I now hastily dressed myself also, and after I had informed them downstairs that the Chief had gone off to Sedan to meet the Emperor Napoleon, who had left the fortress, I followed him as fast as I could. Some 800 paces from the bridge across the Meuse at Donchery to the right of the road, planted with poplars, stands a single house, then the residence of a Belgian weaver. It is painted yellow, is but one story high, and has four windows on the front. There are white shutters to the windows on the ground floor; the venetian blinds on those of the first floor are also painted white, and it has a slate roof, like most of the houses at Donchery. Near it to the left is a potato field, now full of white blossoms, while to the right, across the path that leads to the house, stand some bushes. I see here that the Chancellor has already met the Emperor. In front of the house are six French officers of high rank, of whom five have caps with gold trimmings, while that worn by the sixth is black. What appears to be a hackney coach with four seats is waiting on the road. Bismarck and his cousin, Count Bohlen, are standing opposite the Frenchmen, while a little way off is Leverström, as well as two hussars, one brown and one black. At 8 o’clock Moltke arrives with a few officers of the general staff, but leaves again after a short stay. Soon afterwards a short, thick-set man, in a red cap braided with gold lace, and wearing red trousers and a hooded cape lined with red, steps from behind the house and speaks at first to the French officers, some of whom are sitting under the hedge by the potato field. He has white kid gloves, and smokes a cigarette. It is the Emperor. At the short distance at which I stand from him I can clearly distinguish his features. There is something soft and dreamy in the look of his light grey eyes, which resemble those of people who have lived fast. His cap is set a little to the right, in which direction the head is also bent. The short legs do not seem in proportion with the long upper part of the body. His whole appearance has something unmilitary about it. The man is too soft, I am inclined to think too pulpy, for the uniform he wears. One could even fancy that he is capable of becoming sentimental at times. Those ideas, which are mere impressions, force themselves upon one all the more when one glances at the tall, well-set figure of our Chancellor. Napoleon seems fatigued, but not very much depressed. Nor does he look so old as I had expected. He might pass for a tolerably well-preserved man of fifty. After a while he goes over to the Chief, and speaks to him for about three minutes, and then—still smoking and with his hands behind his back—walks up and down by the potato garden. A further short conversation follows between the Chancellor and the Emperor, begun by Bismarck, after which Napoleon once more converses with his French suite. About a quarter to 9 o’clock Bismarck and his cousin leave, going in the direction of Donchery, whither I follow them.
The Minister repeatedly related the occurrences of this morning and the preceding night. In the following paragraphs I unite all these various statements into a connected whole. The sense of what the Chancellor said is faithfully given throughout, and his own words are in great part reproduced.
“After the battle of the 1st of September, Moltke and I went to Donchery, about five kilometres from Sedan, for the purpose of carrying on the negotiations with the French. We spent the night there, the King and his suite returning to Vendresse. The negotiations lasted until midnight, without, however, leading to an understanding. In addition to Moltke and myself, Blumenthal and three or four other officers of the general staff were present. General Wimpffen was the French spokesman. Moltke’s demand was very short. The whole French army must surrender as prisoners of war. Wimpffen considered that too hard. The army had deserved better treatment by the gallantry it had shown in action. We ought to be content to let them go on condition that they took no further part in the war, and removed to some district in France to be fixed upon by us, or to Algiers. Moltke quietly maintained his demand. Wimpffen dwelt upon his own unfortunate position. He had joined the troops two days before on his return from Africa, and only took over the command when MacMahon was wounded towards the close of the battle—and yet he must now put his signature to such a capitulation. He would rather try to hold the fortress or venture a sortie. Moltke regretted that it was impossible for him to make allowance for the position of the general, the hardship of which he appreciated. He recognised the gallantry of the French troops, but they could not possibly hold Sedan, and a sortie was out of the question. He was prepared to allow one of the general’s officers to inspect our positions, in order that he might convince himself of that fact. Wimpffen then urged that from a political standpoint it was advisable to grant better terms. We must desire a speedy and permanent peace, and we could now secure it if we acted generously. A considerate treatment of the army would put both the soldiers and the whole people under an obligation of gratitude, and would inspire friendly feelings towards us. An opposite course would lead to endless war. I intervened at this point, as my trade came into question here. I told Wimpffen it was possible to trust to the gratitude of a Prince but not to that of a people, and least of all to that of the French. They had no permanent institutions, they were constantly changing governments and dynasties, which were not bound by what their predecessors had undertaken. If the Emperor’s throne were secure it would be possible to count upon his gratitude in return for more favourable conditions. As matters stood it would be foolish not to avail themselves to the full of the advantages of our success. The French were an envious, jealous people. They were angry with us for our victory at Sadowa, and could not forgive us for it, although it had not injured them. How then could any generosity on our part prevent them from bearing us a grudge for Sedan? Wimpffen could not agree to that. The French had changed latterly, and had learnt under the Empire to think more of peaceful interests than of the glory of war. They were ready to proclaim the brotherhood of nations, and so on. It was not difficult to prove the contrary, and to show that the acceptance of his proposals would lead rather to a prolongation of the war, than to its termination. I finished by saying that we must maintain our conditions. Castelneau then spoke, explaining on behalf of the Emperor that the latter had only given up his sword on the previous day in the hope of an honourable capitulation. I asked, ‘Whose sword was that? The Emperor’s, or that of France?’ He replied, ‘Merely the Emperor’s.’ ‘Well then,’ interjected Moltke, sharp as lightning—a gleam of satisfaction overspreading his hawk-like features—‘There can be no further question of any other conditions.’ ‘Very well,’ declared Wimpffen, ‘in that case we shall renew the fight to-morrow.’ ‘I will see that our fire commences at 4 o’clock,’ said Moltke, on which the French expressed a wish to retire. I induced them, however, to remain a little longer and to consider the matter once more. The result was that they ultimately begged for an extension of the armistice, in order to consult with their people in Sedan. At first Moltke did not wish to agree to this, but finally consented on my pointing out to him that it could do no harm.
“Towards 6 o’clock on the morning of the 2nd of September, General Reille appeared before my lodging at Donchery, and said the Emperor wished to speak to me. I dressed immediately and got on horseback, dirty, unwashed, and dusty as I was, to ride to Sedan, where I expected to see the Emperor. I met him, however, on the road near Fresnois, three kilometres from Donchery. He sat with three officers in a two-horse carriage, three others accompanying him on horseback. Of these officers I only knew Reille, Castelneau, Moscowa, and Vaubert. I had my revolver buckled round my waist, and as I found myself alone in the presence of the six officers I may have glanced at it involuntarily. I may perhaps even have instinctively laid my hand upon it. Napoleon probably noticed that, as his face turned an ashy grey. Possibly he thought that history might repeat itself—I think it was a Prince de Condé who was murdered while a prisoner after a battle.[6]
“I saluted in military fashion. The Emperor took off his cap, the officers following his example, whereupon I also removed mine, although it was contrary to the regulations to do so. He said, ‘Couvrez-vous, donc.’ I treated him exactly as if we were at Saint Cloud, and asked him what his commands were. He wished to know whether he could speak to the King. I said that was impossible, as his Majesty’s quarters were about two German miles away. I did not wish him to see the King before we had come to an understanding as to the capitulation. He then asked where he could wait, which indicated that he could not return to Sedan, as he had either experienced or apprehended some unpleasantness there. The town was full of drunken soldiers, which was a great hardship for the inhabitants. I offered him my quarters at Donchery, which I was prepared to leave immediately. He accepted the offer, but when we had come within a few hundred yards of the town he asked whether he could not stay in a house which he saw by the road. I sent my cousin, who had followed me, to view the house. On his report I told the Emperor that it was a very poor place. He replied that it did not matter. After he had gone over to the house and come back again, having probably been unable to find the stairs which were at the back, I accompanied him to the first floor, where we entered a small room with one window. It was the best in the house, but its only furniture was a deal table and two rush-bottomed chairs.
“Here I had a conversation with him which lasted for nearly three-quarters of an hour. He complained first of this fatal war, which he had not desired. He was forced into it by the pressure of public opinion. I replied that in Germany nobody had wished for war, and the King least of all. We had regarded the Spanish question as a matter concerning Spain and not Germany, and we were justified in expecting from the good relations between the princely house of Hohenzollern and himself that an understanding could be easily come to with the Hereditary Prince. We then went on to speak of the present situation. He wished above all to obtain more favourable terms of capitulation. I explained that I could not go into that question, as it was a purely military one, with which Moltke would have to deal. On the other hand it was open to us to discuss an eventual peace. He replied that he was a prisoner, and therefore not in a position to decide. On my asking him whom he regarded as competent to treat, he referred me to the Government in Paris. I observed that the situation had therefore not changed since yesterday, and that we must maintain our demand respecting the army in Sedan, as a guarantee that we should not lose the benefits of our victory. Moltke, to whom I had sent word, and who had arrived in the meantime, was of the same opinion, and went to the King in order to tell him so.
“Standing before the house the Emperor praised our army and the manner in which it had been led. On my acknowledging that the French had also fought well, he came back to the conditions of the capitulation, and asked whether we could not allow the troops shut up in Sedan to cross the Belgian frontier, there to be disarmed and held as prisoners. I tried again to make it clear to him that that was a question for the military authorities, and could not be settled without the concurrence of Moltke. Besides, he himself had just declared that as a prisoner he was not able to exercise his authority, and that accordingly negotiations respecting questions of that kind should be carried on with the principal officer in command at Sedan.
“In the meantime a search had been made for a better lodging for the Emperor, and the officers of the general staff found that the little château of Bellevue near Fresnois, where I first met him, was suitable for his reception, and was not yet requisitioned for the wounded. I advised him to remove there, as it would be more comfortable than the weaver’s house, and that possibly he wanted rest. We would let the King know that he was there. He agreed to this, and I rode back to Donchery to change my clothes. I then accompanied him to Bellevue with a squadron of the 1st Cuirassier Regiment as a guard of honour. The Emperor wished the King to be present at the negotiations which began here—doubtless counting on his soft-heartedness and good nature—but he also desired me to take part in them. I had however decided that the soldiers, who were made of sterner stuff, should settle the affair by themselves; and so I whispered to an officer as I went up the stairs to call me in five minutes and say that the King wanted to speak to me. This was accordingly done. Napoleon was informed that he could only see the King after the conclusion of the capitulation. The matter was therefore arranged between Moltke and Wimpffen, much on the lines that were laid down the evening before. Then the two monarchs met. As the Emperor came out after the interview his eyes were filled with heavy tears. In speaking to me he was much less affected, and was perfectly dignified.”
We had no detailed particulars of these events on the forenoon of the 2nd of September; and from the moment when the Chief, in a fresh uniform and cuirassier’s helmet, rode off from Donchery until late at night, we only heard vague rumours of what was going on. About 10.30 A.M. a detachment of Würtemberg artillery drove past our house at a trot. In every direction clouds of dust rose from the hoofs of the cavalry, while the bayonets of long columns of infantry glistened in the sun. The road at our feet was filled with a procession of waggons loaded with baggage and forage. Presently we met Lieutenant von Czernicki, who wanted to go into Sedan, and invited us to drive with him in his little carriage. We had accompanied him nearly as far as Fresnois when, at about 1 o’clock, we met the King with a large suite on horseback, including the Chancellor, coming in the opposite direction. As it was probable that the Chief was going to Donchery we got out and followed him. The party, however, which included Hatzfeldt and Abeken, rode through the town, and we heard that they were viewing the battle-field. As we did not know how long the Minister would remain away we did not venture to leave Donchery.
About 1.30 P.M. some thousands of prisoners marched through the town on their way to Germany. Most of them were on foot, but some of them were in carts. They included about sixty to seventy officers, and a general who was on horseback. Amongst the prisoners were cuirassiers in white helmets, blue hussars with white facings, and infantrymen of the 22nd, 52nd and 58th regiments. They were escorted by Würtemberg infantry. At 2 o’clock followed a second batch of about 2000 prisoners, amongst whom were negroes in Arab costume—tall, broad-shouldered fellows, with savage, ape-like features, and some old soldiers wearing the Crimean and Mexican medals.