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Updated: June 26, 2025
"We are not accustomed to this sort of thing, Percy," he whispered to his brother, in English, "and I don't like it. No wonder our franc tireurs do so badly, if this is a sample of their discipline." "I don't like it either, Ralph. The Prussians are advancing; and if that fellow last heard of them as ten miles off, they are as likely as not to be only two. I shan't be sorry when morning comes."
Accordingly they too fell back, exchanging fire with the franc tireurs until they gained the shelter of the village. The conflict over. The men sank, exhausted, upon the ground where they stood. Major Tempe went round to each; saying a word of praise, and giving a little of the brandy with which he had filled his canteen, before starting with some water from their own kegs.
He highly approves of my plan of cutting the roads behind the Prussians, and only wishes that he had a hundred small corps out upon the same errand. He has already received other proposals of the same nature. He enclosed, with his letter, my formal appointment as Commandant of the Corps of Franc Tireurs of Dijon; with full military authority, and power." Great cheering again broke out.
"We may find something of importance." In the breast pocket of his coat was a pocket book; and in it among the papers was a letter, from the colonel commanding at Saverne which had evidently been brought to him by the officer of the detachment, that morning telling him to come down to Saverne, on the following evening, to guide the troops to the village in which the franc tireurs were stationed.
Two German batteries were down in the road, a few hundred yards to the rear of their skirmishers; and these were sending shells thickly up among the rocks, where the franc tireurs were lying hid; while two other batteries which the Germans had managed to put a short way up on the mountain sides, still farther in the rear were raining shell, with deadly precision, upon the French batteries in the road.
Still, lads, it is very, very heavy," and the major looked round, with a saddened face, on the diminished band. "Our only consolation is that our friends have died doing their duty, and setting a noble example. If all Frenchmen were but animated with a spirit like that which, I am proud to say, animates the franc tireurs of Dijon, there are few of the invaders who would ever recross the Rhine.
Their host had read the account in the papers of the doings of the franc tireurs; and his wife laughingly made a further apology to the Barclays, and their cousin, for her remark at their first visit about boys. "My girls have talked about nothing else but your doings, ever since we had the news of your attack upon the Uhlans, near Blamont," she said.
Raw levies, however plucky, can be no match for such troops as the Prussians, in the open. The only hope is in masses of franc tireurs upon the rear and flanks of the enemy. Every bridge, every wood, every village should be defended to the death.
Major Tempe decided this by saying that, as it was quite impossible for the corps to be burdened with wounded men, the best plan was to allow one of the slightly wounded among the prisoners to walk back to Blamont; with a message that the Uhlans could come back to fetch their wounded without molestation, as the franc tireurs were upon the point of taking their departure.
"You are not franc tireurs?" he asked, for the light was still insufficient to enable him to distinguish uniforms. "We are officers of the army, upon General Cambriels' staff. This man is an orderly. "Here are our swords. We surrender, as prisoners of war." The German officer bowed. "Keep your swords, for the present, gentlemen. I am not in command." At this moment, another officer came up.
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