And now, making its First Army the pivot of its movement, the whole German line effected a change of front to the right. On the 11th of August, the King of Prussia moved his head-quarters accross the frontier, to St. Avold. On leaving Saarbrück, he addressed the following proclamation in French, to the French people, a proclamation that afterwards served as the text for severe recriminations against German ambition and faithlessness, when the Emperor Napoleon had ceased to represent the national existence of France. We, William, King of Prussia, make known the following to the inhabitants of the French territories occupied by the German armies. "The Emperor Napoleon having made, by land and by sea, an attack on the German nation, which desired and still desires to live in peace with the French people, I have assumed the command of the German armies to repel this aggression, and I have been led by military circumstances to cross the frontiers of France. I am waging war against soldiers, not against French citizens. The latter consequently will continue to enjoy security for their persons and property so long as they themselves shall not by hostile attempts against the German troops deprive me of the right of according them my protection. By special arrangements, which will be duly made known to the public, the generals commanding the different corps will determine the measures to be taken towards the communes or individuals that may place themselves in opposition to the usages of war. They will, in like manner, regulate all that concerns the requisitions which may be deemed necessary for the wants of the troops, and they will fix the rate of exchange between French and German currencies, in order to facilitate the individual transactions between the troops and the inhabitants."

The French continued in full retreat towards the Moselle. On the 14th the German vanguard, belonging to the army of Steinmetz, came up with the three Corps of Decaen, Frossard, and L'Admiraut, near Courcelles, while they were crossing that river and a sharp contest ensued, in which both sides claimed the victory, but the result was, that the French retired into Metz, while the Germans remained on the field of battle. The next day the Emperor and Prince Imperial started in a carriage for Verdun, and narrowly escaped falling into the hands of the Prussians on their way thither. From Verdun they made their way to Châlons. Then for a time, the Emperor's name passed from mention. The world scarcely knew where he was. Before leaving Metz, however, he addressed the people in a proclamation: "In leaving you to oppose the invading enemy," he said, "I rely upon your patriotism to defend this great city. You will not allow the foreigners to seize the bulwark of France, and you will emulate the army in courage and devotion. I shall preserve a grateful memory of the welcome I have found within your walls, and I hope to be able to return in happier times to thank you for your noble conduct." noble conduct." Rumours were afloat that his mind had grown gloomy and unsettled, and that he was constantly complaining of betrayal and false advice.

On Tuesday, the 16th, King William's head-quarters were at Pont á Mousson, between Metz and Nancy. The object of the Prussians now was to cut off the retreat of the French army on Verdun and Châlons. A series of bloody engagements ensued, ending invariably to the advantage of the Prussians. On the 16th, several divisions of the French, with the Imperial Guard, were stopped on their march westwards between Mars la Tour and Gravelotte by General Von Alvensleben with three Army Corps, subsequently reinforced by Prince Frederick Charles and another Corps, and were driven back towards Metz after a struggle of twelve hours' duration. On the 18th, at Rezonville, where they attempted to make a stand, they again suffered a complete defeat; the King of Prussia commanding his troops in person on this occasion. These two battles were desperately contested. It was estimated that, between the 14th and 18th of August, the French lost, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, 50,000 men. But the German losses were also terribly severe. At Mars la Tour they amounted to 17,000; at Rezonville to a higher number still. On the former occasion the 24th Regiment had 47 officers and 1400 killed and wounded, and indeed the whole 3rd Corps remained a mere wreck. The wife of a Prussian officer wrote:- The first regiment of Dragoon Guards went first into fire, and were so slaughtered that only 120 men were left; the 2nd Dragoons were taken to make up the number of the 1st, and were in their turn cut down. The very flower of the Prussian nobility has perished. Our friends and familiar faces that we had met every year in society are all dead, and there is the saddest desolation." It appears that this great loss was caused by the French infantry, which had masked a line of mitrailleurs and concealed them from the advancing Prussian cavalry, opening out when charged, and leaving the foe exposed to the fire of these machines. Prince Salm Salm, who was with the Emperor Maximilian in Mexico, was one of the victims on this occasion. The remainder of the forces commanded by Bazaine were henceforth effectually shut up in Metz. They had entirely lost their communications both with Paris and with the retiring army of MacMahon. That army, or rather the broken and diminished fragment that remained of it, moved still towards Châlons, where the Army of Reserve under Marshal Canrobert was being diligently reinforced by new levies. To Châlons all eyes were now turned; for it was fully expected that here a great battle would be fought to bar the nearer approach of the Germans to Paris. The vigour and scientific readiness of the German army were shown in the resources which it immediately applied to the work of invasion. Around Metz, barrack huts were rapidly constructed of timber or patch-work; doors and windows from the neighbouring villages being used as material. A telegraph was carried round the whole of the investing camp, and a railroad formed at a little distance from the works, to connect the lines of operation. All the officers were provided with maps of the country, on which the minutest

details were set down carefully, even the trees, hedges, and smallest watercourses being marked.

Meanwhile the Crown Prince, having received large reinforcements from the side of Landau since his battles of Wissemburg and Wörth, detached his Baden contingent to besiege Strasburg, some of his Bavarian troops to besiege Phalsbourg and other fortresses of the Vosges, and with his main army marched westwards across Lorraine, took the town of Nancy without resistance, and crossed the Moselle; then turned northwards, and had joined the direct road from Metz to Verdun, at the time that the armies of Steinmetz and Frederick Charles were occupied in pushing Bazaine back into Metz. These two armies were now left to beleaguer Metz, under the command of Frederick Charles, Steinmetz being removed from his leadership, on account, it was said, of the somewhat prodigal waste of life with which he conducted his military operations. The Crown Prince marched on towards Châlons, and on the 24th, the King, following his movements, had his head-quarters at Bar le Duc. But already, three days before that date, the French camp at Châlons had broken up. MacMahon, with 180,000 men, had begun his, as it proved, fatal movement through Rheims to the north-east, with the view of joining hands with Bazaine, and thus bringing the united armies down on the rear of the Crown Prince, cutting him off from his communications with Frederick Charles and with Germany, or else causing him to retreat hastily in fear of such a contingency. This movement, the Emperor, at a later date, in his pamphlet of Wilhelmshöhe, spoke of as undertaken against his own better judgment, and in compliance with the strongly expressed opinion of the Paris Regency. Nothing could have happened more propitious to the strategical previsions of Von Moltke, who had purposely encouraged the idea that the bulk of the German army was marching straight on Paris, and that a comparatively insignificant force only was left with Prince Frederick Charles before Metz. But, in fact, the army of Frederick Charles had by this time so securely entrenched itself round Metz, that it was able to spare the 4th and 12th North German Corps and Prussian Guard to take shape as a 4th Army, 80,000 strong, which was confided to the command of the Crown Prince of Saxony, and called the Army of the Meuse, and this army now marched westward to block the passage of the French down the valley of the Meuse, and to join the forces of the Crown Prince. For, as soon as MacMahon's northeasterly march was ascertained by the Crown Prince, he too struck north to Grand Pré and Varennes. It was a race between the two armies, in which the Germans, as usual, were favoured by the bad organization of their enemies. Commisariat difficulties delayed MacMahon some invaluable days at Rethel. At Beaumont on the 29th, his troops were surprised by two Prussian and a Bavarian Corps, and driven into Mouzon; and at Carignan, on the 30th, they were again defeated, and the Prussians entered the place, taking twenty-three guns and 3000 prisoners. Two days after took place

the great Battle of SEDAN; when the German forces, after twelve hours' hard fighting, succeeded in stretching their lines all round the town, and forcing the diminished and baffled army of MacMahon to take shelter under the walls. A bombardment from the heights was about to be instituted by the victors, when a flag of surrender came in. A great captive had been caught in the toils. The Emperor himself was with MacMahon's army. The story is thus told in the despatch sent on the 3rd by the King of Prussia to Queen Augusta at Berlin :

"TO QUEEN AUgusta, at Berlin,

"Vendresse, South of Sedan, Sept. 3.

"You will have learned through my three telegrams the whole extent of the great historical event which has just taken place. It is like a dream, even when one has seen it unroll itself hour by hour; but when I consider that after one great successful war I could not expect any thing more glorious during my reign, and that I now see this act follow, destined to be famous in the history of the world, I bow before God, who alone has chosen my army and allies to carry it into execution, and has chosen us as the instruments of His will. It is only in this sense that I can conceive this work, and in all humility praise God's guidance and grace. I will now give you a picture of the battle and its results in a compressed form. On the evening of the 31st and the morning of the 1st the army had reached its appointed positions round Sedan. The Bavarians held the left wing, near Bazeilles, on the Meuse; next them the Saxons, towards Moncelle and Daigny; the Guards still marching towards Givonne, the 5th and 11th corps towards St. Menges and Fleigneux. As the Meuse here makes a sharp bend, no corps had been posted from St. Menges to Donchery; but at the latter place there were Wurtemburgers, who covered the rear against sallies from Mézières. Count Stolberg's cavalry division was in the plain of Donchery as right wing; the rest of the Bavarians were in the front towards Sedan. Notwithstanding a thick fog, the battle began at Bazeilles early in the morning, and a sharp action developed itself by degrees, in which it was necessary to take house by house. It lasted nearly all day, and Schöler's Erfurt division (Reserve 4th Corps) was obliged to assist. It was at eight o'clock, when I reached the front before Sedan, that the great battle commenced. A hot artillery action now began at all points. It lasted for hours, and during it we gradually gained ground. As the abovenamed villages were taken, very deep and wooded ravines made the advance of the infantry more difficult, and favoured the defence. The villages of Illy and Floing were taken, and the fiery circle drew gradually closer round Sedan. It was a grand sight from our position on a commanding height behind the above-mentioned battery, when we looked to the front beyond Pont Torey. The violent resistance of the enemy began to slacken by degrees, which we could see by the broken battalions that were hurriedly retreating

from the woods and villages. The cavalry endeavoured to attack several battalions of our 5th Corps, and the latter behaved admirably. The cavalry galloped through the interval between the battalions, and then returned the same way. This was repeated three times, so that the ground was covered with corpses and horses, all of which we could see very well from our position. I have not been able to learn the number of this brave regiment, as the retreat of the enemy was in many places a flight. The infantry, cavalry, and artillery rushed in a crowd into the town and its immediate environs, but no sign was given that the enemy contemplated extricating himself from his desperate situation by capitulation. No other course was left than to bombard the town with the heavy battery. In twenty minutes the town was burning in several places, which, with the numerous burning villages over the whole field, produced a terrible impression. I accordingly ordered the firing to cease, and sent Lieutenant-Colonel Von Bronsart, of the General Staff, with a flag of truce, to demand the capitulation of the army and the fortress. He was met by a Bavarian officer, who reported to me that a French parlementaire had announced himself at the gate. Colonel Von Bronsart was admitted, and on his asking for the Commander-in-Chief, he was unexpectedly introduced into the presence of the Emperor, who wished to give him a letter for myself. When the Emperor asked what his message was, and received the answer to demand the surrender of the army and fortress,' he replied that on this subject he must apply to General de Wimpffen, who had undertaken the command, in the place of the wounded General MacMahon, and that he would now send his adjutant-general, Reille, with the letter to myself.

"It was seven o'clock when Reille and Bronsart came to me, the latter a little in advance; and it was first through him that I learned with certainty the presence of the Emperor. You may imagine the impression which this made upon all of us, but particularly on myself. Reille sprang from his horse and gave me the letter of the Emperor, adding that he had no other orders. Before I opened the letter I said to him, 'But I demand, as the first condition, that the army lay down its arms.' The letter begins thus:- N'ayant pas pu mourir à la tête de mes troupes, je dépose mon épée à Votre Majesté,' leaving all the rest to me. My answer was that I deplored the manner of our meeting, and begged that a plenipotentiary might be sent, with whom we might conclude the capitulation. After I had given the letter to General Reille I spoke a few words with him as an old acquaintance, and so this act ended. I gave Moltke powers to negotiate, and directed Bismarck to remain behind in case political questions should arise. I then rode to my carriage and drove here, greeted everywhere along the road with the loud hurrahs of the trains that were marching up and singing the National Hymn. It was deeply touching. Candles were lighted every where, so that we were driven through an improvised illumination. I arrived here at eleven o'clock, and drank with those about