evening papers the despatch announcing the defeat of Chanzy has
been published, and a request from Trochu to General Schmitz to apply at
once for an armistice of two days to bury the dead. "The fog," he adds,
"is very dense," and certainly this fog appears to have got into the
worthy man's brain. Almost all the wounded have already been picked up
by the French and the Prussian ambulances. Nearly all the dead are in
what are now the Prussian lines, and will no doubt be buried by them. In
the afternoon, as a suspension of arms for two hours was agreed to, our
ambulances pushed forward, and brought back a few wounded, but not many.
Most of those who had fallen in the Prussian lines had already been
moved, their officers said, to St. Germain and St. Cloud, where they
would be cared for. At three P.M. Jules Favre summoned the Mayors to a
consultation, and General Trochu also came in to the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs for half an hour, and then returned to Valerien. The feeling
against him is very strong. It is said that he has offered to resign;
and I think it very probable that he will be the Jonah thrown out to
the whale. But will this sacrifice save the ship? All the Generals are
roundly abused. Indeed, in France there is no medium between the Capitol
and the Tarpeian Rock. A man who is not a victor must be a traitor. That
undisciplined National Guards fresh from their shops, should be unable
to carry by assault batteries held by German troops, is a thing which
never can be admitted. If they fail to do this, it is the fault of their
leaders. Among those who were killed yesterday is M. Regnault, the
painter who obtained at the last salon, the gold medal for his picture
of "Salome." He went into action with a card on his breast, on which he
had written his name and the address of the young lady to whom he was
engaged to be married. When the brancardiers picked him up, he had just
strength to point to this address. Before they could carry him there he
was dead. But the most painful scene during the battle was the sight of
a French soldier who fell by French balls. He was a private in the 119th
Battalion, and refused to advance. His commander remonstrated. The
private shot him. General Bellemare, who was near, ordered the man to be
killed at once. A file was drawn up and fired on him; he fell, and was
supposed to be dead. Some brancardiers soon afterwards passing by, and
thinking that he had been wounded in the battle, placed h