Episodes of June's Days, 1848, Chapters I-II [pp. 297-308]

Episodes of Juze's Days, 1848.
the Rue des Cordiers and the Rue Neuve des Poirees: all these barricades were
merely out-posts, well-fitted to prevent a
surprise or to delay the progress of an
attack in tliose intricate quarters, but
not for a main stand. They were made
use of to exhaust tlhe ammunition of the
m ob)iles who were shooting all round as
they approached. Iaving thus receded
from ooie street to another we fell back
upon a barricade erected on a narrow
place of the Rue St. Jacques against
an old building, a dependency of the
college of Louis-le-Graind; the barnica.de was pretty strong, and I had secured
its commnunicati)n with the main barricad(e and stronrig lhold on the other side of
the building. This I had done by fixing
the barricade across the street, just above
the front gate, and keeping by me the
keys of the back gate, and other inrtermediate passages.
The Mobiles debouched from the square
at right angles with the street, and faced
us by a left-wheel movement. They were
saluted with a discharge, and the cry:
Vive la Republique! Arid our astonishment was not small to see them stop, utter the same cry, and turn upward the
butt end of their rifles.
to bef all us when th ere is da pisgisving that something is amiss. Some descended from the barricade and began to
parley with the body of alrtillerymen,
whlio were also anxious to clear up their
doubts. All useless! Thie colonel, who
was under the impression that the insurgents were Bona,pa,rtists, ordered his men
to stornm the barricade at the cry of Vive
la Republique, and the barricade, in -L
first discharge of musketry, nmowed down
thirty of them. The fight was kept up
with the most destructive effect, however.
This Colonel Guin,-rd is the same by
whose side I was proud to stand just
twelve months after, on the 13th of June,
1849, at the Arts-et-Mletiers, this time
undoubtedly for the defence of the written Constitution, but with the sole result
of being condemned, together with 70
others, to perpetual confinement by the
high court of Versailles; and perhaps it
might not be out of place with respect to
the old Colonel to quote the celebrated
verse of the Pharsalia:
A sudden storm, accompanied with violent claps of thunder and a deluge of
rain, burst on Paris at this moment, and
under these circumstances, mingling at
first with the noise of our little thunders
and finally silencing them. It is a popular prejudice that a revolution on earth
calls for a tempest in the sky, and this
storm came to its support. The sky
cleared up as suddenly as it had been
overcast.
That heavy rain proved in some respect
detrimental to the beginning of the insurrection, and offered a plea for retreat
to many who would not perhaps have
thought of it but for the opportunity; it
rendered also the defence more difficult,
most of the insurgents being armed with
guns of the ancient description, taken
from the arsenal of Vincennes. On the
other hand, the flood was such that some
portions had to be abandoned mnomentarily because of the accumulating waters.
The enemy made a movement forward
in the upper part of the street, through
three different streets: the Rue des Gres,
" Let us comiie to a parley," cried my
comy,paiio)ns to me. I mention it in detail, as it is averred that this curious process of fighting has been resorted to many
ties, and, at first, not without success.
I came down and ran to the company
of Miobiles. On the other hand a Mobile
came out from the ranks, we met and fell
into each other's arms. A remarkable
thing! That man had tears in his e yes,
true tears, and he was sober. Nor Was
hlie to be taken for a sniveller. lie was a
sort of dumpy fellow, with a firm look,
his features well marked, rather pitted
with small-pox, and the hair and beard
red. IIe repeated: " we are brothers!"
It will be recollected that such was the
by-word of the day.
I have retained the conviction, that
until the Mobiles were completely drunk
with wine and fighting, it was fcr them a
heart-burning to march against the barricades.
1859.]
.299
11 Victrix causa Diis placuit, sed victa Ca toni.'2
I accosted the Captain, who had en