1870 CAPITULATION OF METZ 11,000. On August 18 Werder began a bombardment so terrific that the city's dead could not be carried out to the cemeteries. Those who fell were interred in the Botanical Gardens. Within the town the destruction of property was appalling. The gallery of paintings; the new Protestant church, with its famous organ and its frescoes; the city library with its priceless manuscripts; the mansions in the better part of the city-all were struck by shells. Only the great Gothic cathedral and public hospitals were spared. The bombardment failed to bring the city to terms. Werder thereupon determined to bring the city to subjection by systematically capturing each line of defence until the innermost fortifications were reached. One after another the outposts were all captured. Unable to hold out longer, unwilling to subject the people to the horrors which would necessarily follow if the city were taken by storm, Uhrich hoisted the white flag on the Cathedral on September 27. Meanwhile, the organization of the new French levies was fast progressing. The most active of the men who were charged with this work was Léon Gambetta. His first task was to divide France into four military districts, with centres at Lille, Le Man, Bourge, and Besançon. General Motterouge first succeeded in getting together the Army of the Loire. The hastily gathered troops were no match for the Bavarians under Von der Tann, and were beaten near Orleans on October 9 and October 11. They retreated toward Bourge. Werder's army, relieved at Strasburg, moved on Bourge from the other side. With the occupation of Orleans, the German generals called a halt. While Metz still held out it was not safe to proceed too hastily. A great sortie attempted by Bazaine on the 7th of October had proven disastrous. Sickness broke out among the besieged troops, and the horses had to be sacrificed. On October 27 Bazaine capitulated. From one o'clock in the after DUEL OF "BOUVET" AND "METEOR" 1870 noon until dusk the French troops filed out of the gates of Metz, prisoners of war to the number of 173,000. Among them were 3 marshals of France, 70 generals, and over 4,000 officers. With the surrender of Metz, Prince Frederick Charles received 53 eagles, over 600 field-pieces, about 900 cannon which had been used in defending the fortress, and 300,000 infantry muskets. Never before did a modern army capture so rich a prize. In a proclamation Gambetta accused Marshal Bazaine of treason. The excuse of Bazaine, a devoted imperialist, that it was more important for his army to save France from its new government than from the foreign invader, has never been forgiven by Frenchmen. With the aid of the seven German army corps which had so long besieged Metz, the war was brought to a speedy end. On October 30 Thiers tried to arrange an armistice and failed. During his negotiations the Government was attacked on October 31. Trochu, Arago, Ferry, Picard, and Favre were imprisoned in the City Hall by the leaders of the mob, and were released only late at night by a few battalions of National Guards. The most spirited sea fight of the war occurred November 8 off Havana. The captain of the French gunboat "Bouvet" at Havana challenged the German gunboat "Meteor" to come out of the harbor and fight him. In plain sight of the people of Havana, gathered on the heights of the Morro and at the Punta, the two ships fought each other, circling around and around, but doing little damage. At last a shot from the "Meteor" pierced the "Bouvet's" boiler. She hoisted sail and took sanctuary within the three-mile limit. Keen disappointment was felt in France over the negative results achieved by her formidable navy. Two German corps under Von Manteuffel were despatched to Normandy in order to prevent the relief of the city of Paris from that side. Three corps under Frederick 1870 BATTLE OF CHAMPIGNY Charles hastened to the Loire to help Von der Tann, who had been compelled to give up Orleans on November 9, at Coulmiers. It was the only noteworthy success achieved by French arms during the entire war. The Army of the Loire undertook a great offensive movement; but on the 28th of November its right wing was badly beaten at Beaune la Rolande by the left wing of the Prussians. On December 2 the second battle of Orléans was begun; and two days later the Germans again entered the city, while the French retired to the left bank of the Loire. From November 28 to December 5 the French losses had been heavy. No less than 25,000 prisoners were taken by the Germans. At about the same time (November 30 to December 2) the Parisian army made a sortie toward the southeast, hoping to break through the German ranks and to reach the Army of the Loire. Brie and Champigny were the scenes of hot engagements. Famous in French annals is the heroic defence of the glass works at Champigny, which has been pictured in one of Detaille's most celebrated canvases. Yet it resulted in defeat for the French. The Parisian army was compelled to reenter the capital, to the mortification of General Ducrot, who had sworn to return to Paris "either victorious or dead." In the north Manteuffel had been as successful as his countrymen before Paris. At Amiens, on November 27, he defeated Faidherbe. To the long list of fortresses which had capitulated after the fall of Strasburg-Soissons, Verdun, Schlettstadt, Neubreisach, and Thionville-there were now added La Fère and the citadel of Amiens. December 6 Manteuffel entered Rouen, the capital city of Normandy. German uhlans scoured the country to the very coast, so that the French fleet, which had accomplished next to nothing during the war, was compelled to blockade the shores of its own country. The victories won in Normandy between November 27 and December 3 completely cut off communica AMADEUS I ASCENDS SPANISH THRONE 1870 tion between Paris and the cuter world, and crushed the last hope of relief for France. During these eventful days an oft-deferred ideal of patriotic Germans was brought to realization, by the combined efforts of Bismarck and the Crown Prince of Prussia. Under pressure from Bismarck, King Louis II of Bavaria sent a letter to the German princes and the Senates of the free cities, in which he proposed that the King of Prussia should thenceforth exercise his erstwhile prerogatives of President of the Confederation, as German Emperor. December 18 King William received a deputation from the North German Reichstag. On In the turmoil of war, on December 5, occurred the death of Alexandre Dumas, the elder, one of the most popular and prolific of French writers. His best known romances are "The Three Guardsmen," "The Count of Monte Cristo," and "The Queen's Necklace." Dumas's annual earnings at one time were nearly 1,000,000 francs. At Rome, some time after the official announcement of the Dogma of Infallibility had been made, the French garrison, which had so long guarded the Pope's citadels, was withdrawn under the stress of the war. In accordance with an understanding with Prussia, King Victor Emmanuel's troops, under General Cadorna, were ordered to march on Rome. On September 20 General Kanzler, the Papal commandant, capitulated. The Italian Parliament sanctioned the transfer of the royal residence and national capital from Florence to Rome by an overwhelming majority. Late in October the Spanish crown was offered to Amadeus, Duke of Aosta, the second son of the King of Italy, and was accepted by him. On December 28, the day that King Amadeus I landed at Cartagena, Marshal Prim was assassinated while driving to the Cortes in the Calle de Alcala at Madrid. EVENTS OF 1871 Army of Loire is Divided-Major Part under Chanzy Falls Back on Paris Minor Part under Bourbaki Marches East - Frederick Charles Drives Chanzy by Successive Battles to Laval - Göben (Prussian) Beats Faidherbe at St. Quentin-William I Crowned German Emperor at Versailles-Trochu Makes Sortie from Paris and is Defeated in Battle of Mont St. Valérian-Regnault, the Painter, is Killed-Vinoy Succeeds Trochu-He Surrenders Paris -Bourbaki is Repulsed by Werder on the Lisaine - Manteuffel Comes to Werder's Aid-Garibaldi Comes to Aid of Bourbaki-He is Intercepted by Kettle. at Dijon-Clinchant Succeeds Bourbaki— His Forces are Beaten at Pontarlier, and Retire into Switzerland, where They are Disarmed-Thiers Becomes President of French Republic-Belfort Capitulates-Peace Treaty Gives Alsace and Lorraine and Frontier Fortresses, Save Belfort, to Germany, with Five Milliards Indemnity-Russia Violates Treaty of 1856 by Putting War Fleet on Black Sea-Conference of Powers at London Condones the Infraction-Communists Drive National Troops from Paris-French Army under MacMahon Besieges Paris-They Take Forts Issy and Vauves-They Storm Gates of St. Cloud and Auteuil and Enter Paris-Communists Fire City-They are SubduedThiers Negotiates Loan-Death of Auber, the Composer-Japan Retires Daimios to Private Life-Brazil Abolishes Slavery-Great Fire in Chicago-New York "Times" Exposes Corruption of Tweed Ring-Stanley Finds Livingstone. T HE French army was in a terrible plight. Urged on by Gambetta, who had assumed all the power of a dictator, the recruiting officers pressed into service men whom they could not arm, whom they could not even feed. To the horrors of starvation were added the terrors of one of the bitterest winters ever known in this part of France. The major portion of the Army of the Loire, led by General Chanzy, who had taken the place of Aurelles de Paladine, fell back on Paris; the minor portion, under Bourbaki, who had been called from the north, marched eastward. Seventy thousand Germans, under Prince Frederick Charles, as they marched to meet Chanzy, likewise suffered severely. The battles between the Loire and Sarthe, at Azay and La Chartre, at Sargé and Nogent le Trou, at Lampron and La Chapelle, all fought between January 6 and January 10, |