Franco-Prussian War

The remote causes of this war are to be sought for in the mutual jealousy which had existed between France and Pru ia for some years. The immediate occasion of the war was an offer made in June, 1870, by General Prim, then at the head of affairs in Spain, of the crown of that country to Leoof Hohenzollern, a prince belong: ng to the reigning house of Pru ia. The war was welcomed by both sides with equal enthusiasm. The French were especially as and anticipated the cries o ae by shouts of “ A Berlin a Berlin! ” Preparations had begun to be made by both belligerents even before the date of the formal declaration of war, and were actively carried forward on both sides. The French were the first in “ged their troops to the frontier; ut in this they were only apparently in advance of the Germans, for it soon became manifest that the French army, instead of being in a complete state of readine for war, was defective in almost everything e ential to the equipment of an army, and that the munitions of war and other equipage, without which the army could not move, could not be sent after it with the requisite dispatch. Owing to the prevalence of the system of paying for substitutes who never appeared and were yet registered as belonging to the army, it was likewise discovered that the numbers of the army did not reach anything like the amount represented in the official estimates. In Germany everything formed a complete contrast to this state of matters. There the arrangements for mobilizing the army which had previously been tested in Pru ia, were again found to work admirably. Each section of the army was completely organized in the headquarters of the district which it occupied in time of peace, and was only sent to the frontiers after being furnished with everything it required. In this way the German army, though later than the French in reaching the scene of war, was ready to commence active operations as soon as all the sections had arrived, In addition to this, Pru ia, against which country alone the war had been declared, was not only -= aeeomng, to treaty by all the States of the North German Confederation, but also by those of the South, on whose neutrality, perhaps even upon whose alliance, Napoleon and _ the French had counted. The whole of Germany N. and S. was thus in arms, and was able to muster forces far outnumbering those of the French. While the whole French army brought into the field at the commencement of the war numbered no more than 310,000 men, the troops of the Germans in the field amounted in all to 477,000, to which must be added strong reserves ready, with the exception of such as were nece ary to protect the interior and to resist a threatened landing on the N. coast by the French fleet, to be brought to the scene of war at any time, giving a total strength on the side of the Germans of more than 1,000,000 of men. In these cireumstances the result could scarcely be doubtful. On September 1, 1870, the army of MacMahon was surrounded at Sedan by a force of overwhelmingly greater numbers, and on the following day both army and fortre surrendered bv capitulation. A corps which had been raised in Paris, and sent under Vinoy to the a istance of Marshal MacMahon, arrived too late to be of any service, and hastily returned to Paris. On this occasion 50 generals, 5,000 other officers, and 84,000 private soldiers became prisoners of war. | Among these was Napoleon III., who was unexpectedly found to have been _— with the army of MacMahon. | e had a — interview on_ the’ day after the battle with King William of Pru ia, who a igned to him’ Wilhelmshohe, near Ca el, as_ his place of residence during his captivity. One of the first consequences of this erushing defeat was an outburst of rage on the part of the Parisians against the Napoleon Nae which on Sept. 4 was declared by Gambetta and some members of the corps leg is lat if belonging to the Left to be dethroned. The same members then proceeded to the Hotel de Ville and proclaimed a republic. A government of national defense was then formed, at the head of which was placed General Trochu. The French made grand efforts to! organize new armies, and fought bravely against overwhelming numbers. Paris held out much longer than even the most sanguine of the French had at first expected.