Diary of the Besieged Resident in ParisLabouchere, Henry Du Pré
History
Diary of the Besieged Resident in Paris
Labouchere, Henry Du Pré
Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1871; Paris (France) -- History -- Siege, 1870-1871 -- Personal narratives
General Blaise has been killed at Villa Evrard. The buildings, which go
by this name, were occupied on Wednesday by General Vinoy's troops. In
the night a number of Prussians, who had concealed themselves in the
cellars, emerged, and a hand-to-hand fight took place. Some of the
Prussians in the confusion got away, and some were killed. Several
French officers who ran away and rushed in a panic into the presence of
General Vinoy, who was at Fort Rosney, announcing that all was lost, are
to be tried by Court Martial. The troops when they heard this were very
indignant; but old Vinoy rode along the line, and told them that they
might think what they pleased, but that he would have no cowards serving
under him. Pity that he is not General-in-Chief.
A curious new industry has sprung up in Paris. Letters supposed to be
found in the pockets of dead Germans are in great request. There are
letters from mothers, from sisters, and from the Gretchens who are, in
the popular mind, supposed to adore warriors. Unless every corpse has
half a dozen mothers, and was loved when in the flesh by a dozen
sweethearts, many of these letters must be fabricated. They vary in
their style very little. The German mothers give little domestic details
about the life at home, and express the greatest dread lest their sons
should fall victims to the valour of the Parisians, which is filling the
Fatherland with terror and admiration. The Gretchens are all
sentimental; they talk of their inner feelings like the heroines of
third-rate novels, send the object of their affections cigars and
stockings knitted by their own fair hands, and implore him to be
faithful, and not forget, in the toils of some French syren, poor
Gretchen. But what is more strange is that in the pocket of each corpse
a reply is found which he has forgotten to post. In this reply the
warrior tells a fearful tale of his own sufferings, and says that
victory is impossible, because the National Guards are such an
invincible band.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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