94 
CHANZY^S CAMPAIGN. 
About tbe 15th of December Chanzy withdrew from the Loir to Le 
Mans on the Sarthe, at the junction of the Sarthe and the Huisne, and 
as he withdrew he left three divisions to detain the Germans. The 
distance from Vendome on the Loire to Le Mans is about 40 miles; 
the distance from Orleans to Paris is about 75 miles; the distance from 
Le Mans to Paris is about 110 miles. Chanzy determined, if he could 
worry out the Germans, to move to Paris at once, and with that object 
he collected any amount of supplies and stores to hand over to the army 
that, according 1 to the plan, would have escaped from Paris, and would 
naturally be lacking in provisions. One French division (Curten’s) 
came up towards Chateau Renault and St. Amand, Jouffroy’s was near 
the Loir, another under Rousseau was near Nogent-le-Rotrou and on 
the right bank of the Huisne; consequently there were three detaining 
forces, one on the left flank of the German movement, one in front of 
the German movement, and the other against the right flank of the 
German movement. 
What was the German movement? A great enveloping movement, 
not on such a great vast scale as at Sedan, of course, but with the 
object of closing in on the French and cutting these railways which you 
see marked, nipping them if possible—at any rate compelling them to 
evacuate Le Mans and go further away from Paris. And Paris was 
the whole object of the Germans. They did not want to conquer 
France, but they wanted to render it utterly out of the question that 
any French force from any quarter should break the investment of 
Paris. Now, these German troops were thus situated about the 4th of 
January : the 5th and 6th Divisions of the 3rd Corps, Alvensleben's, 
between the Loir and Orleans ; the 18th Division, Hessians, at Orleans; 
the 19th Division at Blois—that is the 19th Division of the 10th 
Corps; and the 20th Division of the 10th Corps at Vendome. These 
had a great force of Cavalry, 6th and 1st Cavalry Divisions. On 
the extreme right were the 5th Division of Cavalry, next the 4tli 
Division of Cavalry, then the 13th Corps at Chartres, composed of 
the 17th and 22nd Infantry Divisions, and then the 2nd Cavalry Divi¬ 
sion. The 13th Corps was to move to Illiers, then to Nogent-le-Rotrou 
(pointing out the same) ; and then it was to cross the river Huisne, 
and, supported by the 4th Cavalry and a brigade of the 5th Cavalry, to 
come on the right of the river Huisne towards Le Mans and to threaten 
the left rear of Chanzy’s corps. The 3rd was to push rapidly across the 
river past Chanzy’s old position between Vendome and Freteval, past 
the little river Azay, pass the little river La Braye and the river Anille on 
to the river Le Nanais, from Parigne TEveque to Ardenay. I am sorry 
to trouble you with somewhat puzzling names of places, otherwise un¬ 
known to fame, but we must follow Chanzy, and to get at him we must 
mention the meeting places towards which the Germans converged. 
The 10th Corps was to come along by Montoire, La Chartre, and Graud 
Luce. As I have said, the French object was to get away up towards 
Paris by Chartres; the German object was to head them in this direc¬ 
tion to attack them between St. Calais and Le Mans, and to cut them 
off from other districts, north-west and south-east. The French detain¬ 
ing action was good so far as Jouffroy was concerned. The Germans, of 
