364 



GERMAN-FRENCH WAR. 



evening, took to flight. Von der Tann ordered 

 his army to halt in front of Orleans, but, in- 

 toxicated with victory, the Bavarians pene- 

 trated into the city. The French troops in 

 Orleans were in a most demoralized condition, 

 and, as soon as the Germans began to throw 

 the first bombshells into the city, its surrender 

 was resolved upon. At 8 o'clock in the even- 

 ing the Germans entered. On the next day 

 they imposed upon the city a contribution of 

 1,000,000 francs, which, at the earnest solicita- 

 tion of the mayor, was reduced to 600,000 

 francs. The two wings of the French army 

 of the Loire were not more successful than 

 the centre. The right wing, on learning the 

 advance of the Germans, fell back from Pithi- 

 viers toward Orleans without risking a battle, 

 while the left wing was forced to retreat 

 across the river Eure, and lost in a skirmish 

 near Cherisy 1,000 prisoners. A few days 

 after the capture of Orleans, the Twenty- 

 second Prussian Division, under General Wet- 

 tick, advanced toward the road leading from 

 Paris to Tours. It captured, on October 18th, 

 after a battle lasting five hours, Chateaudnn; 

 on October 21st, Chartres, the capital of the 

 department Eure-et-Loire ; and, on October 

 25th, Dreux. While generally successful, the 

 corps of Von der Tann met with one accident. 

 On October 8th a squadron of a cavalry regi- 

 ment was surprised in the little town of Ablis, 

 and with the exception of only 48 men, cut 

 down or captured. As the inhabitants were 

 charged with having aided, not only in carrying 

 out the surprise, but in massacring the German 

 soldiers, the whole town was burned down. 



The Parisians, in the mean while, had made 

 several attempts to interrupt the progress of the 

 siege. On September 30th a sortie was made, 

 chiefly directed against L'llay, but branching 

 off toward Chaisy lo Roi in the east and Sevres 

 in the west. ' It was everywhere repulsed, and 

 caused to the French a loss of 1,200 killed and 

 wounded, and 300 unwounded prisoners. A 

 sortie, on October 13th, was made to re- 

 gain the heights of Clamart, which had been 

 taken by the Germans on September 19th, and 

 changed into a German outpost ; it was equally 

 unsuccessful. The only important result of 

 the French cannonading was the destruction 

 of the celebrated castle of St. Cloud. Several 

 other sorties, on the next day, were easily re- 

 pulsed by the Twelfth and Sixth Corps. About 

 this time (October 16th) the town of Sois- 

 sons capitulated, after a bombardment lasting 

 for four days. The capitulation gave to the 

 Germans not only 4,700 prisoners and 128 pieces 

 of ordnance but also full control of a very 

 important railroad, which not only increased 

 the means of communication with Germany, 

 but gave them easier access to the most fertile 

 portion of France. On October 17th Montdi- 

 dier was captured by Saxon cavalry after a 

 brief defence; and on October 21st the Prussians 

 entered the fortress of St. Quentin. The 

 Grand- duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, gov- 



ernor-general of all the parts of France which 

 were occupied by German troops, with the ex- 

 ception of Alsace and Lorraine, transferred on 

 October 23d his headquarters from Reims to 

 the castle Ferrieres near Paris ; and a new corps 

 (the Thirteenth), formed of the Wurtemberg 

 troops and of a division of Prussian landwehr 

 which had arrived from Strasbourg, was placed 

 under his chief command. From Paris an 

 important sortie had been made in the mean 

 while, under the command of Ducrot, in the 

 direction of Bongival (west of Paris on the 

 Seine) ; but, although the Germans were sur- 

 prised, and the sortie was vigorously supported 

 by the forts and by gunboats in the Seine, it 

 was repulsed by Brandenburg and Schleswig- 

 Holstein troops. 



In order to organize the resistance of France 

 more efficiently, the country had been divided 

 into four military districts, each of which was 

 placed under a military governor-general. 

 Kratry received the supreme command of 

 the Gardes Mobile, the National Guard, and the 

 franc-tireurs of the western departments. On 

 October 28th the German army which had 

 conquered Metz began its new movements. 

 One part of the Seventh Corps was sent out 

 to besiege Thionville, while the other part re- 

 mained to garrison Metz; the Third, Ninth, 

 and Tenth Corps, under Frederick Charles, 

 turned toward Central and Southern France, 

 and the First, Second, and Eighth Corps, under 

 Manteuffel, marched northward along the 

 northern frontier. On the same day a new 

 sortie was made from Paris in a northerly 

 direction, which was so far successful, that 

 the French took. possession of LeBourget, east 

 of St. Denis. Trochu announced the success 

 in a glowing proclamation, which created in the 

 Parisians an enthusiastic hope for a turning of 

 the tide. But the hope was of short duration. 

 As early as October 29th the artillery of the 

 Prussian Guard began successfully to bombard 

 Le Bourget, and on October 30th it was re- 

 taken by the Prussian Guard under Budritzky, 

 after a brilliant and most bloody battle. This 

 reverse brought on the explosion of the ex- 

 citement which for a long time h'ad been mani- 

 fest among the Reds of the suburbs Belleville 

 and La Villette. Large masses of furious 

 people, headed by Flourens, marched to the H6- 

 tel de Ville, occupied it, made several members 

 of the Provisional Government prisoners, and 

 charged them with treason. Picard, with the 

 aid of the National Guard, succeeded in clearing 

 the town hall, and releasing the imprisoned 

 members of the Government, and dispersing the 

 crowd. At an election held on November 3d, 

 the people of Paris, by a very large majority, 

 gave to the Government a vote of confidence ; 

 but the insurrection had made so profound an 

 impression, that Thiers deemed it best to make 

 a new effort for the conclusion of an armis- 

 tice. He thought at first of going to Paris in 

 order to act in concert with the Paris mem- 

 bers of the Government. But, Avhen Bismarck 



