By five o'clock the fate of the day was so
completely decided that a French officer carrying a white duster, in default of any flag of truce, came to ask for terms. The reply was, that on a subject so important King William could only treat with an offi- cer of rank, and at half-past six, General Reille, the Governor of Sedan, returned with a terse and dignified letter from the Em- peror to the King,—" Mon Frere," it ran, " n'ayant pa mourir la tete de mon armee, je depose mon epee aux pieds de votre Majeste." In point of fact, it seems now to be stated on German evidence that the Emperor was personally in the front line of several desperate charges against the Bavarians near the bridge of Bazeilles. In reply to the Emperor, the King fixed an interview with him for the next day ; but as the Emperor stated that he had no command, and had no power to make terms either for the army in Sedan, or for the Regency at Paris in relation to peace, his sur- render was only personal. To General De Wimpffen, uncondi- tional surrender of the whole army, and the fortress, and all the flags and guns, were the only terms proposed. The General at first
said he would rather die than accept such terms, and he was given time till the next day (Friday, September 2) to consider ; bid Von Moltke very considerately showed him his maps and plans with the position of his troops, made a full display of his force, including the 6th Corps and the Wiirtembergers, who had not been seen by the garrison on the previous day, and convinced him that it would be inviting a sheer massacre to resist bathes, The Germans con- ceded, however, to the Fanch officers'the right to-keep their side- arms, and to be liberateron parole on their giving a promise not to fight against the Germans in this war,—an offer of which only about 150 officers out of the whole number, which must be consider- ably over 2,000 in an army of 100,000, availed themselves, as they refused to deprive themselves of the chance of fighting again for their country. On the same day, the surrender of the great host, who are to be distributed between the provinces of North and South Germany, took place, and on Saturday (3rd September) the first columns of the Crown Prince's Army were already off on their march to Paris.
