Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 252, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1917 — Battles Which Made the World [ARTICLE]

Battles Which Made the World

SEDAN The Battle Which Marked the Downfall of the Mountebank Emperor and the Second French Empire, but Which Saw the •x French Soldier Intrepid In Defeat.

By CAPT. ROLAND F. ANDREWS

(Copyright, 1917, by McClnra Newspaper Syndicate)

Sedan, fought on September 1, 1870, was the losing battle of a demoralized France. It cost the French arms loss of prestige; perhaps even temporary loss of h onor. It cost France'the huge Indemnity demanded by triumphant Germany. But, for all this, its ultimate effect was of inestimable profit to France. For Sedan marked the collapse of the Second empire, over which reigned the Emperor Louis Napoleon—Napoleon the Little. From its ruin sprang the splendid republic of today. Sedan lies in northern France, 12 miles from Mezieres, on the right bank of the Meuse. To it came Marshal MacMahon and the discouraged, already half-beaten army of France, its commander so despondent that he could contemplate nothing more than a battle to sustain the honor of his troops. He did not even communicate with Vinoy, whose corps was. concentratingatMezieres. To the east there was a strong position, where the Fond du Givonne presented serious obstacle to the German Infantry. However, MacMahon ignored it. The German host came on in two columns, with only a weak cavalry screen between. Before daybreak the Bavarians had thrown a pontoon bridge across the Meuse, advancing toward Bazellles. where Vassoigne’s division, containing a number of marine and sailor battalions, gave them such a warm reception that they were completely disconcerted. About six in the morning the heavy night fog lifted, whereupon the German artillery came violently into action. One of the first shells wounded MacMahon. General Ducrot took over the command. Now it happened that there was with the army General Wimpffen, who had only arrived from Algiers on the night of August 30, and who had in his pocket a secret commission, authorizing him to assume command in

event of the, death or disablement of MacMahon. No one save Wimpffen knew of this. He was new to the troops and new to this theater of war. Therefore he hesitated to displace Ducrot, waiting until nine o’clock, when, perceiving that Ducrot intended to retreat toward the west, and convinced that salvation lay only In moving eastward toward Metz and the anny of Bazaine, he produced his papers and took charge. As a result there followed dire confusion, a good part of the army already having begun the execution of Ducrot’s orders. Northward of Bazellles the French were withdrawing, so that the Saxons swept easily over the ridge south of the Glvonne-Sedan road. This cut off the retreat of Vassoigne’s gallant fighters, who fell into the hands of the Germans an hour before noon.

At about the same time the German Guard corps began to form up between Daigny and Givonne, when suddenly a great column of French infantry, 6,000 strong, obeying Wimpffen’s orders of movement, came over the eastern border of the valley and charged at full speed for the guns. There followed what was probably the most dramatic spectacle of the war, for the whole of the corps artillery of the Guard turned upon these devoted men, tearing the column in half and; almost annihilating it. The head of the column, 2,000 strong, struggled desperately on, but comihg under flanking fire from both cannon and rifles, it fairly dissolved before the German eves. Another detachment of the Invaders crossed the river at Doncherey, driving back the French outposts to the south of the niy road so easily that the German artillery became recklessly exposed. Perceiving this and acting instantly, General, de Gallifet —“Old Silver Top,” as he was afterward called, because of the silver plgte which replaced a part of his skull —rushed up his brigade of Chasseurs d’Afrique and hurled a most dashing charge against the batteries. Gallifet might have accomplished something here, but he was utte-ly unsupported, and could not hold his advantage. He fell back with his hard-punished horse behind the Cazal-Hly ridge. Next the French infantry tried its hand again, making a brilliant, if 11lcharge out of its position and driving the Germans until the reenforcements dashed up. Then once more the French retired in more or less confusion, hoTding strongly at Flolng. Now, however, the French Twelfth corps frond itself furiously assaulted and in i uch peril that re-enforcements were sent up from Douay’s force. So pronounced was the confusion of the day that these re-enforcements actually crossed re-enforcements from the First corps which were being sent to ; Douay himsalf. And now German shells were crashing among the trees of the Bois de Garenne, causing such distress that Marguerltte’s division was ordered to charge. Margueritte himself was killed as he rode forward to reconnoiter, so Gallifet succeeded to his command. “For the next half-hour," says the Prussian account, “the scene defied description.” Charging again and again, Gallifet and his squadrons covered themselves with glory. Thpy numbered a bare

two thousand sabers, and they were stormed at by a terrific artillery fusil-| lade, but their isolated attacks were magnificent in courage and so effective, they proved to the experts that the day of charging by C«Valry in mass had not yet ended. When Galllfet’s horse were exhausted, however, the Germans advanced in a charge which extended over a front of almost two miles. Wimpffen, in a desperate counter stroke, cleared the Germans out of Bazellles and Balan, and for the moment the road to escape seemed open. What Wimpffen did not know was that another Prussian corps stood waiting behind the gap. Galloping back to the town to find the emperor and Implore him to put himself at the head of all available re-enforcements, Wimpffen was astonished to see a white flag displayed from the church tower. The emperor, who during the, early hours of the fighting had exposed himself fearlessly to death, had been overcome by physical pain and exhaustion, had abandoned hope and had offered his personal surrender to the king of Prussia, at the same time ordering the white flag to be hoisted.

It was torn down at the moment of its appearance by Colonel Fauve, but it went up again a short time later when the Prussians were battering at the western gate. It remained for Wimpffen only to make terms for the surrender of his army. Thus passed into captivity 72,000 French soldiers with 558 guns. The cost to the victors for this Victory was 9,000 men. The French killed and wounded numbered 17.000. It Is indicative of the demoralization among the French that this figure is 1,000 less than the cost of victory to the Germans at Woerth, although In that case the number of French actually engaged was one-half that at Sedan. The day of the French mountebank emperorwas done. There followed dreadful days of the commune. And from it emerged the magnificent France we now know.