Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: III. THE DARK DAYS OF SEDAN. The discrepancies about Sedan—MaeMahon wounded—Napoleon in the Field— Ducrot in Command—Wimpfen supersedes him—Napoleon and Ducrot in the Sous-Prefecture—Wimpfen's contumacy—The Final Bombardment and the White Flag—Bronsart's return from Sedan—Arrival of Reille on the King's Hill—Letters of Napoleon and the Prussian King—The Hymn of Victory : " Nun danket alle Gott"—Bismarck's supper in Donchery— The Midnight Conference—Napoleon's exit from Sedan—The Weaver's Cottage—The interview in the Chateau Bellevue after Capitulation—The French prisoner-Army on the Peninsula of Iges—The last of the Weaver's Cottage—End of Madame Fournaise. ONE day, no doubt, the inevitable historian will undertake the task of writing a detailed account of the strange events which occurred about Sedan during the first week of September, 1870; but if in the endeavour he escapes falling a victim to softening of the brain, he may be accounted an exceptionally fortunate man. With certain salient facts, it is true, no difficulties will present themselves. It is unquestionable that a great battle was fought on the 1st, resulting in the defeat and surrender of the French army; that Marshal MaeMahon, the French commander-in-chief, was struck down wounded in the early morning of that day; that on the same afternoon the white flag was hoisted by order of the Emperor Napoleon, who sent out to the German monarch a letter tendering the surrender of his sword; that Napoleon on the early morning of the 2nd came out from Sedan, and met and conferred with Bismarck at the weaver's cottage on the Donchery road; that, subsequently, the capitulation of the French army having been consummated, he had an interview with King Wilhelm in the Chateau Bellevue; that on the following morning he start... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.