THE GERMANS IN ORLEANS.

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 813, 6 March 1871, Page 2

THE GERMANS IN ORLEANS.

(From the Times' Special Correspondent. ) The entry of the Germans into Orleans yesterday morning was a scene calculated *o produce a lasting impression upon the minds both of the visitors and the vanquished. If suffering and humiliation be the fiery ordeal through which nations, like individuals, must pass to rise to a higher and purer standard of virtue, the French are draining the bitter cup to its dregs, while their opponents have the difficult lesson to learn of triumphing in a spirit of gentleness and moderation. The fact that they had already once bombarded •the town and driven out the enemy, that they had occupied it for four weeks and then been driven out in turn, and that they were now once more victorious over an army which was the result of the most strenuous effort of self - defence which Republican France was capable of putting forth, was calculated to produce a degree of exultation and satisfaction altogether exceptional, and to invest the second capture of Orleans with an interest peculiar to itself. In effect, the intensity of feeling arising out of the special circumstances of the case was observable on both sides. The proud elated air with which the regiments followed each other along the street which finally leads into the centre of the town, with colors flying and bands playing, was in striking contrast with the lugubrious appearance of the inhabitants. Few people were stirring when we entered between 8 and 9. Now and then we met a family all dressed in the deepest mourning, with eyes red with weeping, hurrying with baudboxes and carpet bags in their hands, from places of refuge in which they had passed the night, back to their homes — the wife clinging to the husband's arm ; the daughters with thick black veils and downset looks, rapidly following ; the whole party timidly shrinking from the warlike clang, and seeming to think that the stern words of command were especially addressed to them. Such families, evidently of the better classes, were almost the only wayfarers we met, and their path was rendered still more fearful by the dead men and horses still lying across the pavement, for these melancholy evidences of last night's fighting were not wanting. Even the last wounded man had not yet been removed from his icy bed in the gutter. In one place I observed a horse and a dog lying side by side, evidently killed by the same shell. All along the plastered walls on both sides of the streets were the bullet scores, and I hear that among the casualties are two Gendarmes who were wounded while chalking upon the doors and shutters, as is their wont, the quarters for the men. At the point where the railway crosses the road the suburb ends, and there are two iron gates leading into the town. Here was the barricade which raked the whole length of the street by which the town is entered, along which the enemy kept up the perpetual storm of rifle bullets which had turned us back on the previous night. Passing along the continuation of this street, the troops finally debouched upon ike "Place da Martry," in the centre of which, upon her bronze charger, and waving her sword, rides "the Maid," surrounded now by a dense throng of French prisoners, who had been captured during the night. As the whole army came pouring into the city, street after street began to resound, and the strains of martial music and the tramp of armed men drew eyes to every lattice ; but the blinds were kept closed for the most part, excepting some little chink left as a peep-hole. There must have been something appalling to the inhabitants in the numbers of the hostile army, as in never-ending columns regiment after regiment marched to the position assigned to it. On the balcony of the Hotel d'Orleans stood the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, returning the salute of his men, who looked for the first part as fresh and clean as if they had just turned out for parade, instead of having come off three days of hard fighting in mid-winter. The Jager Battalions, each man with a sprig of pine in his shako, were especially gallant-looking, and the inhabitants, when they came to compare the numbers and aspect of the conquerors with their own troops huddled together and shivering in the middle of the square, could scarcely have ceased to wonder at the result. As usual, the number of prisoners were enormous, aud if the present cold weather lasts, it seems that the whole remaining French armey will come and be captured. It is so much the easiest way, for soldiers who have been made to fight for their country against their will, of getting out of the difficulty. Amusing stories are told of the various modes of capture, lv one house a number of men were comfortably seated at dinner when the Germans entered, and invited them to join in the meal, saying that they must be hungry | after such fighting, and that there was not the slightest danger of making any escape, as they were waiting expressly for some one to come and capture them. Four men were taken by the Cuirassiers in the avant posies during the night, and were told to remain by a fire till morning ; when the morning came their number was increased to 12, who had deliberately corae and seated themselves by the fire of their own accord. One sentinel told me that during his watch upon the same night upwards of 30 French soldiers had come to him and asked Him in what ditection they should go in order to deliver themselves up as prisoners. These are only isolated instances that happen to have come under my notice, but it is no wonder, with such a spirit existing in the Republican army, that the number of prisoners is already swelled to the prodigious amount of 16,000, not hemmed in or surrounded as at Metz or Sedan, and certainly not betrayed by their General, but simply, so far as I can gather from talking to them, "bored." They are heartily disgusted with the war, are perfectly indifferent to Alsace and Lorraine, extremely susceptible to the cold, which is not to be wondered at considering its intensity, and seem to prefer life in a German town to the hardships of compaigning in winter in the presence of an overwhelming foe. Indeed, if the present cold lasts, it does not seem possible for the campaign to continue much longer. The Loire is carrying down masses of ice, and will apparently, soon be frozen over ; and, Bitting in a small room with a roaring fire, my hand is so cnld that I can scarcely hold the pen. What must it be for men engaged in outpost duty and other night work ? There seems to be difficulty, in the nioantinie, to know what to do with so many prisoners. Several thousands passed the night in the tnagnificant cathedral. Altogether, though the Republic has certainly produced a better fighting army than the Empire, it

seems as yet to have failed to evoke 'any very powerful spirit of patriotism, os**»r have given birth to deeds of heroism. The most that can be said for tho Ragblican army is that it has succeeded iriTnecting a tolerably good retreat in stead of having to capitulate wholesale ; but it is capitulating in detail, and the credit so far seems rather due to the General and officers than the men. Upon no one occasion, though the Germans have often given them the opportunity, have they awaited the charge of the latter. When we come to think that the united strength of the two armies could not have fallen short of 300,000 men, and probably exceeded that number, and that the result of nearly a week's fighting, including the engagements of Prince Frederick Charles' army, has been to inflict upon the Germana in all a loss of about 6000 in killed and wounded, it cannot be said that this supreme effort of resistance has* been worthy either of the nation or of' the occasion. It only shines by contrast with the lamentable fiasco of the armies of the Empire. The German loss has fallen, as it always does, on the officers and on special regiments. One regiment alone lost twenty officers in the battle of Bazoche-des-Hautes, and one battalion of Another regiment of Bavarians lost 190 men in the first day's fighting and 130 in the second. This regiment alone has lost since the beginning of the war 62 officers, only three of those who left Germany still remaining with it. It i 3 to be remarked that the French did not retreat so hurriedly as to leave behind the German officers who had been left in the city sick and wounded, on the occasion of their capture three weeks ago. The men were found in one of the churches, but the officers were considered too valuable to be left. The noise and confusion of the first two hours in Orleans it is difficult to depict : the rattle of the artilkry trains, the roll of drums, the jingle of the trotting cavalry, the shouts of officers, ,the tramp of battalions, the hopeless " jams " of the baggage trains, the squads of prisoners arriving from different directions, the cowering stray civilians crushed by this din of war, the weeping women, all combined to form a picture full of intense and striking contrast. During the whole of yesterday the streets presented this aspact. To day there is a slight change, The shops are slowly beginning to take down their shutters in obedience to an order they have received to that effect, and are consequently invaded by the soldiery, who have many necessities of clothing with which to supply themselves. To judge by the high prices and the enormous custom, the vendors of the articles of attire most in demand must be doing a thriving business. In a few hours every article of flannel underclothing in the town was purchased ; gloves are no longer to be had ; maps of this and the adjoining departments are long since exhausted; and officers and men with bundles nnder their arms are to be met in every directions. Stationers' and haberdashers' are decidedly the most popular ; the butchers, bakers, and tobacconists at once fell under martial law, and their contents were appropriated by the Tntendance, according to the usual regulations. This afternoon a few more of the inhabitants appear in the streets, but they all. look as if they were going to a funeral, and the upper windows of the houses are all shot. The most remarkable scene, however! is that which the interior of this grand old cathedral presents. I wonder if Bishop Dupanloup has visited it since it has been turned into a prison. As many thousand men as could possibly be crammed into it passed the night there, and when I visited it this morning several hundreds were still there. Inside the rails of. the fagade the soldiers had made a camping ground, and it was a mass of filth!, in the midst of which, grouped round fires, were bodies of prisoners. On entering, the smoke from these fires made inside was so dense that I conld scarcely see a dozen yards. All the chairs had been appropriated either to make fires with or to sit upon round them, aud the din of voices, the crackle of burning wood, the blinding smoke, the songs of the light-hearted Zouave, and loud voices of the Germans, all intermingled, produced a strange effect, But when in the midst of the unholy din the solemn strains of the organ pealed through the church, and the bright rays of the setting sun streaming through its gorgeous windows lit up the -wild, uncouth groups that were smoking and singing and cooking round their fires, and for a moment shot rays across the aisle which seemed to penetrate the dense smoke and flood it with a divine light, sacrilege seemed to have attained its climax. But it had not quite done so. Breaking short off from the solemn march which had for a second arrested the attention of even the reckless spirits who were now congregated here, the organ suddenly burst into an attempt at a jig — it seemed to have gone mad — under the impression of a musical Zouave. It launched forth into the wildest strains. Hanging eagerly bver the musician, who was really an accomplished artist, and made the organ perform wonderfully comical feats, was a delighted group of Turcos jabbering to each other in Arabic, and evidently highly pleased with the performance. Stimulated by their applause the Zouave made frantic efforts ; the crowd, which had rapidly collected, called loudly to invisible companions behind the organ for more wind, and the fun was waxing fast and furious; when, looking round, I saw a priest in tears. Standing near him were two ladies in black giving bread to the hungry crowd ; the steps of the altar had been so desecrated that it was impossible to approach it ; and a few lively spirits having thrown some cartridges into the fire, the smoke produced became so great that we were all obliged to rush to the doors 7 to get a whiff of fresh air, and I was hot sorry to be driven from a scene which fascinated while it revolted, and which was another of the absurd reductions to which devout men who worship at once the God of Love and the God of Battles are driven. It bad never occurred to me till I left the church that, owing to the exigencies of war, I had forgotten to uncover my head, I talked to several of the prisoners, and from all of them heard the same account of; the incapacity of their Generals, and the hardships they had to endure. I had, however, a very different story from those who had better opportunities of judging. In the opinion of persons in the highest degree worthy of credit, who were with the French army, the conduct of the superior officers was worthy of all praise, but the material was such as to render success impossible nnder the peculiar circumstances of the case. Still, as usual, there is a mystery somewhere.