diary · by a contemporary

Diaries of the Emperor Frederick during the campaigns of 1866 and 1870-71

Frederick III, German Emperor (1831–1888), 1902

Named on the page for Battle of Gravelotte.

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Passages that name the battle; the whole book is at Internet Archive.

18 August 1870

Battle of Gravelotte

WAR WITH FRANCE (1870-71)
August 5.—Marched towards France; _pros- perous districts, deserted, terror of the German man-eaters; the grim appearance of the battle- field gets ever more horrible,—everywhere traces of hurried withdrawal. Roggenbach comes as the Major of the Baden-Landwehrs. A telegraph book found at the railway station gives important de- tails ; shows, 7.¢., how little prepared the French are with mobilization, formation, and commissariat, and enables one to conjecture that the French army is concentrating its main force before Metz. Intelligence of a great French bivouac behind Worth in three Divisions, who are waiting for reinforcements; a stronger position even than Weissenburg.

WAR WITH FRANCE (1870-71)
August 17,18.—In Nancy. Fighting round Metz, feverish excitement; the inhabitants are Orleanist.

WAR WITH FRANCE (1870-71)
asked if Napoleon had now any propositions to make, which the Emperor negatived, with the remark that, as a prisoner, he had no influence on the Government. To the further question where then was their Government, he replied, ‘‘In Paris.” The King then turned the conversation to the immediate personal position of the Emperor, and offered him Wilhelmshthe as a residence, which he at once accepted; he seemed more particularly gratified when His Majesty remarked that he would for security give hima guard of honour over the border. When in the further course of the conversation, Napoleon expressed the conjecture that he had been opposed by the Army of Frederick Charles, the King informed him that it had been I and the Crown Prince of Saxony. To his question, ‘‘ Where then was Prince Frederick Charles?” the King replied with emphasis, ‘With seven Army Corps before Metz.” The Emperor stepped back with every sign of distressed surprise; a painful twitch crossed his face, for it was now clear to him for the first time that he had not got the entire German army against himself. The King praised the valour of the French army, ° which Napoleon willingly conceded, but he remarked that they were lacking in the discipline which so greatly distinguished our army. The Prussian

WAR WITH FRANCE (1870-71)
the true principles, that must stand alongside of these results? The Kaiser brings the news that after negotiating the whole day, the capitula- tion was signed at 5 o’clock; embraced me, Moltke, and Roon. When I expressed my sur- prise to Bismarck that no communication had been made to me, he excused himself on the score of the lateness of the hour, and the utter exhaustion of his officials. He admitted that the great difficulty of justifying the surrender of Metz to our military had mainly determined him to hold out for this fortress.

Public domain. Text from Internet Archive.