Chapter XXII: The Man Who Gave the Warning

M. PIETRI’S LETTRES RÉVÉLATRICES.

The Man was Colonel Baron Stoffel.

And Colonel Stoffel was the French Military Attaché at Berlin from 1866 until 1870.

This clear-headed artillery officer, ever on the alert, saw what would inevitably happen sooner or later, and he bombarded his Government with warning reports, which were either pigeon-holed by Ministers, after a perfunctory glance at their contents, or perused and treated as waste-paper. Those who assume (which I do not, and never shall) that Napoleon III. was, as a Ruler, as black as his detractors have painted, and continue to paint, him, will now learn for the first time that, while in the highest military circles Stoffel’s repeated warnings of Prussia’s preparations for war were scoffed at, and he himself regarded by many at the Tuileries as a bird of ill omen, the Emperor attached the utmost importance to his Military Attaché’s reports,[150] insisted, through M. Pietri, upon being kept fully informed of what was being done by Prussia, and did his best to prepare his forces for the struggle which he, like Stoffel, foresaw in the near future. We know all this now, and how we know it I will presently show. As, however, Stoffel[151] is the hero of this chapter, his personality must not be neglected.

His career was a remarkable one. From 1862 until 1865 he was prosaically employed in superintending the excavations at Alise, which had been begun in 1861 by that enthusiastic archæologist, Napoleon III. In 1860 Stoffel, then an artillery Captain in garrison at Auxonne, saw for the first time Mont Auxois. He went over the ground, Cæsar’s “Commentaries” in hand, and noticed how closely the locality tallied with the description given of it by the conqueror of Gaul. Shortly afterwards Stoffel published in the “Moniteur” (August 6 and 7, 1860) “Une Étude sur l’Emplacement d’Alesia,” which attracted the attention of the Emperor, who was then working upon his “Histoire de Jules César,” a work of which he himself said, one day, he wrote very little, owing to his somewhat slight knowledge of Latin.

Stoffel was rewarded by being made Chef d’Escadrons and Officier d’Ordonnance to the Emperor. In 1862 the Commission de la Topographie des Gaules published Stoffel’s “Étude” through the medium of the imperial printing-office. Stoffel showed that Cæsar’s statements were absolutely accurate, and that the whole army of Vercingetorix might well have been located on Mont Auxois and not have lacked a water-supply. In 1866 Stoffel became Military Attaché at Berlin.

At the Tuileries, one morning, the Emperor, accosting Stoffel, said: “General Bourbaki assures me that you take an exaggerated view of the qualities of the Prussian General Staff, and that you do not sufficiently recognize the abilities of our own Staff.” Stoffel, a very outspoken man, replied: “Sire, the General is deceived. In order to form a correct opinion of the Prussian and the French Staffs, one must have seen both of them.... Supposing there were two pictures of Rubens, one measuring six feet and the other eight feet----” Here he was stopped by the Empress, who, seeing that he was warming to his subject, began talking to him, so that Stoffel had to break off what he was saying to the Emperor in order to listen to the Empress! And nothing more was said about the respective merits of the Prussian and French General Staffs.

General Bourbaki was as optimistic as Stoffel, fortified by his knowledge of facts and his prescience, was the reverse. Two years before the war the General, as Chef de Mission, followed the Prussian army manœuvres along the Rhine. He could not help noticing the rapid fire of the Prussian infantry, but his only official comment was this very inept one: “The needle-gun (fusil à aiguille) is certainly a formidable weapon, but in other matters we have nothing to learn from the Prussians!” Bourbaki was a brave soldier, but a corporal of the Scots Guards could have taught him much that would have been very useful to him.

One day, after the war, when the wounds of France were still open, as Stoffel was lunching at a Paris restaurant, Bourbaki entered, saw Stoffel, and, with tears in his eyes, said: “Ah, Colonel, I deceived the Emperor, but unintentionally. _Had we listened to you we should have escaped our misfortunes._ As a loyal soldier, I ask you to forgive me!” This showed a noble heart, certainly; but all the mischief had been done.

Not long after the death of the Emperor, Marshal Lebœuf, who, I remember, had been present at the imperial obsequies, again made his way to Chislehurst, mainly, it would seem, to perform an act of duty, for Colonel Stoffel (who chanced to be visiting England at the time) saw the Marshal[152] kneeling at the Emperor’s tomb, contritely murmuring, “Pardon, Sire!”

While the war was still raging, the “Times” printed some extracts from Stoffel’s reports, and in its editorial columns expressed the opinion--which all military experts must have endorsed--that it was a puzzle how anyone who had read those documents could ever have dreamt of plunging France into a conflict with Prussia.

Had Colonel Stoffel’s warnings been acted upon by the Ministers of Napoleon III., France, in all likelihood, would have been saved from her disasters, and the Prince Imperial have been the reigning Emperor to-day. After all his great services, how was Stoffel treated? _Thiers dismissed him from the army on some frivolous pretext!_

_M. Pietri’s Letters to Stoffel._[153]

I.

BIARRITZ, _September 27, 1866_.

MY DEAR STOFFEL,

The Emperor has read the report which you sent to the Ministry of
War. He waited for it two or three days, and was obliged to send
for it. You did well to tell me about it. His Majesty, before
receiving it, dictated to me the following questions, in all of
which the Emperor is particularly interested:

1. How are the officers of the [German] Landwehr selected and
named?

2. Where do they come from?

3. How many of them are there in each battalion of infantry and in
each squadron?

4. Where are the horses for the squadrons of the Landwehr obtained?

5. Is the uniform of the Landwehr the same as that of the army? Or
in what respects do the uniforms differ?

6. How much does the knapsack of the infantry weigh?

7. How many hospital-men per battalion follow into the
battle-field?

8. How are the parks of artillery organized?

9. How are the requisite horses obtained?

The Emperor dictated to me all these questions for you somewhat hurriedly, and I think he will have others connected with them which you will be able to put and decide yourself, principally concerning the organization of the Landwehr. You have doubtless heard that His Majesty is greatly occupied with the question of increasing our military forces by the formation in France of a Landwehr system. All the information which you can send on these points will be welcomed [by the Emperor].

* * * * *

II.

COMPIÈGNE, _November 21, 1866_.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

I thank you for the interesting details which you have sent me. I
perused them with much pleasure, and read them to the Emperor, for
whom they arrived very à propos. The Commission for the
Reorganization of the Army has begun its labours, and His Majesty
has found in your letter ideas and appreciations upon certain
members of this Commission which could not easily have been given
to him viva voce; whilst, coming from afar, in a private letter,
these opinions contained nothing disagreeable; moreover, it was not
possible to question their sincerity. Several meetings [of the
Commission] have already been held, at which there was more or less
verbiage--many ridiculous ideas, and especially an immense quantity
of blagues on the part of a misunderstood General T----,[154] and
of our Cousin.[155] The Emperor made them all come to Compiègne and
work hard. At last they left yesterday, and will meet again a week
hence. In the interval they will study the Emperor’s plan [which
was ultimately adopted].

* * * * *

That, in general, is the scheme which is about to be studied in
detail. I wished to send it to you, but only thirty copies were
printed, and the Emperor is very niggardly over them. Before
closing my letter I will ask him if he will send you a copy, and if
he consents you will find it enclosed.

And now I have to communicate two matters to you by the Emperor’s
order.

1. To send you the enclosed packet containing papers relating to
the war budgets of Prussia and of France. The Emperor has been
struck by the relatively small amount of the Prussian war budget as
compared with that of France, and also by the figures for the
maintenance of two armies almost equal in number. His Majesty
wishes you to compare the figures now sent to you with the amounts
which in Prussia are allocated to the same object as with us, in
order to see what economic ameliorations may be made in our
administrative system. Your report upon this subject will be of the
greatest use to His Majesty, who has appointed a subcommission,
formed of members of the Commission, and charged with the study of
the administrative and economic details, discipline, etc., etc.

2. Could you procure the new rifle which has been submitted to the
King of Prussia?[156] The Emperor wishes you to do all that is
possible to get one. Let me know if you have need of _means_ for
that purpose. I am not directed to mention this to you; but should
you require any [funds], I will set about getting you some.

We have been at Compiègne a week. We had one essentially military
evening, which was attended by twenty-four members of the
Commission, yet was very gay and pleasant. If you want to know the
names of some of the ladies, les voici: the sweet and beautiful
Mme. de Chasseloup-Laubat[157]; Mme. Lejeune; the little
Palikaos,[158] the eldest of whom is _charming_; the little
Bruats,[159] etc., etc.; and Mlle. de Lagrenée, to whose memory I
recalled you, thinking that it would be agreeable to you.... I have
become a sportsman enragé, and I am going to ask to be admitted
into the vénerie.[160]... The Emperor continues very well, better
than ever.... Your offer to send some books is accepted [by the
Emperor]. Select the most interesting, and send them to me--with
your _bill_. Duperré[161] sends you a thousand remembrances.

III.

PARIS, _January 3, 1867_.

M. LE LIEUTENANT-COLONEL!

(That looks exceedingly well.)

... I am sending this letter through the Foreign Office. It will
reach you slower than by the ordinary post, but more surely.[162]
“Chi va piano, va sano; chi va sano, va lontano.”[163] This is a
proverb, and proverbs are the wisdom of nations.

You asked me in your last letter to tell you exactly the kind of
rifle the Emperor wanted a specimen of. His Majesty has no choice.
He wants a specimen of a rifle which might be adopted by the
Prussian army; or to know the state of perfection to which the old
rifle has been brought--supposing that steps have been taken to
modify it. In a word, His Majesty wishes to be au courant of the
armament of the Prussian army. You need not, then, concern yourself
with the various specimens which may be offered [to the military
authorities], but only with the rifle which might be adopted....

* * * * *

The cost of the army will be diminished rather than increased, but
you will find that the patriotism of our speakers will consider the
expense still too heavy, and that they will do their best to create
the belief that the French people are governed by buveurs de
sang.[164] What fun the Prussians will make of us and the esprit
militaire of the valiant French nation!...

... The Emperor continues in excellent health.... His Majesty
directs me to put the four following questions to you:

1. What is the weight of the Prussian knapsack? What does it
contain?

2. What is the weight of the Prussian cavalry saddle, and what
weight does the horse carry beyond the weight of the rider?

3. How is the Prussian soldier shod? Does he wear boots, or shoes
and gaiters?

4. Is the uniform of the Landwehr provided by the State, or paid
for by the man who wears it?

IV.

PARIS, _December 27, 1867_.

My dear Stoffel,

Your two letters greatly interested me. What you tell me of the
state of opinion and the ideas of the Prussians does not surprise
me. I have always been among those who think that we are detested
on the other side of the Rhine, and it has not been necessary for
me to read the journals and pamphlets published in Germany.
Although the German pamphlets are ... little read in France, we
hear a long, dull buzz much resembling hostile clamours.... I
believe we shall not seek vain pretexts to make war; but if we are
obliged to make it, we shall not have a moment’s hesitation....

I read to the Emperor the greater part of your opinions on the
feelings of the Prussians towards us....

V.

PARIS, _January 8, 1868_.

MY DEAR STOFFEL,

You should have received through the Foreign Office my last letter,
containing _twelve hundred_ francs [£48], and informing you that
another sum is being sent from the same source.[165] You will find
in this envelope the bank-note [for 1,000 francs = £40] referred
to, which will be, I believe, the last you will receive. The
prodigality of César Romain[166] will stop there, and if we had not
any other resources there would be nothing for us to do but to ask
M. Plon to give us a bed in the hospital which he intends to build
in memory of the conqueror of the Gauls and of his historian
[Napoleon III.]....

I urged you in my last letter to send all the information which you
can obtain, and not to omit using for that purpose the “crowns” you
will be able to get the Embassy to advance. His Majesty would like
to have to-day a complete report upon _a new system of mobilization
adopted by Prussia, by which she will be able to put all her troops
on a war footing in nine days_. Possibly you have already sent such
a report; send another in more detail....

VI.

PARIS, _March 22, 1868_.

MY DEAR STOFFEL,

... What you told me in your last letter is quite just, as far as
Germany is concerned, but I do not, like you, expect to see the
Emperor reconcile himself easily to events which might happen, as
he has done, or been forced to do, up to now. The conditions have
changed, and if we have submitted to events against which it was
impossible to oppose any obstacles, to-day we are ready to face,
with calmness and confidence, those [events] which may be produced,
and we have only to act in regard to our interests.... We must be
in a state of constant observation, and work indefatigably to make
ourselves the strongest.

It is necessary, in this connection, to render justice to Marshal
Niel. Since he has been at the [War] Ministry he has accomplished
veritable tours de force, and from this time, by the admissions of
the most difficult, of the most prudent, and even of the timorous
[or “scrupulous”], we can say that we are ready for all events.

... I have read to the ---- [? Emperor] several extracts from your
letters.

VII.

PARIS, _May 28, 1868_.

MY DEAR STOFFEL,

I have read, and caused to be read--and that with the greatest
interest on my part and also on the part of the persons to whom I
communicated them--the letters which you have sent me for some time
past, and which I have not yet answered.... You appear to be highly
thought of at the Ministry of War, where your Reports are
appreciated in a manner very flattering to you.... I have seen one
or two of these reports when with the Emperor, who always follows
with the greatest attention the questions treated in your
Reports.... All the details which you give upon the [Prussian]
army, and everything connected with it--armaments, fortifications,
etc.--are a very useful thermometer to consult, indicating very
clearly the degree of temperature in which we find ourselves.

Your private letters are of an equally appreciable interest. Your
relations with the B---- family[167] place you in a magnificent
position, and you have a hundred times more advantages than the
most wary diplomatist to observe and seize, in the family life, a
crowd of tints which should enable you to judge soundly of the
hopes which they form for the future, and of the degree of
confidence or of fear which they have of the success of their
plans. In my opinion, they [the Prussians] have taken a step in
advance by the meeting of the Custom-house Parliament [Parlement
douanier]. M. de B---- [168] has tried to restore the prestige of
Prussia, which had begun to weaken, by remounting his war-horse, in
order to repel the foreigner who wished to mix himself up in their
affairs, and by appealing to German patriotism....

* * * * *

I am happy to tell you to-day that our military situation is
superb. Never have we had so many resources--never a finer army. If
you receive the “Moniteur,” you will have been able to read Marshal
Niel’s report upon our armament and the quality of our rifles. This
has been published in the official journal in answer to the reports
circulated in Germany, and noted by you, which tended to create the
belief that we had not obtained the results which we had expected
from our rifles. At Châlons they are practising assiduously with
the new rifle,[169] and as the men are much pleased with it, they
apply themselves thoroughly to practising with and taking care of
it.

... All these military exercises, joined to the other summer
déplacements, do the Emperor much good....

* * * * *

I have given to the Emperor the various maps which you sent me.
They are very acceptable to His Majesty, who desires you to
continue to forward everything new which you may find, and which is
worth the trouble of sending. It is understood that you keep an
account of all your expenses. The small atlases which you have sent
for the Prince are excellent for teaching him geography, and the
Emperor has given them to General Frossard.[170] If there are any
others, you can buy them.

VIII.

FONTAINEBLEAU, _August 17, 1868_.

MY DEAR STOFFEL,

I send you with this letter a memorandum which was dictated to me,
and which requests you to explain some things mentioned therein. I
preferred to send it in the shape of a memorandum rather than to
copy it and add it to my letter, as the E. [the Emperor] told me to
do....

[M. Pietri notes the Emperor’s satisfaction with Colonel Stoffel’s
last two letters, and with his last reports to the War Minister,
which His Majesty said were “très bien faits.” The writer
proceeds:]

I must tell you, on my own account, that I should think your
admiration of the Prussian army and of the country itself was
exaggerated if I did not know that you intentionally exaggerated
your views of both a little, with an object which I
understand--viz., to give France a good idea of the strength and
vitality of those who may one day become our enemies, as to-day
they are our adversaries. I believe everybody is in accord upon
this point.... It has made us feel the necessity of making great
efforts in order not to be outdistanced. These efforts have been
made, and are being made every day.... We are ready for every
event, big as it might be. That we have committed faults, no one, I
think, will deny; that we have lacked foresight is not to be
doubted; but from all that we have learnt a good lesson, and it is
not to be believed that in future we shall leave even the smallest
things to chance. If our diplomacy has not always been skilful, we
must do it the justice of saying that for some time past it has not
done badly by remaining tranquil and by giving way, while not
losing sight of things, but observing them attentively. We have
been out of luck up to now, and we must hope that fortune will not
delay to turn, and that it will bring us some good coups, of which
we shall have to take clever advantage.

* * * * *

In the first week of December, 1868, the Court was at Compiègne. M. Pietri writes to Colonel Stoffel to say that at Compiègne everything was proceeding on traditional lines: hunting, shooting, rides and walks to Pierrefonds, and in the evening “monster dinners and dances.” One improvement had been made: the barrel-organ, which the Emperor sometimes “ground,” was replaced by a live pianist, M. Waldteuffel.

Writing from Paris on May 27, 1869, M. Pietri reproaches Stoffel for having left Paris without hearing Rossini’s Mass. “I like it less than the _Stabat_, but that did not prevent me from going to hear it three times.”

On December 10, in the same year, M. Pietri wrote to tell the Colonel that Paris was going through a crisis, and that men’s minds were unsettled. Matters had not improved at the date of the next letter (February 4, 1870). Victor Noir had been shot by Prince Pierre Bonaparte, and on the next day Rochefort published in the “Marseillaise” an appeal to the people. Thus what was destined to be the “Terrible Year” began most unfortunately.

I am told (writes M. Pietri) that the English Government will
insist upon Prussia disarming. It is thought that nothing would
come from such a step, and that it would be un coup d’épée dans
l’eau.... What do you think of it? Do you think that it would be
sufficient to say to the Federal Chancellor, “You must disarm,” to
cause him to disarm? I should be curious to know what answer he
would make to anybody who made such a proposition to him, and what
he would really think and express privately. I am certain that he
would make many promises without intending to keep one of them. No
doubt you think as I do, and if you can find time (try to find it)
tell me if I deceive myself.

In April, 1870, Colonel Stoffel was in Paris, and M. Pietri wrote on the 9th: “The Emperor wishes to see you to-morrow morning at ten. Be punctual, and come and breakfast with us.”

After that date there is a gap in the correspondence. In a long letter, dated March 5, 1871, M. Pietri says: “What sorrows since we parted! More than once I thought I should go mad, and that my heart would be unable to withstand so many troubles. To look on powerlessly at the cutting of the throat of one’s own country; to see all that one holds dearest ruined, destroyed; and, after the disasters caused by the foreigners, to foresee others

President of the Geographical Society of France. Father of H.R.H. Princess George of Greece.

_Photographed by Boissonas et Taponier, Paris, and lent for this
work by the Prince._

_To face p. 336._]

caused by the madness of our citizens--are not these things sufficient to fill with despair the heart of every Frenchman who sincerely loves his country?...”

A week later M. Pietri writes to tell Stoffel that all the news coming from France is very sad. He despairs of the future. Then comes a most remarkable passage, which I take upon myself to emphasize, for it shows, as I have always argued--years before this book was written--that Colonel Stoffel, if his warnings had been taken, might, and probably would, have saved France. M. Pietri himself admits it, and there is no more trustworthy surviving authority than the Empress Eugénie’s devoted Secretary and valued friend. M. Pietri writes to Stoffel: “I have always done you justice, and to-day more than ever _I recognize that you were right, and that if you had been listened to we should not have been where we are; but all were blind--Ministers, statesmen, the Deputies who were in the majority and those who formed the Opposition. Everybody worked against the country. The Emperor alone, perhaps, saw correctly, but, blocked every moment by the remarks of some and by the ill-will of others, he was carried away_ [by the current] _and unable to carry out many of the plans which he had formed. I admit that he must bear the responsibility, for in this world there must always be a scapegoat; but_ [public] _opinion will calm down, and by degrees will better appreciate the responsibility of each_ [individual]. _The Emperor’s responsibility will then be lessened._” These are noble words, ringing with patriotism and a desire to render justice to The Man who gave the Warning. And I rejoice that the Editor of the “Revue de Paris” has so generously afforded me an opportunity of making the English peoples acquainted with the fact that France had in Colonel Stoffel the most devoted and most prescient of servants, who made it as clear as daylight, not once, but again and again, that Bismarck meant to have war and meant to goad France into beginning it. At Grenoble most of us have gazed admiringly at the statue of Bayard, the preux Chevalier, who was “sans peur et sans reproche.” When will Paris “do the right thing” by Stoffel? _When?_