to make the same dash for liberty, but utterly disheartened and worn out with fatigue, they refused to obey his orders.
It was now three o'clock and a great stream of fugitives had been for some time flowing to the town. General Ducrot rode there too, in order to get a few more troops together, but when he saw the state of things there he abandoned all hope. The streets and squares throughout the town were packed with all kinds of wagons, gun carriages, caissons, etc., and crowded with terror-stricken men who had thrown away their guns and were intent only on finding shelter and food, with safety for their lives. All discipline was gone, and evidently the defeat of the French was complete and crushing.
A French officer who was with the army in Sedan thus describes the state of affairs in the town near the end of the battle:
Meanwhile shells were flying in the direction of our street and hotel. Everybody stood under the vaulted stone entrance as the safest place of shelter. While we waited, watching patiently for the shells which might have sent us altogether into another world, General De Wimpffen came past making a vain effort to rally and inspirit his fleeing troops. He shouted, Vive la France! en avant! but there was no reply. He cried out that Bazaine was attacking the Prussians in the rear. This news, which had been current all the morning, coming from the mouth of General De Wimpffen, came to be believed, and a few thousand men were rallied and followed him out of the town. People began to have hope, and for one brief moment we believed the day might be saved. Need I say that this intelligence was a patriotic falsehood of the brave general, made with anguish; and, in direct opposition of the emperor's orders, he had resolved to rally what men he could and make a stand. He could not have known that he was bound in the grasp of at least 300,000 men. The bugle and trumpet ring out on all sides a few thousand men hearken to the sound. They went
