Elihu Washburne

by Michael Hill

  Washburne had been hopeful that Burnside would be able to find some “starting point” between the French and the Prussians so that “negotiations with a view to peace may be entered upon.” However, Burnside’s attempt at mediation failed. Bismarck and General Moltke insisted that there be no “revictualment” of Paris during any declared armistice. “Not an ounce of food should enter Paris,” Moltke demanded. In his meeting with Burnside, General Trochu had adamantly refused to accept such a condition, claiming that “from the most remote antiquity, there had always been revictualment allowed in case of armistice.” Colonel Wickham Hoffman would write that this early attempt at reaching a peaceful settlement failed on this very “point of honor.”

  By mid-October the enormous strain of Washburne’s responsibilities had begun to take a toll on his already frail health. He was sick, lonely, overwhelmed and, at times, depressed. And now, with conditions deteriorating rapidly, more and more Americans were anxious to flee the capital.

  Elihu Washburne, Paris—to sister-in-law Lizzie Washburn—October 12, 1870

  A few newspapers have got in, but I have had no letter from Adele for a month. A gentleman sent me word from Versailles, however, that he saw her a week ago and that she and the other children were well. It is a great consolation to know that. She is at Brussels . . . Pitt followed his school to London. So you see how we are all scattered and broken and it is more than I bargained for. Sick, worn out . . . I wanted to get . . . some quiet and repose and have some peace and enjoyment with my family, but see what has been cast upon me. Made acting Minister for half a dozen countries, for three months I have been literally run to death. Even now during the siege I am engaged all the time and have no leisure at all. The military operations have driven me out of my own house and Gratiot and I are stopping with a friend downtown. Our house, charmingly situated on the magnificent avenue of the Empress, is now between two barricades and the beautiful lawn right across the street in front of us is all dug up and filled with troops . . .

  I have been laid up four or five days by a severe attack of illness . . . How happy you must be in your own house surrounded by your family, undisturbed by the horrors of war. I would consider it the greatest happiness to be once again settled down in my own house, surrounded by wife & children, and loose from political life . . . I hear very little from the United States except what I get from the newspapers. Few people take the trouble to write me . . . We have no idea as to when the siege will end . . . I don’t believe the Prussians can take the city either by bombardment or assault. It can only be by starvation and that will take a long time. Yet I may be mistaken. As soon as I get all the Americans out I may leave myself . . .

  Elihu Washburne, Paris—to Adele Washburne, Brussels—October 13, 1870

  This is really terrible not hearing anything from anybody for so long. To my mind things look very blue for the French. I do not now see how they are going to get out of their trouble, but I suppose some way will be found in the end. In these long and grievous days my mind has been dwelling on you and the children so much. My thoughts have all been on you and our dear old home. How varied and grateful to our Great Father I will be if we can get back to it once more and there live and enjoy ourselves undisturbed by the events which make such shipwreck in the world. What a miserable way of living is this—I am so uneasy and so anxious to see you and the dear ones. Gratiot is a great comfort to me here. I hope you are enjoying yourselves. I know our dear friends are kind to you and do everything they can for you. Always give them my kindest regards. They have always been our dearest and most devoted friends.

  Diary—October 14, 1870

  Twenty-sixth day of the siege. Paris, Friday night. A short story for today. Was very strangely attacked last night at midnight by great dizziness followed by violent vomiting for two hours. Abed all day . . .

  Diary—October 15, 1870

  While my bed is being made up I sit down briefly to record this day’s events, or rather not to record them, as I hear nothing of any importance. Many people have been to see me, but always the same “no news” . . . I have been suffering again all day. The terrible retching I had Thursday night has left, but so sore I can hardly move. And then the cold feet and the ague pains in my limbs . . .

  Diary—October 16, 1870

  I am able to get up and dress and go down to dinner. I have not been out of doors. I cannot hear any news . . . It is now four weeks since the siege commenced and but very little has yet been done on either side. With the exception of the two days when the French have made attacks, there has been a most profound quiet. It seems to me that this terrible calm must soon be broken by events which will stir the . . . world. In and surrounding Paris are nearly a million of men in arms, and inspired with a deadly hate of each other.

  Diary—October 17, 1870

  I went to the Legation quite early this morning and have been very busy all the day. Many people called. At noon went to the prison St. Lazare to see the poor German women. I found seventy-four of them imprisoned for no offense except being Germans. They were induced under various pretexts to remain until after the siege commenced and then they were all arrested and sent to prison. I have made arrangements to have them all released tomorrow and shall have them all cared for till the siege is over. When I had it explained to them what I proposed to do, many of them shed tears. They have been on rations of the very lowest diet. Not a morsel of meat is now dealt out to the prisoners. Everything seemed to be quite clean in the prison and many sisters of charity were in attendance . . . A good deal of cannonading all day, but no results.

  Elihu Washburne, Paris—to Secretary of State Hamilton Fish, Washington, D.C.—October 18, 1870

  Many of our countrymen, shut in by the investment of Paris, having become very anxious to leave the city, I asked General Burnside to procure, if possible, the permission of the Prussian authorities to go through their Prussian lines. The general having advised me that Count de Bismarck had authorized him to say that he would permit all Americans to go through their lines that I would ask for,4 I yesterday made application to the French government for authority to the citizens of the United States to leave the city and go through their military lines. Just as I was about to close my dispatches . . . I received the letter from Mr. Jules Favre which I have the honor to send herewith.5 I must confess that I was very much surprised and disappointed. If the decision is adhered to in its full force, the disappointment to large numbers of our countrymen now in Paris will be very great. I estimate that there are between two hundred and two hundred and fifty Americans now in Paris, and that about one hundred of them are anxious to leave. Among this number desirous of going away are found many cut off from their communications from home, who are without funds, and who have no means whatever of living. If the siege continues for a long time, and they cannot get away, their conditions must become deplorable in the extreme. I need not say that matters are becoming very embarrassing, but I hope we shall get through in some satisfactory way . . .

  Diary—October 20, 1870

  Sent for the doctor at midnight . . . Gratiot went for Dr. Swinburne of N.Y. Ten grams of raw chamomile. Yesterday the 31st day of the siege was abed all day and suffering a good deal in my head. At half past one today I get up long enough to write this down. Thought I would dress and go down to breakfast this morning but my head became so dizzy that I had to take to my bed again. I can hear of nothing of any interest transpiring. I am afraid that even now, when I have got Bismarck’s permission to have the Americans go through their lines, that the French will refuse. Indeed, they write me in that sense . . .

  Washburne was determined that Americans who wished should be able to leave Paris, General Trochu notwithstanding. As Wickham Hoffman later wrote, “The American Minister was not a man to sit down quietly under a refusal in a matter like this.”

  Diary—October 21, 1870

  33rd day of the siege. Was able to go to the Legation today, and have been busy all day. At 5 P.M. went
to see M. Jules Favre about Americans leaving Paris. The pressure to get out is getting to be very great, all nationalities are now calling on me. I believe that I am charged with the protection of half of the nations of the earth. It is understood that there has been a good deal of fighting today, but nothing has been heard at General Trochu’s headquarters up to 6:30 this evening. I think that is ominous; if the French had been successful there certainly would have been some news of it.

  Diary—October 22, 1870

  34th day of the siege . . . This has been a raw, chilly, lonesome day and I think there have been more “blue devils” about than any day during the siege. The meat ration has been cut down (fresh meat) to one eighth of a pound to each person for two days, but even that much cannot be had . . . The Parisians are apparently standing up pretty well under these deprivations. They are showing, however, symptoms of lawlessness—for a few days the people . . . have been going outside of the ramparts into the small villages and robbing the houses of everything in them. No effort is made to stop it, so far as I can learn. We are awaiting the official report of the fighting yesterday, but from what I gather, there were no particular results for the French. Thirty-five of their wounded were brought into the American ambulance.

  I had an interview of two hours with General Trochu this P.M. on the subject of the Americans leaving Paris. It was far from satisfactory, and it was impossible to tell what the French government is driving at . . . I was at the house, 75, today. The entire avenue is now barricaded just as you enter it by the Arc de Triomphe and so we have to go round by the back streets to get to the house. It looks dismal.

  Diary—October 23, 1870

  35th day of the siege. A long, dull, tedious Sunday and raining the first part of the day. Was arranging to get my people out who have passes. They were to leave tomorrow at noon, yet I have just learned that they are to be detained yet another day. There is no end to the delays, vexations and annoyances of this business. Went to see M. Jules Favre this evening and talked it all over, once more, for an hour. I should have no trouble if I had him alone to deal with.

  Finally, on October 24, General Trochu relented and agreed to Washburne’s request for a group of fifty-six Americans to leave. Still ill and confined to his bed, Washburne asked Gratiot and Wickham Hoffman to escort the Americans through the Prussian lines.

  Elihu Washburne, Paris—to Israel Washburn, Jr.—October 27, 1870

  When I am prostrated by my old fever and ague pains, away from Adele . . . and the children, I must confess to a little depression of spirits. It is, however, a wonderful comfort to have Gratiot with me . . .

  My countrymen to the number of fifty-six left today and I was sorry not to have been able to have gone into the Prussian lines with them. Col. Hoffman and Gratiot went out with them and saw them safely delivered over. They were received very courteously by the Prussians and were also very courteously escorted by the French. While so many went[,] a great number insisted upon remaining to go out when I go. I wanted all to go, so as I could leave without any trouble if I received instructions to do so. Some who made the most fuss and were most clamorous to leave declined going when they had a chance . . . We have been completely shut out from the world for the last fifteen days . . . [N]o letters from the United States since the first of September and no letter from Adele since the 17th . . .

  At the end of October, two events rocked Paris and nearly brought down the National Government of Defense. On the twenty-eighth, in an effort to break through the Prussian lines, the French launched a sortie at the village of Le Bourget, just outside Paris. It was a success at first, but two days later the Prussians reclaimed the town. On October 31, word reached the city that Metz, for months considered the “strongest fortress of France,” had fallen to the Germans and 170,000 more French soldiers had been taken prisoner. When word of these defeats reached Paris, the city broke into chaos. Radical “Red” leaders stormed the Hôtel de Ville and temporarily seized control of the government and its leaders.

  Diary—October 30, 1870

  42nd day of the siege. Sunday evening. Ill health since Wednesday last has compelled me to omit my “jottings down.” Yesterday, however, I was able to be up and write a number of letters . . . This morning [I] find myself about the same. I hope my attack will wear off in a few days. The weather is very wretched, raining nearly all the time. Friday and yesterday some little military operations. The French captured a little town a short distance from Paris, Le Bourget, and they claim to have held it so far against the attack of the Prussians. But these French newspapers lie so. You can place no reliance on anything you read in them.

  Today completes the sixth week of the siege and I must say within that time the most extraordinary change has taken place in and around Paris. Six weeks ago today, Col. Hoffman, Genl [John] Read and myself made an excursion through the city and along the ramparts. Nothing was completed and the confusion everywhere was complete. Had the Prussians known the weakness of Paris, they could have come right in. It was the same as Washington after the first Bull Run. But now all is changed—the amount of work that has been done in the defenses is almost incredible and the troops have all been put into shape and are now under quite a good discipline. I do not see for the life of me, how the city can be taken by assault. From all I can gather, I believe the Prussians intend bombardment. They say that they have got up the heavy guns and that they will soon open fire upon the devoted city. The French say they cannot send their shells into the city, but we shall see. The aspect of the Parisian population inspires everybody . . . no more riots, no more turbulences, but everything is sober and earnest.

  Diary—October 31, 1870

  Noon. Since writing the above, news comes of the fall of Metz. That together with the disgraceful affair of Le Bourget of yesterday has created a very bad feeling in Paris. The Official Journal tries to soften the situation . . . All is bad as can well be for France . . .

  Diary—November 1, 1870

  44th day of the siege. First as to the events of yesterday. Voilà! Another revolution. I was very busy at the Legation all day. Some gentlemen brought me news of the bad state of feeling in the city. The arrival of M. [Adolphe] Thiers,6 the surrender of Metz and the disgraceful affair at Le Bourget created profound emotion among all classes. The Reds, up to this time, cowed by the force of public opinion, now saw their opportunity. It had become necessary that I should see M. Jules Favre on an important matter and I went to the Foreign Office at half past five, and on my arrival, for the first time, learned of the gravity of the situation. I was then told that Trochu had been dismissed, and that Favre and all the members of the government of the National Defense had resigned; that there was an immense crowd at the Hôtel de Ville, and that all was confusion. I started immediately for the Hôtel de Ville, in company with a friend, and arrived there at six o’clock. When within two or three squares of the Hôtel we found the way on foot through the dense crowd of people and soldiers, and entered into the building. There we found mostly soldiers, who were roaming around with their muskets reversed. In the magnificent Hall of the Municipality there seemed to be a sort of public meeting going on, and we started to mount the staircase which led to it. We had scarcely reached the head of the stairs when we saw there had been a grand eruption of other soldiers into the building. They appeared to be composed mostly of the Garde Mobile and Garde Sédentaire. We immediately descended and got out of their way and went around by another staircase, and finally got into the hall by a side door.

  It was dimly lit by two oil lamps. The room was literally packed with soldiers yelling, singing, disputing and speech-making. The side rooms were also filled with soldiers, who sat around the tables, copying lists of the new government, as they called it—the “Government of the Commune.” They all seemed to regard the revolution as an accomplished fact, which was only to be formally ratified at noon today by a vote of the people of Paris . . . I then went to dinner thinking that the revolution had been practically accomplis
hed and that we were to have the genuine Red Republic. I returned to the Legation at eight o’clock in the evening to get my dispatches ready to go out in the bag this morning. I sent two gentleman out to seek reliable information and to get at the exact status before closing my dispatches. They soon brought back word that the government of the National Defense had not resigned; but that the Reds headed by [Gustave] Flourens, [Auguste] Blanqui, and others had undertaken a coup d’état, had seized all the members of the government and held them all prisoners in a room in the Hôtel de Ville. Some of the people demanded that the members of the government should be sent to the prison of Vincennes; others demanded that they should be shot; but Flourens pledged his head that he would have them safely guarded where they were . . . A gentleman who was present during this time describes the scenes which took place as ludicrous. There was no harmony or concert among them, and they were all quarrelling among themselves. They pulled the venerable beard, and kicked the venerable body of the venerable Blanqui, and denounced this one and that one as not good patriots. But in all this confusion they issued orders and gave commands like a regular government, the other government being in jail. While this pleasant sort of amusement was going on, some of the National Guard, faithful to the government, got into the building and effected the release of Trochu and Jules Ferry, who immediately took steps to release their associates . . .