Elihu Washburne by Michael Hill & David McCullough

Author:Michael Hill & David McCullough
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

5

PEACE

Diary—January 29, 1871

Sunday evening. 1st day of the armistice. Though we have had a practical armistice since Thursday night, it was only signed last night. It appeared this morning in the Journal Officiel and it has been sought for and read by the whole town. It is an appalling document to the French, but, after all, what can they do. Paris has held out well and suffered much, but there is a great history to be written of this memorable siege. But after all Paris has ignobly failed. With a half million of soldiers, not one effective blow was struck in four months and a half. Trochu has undoubtedly proved himself the weakest and most incompetent man ever entrusted with such great affairs. It is a question how the people are going to take this armistice. The soldiers are coming into the city today and the streets have been full of them wandering about perfectly loose. I hear tonight that the people broke into the great central market today and seized everything they could lay their hands on. The market men were demanding the most extortionate prices for everything that was eatable, and refused to make the least concession to the poor starving people. The consequence was that the said people “went” for them, and I am rather pleased than otherwise. I took a walk this evening up to 75, and all the way it was the desolation of desolations. How different from last June when everything was so beautiful and lovely. This evening Gratiot and I dined with the Moultons and had roast beef for dinner. In a few days more I hope we shall have something from the outside to eat. Still I have a “stock on hand” for a month yet, such as it is.

Diary—January 30, 1871

2d day of the armistice. I don’t know yet whether or not I will send out my bag tomorrow morning. I have sent Antoine to see about the opening of the railroads. Unsealed letters are permitted to go out and come in. People can go out on a permission procured from the French authorities, their passes to be vised by the Prussians. There is nothing said about the people coming in. We are now entering upon a new and interesting phase of things and the world will watch with anxiety the progress of events in France. I have great apprehensions. The number of delegates [to be elected] to the convention—730—is entirely too large, and the time, seven days, entirely too short in which to do anything.1 And suppose peace is made, then what? What form of government is to be ordained? Is there to be a republic, or will an Orleanist2 mount the throne? We must wait. Speculation is simply childish. The papers this morning swallow the armistice, but with wry faces. The government of the National Defense is denounced without stint. They have commenced caricaturing the members of the government the same as they caricatured the fallen dynasty. We had

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