" And true it was that no one else had any
control over them. If one had committed theft, or misbehaved himself in
any other way, and Macmahon. whom they called only "Our Marshal," rode
down the front of their lines and scolded them, they began to cry,
rushed up and kissed his feet, and hung to his horse, like children
asking for forgiveness. And now someone had made the great mistake of
giving them to another general. And, the commander being anxious to
dazzle the Germans with them, they and the Zouaves had been sent first
into the fire, in spite of Bazaine's very sensible observation: "When
you drive, you do not begin at a galop." And so these picked troops were
broken up in their first engagement. It was said that of 2,500 Turcos,
only 29 were left.
An anecdote like the following, which was told to us, will serve to show
how popular legends grow up, in virtue of the tendency there is to
reduce a whole battle to a collision between two generals, just as in
the Homeric age, or in Shakespeare: The Crown Prince of Prussia was
fighting very bravely at Woerth, in the front ranks. That he threw the
Turcos into confusion was the result of a ray of sunlight falling on the
silver eagle on his helmet. The Arabs thought it a sign from Heaven.
Macmahon, who was shooting in the ranks, was so near the Crown Prince
that the latter shouted to him in French: "_Voila un homme!_" but
the Frenchman surpassed him in chivalrous politeness, for he saluted,
and replied: "_Voila un heros!_"
XXVII.
Pages:
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458