| Show D DEFENSE TO THE NEW YORK MA HERALD 24 aug aub agg A gg to mr A fr james gordon benn een proprietor of the herald bo boik i nearL near cinege lege trept ept 6 1874 sir T the he impartiality of dof your honorable journal before tho rude trials which I 1 have undergone and the strong marks of sympathy wh ichi achl ca I 1 have since received from your representative in europe induce e me to publicly thank you the rho english press and the american press in in general have not allowed thein their judgment to be concerning the terrible drama jrr irr which next to tb thee chaye been the most unhappy victim with the exception of the t e london dinies german sympathies are well known the english E na h is ii press was extremely favorable at the tho commencement of the war the tho russian press ressi resel wa mas mag also ver very ar sensible anu nna often brought me items of the most prel precious clous cious consolation bu but t it was wag in lheA ibe ahe american merica 11 journals thal that I 1 found uly wiy my best dei fenders fender sand and the most impartial criticism they thoy haye have never systematically abused mo me as othen others other s have done Recent recently ls 1 asi aej I wAs waa passing through cologne several parties of american cans camo came 13 spontaneously bously to visit mb me and to assure mp me of patny wished to I 1 shike shake my band hand tha same as th they ey had lead previously done to general sherman on the occasion of his pa passage c sage through Ve versailles mailles I 1 c are care but little blittle for demonstrations as a rule vt but I 1 confess to haying bayan been deeply affected by the exhibit exhibition ton ion of american friendliness american biti citizens zens are nol not like ilke the french demaeo Kues who pretend that an act of patriotism is an insult to de feared they th ej deemed I 1 jt t to be the part of good policy to make or of mo me an jex victim the a army rm y and the nation charged me with ail all their thein faults with all their weaknesses with all their bil sil sins and then they sacrificed me I 1 do not wish to e complain of the judgment rendered i against ins ing me because that ju judgment dg is invalid an on account of the composition of the thed court which rendered it for th the old laws declare that chatan an a accused i individual shall bo be tried by his peers pe ers this legal guarantee was refused me the council was wag presided eni ezi ded over by a prince of the ilar blood 0 whose name had hwd been befi re removed moved from the rolls rolis lofther of the tho arm army y since 1848 when he was s compelled to occlude himself in the walks of civil life who has ne never neven conducted any operations of jm e and aud who possesses no other military merit than that of being leing theon treon the p i on or of taking gand and af hadj dg been a colonel at twenty two years jears or of arth a age e through the privileges of high birth I 1 have no longer the tho hope that thit strict justice will be promptly done me mei I 1 had but two supports whose authority and rind impartiality assured me during the those who allowed me to be immolated immo I 1 in d orden order to appease a c certain cermin coterie and public sorrow these were the emperor who is dead and thiers who has been set aside and replaced replace b by Y macmahon my former comrade it resulted therefore that I 1 alone i had to pass pas through the whole terrible 1 complexity of events from I 1 the day that tho the co command minand of the army of the rhine W was as imposed impose i d upon me mei I 1 have drank the baiter bitten cup even eveh to the dregs bull buta ought not to complain for the E emperor lost both the throne and his bis life ilfe and france withstanding noth the bravery displayed by her armies has lost three departments the germans alonis alone have pro fitted by the war and with them those who remained at home far from the field of battle so that they might the better flatter the passions of the people and the more easily bring brin 9 about a great national calamity I 1 might truly say with the ancient roman boman justice thou art but a word but I 1 prefer to wait the verdict of f time and Jil history story I 1 should not even have attempted to escape from prison had hod M my y former comrade e seen fit to lessen le hsei the severities of my rny captivity during buring my trial 1 I 1 bholi should id have employed the same wea pons that mac mae mahon mation used against me I 1 should have shown in my defence how macmahon had been beaten and had evacuated alsace without endeavoring deavor deavo ring ing to defend the without resisting the march of the enemy without utilizing the railroads railroad roads tun yur leaving mcf my night hight uncovered and turned ried tied notwithstanding the order he had bad r received not nal to repass beyond nancy wancy I 1 should have shown his ignorance of the numerical strength and the movements of the tied enemy tion in accepting battle battla blindfold eJ his impudence in in risking the reputation odthe of the old african troops which he commanded in one battle I 1 could have haver shown clearly elearly how in forgetting the first duties of a general in in order to play the part of a fighting soldier 06 idler he must mur be regarded as one of bf the first authors of our disasters but I 1 imitated the conduct 0 4 the ithe emperor accusing any one I 1 and never seeking to throw the responsibility upon others macma maama lion ilon had been as unfortunate at sedan as I 1 was at A metz as trochu and ducrot were in paris taris as 1 waud wand and Cline Clin haut chaut were were in tile the east he had forg forgotten otten all this when he became president and his 1 fa want of memory was the chief incentive n to my escape I 1 envy mac mae leahon in one thing and that is the wound that he received at sedan gedan which permitted him to tb honorably pas pass over the tile command to fo the general ral who signed the capitulation of sedane and rand to cast his hig responsibility upon the emperor who most graciously accepted M it instead of bf indulging in recrimination I 1 think that each did his utmost to suc buc succeed ceede france accustomed to record victo ries rles really believed that she could not be conquered she had bad been spoiled by the campaigns in the crimea and in italy here the letter continues to enumerate the causes of the disasters to the french army and complains bitterly of the dued who had pro fitted b by the tho opportunity to place himself on record and continues the only feat of arms performed by this young soldier who pretends tobe lobe to be able to judge a marshal like me was his adventurous march marchio to i u r is 0 the camp of abdelkader abd el radon kaden and ca capturing atu ring the women and cattle A few months passed in africa is 13 not sufficient to make a military man and to permit him to appreciate the thel conduct of a commander in e chief hief alten aften a lengthy enumeration 0 ol 01 I 1 the thecla cir clr under tinder which he accepted and exercised his bis com command r and the lieb lies as follows j my liy excuse for eng engaging ag ingIn in politics is that I 1 did go BO in id spite of myself and because the revolutionists had doneso done so before I 1 didt cid I 1 had sworn allegiance to the emperor and the constitution approved by the popular vote tota I 1 held my com command manci mancl from the emperor and not from the insurrectionary ary government an unworthy faction that took toor tool ad advantage vintage of the absence of the emperor and the army to invade the Corps Legis negis IsI atit allt I 1 believed the emperor of russia would come to our assistance nc that victor emanuel might pass the alps and pay the debt of cf gratitude he had contracted at magenta and solferino it if this be to meddle meddie ifft politics the then n I 1 did thosa those wilo me with it as a crime bave have done as ilum without any authority the court martial has bas aund jound a way WILY to condemn conk duin duyn and to absolve me at the same time and in the same breath declares me a criminal anda hero they were puzzled what conme course tupu tuf tuu pu sue eue their duty auty urged them tol to apply aDra conlan law 1 aw thel thelm rleon con sciences told them liras I 1 was guilty neither of nor of conspiracy tareo years after the events su subordinates sat gat in edg 1 ment on the the chief chier of the army il icaco ace being all found avell to direct their anger against some borne one and as the emperor was no ab longer there I 1 was chosen as fis the object of general attach attack tho those thosa se who before the war demanded universal re asal disarmament who would have urged rebellion had bad the emperor attempted to introduce day the emperor understanding the situa urn always had hall confidence in my loyalty and und would never consent to abandon me nue my gratitude is isalio aiso also dup to aniere who had the courage to defend me on in my y return from 31 mexico exico iam lam I 1 am convinced that had he dot vot men been he llo would have found a means of the disgraceful grace tul tui trial to which I 1 was subjected rhe the loss of alsace has been Imputed to me but uit the truth is that alace aiace al ace was lost after even after the dis els aster abter and after the precipitate retreat of the army metz could hava been saved gaved when thiers who alone retained his common mo sense came to propose peace but the struggle was continued in order that the dictatorship might be retained and ana the thle organization of a definite goye gove prevented the enemy could never have been crushed crashed with raw levies without discipline or ardor ardon defeat followed defeat and when nothing remained we were completely 1 in 1 I the gower power of germany the pretended d motive tas was vas to jo save sate saved sated the he nati national onil honor but hut the army of t he had saved it beford be forthe the demagogues thought of doing so in one day it rad had inflicted more I 1 loss oss on orl the gea germans Ger ge mars a than did all ali the forces of paris in four months mcmahon and I 1 hare hate been unfortunate but never ridiculous no germa germau u ever laughed while fighting me such suph sights as a w were ere cre seen at paris and at tours could only c conpra om ralie ratie ine ene ere the national honor fariny for myself I 1 am sm an old soldier and do not understand U der stand politics I 1 mar mak ewar ewan not speeches arido not allow W frightened by big words 1 jules juies favre flattered me gabbett called mea men ule uie a traitor but IF I 1 n not mote move me As regards mexico the emperor had bad to choose between evacuation and andai a war with w th the united states to avoid a conflict lct iet he gave theonder the orden onder to return but maximilian was waa unwilling either to return to austria or orto orio to abdicate although agh he hei well veli TrellA understood that napoleon could not ustain sustain a w ith the thi united states stales imaki mIlIan Jn birite tilte of wise couns conus counsels els eis preferred to seek an honorable ono rable rabie death that Is the truth troth and that is the extent of each ones responsibility for ty my consolation the thought remains that even washington washing n did not escape injustice and that lf lafayette Y passed through ordeals more terrible than mine I 1 T am M far from being rich but besides my liberty there still remain tome to me immeasurable in treasures for companions I 1 haye late an american lady who gives ine the stron strongest gee i proofs of devotion deTo tion I 1 laye lave child ren I 1 adore a brother brot herand berand and some come mends minds who have remained faithful position is not hopeless if need should be 1 would follow tho the example of if the conquered richmond and take refuge re fuge fage in labor sim pie soldier I 1 carried a i musket labor does not disho dishonor noh not I 1 do not hookon my military career as ils ended I 1 enjoy health tind and bodily vigor tigor some duties rem remain r t in to be I 1 shall fulfill fulfil them 1 when the time cames comes I 1 hope fortune fortu be will grant me a last smile ns as she often does to pid old sol soi diers accept 1 dear mr I fr bennett with all my thanks r renewed assurance cumy of my most distinguished consideration biz BAz alie aibe new york herald heralds |
