washburne insists.—Permission granted.—Departure of Americans.—Scenes at Créteil</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_196">196</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER XVII.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Mob seize Hôtel de Ville.—"Thanksgiving" in Paris.—Prices of Food.—Paris Rats.—Menagerie Meat.—Horse-meat.—Eatable only as Mince.—Government Interference.—Sorties.—Are Failures. - <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> - —Le Bourget taken by French.—Retaken by Prussians. - —French Naval Officers.—Belleville National Guard.—Their Poetry.—Blundering.—Sheridan's Opinion of German Army</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_207">207</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER XVIII.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">The National Guard.—Its Composition.—The American Ambulance.—Its Organization.—Its Success.—Dr. Swinburne, Chief Surgeon.—The Tent System.—Small Mortality.—Poor Germans in Paris.—Bombardment by Germans.—Wantonness of Artillery-men. - —Bad News from the Loire.—"Le Plan Trochu."—St. Genevieve to appear.—Vinoy takes Command.—Paris surrenders.—Bourbaki defeated.—Attempts Suicide</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_221">221</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER XIX.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Election in France.—Terms of Peace.—Germans enter Paris.—Their Martial Appearance.—American Apartments occupied.—Washburne remonstrates.—Attitude of Parisians.—The Germans evacuate Paris.—Victualing the City.—Aid from England and the United States. - —Its Distribution.—Sisters of Charity</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_234">234</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER XX.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">The Commune.—Murder of French Generals.—The National Guard of Order.—It disbands.—The Reasons.—Flight of the Government to Versailles.—Thiers.—Attempts to reorganize National Guard.—An American arrested by Commune.—Legation intervenes. - —His Discharge.—His Treatment.—Reign of King Mob.—"<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Démonstrations Pacifiques.</i>"—Absurd Decrees of the Commune.—Destruction of the Vendôme Column</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_243">243</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER XXI.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Diplomatic Corps moves to Versailles.—Journey there and back.—Life at Versailles.—German Princes.—Battle at Clamart.—Unburied Insurgents. - <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> - —Bitterness of Class Hatred.—Its Probable Causes.—United States Post-office at Versailles. - —The Archbishop of Paris.—Attempts to save his Life.—Washburne's Kindness to him.—Blanqui.—Archbishop murdered.—Ultramontanism.—Bombardment by Government.—My Apartment struck.—Capricious Effects of Shells. - —Injury to Arch of Triumph.—<ins class="corr" title="Transcriber's Note—Original text: 'Bass-reliefs'">Bas-reliefs</ins> of Peace and War</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_256">256</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdc">CHAPTER XXII.</td></tr> -<tr><td class="tdl">Reign of Terror.—Family Quarrels.—The Alsacians, etc., claim German Nationality.—They leave Paris on our Passes.—Prisoners of Commune.—Priests and Nuns.—Fragments of Shells.—"Articles de Paris."—Fearful Bombardment of "Point du Jour." - —Arrest of Cluseret.—Commune Proclamations.—Capture of Paris.—Troops enter by Undefended Gate.—Their Slow Advance.—Fight at the Tuileries Gardens.—Communist Women.—Capture of Barricades.—Cruelties of the Troops.—"Pétroleuses." - —Absurd Stories about them.—Public Buildings fired.—Destruction of Tuileries, etc., etc.—Narrow Escape of Louvre.—Treatment of Communist Prisoners.—Presents from Emperor of Germany</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_271">271</a></td></tr> -</table></div> - - -<hr class="chap pg-brk" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p4 pfs150">CAMP, COURT, AND SIEGE.</p> - -<hr class="r30" /> - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER I.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Hatteras.—"Black Drink."—Fortress Monroe.—General Butler.—Small-pox.—"L'Isle -des Chats."—Lightning.—Farragut.—Troops -land.—Surrender of Forts.</p></div> - - -<p>In February, 1862, the writer of the following -pages, an officer on the staff of Brigadier-general -Thomas Williams, was stationed at Hatteras. Of all -forlorn stations to which the folly and wickedness -of the Rebellion condemned our officers, Hatteras -was the most forlorn. It blows a gale of wind half -the time. The tide runs through the inlet at the -rate of five miles an hour. It was impossible to unload -the stores for Burnside's expedition during -more than three days of the week. After an easterly -blow—and there are enough of them—the waters -are so piled up in the shallow sounds between Hatteras -and the Main, that the tide ebbs without intermission -for twenty-four hours.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span></p> - -<p>The history of Hatteras is curious. There can -be little doubt that English navigators penetrated -into those waters long before the Pilgrims landed at -Plymouth. But the colony was not a success. Of -the colonists some returned to England; others died -of want. The present inhabitants of the island are -a sickly, puny race, the descendants of English convicts. -When Great Britain broke up her penal settlement -at the Bermudas, she transported the most -hardened convicts to Van Diemens Land; those who -had been convicted of minor offenses, she turned -loose upon our coast. Here they intermarried; for -the inhabitants of the Main look down upon them as -an inferior race, and will have no social intercourse -with them. The effect of these intermarriages is -seen in the degeneracy of the race.</p> - -<p>Until within a few years their principal occupation -was wrecking. Hatteras lies on the direct route of -vessels bound from the West Indies to Baltimore, -Philadelphia, and New York. The plan adopted by -these guileless natives to aid the storm in insuring -a wreck was simple, but effective. There is a half-wild -pony bred upon the island called "marsh pony." -One of these animals was caught, a leg tied up Rarey -fashion, a lantern slung to his neck, and the ani<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span>mal -driven along the beach on a stormy night. The -effect was that of a vessel riding at anchor. Other -vessels approached, and were soon unpleasantly aware -of the difference between a ship and a marsh pony.</p> - -<p>The dwellings bear witness to the occupation of -their owners. The fences are constructed of ships' -knees and planks. In their parlors you may see on -one side a rough board door, on the other an exquisitely -finished rose-wood or mahogany cabin door, -with silver or porcelain knobs. Contrast reigns everywhere.</p> - -<p>But the place is not without its attractions to the -botanist. A wild vine, of uncommon strength and -toughness, grows abundantly, and is used in the -place of rope. The iron-tree, hard enough to turn -the edge of the axe, and heavy as the metal from -which it takes its name, is found in abundance, and -the tea-tree, from whose leaves the inhabitants draw -their tea when the season has been a bad one for -wrecks. This tea-tree furnishes the "black drink," -which the Florida Indians drank to make themselves -invulnerable. They drank it with due religious ceremonies -till it nauseated them, when it was supposed -to have produced the desired effect. What a pity -that we can not associate some such charming super<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span>stition -with the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">maladie de mer</i>! It would so comfort -us in our affliction!</p> - -<p>But we were not to stay long on this enchanted -isle. Butler had organized his expedition against -New Orleans, and it was now ready to sail. He had -applied for Thomas Williams, who had been strongly -recommended to him by Weitzel, Kenzel, and other -regular officers of his staff. Early in March we received -orders to report to Butler at Fortress Monroe. -We took one of those rolling tubs they call "propellers," -which did the service between the fortress and -Hatteras for the Quartermaster's Department; and, -after nearly rolling over two or three times, we reached -Old Point. Here we found the immense steamer -the <i>Constitution</i>, loaded with three regiments, ready -to sail. Williams had hoped to have two or three -days to run North and see his wife and children, -whom he had not seen for months. But with him -considerations of duty were before all others. He -thought that three regiments should be commanded -by a brigadier, and he determined to sail at once. -It was a disappointment to us all. To him the loss -was irreparable. He never saw his family again.</p> - -<p>It has always appeared to me that General Butler -has not received the credit to which he is entitled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> -for the capture of New Orleans. Without him New -Orleans would not have been taken in 1862, and a -blow inflicted upon the Confederacy, which the London -<cite>Times</cite> characterized as the heaviest it had yet -received—"almost decisive." The writer has no -sympathy with General Butler's extreme views, and -no admiration for his <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">protégés</i>; but he was cognizant -of the New Orleans expedition from its inception, -he accompanied it on the day it set sail, he landed -with it in New Orleans, he remained in that city or -its neighborhood during the whole of Butler's command; -and a sense of justice compels him to say that -Butler originated the expedition, that he carried it -through, under great and unexpected difficulties, -that he brought it to a successful termination, and -that his government of the city at that time, and under -the peculiar circumstances, was simply admirable.</p> - -<p>It is not perhaps generally known that it was Butler -who urged this enterprise upon the President. -He was answered that no troops could be spared; -M'Clellan wanted them all for his advance upon -Richmond. Butler thereupon offered to raise the -troops himself, provided the Government would -give him three old regiments. The President consented. -The troops were raised in New England,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> -and three old regiments—the Fourth Wisconsin, -the Sixth Michigan, and the Twenty-first Indiana—designated -to accompany them. At the last moment -M'Clellan opposed the departure of the Western -troops, and even applied for the "New England -Division." It was with some difficulty that, appealing -to the President, and reminding him of his -promise, Butler was able to carry out the design for -which the troops had been raised.</p> - -<p>We sailed from Old Point on the 6th of March -with the three regiments I have named. We numbered -three thousand souls in all on board. If any -thing were wanting at this day to prove the efficacy -of vaccination, our experience on board that ship -is sufficient. We took from the hospital a man who -had been ill with the small-pox. He was supposed -to be cured. Two days out, his disease broke out -again. The men among whom he lay were packed -as close as herring in a barrel, yet but one took the -disease. They had all been vaccinated within sixty -days. I commend this fact to the attention of those -parish authorities in England who still obstinately -refuse to enforce the Vaccination Act.</p> - -<p>Five days brought us, in perfect health, to Ship -Island. Here was another Hatteras, with a milder<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -climate, and no "black drink;" a low, sandy island -in the Gulf, off Mobile. This part of the Gulf of -Mexico was discovered and settled by the French. -They landed on Ship Island, and called it "L'Isle -des Chats," from the large number of raccoons they -found there. Not being personally acquainted with -that typical American, they took him for a species of -cat, and named the island accordingly. From Ship -Island and the adjacent coast, which they settled, the -French entered Lake Borgne and Lake Pontchartrain, -and so up the Amite River in their boats. -They dragged their boats across the short distance -which separates the upper waters of the Amite from -the Mississippi, embarked upon the "Father of Waters," -and sailed down the stream. Here they played -a trick upon John Bull; for, meeting an English -fleet coming up, the first vessels that ever entered -the mouths of the Mississippi, they boarded -them, claimed to be prior discoverers, and averred -that they had left their ships above. There existed -in those days an understanding among maritime -nations that one should not interfere with the prior -discoveries of another. The English thereupon turned, -and the spot, a short distance below New Orleans, -is to this day called "English Turn."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span></p> - -<p>We remained at the "Isle of Cats" about six -weeks—the life monotonous enough. The beach -offered a great variety of shell-fish, devil-fish, horse-shoes, -and sea-horses. An odd thing was the abundance -of fresh, pure water. Dig a hole two feet -deep anywhere in the sand on that low island, rising -scarcely five feet above the sea, and in two hours -it was filled with fresh water. After using it a -week, it became brackish; when all it was necessary -to do was to dig another hole.</p> - -<p>When on Ship Island, I witnessed a curious freak -of lightning. One night we had a terrible thunderstorm, -such as one sees only in those southern latitudes. -In a large circular tent, used as a guard-tent, -eight prisoners were lying asleep, side by side. The -sentry stood leaning against the tent-pole, the butt -of the musket on the ground, the bayonet against -his shoulder. The lightning struck the tent-pole, -leaped to the bayonet, followed down the barrel, -tearing the stock to splinters, but only slightly stunning -the sentry. Thence it passed along the ground, -struck the first prisoner, killing him; passed through -the six inside men without injury to them; and off -by the eighth man, killing him.</p> - -<p>Finally, the expedition was complete. Stores,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -guns, horses, all had arrived. Butler became impatient -for the action of the navy. He went to the -South-west Pass, where Farragut's fleet was lying, -and urged his advance. Farragut replied that he -had no coal. Butler answered that he would give -him what he wanted, and sent him fifteen hundred -tons. He had had the foresight to ballast his sailing -ships with coal, and so had an ample supply. A -week passed, and still the ships did not ascend the -river. Again Butler went to the Pass, and again -Farragut said that he had not coal enough—that -once past the forts, he might be detained on the -river, and that it would be madness to make the attempt -unless every ship were filled up with coal. -Once again Butler came to his aid, and gave him -three thousand tons. We were naturally surprised -that so vital an expedition should be neglected by -the Navy Department. The opinion was pretty -general among us that the expedition was not a favorite -with the Department, and that they did not -anticipate any great success from it. They were -quite as surprised as the rest of the world when -Farragut accomplished his great feat.</p> - -<p>At length all was ready. The troops were embarked, -and lay off the mouth of the river, waiting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> -for the action of the fleet. Farragut, after an idle -bombardment of three days by the mortar-boats, -which he told us he had no confidence in, but which -he submitted to in deference to the opinions of the -Department and of Porter (the firing ceased, by-the-way, -when it had set fire to the wooden barracks in -Fort Jackson, and might have done some good if -continued), burst through the defenses, silenced the -forts, and ascended the river. It is not my province -to describe this remarkable exploit. Its effect -was magical. An exaggerated idea prevailed at that -time of the immense superiority of land batteries -over ships. One gun on shore, it was said, was equal -to a whole ship's battery. The very small results obtained -by the united English and French fleets during -the Crimean war were quoted in proof. Those -magnificent squadrons effected scarcely any thing, -for the capture of Bomarsund was child's play to -them. The English naval officers, proud of their -service and its glorious history, were delighted to -find that, when daringly led, ships could still do -something against land batteries, and all England -rang with Farragut's exploit.</p> - -<p>The part played by the army in this affair was minor, -but still important. Our engineer officers, who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> -had assisted in building forts St. Philip and Jackson, -knew the ground well. Under their guidance -we embarked, first in light-draught gun-boats, then -in barges, and made our way through the shallow -waters of the Gulf, and up the bayou, till we landed -at Quarantine, between Fort St. Philip and the city, -cutting off all communication between them. As, in -the stillness of an April evening, we made our slow -way up the bayou amidst a tropical vegetation, festoons -of moss hanging from the trees and drooping -into the water, with the chance of being fired on at -any moment from the dark swamp on either side, -the effect upon the imagination was striking, and the -scene one not easily forgotten.</p> - -<p>Farragut had passed up the river, but the forts -still held out, and the great body of the troops was -below them. When, however, they found themselves -cut off from any chance of succor, the men in -Fort St. Philip mutinied, tied their officers to the -guns, and surrendered. Fort Jackson followed the -example. No doubt our turning movement had hastened -their surrender by some days. I once suggested -to Butler that we had hastened it by a week. "A -month, a month, sir," he replied.</p> - -<p>It was here they told us that the United States<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> -flag had been hauled down from the Mint by a mob -headed by that scoundrel Mumford, and dragged -through the mud. I heard Butler swear by all that -was sacred, that if he caught Mumford, and did not -hang him, might he be hanged himself. He caught -him, and he kept his oath. There never was a wiser -act. It quieted New Orleans like a charm. The -mob, who had assembled at the gallows fully expecting -to hear a pardon read at the last moment, and -prepared to create a riot if he were pardoned, slunk -home like whipped curs.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER II.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>New Orleans.—Custom-house.—Union Prisoners.—The Calaboose.—"Them -Lincolnites."—The St. Charles.—"Grape-vine Telegraph."—New -Orleans Shop-keepers.—Butler and Soulé.—The Fourth -Wisconsin.—A New Orleans Mob.—Yellow Fever.</p></div> - - -<p>On the evening of the 1st of May, 1862, the leading -transports anchored off the city. Butler sent for -Williams, and ordered him to land at once. Williams, -like the thorough soldier he was, proposed to -wait till morning, when he would have daylight for -the movement, and when the other transports, with -our most reliable troops, would be up. "No, sir," -said Butler, "this is the 1st of May, and on this day -we must occupy New Orleans, and the first regiment -to land must be a Massachusetts regiment." So the -orders were issued, and in half an hour the Thirty-first -Massachusetts Volunteers and the Sixth Massachusetts -Battery set foot in New Orleans.</p> - -<p>As we commenced our march, Williams saw the -steamer <i>Diana</i> coming up with six companies of the -Fourth Wisconsin. He ordered a halt, and sent me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -with instructions for them to land at once, and fall -into the rear of the column. I passed through the -mob without difficulty, gave the orders, and we resumed -our march. The general had directed that -our route should be along the levee, where our right -was protected by the gun-boats. Presently we found -that the head of the column was turning up Julia -Street. Williams sent to know why the change had -been made. The answer came back that Butler was -there, and had given orders to pass in front of the -St. Charles Hotel, while the band played "Yankee -Doodle," and "Picayune Butler's come to Town," if -they knew it. They did not know it, unfortunately, -so we had one unbroken strain of the martial air of -"Yankee Doodle" all the way.</p> - -<p>Arrived at the Custom-house late in the evening, -we found the doors closed and locked. Williams -said to me, "What would you do?" "Break the -doors open," I replied. The general, who could not -easily get rid of his old, regular-army habits, ordered -"Sappers and miners to the front." No doubt the -sappers and miners thus invoked would have speedily -appeared had we had any, but two volunteer regiments -and a battery of light artillery were the extent -of our force that night. I turned to the adju<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>tant -of the Fourth Wisconsin, and asked if he had any -axes in his regiment. He at once ordered up two -or three men. We found the weakest-looking door, -and attacked it. As we were battering it in, the major -of the Thirty-first came up, and took an axe from -one of the men. Inserting the edge in the crack -near the lock, he pried it gently, and the door flew -open. I said, "Major, you seem to understand this -sort of thing." He replied, "Oh! this isn't the first -door I have broken open, by a long shot. I was once -foreman of a fire-company in Buffalo."</p> - -<p>We entered the building with great caution, for -the report had been spread that it was mined. The -men of the Fourth Wisconsin had candles in their -knapsacks; they always had every thing, those fellows! -We soon found the meter, turned the gas on, -and then proceeded to make ourselves comfortable -for the night. I established myself in the postmaster's -private room—the Post-office was in the Custom-house—with -his table for my bed, and a package -of rebel documents for a pillow. I do not remember -what my dreams were that night. We took the -letters from the boxes to preserve them, and piled -them in a corner of my room. They were all subsequently -delivered to their respective addresses.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span></p> - -<p>Pretty well tired out with the labor and excitement -of the day, I was just making myself tolerably -comfortable for the night, when the officer of the -day reported that a woman urgently desired to see -the general on a matter of life or death. She was -admitted. She told us that her husband was a -Union man, that he had been arrested that day and -committed to the "Calaboose," and that his life was -in danger. The general said to her, "My good woman, -I will see to it in the morning." "Oh, sir," she -replied, "in the morning he will be dead! They -will poison him." We did not believe much in the -poison story, but it was evident that she did. Williams -turned to me, and said, "Captain, have you a -mind to look into this?" Of course I was ready, -and ordering out a company of the Fourth Wisconsin, -and asking Major Boardman, a daring officer -of that regiment, to accompany me, I started for -the Calaboose, guided by the woman. The streets -were utterly deserted. Nothing was heard but the -measured tramp of the troops as we marched along. -Arrived at the Calaboose, I ordered the man I was -in search of to be brought out. I questioned him, -questioned the clerk and the jailer, became satisfied -that he was arrested for political reasons alone, or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>dered -his release, and took him with me to the Custom-house, -for he was afraid to return home. Being -on the spot, it occurred to me that it would be as -well to see if there were other political prisoners in -the prison. I had the books brought, and examined -the entries. At last I thought I had discovered another -victim. The entry read, "Committed as a suspicious -character, and for holding communication with -Picayune Butler's troops." I ordered the man before -me. The jailer took down a huge bunch of keys, -and I heard door after door creaking on its hinges. -At last the man was brought out. I think I never -saw a more villainous countenance. I asked him -what he was committed for? He evidently did not -recognize the Federal uniform, but took me for a -Confederate officer, and replied that he was arrested -for talking to "them Lincolnites." I told the jailer -that I did not want that man—that he might lock -him up again.</p> - -<p>Having commenced the search for political prisoners, -I thought it well to make thorough work of it; -so I inquired if there were other prisons in the city. -There was one in the French quarter, nearly two -miles off; so we pursued our weary and solitary -tramp through the city. My men evidently did not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -relish it. The prison was quiet, locked up for the -night. We hammered away at the door till we got -the officers up; went in, examined the books, found -no entries of commitments except for crime; put -the officers on their written oaths that no one was -confined there except for crime; and so returned to -our Post-office beds.</p> - -<p>The next day was a busy one. Early in the -morning I went to the St. Charles Hotel to make -arrangements for lodging the general and his staff. -With some difficulty I got in. In the rotunda of -that fine building sat about a dozen rebels, looking -as black as a thunder-cloud. I inquired for the -proprietor or clerk in charge, and a young man stepped -forward: "Impossible to accommodate us; hotel -closed; no servants in the house." I said, "At all -events, I will see your rooms." Going into one of -them, he closed the door and whispered, "It would -be as much as my life is worth, sir, to offer to accommodate -you here. I saw a man knifed on Canal -Street yesterday for asking a naval officer the time -of day. But if you choose to send troops and open -the hotel by force, why, we will do our best to make -you comfortable." Returning to the rotunda, I -found Lieutenant Biddle, who had accompanied me—one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -of the general's aids—engaged in a hot discussion -with our rebel friends. I asked him "What -use in discussing these matters?" and, turning to the -rebs, with appropriate gesture said, "We've got you, -and we mean to hold you." "That's the talk," they -replied; "we understand <em>that</em>." They told us that -the rebel army was in sight of Washington, and that -John Magruder's guns commanded the Capitol. -Why they picked out Magruder particularly, I can -not say. This news had come by telegraph. We -used to call the rebel telegraphic lines "the grapevine -telegraph," for their telegrams were generally -circulated with the bottle after dinner.</p> - -<p>The shop-keepers in New Orleans, when we first -landed there, were generally of the opinion of my -friend the hotel-clerk. A naval officer came to us -one morning at the Custom-house, and said that the -commodore wanted a map of the river; that he had -seen the very thing, but that the shop-keeper refused -to sell it, intimating, however, that if he were compelled -to sell it, why then, of course, he couldn't help -himself. We ordered out a sergeant and ten men. -The officer got his map, and paid for it.</p> - -<p>But Butler was not the man to be thwarted in -this way. Finding this <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">parti pris</i> on the part of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -the shop-keepers, he issued an order that all shops -must be opened on a certain day, or that he should -put soldiers in, and sell the goods for account "of -whom it might concern." On the day appointed -they were all opened. So, too, with the newspapers. -They refused to print his proclamation. An order -came to us to detail half a dozen printers, and send -them under a staff officer to the office of the <cite>True -Delta</cite>, and print the proclamation. We soon found -the men. From a telegraph-operator to a printer, -bakers, engine-drivers, carpenters, and coopers, we -had representatives of all the trades. This was in -the early days of the war. Afterward the men -were of an inferior class. The proclamation was -printed, and the men then amused themselves by -getting out the paper. Next morning it appeared -as usual; this was enough. The editor soon came -to terms, and the other journals followed suit.</p> - -<p>On the 2d of May Butler landed and took quarters -at the St. Charles. There has been much idle -gossip about attempts to assassinate him, and his -fears of it. In regard to the latter, he landed in -New Orleans, and drove a mile to his hotel, with -one staff officer, and one armed orderly only on the -box. When his wife arrived in the city, he rode<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -with one orderly to the levee, and there, surrounded -by the crowd, awaited her landing. As regards the -former, we never heard of any well-authenticated -attempt to assassinate him, and I doubt if any was -ever made.</p> - -<p>That afternoon Butler summoned the municipal -authorities before him to treat of the formal surrender -of the city. They came to the St. Charles, -accompanied by Pierre Soulé as their counsel. A -mob collected about the hotel, and became turbulent. -Butler was unprotected, and sent to the -Custom-house for a company of "Massachusetts" -troops. The only Massachusetts troops there were -the Thirty-first, a newly raised regiment. They -afterward became excellent soldiers, but at that time -they were very young and very green. It so happened, -too, that the only company available was -composed of the youngest men of the regiment. -They were ordered out. The officer in charge did -not know the way to the St. Charles. No guide -was at hand, so I volunteered to accompany them. -We drew the troops up on Common Street, and I -entered the hotel to report them to Butler. I found -him engaged in a most animated discussion with -Soulé. Both were able and eloquent men, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -Butler undoubtedly got the better of the argument. -Perhaps the fact that he had thirteen thousand bayonets -to back his opinions gave point to his remarks. -Interrupting his discourse for a moment only, he -said, "Draw the men up round the hotel, sir; and -if the mob make the slightest disturbance, fire on -them on the spot," and went on with the discussion. -Returning to the street, I found the mob apostrophizing -my youthful soldiers with, "Does your -mother know you're out?" and like popular wit. It -struck me that the inquiry was well addressed. I -felt disposed to ask the same question. I reported -the matter to Williams, and he thought that it would -be well to counteract the effect. That evening he -sent the band of the Fourth Wisconsin to play in -front of the St. Charles, with the whole regiment, -tall, stalwart fellows, as an escort. In a few minutes -the mob had slunk away. An officer heard one -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">gamin</i> say to another, "Those are Western men, -and they say they <em>do</em> fight like h——." One of the -officers told me that his men's fingers itched to fire.</p> - -<p>I suppose that all mobs are alike, but certainly the -New Orleans mob was as cowardly as it was brutal. -When we first occupied the Custom-house, they collected -about us, and annoyed our sentries seriously.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> -The orders were to take no notice of what was said, -but to permit no overt act. I was sitting one day in -my office, the general out, when Captain Bailey, the -officer who distinguished himself so much afterward -in building the Red River dam—and a gallant fellow -he was—rushed in, and said, "Are we to stand -this?" I said, "What's the matter, Bailey?" He replied -that "One of those d——d scoundrels has taken -his quid from his mouth, and thrown it into the sentry's -face." I said, "No; I don't think that we are -to stand that: that seems to me an 'overt act.' Arrest -him." Bailey rushed out, called to the guard to -follow him, and, jumping into the crowd, seized the -fellow by the collar, and jerked him into the lines. -The guard came up and secured him. The mob fell -back and scattered, and never troubled us from that -day. The fellow went literally down upon his -knees, and begged to be let off. We kept him locked -up that night, and the next day discharged him. -He laid it all to bad whisky.</p> - -<p>As the course of this narrative will soon carry the -writer from New Orleans into the interior, he takes -this opportunity to say that he has often been assured -by the rebel inhabitants, men and women of -position and character, that never had New Orleans<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> -been so well governed, so clean, so orderly, and so -healthy, as it was under Butler. He soon got rid of -the "Plug-uglies" and other ruffian bands: some -he sent to Fort Jackson, and others into the Confederacy. -There was no yellow fever in New Orleans -while we held it, showing as plainly as possible that -its prevalence or its absence is simply a question of -quarantine. (Butler had sworn he would hang the -health officer if the fever got up.) Before we arrived -there, the "back door," as it was called—the -lake entrance to the city—was always open, and for -five hundred dollars any vessel could come up. In -1861, when our blockade commenced, and during the -whole of our occupation, yellow fever was unknown. -In 1866 we turned the city over to the civil authorities. -That autumn there were a few straggling -cases, and the following summer the fever was virulent.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER III.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Vicksburg.—River on Fire.—Baton Rouge.—Start again for Vicksburg.—The -<i>Hartford</i>.—The Canal.—Farragut.—Captain Craven.—The -<i>Arkansas</i>.—Major Boardman.—The <i>Arkansas</i> runs the Gauntlet.—Malaria.</p></div> - - -<p>Admiral Farragut was anxious, after the capture -of New Orleans, to proceed at once against Mobile. -I heard him say that, in the panic excited by the -capture of New Orleans, Mobile would fall an easy -prey. The Government, however, for political as -well as military reasons, was anxious to open the -Mississippi. Farragut was ordered against Vicksburg, -and Williams, with two regiments and a battery, -was sent to accompany and support him. -When one reflects upon the great strength of Vicksburg, -and the immense resources it afterward took -to capture it, it seems rather absurd to have sent us -against it with two regiments and a battery. The -excursion, however, if it is to be looked upon in this -light, was delightful. We had two fine river boats. -The plantations along the banks were in the highest -state of cultivation; the young cane, a few inches<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -above the ground, of the most lovely green. Indeed, -I know no more beautiful green than that of the -young sugar-cane. Our flag had not been seen in -those parts for over a year, and the joy of the negroes -when they had an opportunity to exhibit it -without fear of their overseers was quite touching. -The river was very high, and as we floated along -we were far above the level of the plantations, and -looked down upon the negroes at work, and into the -open windows of the houses. The effect of this to -one unused to it—the water above the land—was -very striking. Natchez, a town beautifully situated -on a high bluff, was gay with the inhabitants who -had turned out to see us. The ladies, with their -silk dresses and bright parasols, and the negro women, -with their gaudy colors, orange especially, which -they affect so much, and which, by-the-way, can be -seen at a greater distance than any other color I -know of.</p> - -<p>One often hears of "setting a river on fire," metaphorically -speaking: I have seen it done literally. -The Confederate authorities had issued orders to -burn the cotton along the banks to prevent its falling -into our hands. But as the patriotism of the -owners naturally enough needed stimulating, vigi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>lance -committees were organized, generally of those -planters whose cotton was safe at a distance. These -men preceded us as we ascended the river; and -burned their neighbors' cotton with relentless patriotism. -The burning material was thrown into the -stream, and floated on the surface a long time before -it was extinguished. At night it was a very beautiful -sight to see the apparently flaming water. We -had to exercise some care to steer clear of the burning -masses.</p> - -<p>Arrived opposite Vicksburg, we boarded the flag-ship -to consult for combined operations. We found -Farragut holding a council of his captains, considering -the feasibility of passing the batteries of Vicksburg -as he had passed the forts. We apologized for -our intrusion, and were about to withdraw, when he -begged us to stay, and, turning to Williams, he said, -"General, my officers oppose my running by Vicksburg -as impracticable. Only one supports me. So -I must give it up for the present. In ten days they -will all be of my opinion; and then the difficulties -will be much greater than they are now." It turned -out as he had said. In a few days they were nearly -all of his opinion, and he did it.</p> - -<p>But we found no dry place for the soles of our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -feet. "The water was down," as the Scotchmen -say (down from the hills), and the whole Louisiana -side of the river was flooded. It would have been -madness to land on the Vicksburg side with two -regiments only. Nothing could be done, and we -returned to Baton Rouge, where, finding a healthy -and important position, a United States arsenal, and -Union men who claimed our protection, Williams -determined to remain and await orders.</p> - -<p>Here cotton was offered us, delivered on the levee, -at three cents a pound. It was selling at one dollar -in New York. I spoke to Williams about it, and he -said that there was no law against any officer speculating -in cotton or other products of the country (one -was subsequently passed), but that he would not have -any thing to do with it, and advised me not to. I -followed his advice and example. A subsequent -post-commander did not. He made eighty thousand -dollars out of cotton, and then went home and was -made a brigadier-general; I never knew why.</p> - -<p>But the Government was determined to open the -river at all hazards. Farragut was re-enforced. -Butler was ordered to send all the troops he could -spare. Davis was ordered down with the Upper -Mississippi fleet. Early in June we started again<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> -for Vicksburg, with six regiments and two batteries. -It was a martial and beautiful sight to see the long -line of gun-boats and transports following each other -in Indian file at regular intervals. Navy and army -boats combined, we numbered about twenty sail—if -I may apply that word to steamers. On our way -up, the flag-ship, the famous <i>Hartford</i>, was nearly -lost. She grounded on a bank in the middle of the -river, and with a falling stream. Of course there -was the usual talk about a rebel pilot; but no vessel -with the draught of the <i>Hartford</i>, a sloop-of-war, had -ever before ventured to ascend above New Orleans. -The navy worked hard all the afternoon to release -her, but in vain. The hawsers parted like pack-thread. -I was on board when a grizzled quartermaster, -the very type of an old man-of-warsman, -came up to the commodore on the quarter-deck, and, -pulling his forelock, reported that there was a six-inch -hawser in the hold. Farragut ordered it up at -once. Two of our army transports, the most powerful, -were lashed together, the hawser passed round -them, and slackened. They then started with a jerk. -The <i>Hartford</i> set her machinery in motion, the gun-boat -lashed along-side started hers, and the old ship -came off, and was swept down with the current. It<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -required some seamanship to disentangle all these -vessels.</p> - -<p>We found that the waters had subsided since our -last visit to Vicksburg, and so landed at Young's -Point, opposite the town. Some years previously -there had been a dispute between the State authorities -of Louisiana and of Mississippi, and the Legislature -of the former had taken steps to turn the river, -and cut off Vicksburg by digging a canal across the -peninsula opposite. This we knew, and decided to -renew the attempt. We soon found traces of the -engineers' work. The trees were cut down in a -straight line across the Point. Here we set to work. -Troops were sent to the different plantations both -up and down the river, and the negroes pressed into -the service. It was curious to observe the difference -of opinion among the old river captains as to the feasibility -of our plan. Some were sure that the river -would run through the cut; others swore that it -would not, and could not be made to. The matter -was soon settled by the river itself; for it suddenly -rose one night, filled up our ditch, undermined the -banks, and in a few hours destroyed our labor of -days. A somewhat careful observation of the Mississippi -since has satisfied me that if a canal be cut<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -where the stream impinges upon the bank, it will -take to it as naturally as a duck does to water. But -when the current strikes the opposite bank, as it -does at Young's Point, you can not force it from -its course. Had we attempted our canal some miles -farther up, where the current strikes the right bank, -we should have succeeded. Grant, the next year, -renewed our ditch-digging experiment in the same -place, and with infinitely greater resources, but with -no better success.</p> - -<p>Farragut had now made his preparations to run -by the batteries. He divided his squadron into three -divisions, accompanying the second division himself. -The third was under command of Captain Craven, of -the <i>Brooklyn</i>. We stationed Nim's light battery—and -a good battery it was—on the point directly opposite -Vicksburg, to assist in silencing the fire of one -of the most powerful of the shore batteries. Very -early in the morning Farragut got under way; -two of his divisions passed, completely silencing the -rebel batteries. The third division did not attempt -the passage. This led to an angry correspondence -between the commodore and Craven, and resulted in -Craven's being relieved, and ordered to report to -Washington. There was a great difference of opin<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span>ion -among naval officers as to Craven's conduct. -He was as brave an officer as lived. He contended -that it was then broad daylight, that the gunners on -shore had returned to their guns, and that his feeble -squadron would have been exposed to the whole fire -of the enemy, without any adequate object to be -gained in return. Farragut replied that his orders -were to pass, and that he should have done it at all -hazards.</p> - -<p>And now an incident occurred which mortified -the commodore deeply. His powerful fleet, re-enforced -by Davis, lay above Vicksburg. The weather -was intensely hot, and the commodore, contrary to -his own judgment, as he told Williams, but on the -urgent request of his officers, had permitted the fires -to be extinguished. Early one morning we had sent -a steamboat with a party up the river to press negroes -into our canal work. Suddenly a powerful -iron-clad, flying the Confederate colors, appeared -coming out of the Yazoo River. There was nothing -for our unarmed little boat to do but to run for -it. The <i>Arkansas</i> opened from her bow-guns, and -the first shell, falling among the men drawn up on -deck, killed the captain of the company, and killed -or wounded ten men. It is so rarely that a shell<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> -commits such havoc, that I mention it as an uncommon -occurrence.</p> - -<p>The firing attracted the attention of the fleet, and -they beat to quarters. But there was no time to get -up steam. The <i>Arkansas</i> passed through them all -almost unscathed, receiving and returning their fire. -The shells broke against her iron sides without inflicting -injury. The only hurt she received was -from the <i>Richmond</i>. Alden kept his guns loaded -with powder only, prepared to use shell or shot as -circumstances might require. He loaded with solid -shot, and gave her a broadside as she passed. This -did her some damage, but nothing serious.</p> - -<p>In the mean time the alarm was given to the transports. -Farragut had sent us an officer to say that -the <i>Arkansas</i> was coming, that he should stop her if -he could, but that he feared that he could not. The -troops were got under arms, and our two batteries -ordered to the levee. A staff officer said to General -Williams, "General, don't let us be caught here like -rats in a trap; let us attempt something, even if we -fail." "What would you do?" said the general. -"Take the <i>Laurel Hill</i>, put some picked men on -board of her, and let us ram the rebel. We may -not sink her, but we may disable or delay her, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -help the gun-boats to capture her." "A good idea," -said the general; "send for Major Boardman." -Boardman, the daring officer to whom I have before -referred, had been brought up as a midshipman. He -was known in China as the "American devil," from -a wild exploit there in scaling the walls of Canton -one dark night when the gates were closed; climbing -them with the help of his dagger only, making holes -in the masonry for his hands and feet. He was afterward -killed by guerrillas, having become colonel -of his regiment. Boardman came; the <i>Laurel Hill</i> -was cleared; twenty volunteers from the Fourth -Wisconsin were put on board, and steam got up. -The captain refused to go, and another transport -captain was put in command. We should have attempted -something, perhaps failed; but I think one -or other of us would have been sunk. But our preparations -were all in vain. The <i>Arkansas</i> had had -enough of it for that day. She rounded to, and took -refuge under the guns of Vicksburg.</p> - -<p>Reporting this incident to Butler subsequently, he -said, "You would have sunk her, sir; you would -have sunk her."</p> - -<p>Farragut, as I have said, was deeply mortified. -He gave orders at once to get up steam, and pre<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>pared -to run the batteries again, determined to destroy -the rebel ram at all hazards. He had resolved -to ram her with the <i>Hartford</i> as she lay under the -guns of Vicksburg. It was with great difficulty he -was dissuaded from doing so, and only upon the -promise of Alden that he would do it for him in the -<i>Richmond</i>. Farragut, in his impulsive way, seized -Alden's hand, "Will you do this for me, Alden? -will you do it?" The rapidity of the current, the -unusual darkness of the night, and the absence of -lights on the <i>Arkansas</i> and on shore, prevented the -execution of the plan. To finish with the <i>Arkansas</i>, -she afterward came down the river to assist in the -attack on Baton Rouge. Part of her machinery gave -out; she turned and attempted to return to Vicksburg, -was pursued by our gun-boats, run ashore, -abandoned, and burned.</p> - -<p>The rebels never had any luck with their gun-boats. -They always came to grief. They were -badly built, badly manned, or badly commanded. -The <i>Louisiana</i>, the <i>Arkansas</i>, the <i>Manassas</i>, the -<i>Tennessee</i>, the <i>Albemarle</i>—great things were expected -of them all, and they did nothing.</p> - -<p>But we were as far from the capture of Vicksburg -as ever. Fever attacked our men in those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> -fatal swamps, and they became thoroughly discouraged. -The sick-list was fearful. Of a battery of -eighty men, twenty only were fit for duty. The -Western troops, and they were our best, were homesick. -Lying upon the banks of the Mississippi, -with transports above Vicksburg convenient for -embarkation, they longed for home. The colonels -came to Williams, and suggested a retreat <em>up</em> the -river, to join Halleck's command. Williams held a -council of war. He asked me to attend it. The -colonels gave their opinions, some in favor of, and -others against, the proposed retreat. When it came -to my turn, I spoke strongly against it. I urged -that we had no <em>right</em> to abandon our comrades at -New Orleans; that it might lead to the recapture -of that city; that if our transports were destroyed, -we should at least attempt to get back by land. I -do not suppose that Williams ever entertained the -least idea of retreating up the river, but thought it -due to his officers to hear what they had to say in -favor of it. The plan was abandoned.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER IV.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Sickness.—Battle of Baton Rouge.—Death of Williams.—"Fix Bayonets!"—Thomas -Williams.—His Body.—General T. W. Sherman.—Butler -relieved.—General Orders, No. 10.—Mr. Adams and Lord -Palmerston.—Butler's Style.</p></div> - - -<p>Of the events which immediately followed the -council of war referred to in the last chapter, the -writer knows only by report. He was prostrated -with fever, taken to a house on shore, moved back -to head-quarters boat, put on board a gun-boat, -and sent to New Orleans. Farragut, with his usual -kindness, offered to take him on board the <i>Hartford</i>, -give him the fleet-captain's cabin, and have the fleet-surgeon -attend him. But Williams declined the -offer. Farragut then offered to send him to New -Orleans in a gun-boat. This Williams accepted. -The writer was taken to New Orleans, sent to military -hospital, an assistant-surgeon's room given up -to him, and every care lavished upon him; for one -of Williams's staff—poor De Kay—wounded in a -skirmish, had died in hospital. Butler had con<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span>ceived -the idea—erroneous, I am sure—that he had -been neglected by the surgeons. When I was -brought down he sent them word that if another of -Williams's staff died there, they would hear from -him. I did not die.</p> - -<p>Meantime, unable to effect any thing against -Vicksburg, with more than half his men on the sick-list, -Williams returned to Baton Rouge. The rebel -authorities, with spies everywhere, heard of the condition -of our forces, and determined to attack them. -Early one foggy morning twelve thousand men, under -Breckenridge, attacked our three or four thousand -men fit for duty. But they did not catch -Williams napping. He had heard of the intended -movement, and was prepared to meet it. Our forces -increased, too, like magic. Sick men in hospital, -who thought that they could not stir hand or foot, -found themselves wonderfully better the moment -there was a prospect of a fight. Happily a thick -mist prevailed. Happily, too, they first attacked -the Twenty-first Indiana, one of our stanchest regiments, -holding the centre of the position. This fine -regiment was armed with breech-loaders, the only -ones in the Gulf. Lying on the ground, they could -see the legs of the rebels below the mist, and fire<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> -with a steady aim upon them, themselves unseen. -On the right the Thirtieth Massachusetts was engaged, -but not hotly. The left was but slightly -pressed. Williams had carefully reconnoitred the -ground the afternoon before, and marked out his -different positions. As the battle progressed, he fell -back upon his second position, contracting his lines. -As it grew hotter, he issued orders to fall back upon -the third position. As he gave the order, the lieutenant-colonel -of the Twenty-first, Colonel Keith, as -plucky a little fellow as lived, came to him and said, -"For God's sake, general, don't order us to fall back! -We'll hold this position against the whole d—d rebel -army." "Do your men feel that way, colonel?" replied -Williams; and turning to the regiment, he said, -"Fix bayonets!" As he uttered these words, he was -shot through the heart. The men fixed bayonets, -charged, and the rebels gave way. But there was -no one competent to take command. The Fourth -Wisconsin, on our left, waited in vain for the orders -Williams had promised them, eager to advance, for -he had meant that this regiment should take the -rebels in flank. The victory was won, but its fruits -were not gathered.</p> - -<p>I think that grander words were never uttered by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -a commander on the field of battle as he received -his death-wound than these words of Williams's. -"Fix bayonets!" means business, and in this instance -they meant victory.</p> - -<p>Thomas Williams was a noble fellow. Had he -lived, he would have been one of the great generals -of our war. Butler told the writer that, had Williams -survived Baton Rouge, it was his intention to -have turned over the whole military command to -him, and confined himself to civil matters. The -"General Order" he issued on Williams's death is a -model of classic and pathetic English. It is quoted -as such by Richard Grant White in his "Miscellany." -I give it entire, for it can not be too widely -circulated, both on account of its style and its subject.</p> - -<div class="blockquotx"> -<p class="p1 fs80 right"> -"Head-quarters, Department of the Gulf,<br /> -<span class="padr2">"New Orleans, August 7th, 1862.</span></p> - -<p class="noindent">"<span class="smcap">General Orders</span>, No. 56:</p> - -<p>"The commanding general announces to the -Army of the Gulf the sad event of the death of -Brigadier-general Thomas Williams, commanding -Second Brigade, in camp at Baton Rouge.</p> - -<p>"The victorious achievement, the repulse of the division -of Major-general Breckenridge by the troops -led on by General Williams, and the destruction of -the mail-clad <i>Arkansas</i> by Captain Porter, of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> -navy, is made sorrowful by the fall of our brave, -gallant, and successful fellow-soldier.</p> - -<p>"General Williams graduated at West Point in -1837; at once joined the Fourth Artillery in Florida, -where he served with distinction; was thrice -breveted for gallant and meritorious services in -Mexico as a member of General Scott's staff. His -life was that of a soldier devoted to his country's -service. His country mourns in sympathy with his -wife and children, now that country's care and precious -charge.</p> - -<p>"We, his companions in arms, who had learned to -love him, weep the true friend, the gallant gentleman, -the brave soldier, the accomplished officer, the -pure patriot and victorious hero, and the devoted -Christian. All, and more, went out when Williams -died. By a singular felicity, the manner of his death -illustrated each of these generous qualities.</p> - -<p>"The chivalric American gentleman, he gave up -the vantage of the cover of the houses of the city, -forming his lines in the open field, lest the women -and children of his enemies should be hurt in the -fight.</p> - -<p>"A good general, he made his dispositions and prepared -for battle at the break of day, when he met -his foe!</p> - -<p>"A brave soldier, he received the death-shot leading -his men!</p> - -<p>"A patriot hero, he was fighting the battle of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> -his country, and died as went up the cheer of victory!</p> - -<p>"A Christian, he sleeps in the hope of a blessed -Redeemer!</p> - -<p>"His virtues we can not exceed; his example we -may emulate, and, mourning his death, we pray, -'May our last end be like his.'</p> - -<p>"The customary tribute of mourning will be worn -by the officers in the department.</p> - -<p>"By command of Major-general <span class="smcap">Butler</span>.</p> - -<p class="right">"<span class="smcap">R. T. Davis</span>, Captain and A. A. A. G."</p> -</div> - -<p>Williams was an original thinker. He had some -rather striking ideas about the male portion of the -human race. He held that all men were by nature -cruel, barbarous, and coarse, and were only kept in -order by the influence of women—their wives, mothers, -and sisters. "Look at those men," he would -say. "At home they are respectable, law-abiding -citizens. It's the women who make them so. Here -they rob hen-roosts, and do things they would be -ashamed to do at home. There is but one thing -will take the place of their women's influence, and -that is discipline; and I'll give them enough of it." -I used to think his views greatly exaggerated, but I -came to be very much of his opinion before the war -was over.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p> - -<p>A curious thing happened to his body. It was -sent down in a transport with wounded soldiers. -She came in collision with the gun-boat <i>Oneida</i> coming -up, and was sunk. Various accounts were given -of the collision. It was of course reported that the -rebel pilot of the transport had intentionally run -into the gun-boat. I think this improbable, for I -have observed that rebel pilots value their lives as -much as other people. Captain (afterward Admiral) -Lee lay by the wreck, and picked up the wounded: -none were lost. Shortly afterward Gun-boat No. 1, -commanded by Crosby, a great friend of Williams, -came up. Lee transferred the men to her, ordered -her to New Orleans, and himself proceeded to Baton -Rouge. Crosby heard that Williams's body -was on board. He spent several hours in searching -for it, but without success. He reluctantly concluded -to abandon the search. Some hours later -in the day, and several miles from the scene of the -disaster, a piece of the wreck was seen floating -down the current, with a box upon it. A boat was -lowered, and the box was picked up. It turned out -to be the coffin containing the body. His portmanteau -too floated ashore, fell into honest hands, and -was returned to me by a gentleman of the coast.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p> - -<p>It had been General Butler's intention, on my recovery, -to give me command of the Second Louisiana, -a regiment he was raising in New Orleans, mostly -from disbanded and rebel soldiers. My recovery -was so long delayed, however, that he was compelled -to fill the vacancy otherwise. Shortly afterward -General T. W. Sherman was ordered to New Orleans, -and I was assigned to duty on his staff. He -was sent to Carondelet to take charge of the post -at the Parapet, and of all the northern approaches -to New Orleans. This was done under orders from -Washington; but of this Sherman was not aware, for -no copy of the orders had been sent him. He never -knew to what an important command it was the intention -of the Government to assign him till some -years later, when the writer, having become Adjutant-general -of the Department of the Gulf, found -the orders in the archives of the Department.</p> - -<p>But the days of Butler's command were brought -to a close. Banks arrived with re-enforcements, and -exhibited his orders to take command of the Department. -No one was more surprised than Butler. -He had supposed that Banks's expedition was directed -against Texas. His recall seemed ungrateful on -the part of the Government, for it was to him that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> -the capture of New Orleans at that early date was -principally due. It is probable that the consuls in -that city had complained of him, and our Government, -thinking it all-important to give no cause of -complaint to foreign governments, Great Britain and -France especially, recalled him.</p> - -<p>As General Butler will not again appear in these -pages, I can not close this part of my narrative without -endeavoring to do him justice in regard to one -or two points on which he has been attacked. The -silver-spoon story is simply absurd. Butler confiscated -and used certain table-silver. When Banks relieved -him, he turned it over to him. When a howl -was made about it toward the close of the war, and -the Government referred the papers to Butler, for a -report, he simply forwarded a copy of Banks's quartermaster's -receipt. I was amused once at hearing -that inimitable lecturer, Artemus Ward, get off a joke -upon this subject in New Orleans. He was describing -the Mormons, and a tea-party at Brigham Young's, -and said that Brigham Young probably had a larger -tea-service than any one in the world, "except," said -he, and then paused as if to reflect—"except, perhaps, -General Butler." Imagine the effect upon a -New Orleans audience. It is perhaps needless to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> -observe that Butler was not at that time in command.</p> - -<p>The only charge against Butler which was never -thoroughly disproved was that he permitted those -about him to speculate, to the neglect of their duties -and to the injury of our cause and good name. He -must have been aware of these speculations, and -have shut his eyes to them. But that he himself -profited pecuniarily by them, I do not believe.</p> - -<p>The famous General Orders, No. 10, "The Woman's -Order," was issued while I was in New Orleans, -and excited much and unfavorable comment. Butler -ordered that ladies insulting United States officers -should be treated "as women of the town plying -their trade." Strong, his adjutant-general, remonstrated, -and begged him to alter it. He said that -he meant simply that they should be arrested and -punished according to the municipal law of the city, -<em>i.e.</em>, confined for one night and fined five dollars. -Strong replied, "Why not say so, then?" But Butler -has much of the vanity of authorship. He was -pleased with the turn of the phrase, thought it happy, -and refused to surrender it.</p> - -<p>In this connection, when in London, I heard an -anecdote of Mr. Adams and Lord Palmerston which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> -is not generally known. It was not often that any -one got the better of old "Pam," but Mr. Adams -did. When Butler's order reached England, Lord -Palmerston was the head of the Government; Lord -John Russell was Secretary of State for Foreign -Affairs. Lord Palmerston wrote to Mr. Adams to -know if the order as printed in the London papers -was authentic. Mr. Adams asked if he inquired officially -or privately. Lord Palmerston replied rather -evasively. Mr. Adams insisted. Lord Palmerston -answered that if Mr. Adams must know, he -begged him to understand that he inquired officially. -Mr. Adams had the correspondence carefully copied -in Moran's best handwriting, and inclosed it to -Lord John with a note inquiring, who was Her -Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; was -it Lord Palmerston, or was it Lord John? A quick -reply came from Lord John, asking him to do nothing -further in the matter till he heard from him -again. The next day a note was received from -Lord Palmerston withdrawing the correspondence.</p> - -<p>I have given two specimens of Butler's style. -Here is another, and of a different character. At -the request of a naval officer in high command, Farragut -applied to Butler for steamboats to tow the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> -mortar vessels to Vicksburg. Butler replied that -he regretted that he had none to spare. The officer -answered that if Butler would prevent his -brother from sending quinine and other contraband -stores into the Confederacy, there would be boats -enough. This came to Butler's ears. He answered. -After giving a list of his boats, and stating their different -employments, he proceeded substantially as -follows. I quote from memory. "Now, there are -two kinds of lying. The first is when a man deliberately -states what he knows to be false. The second -is when he states what is really false, but what -at the time he believes to be true. For instance, -when Captain —— reports that the ram <i>Louisiana</i> -came down upon his gun-boats, and a desperate -fight ensued, he stated what is in point of fact false; -for the <i>Louisiana</i> was blown up and abandoned, -and was drifting with the current, as is proved by -the report of the rebel commander, Duncan: but -Captain —— believed it to be true, and acted accordingly; -for he retreated to the mouth of the -river, leaving the transports to their fate."</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER V.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>T. W. Sherman.—Contrabands.—Defenses of New Orleans.—Exchange -of Prisoners.—Amenities in War.—Port Hudson.—Reconnoissance -in Force.—The Fleet.—Our Left.—Assault of May 27th.—Sherman -wounded.—Port Hudson surrenders.</p></div> - - -<p>The autumn of 1862 passed without any special -incident. Sherman rebuilt the levees near Carrollton, -repaired and shortened the Parapet, pushed his -forces to the north, and occupied and fortified Manchac -Pass. All these works were constructed by -Captain Bailey, to whom I have already alluded, -and of whom I shall have much to say hereafter; -for he played a most important and conspicuous part -in the Louisiana campaigns. At Manchac he constructed -a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bijou</i> of a work built of mud and clamshells. -He had the most remarkable faculty of making -the negroes work. I have seen the old inhabitants -of the coast (French <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">côte</i>, bank of the river) -stopping to gaze with surprise at the "niggers" -trundling their wheelbarrows filled with earth on the -double-quick. Such a sight was never before seen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -in Louisiana, and probably never will be again. -Sherman was the first officer, too, to enroll the -blacks, set them to work, and pay them wages. He -was no <em>professed</em> friend of the negro, but he did -more practically for their welfare to make them useful, -and save them from vagabondage, than Phelps -or any other violent abolitionist, who said that the -slaves had done enough work in their day, and so -left them in idleness, and fed them at their own -tables. Every negro who came within our lines—and -there were hundreds of them—was enrolled -on the quartermaster's books, clothed, fed, and paid -wages, the price of his clothing being deducted. -The men worked well. They were proud of being -paid like white men.</p> - -<p>Later in the season, Sherman sent out successful -expeditions into the enemy's territory. One to Ponchitoula -destroyed a quantity of rebel government -stores; another, across Lake Pontchartrain, captured -a valuable steamer. Sherman employed an admirable -spy, the best in the Department. As a rule, both -Butler's and Banks's spies were a poor lot, constantly -getting up cock-and-bull stories to magnify their -own importance, and thus misled their employers. -Sherman's spy was a woman. Her information al<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span>ways -turned out to be reliable, and, what is perhaps -a little remarkable, was never exaggerated.</p> - -<p>Butler had now left the Department, and Banks -was in command. About this time Holly Springs -was occupied by Van Dorn, and our dépôts burned, -Grant falling back. The attack upon Vicksburg, too, -from the Yazoo River had failed. Banks's spies exaggerated -these checks greatly, and reported that the -enemy was in full march upon New Orleans. There -was something of a stampede among us. A new -command was created, called the "Defenses of New -Orleans," and given to Sherman. In a fortnight the -face of these defenses was vastly changed. When -he took command, the city was undefended to the -east and south. In a few days the rebel works were -rebuilt, guns mounted, light batteries stationed near -the works, each supported by a regiment of infantry. -New Orleans, with our gun-boats holding the river -and lake, was impregnable.</p> - -<p>No commanding officer in our army was more -thorough in his work than Sherman. I remember -an instance of this in an exchange of prisoners which -took place under his orders. The arrangements -were admirable. We were notified that a schooner -with United States soldiers on board lay at Lakeport,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> -on Lake Pontchartrain. Within an hour of receiving -the report I was on my way to effect the exchange. -I was accompanied by our quartermaster, to insure -prompt transportation to New Orleans; by our commissary, -to see that the men were fed, for our prisoners -were always brought in with very insufficient -supplies, the rebel officers assuring us that they had -not food to give them; and by our surgeon, to give -immediate medical assistance to those requiring it. -Sherman told me to give the rebel officers in charge -a breakfast or dinner, and offered to pay his share. -We reached Lakeport about sunset. I went on -board at once, and made arrangements for the exchange -at six o'clock in the morning. I inquired of -the men if they had had any thing to eat. "Nothing -since morning." The officer in charge explained -that they had been delayed by head-winds; but they -were always delayed by head-winds. We sent food -on board that night. At six in the morning the -schooner was warped along-side of the pier. A train -was run down, a line of sentries posted across the -pier, and no stranger permitted to approach. The -roll was called, and as each man answered to his -name, he stepped ashore and entered the train. -Meantime I had ordered down a breakfast from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span> -famous French restaurant at Lakeport; and while -the necessary arrangements were being completed by -the quartermaster, we gave the Confederate officers -a breakfast. It was easy to see, from the manner -in which they attacked it, that they did not fare so -sumptuously every day. Colonel Szymanski, who -commanded, an intelligent and gentlemanly officer, -asked permission to buy the remnants from the restaurant -for lunch and dinner on the return voyage. -The train was now ready, the schooner set sail, and -we started for New Orleans. On our arrival, we -bought out a baker's shop and one or two orange-women. -It was a long time since the prisoners had -tasted white bread. They formed, and marched to -the barracks. Before noon that day they were in -comfortable quarters, and seated at a bountiful dinner, -prepared in advance for them. This was Sherman's -organization. I had an opportunity to contrast -it, not long after, with an exchange effected under -direct orders from head-quarters. The contrast -was not in Banks's favor.</p> - -<p>On this occasion I had gone down as a spectator, -and to see if I could be of use. I was going on -board the cartel, when I was stopped by a lady who -asked me to take a young girl on board to see her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> -brother. Of course I was compelled to refuse. She -then asked if I would not tell her brother that she -was on the end of the pier, that they might at least -see each other. This I promised to do. On board -I found a number of sailors, part of the crew of the -<i>Mississippi</i>, which had been recently lost at Port -Hudson. As usual, they had had nothing to eat -since the previous evening.</p> - -<p>Before leaving the vessel, I inquired for Lieutenant -Adams. They told me that he was in "that -boat," pointing to one, having pulled ashore, hoping -to see his sister. As I approached the shore I met -his boat returning; I stopped it, and asked him if he -had seen his sister. He had not. I told him to get -in with me, and I would take him to her. He did -so, and I pulled to within a few yards of the spot -where she was standing. Scarcely a word passed -between them, for both were sobbing. We remained -there about three minutes, and then pulled back. -We were all touched, officers and men, by this little -display of the home affections in the midst of war. -I think it did us all good.</p> - -<p>General Banks was not pleased when he heard of -this incident. Perhaps it was reported to him incorrectly. -But Sherman thought that I had done<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> -right. I always found that our regular officers -were more anxious to soften the rigors of war, and -to avoid all unnecessary severity, than our volunteers. -On our march through Louisiana under Franklin, a -strong provost guard preceded the column, whose -duty it was to protect persons and property from -stragglers till the army had passed. If planters in -the neighborhood applied for a guard, it was always -furnished. On one occasion such a guard was captured -by guerrillas. General Franklin wrote at once -to General Taylor, protesting against the capture of -these men as contrary to all the laws of civilized -warfare. Taylor promptly released them, and sent -them back to our lines. General Lee did the same -in Virginia.</p> - -<p>And so the winter wore through, and the spring -came. Banks made a successful expedition to Alexandria, -winning the battle of Irish Bend. I am the -more particular to record this, as his reputation as a -commander rests rather upon his success in retreat -than in advance. And the month of May found us -before Port Hudson.</p> - -<p>Vicksburg is situated eight hundred miles above -New Orleans. In all this distance there are but five -commanding positions, and all these on the left or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> -east bank of the river. It was very important to -the rebels to fortify a point below the mouth of the -Red River, in order that their boats might bring -forward the immense supplies furnished by Louisiana, -Texas, and Arkansas. They selected Port Hudson, -a miserable little village not far below the Red -River, and fortified it strongly. Sherman had seen -the importance of attacking this place when the -works were commenced, but Butler told him, very -truly, that he had not troops enough in the Department -to justify the attempt.</p> - -<p>I think that it was the 24th of May when we -closed in upon Port Hudson. Sherman's command -held the left. He had a front of three miles, entirely -too much for one division. The country -was a <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">terra incognita</i> to us, and we had to feel our -way. Of course there was much reconnoitring to -be done—exciting and interesting work—but not -particularly safe or comfortable. Sherman did -much of this himself. He had a pleasant way of -riding up in full sight of the enemy's batteries, accompanied -by his staff. Here he held us while he -criticised the manner in which the enemy got his -guns ready to open on us. Presently a shell would -whiz over our heads, followed by another somewhat<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> -nearer. Sherman would then quietly remark, "They -are getting the range now: you had better scatter." -As a rule we did not wait for a second order.</p> - -<p>I remember his sending out a party one day to -reconnoitre to our extreme left, and connect with -the fleet, which lay below Port Hudson. We knew -it was somewhere there; but how far off it lay, or -what was the character of the country between us, -we did not know. A company of cavalry reconnoitring -in the morning had been driven in. Sherman -determined to make a reconnoissance in force. He -sent out the cavalry again, and supported it with a -regiment of infantry. I asked permission to accompany -them. He gave it, and added, "By-the-way, -captain, when you are over there, just ride up and -draw their fire, and see where their guns are. They -won't hit you." I rode up and drew their fire, and -they did not hit me; but I don't recommend the -experiment to any of my friends.</p> - -<p>This reconnoissance was successful. We passed -through a thickly wooded country, intersected by -small streams, for about two miles, when we emerged -upon the open in full view of the works of Port -Hudson. This we had to cross, exposed to their -fire. We thus gained the road, running along the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -top of the bluff; and, following this, we came in -view of the fleet. Our arrival produced a sensation. -They had been looking out for us for two or three -days. The men swarmed up the rigging and on to -the yards. Fifty telescopes were leveled at us; and -as we galloped down the bluff and along the levee to -the ships, cheer after cheer went up from the fleet. -We went on board the nearest gun-boat, and got -some bread-and-cheese and Bass—which tasted remarkably -good, by-the-way. I staid but a little -while, for I was anxious about my men. On our -homeward march the enemy opened on us, and we -lost two or three men. I felt saddened at the loss -of any men while in some measure under my command, -and reported this loss first to the general. I -was much comforted when he replied, "Lose men! -of course you lost men. Reconnoissances in force -always lose men!"</p> - -<p>A few weeks previous to my visit to the fleet, -Farragut had attempted to run by Port Hudson, -with a view to communicate with Porter at Vicksburg, -but more especially to blockade the mouth of -the Red River. This, though the least known of his -great exploits, was probably the most perilous and -the least successful. But two vessels passed the bat<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>teries—his -own, the old <i>Hartford</i>, as a matter of -course, and the gun-boat that was lashed to her. -Several were driven back disabled, and that fine -ship, the <i>Mississippi</i>, got aground and was lost. -The <i>Hartford</i> and her consort, however, did good -service, preventing all rebel vessels from showing -themselves upon the river between Port Hudson -and Vicksburg.</p> - -<p>While on board the gun-boat, I remarked to her -captain that I was surprised that General Banks did -not make his assault upon our left, where we could -have the aid of the fleet, instead of on the right, as he -evidently proposed to do. The remark was repeated -to Farragut, who mentioned it to Banks. A day -or two after the failure of our assault of the 27th of -May, I was surprised by a summons to head-quarters, -and still more surprised when I was asked what -was my plan for taking Port Hudson. My plan was -simply to utilize our powerful fleet instead of ignoring -it. Sherman, who, after his recovery from his -wound received a few days later, visited the place -after its fall, and carefully examined the ground, -told me that the assault should undoubtedly have -been made on our left, not only on account of the -fleet, but on account of the character of the ground.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> -We afterward erected batteries here within a very -short distance of the enemy's, and commanding -them; and we dug up to their very citadel. Had -another assault been ordered, as it seemed at one -time probable, it would have been made here, and -would probably have been a repetition, on a small -scale, of the affair of the Malakoff. There was another -advantage on this flank. Had we effected -a lodgment even with a small force, we could have -maintained our position in the angle between the -parapet and the river until re-enforcements reached -us. At the points selected for the assault of the -27th of May—had we succeeded in getting in—we -should have found ourselves exposed to attacks in -front and on both flanks, and should probably have -been driven out again.</p> - -<p>The siege of Port Hudson was tedious and bloody. -Banks ordered an assault. It was made, and resulted -in a miserable repulse. He was asked why assault -when the place must inevitably be starved out -in a few weeks. He replied, "The people of the -North demand blood, sir." Sherman led the assault -in person, at the head of the Sixth Michigan regiment; -Bailey headed the negroes, with plank and -other materials to fill up the fosse. I had heard be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span>fore -of negroes turning white from fright, and did -not believe it; but it is literally true. The men advanced -within a few yards of the works, but could -effect no lodgment. There never was a more useless -waste of life. Sherman lost his leg, and his horse -was killed under him; one staff officer and his horse -were killed; an orderly was killed; another staff -officer was wounded, and his horse killed; and another -orderly had his horse killed. This is a pretty -bloody ten minutes' work for a general and his staff.</p> - -<p>The staff officer who was wounded was Badeau, -our consul-general at London, and author of that -model military history, the first volume of the "Life -of Grant."</p> - -<p>Fortunately, probably, for me, I had been sent -with orders to Sherman's other brigade, to support -the attack by an assault on the left. It was hot -enough where I was. The shells shrieked over my -head, and a round shot rolled playfully between my -horse's legs. But it was nothing like the "hell of -fire" to which Sherman was exposed.</p> - -<p>Sherman having been sent to New Orleans, to hospital, -General William Dwight took command of the -division. After a while another assault was made: -it was as fruitless as the first. But the enemy was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> -now getting short of provisions. They lived mostly -on Indian corn. Many deserters came to us, mostly -Louisianians, for the "Wrackensackers" (Arkansas -men) and the Texans rarely deserted. These made -up the garrison. They reported great want in the -place; and, what was far better proof—for it will -not do to trust implicitly to deserters' stories—their -gums showed the want of proper food. The end -was approaching. On the 4th of July Vicksburg -surrendered. Our outposts communicated this intelligence -to the rebel outposts, and chaffed them about -it. The news was reported to Gardiner. He sent a -flag to Banks to inquire if it were true. Banks replied -that it was, and Port Hudson surrendered.</p> - -<p>It was curious to observe the sort of <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">entente cordiale</i> -which the soldiers on both sides established -during the siege. When they were tired of trying -to pick each other off through the loop-holes, one of -them would tie a white handkerchief to his bayonet, -and wave it above the parapet. Pretty soon a handkerchief, -or its equivalent—for the rebs did not indulge -in useless luxuries—would be seen waving on -the other side. This meant truce. In a moment -the men would swarm out on both sides, sitting with -their legs dangling over the parapet, chaffing each<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span> -other, and sometimes with pretty rough wit. They -were as safe as if a regular flag were out. No man -dared to violate this tacit truce. If he had done so, -his own comrades would have dealt roughly with -him. After a while, on one side or the other, some -one would cry out, "Get under cover now, Johnnie," -or "Look out now, Yank; we are going to fire," and -the fire would recommence.</p> - -<p>Active military operations were now suspended, -and I obtained leave of absence. But it was revoked; -for General William B. Franklin had arrived -in the Department, and I was assigned to his -staff. I naturally felt disappointed at losing my -leave, but I was subsequently glad that it had so -happened; for it led to my promotion, and to the -establishment of friendly and pleasant relations -which have survived the war.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER VI.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Major-general Franklin.—Sabine Pass.—Collision at Sea.—March -through Louisiana.—Rebel Correspondence.—"The Gypsy's Wassail."—Rebel -Women.—Rebel Poetry.—A Skirmish.—Salt Island.—Winter -Climate.—Banks's Capua.—Major Joseph Bailey.</p></div> - - -<p>Early in the fall of 1863, Major-general Franklin -was put in command of the military part of an expedition -which had been planned against Sabine Pass, -on the coast of Texas. The arrangement was for -the navy to enter the port at night, get in the rear -of the work, and capture it; whereupon the troops -were to land, garrison the place, and hold it as a base -for future operations in Texas. The plan failed. -The expected signals were not displayed. The gun-boats -made the attempt in broad daylight, got -aground in the shallow and winding channel, and -were captured. Many of the sailors jumped overboard, -swam ashore, ran down through the marsh, -and were picked up by our boats. The plan had -failed, and there was nothing for the troops to do -but to return.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p> - -<p>That night we had a collision between one of our -large sea-going steamers and our light river boat -used for head-quarters. Our side was apparently -smashed in. A panic seized the crew; captain, pilot, -engineer, hands, all rushed for the steamer. Most -of our head-quarters company and officers followed -the example. I was reading in the cabin when -the collision occurred. The crash and the cries attracted -my attention. I went upon deck, and tried -for a moment to restore order, but in vain. The -soldiers on the steamer shouted, "Come on board! -come on board! You're sinking! there's a great -hole in your side!" The waves dashed our little -boat against the sides of the steamer, and the light -plank of the wheel-house was grinding and crashing. -I can easily understand how contagious is a panic. -It was with a great effort I could restrain myself -from following the example set me. I knew, however, -that my place was with the general, and I went -in search of him. I found him on the hurricane-deck, -seated on the sky-light, quietly smoking his -cigar. I said, "General, are you not going to leave -her?" "I don't believe she'll sink," he replied. -"But she is an abandoned ship, sir; every one has -left her." "Have they? are you sure?" "I'll<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span> -make sure," I replied; and, going to the wheel-house, -found it deserted. Then I looked into the engine-room—I -remember the engine looked so grim and -stiff in its solitude. Franklin then consented to go. -We found a quiet place aft where there was no confusion; -and as the waves tossed up our light vessel -to a level with the steamer, he sprung upon her -deck. As soon as he had jumped, I attempted to -follow, but the vessel was not tossed high enough. -So I watched my chance, and plunged head foremost -into a port-hole, where friendly hands caught me, -and prevented my falling on the deck.</p> - -<p>But our little steamer would not sink. Franklin -at once ordered out the boats, secured the captain -and crew, and returned on board. We found that -the outer shell of the boat was crushed in, and that -she was leaking badly; but the inner ceiling was -unhurt. We easily kept her free with the pumps -until we had repaired damages. I do not think that -the general ever quite forgave me for persuading -him to leave her.</p> - -<p>As we had failed by sea, we next tried the land, -and with better success. We marched to Opelousas, -driving the rebels before us. A pleasant incident -happened on this march, one of those trifles which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> -soften the horrors of war. I had known at New -Orleans a charming rebel creole whose husband was -a general in the Confederate army. I had had an -opportunity to render the family some trifling service. -One day we intercepted a courier bearing a -letter from General —— to General Miles, commanding -the district. He wrote that he had fallen -upon the rear of our column and picked up a number -of stragglers, and that he should send them next -day to head-quarters. Of course we laid our plans, -captured the escort, and recaptured our own men. -With the general's assent, I sent the letter to the -lady in question, with a line to the effect that she -probably had not seen her husband's handwriting -for some time, and might be gratified to learn from -the inclosed letter that he was well. She would regret -to learn, however, that our men had been retaken -and the escort captured; that I should spare no -pains to capture the general himself, and send him -to his wife; and that if he knew what fate was in -store for him, I was sure that he would make but a -feeble resistance. She replied in the same spirit, -that with such generous enemies war lost half its -terrors.</p> - -<p>Under Franklin nothing was left undone that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> -could properly be done to soften the rigors of war -to non-combatants. Often have his staff officers -spent weary hours over intercepted correspondence. -It was our duty to examine the correspondence in -search of intelligence that might be useful to us; but -it was no part of our duty carefully to reseal those -letters which were purely on domestic or personal -matters, re-inclose the hundred odd little souvenirs -they contained, and send them under a flag to the -rebel lines. And yet we did this repeatedly. I -wonder if the rebels ever did as much for us anywhere -in the Confederacy!</p> - -<p>Speaking of intercepted letters, I remember that -at New Orleans we once seized a bag as it was about -to cross the lake. Among other letters, it contained -one from a young lady to her brother-in-law in Mobile. -I have rarely seen a cleverer production. She -gave an account, with great glee, of a trick she had -played upon a Boston newspaper, perhaps the "Respectable -Daily." She wrote that she had sent them -a poem called "The Gypsy's Wassail," the original -in Sanscrit, the translation of course in English, and -all that was patriotic and loyal. "Now, the Sanscrit," -she wrote, "was English written backward, -and read as follows:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"> -<p class="verseq">"'God bless our brave Confederates, Lord!</p> -<p class="verse">Lee, Johnson, Smith, and Beauregard!</p> -<p class="verse">Help Jackson, Smith, and Johnson Joe,</p> -<p class="verse">To give them fits in Dixie, oh!'"</p> -</div></div> - -<p>The Boston newspaper fell into the trap, and -published this "beautiful and patriotic poem, by our -talented contributor." But in a few days some sharp -fellow found out the trick and exposed it.</p> - -<p>The letter was signed "Anna" simply, and no -clue to the author was given. Anna thought that -she was safe. She forgot that in the same bag was -a letter from her sister to her husband, with signature -and address, in which she said, "Anna writes -you one of her amusing letters." So I had discovered -who Miss Anna was, and wrote her accordingly. -I told her that her letter had fallen into the hands of -one of those "Yankee" officers whom she saw fit to -abuse, and who was so pleased with its wit that he -should take great pleasure in forwarding it to its -destination; that in return he had only to ask that -when the author of "The Gypsy's Wassail" favored -the expectant world with another poem, he might be -honored with an early copy. Anna must have been -rather surprised.</p> - -<p>As may be supposed, there were constant trials of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -wit between the rebels and ourselves, in which we -sometimes came off second best. But they had their -women to help them, which gave them an immense -advantage, for in such matters one woman is worth -a "wilderness" of men. I recollect one day we sent -a steamboat full of rebel officers, exchanged prisoners, -into the Confederacy. They were generally accompanied -by their wives and children. Our officers -noticed the most extraordinary number of dolls on -board—every child had a doll—but they had no suspicions. -A lady told me afterward that every doll -was filled with quinine. The sawdust was taken out -and quinine substituted. Depend upon it that female -wit devised that trick.</p> - -<p>They attacked us in poetry too, generally written -by young ladies, and some of it decidedly clever. -Strong, Butler's adjutant-general, had stopped the -service in one of the Episcopal churches, because the -clergyman prayed for Jeff Davis instead of for the -"President of the United States." This furnished -a theme for some bitter stanzas. Banks had sent a -light battery to drive among a crowd of women and -children collected on the levee to see their friends -off, and disperse them. This furnished a fruitful -theme for the rebel muse.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span></p> - -<p>To return to our Opelousas campaign.</p> - -<p>We followed the course of the Teche for several -days through a lovely country, the "Garden of -Louisiana," and it deserves its name. The names in -this part of the country are French. I remember -we had a skirmish at a place called "Carrion-crow -Bayou." It struck me as an odd name to give -to a stream. I made inquiries, and found that a -Frenchman had settled upon its banks, named Carran -Cro.</p> - -<p>Our march to Opelousas was without striking incident. -The Confederates once or twice came into -position, as if to dispute our progress, but they always -gave way. Our return, however, was more -eventful. The rebels attacked an outlying brigade, -and caught it napping. It occupied a strong position, -and could easily have beaten cavalry off, the -only force by which it was attacked. Two regiments, -however, were seized with a panic, and surrendered -without firing a shot. The alarm was given to the -main body, and re-enforcements quickly arrived, and -drove off the rebels; but they carried off many prisoners. -Not long afterward we turned the tables -upon them. They encamped a regiment of Texas -cavalry at a beautiful spot near Iberville, called<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> -"Camp Pratt." Franklin organized an attack upon -them. One night he sent our cavalry to make a -wide détour upon the prairie and get into their rear. -Then he attacked them in front with infantry. They -mounted and fled in disorder, and fell, nearly to a -man, into the hands of our cavalry. It was a well-organized -and well-conducted expedition, and reflected -credit upon Lee, who commanded the cavalry, and -upon Cameron, who commanded the infantry. Tradition -says that Dick Taylor, who commanded in -that part of Louisiana, swore "like our army in Flanders" -when he heard of it.</p> - -<p>There is a very curious salt island near Iberville, -well worth a visit, in a scientific point of view. -Franklin wanted very much to explore it, but he did -not wish to take an army as an escort, and he said it -would be too absurd if he were captured on such an -expedition. It would not have been quite so absurd -for me, however; so I went, accompanied by Colonel -Professor Owen, of the Indiana University, and volunteers, -and with our head-quarters cavalry company -as an escort. The island lies in the Gulf, and is perhaps -half a mile in diameter. In the centre is a hollow -about a hundred yards across, which has all the -appearance of an extinct crater. Here, a few inches<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> -below the surface, lies the salt, in an almost perfect -state of purity. For years our Southern brethren, -who do not shine as inventors, sunk wells, pumped -up the water, evaporated it, and so made their salt. -At last it occurred to some one more clever than his -neighbors, "Why not blast out the salt itself?" And -so it was done. It seems scarcely possible, and yet -I was credibly assured that so scarce was salt in the -Confederacy, that wagons came all the way from -Charleston, were loaded with salt, and returned to -that city. It must have been a journey of months.</p> - -<p>We wintered at Franklin, preparing for a spring -campaign to the Red River. The climate of Louisiana -is delicious in winter. I have tried both the -South of France and Italy, but know no climate -equal to that of Louisiana. The summer, <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">en revanche</i>, -is intensely hot, and lasts from May to October, the -thermometer ranging from 86° at night to 96° in the -day-time. Yet the heat is not stifling. You feel -no particular inconvenience from it at the time; but -two seasons affect the nervous system seriously, and -a white man must from time to time get the Northern -or the sea-air. Happily the sea-coast is of easy -access from New Orleans.</p> - -<p>But while our command was under canvas, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> -preparing for the approaching campaign, the cavalry -was being mounted and drilled amidst the allurements -of a large city. Why Banks did not send it to -Thibodeaux, or to some other post where the prairie -gave admirable opportunities for cavalry exercise, is -a question which was often asked, but to which no -satisfactory answer has ever been given. Farragut -said that he feared that New Orleans would prove -Banks's Capua. One of the consequences, as regards -the cavalry, was, that they started upon the campaign -with "impedimenta" enough for an army. Crossing -a ford one day, Franklin spied a country cart -drawn by a mule, containing bedding, trunks, and a -negro woman. He sent the corps inspector to see to -whom it belonged. It turned out to be the property -of a sergeant of a cavalry regiment. Needless to say -that the cart went no farther. After the rebels had -captured their Champagne, sardines, and potted anchovies, -at Sabine Cross Roads, they became excellent -cavalry.</p> - -<p>And now, fortunately for the navy, Bailey joined -our staff. He had done such good work at Port -Hudson—built half our works, got out a steamboat -that lay high and dry in the mud, etc., etc.—that -Banks had promoted him to be colonel of the reg<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>iment, -over the head of the lieutenant-colonel. -Banks had no right to do this. In so doing, he had -usurped the prerogative of the Governor of Wisconsin; -and the governor, as might be expected, resented -it. Of course the governor was sustained by the -War Department. Bailey was, naturally enough, -annoyed and mortified, and wrote to me that he -should leave the service; indeed, he supposed that -he was already out of it, for he had been mustered -out as major when he was mustered in as colonel; -and now he had been mustered out as colonel. I -wrote to him not to go off at half-cock, to write -to the governor and ask in what capacity he recognized -him, and then to the adjutant-general and -ask the same question. He was answered by the -governor that he recognized him as lieutenant-colonel, -and by the Government that they recognized -him still as major. He then wrote me that he -would gladly remain in the service if I could get -him on Franklin's staff, but that, under the circumstances, -he could not return to his regiment. I -spoke to the general upon the subject, and mentioned -all that he had done under Sherman at Port -Hudson and elsewhere. The general applied for -him; he was ordered to report to us, and was an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span>nounced -as "Military Engineer of the Nineteenth -Army Corps." Thus it happened that Bailey was -with us when his regiment was not, and the fleet -on the Red River consequently saved from destruction -or capture.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER VII.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Mistakes.—Affair at Mansfield.—Peach Hill.—Freaks of the Imagination.—After -Peach Hill.—General William Dwight.—Retreat to -Pleasant Hill.—Pleasant Hill.—General Dick Taylor.—Taylor and -the King of Denmark.—An Incident.</p></div> - - -<p>I think it was on the 20th of March that we left -for the Red River. We marched the whole distance, -arriving at Natchitoches about the 3d of April. -From Alexandria to Natchitoches we followed the -Red River. Here began our mistakes. Banks arrived -from New Orleans, and ordered us to take the -inland road to Shreveport. Franklin suggested the -river road, where the army and the fleet could render -mutual support. Banks said no; that the other -was the shorter route. It was the shorter in distance, -but for the greater part of the way it was a -narrow wood road, unfitted for the march of troops -and the movement of artillery and wagons. We -marched two or three days without interruption. -Lee, who commanded the cavalry in advance, had -often applied for a brigade of infantry to support<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -him. Franklin had always declined to separate his -infantry, answering that if Lee found the enemy too -strong for him, to fall back, and we would come -up with the whole infantry force and disperse them. -On the evening of the 6th of April, I think it was, -Banks came up at Pleasant Hill, and assumed command. -The next day we were beaten; for that -evening Lee again applied for his infantry, and got -them. Franklin sent in a written remonstrance -against the danger of separating the infantry, and -having it beaten in detail. He was disregarded; -and we marched to certain defeat.</p> - -<p>The battle of Sabine Forks—Mansfield, the rebels -call it; and as they won it, they have a right to -name it—scarcely rises to the dignity of a battle. -We had our cavalry and one brigade of infantry -only engaged. We lost heavily, however, in guns -and wagons, for the wagon-train of the cavalry followed -close upon its heels, and blocked up the narrow -road, so that the guns could not be got off. -When Franklin heard from Banks that the cavalry -and infantry brigade were seriously engaged, and -that he must send re-enforcements, he at once ordered -Emory up with the First Division of the Nineteenth -Corps, and then rode forward himself to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> -scene of action. Here he lost his horse and was -wounded in the leg, while one of our staff officers -was killed. When our cavalry and brigade were -finally defeated, the rebels advanced upon us. It -was a striking and beautiful sight to see a column -of their best infantry—the "Crescent City Regiment," -I think it was—marching steadily down -the road upon us, while their skirmishers swarmed -through the woods and cotton fields. The column -offered so beautiful a mark for a shell or two, that -the general rode up to a retreating gun, and tried -hard to get it into position, but the stampede was -too general, and we had to look to our own safety. -When he found how things were likely to turn out, -Franklin had sent an aid-de-camp to Emory with orders -to select a good position, come into line, and -check the advancing enemy. Meantime, we retreated, -abandoning the road—it was too blocked up—and -taking to the woods and across the cotton -fields, not knowing our whereabouts, or whether we -should land in the rebel lines or in our own. At -length we caught sight of Emory's red division flag, -and a joyful sight it was. We soon reached it, and -found that "Bold Emory" had chosen an excellent -position on the summit of a gentle eminence, called<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -Peach Hill, and had already got his men into line. -His division had behaved admirably. In face of -cavalry and infantry retreating in disorder—and -every officer knows how contagious is a panic—the -First Division of the Nineteenth Army Corps steadily -advanced, not a man falling out, fell into line, -and quietly awaited the enemy. They did not keep -us waiting long. In less than half an hour after -we had joined the division, they appeared, marching -steadily to the attack. But they were received -with a fusillade they had not counted upon, and retreated -in confusion. Again they attempted an attack -on our right, but with no better success. They -were definitively repulsed.</p> - -<p>In this skirmish Franklin had another horse killed -under him, shot in the shoulder, for the enemy's fire -was very sharp for a few minutes. I offered him -my horse, but he refused it. The captain of our -head-quarters cavalry company offered him his, and -he accepted it. The captain dismounted a private.</p> - -<p>I saw here a striking instance of the effect produced -by the imagination when exalted by the excitement -of battle. A staff officer by my side dropped -his bridle, threw up his arms, and said, "I am -hit." I helped him from his horse. He said, "My<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> -boot is full of blood." We sent him to the ambulance. -I said to myself, "Good-bye to —— I shall -go to his funeral to-morrow." Next day he appeared -at head-quarters as well as ever. He had been -struck by a spent ball. It had broken the skin and -drawn a few drops of blood, but inflicted no serious -injury. At Port Hudson I saw the same effect produced -by a spent ball. A man came limping off the -field supported by two others. He said his leg was -broken. The surgeon was rather surprised to find -no hole in his stocking. Cutting it off, however, he -found a black-and-blue mark on the leg—nothing -more. The chaplain was reading to him, and the -man was pale as death. I comforted him by telling -him to send the stocking to his sweetheart as a trophy.</p> - -<p>As we lay on our arms that night at Peach Hill -without fire, for we were permitted to light none, -lest we should reveal our small numbers to the enemy, -we could hear distinctly the yells of the rebels -as they found a fresh "cache" of the good things -of the cavalry. It was very aggravating. They got -our head-quarters ambulance too, but there was precious -little in it. Expecting to bivouac, we had -thrown a few things hastily into it. All they got -of mine was a tooth-brush. I comforted myself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> -with the reflection that they would not know what -use to put it to.</p> - -<p>Banks now sent for Franklin, and communicated -to him his intention to remain on the battle-field all -night, and renew the fight in the morning. Franklin -represented that we had six thousand men at -most, and the rebels thirteen thousand. Banks replied -that A. J. Smith would be up. (Smith was -thirteen miles in the rear, with eight thousand men.) -"But how is he to get up, sir? The road is blocked -up with the retreating troops and wagons, and -is but a path, after all. He can't get up." "Oh! -he'll be up—he'll be up;" and the interview ended. -On his return to head-quarters, partly under a tree -and partly on a rail fence, Franklin told me what -had happened.</p> - -<p>General William Dwight, of Boston, commanded -the First Brigade of Emory's division. I knew -Dwight well, for he had succeeded Sherman in command -of our division at Port Hudson. I had recommended -him highly to Franklin, when he was offered -his choice of two or three generals for commands -in the Nineteenth Corps, as an officer who could be -thoroughly relied upon in an emergency. Dwight -had said to me, "Major, if Franklin ever wants<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> -Banks to do any thing, and he won't do it, do you -come to me." I thought that the time had arrived -to go to him; so I found my way through the darkness. -"Well, general, we've got to stay here all -night, and fight it out to-morrow." Dwight, who is -quick as a flash, and whose own soldierly instinct -told him what ought to be done, said at once, "Does -Franklin think Banks ought to fall back upon A. J. -Smith?" "Yes, he does." "Then I'll be d—d if -he sha'n't do it. Wait here a minute." Dwight -disappeared in the darkness. In ten minutes he returned -and said, "It's all right; the order is given."</p> - -<p>That night we fell back upon Pleasant Hill, -Dwight bringing up the rear with his brigade. -Franklin asked him if he could hold his position till -half-past ten. "Till morning," he replied, "if you -say so."</p> - -<p>At Pleasant Hill we found General Smith with -his "gorillas," as they were profanely called. -Smith's command boasted that they had been in -many a fight, and had never been defeated. I believe -it was a true boast. It was partly luck, partly -their own courage, and partly the skill with which -they were handled. They were a rough lot, but -good soldiers. I have seen them straggling along,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> -one with a chicken hung to his bayonet, another -with a pig on his back: turkeys, ducks, any thing of -the kind came handy to them. The alarm sounded, -and in an instant every man was in the ranks, silent, -watchful, orderly, the very models of good soldiers.</p> - -<p>The battle which now ensued at Pleasant Hill -formed no exception to the rule which Smith's corps -had established. The rebels, too, had been re-enforced, -and attacked us in the afternoon with great -spirit. But they soon found the difference between -an affair with a single brigade of infantry, and one -with three divisions fully prepared and admirably -handled; for Franklin and Smith had made all the -dispositions. They drove in the left of our first line, -where we had a Five Points New York regiment -(rowdies, by-the-way, always make the poorest -troops); but they could make no impression on the -second line, composed of Smith's "gorillas," and -were beaten off with considerable loss.</p> - -<p>General Dick Taylor, son of the President, commanded -the rebel army in these engagements, and -received much credit, and deservedly, for the manner -in which he had defeated us at Mansfield. It -was reported that General Smith, who commanded -the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span>eracy, -found fault with Taylor for attacking us, as -he had intended to draw us on to Shreveport, and -there, with the help of Magruder from Texas, and -Price from Arkansas, overwhelm us disastrously. -Perhaps it was as well that we had it out at Mansfield. -As regards the affair at Pleasant Hill, it was -a mistake of the rebels. They were not strong -enough to attack us in position. Taylor has since -said that the attack was against his better judgment, -but that the officers who had come up the night before -wanted their share of glory. Perhaps, too, they -had tasted the cavalry Champagne, and liked the -brand. They might not have been quite so eager -for the fray had they known what force they had -to deal with at Mansfield, and what lay before them -at Pleasant Hill.</p> - -<p>The writer has since met General Taylor in London, -and a most agreeable companion he is. He is -a great favorite in court circles, largely for his own -merits, but partly as "Prince Dick." In monarchical -countries they can not divest themselves of the -idea that our presidents are monarchs, and their -children princes. "Prince John," "Prince Dick," -"Prince Fred," all received quasi-royal honors. At -Constantinople, when Fred Grant was with Sherman,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> -a lieutenant on his staff, it was to Grant that the -Sultan addressed his remarks. Grant tried to stop -it, but could not.</p> - -<p>They tell an amusing story of Dick Taylor in -London. Taylor plays a good game of whist. The -King of Denmark was on a visit to his daughter, -and she sent for Taylor to make up a game with -her father. Taylor won largely, and laughingly -said to the king, "Your majesty can not find fault; -I am only getting back those 'Sound Dues' my -country paid Denmark for so many years."</p> - -<p>Banks now wanted to continue his onward march -to Shreveport, but A. J. Smith opposed it. He said -that he belonged to Sherman's command, and had -been lent to Banks for a season only; that he was -under orders to return to Sherman by a certain day; -that much time had been lost; and that if he undertook -the march to Shreveport, he could not return -by the date appointed. Our supplies, too, were -rather short, the cavalry having lost their wagon-train. -We fell back, therefore, upon Grand Ecore, -where we rejoined the fleet. And here a curious -incident occurred. An officer in high position came -to Franklin and said that the army was in a very -critical situation; that it required generalship to ex<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span>tricate -it; that under Banks it would probably be -captured or destroyed; and proposed to put Banks on -board of a steamer, and send him to New Orleans, -and that Franklin should take command. "And -my men, general," he said, "will stand by you to -the last man." Of course Franklin treated it as a -joke, and laughed it off. But there can be no doubt -that the officer was in earnest.</p> - -<p>General Banks did not command the confidence -of his troops, especially of the Western men. They -generally spoke of him as "<em>Mr.</em> Banks." It was a -great pity that his undoubted talent could not have -been utilized in the civil service. As it turned out, -he was perhaps the most striking instance in our -service of the grave, almost fatal, mistake we made -at the beginning of the war. He had been a good -Speaker, so we made him a major-general; he had -roused a certain interest in Massachusetts in her -militia, so we gave him command of armies, and -sent him out to meet trained soldiers like Stonewall -Jackson and Dick Taylor. The result was a foregone -conclusion.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER VIII.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Low Water.—The Fleet in Danger.—We fall back upon Alexandria.—Things -look Gloomy.—Bailey builds a Dam in ten Days.—Saves -the Fleet.—A Skirmish.—Smith defeats Polignac.—Unpopularity -of Foreign Officers.—A Novel Bridge.—Leave of Absence.—A -Year in Virginia.—Am ordered again to New Orleans.</p></div> - - -<p>The Red River had now fallen very low. The -gun-boats had great difficulty in descending the -stream. One chilly evening, as we stood round the -head-quarters camp-fire, word was brought us that -one of Porter's best iron-clads was fast aground in -the stream, and that they had tried in vain to get -her off. I turned laughingly to Bailey, and said, -"Bailey, can't you build a dam and get her off?" -alluding to what he had done at Port Hudson. -Bailey followed me to my tent and said, "Seriously, -major, I think I <em>could</em> get that ship off, and I should -like to try." I went immediately to the general, -and got a letter from him to Porter, and sent Bailey -to the grounded ship. She was built in compartments. -He found them breaking in the partitions.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -He remonstrated, and said, "Pump out one compartment, -then shut it hermetically, and the confined air -will help to buoy up the ship." The navy men, naturally -enough, resented the interference of an outsider. -Bailey gave Porter Franklin's letter. Porter -said, "Well, major, if you can dam better than I -can, you must be a good hand at it, for I have been -d—g all night." Bailey had not met with a very -encouraging reception. He was one of those serious -men, who, as Sydney Smith said, require a surgical -operation to get a joke into their heads. He -returned to camp, and reported to me that Porter -had insulted him. "What did he say, Bailey?" He -told me; whereupon I explained to him the joke, -and he was perfectly satisfied. "Oh, if that's what -he meant, it's all right!" The ship was not got off. -She was blown up and abandoned.</p> - -<p>From Grand Ecore we fell back upon Alexandria. -Franklin was put in command of the movement, and -Bailey selected our line of march. We started at -dark, and marched all night. But the Confederates -were on the watch. They threatened our rear, and -compelled us to halt, and deploy, while they hurried -a strong force to take position at Kane's Ferry. -Here we had a sharp skirmish. The position is a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -very strong one, the stream not being fordable at -the Ferry. We crossed two brigades higher up. -Moving slowly through the woods, for there were -no roads, they struck the rebels on the left flank, -and dislodged them. The fight was very sharp for a -time. Colonel Fessenden, afterward brigadier-general, -commanding a Maine regiment, and gallantly -leading it, lost a leg in this affair.</p> - -<p>But a severer trial awaited the fleet. About a -mile above Alexandria the river shoots over a rapid, -the Falls of Alexandria. On this shoal there -was about five feet of water, and the river was falling. -The boats drew from seven to nine feet. The -floods come down with great rapidity in the Red -River. One night's rain would have given the ships -plenty of water. Twenty-four hours' hard rain raises -it twenty feet. But the rain would not come. -Things looked gloomy enough for the fleet. Bailey -came to me and said that he could build a dam in -ten days, and get those ships out. The river was -six hundred and sixty-six feet wide at the Falls. -Franklin sent me to Porter with the proposition. -Porter said that it was not worth while—"It will -rain to-night or to-morrow." To-night and to-morrow -came, and it did not rain, and still the river fell.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -Again Franklin sent me to Porter. I found him -unwell and despondent. "Tell General Franklin," -he said, "that if he will build a dam or any thing -else, and get me out of this scrape, I'll be eternally -grateful to him." I returned to Franklin. "Now -go to Banks, and get his permission." I found -Banks closeted with General Hunter. It was reported -that the Government had become anxious -about our command, and had sent Hunter down to -examine and report upon our condition. I stated -what was proposed. Banks turned to Hunter and -said, "What do you think of it, general?" Hunter -replied that he thought it impracticable, "But if -Franklin recommends it, try it; for he is one of the -best engineers in the army." Banks said, "Tell the -general to give the necessary orders." The orders -were given. Maine and Wisconsin regiments, principally -lumbermen, were detailed for the work. In -ten days the dam was built, the water rose, and the -fleet came over in safety.</p> - -<p>The rebels made a great mistake in not interfering -with our work. Had they done so, they might -have embarrassed us seriously on the left bank of -the river, opposite Alexandria. But they never -fired a shot. We were told that they laughed at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -idea of damming the Red River, and said that we -might as well try to dam the Mississippi. We would -have done this, had it been necessary.</p> - -<p>Bailey handled water as a lumberman handles his -axe. One of the gun-boats was aground, hanging by -the stern some little way above the Falls. They -tugged at her with all sorts of mechanical contrivances, -but in vain. In two hours Bailey built a little -"wing-dam," he called it, turned the current under -the stern of the vessel where she hung, washed -out the sand, and the ship floated off.</p> - -<p>Porter told me that if Bailey got his fleet out he -would never rest till he was made a brigadier-general. -He kept his word. The Government promoted -him. The naval officers subscribed, and gave -him a sword of honor and a service of plate. He -deserved it all.</p> - -<p>The fleet saved, we renewed our march to the -Mississippi. It was made without incident, except -that Smith defeated the rebels in a skirmish on the -Atchafalaya. He practiced a ruse upon them: concealed -a brigade in the deep dry ditches that intersect -the sugar-fields there, then sent his skirmishers -out. The rebs drove them in and pursued them; -when up rose the men in the ditches, poured in a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span> -deadly fire, and took two hundred prisoners. We -were not again troubled by the enemy.</p> - -<p>Prince Polignac commanded the rebels upon this -occasion. It was reported that he had come to Louisiana -expecting that the Confederacy would become -a monarchy; and it probably would have done so, -had the Rebellion succeeded. I afterward heard that -his defeat was not very disagreeable to his brother -officers, for he was not popular with them. Indeed, -very few foreign officers were popular on either side. -Both Union and rebel officers were very much disposed -to look upon it as a family quarrel, and wanted -no interference from outsiders.</p> - -<p>We crossed the Atchafalaya by a novel bridge -constructed of steamboats. This, too, was Bailey's -work. He anchored them side by side, the bows -level with each other, and placed planks across them. -The whole army, with its baggage-wagons and artillery, -crossed safely and rapidly. A steam-whistle -sounded, and in ten minutes the bridge had disappeared, -and every boat was under full headway to -its destination.</p> - -<p>The writer's connection with the Department of -the Gulf now ceased for a year. He obtained leave -of absence, and went North. But he had scarcely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> -arrived there when Early made his daring march -upon Washington. My leave was revoked, and I -was ordered to report to Major-general Gillmore. -For a year I remained in Virginia, most of the time -in Norfolk, for Gillmore had been thrown from his -horse, and was unable to take the field in command -of the Nineteenth Army Corps, as had been intended, -and I had been assigned to a different duty. -Early in the spring of 1865, on application of Brigadier-general -T. W. Sherman, I was ordered again to -New Orleans.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER IX.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Visit to Grant's Head-quarters.—His Anecdotes of Army Life.—Banks -relieved.—Canby in Command.—Bailey at Mobile.—Death of -Bailey.—Canby as a Civil Governor.—Confiscated Property.—Proposes -to rebuild Levees.—Is stopped by Sheridan.—Canby appeals.—Is -sustained, but too late.—Levees destroyed by Floods.—Conflict -of Jurisdiction.—Action of President Johnson.—Sheridan abolishes -Canby's Provost Marshal's Department.—Canby asks to be recalled.—Is -ordered to Washington.—To Galveston.—To Richmond.—To -Charleston.—Is murdered by the Modocs.—His Character.</p></div> - - -<p>Shortly after my arrival at the North, I paid a -visit of a few days to Colonel Badeau at Grant's -head-quarters at City Point. Badeau had been with -me on Sherman's staff. I staid at head-quarters in a -tent reserved for guests, and messed with the general -and his staff. Grant has the reputation of being a -taciturn man, and he is generally so. But when -seated on a summer's evening under the awning in -front of his tent with his staff, and, perhaps, a few -friends about him, he took his share of the conversation. -He was full of anecdote, especially of army -life. He talked very freely, not hesitating to express<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> -his opinions of men and things. Grant contended -that no commanding officer could succeed in the long -run, if he were not an honest and an honorable man. -He did not care what were his talents, he was sure -to come to grief, and injure the cause sooner or later. -But Butler took different ground. He held that he -could appoint clever and energetic officers to command, -and benefit by their talents, while he could -prevent their dishonesty from injuring the cause. -Grant was undoubtedly right, and Butler wrong.</p> - -<p>One evening, as we sat before his tent, Grant observed -that he had that day sent orders to remove a -certain general from high command in the West. I -expressed my surprise, and said that I had always -understood, and from army men too, that the officer -in question was one of the best of our volunteer generals. -Grant took his cigar from his mouth, and remarked, -in his quiet way, "He's too much mixed up -with cotton."</p> - -<p>Politics makes strange bed-fellows. What a pity -that President Grant was unable to carry into his -civil appointments the same admirable principle -upon which General Grant acted so inflexibly and -so successfully in his military appointments! The -officer whom he removed from command as "too<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> -much mixed up with cotton" he soon after appointed, -under strong party pressure, to high civil office.</p> - -<p>On my return to New Orleans, I found that Banks -had been relieved, and Canby now commanded the -Department of the Gulf. He was absent, engaged -in the campaign against Mobile, which resulted in -the capture of that city. Here Bailey again distinguished -himself. The bay was strewed with torpedoes. -Bailey had no fear of torpedoes. He told -me that he had often navigated the Upper Mississippi -when enormous cakes of ice, swept along by -the rapid current, threatened to destroy the boat, but -that it was easy enough by some mechanical contrivance -to avoid them. He thought that torpedoes -might be treated in the same way. He showed his -faith by his works. He took the quartermaster's -boats up without accident. The navy followed his -lead, and safely. But the Admiral, changing his -mind, ordered some of the boats back. In backing -down, two were blown up and sunk.</p> - -<p>But the war was now near its close. Bailey was -shortly afterward mustered out of service, and returned -to civil life. He removed from Wisconsin to -Missouri, and settled in one of the border counties. -Here he was elected sheriff. His end was a sad one.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> -With his usual daring, he attempted to arrest two -noted desperadoes, horse-thieves, single-handed. -They murdered him. He had not lived in vain. -He had rendered good service to his country.</p> - -<p>To return to Louisiana. The writer was now promoted -to General Canby's staff, and became adjutant-general -of the Department. Canby enjoyed the -full confidence of the Government, and most justly. -He had an exceedingly important command, extending -from St. Louis to the Gulf, and from Florida to -Texas. We had one hundred and eighty-seven thousand -men upon our rolls. Canby was an excellent -military commander, but his forte lay in civil government. -Never was a Department better governed -than was Louisiana in his day. A kind-hearted, benevolent -gentleman, he gave one half of his pay to -the rebel poor. Often have I seen his wife driving -about New Orleans, accompanied by a Sister of Charity, -dispensing his bounty. A clear-headed, just -man, he governed that turbulent city with wisdom -and justice, and with unflinching firmness. There -were no riots in his day. More than once we were -told that a riot was planned for the next day. Canby -sent for Sherman; that night a battery would be -quietly marched up from Jackson Barracks, and sta<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span>tioned -out of sight in a cotton-press. Very early in -the morning a company of cavalry picketed their -horses in Esplanade Street. The quiet citizens saw -nothing unusual, but the would-be rioters of course -knew what had been done, and there was no riot. -Canby was relieved; Sherman got leave of absence; -and within a month a riot took place.</p> - -<p>General Canby has saved millions of money to -the United States. In these days of barefaced raids -upon the Treasury, under color of bogus Southern -claims, Canby's foresight and care are brought out -in strong relief. When the war was ended, he returned -all confiscated rebel property to its owners, -but he took from them a release to the United States -for all claim for rent or damage during our occupation. -These men's mouths are now closed. The -only exception he made was made most reluctantly -under the orders of Sheridan. That great soldier -does not shine in civil government as he does in the -field. When he arrived in New Orleans, he told -General Canby that he came there to take military -command; that as for civil matters he knew nothing -about them, and left them all to Canby. Before a -month had passed an order came that General Canby -would please report why he did not return the Me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span>tairie -Ridge Race-course to its owners. This course -was owned by gamblers. The gamblers of New Orleans -are an institution and a power in that city. -Canby replied with the indorsement, "Respectfully -returned with a copy of the order bearing date (a -month back) returning the Metairie Ridge Racecourse -to its owners on the usual conditions." The -order came back, "General Canby will return the -Metairie Ridge Race-course without condition." -Canby felt deeply hurt. His carefully devised and -impartially executed plan to protect the Treasury -had been frustrated, and this in favor of a lot of -gamblers. I do not doubt that these men are now -before Congress as "loyal citizens," with their humble -petition for reimbursement for the occupation of -the race-course and the destruction of the fences.</p> - -<p>Had Canby been permitted to have his own way, -the levees in Louisiana would have been rebuilt in -the fall of 1865, millions of money saved to the -United States, and much suffering and vagabondage -among the inhabitants avoided. In 1862 Butler had -confiscated the crops on many abandoned estates. -This property, when sold, realized a fund which was -turned over to the successive Department commanders, -to be used for various public purposes. Banks<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> -gave a monster concert, with artillery accompaniments, -out of it, and balls, to dance the fair Creoles -into loyalty. Canby proposed to rebuild the levees. -In his day the fund amounted to about eight hundred -thousand dollars. He thought that this money, -raised in Louisiana, could with propriety be expended -in repairing the levees in Louisiana. He said expressly -that the rebels had no right to this expenditure—as -they had sown, so must they reap; but that -it was in the interest of the United States and of humanity -that he proposed to rebuild the levees. That -if this were done, the people would be occupied, contented, -and quiet, they would be no expense to the -Government, and their crops would add to the general -wealth of the country. That if it were not done, -the plantations would be overflowed, the crops ruined, -the inhabitants discontented, the value of the -crops lost to the country, and the United States compelled, -as a matter of humanity, to issue rations to -the starving people. In the month of October, 1865, -every thing was ready, the unemployed negroes enrolled, -our negro regiments detailed, and the work -about to commence, when it was stopped by an order -from General Sheridan. Of course Sheridan did not -do this from any mere caprice. He had his reasons,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> -and to his mind they were conclusive. But they -were purely technical and narrow. He said that the -fund referred to did not belong to the Department; -that it belonged to the Treasury, or at least to the -Quartermaster-general, and could not be used without -his assent. Canby was always most reluctant to -appeal from his superior officer to higher authority, -but he thought that in this instance the interests of -his Department, and those of the United States itself, -were too deeply involved for him to accept Sheridan's -decision. He appealed to Washington, and -was sustained. But the Government, instead of ordering -him to commence the work at once, sent out a -board of engineers—Barnard at the head—to survey -the levees, and agree upon plans for repairing them. -At length all these most unnecessary formalities were -got through with, and Canby was ordered to proceed -with the work. This was promptly done. But it -was now January, instead of October. In February -the water rose, and swept away all that had been -done. All the evils predicted by Canby now came -upon the country. And not for that year only, but -for several succeeding years, the Government was -compelled to feed a suffering, discontented, and turbulent -population.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span></p> - -<p>Several nice and novel legal questions arose on the -termination of the war in reference to confiscated -property. These were determined by General Canby -so wisely and so justly that the Quartermaster-general -not unfrequently sent to him for copies of his -orders as guides for the Department at Washington -in its own decisions. I recollect one question particularly, -which brought him into conflict with the -United States District Judge. It will be remembered -that at the close of the war an immense quantity -of cotton was found stored in the by-ways of the Confederacy, -especially far up the Red River. Part of -this cotton was undoubtedly liable to confiscation, -but the greater part was not. Treasury agents -thronged all over the South. The character of these -men "left much to be desired," as the Frenchman -politely puts it. They were "on the make." Their -object was to prove all cotton liable to confiscation, -for the law gave them a large percentage of the proceeds. -The amount of perjury committed by these -men, and by the professional perjurers whom they -employed, was fearful. The effect was demoralizing -to the last degree, and exasperated the inhabitants; -while it was the object of the Government, and the -earnest desire of the victorious North, to pacify the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> -South by dealing not only justly, but generously, by -it. Canby felt this, and with his usual sagacity and -foresight made a proposition to the Secretary of the -Treasury, which, if adopted, would have saved the -Government millions in money, and more than millions -in peace and good-will. He proposed that ports -should be designated on the Mississippi for the receipt -of cotton; that every pound arriving there -should pay the Government twenty-five cents, or -fifty cents (any thing that the Government might -designate), and that no questions should be asked as -to its origin. Mr. M'Culloch replied that it was an -admirable plan, but that there were reasons why it -could not be adopted. The reason, I fear, was the -influence brought to bear at Washington by the nascent -race of carpet-baggers. There was money in -the Treasury-agent system.</p> - -<p>This system led, as I have said, to a collision between -the military and the judicial authorities in -New Orleans, which in any other hands than Canby's -might have been serious. M'Culloch wrote to -the general asking him to sustain his agents with the -military power in their seizure of cotton. Canby -of course replied that he would do so. Shortly afterward -an agent applied to us for a military force.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> -He had seized a lot of cotton, and brought it to New -Orleans. The owner, an alleged Union man, had -applied to the United States District Court, and the -United States Marshal had been ordered to take possession -of it. He attempted to do so, but was, of -course, repulsed by the military, the city being still -under martial law. The judge thereupon issued an -order for Canby to appear before him, and show -cause why he held the cotton against the process of -the court. The order was an impertinent one; for -the judge knew well enough that the city was still -under martial law. The judge was that Durell who -afterward came to grief. But Canby always showed -the greatest respect to the judiciary. I remember, -as if it were yesterday, seeing him start for the -court-room at the appointed time, in full uniform, -accompanied by Major De Witt Clinton, his judge-advocate. -His return to the order of the court was -to my mind conclusive. He said, substantially, that -the United States District Court was a creation of -the law; that it possessed precisely those powers -which had been conferred upon it by Congress, and -no others; that if this cotton had been captured by -the navy on the high seas, he should have surrendered -it at once on the order of the judge, for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> -court was clothed with admiralty jurisdiction, but -that it had no military jurisdiction, and that he had -no right to surrender, and might be held responsible -for surrendering, powers which, under martial -law, were vested in him alone. The judge reserved -his decision. The claimant's lawyers telegraphed to -the President; and Johnson, who was then beginning -to coquet with the Democrats, contrary to Stanton's -advice, and without waiting for Canby's report, -ordered the cotton to be given up, to the general's -great satisfaction; for it soiled the fingers of every -one who touched it.</p> - -<p>General Canby had now been thwarted twice by -General Sheridan in purely civil matters—matters -belonging properly to the commander of the Department. -He felt as if his usefulness were gone, -and prepared a letter to the Adjutant-general asking -to be relieved from his command, and ordered elsewhere. -He showed me this letter. I felt that his -loss to the Department would be irreparable, and I -persuaded him to withhold it. But shortly afterward -Sheridan again interfered with the civil government -of the city, and this time by breaking up -the provost-marshal's department of General Canby's -own staff. It is a matter of great delicacy for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> -one general to interfere with the staff of another. -Canby felt deeply hurt, and told me that he should -forward his letter to Washington. Of course I -could no longer object; for it seemed to me that -self-respect left him no choice. He was relieved -at once, for he was all-powerful with Stanton, who -had the highest esteem and regard for him, and -unbounded confidence in his integrity and wisdom. -He was made president of a most important board -on war claims, sitting at Washington. But shortly -afterward there was disturbance in Texas, and Canby -was immediately sent there. Again, there was -disturbance in Virginia, and Canby was transferred -to Richmond. Then came difficulty in South Carolina, -and at once Canby was ordered to Charleston. -Wherever he went, order and tranquillity followed -his footsteps.</p> - -<p>This wise, great, and good man lost his life miserably. -He fell a victim to the Peace Commission. -He commanded the Department in which Captain -Jack and those wretched Modocs gave us so much -trouble. Although the force operating against the -Indians numbered but five hundred men, and the -weather was so severe that the ink froze in his tent, -Canby thought it his duty to go in person to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> -"Lava Beds." Here he was rapidly unearthing the -savages from "their caves and dens in the rocks," -when the Peace Commission begged him to send -the Indians a flag of truce and invite them to a -"talk." He replied that it was useless; that he -knew the Indians far better than those gentlemen -could; and that the best and most humane method -was to follow up his military advantages. They entreated, -and appealed to his love of peace. He yielded, -went unarmed and without escort to the conference, -and was murdered by the savages. Thus died -one of the best, ablest, and purest men the war had -brought to the front.</p> - -<p>The writer left Louisiana in June, 1866, and shortly -afterward, on his own request, was mustered out -of the service. He looks back with pleasure to -the years passed in that lovely and fruitful land. -He regrets the evil days which have fallen upon it, -and can not but think that the upright and honorable -men whom he knew there—and there are plenty -of them among its inhabitants—must regret the loss -of the rule of justice, law, order, and economy under -Canby, when they contrast it with the infamous rule -of the carpet-baggers—fraud and corruption on one side -met by violence and intimidation on the other.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER X.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>The Writer appointed Assistant Secretary of Legation to Paris. -—Presented to the Emperor.—Court Balls.—Diplomatic Dress.—Opening -of Corps Législatif.—Opening of Parliament.—King of the Belgians. -—Emperor of Austria.—King of Prussia.—Queen Augusta.—Emperor -Alexander.—Attempt to assassinate him.—Ball at Russian -Embassy.—Resignation of General Dix.</p></div> - - -<p>In October, 1866, at the request of General Canby, -Mr. Seward appointed the writer to be Assistant -Secretary of Legation at Paris. Johnson was then -President, but he very properly left all these minor -appointments in the State Department to its chief. -Frederic Seward told me that it was impossible to -have a better friend at their court than General Canby—"they -always accepted his bills at sight."</p> - -<p>General Dix had then been named Minister to -France, but had not sailed. Mr. Bigelow still filled -the office. On presenting my credentials, he requested -me to await the arrival of the General before -entering upon my duties, that the proposed changes -might all be made at the same time.</p> - -<p>Late in December General Dix arrived, and was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> -presented. Court carriages were sent for the minister, -and he was accompanied by the secretaries of -legation, and by the "Introducteur des Ambassadeurs" -in gorgeous uniform. Those were the halcyon -days of the diplomatic service, before Congress -had come to the conclusion that the safety of the -republic depended upon its foreign representatives -being dressed in swallow-tail coats. We were then -permitted to dress like other gentlemen of the diplomatic -corps in the same grade.</p> - -<p>The Emperor was always happy in his reception of -the diplomates accredited to him. The custom was -to send in advance to the Minister of Foreign Affairs -a copy of the address to be delivered, that the Emperor's -reply might be prepared. These speeches, -under ordinary circumstances, might be stereotyped: -change the names, and one will answer for another. -After the formal addresses, an informal conversation -followed. General Dix then presented the secretaries. -The Emperor spoke English very well, and -liked to ventilate it. He did not speak it perfectly, -however, as was claimed by his enthusiastic admirers. -He translated French into English, as we so often -translate English into French. He said, for instance, -to Colonel Hay, "You have made <em>ze</em> war in <em>ze</em> Uni<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span>ted -States?" ("<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Vous avez fait la guerre?</i>") meaning, -"Did you serve?" Hay was strongly tempted -to tell him that it was not he; it was Jeff Davis.</p> - -<p>After the presentation to the Emperor, we paid our -respects to the Empress. That charming and beautiful -woman was then in the zenith of her beauty -and grace. She received us in her bonnet and walking-dress, -as she had come from mass; for in Catholic -countries diplomatic presentations generally take -place on Sunday. Nor in Catholic countries only, -for in England the Prince of Wales sometimes receives -on that day. The Empress too speaks English, -and with less accent than the Emperor, though -not so fluently.</p> - -<p>The imperial court in 1866-'67 was at the height -of its splendor. France was apparently prosperous -and powerful, and Paris reigned the queen-city of -the world. All nations paid her willing tribute. -She was preparing for the Exhibition of 1867, the -most successful ever held, except our own at Philadelphia. -The winter was unusually gay, the palace -setting the example. As a rule, the Emperor gave -four grand balls during the season. They were very -magnificent, and would have been very pleasant except -for the great crowd. But those balls were given<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> -principally to the military, and the garrison of Paris -thronged them to the number of two or three thousand. -Some of the subordinate officers were wholly -unused to any other society than that of the barracks, -and they brought their barrack manners with them, -crowding, pushing, treading upon the ladies' dresses, -scratching their shoulders with their epaulets. -When the supper-room was opened, the Centgarde -on duty at the door had great difficulty in keeping -back the hungry crowd. Once they actually broke -through and rushed in. The sentries were thereupon -doubled, but even then were compelled to -threaten to report the most prominent disturbers -to the Emperor. Every private in the Centgardes -ranked as an officer of the army.</p> - -<p>It may interest some of my readers to know how -presentations were made at these balls. The United -States Minister was allowed to present twenty-six -persons in all. They were selected generally upon -the principle of first come, first served; but the matter -rested wholly in his discretion. No one had a -right to a presentation. Mr. Seward settled this in -a clear and positive dispatch to Mr. Dayton, and his -instructions now regulate the action of our ministers -in most of the courts of Europe. Occasionally we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> -asked for one or two extra presentations. The inquiry -was then generally made, "Is it a young and -pretty woman?" If it were, there was no difficulty, -for the Empress, like other ladies, was pleased to -have her balls set off with beautiful and well-dressed -women. American ladies were always well received -by her for this reason. Her balls were sometimes -called by the envious "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bals américains</i>."</p> - -<p>The persons to be presented were arranged round -one of the rooms at the Tuileries. The Emperor -entered and passed down the line, each person being -named to him. He sometimes stopped, though rarely, -and addressed a few words to one of the presentees. -The Empress followed in the same manner. -She exacted that every lady should be in full evening -dress, and if by chance one slipped in not <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">décolletée</i>, -the minister was pretty sure to hear of it. General -Dix was once asked to present a young lady -with her mother. He consented. She turned out -to be a child of fourteen. Before many days he -heard that the Empress had said that she did not -receive children.</p> - -<p>But the Empress's Mondays, <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">petits lundis</i>, were -charming. They were not unpleasantly crowded, -and they were composed exclusively of people who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> -knew how to behave themselves. Frequently they -were musical parties, and there one heard the best -musical talent of the world. No money was paid to -the leading artists; for the theory is that the honor -of singing before the sovereign is sufficient; but a -bracelet or other piece of jewelry was sent to the -singer, and always of value, for the Emperor was -very generous—too much so for his own interests -and those of his family, as events have shown.</p> - -<p>The <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">petits lundis</i> were a paradise for our American -diplomates. There we wore our swallow-tail -coats, with black tights and silk stockings. The -most rabid anti-uniformist could not object to that. -To wear swallow-tail at one of the balls, however, -was by no means a pleasant duty. After one or two -experiments our secretaries gave up going. The -French officers—not those of high rank, of course—would -stare with all the impertinence they could -muster, and take the opportunity to jostle them accidentally -in the crowd. It was very different in -London. If one of us went to a ball at Buckingham -Palace in mufti, the page at the door simply asked, -"United States, sir?" and he passed in without difficulty. -Of course every one present noticed the -dress, but no one appeared to do so. They evident<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span>ly -felt sorry for the poor devil who found himself -in such an awkward fix, and wished to make it as -easy for him as possible. French politeness did not -shine by the contrast.</p> - -<p>Early in the winter the Emperor opened the Corps -Législatif. In all constitutional monarchies this is -an occasion of great ceremony and splendor. A hall -in the Louvre was used for the purpose. All the -great bodies of state attended in their gorgeous uniforms. -Senators, deputies, judges, members of the -Academy and of the Institute, marshals, admirals—every -thing that France possessed of glorious in -arms, or eminent in literature, science, art, and statesmanship, -was congregated there. When all was -ready, the Empress, attended by the ladies of the imperial -family, and by her ladies in waiting, walked -up the whole length of the centre aisle to her seat -on the throne, amidst the indescribable enthusiasm -of the audience. Her beauty, her grace, and her -stately bearing carried the enthusiasm to its height. -You would have sworn that every man there was -ready to die for his sovereign. Within less than -four years she sought in vain for one of them to -stand by her in her hour of danger.</p> - -<p>The opening of the Corps Législatif, splendid and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> -interesting as it was, did not compare in either respect—in -American eyes, at least—with the opening -of Parliament by the Queen in person. She has -done this so rarely of late that, when she does appear, -the interest and excitement in London are very -great. The ceremony takes place in the House of -Lords. The peers are in their robes of office, scarlet -and ermine. Each particular robe is ugly enough, -very much like red flannel and cat-skin; but the effect -of all together is very fine. The peeresses are -in full dress. The diplomatic corps are present in -their rich uniforms. The princes enter and take -their seats as lords. That graceful and beautiful -woman, the Princess of Wales—perhaps the most -beautiful woman in England—and the Princess -Mary and the Duchess of Edinburgh, follow and -take their seats upon the wool-sack facing the -throne. When all is ready, the Queen, preceded by -the white rod and the black rod (they call them the -"sticks" in England), the lord chancellor and the -lord chamberlain, and all her high officers of state, -appears and seats herself upon the throne, the Princess -Louise and the Princess Beatrice supporting her -on either side. Short and stout as is the Queen, -she has the most graceful and stately walk perhaps<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -in Europe. It is a treat to see her move. Then the -lower doors are opened; there is a rush and a scramble, -and loud voices are heard, and the Commons of -England, headed by their Speaker, the very body for -whom all this show and state and splendor are got -up, crowd into a narrow space behind a railing, and -there stand while the Queen reads her speech. It -seems strange, when one reflects that the Commons -really govern England, to see them shut out in the -cold as if they were not fit to associate with the distinguished -company present. When the speech is -finished, the Speaker bows, the Queen descends from -the throne, the Commons return to their House, and -the pageant is ended.</p> - -<p>The Great Exhibition opened on the 1st of May, -1867. It was not nearly ready, but was opened -punctually to the day with all the well-arranged -ceremony for which the French are noted. The -sovereigns of Europe began to flock to Paris. "The -Grand Duchess of Gerolstein" was then in the full -tide of success at one of the theatres. It was odd -to note that among the first visits the great royalties -paid (the Emperor of Russia and the King -of Prussia) was one to "The Grand Duchess." -The minor sovereigns, the kinglings, rarely went;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -and when they did, they saw nothing amusing -in it.</p> - -<p>The diplomatic corps had admirable opportunities -to see the different sovereigns visiting Paris. It is -the custom for a monarch to receive the diplomatic -corps accredited to the capital at which he is a guest. -We stood in a circle, and, while the royal visitor -talked to our own minister and to those near him on -either side, we had excellent opportunities to study -his features, expression, and manners. The most -agreeable of them all, with an apt word for every -one, was the King of the Belgians. He had a great -deal to say to General Dix about Mr. Seward, whom -he had known, and the port of Antwerp as convenient -for American shipping. He spoke English -admirably. He was accompanied by the Queen, a -young and pretty woman, who, by-the-way, was the -only sovereign lady who came to the Exposition, -much to the Empress's disappointment, and somewhat, -it was said, to her mortification. Next in tact -to the King of the Belgians came the Emperor of -Austria, a small, well-made, military-looking man, -with most polished manners. He spoke to me—for -General Dix was then temporarily absent—of his -brother, the Emperor Maximilian, and expressed his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -gratitude to our Government for its efforts to save -his life. Later, while <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">chargé</i> at London, I met the -Empress of Germany. She, too, has the gift of saying -the right thing in the right place. I heard her -conversation with two or three of my colleagues who -stood near me. It was always happy. To me she -spoke of all that the Legation at Paris had done to -protect "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">mes pauvres Allemands dans ces tristes, ces -pénibles circonstances</i>." She was glad to have the -opportunity to thank me in person, and wished me -to convey her thanks to Mr. Washburne.</p> - -<p>But the chief guest, the man to whom all eyes -were turned, was the Emperor of Russia, a pale, -handsome, silent, gentlemanly-looking man. For -him reviews were held, gala operas given, and magnificent -fêtes at the Tuileries and at the Hôtel de -Ville. I doubt if the world ever saw a more beautiful -fête than that given to him by the Empress at -the Tuileries. It was summer, the month of June. -The gardens of the palace were closed to the public. -The flower-beds (the flowers were then in full bloom) -were bordered with gas-jets, the trees were festooned -with variegated lamps, the fountains played, and -electric lights—blue, pink, and yellow—were thrown -alternately upon the sparkling waters. It was very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span> -beautiful. And when, at midnight, the Empress, accompanied -by a number of ladies, and by the Emperors -and their suites, descended into the gardens, and -the electric light flashed on their bright dresses and -jewels, and brilliant uniforms, the effect was fairy-like.</p> - -<p>The review was next in order. Sixty thousand -men passed before the Emperors without check or -delay. The King of Prussia was present, accompanied -by Bismarck and Moltke. Bismarck even then -attracted much attention. I have rarely seen a finer-looking -man. More than six feet high, large and -powerful in proportion, with a grand head well set -upon the shoulders, he looks like Agamemnon—"king -of men."</p> - -<p>It was on the return from this review that the -Emperor of Russia was shot at by a Pole. Fortunately, -he was not hit. The only creature hurt was -the horse of one of the equerries. The blood spurted -from a wound in the animal's neck upon the Emperor's -second son, who was in the carriage with -him. The father's only thought was for his son; -and, leaning forward, he laid his hand tenderly upon -him while he anxiously inquired if he was wounded. -It was reported that the Emperor of the French<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> -turned to his imperial guest, and said, "Sire, we have -been under fire together for the first time to-day;" -to which the Emperor replied, with much solemnity -of manner, "Sire, we are in the hands of Providence."</p> - -<p>That evening I saw him at a ball at the Russian -embassy. It was very small, not more than two hundred -persons present. He looked pale and <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">distrait</i>, -evidently anticipating, with some apprehension, the -effect to be produced in Russia, and upon her relations -with France, when the news should reach St. -Petersburg. Madame Haussmann, the wife of the -Prefect of the Seine, a well-meaning woman, but -who did not shine precisely by her tact, was trying -to make conversation with him. He looked over -her head, as if he did not see her, and finally turned -upon his heel and left her. It was not perhaps polite, -but it was very natural. The Emperor and Empress -of the French made extraordinary exertions to -enliven the ball, but there was a perceptible oppression -in the air. The would-be assassin was not condemned -to death. Strange to say, a French jury -found "extenuating circumstances." But the French -sympathize strongly with the Poles; and I doubt if, -under any circumstances, a French jury would con<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span>demn -to death a Pole who had attempted to murder -a Russian.</p> - -<p>The Emperor of Russia is a man of the highest -sense of personal honor. When lately he sought an -interview with the English embassador, and assured -him on his honor that he had no thought of conquest, -or any desire to occupy Constantinople, those -who know his character believed him implicitly. It -was reserved for certain ultra Tory journals in London -to doubt his word. No language would be -strong enough for these journals to employ if a -Russian newspaper were to doubt the word of honor -of Lord Derby or any other prominent English gentleman. -Happily, the <cite>Standard</cite> and its <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">confrères</i> -do not yet direct public opinion in England.</p> - -<p>In the fall of 1867, the Exhibition closed with -great ceremony, and Paris settled down for a time -to the even tenor of its way. In 1868, General -Grant was elected President, and was inaugurated -in 1869. In the spring of this year General Dix -resigned. He preferred the comforts of his home, -with the society of his children and grandchildren, -to the attractions of the imperial court. No minister -ever represented the United States with more -dignity than General Dix. A man of marked abil<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span>ity, -an accomplished scholar and gentleman, he possessed -precisely those qualities which are the most -highly prized at a court like that of France. The -ladies, too, of his family shone in their sphere; a -matter of much greater importance than is generally -supposed in our country. The general has left a -very pleasant impression in France; and not unfrequently -since the fall of the empire I have been -stopped in the street by some sad looking ex-official -with inquiries after his health.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER XI.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Washburne appointed Minister.—Declaration of War.—Thiers opposes -it.—The United States asked to protect Germans in France.—Fish's -Instructions.—Assent of French Government given.—Paris -in War-paint.—The Emperor opposed to War.—Not a Free -Agent.—His _Entourage_.—Marshal Le Bœuf.</p></div> - - -<p>In the month of May, 1869, Mr. Washburne arrived -in France, and entered upon the duties of his -office. In the mean time I had been promoted, at the -request of General Dix, to be secretary of legation. -At Mr. Washburne's request, I was retained in that -position. Paris was uneasy and restless. Conspiracies -against the empire were rife. The Republicans, -as they called themselves—Radicals is a better name -for the majority of them—became bold and defiant. -France was jealous, too, of the renown acquired by -Prussia at Sadowa. She had been so accustomed to -consider herself, and to be considered, the first military -power in the world, that she could not bear the -semblance of a rival near the throne. The Emperor -was suffering from the disease of which he afterward -died, and no longer governed with "the hand of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> -steel in the glove of silk" always needed in France. -The Church was alarmed at the rise of a great Protestant -power, and the Empress sympathized with her -Church. In short, public sentiment had reached -such a pass in France, or rather in Paris, which is -France, that the Emperor was compelled to choose -between war and revolution. He naturally chose -war. It was definitely resolved upon on the 15th -July, 1870, but not officially declared until the 19th. -I was <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">chargé d'affaires</i>, Mr. Washburne being absent -at Carlsbad.</p> - -<p>On the 13th of July I went to the sitting of the -Corps Législatif to learn what were the prospects of -war. In the tribune of the diplomatic corps I met -the Spanish Embassador. He told me that peace -was assured, as he had persuaded Prince Hohenzollern -to decline the proffered crown of Spain, and that -now nothing remained to fight about. On the 14th, -I went again. I found Lord Lyons there, and, falling -into conversation with him, he left the impression -upon my mind that there would be war, for the -proffered mediation of England had failed. Lord -Lyons had come to the sitting expecting to hear an -authoritative declaration by the Government, and -this declaration he thought would be warlike. I at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> -once telegraphed to Mr. Fish that the chances were -strongly in favor of war. This, and all our subsequent -telegrams in cipher, were delayed by the -French Government for twenty-four hours, probably -with a view to decipher them. On the 15th I was -again at the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">séance</i>, and heard the warlike declaration -made by the Government. It was not the -formal declaration of war, but was equivalent to it. -Thereupon Mr. Thiers rose, and attempted to address -the House in a speech deprecating hostilities. The -scene that followed was indescribable and most disgraceful -to any legislative body. The great mass of -the members sprung to their feet, pointed their fingers -at the orator, yelled, and shouted "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Traître, traître! -Allez à Berlin!</i>" The little man stood like a -rock, and when the tumult had somewhat subsided, -I could hear his shrill, piping voice raised in solemn -warning against the step they were about to take. -The Government had stated that their embassador -had been insulted by the King of Prussia. Mr. -Thiers asked that the dispatches might be produced, -that the Assembly might judge for itself. This the -Government refused; and, on a show of hands, but -twenty members—among whom were Favre, Arago, -Simon, Pelletan, and others, most of them afterward<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> -prominent in the Government of the National Defense—voted -with Thiers.</p> - -<p>While the debate was proceeding I was called out -by the messenger of the Legation, with word that -the German Embassador was very anxious to see me. -As soon as the proceedings in the Corps Législatif -were ended, I went to the German embassy. The -embassador told me that he had been instructed by -his Government to ask the United States Legation -at Paris to assume the protection of the North Germans -in France during the coming war. I saw at -once the importance of this step, the compliment -paid us by a great power like Germany, and the advantages -to the country. I replied that I felt confident -that my Government would gladly assume the -charge; that if there were no cable across the Atlantic, -and it were necessary to say "Yes" or "No" at -once, I should say "Yes;" but as there was telegraphic -communication, and I could receive an answer in -forty-eight hours, I must ask instructions from Mr. -Fish. He appeared to be disappointed, and inquired -when I could give him an answer, as he must leave -Paris in two days. He evidently desired the matter -to be settled before he left. I told him that I -thought I should receive a reply within that time.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -I went at once to the office, and telegraphed Mr. -Fish as follows. This telegram, like the other, was -detained for twenty-four hours by the French Government.</p> - -<div class="blockquotx"> -<p class="p1 fs80 right">"Paris, July 15th, 1870.</p> - -<p>"<span class="smcap">Fish</span>—<em>Washington</em>:—War is certain. Can I -take Prussian subjects in France under our protection? -Have promised answer to-morrow.</p> - -<p class="smcap rt">"Hoffman."</p> -</div> - -<p>On the 17th I received Mr. Fish's answer, as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquotx"> -<p class="p1 fs80 right">"Washington, July 16th, 1870.</p> - -<p>"Protection of North Germans in French territory -by American representative can only be given -at request of North Germany, and with assent of -France. Examine request of Mr. Moustier of July -16th, 1867, to United States to protect French in -Mexico.</p> - -<p class="smcap rt">"Fish."</p> -</div> - -<p>On receipt of this instruction, I wrote at once to -the Duke de Gramont, to ask for the assent of the -French Government. My note was as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquotx"> -<p class="p1 fs80 right">"Legation of the United States,<br /> -Paris, July 17th, 1870.</p> - -<p>"<span class="smcap">Sir</span>,—I was requested by the embassador of the -North German Confederation, before his departure -from Paris, to take the North German subjects residing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -on French territory under the protection of this -Legation. To-day I am in receipt of a telegram from -my Government authorizing me to do so, provided -that it be done with the assent of his majesty's Government. -I have the honor to apply for this assent.</p> - -<p class="rt"> -<span class="padr6">"I have the honor, etc., etc., etc.,</span><br /> -"<span class="smcap">Wickham Hoffman</span>.</p> - -<p class="fs80">"His Excellency the <span class="smcap">Duke de Gramont</span>,<br /> -<span class="pad6">Etc., etc., etc."</span></p> -</div> - -<p class="p1">The Duke de Gramont replied, on the 18th, that -the French Government gave its "entire assent," -whereupon I telegraphed to Mr. Fish as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquotx"> - -<p>"<span class="smcap">Fish</span>—<em>Washington</em>:—Consented to take North -Germans under protection on application of embassador, -and with assent of France. * * * * Washburne -returns immediately.</p> - -<p class="smcap rt">"Hoffman."</p> -</div> - -<p>I learned afterward that my note to the Duke de -Gramont produced quite a sensation in the Emperor's -cabinet. The French Government had already -requested the good offices of Great Britain to protect -French subjects in North Germany, and it had fully -expected that North Germany would make a similar -request. Speculation was therefore rife in official -circles as to what the action of Count Bismarck<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span> -meant. It was supposed that he anticipated a general -European war, into which Great Britain would -necessarily be drawn; and preferred, therefore, to -ask the good offices of a power which under all circumstances -was likely to remain neutral.</p> - -<p>The Duke de Gramont was then Minister of Foreign -Affairs, and was supposed to have had much to -do with bringing on the war. The story was current -in Paris that, when he was embassador at Vienna, -Bismarck represented Prussia. They quarreled, -and Bismarck remarked of him, "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">C'est l'homme -le plus bête d'Europe.</i>" He never forgave it. At -Vienna he naturally associated with the Viennese -aristocracy, who disliked the Prussians. From them -he got the idea that Austria would readily join -France in a war against Prussia, and so reported to -the Emperor. He took no note of the all-powerful -middle class, which rules in constitutional countries. -This class would not hear of becoming allies of -France in a war against Germany.</p> - -<p>Late in the evening of the 18th of July, Mr. Washburne -returned to Paris. He had been at Carlsbad -for his health, but on learning the probability of -hostilities, started at once on his return to his post. -We had telegraphed him, but he never received the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> -telegram. Few private telegrams were forwarded at -all, and none with promptitude, in those days.</p> - -<p>Paris now put on its war-paint. The streets were -gay with the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">pantalon rouge</i>, and all day long the -French drum rat-a-tapped in the streets. The Mobiles -began to arrive, the National Guard to parade—everywhere -was heard the "Marseillaise." The -forbidden air was delightful to Parisian ears, because -it was forbidden. Long before the end of the siege -it was rarely heard. The Parisians could chant it as -they pleased, so it soon lost its attractions.</p> - -<p>The war was popular in Paris. The journals -clamored for it, and the violent republican papers, -whatever they may now say to the contrary, were -among the most blatant. The Emperor, personally, -was opposed to war. He was suffering from the -acute disease which afterward killed him, and was -naturally depressed and despondent. He would -gladly have avoided hostilities, but he was pushed -into them. They persuaded him, too, that the continuance -of his dynasty, the succession of his son, demanded -war; and this was the one ruling motive -which governed both his conduct and that of the -Empress. The Emperor was by no means the omnipotent -potentate he was popularly supposed to be.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -He was scarcely a free agent. It was his misfortune -to be surrounded by a crowd of adventurers—French -carpet-baggers. The best men of France, the gentry -of the country, held aloof. The Emperor felt this, -and often tried to reconcile them. Had he reigned -ten years longer, I think that he would have succeeded. -There were signs of relenting. He was -consequently thrown, for his high officers of state, -upon a class of clever adventurers. Look at his last -cabinet before the Revolution of September. One -member was most unenviably known for the loot of -the Summer Palace at Pekin; another is now in Mazas, -convicted of swindling; and a third, it was currently -reported in Paris, received one hundred thousand -francs in the Transcontinental, Memphis, and -El Paso swindle; and I have heard from high Prussian -authority that when the gates of Paris were -opened after the siege, and the Germans sold flour -and cattle and sheep to meet the pressing necessities -of the starving Parisians, of a flock of three -thousand sheep not one was permitted to enter the -city till this gentleman had received two francs a -head.</p> - -<p>I have said that the Emperor was scarcely a free -agent. Here is an anecdote in point. Prince Met<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span>ternich, -the Austrian Embassador, returning from -Vienna, called to pay his respects at the palace. The -Emperor asked him what military news there was -in Austria. He replied that they were arming with -the Remington breech-loader. "The Remington," -said the Emperor, "what is that? I thought I knew -all the principal breech-loaders, but I never heard of -that." Metternich explained. "Where is Remington?" -said the Emperor. The Prince replied that he -happened to be in Paris. "I wish you would bring -him to me, and do you bring him yourself; this will -insure my seeing him." Metternich brought him. -The Emperor examined his piece, and was much -pleased with it. He wrote a note with his own hand -to the Minister of War, Le Bœuf, and told Remington -to take it at once: of course he was received without -delay. "So, my good friend, you have seen the -Emperor, have you?" "Yes, sir, I had the honor to -see his Majesty." "Well, you won't see him again:" -and he did not. This was the way the Emperor was -served. Le Bœuf was the capable and well-informed -Minister of War who stated in the Assembly that -France was thoroughly prepared for the field—"not -a button on a gaiter was wanting." When the sad -truth became known, the French wits said that his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -statement was literally correct, for there was not a -gaiter in store.</p> - -<p>But while the war was popular in Paris, it was not -so in the provinces. After the Revolution broke out, -the Provisional Government found in the Tuileries -a number of important historical documents, and -among them reports from the prefects of the different -departments on this subject. They breathed -one tone. The people wanted peace; but if they -were attacked, if the honor of France were at stake, -they were ready to fight. Considering the source -whence this information came, from imperial prefects, -creatures of the Government, there was no -mistaking the pacific feeling of the country.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER XII.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Germans forbidden to leave Paris.—Afterward expelled.—Large -Number in Paris.—Americans in Europe.—Emperor's Staff an Incumbrance.—French -Generals.—Their Rivalries.—False News from -the Front.—Effect in Paris.—Reaction.—Expulsion of Germans.—Sad -Scenes.—Washburne's Action.—Diplomatic Service.—Battle of -Sedan.—Sheridan at Sedan.</p></div> - - -<p>And now began our labors at the Legation, increasing -from day to day, until we had thirteen distinct -nationalities under our charge, European and South -American. Nor was this all. The citizens of other -countries—countries which had not formally asked -our protection—came to us for assistance. This was -particularly the case with Mexico and Roumania. -There was a large colony of Mexicans in Paris, and -Mexico had no representative in France. The diplomatic -relations which were suspended by the Mexican -war are still unrenewed, notwithstanding the -friendly efforts of our Government. As regards -Roumania, its position is peculiar. Nominally it is -under the suzerainty of Turkey, and the Turk claims -to represent it abroad. But Roumania does not ac<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>quiesce -in this claim, and appoints its own agents, -who are quasi-recognized by the powers to whom -they are accredited. There was a large number of -Roumanian students in Paris at the outbreak of the -war. These young men were left quite destitute -during the siege. The French Government behaved -very generously by them. At Mr. Washburne's suggestion, -it made them a monthly allowance, sufficient -for their support.</p> - -<p>The French Government had at first decided that -no German should leave France to return home. -The reason given for this harsh measure was that -every German was a soldier, and would go to swell -the enemy's ranks. It was very hard on the Germans -in France. They were thrown out of employment, -insulted, liable to violence, and sometimes assaulted, -and, in addition to all this, were treated as -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">insoumis</i> at home, and subject to severe punishment -for neglect of military duty. Mr. Washburne remonstrated -against this measure, and wrote an able -dispatch to the Duke de Gramont, claiming the right -of the Germans, under all recognized international -law, to leave France if they wished to do so. It was -in vain. But now came a change of ministry. The -Prince de la Tour d'Auvergne became Minister of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> -Foreign Affairs, and the Government took precisely -the opposite course, and decided to expel the Germans. -Again Mr. Washburne intervened, claiming -that this was as much a violation of international law -as the other course. All he could obtain was, that -the decree should be executed with leniency, and -that liberal exceptions should be made in individual -cases of special hardship. But the French press -called for the expulsion of the Germans, and the -Corps Législatif passed a resolution that they should -be expelled <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">en masse</i>.</p> - -<p>As soon as the decree was published in the <cite lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Journal -Officiel</cite>, and placarded on the walls of Paris, they -came in shoals to the Legation. From seven o'clock -in the morning till five in the afternoon, when we -closed the office, they fairly besieged us. Five hundred -often collected in the street at once. We were -compelled, though reluctantly, to ask for the aid of -the police, both as a protection to the Germans -themselves against the mob, and for our own convenience. -We had six gendarmes constantly on -duty. It was almost impossible to get up our own -stairs, and Americans who had business at the Legation -complained of the impossibility of getting in. -I found a side-entrance through a neighbor's apart<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>ment, -of which I revealed the secret to some of my -countrymen.</p> - -<p>The French Government required that every German -leaving Paris should be furnished with a pass -from us. At Mr. Washburne's request they dispensed -with the police <em>visa</em>, and so simplified matters. -But there were forty thousand Germans in -Paris; of these about thirty thousand went away. -Allowing three persons to each pass, for many had -families, we issued about three thousand passes in six -weeks. Many needed assistance to enable them to -leave Paris. The Prussian Government, with great -liberality, put fifty thousand thalers (thirty-seven -thousand five hundred dollars) at our disposition, -and this sum they afterward increased. We gave -those who needed them railroad tickets to the frontier -of Germany and Belgium; there the German -Government took charge of them, or rather a charitable -organization under the presidency of the Empress -Augusta, who showed the most unwearying devotion -in good works during the whole war. Eight -or ten thousand remained in Paris during the siege. -Of those at least one-third came upon the Legation -for support, unwillingly in most cases, and driven by -necessity.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span></p> - -<p>But while the Germans thus thronged our office, -our own countrymen were not wanting. In six -weeks we issued eleven hundred passports. Allowing -an average of three persons to a passport, thirty-three -hundred Americans passed through Paris in -those six weeks. To these may be added another -thousand who had passports from the State Department. -The question has often been asked me, How -many Americans do you suppose are in Europe? If -to the above forty-three hundred we add seventeen -hundred for those who remained quietly where the -war found them, or procured their passports at other -legations, we have six thousand souls. At that time -this was the average number of our people temporarily -in Europe. There are fewer now.</p> - -<p>On the 28th of July the Emperor started for the -seat of war. He took with him his Centgardes and -a numerous staff. Nothing can be worse for an -army than to be encumbered with a large head-quarters -staff. It involves an immense amount of transportation, -blocking up the roads, and interfering -with the march of the troops. Every thing must -give way to head-quarters trains, even supplies for -the soldiers and ammunition for the guns. This -naturally breeds discontent, and interferes with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> -efficiency of the army. A staff should consist of the -fewest possible number of working men, and they -should be restricted, like the line, to a limited amount -of baggage. Sherman gave an example of what a -staff should be in this respect, on his famous march -to the sea.</p> - -<p>Meantime rumors of disaster came thick and fast -from the front. The French had fought the battle -of Wissembourg with great gallantry, but they were -outnumbered and outgeneraled. Indeed, it was their -misfortune in this war to have no great generals. I -was reminded of our own experience when our war -broke out, and when we appointed to high command -men who had "the Spirit of the Lord, and a disposition -to storm works," which Mr. Stanton then declared -to be all that was necessary. He lived to -change his mind, and to become one of the strongest -advocates of trained military talent. Happily for us, -the war lasted long enough to enable us to sift the -wheat from the chaff. Its close found in high command -the very men best fitted to be there. The -good sense of our rulers and the tenacity of our people -had enabled us to effect this vital change. The -French were not so fortunate. Their generals in -high command when the war broke out were not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> -equal to the situation, and their armies were defeated -and overwhelmed before the officers of ability, who -were undoubtedly to be found among them, but in -inferior positions, had had the opportunity to show -what was in them. For the system of advancement -under the Empire was not calculated to bring the -best men to the front. I was told during the siege -by General Berthaut, now Minister of War, that an -officer who studied was looked upon as a republican, -and passed over. The road to promotion lay through -the <em>café</em>.</p> - -<p>There were bitter rivalries, too, between the corps -commanders. It was stated, I do not know with -what truth, that repeated messages failed to bring -up the supporting corps to MacMahon's assistance. -The same thing had happened at Solferino, where, -as it was alleged, the battle was nearly lost, because -Canrobert would not support Niel. A challenge -passed between them, and nothing but the imperative -intervention of the Emperor prevented the -scandal of a duel.</p> - -<p>The defeat at Wissembourg was not published in -Paris till several hours after it had appeared in the -London morning papers. The press was muzzled. -The depression produced was very great. Certain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> -Bourse operators took advantage of the inflammable -state of public opinion. One day a man in the -uniform of a Government courier rode up to the -Bourse, and, calling out his confederate, delivered a -dispatch purporting to come from the front: "Great -victory; total defeat of the Prussians; capture of the -Crown Prince; French army in full march for Berlin!" -Up went stocks. The crowd shouted, sung, -wept for joy, threw themselves into each other's -arms, embraced, and kissed. Popular actors and -singers were recognized as they drove through the -streets, stopped, and compelled to sing or recite the -"Marseillaise." Paris was drunk with joy. Then -came the reaction. The truth was soon known. As -they had been extreme in their joy, they were now -extreme in their grief. They were not only despondent, -they were in despair. As the poor Empress said -at the time to Mr. Washburne, "They have no for-ti-tude." -The crowd collected in the streets, inveighed -against the Government, and, in a pouring rain, -marched to Ollivier's residence, in the Place Vendôme, -and insisted upon his addresing them. Ollivier -was then the head of the Government. He had -not much to say, but he was an eloquent speaker, -and partially pacified them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span></p> - -<p>But the defeats of the French and their consequent -exasperation reacted upon the Germans under -our protection. Employers discharged their workmen; -those who would gladly have kept them dared -not. They lived in constant dread, and the number -of those thronging to the Legation to obtain the -means of departure increased daily. The suffering, -both moral and physical, was very great. It must -be borne in mind that many of these people had -been settled for years in Paris; that they had married -there; their children had been born and had -married there; their property and their business interests -all lay there. Yet they were pitilessly expelled, -and not only their business interests ruined, -but the dearest family ties dissevered. We have -heard much in history and romance of the expulsion -of the Moors from Spain, and of the Huguenots -from France, and our sympathies are deeply stirred -as we read of the misery endured by those poor exiles. -I do not see why the expulsion of the Germans -does not rank with these touching episodes, -both in the suffering of the victims and the pathos -of their departure.</p> - -<p>Of course the French Government did not expel -these poor people with the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">cœur léger</i>. They had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -their reasons. They said that in case of siege there -would be additional mouths to feed, and that it -would be a constant source of danger to have so -many Germans residing in their midst. But at that -time a siege was not anticipated; and, except in -this case, there surely could have been no danger in -their stay.</p> - -<p>There were touching scenes at the Legation among -the weeping crowd of women. Some left children -and grandchildren married to Frenchmen. Some -were not in a fit condition to travel, but required the -comforts of a home, and tender care. A child was -born upon a bench in the street in front of the Legation. -(It was suggested to name it after a distinguished -American diplomate.) Every thing that energy -and kindness of heart could do to facilitate the -departure of those poor people, and to mitigate its -severity, was done by our minister.</p> - -<p>And here let me remark that no one could have -been better fitted for the difficult task he was suddenly -called upon to undertake than Mr. Washburne. -He trusted to the dictates of a sound judgment, a -kind heart, and a fearless temperament; and these -are pretty safe guides in the long run. Had he -been brought up in diplomacy, he would have hesi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span>tated -and read up for precedents which did not exist, -and so let the propitious moment pass. The result -of my observation in Europe during ten years -of pretty active service is this: that while there -should be a permanent officer in every embassy—a -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">chancellier</i>, as he is called in Paris—who can turn -promptly to any page of the archives, and is posted -in the history of the relations of the country in -which he resides with his own; who knows the -court ceremonial, and is intimate with the court officials; -in short, "who knows the ropes"—it is quite -as well that the head of the embassy should be a <em>new</em> -man. He will attach much less importance to trifles, -and act more fearlessly in emergencies. Great Britain -and France have pursued this plan in several -instances lately. The old diplomates grumble, but -it is clearly for the advantage of the country.</p> - -<p>News of reverses now poured in upon us, until -they culminated in the great disaster of Sedan. -That this should have been so great a calamity—a -capitulation instead of a defeat—appears to have -been the fault of MacMahon. He was compelled by -imperative orders from Paris, and entirely against -his own judgment, to go to the relief of Bazaine, -and to fight against overwhelming odds. But for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> -the tactical disposition of his forces, by which they -were penned up in a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">cul-de-sac</i> from which they had -no line of retreat, he, as commander-in-chief, is apparently -responsible. But the French armies seem -from the beginning to have been badly organized, -badly led, and conscious that they were so, and discouraged -accordingly. I have General Sheridan's authority -for saying that the position of the French at -Sedan was a very strong one; and while it was inevitable -that they should be defeated by superior numbers, -they ought to have held their ground for three -days. I have no doubt that our troops under Sheridan -would have done so. He spoke in the highest -terms of the gallantry of the French cavalry, which -was sacrificed to encourage the infantry. The remark -of a distinguished French general upon the -Charge of the Six Hundred, "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">C'est magnifique, mais -ce n'est pas la guerre</i>," would have applied equally -well to the charge of the cuirassiers at Sedan.</p> - -<p>Sheridan accompanied the King's head-quarters. -We had asked officially, at the commencement of the -war, that he might be permitted to accompany the -French army, and been refused. The Emperor subsequently -told Dr. Evans that he had never heard -of the application. General orders had been issued<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> -that no foreign officer should go with the army; but -there was surely some difference between the application -of an officer for this permission on his own -account, and the request of a friendly Government -that the Lieutenant-General of its armies might be -permitted to accompany the Emperor. The application -probably never got beyond the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">chef du cabinet</i> -of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Nowhere in -the world is bureaucracy carried to the extent it is -in France. A minister can scarcely appoint a clerk -in his office. The <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">chef du bureau</i> is omnipotent in -his own department. The Republic promised to -change all this; but its ministers, after a gallant -effort, have fallen in the struggle, and things move -on in the same old groove.</p> - -<p>At the battle of Sedan, Sheridan stood near Count -Bismarck. Toward its close he shut up his glass, -and, turning to Bismarck, said, "The battle is won." -The Count replied that he should be glad to think -so, but saw no signs of it yet. In a minute or two -more the French gave way. Turning his glass toward -Sedan, Sheridan observed, "The Emperor is -there." Bismarck answered that it could not be; -that the Emperor was not such a fool as to place -himself in that situation. Looking again, Sheridan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -said, "He is there, anyhow." He had drawn his -conclusions from the immense staff he saw, and the -confusion reigning among them.</p> - -<p>Sheridan was right. The Emperor and his staff -were prisoners of war. The Emperor had behaved -with the greatest personal courage, and subsequently, -when dissensions arose between the French generals -as to who was responsible for the great disaster, he -behaved with the greatest generosity. But he should -not have been at Sedan. The post of usefulness and -of danger for him was at Paris, and not with the -army.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER XIII.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Revolution of September 4th, 1870.—Paris <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">en Fête</i>.—Flight of the -Empress.—Saved by Foreigners.—Escapes in an English Yacht.—Government -of National Defense.—Trochu at its Head.—Jules -Simon.—United States recognizes Republic.—Washburne's Address.—Favre's -Answer.—Efforts for Peace.—John L. O'Sullivan.</p></div> - - -<p>On Sunday, the 4th of September, 1870, Paris was -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">en fête</i>. The Parisians had a new revolution, and -were delighted with it. The whole population had -turned out, men, women, and children, in their holiday -clothes. They filled the beautiful Place de la -Concorde, the finest in the world; they swarmed -across the bridge and into the Palais Bourbon, where -the Corps Législatif was in session. The soldiers -who guarded the imperial legislators melted away, -the cocked hats of the truculent gendarmes vanished -miraculously. The Conscript Fathers did not exactly -imitate the Roman Senators when they too were -invaded by the Gauls, but disappeared as quickly -as the gendarmes. These were the gentlemen who -had howled for war, and called Mr. Thiers traitor -when he pleaded for peace. The people were gay,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span> -good-humored, happy; in short, it was a Sunday fête, -and in half an hour Paris, and consequently France, -was a republic.</p> - -<p>From the Palais Bourbon the crowd went to the -Tuileries, where the Empress was awaiting the progress -of events. There was no anger then felt toward -her, and she was not in danger; but a mob, -and especially a French mob, is a capricious creature. -It may be in the gayest of humors; a trifle turns its -mood, and it becomes blood-thirsty as a tiger. The -Empress sent for Trochu, the Governor of Paris. -He had sworn on his faith as a soldier, a Catholic, -and a Breton, to stand by her to the end. He kept -his word by sending an aid-de-camp to her assistance. -Of all the creatures of the court whom the -favor of the Emperor had raised from obscurity, not -one came near her. Jerome Bonaparte—the American -Bonaparte—had been Governor of the Palace. -Fortunately he had been appointed to the command -of a regiment of cavalry; for had he still been Governor -there would probably have been a fight, and -it was as well that there should be no bloodshed. -Happily for the Empress, two foreigners remembered -her. The Embassador of Austria and the Minister -of Italy went to her aid. They found every sign<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> -of demoralization at the palace, the servants deserting, -and pilfering as they went. They persuaded -her, much against her will, to fly. They traversed the -whole length of the Louvre to the door in the rear. -Metternich opened the door, but, seeing the crowd, -closed it again. "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Ce n'est que l'audace qui sauve</i>," -said the Empress, and ordered it opened. They -passed into the crowd. A <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">gamin</i> recognized her, -and cried, "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">L'Impératrice! l'Impératrice!</i>" "I'll -teach you to cry '<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Vive la Prusse</i>!'" said Nigra, and -pinched his ear till he howled. Metternich went for -his carriage. While he was gone, a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">fiacre</i> passed, -Nigra hailed it, and the Empress and Madame Le -Breton entered. It was agreed that they should -meet at the house of a noted Bonapartist. She -went there, and was refused admission. She went -to another; he was out of town. In this emergency -she thought of Dr. Evans, her American dentist, -and drove to his residence. He was expecting two -American ladies on a visit to his family, and every -thing was prepared for them. When the servant -announced two ladies, the doctor was at dinner. -Excusing himself to his guests, he went out to receive -them, and found the Empress. The next day -he took her and Madame Le Breton in his carriage<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -to Trouville, on the coast, near Havre. There was a -sort of guard kept at the gates of Paris, though not -a very strict one. The doctor said, "You know me, -Dr. Evans. I am taking this poor lady to the asylum -here at Neuilly." They passed, and arrived safely at -Trouville, where the doctor's family were spending -the summer.</p> - -<p>In the mean time a little English yacht of fifty -tons was lying in dock at Trouville. Her owner, Sir -John Burgoyne, great-nephew of General Burgoyne, -who commanded the British troops at Saratoga, had -intended to sail that day for England; but at the -suggestion of an American lady, a friend of his -wife's, had decided to remain another day, and make -an excursion to the ruins of the castle of William -the Conqueror. In the evening Dr. Evans went on -board, and stated who he was, and what he had come -for. As soon as he was satisfied that the Empress -was really at Trouville, Sir John said that he -would gladly take her across the Channel, and it was -agreed that she should come on board in the morning, -when the tide served. That evening the gendarmes -visited the yacht, for it was rumored that the -Empress was at Trouville. In the morning she came -on board, and the yacht sailed. The voyage was very<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -rough, and the little vessel was obliged to lie to. -She arrived safely at Hyde, however, and the Empress -proceeded at once to Hastings, where she met -her son. Thus she had escaped by the aid exclusively -of foreigners—an Austrian and an Italian, an -American and an Englishman.</p> - -<p>The new Government, the "National Defense" -they called it—the French attach great importance -to names—was duly inaugurated at the Hôtel -de Ville. Had it not been inaugurated there, and -proclaimed from the historic window, the Parisians -would scarcely have looked upon it as a legitimate -Government. General Trochu was placed at its -head, and Jules Favre made Minister of Foreign -Affairs. The appointment of Trochu was unfortunate. -He was an honorable man, intelligent, a student, -and a good military critic, but utterly valueless -in active service. He coddled the mob, treating -them as if they were the purest of patriots; whereas -they were the marplots of the Defense. He was selected -probably because he was the only Republican -among the French generals of prominence, and not -for any peculiar fitness for command in those troublous -times.</p> - -<p>Shortly after the inauguration of the Government<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> -of the National Defense, Mr. Washburne had occasion -to go to the Hôtel de Ville. Jules Simon, now -Minister of the Interior, seized the opportunity to -make us an oration. What particular object he had -in view, unless it were to convince the Minister of -the United States that Jules Simon was a great orator, -I have been unable to discover. If that was his -object, he succeeded. Whether it was worth while -to occupy his and our valuable time for this purpose -only, may be doubted.</p> - -<p>On the 7th of September came our instructions to -recognize the Republic if it seemed to us to be firmly -established. Mr. Washburne sent me to make -an appointment with Jules Favre. It was made for -that afternoon. While Washburne prepared his address, -I read up in the archives of the Legation to -learn what was done under similar circumstances in -1848. I found that we had been the first to recognize -the Republic at that date, but that Lamartine, -in his report, had taken no notice of the fact, for -fear, it was said, of wounding the susceptibilities of -Great Britain. Washburne told me to mention this -circumstance to Favre: he did not intend that we -should be ignored a second time, if he could prevent -it. I mentioned it to Favre, and he replied,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> -substantially, that Great Britain had not treated -France so well that they need have any particular -anxiety about wounding her susceptibilities; and -added that Great Britain was now of very little -consequence.</p> - -<p>Mr. Washburne's address was an admirable document. -Favre replied to it very happily. He said -that the recognition of the "young Republic" by -the United States was a "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">grand appui</i>;" that he -"felt gratitude and profound emotion." Jules Favre -is a master of the French language. It is a -great treat to hear him, even in ordinary conversation, -roll out in a charming voice and impressive -manner the most perfectly harmonious words of -that beautiful language. French does not rise to -the sublimity of poetry. Shakspeare is absurd in -French. But for charm in conversation, and precision -in science, it is simply perfect.</p> - -<p>The next day the interview was reported in full -in the <cite>Officiel</cite>. Washburne's address was very well -translated, except where he quoted from the Declaration -of Independence, and spoke of the right of every -man to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." -Here the translator had made him say that -every man had a right "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">de vivre en travaillant au<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> -bonheur de tous</i>." Rather a liberal translation, and -thoroughly French both in language and sentiment. -But I have not remarked that the French Republicans -labor more for the happiness of their neighbors -than other nationalities, or than their own countrymen. -If there be a political party in France -which does more in charities than another, it is the -Orleanist.</p> - -<p>Favre was very anxious that Mr. Washburne -should intervene to make peace. When he found -that under our instructions we could not join with -other European powers in political matters purely -European (advice left us by Washington, and wisely -followed by Mr. Fish), he begged Mr. Washburne to -intervene in his private capacity. But he replied -very sensibly that it was impossible for him to separate -his private from his public capacity; he must -always be the Minister of the United States.</p> - -<p>But what Washburne felt compelled to decline, -another American gentleman, Mr. O'Sullivan, formerly -our Minister at Lisbon, undertook. He asked -Mr. Washburne for a letter to Bismarck, but this he -did not feel authorized to give. He then begged for -a letter of introduction to Sheridan, who was at the -King's head-quarters. This he received. Jules Fa<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span>vre, -who clutched eagerly at any thing that might -possibly lead to peace, gave him a safe-conduct, and -he started for the Prussian lines. But he never got -to head-quarters. That long-headed Bismarck had -anticipated some such outside benevolent efforts, and -had given orders to the outlying corps that if any -distinguished gentlemen came along desiring to make -peace, they should be treated with all possible courtesy, -but not allowed to approach head-quarters without -permission of the King. O'Sullivan was stopped, -and his letter forwarded to Sheridan. Bismarck -sent for the General, and asked if he knew -O'Sullivan. He said he did not. He then asked if -he was anxious to see him. Sheridan replied that -he should be happy to make his acquaintance, but -that he saw no pressing haste in the matter. "Then -he sha'n't come," said Bismarck; and O'Sullivan returned -to Paris. But the French did not treat him -so well as the Germans. As he approached Paris, -walking quietly along the high-road, a carpet-bag in -one hand and an umbrella in the other, a detachment -of the vigilant National Guard rushed across a field -and covered him with their loaded pieces. As he -made no resistance, they simply took from him his -bag and umbrella, and led him before their com<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span>mander -blindfolded. That officer sent him under -guard to one of those wretched dens scooped out of -the barrier where they sometimes confined smugglers -temporarily, but which were oftener used for -more unsavory purposes. There they kept him all -night. In the morning Jules Favre sent to his assistance, -and he was released.</p> - -<p>O'Sullivan afterward left Paris in the general exodus -of Americans. He went, as they did, to Versailles; -but he staid there some three weeks, talking -peace to the German princes quartered at the Hôtel -des Réservoirs, some of whom he had previously -known. He had a plan, not at all a bad one in itself, -but under the circumstances entirely impracticable. -It was to neutralize a strip of territory lying -between France and Germany, annex part of it to -Belgium, and part to Switzerland, and put it under -the protection of the Great Powers. One evening -O'Sullivan dined with the Crown Prince. He sat -next to Bismarck, and discoursed upon his pet neutral-strip -theory. As they parted, Bismarck shook -his hand, and said that he was charmed to make his -acquaintance. "But, Mr. O'Sullivan, a curious thing -sometimes happens to me: I make the acquaintance -of a most agreeable gentleman in the afternoon, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span> -in the evening I find myself reluctantly compelled -to order him out of Versailles." O'Sullivan mentioned -this to friends he was visiting in the evening, -but did not see its application to himself. They did, -however. He went to his hotel, and found a Prussian -officer at his door with orders for him to leave -Versailles that night. He remonstrated, and it was -finally agreed that he should start at eight o'clock in -the morning. A sentry was placed at the bedroom -door, who thought that a proper discharge of his -duty required him to open it every five minutes -during the night, to make sure that his prisoner -had not escaped. Mrs. O'Sullivan did not quite appreciate -the situation.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER XIV.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Belleville Demonstrates.—Radical Clubs.—Their Blasphemy and Violence.—Unreasonable -Suspicion.—Outrages.—Diplomatic Corps.—Some -of them leave Paris.—Meeting of the Corps.—Votes not to -Leave.—Embassadors and Ministers.—Right of Correspondence in -a Besieged Place.—Commencement of Siege, September 19th.—Besiegers -and Besieged.—Advantages of Besieged.</p></div> - - -<p>Belleville now began a series of patriotic demonstrations -at the Legation, which soon became a nuisance. -When I first heard the drum and fife coming -up the Rue Chaillot, and several respectable-looking -citizens came in and inquired for Mr. Washburne, -I was quite impressed with the interest of the -occasion. Washburne went out upon the balcony -and made them a speech, and thanked them for this -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">démonstration patriotique</i>. But when they began -to come daily, and the rag, tag, and bobtail at that, -and day after day Washburne was called out to -thank them for this <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">démonstration patriotique</i>, I -got very heartily sick of it. We were too busy to -have our time wasted in this way. But as the siege -progressed, and we did our duty in protecting the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> -Germans, as we received news from the outside -when others did not, and that news was uniformly -unfavorable to the French, the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">démonstrations patriotiques</i> -ceased; and it was only a fear of the law, -and that "divinity that doth hedge in a" diplomate, -that prevented our receiving a demonstration of a -very different sort.</p> - -<p>For the clubs were now rampant, another bane of -the Defense. Had they been suppressed at the beginning, -as they were at the end, of the siege by -General Vinoy, the result might have been different. -Their orators advocated the wildest and most -destructive theories amidst the applause of a congenial -audience. Blasphemy was received with special -favor. I remember once, however, the orator seasoned -his discourse too high even for that audience. -He said he "would like to scale heaven, and collar -[<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">empoigner</i>] the Deity." It was the day of balloons, -and a wag in the audience called out, "Why don't -you go up in a balloon?" This turned the laugh -upon the orator, and he disappeared, for in Paris -ridicule kills.</p> - -<p>A curious and annoying feature in the Parisian -character during the war was the unreasoning and -unreasonable suspicion of the population. A gen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span>tleman -from Philadelphia interested in Fairmount -Park, which was then just opened, was struck with -the beauty of the gates at the entrance to the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Bois</i> -on the Avenue de l'Impératrice—Avenue du Bois -de Boulogne they call it now, certainly not a change -for the better, for it was a beautiful avenue, appropriately -named after a beautiful woman. Our Philadelphia -friend called his daughter's attention to the -gates, remarking that they would be appropriate at -Fairmount, and took out his note-book to sketch -them. He was at once surrounded by a mob, he and -his daughter arrested, and hurried before the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Maire</i> -of the arrondissement. They said he was a Prussian -spy, and was sketching the fortifications. He explained -who he was, and what he was doing, and offered -the drawing in proof. There were the gates -to speak for themselves, but this was no evidence to -them. Mr. Justice Shallow insisted that he must -be a spy. Happily for him, the mayor's clerk was a -sensible man, and spoke a little English, and through -his instrumentality our friend was discharged.</p> - -<p>I have seen a mob collect about a gentleman who -took from his pocket a piece of paper and a pencil -to write down an address. I knew an American -friend to be arrested, mistaken for Mr. Schneider,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -formerly President of the Corps Législatif. My -man was dark, and Schneider was fair; but that -made no difference. During the petroleum madness, -immediately after the suppression of the Commune, -an American lady was followed to her home -and very nearly maltreated because she had a bottle -of <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">fleur d'orange</i> in her hand, which she had just -bought at the druggist's. Our vice-consul had red -curtains in his sitting-room. One evening he was -disagreeably surprised by a visit of armed National -Guards. They accused him of making signals to the -enemy. On seeing the red curtains, they became -satisfied. That a five-story house on the opposite -side of a narrow street must effectually preclude his -lights from being seen at a distance, was no answer -to them. Mr. Washburne called the attention of the -French Government to this outrage; but, as no -harm had been done, we could not follow the matter -up. Under our consular convention with France, a -consul's house is inviolable; but a vice-consul has -no official existence when the consul is present. -When he is absent, his deputy succeeds to his privileges -and immunities as consular representative of -the country.</p> - -<p>Mr. Washburne was not the man to submit to any<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> -outrage upon German or American property. A -squad of National Guards entered and partially pillaged -the house of the German school-master Hedler, -where Washburne's son and other American boys -were at school. Our Minister was in arms at once. -The Government apologized, the battalion was paraded -under arms, the Chief of Police made them a -speech, the guilty men were called out and punished, -and full damages were paid to Hedler, assessed to -Mr. Washburne's satisfaction.</p> - -<p>To resume my narrative. On the 18th of September, -several of the principal members of the diplomatic -corps left Paris. Their departure gave rise to -a good deal of discussion, and much has been written -and said upon the subject. The diplomatic corps, -as a body, never left Paris. A few days before the -siege, Lord Lyons called upon Jules Favre. Favre -suggested that if the diplomatic corps wished to -leave Paris—and it was natural that they should—he -was prepared to accompany them. Lord Lyons replied -that he saw no necessity for departure at that -time. Favre thereupon said that, in this case, he -should stay too.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the 18th, Prince Metternich, -the Austrian Embassador, came very early to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -British Embassy, and said that he meant to go away -that afternoon in company with the Turkish Embassador -and the Italian Minister, and hoped that Lord -Lyons would accompany them. Lord Lyons replied -that he saw no necessity for haste, for Bismarck -would let them go at any time. Metternich answered, -"I don't want to ask any favors of Bismarck, and -my Government doesn't want me to." Lord Lyons -then finding that the Great Powers of Europe had -left, or were about to leave, Paris, consented to go -too, and called again upon Favre. But Favre told -him that he had then made his arrangements to stay; -but that he should send Count Chaudordy to represent -his department at Tours.</p> - -<p>As soon as it was known that the representatives -of several of the Great Powers had left Paris, a -meeting of the corps was called by the Nuncio, at -the request of several of its members. The question -was put, Shall the diplomatic corps leave Paris? and -decided in the negative.</p> - -<p>But the members departed one by one, till but a -few were left. Another meeting was then called, -and again it was decided not to leave Paris.</p> - -<p>It is quite generally supposed that Mr. Washburne -was the only Minister who remained during the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -whole siege. This is incorrect. There were six in -all—the representatives of Northern powers—Norway -and Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, -and the United States. In their relations to -the French Government, and in their correspondence -with Count Bismarck upon their right to communicate -with their respective governments during the -siege, and to due notice in case of proposed bombardment, -these gentlemen acted in unison as the -diplomatic corps at Paris.</p> - -<p>The division of diplomatic representatives into -embassadors and ministers appears to me to be a -mistake. It is certainly pleasant for the embassadors. -They have the right of direct communication -with the sovereign, for they are held to represent -the person of their own sovereign, which the ministers -do not. At Paris, at the court festivities, they -occupied arm-chairs by the side of the Emperor -and Empress, while the ministers were seated on -benches in a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">loge</i>. They had precedence on the reception-days -of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. A -minister might have waited two hours; an embassador -dropped in, and entered before him. Some of -them, like Lord Lyons, did not abuse this privilege. -He transacted his business as quickly as possible, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span> -gave place to another. The Turkish Embassador, on -the other hand, used to gossip by the hour. That he -kept a dozen of his colleagues waiting seemed rather -to please him. I once heard Lord Lyons remonstrate -with him for doing so, and he giggled as if -he thought it rather a good joke. In Prussia this is -not permitted: first come, first served, is the rule at -Berlin, and it seems to me to be the just one. Mr. -Bancroft got this rule established, and deserves great -credit for the stout fight he made on the occasion. -Count Bismarck is stated to have said that if there -had been no embassadors, there would have been no -war; for the French Government could not have invented -the story that their Embassador had been insulted -by the King. However this may be, there -can be no doubt that the system leads to the formation -of cliques, and, consequently, to separate action -by a clique instead of by the whole corps. This is -bad under any circumstances, but particularly unfortunate -in great emergencies.</p> - -<p>In regard to the right of free communication with -their respective governments claimed by the diplomatic -corps at Paris, Count Bismarck refused to accord -it. He argued that if these gentlemen saw fit -to shut themselves up in a besieged place when they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span> -could go away for the asking, and when the French -Government had made provision for this case by establishing -a branch of the Government at Tours, -they must take the consequences; but as a favor he -would permit correspondence if it were left unsealed. -Of course the corps declined these terms. -To Mr. Washburne he wrote (and Bismarck writes -and speaks admirable English) that his position -as protector of the North Germans in France entitled -him to a different answer; that as an evidence -of his gratitude for the fidelity and energy -with which the duties of this position had been discharged, -it had given him great pleasure to obtain -from the King permission for Mr. Washburne to receive -a sealed bag containing his dispatches and his -private correspondence as often as military necessities -would permit.</p> - -<p>There has been much difference of opinion expressed -as to the right of a diplomatic body voluntarily -remaining in a besieged place to receive and -answer dispatches in sealed correspondence. Mr. -Washburne contended that they had such a right; -and in this he was energetically supported by Mr. -Fish. I confess, however, that to my mind the -right is by no means clear. To me Bismarck's ar<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span>gument -is unanswerable. "You see fit to stay when -the Great Powers of Europe have gone, and when -the French Government has made arrangements for -the due discharge of your duties elsewhere. By so -doing you put yourselves in the position of other -inhabitants of the besieged place, and can claim no -privileges not accorded to them." In the case of Mr. -Washburne, charged with the protection of the Germans -at the request of the German Government itself, -the necessity for remaining at Paris may have -existed. At all events, if he thought that it did, it -did not lie in the mouth of that Government to say -that it did not. By choosing as their agent the representative -of a friendly and independent power, -they left his judgment unfettered as to the manner -of discharging his duties. The same remark applies -to M. Kern, the Minister of Switzerland, who was -charged with the protection of the Bavarians and -the Badois. But as regards the other gentlemen, I -can not but agree with Count Bismarck. I was confirmed -in this view, after the siege was over, by General -Sheridan. Dining at my table one day in company -with Mr. Washburne, he said to him, "If I had -been in Moltke's place, you would not have had your -bag."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span></p> - -<p>The siege commenced on the 19th of September. -For some days previous the streets of Paris had presented -an unwonted and curious appearance. They -were thronged with the quaintest-looking old carts, -farm-wagons, Noah's arks of every kind, loaded with -the furniture of the poor inhabitants of the neighborhood -flying to Paris for safety. On the other -hand, the stations were thronged with the carriages -of the better classes leaving the city. The railroads -were so overworked that they finally refused to take -any baggage that could not be carried by the passenger -himself. Imagine the painful situation of some -of our fair countrywomen, Worth's admirers and patrons! -To have come to Paris amidst all the dangers -of war to procure something to wear, to have -procured it, and then to be unable to carry it away! -But what will not woman's wit and energy do under -such circumstances? A clever and energetic friend -of mine hired a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">bateau-mouche</i>, one of the little -steamers that ply on the Seine from one part of -Paris to another, and, embarking with her "impedimenta," -sailed triumphantly for Havre.</p> - -<p>It had been agreed between Mr. Washburne and -myself that if the diplomatic corps left Paris, and -he accompanied them, I should remain to take<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> -charge of the Legation, and look after American and -German property; and he so reported to Mr. Fish. -I had quite a curiosity to be a besieged. I had been -a besieger at Port Hudson, and thought that I would -like to experience the other sensation. The sensation -is not an unpleasant one, especially in a city -like Paris. If you have been overworked and harassed, -the relief is very great. There is a calm, a -sort of Sunday rest, about it that is quite delightful. -In my experience the life of the besieged is altogether -the most comfortable of the two. You live -quietly in your own house, and with your own servants; -and with a little forethought you may be amply -provisioned. You sleep in your own room, instead -of in a cold, damp, and muddy tent; and if -an <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">éclat d'obus</i>—as the French delicately call it—strikes -your house on one side, you move into the -other. There has been a great deal of fine writing -about famous sieges, and the suffering and heroism -of the inhabitants. I imagine that there was not so -much suffering, after all, at Saragossa; and that the -"Maid" and her companions in arms had plenty of -corn-meal and good mule-meat to eat—not a disagreeable -or unwholesome diet for a while!</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER XV.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Balloons.—Large Number dispatched.—Small Number lost.—Worth.—Carrier-pigeons.—Their -Failure.—Their Instincts.—<cite>Times</cite> -"Agony Column."—Correspondence.—Letters to Besieged.—Count -Solms.—Our Dispatch-bag.—Moltke complains that it is abused.—Washburne's -Answer.—Bismarck's Reply.</p></div> - - -<p>At the beginning of the siege, one of the absorbing -topics of discussion among the Parisians was the -means of communication with the outer world. The -French had always had a fancy for ballooning, and -were probably in advance of the rest of the world in -this respect. They now applied their experience to -a practical use, and soon a service of mail balloons -was organized, starting from Paris twice a week. -At first they were dispatched in the afternoon, for -the all-sufficient reason that they always had been -dispatched in the afternoon; but soon they found -that the balloon did not rise quickly enough to escape -the bullets of the Prussians encamped upon the -hills which surround Paris. So they changed the -hour of departure to one in the morning. When -daylight appeared they were beyond the Prussian<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> -lines. Indeed, the speed of the balloon is sometimes -marvelous. Starting at one o'clock in the morning, -one of them fell into the sea off the coast of Holland -at daylight. The passengers were rescued by a fishing-smack. -A second descended in Norway on the -very morning it left Paris. The officer of the Post-office -who was charged with the organization of -this service told me that, of ninety-seven balloons -that left Paris during the siege, ninety-four arrived -safely; about equal to railway-trains in these latter -days. Two fell into the hands of the enemy, and -one was never heard of. It was supposed to have -drifted out to sea and been lost. A balloon was -seen off Eddystone Light-house. A few days afterward -a gentleman spending the winter at Torquay -received a letter from the rector at Land's End, -Cornwall, stating that a number of letters had drifted -ashore, supposed to have been lost from a balloon, -and among them was one addressed to him; that it -had been dried, and on receipt of twopence it would -be sent him. It proved to be a balloon letter from -me, and is still preserved as a souvenir of the siege -and the sea.</p> - -<p>Quite at the beginning of the siege a member of -my own family received a letter from me, dispatch<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>ed -by the first balloon which left Paris. Its arrival -created quite a sensation in the little Welsh watering-place -where she was spending a part of the autumn. -People stopped her in the street, and asked -to see the "balloon letter." The natives evidently -thought that it must have something of the balloon -about it.</p> - -<p>I recollect Worth's coming to the Legation one -day—(and who does not know Worth? He rules -the women throughout the civilized and toileted -world; and through the women he rules the men, or -their pockets at least). Worth was in great distress. -His nephew had gone out in a balloon and been captured, -and there were rumors that his life was in -danger. I promised to ascertain his fate, if possible, -and prepared a letter to Count Bismarck, which Mr. -Washburne signed. Bismarck replied most promptly, -as he always did. And here let me state that -during the siege, at the request of anxious wives and -parents, we often addressed inquiries to German -Head-quarters to ascertain the fate of a husband or -a son, and that these inquiries always received the -promptest and kindest attention. To the inquiry -about young Worth, Bismarck replied that he had -been captured attempting to cross the Prussian lines<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -in a balloon; that to cross the Prussian lines in the -air was like crossing them on the land; and that the -person caught attempting it would be similarly punished; -that young Worth was in prison, and would -be kept there for a few months, to teach others not -to attempt the same thing; but that no other harm -had happened, or would happen, to him. I sent for -Worth, and read him the letter. He was much relieved, -and expressed himself very grateful. Some -years later a relative of mine took the material for -a dress to Worth, and asked him to make it up. -Think of the audacity of such a request! But -Worth did it. If gratitude is to be measured not -by the magnitude of the favor conferred, but by the -sacrifice made by him who confers it, then Worth's -gratitude stands out in unequaled grandeur.</p> - -<p>But while with the help of balloons the Parisians -managed very well to send letters from Paris, it was -no easy task to receive them. The pigeon experiment -proved a failure. No doubt pigeons can be -trained to do their work tolerably well, and the -French Government now has a large collection of -carriers at the Jardin d'Acclimatation. But during -the siege very few succeeded in reaching home. A -carrier will scarcely ever make a two days' journey.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -If night overtakes him, he goes astray, misled perhaps -by siren wood-pigeons. In winter, too, the -days are short, snow-storms blind him, and hawks -pounce upon him. One of the canards circulated in -Paris was that the Prussians trained hawks for this -purpose. The instinct of the animal, too, seems to -teach it to fly northward only. Two or three times -a carrier arrived safely, bringing with it one of those -marvels of scientific skill, a photographic letter. -The microscope revealed the contents of a good-sized -newspaper transferred to a scrap of paper that a pigeon -could carry under its wing.</p> - -<p>Some of the French residing in London took advantage -of the "agony column" of the <cite>Times</cite> to -send news to their friends. They had faith in the -ubiquity of the great journal, and their faith was rewarded. -I doubt if you could so hedge in a city -that the <cite>Times</cite> would not penetrate it. Our Legation -in London sent it to us. I received one number -a week. In it I found multitudes of <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">prières</i> addressed -to Mr. Washburne, and some to myself, begging -us to inform Mr. So-and-so, or Madame Blank, -that their wife, or husband, or children, were at such -and such a place, and all well. When these messages -were purely personal, we delivered them. If<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span> -they were in cipher, or susceptible of a double meaning, -we did not. I remember finding a message in -cipher, and addressed to the Minister of War. I not -only did not deliver it, but I burned it for fear that -the favor of receiving our letters and papers accorded -us by the German Government might be abused. -About two days before the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">jour de l'an</i>, I received a -<cite>Times</cite> of December 23d, for the Germans purposely -delayed our bag, probably that the news, should -it become known to the French Government, might -not be acted on by it, to the detriment of German -military operations. The "agony column" was full -of messages to besieged relatives. I thought that the -Parisians could receive no more acceptable presents -for their New-year's-day, so I copied all the messages -which had addresses and sent them by mail. -But some had no addresses. How the writers ever -expected them to reach their destinations, I do not -understand. I copied them too, however, and sent -them to the <cite lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Gaulois</cite>. On New-year's morning that -journal published them. In a few days it received -grateful letters, thanking the editors warmly, and -offering to pay a share of the expense, "which must -have been great." The <cite lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Gaulois</cite> replied, declining -all payment, but modestly assuming great credit to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -itself for its "unparalleled enterprise," and assuring -its correspondents that it should continue to spare -no expense to procure them news of their families.</p> - -<p>The Prussian officers, too, at head-quarters not unfrequently -sent in letters, with the request that we -would distribute them. I remember once receiving -from Count Solms, who had been <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">chargé d'affaires</i> -at Paris after the departure of the Embassador, a -letter forwarded by him, without address, without -signature, and without date. I waited a few days, -thinking that other letters might refer to it, and that -the owner would call and claim it. No one came. -As the difficulties increased, of course I was the -more determined to trace out the owner. Every -thing else failing, I read the letter, to try to obtain -a clue. Fortunately, I found the name of Mr. Henri -Blount. I knew Mr. Blount, and knew that his -father was in Paris. I wrote him, and told him the -circumstances. He replied that if I would trust him -with the letter, he thought that he could find the -owner. He took it to the Jockey Club at dinner-time, -and asked if there was any gentleman there -whose name was Charles, and whose wife's name was -Anna. A gentleman immediately claimed it, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span> -after a glance reluctantly gave it up. Another -claimed it, and turned out to be the right man.</p> - -<p>I had rather an amusing correspondence with -Count Solms in reference to this letter and other -matters. I give two or three of the letters which -passed between us, as showing that we contrived to -enjoy ourselves after a fashion in Paris, notwithstanding -the rigors of the siege. I give the letters -as written. One of them is, perhaps, better adapted -to the French language than to its more austere sister -English.</p> - -<div class="blockquotx" lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"> -<p class="p1 fs80 right">"Paris, le 13 Décembre, 1870.</p> - -<p>"<span class="smcap">Mon Cher Comte</span>,—Votre lettre n'est pas vraiment -d'un "intérêt palpitant," mais vous êtes bien -disciplinés vous autres Prussiens, et j'adore la discipline. -Nous voyons les résultats.</p> - -<p>"Néanmoins, il puisse être permis à un neutre de -vous remercier de vos anxiétés à son égard. Mais -il ne meurt pas absolument de faim. J'ai dîné, il y -a quatre jours, chez un restaurateur bien connu, en -compagnie de quatre jeunes gens que vous connaissez -bien. Nous avons mangé un cochon-de-lait, un canard -rôti, des truffes et du beurre frais. Ce n'est pas -la famine ça—tout arrosé de Château Margaux de '50. -Ne croyez pas que dans ces temps ci j'ai commandé -un tel dîner de Sybarite moi-même. J'ai été invité. -Voilà pourquoi je ne puis rien vous dire de l'addition.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span></p> - -<p>"J'espère qu'on ne trouvera rien de compromettant -dans cette lettre excepté pour le cochon-de-lait. -Lui il a été bien compromis.</p> - -<p>"Je suis toujours à vos ordres pour envoyer des -lettres de famille de vos amis.</p> - -<p>"Votre dévoué, etc., etc., etc.</p> - -<p>"Comme je plains vous autres pauvres Prussiens -enfermés hors de Paris!"</p></div> - -<div class="blockquotx" lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"> -<p class="p2 fs80 right">"Versailles, le 17 Décembre, '70.</p> - -<p>"<span class="smcap">Mon Cher Colonel</span>,—Merci de votre amusante -lettre. Le menu qu'elle contenait m'a complètement -tranquillisé, et la solidité de votre repas me fait espérer -que vous jouissez encore des forces physiques -nécessaires pour que je puisse me permettre de vous -prier de vouloir bien vous charger de la distribution -des lettres que j'ai l'honneur de vous envoyer cijoints. -Mille amitiés de votre très-discipliné,</p> - -<p class="smcap rt">"F. Solms."</p></div> - -<div class="blockquotx" lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"> -<p class="p2 fs80 right">"Paris, le 25 Décembre, '70.</p> - -<p>"<span class="smcap">Mon Cher Comte</span>,—J'ai reçu votre billet du 17, -et je me suis hâté d'envoyer les lettres y incluses. -Quelques-unes j'ai livrées moi-même; les autres je les -ai mises à la poste.</p> - -<p>"Depuis le repas dont la solidité a tant frappé votre -esprit, je suis heureux de vous dire que j'ai mangé -quelques-uns encore plus solides. Que pensez-vous -de lard salé aux haricots—pas verts? Je me suis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> -trouvé transporté aux premiers jours de notre petite -guerre en Kansas, au Grand-Ouest, il y a 16 ans.</p> - -<p>"Nous avons une nouvelle idée à Paris, une idée -tout-à-fait parisienne. Connaissez-vous la cause de -la guerre? Evidemment non. Eh bien, la Providence -a trouvé que les vieilles races d'Europe commencent -à se dégénérer. Elle désire les mélanger un -peu. Il y a probablement 350,000 soldats français -prisonniers en Allemagne; il y a peut-être 600,000 -soldats allemands sur le territoire français. Vous -voyez, ou plutôt vous verrez, les résultats. Voilà -l'idée que j'ai entendu développée avec beaucoup -d'éloquence par la belle marquise de —— à une petite -soirée où j'ai eu l'honneur d'assister il y a quelques -jours. Je la livre, gratuitement bien entendu, -au George Bancroft de l'avenir—'La cause et les résultats -de la guerre de 1870.'</p> - -<p>"Vous voyez que nous tâchons de nous amuser -encore à Paris.</p> - -<p>"Agréez, etc., etc., etc."</p></div> - -<p class="p1">To be in exclusive receipt of news during a siege -is gratifying to one's vanity, but it has its decidedly -disagreeable side. I doubt if the siege were to begin -again if Mr. Washburne would accept a bag containing -any thing but his official dispatches and his -family letters. If we gave the Parisians news, they -said that we gave them only bad news. If we with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span>held -it, they said that we were withholding the news -of French victories. I speak of what was said in -the workmen's clubs, and by the inferior press; the -better classes and the more respectable newspapers -found no fault. Then General Moltke complained -that we abused our privilege. His scouts had intercepted -a balloon letter, in which the writer spoke -of the facility of receiving letters through the Legation, -and instructed her correspondent to write under -cover to me. That clever writer, too, Labouchère, -"The Besieged Resident," told in the columns of -the <cite>Daily News</cite> how small a matter it was to be -shut up in Paris. "Go to the Legation of the -United States on any day, and there you find the -latest London journals lying on the table." All this -was nuts to General Moltke, for he had opposed our -receiving our bag, but had been overruled by the -King on the request of Count Bismarck. Bismarck -wrote to Mr. Washburne, calling his attention to -Moltke's complaint. Washburne replied. After -stating the circumstances under which I had authorized -a letter to be sent under cover to me, for an -American lady whose daughter was sick with the -small-pox at Brussels, he proceeded to say that both -he and I had endeavored honorably to discharge our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> -duties as neutrals; that we had acted according to -the best of our judgments under this sense of duty; -that we proposed to continue to act as we had done; -and that if the German authorities could not trust -us, they had better stop the bag altogether, with the -exception, of course, of the dispatches from our Government. -At the same time he sent back nearly five -hundred letters which had been sent us without authority, -and which had not been delivered, as the -best possible proof that he had not abused his privilege. -Washburne's letter concluded as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquotx"> - -<p>"Before closing this communication, I trust your -Excellency will pardon me a further observation. -For the period of six months I have been charged -with the delicate, laborious, and responsible duty of -protecting your countrymen in Paris. Of the manner -in which these duties, having relation to both -belligerents, have been performed, I do not propose -to speak. I am content to abide by the record made -up in the State Department at Washington. But I -can state that there has never been a time when -these duties have involved graver consequences and -responsibilities than at the present moment. As I -have expressed to you before, I have been astonished -at the number of Germans who, as it turns out, were -left in the city when the gates were closed. Having -exhausted their last resources, and finding themselves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -in a state of the most absolute destitution, they have -applied to me for protection and aid, which I have -so far been enabled to extend to them from the -funds placed in my hands by the Royal Government. -The number of these people amounts to-day -to two thousand three hundred and eighty-five; and -it is certain, had there not been some one to protect -and aid them, many must have inevitably perished -of cold and starvation. My position in relation to -these people and to your Government is known to -the people of Paris, and as the siege wears on, and -the exasperation is intensified, I now find myself exposed -to the hostility of a certain portion of the population -of the city. While your military authorities -seem to be agitated by the gravest fears in relation -to my dispatch-bag, I am daily violently assailed by -a portion of the Paris press as a "Prussian representative" -and a "Prussian sympathizer;" and a short -time since it was proposed in one of the clubs that I -should be hanged—rather a pleasant diversion in these -dreary days of siege through which we are passing.</p> - -<p>"I will only add that, so long as I am the diplomatic -representative of my country in Paris, I shall -discharge every duty, even to the end, and in the -face of every circumstance, that I owe to my own -Government, and every duty that I have by its direction -assumed toward the subjects of the North -German Confederation.</p> - -<p>"I have the honor, etc., etc."</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">Bismarck replied with an apology. He said he -knew that the privilege accorded us had not been -abused, and he was satisfied that it would not be; -that the military authorities had called his attention -to this matter, and that it was therefore his duty to -call Mr. Washburne's attention to it; that the bag -would continue to be sent as usual; and that he returned -the five hundred letters, with full authority -to Mr. Washburne to deliver them if he saw fit. I -heard afterward that Bismarck was delighted with -Washburne's letter, and took special pleasure in -sending a copy to General Moltke.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER XVI.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Burnside's Peace Mission.—Sent in by Bismarck.—Interview with -Trochu.—The Sympathetic Tear.—Question of Revictualment.—Failure -of Negotiations.—Point of Vanity.—Flags of Truce.—French -accused of Violation of Parole.—Question of the Francs-Tireurs.—Foreigners -refused Permission to leave Paris.—Washburne -insists.—Permission granted.—Departure of Americans.—Scenes -at Créteil.</p></div> - - -<p>Early in the month of October we were surprised -by a visit from General Burnside. He happened to -be at Versailles, more from curiosity than any other -motive, where, through General Sheridan, he became -quite intimate with Count Bismarck. Bismarck -asked him one day if he would like to go into Paris -on a peace mission. Lord Granville had been very -urgent with the King to grant the French an armistice, -and had induced him to offer it, with a view to -an election. There would be no difficulty, Bismarck -said, on any point except that of revictualment. -This General Moltke would not hear of. Not an -ounce of food should enter Paris. "Now," said Bismarck, -"that Government of the National Defense<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span> -is not the wisest in the world, but they are not such -d—d fools as to stand out on a point like that. -There will be an armistice, and an armistice means -peace. If there is peace, England will get the credit -of it; and as the United States represents us, I -would rather that you had the credit of it." Burnside -came in accordingly, accompanied by Mr. Paul -Forbes, who was promoted to the rank of aid-de-camp -for the occasion, and dubbed a colonel. The -Prussians could not realize the idea of a general -traveling without his aid. A meeting was appointed -with Trochu, and I went as interpreter. His headquarters -were at the Louvre, in a large and convenient -apartment, occupied, under the Empire, by M. -Rouher. Before Burnside had stated the object of -his visit, Trochu made us a speech. He spoke well -for nearly half an hour. He told us that France -had been very wicked; that she had fallen away -from the true Catholic faith; that infidelity and -skepticism were rampant in the land; that the misfortunes -which had come upon her were deserved; -that they were visitations for the sins of the people; -but that, when they had repented and humbled -themselves, he had faith that the punishment would -pass from them. He continued in this strain for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -full twenty minutes, speaking very eloquently; then -pulled out his handkerchief, and saying, "Excuse -my emotion," he wept. After this he came to business. -Burnside confined himself most conscientiously -to the exact tenor of his message. Trochu made -repeated suggestions of such and such possibilities, -but Burnside refused to follow him. He knew -nothing but his instructions. As I had feared, -Trochu bristled up at the no-revictualment clause. -"Such a condition had never been heard of. From -the most remote antiquity, there had always been -revictualment allowed in case of armistice, so much -per head per diem." He gave us at that time no -positive answer, but said he would discuss the matter -with his colleagues. Negotiations failed upon -this very point. The French Government called it -a point of honor. It was rather a point of vanity. -We did not need the provisions, as the result showed -we had food enough for three months. Yet, for that -barren privilege of bringing in food which was not -needed, the Government of the National Defense -rejected the armistice. They could then have made -peace, with the loss of one province and two milliards. -They continued the war, and lost two provinces and -five milliards (one thousand millions of dollars).</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span></p> - -<p>It must be remembered that the members of the -Government of the National Defense were self-appointed. -They were always preaching of their earnest -desire to appeal to the people. Here was the -opportunity, and they rejected it. It is a pleasant -thing to appoint yourself and your particular friends -rulers of a great country like France, and one does -not readily resign the position. The people might -not re-appoint you.</p> - -<p>As we left the Louvre, I said to Burnside, "If -France is to be saved, it will not be by that man." -"I don't know that—I don't know that," he replied. -He was evidently impressed by Trochu's eloquence -and emotion, and ready tear.</p> - -<p>It has been stated that Bismarck refused to enter -into negotiations with the Government of the -National Defense; that he would not recognize its -self-assumed authority, and considered that there -was no evidence that it was recognized by the majority -of the French people; for there were riots in -the great cities of the South, and disturbances in -Brittany. Bismarck recognized it or not, as suited -his policy, and that policy was exclusively the interests -of Germany. Had Trochu waived the food -question, Bismarck would have promptly recognized<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span> -him and his colleagues, so far, at least, as to make -an armistice with them, as he afterward did.</p> - -<p>Burnside returned that afternoon to Versailles. I -accompanied him as far as Sèvres. Trochu sent a -carriage for us. It was odd to find one's self in one -of the old imperial barouches, drawn by the famous -post-horses of the Emperor. We drove through the -Bois by Rothschild's house, and so to the broken -bridge at Sèvres. In the Bois desolation reigned. -The trees were cut down within three hundred yards -of the ramparts, the roads torn up and torpedoes -planted in them. The swans had gone to feed the -hungry soldiers, and the ducks, to avoid the same -fate, kept wisely out in the middle of the lake. -When we had reached the bridge, a bugle sounded -on the French side, and a white flag was displayed. -It was soon answered from the German side, and a -similar flag was raised. At once the French troops -lounged from under cover, their hands in their pockets, -and down to the water's edge. The Prussians -were kept concealed. They saw us, no doubt, but -not one of them was to be seen. Presently, a Prussian -officer descended the street, followed by a flag-bearer. -He stalks across the bridge to the broken -arch, turns, takes the flag from the bearer, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> -plants the staff in the bridge, with an air as if to -say "Touch that, if you dare." The French soldiers -are evidently impressed. They mutter, "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Voici des -militaires</i>." The officer asks in French, "Are those -the American generals?" "They are." "Then let -them pass." Burnside requests permission to take -Antoine with him, the messenger of the Legation. -"Is he an American?" "Yes." "Then he can -come, of course." The steam-launch puffs up, and -the party cross. I cross with them, but return at -once to the French side. The soldiers disappear, -the flag is lowered, and the firing recommences. I -have been rather minute in this description, as the -same ceremonies were observed twice a week, when -we sent and received our dispatch-bags.</p> - -<p>The German Government complained on several -occasions of the violation of flags of truce. These -complaints were addressed to the French authorities -through us. Indeed, every communication addressed -to the French Government and its replies were -sent through the Legation. This kept us busy even -during the quiet days of the siege. The violation of -parole was another fruitful source of correspondence. -The Germans sent us a list of over twenty-five officers, -whom they alleged had broken their paroles.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -In some cases—that of General Ducrot, for instance—there -are two sides to the question. He claimed -that it was a legitimate escape, and the French press -was unanimously of his opinion. There was another -branch of correspondence that occupied a good deal -of our time. The two governments, to their credit -be it spoken, did not allow the war to interfere with -the administration of justice. Under their treaties -each Government was bound to serve upon its own -subjects all legal documents in civil suits emanating -from the courts of the other. This was done -throughout the war, and they all passed through our -hands.</p> - -<p>There was, too, correspondence between the two -hostile governments upon other subjects. Among -them I recollect one in relation to the Francs-Tireurs. -The Germans treated these irregulars as guerrillas. -The French remonstrated. The Germans answered -that they had no uniform; that they wore the blue -blouse, which is the national dress of the French -peasant; and that they ought to wear something -which could be distinguished at rifle range. I do -not remember how the matter was settled, but I believe -that the Francs-Tireurs gradually disappeared, -absorbed in the Mobiles.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span></p> - -<p>Not long after Burnside's mission I paid a second -visit to Trochu. Mr. Washburne had applied to the -Germans for permission for Americans and other -foreigners to leave Paris. The King accorded it at -once. Any American could leave on Mr. Washburne's -pass, any other foreigner on the same pass, -provided that his name had first been submitted to -and accepted by the German authorities. Having -obtained this concession, Mr. Washburne next applied -to the French Government for its permission. To his -surprise, it was refused. He could not understand -it. That the Germans should wish to keep in the -city a number of "useless mouths" to help consume -the provision, was natural, but that the French, who, -for the same reason, ought to have wished to get rid -of them, should refuse to let them go, was inconceivable. -But Washburne was not the man to sit down -quietly under a refusal in a matter like this. He insisted -that they must go, and should go. Favre was -evidently on his side, and we had reason to believe -that he was backed by some, at least, of his colleagues. -Trochu opposed the departure for fear of the effect -upon Belleville. If I had not heard him say so, I -could not have believed it.</p> - -<p>As Washburne insisted, and Favre was in favor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -of the permission being given, an interview was arranged -with Trochu. The "Governor of Paris," as -he loved to call himself, made us another oration. -It was very much a rehash of the first. He then -stated that he had been unwilling that the "strangers" -should leave Paris; it looked like "rats deserting -the sinking ship;" he feared the effect upon -Belleville. But out of regard for Mr. Washburne, -and in deference to the opinion of some of his colleagues, -he would now consent. He added that he -would send an aid-de-camp to Belleville, to spread -the report that it was the diplomatic corps leaving -the capital. I looked at him with astonishment. -That he should tell a lie was bad enough, but that -he should tell it out of fear of that wretched mob -was a degree of weakness I was not prepared for.</p> - -<p>Permission having been given, no time was lost in -the preparations for departure. On the 24th of October, -forty-eight Americans and several Russians -went out by Créteil. A number of English started, -but were turned back. Their names had not been -sent to Versailles in season. Permission was subsequently -received, and they left Paris a few days -later. We drove to the French outposts, and thence -sent forward the flag with an officer of Trochu's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> -staff, and Mr. Washburne's private secretary, Mr. -Albert Ward, who was charged with the necessary -arrangements on our side. While we waited, a German -picket of six men advanced toward us, dodging -behind the trees, muskets cocked, and fingers on -trigger. I confess I was not much impressed with -this specimen of German scouting. It looked too -much like playing at North American Indian. -There were some twenty traveling-carriages, open -and closed, filled with ladies, and piled up with baggage. -The party had as little of a military look as -can well be imagined, and yet the picket advanced -as if they feared an ambush.</p> - -<p>The necessary arrangements having been made, -we proceeded to the German outposts. Here the -Prussian officers verified the list, calling the roll -name by name, and taking every precaution to identify -the individuals. I heard afterward, however, -that a Frenchman of some prominence had escaped -disguised as a coachman.</p> - -<p>I met here a young American, who was living not -far from Versailles, and who was known to Count -Bismarck. I gave him a couple of morning papers. -That evening he dined with Bismarck, and offered -to sell him the papers for a quart bottle of Cham<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span>pagne -for the big one, and a pint bottle for the little -one. Bismarck offered a quart bottle for both; -but my American indignantly rejected the terms: -so Bismarck accepted his, and paid the bottle and a -half. I record this as perhaps the only diplomatic -triumph ever scored against Count de Bismarck.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER XVII.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Mob seize Hôtel de Ville.—"Thanksgiving" in Paris.—Prices of -Food.—Paris Rats.—Menagerie Meat.—Horse-meat.—Eatable only -as Mince.—Government Interference.—Sorties.—Are Failures.—Le -Bourget taken by French.—Retaken by Prussians.—French -Naval Officers.—Belleville National Guard.—Their Poetry.—Blundering.—Sheridan's -Opinion of German Army.</p></div> - - -<p>Late in October, M. Thiers came into Paris on a -peace mission, but met with no success. He brought -the news of the fall of Metz. There was great excitement -in Paris. The mob collected, marched to -the Hôtel de Ville, and took possession. They arrested -several members of the Government, and shut -them up—others escaped. They then proceeded to -depose the Government, and to set up one of their -own. Ducrot begged Trochu to let him fire on the -mob; he could disperse them, he said, in five minutes. -The Mobiles were eager to fire; for the Mobiles -and the National Guard lived like cat and dog -together. Trochu would not consent. The insurgents -remained in possession of the Hôtel de Ville -all that night, and the next day gradually melted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> -away. It was one of those unfortunate mob triumphs -which contributed not a little to the success -of the Commune.</p> - -<p>The siege found about two hundred Americans -in Paris. I ought to say "citizens of the United -States;" but we have taken to ourselves the broader -title, and in Europe it is generally accorded to us. -Of these two hundred about fifty went away, and -about one hundred and fifty remained. The French -live from hand to mouth, buying only what is necessary -for the day, and laying no stores in. This -comes, I think, from their system of living in apartments, -and the want of store-rooms. The Americans, -as a rule, laid in a stock of provisions. The grocers -of Paris had imported a large quantity of canned -food for the use of the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">colonie américaine</i>, which was -then, and still is, a power in Paris. The greater part -of the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">colonie</i> having gone, there remained a quantity -of canned vegetables, fruit, deviled ham and turkey, -oysters, lobsters, etc., etc., and, above all, hominy and -grits. The French knew nothing of these eatables -till late in the siege, when they discovered their merits. -In the mean time the Americans had bought -up nearly all there was on hand.</p> - -<p>As Thanksgiving approached we determined to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -celebrate it, notwithstanding our supposed forlorn -condition. Some thirty of us met at a restaurant on -the Boulevard, where we feasted on the traditional -turkey, or, rather, on two of them, at twelve dollars -apiece. Under the circumstances, we had quite an -Epicurean repast. Mr. Washburne presided, and -made a humorous speech, dwelling provokingly on -the good things our unbesieged countrymen were -then enjoying at home. Professor Shepherd, of -Chicago, was present, and made some clever and appropriate -remarks. The Professor has written one -of the most readable and reliable books upon the -siege I have met with.</p> - -<p>Prices of food in Paris had now reached their -height. Turkeys, as I have said, sold at $12 apiece, -chickens at $6, cats $1.60, rats 15 cents, dogs from -80 cents up, according to size and fat. There was a -refinement in rats. They were known as the brewery -rat and the sewer rat. The brewery rat was -naturally the most delicate titbit, and as the siege -progressed and but little food found its way into the -sewers, the sewer rats diminished wofully in numbers, -while their brethren of the brewery increased. -I know of no better evidence of the severity of the -cold, and the scarcity of food during that winter,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span> -than an incident that came under my own observation. -I was called by the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">concierge</i> of the building -to look at the apartment of an American gentleman, -on the floor below me. The rats had made their -way with great gymnastic agility into the kitchen; -they had thrown down and broken two or three -dishes which the cook had imperfectly washed, and -on which there remained a little grease. They had -then made their way into the salons and bedrooms, -had gnawed and burrowed into the sofas and mattresses, -and there several lay, dead of cold and -hunger.</p> - -<p>But there was no time in Paris when money -would not buy good food, though it could not buy -fuel, for that had been seized by the Government. -Very late in the siege a man brought to the Legation -a piece of <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">filet de bœuf</i> of six pounds, for which -he asked four dollars a pound. Mr. Washburne and -I did not indulge in such luxuries, living principally -upon our national pork and beans, and the poetic -fish-ball. A young American happened to be in the -office, however, who took it at once, and paid his -twenty-four dollars.</p> - -<p>In the suburbs of Paris food was more abundant. -I breakfasted in December with a French general,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> -who commanded one of the outposts. We had beef, -eggs, ham, etc., and, from what I heard, I should say -that he and his staff breakfasted as well every day. -These noonday breakfasts, by-the-way, ruined the -French army. I reached my general's head-quarters -at half-past eleven. He and one of his staff were -smoking cigars and drinking absinthe. At twelve -we breakfasted bountifully, as I have said, and with -Champagne and other wines, followed by coffee, -brandy, and more cigars. We got through breakfast -about three o'clock. This was on an outpost, -in presence of the enemy. Had he attacked, what -would the general and his staff have been worth? -They were very far from being intoxicated, but certainly -their heads were not clear, or their judgments -sound.</p> - -<p>The Prussians soon learned the French habits, and -attacked them in the field when they were making -their soup. The French soldiers could not catch up -their soup and pocket it, and eat it at their leisure. -They consequently lost not only their breakfasts, -but frequently their cooking utensils too. The Germans, -on the other hand, had a liberal ration of meat -(<i lang="de" xml:lang="de">fleisch</i>—what a disagreeable word!)—one pound -and a half per diem. But, meat failing, they always<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -had a German sausage and a piece of bread in their -haversacks, and could eat as they marched. Yet -such is the power of habit in France, and the -strength of tradition, that I suppose the French soldier -will continue to all time to prepare his soup, -even at the expense of defeat.</p> - -<p>Without stirring from Paris, I had the opportunity -during the siege to taste as many varieties of -wild meat as the greatest of travelers—as Humboldt -himself. It was found to be impossible to procure -food for the animals at the Jardin d'Acclimatation, -and they were sold and killed. They were bought -mostly by the enterprising English butcher of the -Avenue Friedland. I indulged from time to time -in small portions of elephant, yak, camel, reindeer, -porcupine, etc., at an average rate of four dollars -a pound. Of all these, reindeer is the best; it -has a fine flavor of venison. Elephant is tolerably -good. Some of my readers may remember the -charming twin elephants, Castor and Pollux, who -carried children round the Garden on their backs, -in 1867 to 1869. They were done to death with -chassepots—shot through the head. I eat a slice of -Castor. It was tolerably good only; did very well -in time of siege. But all these meats are but poor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> -substitutes for beef and mutton; and when travelers -tell us of the delights of elephant's trunk or buffalo's -hump, depend upon it, it is the hunter's appetite -that gives the flavor.</p> - -<p>The main-stay of the population, in the way of -fresh meat, was horse. These were requisitioned, -and every horseholder having more than one was -compelled to contribute toward feeding the population. -The horses were liberally paid for, so much -per pound. Some individuals made a very good -thing out of it. They got in with the horse officials. -A fine animal, requisitioned from the owner, who -knew no better than to send it, appeared at the -shambles. One of these gentry, with the connivance -of the official in charge, would take him, and -substitute an old screw of equal or greater weight. -I know an American in Paris who is daily aggravated -by seeing at the Bois a beautiful mare he once -owned, and whose loss he had deeply deplored, but -had been comforted by the reflection that she had -perished to feed the starving Parisians.</p> - -<p>The horse-meat was rationed and sold by the -Government at reasonable prices: nine ounces and -a half were allowed per diem to each adult. There -is a refinement in horse-meat, as in rats. A young<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -light-gray is tender and juicy. Black is the worst -color; the meat is coarse and tough. But horse-flesh -is poor stuff at best. It has a sweet, sickening -flavor. Some people spoke highly of it as soup; -others when <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">mariné</i>. The only way I found it eatable -was as mince mixed with potato.</p> - -<p>From horse-meat to beef is but a slight transition, -but one more easily made on paper than on the table -in those days. The interference of the French -Government in almost every detail of private life -is something of which happily we know nothing in -this country. You can not cut down a tree on your -own land without its permission. During the siege -you could not kill your own ox without leave from -the Minister of Commerce. If you had providently -laid in a larger supply of fuel than he thought you -needed, he took possession of it, and paid you Government -prices for what was then almost priceless. -An American lady resident in Paris had a cow. -The cow ran dry, and she wanted to convert it into -beef. She came to the Legation to secure Mr. -Washburne's intervention to obtain for her permission -to kill her own cow. At first it was refused, -and it required no inconsiderable amount of diplomatic -correspondence and the waste of many pages<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> -of good foolscap, with a large expenditure of red -tape and sealing-wax, before the permission was obtained.</p> - -<p>I have said very little of the sorties from Paris. -The subject is not a pleasant one. There were five -hundred thousand armed men in Paris, and only -three hundred and fifty thousand outside. Yet but -one serious sortie was ever made. This was to the -south-east, under Ducrot; and the fighting was obstinate, -and lasted two days. Ducrot had published -a proclamation to the effect that he should come -back victorious, or be brought back dead. He was -defeated, but marched quietly back nevertheless. -We are unaccustomed among Anglo-Saxons to this -style of proclamation, and call it bombast. I am -told, however, by those better acquainted with the -French character than I am, that it has its effect -upon the French soldier, and is therefore allowable.</p> - -<p>The garrison of Paris should have made a sortie -every night, sometimes a thousand men, and sometimes -a hundred thousand, and in two or three quarters -at once. Their central position gave them every -opportunity to do this to advantage. Had they -done so, they would soon have worn out the Germans -with constant <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">alertes</i>, and with comparative<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span>ly -little fatigue to themselves. But this, too, was -mismanaged. They surprised and took Le Bourget, -a little village to the north-east. Of course we all -supposed that it would be strongly garrisoned, and -the garrison well supported. Not at all. Two days -later the Prussians retook it. The garrison made a -most gallant defense, but they were entirely unsupported. -Not a regiment of the immense army in -Paris came to their assistance. No possible excuse -can be given for this abandonment.</p> - -<p>The loss of Le Bourget produced great discontent -among the Parisians; and Trochu was blamed, and -most justly. He made an effort to retake it, but in -vain. The sailors, under their gallant officers, made -a spirited assault, but were repulsed with great loss; -for they were not supported by the soldiers. The -officers made every effort to lead them on, but they -would not assault.</p> - -<p>The French naval officers are a very superior class -of men. They compare most favorably with those -of any other nation. They are painstaking, intelligent, -and well-informed. Under their command the -sailors fought gallantly during the war, for there -was a large number of them detailed to the army, -as they had little to do at sea. They felt strongly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span> -the deterioration of their sister service, the army. -At Versailles I was once dining at a restaurant near -a naval officer. An army officer, accompanied by -two non-commissioned officers, entered, called loudly -for dinner, and made a great disturbance. They -were evidently the worse for liquor. I overheard -the naval officer muttering to himself, "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Cette pauvre -armée française! cette pauvre armée française!</i>"</p> - -<p>There was always blundering. They had shut up -a brigade of cavalry in Paris. Jerome Bonaparte, -who commanded one of the regiments, told me he -had no idea why he was ordered in, unless it was to -eat up his horses. This they proceeded to do so soon -as they were fairly trained, and so doubled in value. -Trochu organized a sortie to the north-west. Two -columns left Paris one night by different gates, and -were to take up their positions simultaneously and -attack at daylight. He forgot that one road crossed -the other, and that one column must necessarily halt -for the other to pass. Of course one of them arrived -late on the ground, and the attack failed. -When a sortie was to be made, a flag was hoisted on -Mount Valérien. The Germans soon knew its meaning -as well as the French, and prepared accordingly. -An intended sortie was known at least twenty-four<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -hours before it took place, and its chances discussed -on the boulevards. The National Guard, too, with -some honorable exceptions, would not fight. The -heroes of Belleville howled to be led against the enemy. -They got as far as the barriers, and refused -to go farther. "They were enlisted to defend Paris, -and they would not go beyond the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">enceinte</i>; the -Reactionists wanted to get them out, that they might -deliver Paris over to the enemy." There was a popular -song they sung as they marched through the -streets which perfectly illustrates their sentiments -and character:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry" lang="fr" xml:lang="fr"> -<div class="stanza"> -<p class="verse">"Nous partons,</p> -<p class="verse8">ons, ons,</p> -<p class="verse">Comme des moutons,</p> -<p class="verse">Comme des moutons,</p> -<p class="verse">Pour la boucherie,</p> -<p class="verse8">rie, rie.</p> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<p class="verse">"On nous massacra,</p> -<p class="verse8">ra, ra,</p> -<p class="verse">Comme des rats,</p> -<p class="verse">Comme des rats.</p> -<p class="verse">Comme Bismarck rira!</p> -<p class="verse8">rira!"</p> -</div> -</div></div> - -<p>An officer commanding a fort applied for re-enforcements -to relieve his exhausted men. They -sent him a battalion of our Belleville gentlemen. -The next day he sent them back, saying they had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> -been drunk and fought in the trenches all night, and -that he preferred to get along as well as he could -with his overworked garrison.</p> - -<p>Trochu planned a sortie to the south-east. It was -necessary to cross the Marne. The troops arrived -at the appointed hour, but the pontoons did not. A -whole day was lost, and the sortie was <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">une affaire -manquée</i>. Outside, things were nearly as badly managed. -No serious effort was ever made to cut the -German lines of communication. The railways to -the east were all-important to them, not so much for -provisions (for they drew these mostly from France), -but for ammunition. With the enormous guns in -use, the transportation of ammunition was a serious -matter, taxing the railroad facilities of the Germans -to the uttermost. An interruption might have compelled -them to raise the siege. Sheridan, who, being -at the King's head-quarters, and treated with the -greatest kindness and attention, naturally sympathized -with the Germans, could not help exclaiming -that if he had been outside with thirty thousand cavalry, -he would have made the King *** Well, it -is not worth while to quote Sheridan's exact words; -they were a little in the style, of the commander of -the Imperial Guard at Waterloo; but the substance<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span> -of them was, that an active officer with a good cavalry -force could have so broken up the communications -of the German army as to compel it to -raise the siege. For the Germans are not particularly -handy at repairing a broken road or bridge; and a -German general does not, as the rebel soldier said of -Sherman, carry a duplicate tunnel in his pocket.</p> - -<p>As I am quoting Sheridan, let me here record his -opinion of the German army. He <em>believed</em> that they -were brave soldiers. They were well disciplined, -well led, and had every appearance of thorough soldiers; -but he could not say so positively, for, so far -as his observation went, they had never met with -any serious resistance. He looked upon the German -army as in no respect superior to one of our great -armies at the close of the war—the Army of the -Potomac, for instance—except as regards the staff. -That was far superior to ours, and to any staff in Europe. -Their field telegraph, too, excited his admiration. -It had been borrowed from us, but improved.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER XVIII.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>The National Guard.—Its Composition.—The American Ambulance.—Its -Organization.—Its Success.—Dr. Swinburne, Chief Surgeon.—The -Tent System.—Small Mortality.—Poor Germans in Paris.—Bombardment -by Germans.—Wantonness of Artillery-men.—Bad -News from the Loire.—"Le Plan Trochu."—St. Genevieve to appear.—Vinoy -takes Command.—Paris surrenders.—Bourbaki defeated.—Attempts -Suicide.</p></div> - - -<p>A gentleman of rank and great historic name, of -approved bravery, and who had seen service as an -officer in the French army, came one day to the -Legation in the uniform of a private. I asked him -why he had enlisted, when he could so easily have -got a commission. He replied that it was true he -could easily have got a company in the National -Guard, but before he could know his men, and they -could know him, and he could drill and discipline -them, they would go into action. Then they would -inevitably run away. If he ran with them, he would -be held responsible; if he stood, he would be killed. -So he had decided to enlist as a private, to stand as -long as the rest stood, and to run away when they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span> -ran. It struck me that this gentleman was wise in -his generation, but that it was not precisely in this -way that France was to be saved.</p> - -<p>In speaking of the National Guard as I have done, -it is proper to state that I speak of the masses, the -workmen of Paris, and the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">petite bourgeoisie</i> of most -of the arrondissements. There were some few battalions -that could be relied upon, some composed in -part of the "gentlemen of France;" but they were -insufficient to leaven the whole lump. The masses, -those who drew a franc and a half per diem for -themselves, and seventy-five centimes for their wives, -or for the women who lived with them—for the Government -of the National Defense had decided that -it was the same thing—were the turbulent, unruly, -unsoldierly mob I have described.</p> - -<p>One of the most interesting and satisfactory features -of the siege was the American ambulance. -Here were order, system, and discipline. It was located -on vacant lots in the Avenue de l'Impératrice. -It did better work than any other ambulance in -Paris; and there were many of them. A number of -the wealthy people of the city gave up their hotels, -or parts of them, for this purpose. The Press organized -an admirable ambulance, copied as much from<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -the American as circumstances would permit. The -Italians started one, and two or three other nationalities. -But the American ambulance was the only -one organized upon the tent system, which is unquestionably -the true one. Fresh air and fresh water -are what is needed for the wounded. It is impossible -to get fresh air in a building, as you get it -in a tent. As Dr. Swinburne expressed it, "The air -filters through the canvas."</p> - -<p>At the Exposition of 1867 we had a remarkably -good exhibition of our ambulance system. It was -due to the energy and liberality of Dr. Evans. At -the close of the exhibition he bought the whole collection; -and when the war broke out, he organized -an ambulance association, presented it with this material, -and gave it ten thousand francs. Other Americans -contributed, and the enterprise was launched. -Dr. Swinburne, a distinguished corps surgeon of our -army, and afterward Quarantine Officer at Staten -Island, happened to be in Paris, traveling for his -health and amusement. He gave up his trip, and -staid in the city, that he might be of service to the -wounded French. He deserves much credit for his -humanity. Dr. Johnson, a prominent American physician -in Paris, took charge of the medical depart<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span>ment. -Both of these gentlemen discharged their -duties with devotion and skill, and with remarkable -success, and without remuneration, except that they -were decorated by the French Government. For an -American residing at home a decoration is of very -little account. In France it is useful. It procures -him attention on the railways and at the restaurants. -But it has been very much abused of late years. -There are about one hundred thousand <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">décorés</i> in -France, so that they now say it is the correct thing -not to be decorated. I never heard of but one individual, -however, who refused it, and that was from -political motives.</p> - -<p>A number of American ladies and gentlemen who -remained in Paris offered their services in the ambulance, -and were enrolled as volunteer nurses. Among -them Mr. Joseph K. Riggs was particularly conspicuous -by his skill and devotion. They went upon the -field after, or even during, an engagement and picked -up the wounded. Indeed, there was quite a contest -among the ambulances to get possession of the -wounded; for while the number of the sick in Paris -was very great, that of the wounded was comparatively -small. The medical director of General Ducrot's -corps became much interested in our ambu<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span>lance. -He turned over to Dr. Swinburne the charming -house of M. Chevalier, the eminent French -writer on political economy, and then begged him -to take charge of the wounded of his corps. Swinburne -used the house as a convalescent hospital when -his tents were full.</p> - -<p>So successful was his treatment that of the amputated -only one in five died; while at the great French -ambulance of the Grand Hôtel four in five died. -The mortality there was fearful.</p> - -<p>The apparatus for warming the tents was simple, -but most effective. It had grown up among our -soldiers during the war. A hole was made in the -ground outside of one end of a long tent, a stove -placed in it, and the pipe carried the whole length -of the tent in a trench. The result was that the -ground was thoroughly dried and warmed, and this -warmed the whole tent. I have known the thermometer -outside to be at 20° Fahrenheit, while in -the tents it stood at 55°. The doctor said that for -wounded men well covered up in bed 55° was better -than 70°.</p> - -<p>The men were well fed, and admirably cared for -generally. The French Government put the best -of their stores at the disposition of the ambulances,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -and treated them with the greatest liberality. There -was always plenty of canned fruit, jellies, etc., in -Paris, so valuable in sickness. The ladies bought -these, and brought them to the wounded. Tobacco -was provided in the same way for the convalescents.</p> - -<p>The American ambulance was soon so well and so -favorably known, that I heard of French officers who -put cards in their pocket-books, on which they had -written the request that if they were wounded they -might be carried to <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">l'ambulance américaine</i>.</p> - -<p>The great drawback we had to contend with -was the impossibility of procuring new tents. Dr. -Swinburne told me that at home they would have -been condemned after a month's use, and new ones -substituted. But in Europe the cloth is not to be -had. We use cotton cloth, the French use linen. -Cotton is lighter, is more porous in dry and fulls in -wet weather. The result is that the air filters -through it in the one case, and the water does not -penetrate it in the other. In the absence of new -canvas, the doctor thoroughly fumigated the old -from time to time. This answered the purpose tolerably -well, but did not exhibit the tent system in -its perfection.</p> - -<p>We had now reached the middle of January, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> -the end of the siege was rapidly approaching. The -want of proper food, especially for young children, -was producing its necessary results; and the death-rate -had risen from about eight hundred—which is -the average number of weekly deaths in Paris—to -four thousand, and this without counting those in hospital -which may be set down at one thousand more. -The number of poor Germans supported by the Legation -had also increased very greatly, and had risen to -twenty-four hundred. We were compelled to hire -another room, where the weekly allowance made -them was paid and duly entered in books kept for -this purpose; for every penny expended was regularly -entered and vouched for. The poor German -women were obliged to walk two or three miles on -those cold winter days; for the workmen's quarter is -far from that of the Champs Elysées. Mr. Washburne -pitied these poor creatures, and gave them omnibus -tickets for the return trip. He bought a cask -of <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">vin ordinaire</i>, too, and gave a glass of warm -sweetened wine to each of them. It did them infinite -good.</p> - -<p>Provisions were now running short; enough remained -for a few days only. Even in this most -vital matter there was blundering. A gentleman<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> -high placed in the office of the Minister of Commerce, -the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">ministère</i> which had charge of the supplies, -told Mr. Washburne that there were provisions -in Paris to last till March. We could hardly credit -it, but it came to us from such high authority that -we were staggered. He spoke positively, and said -he had seen the figures. After the surrender this -gentleman met a mutual friend, and said, "I am -afraid your minister must take me for either a liar -or a fool. I hope I am neither. The mistake we -made at the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">ministère</i> happened in this way: the -minister appointed two officers; each was to take an -account of all the food in Paris, in order that one -account might control the other. When their statements -came in, he added them together, but forgot -to divide them by two."</p> - -<p>Meantime we were being bombarded, but after a -very mild fashion. I have since talked with a German -general who commanded at the quarter whence -most of the shells entered the city. He assured me -that there never was the slightest intention to bombard -Paris. If there had been, it would have been -done in a very different style. The German batteries -fired from a height upon a fort in the hollow, -and their shells, flying high, entered Paris. Still,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span> -when nearly two hundred lives were lost, and shells -fell among us for nineteen days, people had a right to -say that they were bombarded, and no Parisian will -admit to this day that they were not. Artillery-men -of all nations become not only very careless, but -very wanton. The Germans were eager to hit something, -and the public buildings of the Latin Quarter -offered a tempting mark to the gunners. I was complaining -to a French officer one day of the shameful -manner in which the French Government troops during -the Commune bombarded the quarter of the -Champs Elysées, a quarter inhabited almost exclusively -by friends of the Government, who were longing -for the troops to come in. He told me that it -was due to the wantonness of the artillery-men, and -cited an instance which came under his own observation. -A gunner at Mount Valérien pointed out to -the captain of the gun a cart making its slow way -through the distant plain toward Paris, and exclaimed, -"O, my officer! see that cart carrying supplies -to the enemy." "Where, where?" "There, near -that white house." "Give it a shell." He fired, -missed half a dozen times, but finally hit. It turned -out to be the cart of a poor washer-woman, carrying -the week's wash to her customers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span></p> - -<p>A few days before the surrender bad news came -thick and fast. A sortie in the direction of Mount -Valérien had been repulsed. Chanzy had been defeated. -All hope of aid from that quarter had vanished, -and but a few days' provisions remained. -Will it be believed that even then Trochu "paltered -in a double sense" with the suffering people? He -published a proclamation in which he said the "Governor -of Paris would never surrender." The next -day he resigned, and appointed no successor. When, -three days later, the city surrendered there was no -Governor of Paris.</p> - -<p>But even to the last moment there were people -who had confidence in Trochu's proclamation. The -Parisians are credulous, and readily believe what -they wish to believe. Among the populace there -was always a sort of half belief in the "Plan Trochu," -which, as he often told us, when all else failed, -was to save France. This plan he kept mysteriously -to himself, or confided it only to a few bosom-friends. -But I had it from a source I thought entitled to belief, -that Trochu confidently anticipated a miracle in -his favor in return for his devotion. St. Genevieve -was to appear and save Paris. It is almost impossible -to believe that, in the nineteenth century, and in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span> -that skeptical capital, a man of intelligence, cultivation, -and varied experience, could be found who believed -in a miraculous appearance of the saint; but -Trochu was a strange compound of learning, ability, -weakness, and fanaticism, and I have little doubt -that he confidently anticipated the personal intervention -of St. Genevieve to save her beloved city.</p> - -<p>On the 24th of January, Vinoy took command. -He suppressed the clubs, seized the violent press, -and took other energetic measures. A mob attacked -Mazas, and released the prisoners. They then tried -the Hôtel de Ville a second time; but they had now -a different commander to deal with, and they were -beaten off with ease. Mr. Washburne and I happened -to be in the neighborhood of the Hôtel de -Ville, and saw something of this affair. We did not -stay to the end, however, for we felt that it was -not the proper place for us, accredited as we were -to the Government the mob was attempting to overthrow. -Had Vinoy or Ducrot been in command -from the beginning, the result might have been -different. There was no reason why the National -Guard should not have made good soldiers; but they -needed a discipline of iron. They were permitted -to choose their own officers. This of itself was fatal.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> -In the beginning of our war in some of the States -the company officers were elected by the men. But -the men themselves were the first to see the folly of -this course, and petitioned that their officers might -be appointed by the Executive. Had the officers of -the National Guard been appointed by the Government, -and when they halted at the barrier and refused -to go farther, had a battery been ordered up, -and a dozen or so of them shot, "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">pour encourager les -autres</i>," as the French said of Admiral Byng, they -might have given a very different account of themselves -in their combats with the Germans.</p> - -<p>On the 27th of January, with seven days' provisions -only in Paris, with every man, woman, and -child on the shortest possible allowance, the city surrendered. -An armistice was agreed upon, which -was not, however, to apply to the armies of the East -operating toward Lyons. It is said that the French -commander in that quarter was not notified that the -armistice did not extend to him. He was attacked, -caught napping, and defeated.</p> - -<p>If I recollect correctly, it was Bourbaki who was -defeated in the East. Bourbaki is the type of the -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">beau militaire</i> of the French Empire. A dashing, -gallant soldier, he had distinguished himself and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -gained his promotion by scaling the walls of an -Arab town at the head of his troops, armed with a -light riding-whip only. But these were not the -men then wanted at the head of the French armies. -When Bourbaki was defeated, and his army -in retreat, making its disorderly way to Switzerland, -and needing all its General's care and attention, he -attempted to commit suicide. In the German service -he would undoubtedly have been tried for desertion. -In France every thing is pardoned to a man -who acts under the influence of strong emotion; and -Bourbaki was never even blamed for leaving his -army to its fate.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER XIX.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Election in France.—Terms of Peace.—Germans enter Paris.—Their -Martial Appearance.—American Apartments occupied.—Washburne -remonstrates.—Attitude of Parisians.—The Germans evacuate -Paris.—Victualing the City.—Aid from England and the -United States.—Its Distribution.—Sisters of Charity.</p></div> - - -<p>During the armistice an election took place. The -Assembly met at Bordeaux late in February, and -steps were taken toward peace. All sorts of rumors -were current as to the terms, and it was said that -they were so severe that France must fight on at all -hazards rather than accept them. Ten <ins class="corr" title="Transcriber's Note—Original text: 'mlliards'">milliards</ins>, it -was rumored, were to be paid (two thousand millions -of dollars). Alsace and Lorraine and a French colony -were to be given up, and a number of French -men-of-war made over to Germany. The preliminaries -were finally agreed upon: five milliards were to -be paid, and Alsace and Lorraine transferred. German -troops were to occupy Mount Valérien and to -enter Paris, and hold a part of it until peace was -definitively signed. The Crown Prince was reported -to have been opposed to the troops entering the cap<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span>ital, -as humiliating to the French, and not a military -necessity; but he was overruled.</p> - -<p>On the 1st of March I was awakened by military -music. I had not heard any for a long time, the -French bands having been broken up. I hurried -out, and found that the Germans were entering -Paris. First came the traditional Uhlans. The safety -with which these troops rode in pairs through a -great part of France was a curious feature of the -war. They were followed by their supports. Then -came a mixed band of about one thousand troops, -representing all arms and the different German nationalities. -They were sent as an advance-guard to -secure and prepare the quarters assigned the troops -by the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">maires</i>. In the mean time, the Emperor was -holding a review at Longchamps, on the very field -where, three years and a half before, he had assisted -at the review of sixty thousand French troops by the -Emperor Napoleon, and it was not until the afternoon -that the main body, the Prussian Guard, the -Saxons, and the Bavarians, marched into the city. -They occupied the quarter of the Champs Elysées, -extending as far as the Place de la Concorde—in -all about one-eighth of Paris.</p> - -<p>This was a busy day for me. Mr. Washburne was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> -overrun with <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">concierges</i> and servants complaining -that the Prussians were occupying American apartments. -I went to the mayor of the arrondissement. -He said that he had quartered the Germans impartially -upon all the householders; that the French -law exempted apartments of an annual value of less -than one hundred dollars; that in his arrondissement, -as I knew, the apartments were either remarkably -good or remarkably poor; that the good ones -were occupied principally by foreigners, and that the -poor ones were exempt. From the mayor I went -to the German commander occupying the house of -Queen Christine on the Champs Elysées, and was -told at his head-quarters that they had nothing to -say in the matter; that they had requisitioned a certain -number of rooms from the French authorities, -and that they must go where those authorities sent -them, and had no right to go elsewhere; that it was -then too late to make any change that day, but that -if Mr. Washburne would find them quarters elsewhere, -they would cheerfully vacate all American -apartments the next day. In the mean time Washburne -had been to Jules Favre. Favre told him -that there was every prospect that the terms of peace -would be accepted by the Assembly at Bordeaux<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span> -that evening, and that the Germans, in accordance -with the treaty, would leave Paris the next day. -They were accepted that evening; but Bismarck -wished to give as many German troops as possible -an opportunity to enter Paris, and so refused to accept -the telegraphic announcement of the acceptance -of the treaty by the Assembly. The next day the -written official notice arrived, and the day after Paris -was evacuated. The Germans remained in Paris -three days. They did no harm. I heard of nothing -missing but a few blankets. By the terms of the -treaty thirty thousand were to occupy Paris. It was -rumored that the garrison was changed every night, -and that ninety thousand entered in all.</p> - -<p>The attitude of the people of Paris toward the -conquerors was, upon the whole, excellent. They -staid away from the occupied quarter, and minded -their own business. In this quarter the shops were -all closed, except a few restaurants and cafés that the -Germans insisted should be opened. Some of these -cafés were afterward gutted by the mob, which was -rather hard on the owners, as they had been compelled -to open them. But a mob is never just. Some -few of the populace fraternized with the invaders, -and were to be seen talking amicably with them;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span> -and some of the rougher element attempted to create -a disturbance, but were soon overawed by the -great numbers and martial bearing of the conquerors. -While only thirty thousand were in Paris, there can -be little doubt that a hundred thousand were within -a half-hour's march, ready to enter to the assistance -of their comrades if needed. Indeed, I imagine that -all the troops who passed in review before the Emperor -at Longchamps either occupied Paris, or were -bivouacked in the Bois during the three days of the -occupation.</p> - -<p>They had come in very quietly, and with military -precautions against surprise. They went out with a -flourish of trumpets. They had bivouacked in large -numbers about the Arch, and their camp-fires lighted -up the inscriptions on that magnificent monument -recording the victories of French over German arms. -It certainly is most creditable to the conquerors that -they did the Arch no harm. Few nations would -have been so magnanimous. The weather was perfect, -the night mild and balmy, the moon nearly full, -and the beautiful German camp-songs, admirably -sung, resounded in the stillness of the hour till ten -o'clock struck, when perfect silence reigned in the -camp. When the Germans entered Paris, they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -marched round the Arch; when they went out they -took down the chains which inclose it, and every -regiment of infantry and cavalry, and every battery -of artillery passed directly under it, drums beating, -colors flying, and the men cheering as they passed. -They were gloriously repaid for the trials of the -campaign.</p> - -<p>Ten days passed after the surrender, and apparently -the French authorities had made no provision to -revictual Paris. There was no beef, to speak of, in -the city, and very little mutton. The bread remained -the same wretched dark stuff, one-third flour, two-thirds -pease, beans, oats, rice, straw—in fact, any refuse. -Delicious white bread, fresh butter, and eggs -were to be bought of the German soldiers just beyond -the barriers; and any one who took the trouble, -and had the means, could procure these luxuries at -reasonable prices. The peasants sold them to the -German soldiers, and they were permitted to resell -them at a small profit. The first train of provisions -to enter Paris was sent by the citizens of London, to -their credit be it spoken. Will it be believed that -considerable difficulty was experienced in finding persons -willing to take the trouble to distribute this -food gratuitously? It was done to a very limited ex<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span>tent -at the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">mairies</i>. The great dry-goods establishment -of the Bon Marché distributed a portion; but -much was stored in the Halles de l'Abondance for -want of distribution, and burned up when that establishment -was destroyed during the Commune. I remember -hearing a Chauvin of the Assembly at Versailles -pitch into the English for coming over after -the Commune to visit Paris in her desolation. He -was answered by Jules Favre, as happily as truly, -that "the English, before they organized their -trains of pleasure, had organized their trains of relief."</p> - -<p>In this connection let me state that more than two -millions of dollars were sent from the United States. -At least two cargoes of provisions arrived at Havre, -our Government supplying the vessels. No one -could be found to distribute the supplies. The -French are so government-ridden that they are unable -to take the initiative in any thing for themselves. -I have seen a strong, bold man, a guide in -the Pyrenees, stand wringing his hands and crying, -while his house was on fire, waiting for the soldiers -to come and save his furniture and put out the -flames. One of the shiploads of provisions I speak -of was sent to London, sold there, and the proceeds<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -distributed to the poor of France. Part of the relief -sent was distributed through the Government, but -experience showed this method to be slow—there was -too much red-tape about it. The funds were finally -placed in the hands of American ladies and gentlemen -residing at Paris and Versailles, whose knowledge -of France and acquaintance with French people -gave them the means of making a judicious distribution. -A part was expended by a committee of ladies, -of which Madame MacMahon was the President; -something was placed at the disposal of the Countess -of Paris, out of regard for her husband, who had -served in our army during the war; and a very large -portion was distributed through the Sisters of Charity. -Nothing could be more judicious, and at the -same time more thoroughly business-like, than the -manner in which these admirable women disposed -of the money intrusted to them, rendering a voucher -for every franc they expended. One felt that every -penny in their hands had been placed where it was -most needed, and would do most good.</p> - -<p>Mr. Washburne left Paris early in February for -Brussels, where his family were residing, and where, -by-the-way, a very large number of our Parisian -Americans had taken refuge. But he came back in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span> -a week, feeling quite poorly. He had been so overrun -with visitors making inquiries or asking favors, -that he had had no rest, and so returned to the lately -beleaguered city for a little quiet. I remained until -the Germans had made their triumphal entry, and -their more triumphal departure, and then got leave -and went to London to join my family.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER XX.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>The Commune.—Murder of French Generals.—The National Guard of -Order.—It disbands.—The Reasons.—Flight of the Government to -Versailles.—Thiers.—Attempts to reorganize National Guard.—An -American arrested by Commune.—Legation intervenes.—His Discharge.—His -Treatment.—Reign of King Mob.—"<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Démonstrations -Pacifiques.</i>"—Absurd Decrees of the Commune.—Destruction of the -Vendôme Column.</p></div> - - -<p>But it has rarely been my lot, in the course of my -official life, to enjoy an uninterrupted leave of absence. -The present was no exception. I was scarcely -fairly installed in England, and fighting "my battles -o'er again," and showing "how fields were lost", -when there came a telegram from Mr. Washburne -telling me that there were disturbances in Paris, and -that I must return immediately. Some of the National -Guard of the Belleville and Montmartre quarters -had taken advantage of the confusion reigning -immediately after the surrender, and seized several -field-guns and mitrailleuses, and carried them off to -their fastnesses on Montmartre. They now refused -to surrender them; and when the Government at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span>tempted -to take them, the troops fraternized with -the mob, and deserted their generals, Lecompte and -Thomas, whom the Communists forthwith shot. It -was said that Count Bismarck had urged the disarming -of the National Guard at the time of the surrender. -Trochu's Government had refused. They -must have bitterly regretted it afterward.</p> - -<p>On my return I entered Paris by the Gare St. -Lazare. That usually peaceful temple of traffic was -thronged by <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Gardes Nationaux</i>—"The National -Guard of Order," they called themselves, or were -called, to distinguish them from the Communists. -These gentlemen appeared to be enjoying themselves. -They were comfortably housed in the building, -and lounged and chatted there, not without frequent -visits to the neighboring cafés. I found that -they held the Grand Hotel, and the new Opera-house, -both strong positions, and within easy supporting -distance of each other. They also held the -Bourse, the Bank of France, the "Finances," and -many other "coignes of vantage." But "coignes of -vantage" are of very little use when the heart to defend -them is lacking. In a very few days these -men, outnumbering the Communists two or three to -one, backed by the power of the Government and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span> -the wealth of Paris, and by the moral support of the -Germans and of the civilized world, had disbanded, -taken refuge in flight, and left their families, and -their property, and their beautiful city to the tender -mercies of the mob.</p> - -<p>It was a matter of the utmost astonishment to me, -and to every one with whom I conversed, that the -National Guard of Order should have behaved as -they did. I never understood it till I talked with -my barber just after his battalion had disbanded, and -before he had escaped to London. They got tired -of sleeping away from their families, getting their -meals irregularly, and having to pay restaurant-prices -for them. They were in a state of disgust, -too, with the Government, who refused to pass an -act to relieve them from their rents accrued during -the siege. My barber was an excellent representative -of his class, the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">petite bourgeoisie</i>; a well-to-do -man, employing two apprentices, making a good -livelihood, and laying by something for a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">dot</i> for his -children—economical, intelligent, sober. He belonged -to the most respectable battalion in the city, that -of the quarter of the "Finances." I expressed my -surprise at their disbanding. He said that the Government -would do nothing for them, so they would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span> -do nothing for the Government: it might put down -the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">émeute</i> itself. So they abandoned their property -and their homes and their idolized Paris, shut up -their shops, and ran away.</p> - -<p>The relations between the Government and the -governed in France are difficult for an American to -understand. In the United States and in England -the Government is <em>our</em> government, its interests are -<em>our</em> interests, and we stand by and defend it, not -only because it is our duty to do so, but because it is -<em>ours</em>. This feeling does not exist in France among -the masses, the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">petit commerce</i> and the peasantry. -They look upon the Government as a foreign body -which has somehow or other—it matters very little -how—got possession of power. As long as it preserves -order, prevents crime, insures prosperity, and -gratifies vanity by foreign conquests, it is firmly -seated; but the moment it ceases to be able to do -all this, let it go, and try another.</p> - -<p>It is a strange notion of the duties of a Government -that it must insure prosperity; but it prevails -very generally among the masses in France, and is -not unknown among the uneducated classes in other -countries. The theory of the Long Island fisherman -is more generally acted upon than is acknowl<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span>edged: -"He knew Governor Dix, and he liked -Governor Dix, but he hadn't averaged an eel to a -pot all summer; and he thought he would try a -new governor."</p> - -<p>The conduct of the Government, or, rather, that -of M. Thiers—for at that time Thiers was the Government, -and he might have said with perfect truth, -"<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">L'état c'est moi</i>"—has been much and harshly criticised. -Whether this criticism is just or not, depends -upon the loyalty or disloyalty of the troops. If they -were true to their colors and ready to fight the mob, -as they afterward did, there never was a more cowardly -and disgraceful surrender than the retreat to -Versailles, as unwise and unmilitary as it was cowardly, -for it discouraged the respectable citizens, and -abandoned to the mob all the advantages of position, -immense war material, and the unbounded wealth -of the capital. It was proceeding upon Artemus -Ward's military plan. Artemus said that if he were -in a city with fifty thousand men, besieged by an -enemy with fifty thousand men, he would open the -gates and march out, and let them march in, and then -besiege them. Artemus and M. Thiers appear to -have studied in the same military school. But if, as -Thiers alleged, the army could not be relied upon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -but were ready to raise the butts of their muskets "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">en -air</i>" and fraternize with the Communists, then there -never was a wiser movement: it was truly a "masterly -retreat." Had what Thiers apprehended happened, -had the troops fraternized with the mob, a -movement which was only an insurrection—a bloody -one, it is true, but confined to one city—would have -spread over France, and there would have been a -repetition, with aggravation, of all the horrors of the -first Revolution.</p> - -<p>Before the National Guard of Order disbanded, -several well-intentioned efforts were made by officers -of rank to effect an organization among the citizens -against the insurgents. Admiral de Saissy either -volunteered, or was sent by the Government, to take -command. He made his head-quarters at the Grand -Hôtel, within a stone's-throw of the Communists intrenched -in the Place Vendôme. Here they were -isolated, far from their supports at Belleville and -Montmartre. Why the Admiral did not place a battery -in position in the Tuileries Gardens, commanding -the Place Vendôme by the Rue Castiglione, or -why he did not simply starve the Communists out, I -never knew: probably he could not depend upon his -men. I am confirmed in this belief by a circum<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span>stance -which happened within my own observation. -Two or three French gentlemen called at the Legation -one morning, to say that a young American -friend, a Mr. Delpit, of New Orleans, had been arrested -by the Communists, and was then a prisoner -in the Place Vendôme, and would probably be dragged -that day before a Communist court-martial, condemned, -and shot. Mr. Washburne was at Versailles. -I immediately sent his private secretary, an attaché -of the Legation, furnished with all the necessary -documents, to his relief. In a very short time Mr. -M'Kean returned, after a most successful mission. -He had seen Delpit, he had seen the insurgent authorities, -and they had promised to discharge their prisoner -that very day. They did so. The next day he -came up to thank us for our prompt intervention in -his behalf, which had undoubtedly saved his life. I -naturally asked him how he happened to be arrested. -He said that he had gone to see Admiral de Saissy, -whom he knew, at the Grand Hôtel; that the Admiral -was very anxious to send a dispatch to a distant -part of the city; that the Admiral's aid was ready -to start, but that there appeared to be a very unanimous -indisposition on the part of the officers of the -National Guard to accompany him; that thereupon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span> -he volunteered. The Admiral jumped at the offer, -and said, "<em>You</em> will go, I know; <em>you</em> are an American; -<em>you</em> are not afraid." A French commander -must have been very much provoked by the conduct -of the officers about him to use such language in -their presence. Delpit and the aid started, but had -gone but a little way, when they were surrounded -by a squad of the insurgents, who ordered them to -halt. Delpit drew his revolver, and threatened to -shoot, while he told his companion to run. The aid -escaped. The insurgents leveled their pieces, and -were about to fire, when Delpit, seeing that his companion -had escaped, concluded that discretion was -the better part of valor, and surrendered. They disarmed -him, treating him very roughly, and one of -them—a negro—spat in his face. They shut him up -in a cellar in the Place Vendôme, and it was likely -to go hard with him, when M'Kean appeared upon -the scene. Delpit told me that when they found -that he was cared for by the Legation, their conduct -changed marvelously. They treated him with the -greatest respect, and the colored brother who had -spit in his face was particularly marked in his attentions. -Delpit has since distinguished himself as -a poet. His work on the siege of Paris was crowned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span> -by the Academy, and he is the author of a successful -play, which means much in France.</p> - -<p>But Admiral de Saissy had had enough of it. He -gave it up, and went back to Versailles. The National -Guard of Order disbanded, and King Mob -reigned triumphant.</p> - -<p>At first King Mob was a good-natured monarch. -He collected a lot of pitch-pine torches, and lighted -them on top of the Vendôme Column. The effect -was good. He made bonfires, fired off guns, organized -processions, made speeches; in fact, behaved like -any first-class American city on the Fourth of July. -This did not last long, however. The tiger soon -showed his claws. The party of order, having given -up their arms and disbanded, proceeded to organize -what they called a "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">démonstration pacifique</i>," designed -to produce a moral effect upon a horde of -savages. They paraded the streets in large numbers -unarmed. The first day's procession was rather a -success. It was a novelty, and took. The second -day's was not so successful. They marched up the -Rue de la Paix, intending, in the grandeur of their -moral strength, to pass straight through the Place -Vendôme, the tiger's lair. The barricades were to -disappear at their approach, the insurgents were to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -throw themselves into their arms, and there was to -be one huge kiss of peace and reconciliation. Unfortunately, -things did not turn out as set down in -the bills. The barriers did not melt away, and the -insurgents refused to kiss and make friends. On the -contrary, they opened fire on the procession, and -several of its numbers were killed. It was a well-meant -effort, but Quixotic to the last degree.</p> - -<p>And now the tiger had tasted blood, and his appetite -grew by what it fed on. But his rage increased -by degrees, advancing from one atrocity to another, -till it culminated in the slaughter of the hostages.</p> - -<p>There was a mixture of the ridiculous with the -infamous in the early acts of the Commune. Its -members were very numerous; so, for working purposes -they appointed a "Committee of Public Safety," -which very soon belied its name. These men -appointed the ministers. To call a man "Minister -of War" was not democratic, so they called him "<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">citoyen -délégué au Ministère de la Guerre</i>." The title -of "General" they found inconsistent with the simplicity -of republican institutions, and so suppressed -it. "Colonel" could pass muster, but "General" -was too aristocratic for their dainty ears. Then they -found that, like other mere mortals, they must live<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span> -and provide for their families. It was so much easier -to pillage a shop than to work! The shop-keeper -should be proud to contribute to the well-being of -the brave defenders of the Republic! Then they -published a decree seizing all the workshops, that -they might be occupied by Communist workmen on -the co-operative system. A jury was to be appointed—by -the Commune, of course—to assess the value -of the property, and compensation was to be made -to the owner. As a practical measure, this was not -a success. The workmen found it pleasanter to play -soldier, and to take what they wanted, than to work -even on the co-operative system. So the workshops -generally remained in the hands of their owners. -Next they commenced the work of demolition, and -almost equaled the great Haussmann in this respect. -They pulled down the house of M. Thiers (the Assembly -has since built him a better one); and they -passed decrees to tear down the houses of Jules Favre -and other members of the Government, and confiscate -their property. Happily the patriots to whom -the execution of these decrees was intrusted were -not perfectly immaculate; they could generally <em>be -seen</em>. In this way much less irreparable injury was -done than might have been expected.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span></p> - -<p>One of their follies was the destruction of the -Colonne Vendôme. An eminent artist—Courbet—who -was a member of the Commune, said that it -offended his artistic taste. Others of this band of -brothers said that it perpetuated the victory of war -over peace; that it kept alive a feeling of triumph -in the conquerors and revenge in the conquered; -that the peoples should be brothers, etc., etc. So -they pulled it down; and the present Government -forthwith rebuilt it, and the courts have condemned -M. Courbet to pay the expense.</p> - -<p>When the Column was pulled down, all the shop-windows -within half a mile were pasted over with -strips of paper to prevent their being broken by -the shock. It fell, and people two hundred yards -off did not know that any thing unusual had happened. -It was a question much discussed how far -the prostrate Column would reach. Its length was -generally much overestimated. It was thought that -it would extend at least one hundred feet into the -Rue de la Paris. It did not enter the street, nor -even cross the Place Vendôme. The bronze plates -were nearly all saved. Some few were disposed of -by the Communist soldiers. One was sold by a -sailor to a lady for five hundred francs. He after<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span>ward -denounced her to the Government, and got five -hundred francs more for doing so. A profitable -transaction! One was sold to an American, and -made the voyage to New York, where it was found -by the French Consul, reclaimed, and returned to -Paris.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER XXI.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Diplomatic Corps moves to Versailles.—Journey there and back.—Life -at Versailles.—German Princes.—Battle at Clamart.—Unburied -Insurgents.—Bitterness of Class Hatred.—Its Probable Causes.—United -States Post-office at Versailles.—The Archbishop of Paris.—Attempts -to save his Life.—Washburne's Kindness to him.—Blanqui.—Archbishop -murdered.—Ultramontanism.—Bombardment -by Government.—My Apartment struck.—Capricious Effects -of Shells.—Injury to Arch of Triumph.—<ins class="corr" title="Transcriber's Note—Original text: 'Bass-reliefs'">Bas-reliefs</ins> of Peace and -War.</p></div> - - -<p>As soon as the Government had moved to Versailles, -the diplomatic corps followed. Mr. Washburne -hired a large room in the Rue de Mademoiselle -(the sister of Louis XIV.—all Versailles bears the -impress of the reign of that monarch). This room -had to do for office, bedroom, and sitting-room; for -Versailles was crowded, and we were lucky to get -any thing so comfortable. As we had far more to -do at Paris than at Versailles, and Paris was then, as -always, the seat of attraction, Mr. Washburne spent -four days of the week in that city, and three at Versailles, -and I alternated with him. We had passes -from both sides. I made the trip twice a week, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span> -sometimes under considerable difficulties. I have -traveled more than thirty miles to reach Paris from -Versailles, a distance of nine miles, partly in a diligence, -partly on foot, partly in flat-boats to cross -the Seine where the French had most unnecessarily -blown up their own beautiful bridges, and partly by -rail. I suppose that I am better acquainted with the -westerly environs of Paris than any foreigner but a -medical student. Some of the drives in the months -of April and May, especially one by Sceaux and -Fontaine-les-Roses, and up the valley of the Bièvre, -are very lovely.</p> - -<p>But after a while we had a regular organized line -by St. Denis. The Germans occupied this town, -and insisted upon keeping open the railroad into -Paris, the Chemin de Fer du Nord. They said that -under the treaty they had a right to draw certain -supplies from France, and that Paris was the most -convenient place to draw them from, and from Paris -they meant to draw them; and that if the Communists -did not keep the Porte St. Denis open, <em>they</em> -would. The Commune always had a wholesome -fear of the Germans; this was all that restrained -them from even greater outrages than they perpetrated; -and they hated the Germans less than they did<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span> -their own countrymen at Versailles. In going to -Versailles we took the train to St. Denis; there we -hired a carriage, or took the public conveyance, and -so drove to our destination, a trip of about three -hours in all: or we drove out by the Porte St. Denis, -and so all the way to Versailles. This was generally -my route, for a number of American and -French friends asked me to bring their horses and -carriages from the ill-fated city. If the Communist -officers at the gates were close observers, they must -have thought that I was the owner of one of the -largest and best-appointed stables in Paris.</p> - -<p>There was very little to do at Versailles, and perhaps -less to eat. The Government was there, and -the Assembly, and the Corps Diplomatique, and -consequently the crowd of people who had business -with these bodies, thronged to that city. At the -restaurants it was a struggle to get any thing; and -when you got it, it was not precisely in the Café -Anglais style. I found two or three pleasant American -families who had wintered here very quietly -during the German occupation. They had had no -occasion to complain of their treatment. At the -Hôtel de France I found Dr. Hosmer, the intelligent -and cultivated principal correspondent of the <cite>Herald</cite>.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span> -That enterprising journal had its staff of couriers, -who were always at our service during those -days of irregular postal communication. At the Hôtel -des Réservoirs several German princes, officers of -the army, were lodged—intelligent, agreeable, cultivated -gentlemen. They were only too glad to have -the pleasure of the society of American ladies, for -of course they could not visit the French; and no -class of men long for and appreciate ladies' society -like educated officers on campaign in an enemy's -country. They eagerly accepted invitations to dine -with my friends for a double reason, the pleasure -of their society, and that of a good dinner; for the -French cook never could manage, though of course -he did his best, to cook a good dinner for the Germans, -and the landlord was always just out of that -favorite brand of Champagne.</p> - -<p>The day after my first arrival at Versailles I made -an excursion to the battle-field at Clamart, near -Meudon. The Communists had been defeated there -the day before. I had "assisted" at the battle from -the Paris side. In attempting to reach Versailles in -that direction, I found myself in the midst of the -insurgents, and under the fire of the troops. The -manner in which the insurgents behaved had not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span> -given me a very exalted idea of their soldierly qualities. -It was all confusion, talking, drinking, and -panic. A mob of them surged up to the gate, and -demanded admission. It was refused, and they were -ordered back to their regiments. But the crowd increased, -and became more clamorous. The principles -of fraternity forbade the guard to keep their -brethren out in the cold, where the naughty Versaillais -might pounce upon them; so the draw-bridge -fell, the gates opened, and the runaways entered.</p> - -<p>When I visited the battle-field, many of the dead -still lay unburied, while the soldiers lounged about -with their hands in those everlasting pockets, and -looking with the most perfect indifference upon -their dead countrymen. The class hatred which -exists in France is something we have no idea of, -and I trust that we never shall. It is bitter, relentless, -and cruel; and is, no doubt, a sad legacy of the -bloody Revolution of 1789, and of the centuries of -oppression which preceded it. At the beginning of -the war the peasants in one of the villages not far -from Paris thrust a young nobleman into a ditch, -and there burned him to death with the stubble -from the fields. They had nothing particular against -him, except that he was a nobleman. In Paris the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span> -mob threw the gendarmes, when they caught them, -into the Seine, and when they attempted to struggle -out upon the banks hacked off their hands. On the -battle-field I have referred to, the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">frères chrétiens</i>, a -most devoted and excellent body of men, were moving -about on their errands of mercy. Seeing these -unburied bodies, they went to the commanding officer, -and begged him to detail a party to bury them. -He did it to oblige them. As the soldiers lifted one -of the dead, a young American who accompanied me -said, "Why, he hasn't a bad face after all!" At once -the soldiers looked at him with suspicion, the officer -asked him who he was, and, upon being told, advised -him not to express any such sentiments again.</p> - -<p>Our principal occupation at Versailles was keeping -a post-office for Americans in Paris. M. Rampont, -the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">directeur des postes</i>, had escaped, with all his -staff, and established the office at Versailles. The -archives of the bureau of the Avenue Joséphine -were placed in our Legation. The Communists were -angry enough to find themselves cut off from all -postal communication with the departments. It diminished -their chances of success. The only means -Americans had of communicating with their friends -in Paris was to send their letters to the care of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span> -Legation at Versailles. We have received as many -as fifty in one day. Two or three times a week we -took or sent them to Paris. They were there mailed -by the Legation, and distributed by the rebel post-office. -It cost Uncle Samuel a penny or two, but -he and his representatives at Washington did not -grumble.</p> - -<p>The only episode of interest that occurred at Versailles -was our attempt to save the life of the Archbishop -of Paris. He had been arrested by the Commune, -and held as a hostage for the release of some -of their own rag, tag, and bobtail. One day the -Pope's Nuncio called to see Mr. Washburne. He -was in Paris. The Nonce thereupon explained his -business to me, and afterward sent two canons of the -Metropolitan Church to see me. They came to beg -Mr. Washburne to do all in his power to save the life -of the Archbishop, which they considered to be in imminent -danger. They had already tried one or more -European embassies, but were met with the answer -that they could have nothing to do with the Commune. -They handed me their papers, and I went at -once to Paris. Mr. Washburne took up the matter -with his accustomed energy and kindliness. He got -permission to see the prisoner. He took him books<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span> -and newspapers and old wine. He did all in his -power to negotiate an exchange with Blanqui, a veteran -agitator held by the Government. The Commune -consented, but the Versailles authorities would -not. M. Thiers consulted his ministers and his council -of deputies. They were unanimously of opinion -that they could hold no dealings with the Commune. -It was then proposed to let Blanqui escape, and that -thereupon the Archbishop should escape too, and -that there need be no negotiations whatever. This -M. Thiers declined.</p> - -<p>Matters were complicated by the conduct of the -Vicar-general Lagarde. He had been a prisoner -with the Archbishop, and had been released for the -purpose of bringing letters to Versailles with a view -to negotiate the proposed exchange, and on condition -that he should return. Once safely at Versailles, -he declined to go back. His pretext was that -M. Thiers's letter in reply to the Archbishop's was -sealed, and that he could not carry back a sealed letter -in reply to one unsealed. I remember the sad -and resigned, but not bitter tone, in which the Archbishop -wrote of this desertion, and the exceedingly -cautious terms in which the Pope's Nuncio referred -to it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span></p> - -<p>But Mr. Washburne's untiring efforts were in vain. -He had to contend with the <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">vis inertia</i> of French -bureaucracy, and he who can move this mass must -be ten times a Hercules.</p> - -<p>The Archbishop was murdered; but Blanqui, -whom the French Government held with so relentless -a grip, was condemned to a year or two's imprisonment -only.</p> - -<p>I thought at that time, and think still, that no determined -effort was made to save the Archbishop's -life, except by two or three canons of his Church, -and by the Minister of the United States. The -French authorities certainly were lukewarm in the -matter. The Archbishop was a Gallican, a liberal -Catholic, notably so. Had he been an Ultramontane, -I think that the extreme Right of the Assembly—the -Legitimists—would have so exerted themselves -that his life would have been saved. M. Thiers occupied -a difficult position. He was suspected by the -Legitimists of coquetting with the radicals, and of -having no serious intention of putting down the insurrection. -The suspicion was, of course, unfounded; -but it may have prevented him from entering -upon those informal negotiations which would probably -have resulted in the release of the prisoner.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span></p> - -<p>I once expressed these views to a lady in Paris, -herself a liberal Catholic. She would not admit -them to be true. Some weeks later, I met her again, -and she told me that she believed that I was right; -that she had heard such sentiments expressed by Legitimist -ladies, that she was satisfied that there was -an influential, if not a large, class of Ultramontanes, to -whom the death of the Archbishop was not unwelcome. -He has been succeeded by a noted Ultramontane.</p> - -<p>Meantime the army was being rapidly reorganized. -The Imperial Guard, and other <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">corps d'élite</i>, had -returned from Germany, where they had been prisoners -of war. Marshal MacMahon took command. -Why M. Thiers did not then assault the city, and -carry it, as he undoubtedly could have done, was a -matter of surprise to every one, and especially to -those whose lives and property lay at the mercies of -the Commune. But Thiers had built the fortifications -of Paris. He looked upon them with a paternal -eye. To him they were not like other men's -fortifications. They were impregnable to ordinary -assault, and could only be taken by regular approaches. -How I wished that Guizot had built -them! We might have been saved a month of danger, -loss, and intense anxiety.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span></p> - -<p>On my weekly visit to Paris I had a better opportunity -to observe the progress of events than if I -had staid there without interruption, while my residence -of three days gave me ample occasion to appreciate -the full pleasures of the bombardment. It -must always be a mystery why the French bombarded -so persistently the quarter of the Arch of Triumph—the -West End of Paris—the quarter where -nine out of ten of the inhabitants were known friends -of the Government. They had their regular hours -for this <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">divertissement</i>, for so they seemed to regard -it. They took a turn at it before breakfast, to give -them an appetite; and at five o'clock in the morning -I was waked by the shells from Mont Valérien -bursting and crashing in the Place de l'Etoile. -About noon they went at it again, and when I went -home to breakfast (<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">anglice</i> lunch), I had to dodge -round corners, and take refuge behind stone columns. -Then, just before sunset, they always favored -us with an evening gun, for good-night. The days, -too, were so confoundedly long at that season of the -year—April and May—and the weather provokingly -fine. How I longed for a delicious London -fog!</p> - -<p>I remember one day, as I dodged behind a stone<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span> -pillar in the Rue de Presbourg to avoid a coming -shell, the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">concierge</i> called me in. I went into his -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">loge</i>, but declined to go into the cellar, where his wife -and children had taken refuge. He had two <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">loges</i>, -and I strongly advised him to move into the unoccupied -one as the safer of the two, for I had observed -that the shells generally passed easily enough through -one stone wall, but were arrested by a second. He -took my advice. The next day a shell from one of -their evening guns fell into the window of the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">loge</i> -he had left, passed through the floor into the cellar, -and there exploded, and tore every thing to pieces.</p> - -<p>My own apartment was struck eight times by -fragments of shells. Fortunately but one exploded -in the house, and that two stories above me. It -shattered the room into which it fell fearfully, but, -strange to say, did no damage in the adjoining -rooms. Happily the apartment was unoccupied. -The tenants, a few days before, had taken advantage -of a law of the Commune which released all tenants -from their rent if they found it inconvenient to pay -it, and had decamped, furniture and all.</p> - -<p>Mr. Washburne advised me to change my residence, -as it was not safe. But I felt that the dignity -of the great American people would not permit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span> -even one of its subordinate representatives to leave -the building while a Frenchman remained in it. -Mr. Washburne's practice, too, was not in accordance -with his precepts. If we heard of any part of Paris -where shells were likely to burst and bullets to whistle, -Washburne was sure to have important business -in that direction.</p> - -<p>I was not in my house when the shell exploded. -I generally came home to dinner after dark. If -there is any thing thoroughly disagreeable, it is to -have shells tumbling and bursting about you when -you are at dinner. It is bad enough at breakfast, -but the dinner-hour should be sacred from vulgar -intrusion.</p> - -<p>I recollect one day after my midday breakfast, as -I left my house, I saw a knot of men standing on the -corner of the Avenue de l'Impératrice and the Rue -de Presbourg; I thought that I would go and see -what was up. Mont Valérien was blazing away at -a great rate. As I joined the group, one of them -said, "They'll fire at us soon, seeing half a dozen people -here." He had hardly said so, when there was -a flash, and a puff of smoke, and in a minute we -heard the huge shell hurtling through the air. It -missed us, of course, and fell in the Place, and ex<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span>ploded. -All these men were friends of the Government, -and they were looking to Mont Valérien for -help, longing for the troops to come in. This was -the protection the Government gave its friends, -"the protection which the vulture gives the lamb, -covering and devouring it."</p> - -<p>About once a week I was called in by some neighboring -<i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">concierge</i> to note the damage done by shells -in apartments belonging to Americans. Shells are -strangely capricious. One end of No. 8 Rue de -Presbourg, opposite my own residence, was nearly -torn to pieces; the other end was untouched. At -No. 12, shell after shell penetrated the kitchen departments, -while the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">salons</i> were uninjured. I was -called to see the damage done to the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">premier</i> of -No. 8, a beautiful apartment belonging to a New -York lady. A shell had entered the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">salon</i> and exploded. -I have never seen more thorough destruction. -The mirrors were shattered; the floors and -ceilings rent and gaping; sofas, chairs, and tables upset -and broken. In the midst of all this destruction -stood a little table with a lady's work-basket upon it, -the needle in the work, the thimble and scissors on -the table, as if she had left them five minutes before—the -only objects unhurt in the room. It was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span> -touching souvenir of peaceful domestic life in the -midst of the worst ravages of war.</p> - -<p>Mr. Washburne and Lord Lyons complained to -Jules Favre of this persistent bombardment, for the -property destroyed and the lives endangered were -largely American and English. He replied that it -was "bad shooting," but he smiled as he said so, and -evidently did not believe it himself. It was sheer -wantonness, that irrepressible desire of artillery-men, -of which I have before spoken, to hit something—an -enemy if possible, a friend if no enemy offers.</p> - -<p>It was singular that while so many shells fell in -the immediate neighborhood of the Arch of Triumph, -so little serious injury was done to it. I remarked a -curious circumstance in this connection. The <ins class="corr" title="Transcriber's Note—Original text: 'bass-reliefs'">bas-reliefs</ins> -on the arch facing the Avenue de la Grande -Armée are Peace and War—on the right, as you -face the Arch, War; on the left, Peace. War was -very much injured; Peace was scarcely touched.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span></p> - - <div class="chapter"></div> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a><a href="#CONTENTS">CHAPTER XXII.</a></h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Reign of Terror.—Family Quarrels.—The Alsacians, etc., claim German -Nationality.—They leave Paris on our Passes.—Prisoners of -Commune.—Priests and Nuns.—Fragments of Shells.—"Articles -de Paris."—Fearful Bombardment of "Point du Jour."—Arrest of -Cluseret.—Commune Proclamations.—Capture of Paris.—Troops -enter by Undefended Gate.—Their Slow Advance.—Fight at the -Tuileries Gardens.—Communist Women.—Capture of Barricades.—Cruelties -of the Troops.—"Pétroleuses."—Absurd Stories about -them.—Public Buildings fired.—Destruction of Tuileries, etc., etc.—Narrow -Escape of Louvre.—Treatment of Communist Prisoners.—Presents -from Emperor of Germany.</p></div> - - -<p>As time passed, the puerilities and atrocities of -the Commune kept equal pace. They had taken possession -of the public buildings and raised the red -flag upon them, suppressing the tricolor. They now -passed a decree requiring every man to be provided -with a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">carte d'identité</i>; this, they said, was to protect -them against Government spies. They established -a bureau of denunciation, where any man who -had a grudge against his neighbor had simply to denounce -him as a Versailles sympathizer, and he was -arrested. They closed the churches, or turned them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span> -into clubs. They arrested the priests; they shut -up some of the convents, and imprisoned the nuns. -They confiscated the gold and silver church plate, -and turned it into coin. It was emphatically a -"Reign of Terror." It was estimated that within -a month after the outbreak of the Commune three -hundred thousand people left Paris.</p> - -<p>In the clubs they denounced the Legation. They -said that Mr. Washburne was about to call in the -Germans at the request of the diplomatic corps. -They proposed to hang him, and to banish the rest -of us. In point of fact, I believe that Mr. Washburne -could have called in the German army at any -time. He had only to report to General Manteuffel -that the lives of the Germans in Paris were in danger, -and that he found himself unable to protect -them, and Manteuffel would have occupied Paris at -once. But Mr. Washburne never entertained an -idea of doing this.</p> - -<p>Then the Commune began to quarrel among -themselves. The Happy Family was at variance. -Strange as it may appear, at the beginning of the -affair, there were many earnest, honest fanatics in -Paris who joined the movement. The first demands -of the Commune under the influence of these men<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span> -were not unreasonable, in American eyes. They -asked that they might elect their own prefect, and -that Paris should not be garrisoned by Government -soldiers. But events soon outstripped these men; -and as they found the city given over to organized -pillage—the Committee of Public Safety meeting in -secret, instead of in the light of open day, as they had -promised, and the model republic of which they had -dreamed as much a chimera as ever—they withdrew -from the Government. Over twenty of them withdrew -in a body, and published their reasons for doing -so. But the scoundrels who now directed the -movement "cared for none of these things." They -had used these poor enthusiasts while it suited their -purpose; now they threw them overboard, and replied -to their manifesto by removing the Committee -of Public Safety as too mild, afflicted with scruples, -and appointing one of a bloodier type, one of its -members a murderer.</p> - -<p>During all this time the Legation was beset from -morning till night. The Alsacians and Lorrains residing -in Paris, whom the treaty had made Germans, -but who were nevertheless permitted to choose -their nationality, had fully intended to <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">opter</i> for -the French, and refused with indignation a German<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span> -nationality. But when they found that to remain -French condemned them to the National Guard, -while to become German enabled them to leave Paris, -and return to their homes, they came in shoals to -the Legation to ask for German passports. It was -a renewal of the days before the siege, the days of -the German expulsion. Much of Mr. Washburne's -time was taken up in visiting German prisoners, and -procuring their discharge, and sometimes that of -French priests and nuns. To procure the release of -Germans was no very difficult task, for the Commune, -as I have said, had a wholesome fear of the -Teuton, and "<i lang="la" xml:lang="la">Civis Germanicus sum</i>" was an open-sesame -to Communist prison-doors. But to release -the poor French nuns was a more difficult task. Mr. -Washburne effected it in many instances; but it required -all his energy and decision.</p> - -<p>And here I must remark how much better and -more humane it was to do as Mr. Washburne did—to -hold such communication with the officials of the -Commune as was absolutely necessary, and so save -human life, and mitigate human suffering—than to -sit with folded arms, and say, "Really, I can have -nothing to do with those people," and so let fellow-creatures -suffer and perish.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span></p> - -<p>Where there is a will, there is generally a way. -Mr. Washburne was able to assist and protect indirectly -many persons whom he could not claim as -American citizens or German subjects. We could -not give a United States passport to a Frenchman, -but we could make him a bearer of dispatches, give -him a courier's pass, and so get him safely out of -Paris. Colonel Bonaparte escaped in this way. He -was on the "Black List" of the Commune for arrest, -and arrest then meant death.</p> - -<p>As the siege progressed, the bombardment became -more and more severe. The beautiful avenue of -the Champs Elysées was like a city of the dead. -Not a living creature was to be seen upon it for -hours. From time to time a man would emerge -cautiously from a side street, gaze anxiously up the -avenue, then start on a run to cross it. But the -"insatiate thirst of gold" is stronger than the fear -of death; and, at the worst of the bombardment, -men and boys were to be seen lurking near the Arch, -and darting upon an exploding shell to secure its -fragments while they were still too hot to hold. A -large business was done in these fragments after the -siege, as well as in the unexploded shells. They -were sold as relics; and the Parisian shop-keepers<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span> -mounted them as clocks, fenders, inkstands, penholders, -and other <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">articles de Paris</i>.</p> - -<p>A battery of immense strength was at length -erected at Montretout, near St. Cloud. It was probably -the most powerful battery ever erected in the -world. It opened upon the gate of the Point du -Jour, and in a few days the scene of devastation in -that quarter was fearful. Not a house was left -standing, scarcely a wall. Bodies of soldiers of the -National Guard lay unburied among the ruins. The -fire was too hot for their comrades to approach -them.</p> - -<p>In the mean time dissension reigned among the -Communists. A new Committee of Public Safety -was appointed. They arrested Cluseret, their Minister -of War, as they had already arrested Lullier. -They accused him of treason, and it would have -gone hard with him had the Commune continued -much longer in power. They said that "a hideous -plot had been discovered," but that the guilty were -known, and "their punishment should be exemplary -as their crime was unparalleled." They announced -that if the Commune fell, they would fire the city, -and its beauty and its pride should be buried with -them. They wrote forcibly, those fellows! Had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span> -they fought with as much vigor as they wrote, the -world would at least have respected their courage, -instead of pronouncing them as cowardly as they -were cruel. But their career of crime and folly was -drawing to a close.</p> - -<p>One day a citizen of Paris, a civil engineer, was -taking his afternoon walk. As he approached one -of the gates, not far from Auteuil, he was surprised -to find no National Guard on duty. He kept on, -and came to the fortifications. There was not a defender -in sight, while the French troops lay outside -under cover watching for some one to fire at. Why -they had not discovered the absence of the enemy -can only be accounted for by the general inefficiency -into which the French army had fallen. The -engineer raised his white handkerchief on his cane, -and when he saw that it was observed, quietly walked -through the ruins of the work, crossed the fosse, -and asked the officer in command why on earth he -did not come in; there was a gate, and no one to defend -it. It occurred to the officer that it might be -as well to do so; that perhaps that was what he was -there for: so he marched in with his company, -and Paris was taken. It was rather an anticlimax! -After a delay of months, and a fierce bombardment,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span> -to enter Paris on the invitation of a citizen taking -his afternoon walk! It was never known how that -gate came to be left unguarded. It was probably -owing to dissensions in the Commune. The battalion -holding it had not been relieved, as they expected -to be; so they voted that they would not stay -any longer, shouldered their muskets, and marched -off.</p> - -<p>The troops entered on the 22d of May. Once -fairly in, the work was comparatively easy; but -they proceeded with great caution. It was said that -Gallifet urged that he should take his cavalry, and -scour the city. I believe that he could have done -it on that day, for the Communists were thoroughly -demoralized; but it was thought to be too hazardous -an operation for cavalry. The next morning the -troops advanced unopposed as far as the Place de la -Concorde. I have the word of an American friend, -whose apartment looked upon the Place, that the -strong barricade which connected the Rue St. Florentin -with the Tuileries Gardens was then undefended, -and that if the troops had advanced promptly -they could have carried it without resistance; but -while they sent forward their skirmishers, who found -no one to skirmish with, and advanced with the ut<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span>most -caution, a battery, followed by a battalion of -the National Guard, galloped up from the Hôtel de -Ville. The troops then began regular approaches. -They entered the adjoining houses, passing from -roof to roof, and occupying the upper windows, till -finally they commanded the barricade, and fired -down upon its defenders. They filled barrels with -sand, and rolled them toward the barrier. Each -barrel covered two skirmishers, who alternately rolled -the barrel and picked off the defenders of the barricade -if they ventured to show themselves. My informant -saw a young and apparently good-looking -woman spring upon the barricade, a red flag in her -hand, and wave it defiantly at the troops. She was -instantly shot dead. When the work was carried, an -old woman was led out to be shot. She was placed -with her back to the wall of the Tuileries Gardens, -and, as the firing party leveled their pieces, she put -her fingers to her nose, and worked them after the -manner of the defiant in all ages, or, as Dickens expresses -it, "as if she were grinding an imaginary -coffee-mill."</p> - -<p>Many of their strongest positions were abandoned -by the insurgents, having been turned by the troops. -Those that resisted fell one after the other, carried<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span> -in the way I have described. Indeed, I can see no -possibility of a barricade holding out unless the adjacent -houses are held too. That at the head of the -Rue St. Florentin was of great strength, a regular -work; for the Communists had several excellent -engineers in their ranks, graduates of the military -schools, men who had been disappointed under the -Government in not meeting with the promotion -they thought they deserved, and so joined the Commune. -The ditch of the barricade St. Florentin was -about sixteen feet deep. It made a convenient burying-ground. -The dead Communists, men and women, -were huddled into it, quicklime added, and the -fosse filled up. As the pleasure-seeker enters the -Rue de Rivoli from the Place de la Concorde he -passes over the bodies of forty or fifty miserable -wretches—most of them scoundrels of the deepest -dye—but among them some wild fanatics, and some -poor victims of the Commune, forced unwillingly -into its ranks.</p> - -<p>Much must be pardoned to soldiers heated with -battle, and taught to believe every prisoner they -take an incarnate devil. But making all allowances, -there is no excuse for the wholesale butcheries committed -by the troops. A friend of mine saw a house<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span> -in the Boulevard Malesherbes visited by a squad of -soldiers. They asked the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">concierge</i> if there were -any Communists concealed there. She answered -that there were none. They searched the house, and -found one. They took him out and shot him, and -then shot her. One of the attachés of the Legation -saw in the Avenue d'Autin the bodies of six children, -the eldest apparently not over fourteen, shot to -death as <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">pétroleuses</i>, suspected of carrying petroleum -to fire the houses. There was no trial of any -kind, no drum-head court-martial even, such as the -laws of civilized warfare require under all circumstances. -Any lieutenant ordered prisoners to be -shot as the fancy took him, and no questions were -asked. Many an innocent spectator perished in -those days. An English officer had a narrow escape. -He approached a crowd of prisoners halted for a -moment on the Champs Elysées; and when they -moved on, the guard roped him in with the rest, and -would not listen to a word of explanation. Happily -he was able to attract the attention of the Marquis -de Gallifet and explain his position. An officer of -high rank who was escorting a batch of prisoners to -Versailles is said to have halted in the Bois, ridden -down the column, picked out those whose faces he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span> -particularly disliked, and had them shot on the spot. -The number of lives taken after the defeat of the -Commune can never be accurately known; but it -was generally computed at the time to exceed the -number of those lost in both sieges.</p> - -<p>Petroleum next became the madness of the hour. -Every woman carrying a bottle was suspected of being -a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">pétroleuse</i>. The most absurd stories were told -of its destructive properties. Organized bands of -women were said to be patrolling the streets armed -with bottles of petroleum. This they threw into the -cellar windows, and then set fire to it. The windows -were barred, and the cellars in Paris are universally -built in stone and concrete. How they effected -their purpose under these circumstances is not -readily seen. If this was their <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">modus operandi</i>, they -were the most inexpert incendiaries ever known. -The Commune should blush for its pupils in crime. -I do not believe in the petroleum story, and I do not -think that one-third of the population believed in it. -Yet such was the power of suspicion in those days, -and such the distrust of one's neighbor, that every -staid and sober housekeeper bricked up his cellar -windows, and for weeks in the beautiful summer -weather not an open window was to be seen on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span> -lower stories. No doubt every second man thought -it a great piece of folly thus to shut out light and -air from his lower stories; but if he had not done -as his neighbors did, he would have been denounced -by them as a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">pétroleux</i>.</p> - -<p>The leaders of the Commune, as I have said, had -sworn that, if the city were taken, they would blow -up the public buildings, and bury every thing in a -common ruin. Happily, their good-will exceeded -their ability. They had no time to execute their -atrocious projects. They burned the Tuileries, the -Finances, the Hôtel de Ville, the Comptes, the Hotel -of the Legion of Honor, and a small portion of -the Palais Royal. The only irreparable loss was -that of the Hôtel de Ville. The Finances, the -Comptes, and the Legion of Honor had no imperishable -historical associations connected with them. -The Tuileries was an old and inconvenient building. -The Emperor had already rebuilt it in part. Plans -for reconstructing the whole building had been prepared -and still exist, and nothing but the want of -money had prevented their being carried into execution -long before.</p> - -<p>I do not propose to dwell upon the horrors of the -nights of the 23d and 24th of May, when all Paris<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span> -appeared to be in flames. The view from the high -ground upon which the Legation stands was very -striking. A pall of smoke hung over the city by -day, and pillars of fire lighted it by night. One of -the most painful features of those days was the prolonged -suspense. We did not know which of the -magnificent monuments of Paris were in flames; for -the troops permitted no approach, and the most -startling rumors were current. The Louvre was at -one time in danger, but happily escaped.</p> - -<p>I pass over, too, the cruelties of the march of the -prisoners to Versailles, and the sufferings they there -endured. These things are written in the annals -of the times, and no good can be done by reviving -them. Beautiful France has been sorely tried with -revolutions. Let us hope that she has seen the last.</p> - -<p>In the hotel of the German Embassy at Paris may -be seen several articles of value, mostly Sèvres and -Dresden china, which the German Government desires -to present to Mr. Washburne, General Read, -and some few other officers of the United States, in -token of its gratitude for services rendered to German -subjects during the war. These articles can not -be received without the permission of Congress. -The House promptly passed the joint resolution.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span> -The Senate still hesitates. Mr. Fox, formerly Assistant -Secretary of the Navy, and the officers who accompanied -him to Russia, were permitted to receive -such presents as "the Emperor might see fit to -give them." Are Mr. Washburne and his subordinates, -who certainly rendered some services, and -suffered some hardships, less entitled to receive this -permission than Mr. Fox and his companions, who -took a monitor to Cronstadt?</p> - -<p> </p> -<hr class="chap pg-brk" /> -<p> </p> -<div class="transnote"> -<a name="TN" id="TN"></a> - -<p><strong>TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE</strong></p> - -<p class="customcover">The cover image was created by the transcriber -and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -<p>Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been -corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within -the text and consultation of external sources.</p> - -<p>Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, -and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. 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