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BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 TO HIS WIFE 
 

BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 TO HIS WIFE 
 
 FROM THE SEAT OF WAR 
 
 1870-1871 
 
 TRANSLATED BY 
 
 ARMIN HARDER 
 
 Z- WITH AW DTTBODncnOK BT 
 
 WALTER LITTLEFIELD 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 
 
 MCMIII 
 

 COFTMOHT, 19W, BT 
 
 D. APPLKTON AND COMPANY 
 
 Publit^d, WoTOmfrw, J30S 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 In Die Bismarck Briefe, originally pub- 
 lished three years ago in Berlin, a notable 
 hiatus appeared which was widely com- 
 mented on. In spite of the intimate and 
 generally prevailing domestic air of the 
 letters of the great Chancellor to his " liebes 
 Herz," it was supposed that the correspond- 
 ence omitted, which covered the period of 
 the Franco-Prussian War, might have con- 
 tained observations calculated to arouse 
 animosity in official circles because of the 
 writer's frank criticism of his military col- 
 leagues, or resentment south of the Rhine 
 on account of his attitude toward the French 
 Government, Emperor and generals, and his 
 contempt at the way in which they made 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 war; and for these reasons it was thought 
 that the letters written in 1870-71 had been 
 destroyed. Such, however, was not the case. 
 Bismarck's communications to his wife in 
 letters and telegrams from the seat of war, 
 except on one point which is worth consid- 
 ering, were quite inoffensive, although they 
 betrayed abundant contempt for the French. 
 They dealt principally with the personal 
 comforts and discomforts which the writer 
 enjoyed or suffered during the campaign, to- 
 gether with impressions and observations 
 concerning the military manoeuvres, the sali- 
 ent facts of which have long since passed into 
 history. But even from a military point of 
 view they are still interesting, for the impres- 
 sions are those of a great man who was not 
 a soldier, but who had the confidence of those 
 who were soldiers. Possibly because of their 
 homely intimacy — a refreshingly human trait 
 in a great man — these communications were 
 held most precious by the Chancellor's wife 
 and were preserved by her in a locked casket 
 
 vi 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 apart from the others. This casket was not 
 opened at the time of her death, and its con- 
 tents, therefore, did not figure in the large 
 collection. A year ago the casket was found 
 by a member of the Bismarck family, who 
 examined the correspondence it contained 
 and at once sent copies to the German pub- 
 lisher of the Bismarck Briefe, and in May 
 of this year a small supplementary volume 
 was issued in Berlin, containing not only the 
 casket letters and despatches, but also ten 
 additional epistles written between 1867 and 
 1870, and 1872 and 1873, which also, omitted 
 from the first published collection, had been 
 issued in Die Gartenlaube of December, 
 1902. In all, there are eighty-nine letters 
 and telegrams. 
 
 The first of the casket letters is dated at 
 Mainz, August 2, 1870, on the very day that 
 the French made an attack on Saarbrticken, 
 with three divisions defeated a single 
 German battalion, and proclaimed the result 
 of the engagement an " important victory.'* 
 vu 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 The Germans then took the offensive, and 
 Bismarck, with the headquarters staff, at 
 length passed from German territory into 
 French, until, after the siege of Metz and the 
 capitulation of Sedan, the invaders, on Sep- 
 tember 19, found themselves before Paris. 
 The last letter in the main part of the little 
 volume is dated at Versailles, March 5, 1871, 
 two days after the evacuation of Paris by 
 the Germans and a fortnight before the call- 
 ing together of the first German Federal 
 Parliament. 
 
 Above all, the letters reveal a side of the 
 Iron Chancellor's character which, while 
 typically German, appears almost in the 
 light of paradox in the pages of his biog- 
 raphies. There is much good-natured irony 
 over the trials and tribulations of soldier- 
 ing, the exigencies of which deprive the 
 writer of many things quite necessary to 
 him in his official capacity, but amusingly 
 depreciated by him in the close intimacy of 
 his writing. At times a mere touch is suf- 
 viii 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 ficient; as, for example, the post scriptum 
 to a letter dated Bar-le-Duc, August 25: 
 " Birthday of the King of Bavaria and I 
 without my decorations! " One of the most 
 charming features in the letters is the rela- 
 tion maintained between the father and his 
 two sons, Herbert and William, both of 
 whom rode in the terrible cavalry charge 
 of Mars-la-Tour, where Herbert was shot 
 through the hip and badly wounded, while 
 his brother, although thrown from his horse, 
 was uninjured. The old Chancellor flutters 
 about from one staff oflOicer to another, even 
 stopping soldiers on their march to inquire 
 about his " Knaben." It is not at all strange 
 that such homely solicitation on the part of 
 the great man should arouse some mirth, 
 even expressed to his face. And thus he 
 writes from Clermont, August 27, 1870 : " I 
 scented Bill yesterday at St. M^n^hould as 
 being well. Did I tell you that every dragoon 
 of the Third Squadron first laughs when he 
 has to undergo an examination about Bill 
 
 ix 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 by me? He has a contagious jollity. May 
 God give it to you also." Count William, by 
 the way, was six feet two, and the heavy- 
 weight of his regiment. 
 
 For Frenchmen Bismarck had already ex- 
 hausted contumelious depreciation when the 
 supplementary letters were published last 
 spring; but for one passage alone the almost 
 dormant antagonism against him would pos- 
 sibly not have been revived. On the day be- 
 fore the evacuation of Paris by the Germans, 
 Bismarck rode into the city as far as the Arc 
 de Triomphe. He was " recognized every- 
 where, hissed a little, but, indeed, only by 
 very small boys." Three days later he wrote, 
 under the date of March 5: "At taps thou- 
 sands of Parisians followed arm-in-arm with 
 our soldiers, and at the * helmet off for 
 prayer ' everybody took his hat off and said, 
 * Voil^ ce qui nous manque,' and that, I pre- 
 sume, is about right." 
 
 This short passage made all Paris howl 
 with rage. " What, Parisians walk arm-in- 
 
 X 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 arm with the enemies of their country and 
 show reverence for the prayer-besotted dis- 
 ciples of Luther? Never! '* And " Bismarck 
 le Menteur" became a familiar headline in 
 Paris papers. It was in vain that certain 
 Frenchmen, who had long passed from un- 
 der the influence of " la revanche," hastened 
 to point out that Bismarck's observation, 
 " and that, I presume, is about right," did 
 not mean that he acquiesced in the attitude 
 of the Parisians, but that he spoke merely 
 from hearsay and that the passage should 
 read in French, "et cela doit 6tre exact," 
 or, in English, " and that may very well be 
 true." But either interpretation, it was de- 
 clared, was a lie and an insult to Parisians. 
 It was a lie for him to say that he heard and 
 saw such things. It was an insult for him 
 to imagine that such things could be possi- 
 ble. Eye-witnesses of the departure of the 
 German troops from Paris arose on every 
 hand to deny, expostulate, or qualify. 
 These testimonials are interesting, for, 
 xi 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 taken together, they show various phases of 
 conduct on the part of the Parisians which 
 give plausible ground for Bismarck's obser- 
 vations, whatever the source of his informa- 
 tion. Some witnesses noted that the Pa- 
 risians were grateful to the Germans for 
 sending in provisions after the capitulation; 
 others testified that Parisians exhibited un- 
 feigned joy at the departure of their enemies, 
 and that, in certain cases, this joy may have 
 been misinterpreted as betraying a spirit of 
 comradeship; others still, asserted, that 
 while Paris maintained a stolid calm when 
 the German vanguard passed out of the city 
 on March 3, the stragglers were hissed, in- 
 sulted, and even beaten. 
 
 It must, moreover, be remembered, when 
 considering to-Uaj the anti-Gallic sentiments 
 expressed by Bismarck in the intimacy of 
 conjugal correspondence, that the recipient 
 of his letters added to her hatred of the 
 French a certain ferocious bitterness which 
 was perfectly natural for her to possess at 
 xii 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 that time. Of her, Bismarck is reported to 
 have said to Prince Albrecht, October 29, 
 1870: " The Countess just now is in very good 
 health. Nevertheless, she still sniffers from 
 her ferocious hatred of the Gauls. She 
 would like to see every mother's son of them 
 dead — even the children, who, however, are 
 not responsible for such abominable par- 
 ents." 
 
 At least Bismarck wrote in a spirit which 
 was calculated to please what was left of 
 the domestic circle that gathered nightly 
 about the hearth in the Schonhausen. 
 
 Walter Littlefield. 
 
 New Yoek, Naoemher 6, 1903. 
 
 xiU 
 
:^^?^^],iUH,A-- /^^z^ 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS TO 
 HIS WIFE 
 
 Mainz, August 2, '70. 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 We arrived here safely this morning at 
 seven, tired but well. I went to bed at that 
 hour, have slept four hours, and should be 
 obliged now to go to the King, if I had some- 
 thing to put on my back. Having only one 
 nightshirt and the traveling suit, I send 
 Abeken to him. Engel has been so smart as 
 to leave all my things behind for the follow- 
 ing train, which will arrive at two, but it is 
 just as likely that its freight will stay behind 
 for several days to come. A bed, several 
 pillows, dressing coats, and many other 
 curious things, for which I had no use in the 
 railway compartment, were punctiliously 
 on hand for me, but no linen, no clothes! 
 
 2 1 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 CarP had attended to the provisions — of 
 course four times as much as are needed. 
 
 We drove by the hour in sand-tempo, lay 
 quiet by the hour, all owing to the mili- 
 tary trains, as they barred the way before 
 us. This morning a beautiful sunrise, seen 
 from Bingerbrtick. During the first night 
 every time I awoke upon my soft cushions I 
 had to think of the poor boys upon their 
 wooden benches, and how they must be tired 
 out; I have not as yet had any news from 
 them. Bill's birthday I used yesterday to 
 start a little intrigue toward his being made 
 an ensign. I do not know whether it will 
 succeed; the King was astonished that he 
 was not yet a petty officer. It was sadden- 
 ing that I had nothing but white wine with 
 soda with which to drink his health in 
 Hamm, and, to click glasses, only old Bodel- 
 schwingh; my other neighbor was H. M. 
 
 Here I am quartered with a rich manufac- 
 turer of champagne, Kupferberg, high upon 
 
 * Count Bismarck-Bohlen. 
 
 2 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 the Kastrich, distant sunny outlook over the 
 city with Rheingau, Wiesbaden-Platte, Rus- 
 sian chapel behind, but so far away from 
 the King and all the others as though I lay 
 in Worms. And then, not a shirt! The en- 
 thusiasm of the masses of the people upon 
 the railway stations was deafening; too 
 much for me at present. They should save 
 that till after the victory, which may God 
 give us. 
 
 I asked you to send me the red (generaPs) 
 clothes, not the infantry uniform, because 
 for it I should have sword and a third helmet. 
 Else I need a new white cap every other day 
 and the leather helmet is lighter than the 
 iron one, which presses on my forehead. I 
 think the shipment will be already on the 
 way when this, on these slow trains, reaches 
 your dear hand. From the enemy nothing 
 new. Nothing happened either yesterday or 
 to-day. Saw Cilchen^ in Dtisseldorf, she 
 counts on you in Nauheim. God take you in 
 
 > Baroness Schreckenstein. 
 
 3 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 his care, and your " Berlin youngster " and 
 
 the two in light blue. Let me know what 
 
 you hear from them. I shall write you what 
 
 comes to me. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 y.B. 
 
 2 
 
 Mainz, Wednesday, 8, 3, '70. 
 I wrote you yesterday by mail; I hear this 
 minute that a courier is leaving now, and 
 send you this cordial greeting at the moment 
 of sitting down to table. Nothing has hap- 
 pened so far, and I do not know yet how long 
 E. M. will stay here. God be with you and 
 
 our children. 
 
 Your 
 
 v.B. 
 
 3 
 
 Maikz, August 5, *70. 
 My beloved Heart: 
 
 Yesterday was the first fighting, near 
 Weissenburg, and victorious for us with the 
 aid of God. The French divisions, Douay 
 
 4 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 and Ducrot, were thoroughly beaten; so far 
 800 (eight hundred) prisoners and one piece 
 brought in. Excepting the King's own regi- 
 ment, the Frenchmen received their drub- 
 bing principally from Poles (Fifty-eighth), 
 Hessians, and Bavarians, thus from those 
 upon whose assistance they counted. To-day, 
 as God wills, the same developments will 
 continue near Sulz and Hagenau. We are 
 still here in Mainz; to-morrow or the day 
 after we shall push forward, when I hope to 
 come in closer touch with our boys in blue. 
 Heretofore I could not find out where the 
 dragoons were stationed every day. With 
 surprise we read here to-day in the French 
 papers of a " battle " which is said to have 
 taken place on the 2d near Saarbrtick. This 
 is the most laughable disgrace the grrrande 
 nation has ever incurred! Three companies 
 of the Fortieth Regiment and one squadron 
 of lancers kept the whole Napoleon with his 
 main army in respect for eight days! They 
 had orders from home to fall back upon our 
 
 5 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 line this side Saarbrtick, as soon as the ene- 
 my advanced. This, however, they did not 
 do until three French divisions, that is to say, 
 about 150 companies, with artillery and cav- 
 alry, moved close upon them, and with these 
 fifty times superior forces the French ex- 
 changed shots with our three companies dur- 
 ing three hours, from ten to one. Leonidas is 
 a ragamuffin compared with our fusileers. I 
 still live here upon my Kastrich, go driving 
 in the evening and eat, as a rule, at home 
 with our charming host. At E. M.^s I gen- 
 erally decline to remain on account of fa- 
 tigue; it is drafty there in the dining-room, 
 and the high personages are becoming so 
 numerous that my conversational duties are 
 not to be fulfilled without fatigue. 
 
 Horses well. God grant it that you both 
 be likewise! How is it about Nauheim? 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 y. B. 
 Oppressive; no rain here. 
 
 6 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 4 
 
 Telegram. 
 
 Mainz, August 5, '70. 
 
 Countess Bismarck-Schonhausen, Berlin: 
 
 Letter of the 3d received, all well. Saar- 
 
 brticken French invention. Weissenburg 
 
 truth. 
 
 Bismarck. 
 
 5' 
 
 To Count H. Bismarck. 
 
 Mainz, August 6, '70. 
 
 My beloved Boy: 
 Heartfelt thanks for your letter of the 
 day before yesterday, which arrived to-day; 
 where this one will find you, I do not know. 
 We shall go to-morrow morning to the fron- 
 tier together with the King. Would that I 
 there might meet the dear blue color. The 
 beginning is, with God's blessing, good; may 
 it remain so to the end. Four hundred 
 
 > Copied from Prince Bismarck's Letters to his Betrothed 
 and Wife, page 579, 
 
 7 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 French prisoners passed through here to- 
 day from Weissenburg and 400 through 
 Darmstadt. The withdrawing murderers 
 and incendiaries who set the open town of 
 Saarbrtick on fire, like wild Indians, have 
 been reached to-day by Goben, and (Fros- 
 sard's corps) emphatically put to flight. The 
 same will, with God's help, happen to the 
 main army. From your mother I have good 
 news; both of you put plenty of letters in 
 the mail for her, wherever you can. I hope 
 she will soon go to Nauheim. 
 
 Cordial greetings to Bill, and pray God 
 with me and with your mother that he may 
 unite us again happy and well; above all, 
 however, that he may graciously grant us 
 victory. 
 
 Your faithful father 
 
 V. Bismarck. 
 
 If one of you two should be wounded tele- 
 graph me at the King's headquarters as soon 
 as possible. But not your mother first. 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 6 
 
 Telegram. 
 
 Mautz, August 7, '70. 
 
 Countess Bismarck, 
 
 Berlin, Wilhelmstrasse 76: 
 
 Received a letter Just now from Herbert; 
 
 all well. 
 
 Count Bismarck. 
 
 7 
 
 HoMBURG, August 8, '70. 
 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 Last evening we arrived here from Mainz 
 by rail. Eigenbrod, who is in advance with 
 the wagons, saw our dragoons near Kaisers- 
 lautern and tossed them half a sausage. Pro- 
 visions short, room worse. I am lying here 
 with Carl, ninety soldiers, and many foot- 
 men, in a small house, separated from all the 
 counselors (with and without titles). It is 
 really maddening to see the princely onlook- 
 ers take up all available space and compel 
 Boon and me to leave our working force be- 
 hind, so that these sight-seeing Royal High- 
 
 9 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 nesses, with their servants, horses, and adju- 
 tants, may find room. 
 
 I do not understand your quite unchris- 
 tianlike scolding and complaining letter 
 without a date, which I received here yester- 
 day. I wrote you from Mainz with my own 
 hands three times and telegraphed twice. 
 This one is my fourth letter, and last evening 
 the third telegram went off because of your 
 letter. Via London we hear that they in 
 Paris have become uneasy. Our victories 
 come to them, after the fearful lying and 
 bragging, of course, very much like a sur- 
 prise. We ourselves here have difficulty in 
 learning how the fighting is exactly taking 
 place; we have about 8,000 prisoners and 
 some forty pieces, without the six mitrail- 
 leuses. This even the Frenchmen admit, that 
 our men behave like heroes, un elan irresist- 
 ible, and, withal, constantly up against steep 
 and protected heights. I must blame them 
 only for scorning death too much, and just 
 for this reason the poor infantry has lost 
 10 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 so terribly, especially ofl&cers, and of 
 them especially staff-officers. In the rivalry 
 between Bavarians and Prussians, or be- 
 tween First, Second, and Third Army 
 Corps, they go on as though it were a race 
 for fun. The Bavarians behave splendidly, 
 just like ours. Our good friend Senfft re- 
 mained on the field, I believe at Weissen- 
 burg. Boon's youngest is slightly wounded 
 in the leg. The cavalry is otherwise less ex- 
 posed, and is not suffering the twentieth 
 part of the losses of the infantry, which 
 really must accustom itself to a manner 
 less violent than that of the Berserkers 
 when it throws itself upon the enemy, for 
 such fine blood as that of our soldiers is rare 
 in the world. Here is nothing else but sky 
 and Saxons who are furious that they can 
 not get at the enemy. 
 I embrace you and Marie. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 11 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 St. Johann, August 9, 70. 
 
 Saarbrtick is still standing after all; it is 
 opposite me on the other side of the river, 
 and behind it the mountains from which 
 seven days ago the French climbed down and 
 shot upon Prussians who were not there, and 
 won a battle without adversary, and over 
 which three days ago they were chased back 
 again. I live with M. Haldy; everything 
 elegant and comfortable, but far from the 
 King, who lies yonder in Saarbrtick; I am 
 to dine with him at six, am quite fatigued 
 by the drive from Homburg, and have ten 
 despatches in cipher before me which I can't 
 read as there is no cipher-reader here. 
 
 About the children, I have not been able 
 
 to learn anything as yet, only that they are 
 
 stationed in the neighborhood of Saarge- 
 
 miind. God protect them and you and the 
 
 one with you. 
 
 Your 
 
 y. B. 
 12 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 9 
 
 St. Johann, August 11. 
 Only two lines of heartfelt greetings 
 through the courier, on leaving for St. 
 Avoid. Your 
 
 V. B. 
 
 St. Avold, 11, Evening. 
 This I wrote this morning, put it in my 
 pocket and therefore did not find it when the 
 army messenger left. When undressing I 
 found it and add now that we all are well 
 and I am at the point of lying down in the 
 bed of M. and Mme. Laity, who, fleeing be- 
 fore us without any reason, left their house 
 this morning. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 10 
 
 Herny, August 14, 70. 
 My Darling: 
 
 A few hours east of Metz in the direction 
 
 toward Falkenberg you will, perhaps, find 
 
 on the chart the village where we are to-day, 
 
 8 13 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 but not the many flies which force me to 
 write with a shaking; head. I am here in a 
 farmhouse deserted by its tenants; la voisine 
 has remained and regaled me yesterday with 
 a fowl which two hours before dinner, while 
 yet alive, had made my acquaintance. My 
 good teeth were unable to do its corpse any 
 harm. I learned, however, that a civet of a 
 tame rabbit is very eatable for hungry peo- 
 ple, even when its ingredients delighted 
 them an hour before by their lively capers. 
 Besides that I eat, like a healthy person, 
 fried and raw bacon with so much garlic that, 
 it seems to me, my breath is beginning to 
 smell like a saltpeter cellar. All that agrees 
 with me very well, and I should be quite sat- 
 isfied, if I only could hear a word from Bill 
 and Herbert. The dragoons are always from 
 six to eight miles* ahead of us; to-day on 
 the other side of the Mosel, having passed 
 through between Metz and Nancy. May God 
 save the dear boys from sickness and wounds. 
 
 ' German miles are referred to throughout these letters. 
 
 14 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 Of the latter there is always less danger in 
 the cavalry. The poor infantry loses terribly, 
 because no troop has ever before acted like it. 
 At Worth 8,000 men lost; not counting 3,000 
 missing and scattered, the greater number 
 of which will probably show up again, as 
 the French hardly took any prisoners away 
 upon their retreat when they were hasten- 
 ing in disordered detachments of thousands 
 and mostly without arms, and all sorts of 
 troops, infantry and cavalry, mixed up. The 
 Fifth Division lost at Spichern just 100 
 officers, of which nineteen were killed im- 
 mediately. I just now saw a battalion of the 
 Twelfth Regiment (Fifth Division) that had 
 only three officers left; a sergeant acted as 
 adjutant. A corporal said to me : " If we had 
 held the position the French had, the devil 
 himself couldn't have got us down; I wonder 
 that we ever got it ourselves." It is a pity 
 to lose so many of these heroic souls; it can 
 not be gainsaid, however, that the moral im- 
 pression upon the French army is so over- 
 15 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 powering that it will perhaps save us much 
 blood in the future. We can't induce them 
 any more to join battle with us, and have 
 been vainly looking for them these three 
 days. Steinmetz makes himself unpopular 
 by his obstinacy, even dangerous; he is very 
 near an impeachment; only the King opposes 
 it, all the generals demand it. The Crown 
 Prince leaves us without any news. The 
 Bavarian reports are printed in Munich, and 
 from there the Berlin papers get them, and 
 in these we read, in spite of the slow mails, 
 what happens at the Third Army Corps, 
 earlier than in the reports from there to the 
 King. All advancements and decorations 
 are delayed by this, and the French descrip- 
 tions arrive everywhere a fortnight earlier 
 than ours. Our people behave very well in 
 their quarters. 
 
 My watch I suppose you have received. It 
 
 stopped suddenly in the night; perhaps I 
 
 broke the spring in winding it up. I beg you 
 
 to send me another key for it, one with a 
 
 16 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 cross-piece or leaf, which one can grasp be- 
 tween the fingers in winding and hold firmly 
 without violence. I bought myself a thick 
 one of silver for ten francs. I also send you 
 twenty-three frederic d'ors; they pass here, 
 notwithstanding, only for napoleons. Re- 
 ceived cigars, but I still should like some 
 small good ones for myself. Iron crosses not 
 yet distributed, probably not ready. It is 
 perhaps better so, for after a few have been 
 seen with them it will be absolutely impos- 
 sible to hold the others back and prevent 
 them from sticking their heads into the 
 mouths of the French cannons; they are, 
 anyhow, like Berserkers. The French think 
 our soldiers are so accustomed to maneuver- 
 shooting that they entirely forget that they 
 are here shot at with bullets! A beautiful 
 recognition of gallantry. 
 
 Now farewell, my heart. Embrace our 
 daughter for me and pray with me for our 
 sons. Your 
 
 y. B. 
 17 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 11 
 
 Telegram. 
 
 Herny, Augmt 15, 1870. 
 
 Yesterday very sanguinary battle before 
 
 Metz. Our military authorities now have 
 
 the impression that this is the beginning of 
 
 the end of French resistance, and believe 
 
 that we shall be shortly before Paris. 
 
 Bismarck. 
 
 12 
 Telegram. 
 
 Sent Frankfort-on-Main, Augtist 16, 1870, 7.30 p.m. 
 Frau Countess von Bismarck: 
 
 Herbert and Bill have been seen this morn- 
 ing, very well. 
 
 VON Bismarck. 
 
 13 
 
 PONT-A-MOUSSON, AuQUSt 16. 
 
 My Darling: 
 
 To be sure I sent you a telegram which 
 
 tells you that Carl saw a dragoon to-day, 
 
 who had left Herbert and Bill in full health 
 
 early this morning, four miles from here, and 
 
 18 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 had seen them both himself. But as it is very 
 
 doubtful whether telegrams can leave at all, 
 
 because they cut our wires daily, I write it 
 
 to you again. The Third and Tenth Corps 
 
 are fighting just now at Gorze, three miles 
 
 north from here, against the French, who are 
 
 falling back from Metz. The latter, a force 
 
 of four divisions, are being pressed back upon 
 
 Thionville. If this succeeds, the French 
 
 army will be so scattered that it can not 
 
 be gathered again, and the campaign will be 
 
 practically over, in case the Lord should not 
 
 unmistakably intervene in behalf of France, 
 
 which, I am confident, will not happen. The 
 
 people here must take me for a bloodhound. 
 
 The old women, when they hear my name, 
 
 fall upon their knees and beg me for their 
 
 lives. Attila was a lamb compared with me. 
 
 Farewell, my heart. The letter must be 
 
 mailed. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 y. B. 
 
 19 
 
BISMAUCK'S LETTERS. 
 
 14 
 
 Telegram. 
 
 Sent PoNT-1-MoussoN, Augtist 17, 1870, 8 p. m. 
 
 Frau Countess Bismarck: 
 
 I have just spoken with Herbert and Bill; 
 
 Bill's horse killed, he himself quite well. 
 
 Herbert harmless shot through the thigh, 
 
 bone not hurt. He will be taken to me this 
 
 evening. Then I shall direct him toward 
 
 Nauheim, that you at last will go there! 
 
 Phipp^ well. 
 
 Bismarck. 
 
 15 
 
 PoNT-i-MoussoN, August 17. 
 My Darling: 
 
 The main thing I telegraphed you. We 
 were waked up this morning at three o'clock, 
 drove and rode four miles; there I heard ac- 
 cidentally that First Guard Dragoons had 
 many losses. Rode two miles across the coun- 
 try with much questioning and little danger; 
 
 ' Eldest son of the brother and lieutenant of reserre of the 
 First Guard Dragoon Regiment. D. 1894. 
 
 20 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 found Herbert with 250 wounded in a ten* 
 ant's farmhouse, Bill visiting him under pre- 
 text of getting himself a new horse. He 
 really found a lean hack. Herbert lay be- 
 side Szerdahely (Second Guard Dragoons) 
 and one whose name I can not remember; 
 looked as ever, only two holes in left thigh, in 
 and out shot; wound well dressed. I ordered 
 my carriage, remained four hours waiting for 
 it, and when it came we found that sitting up 
 hurt him, and the heat too great. I let him 
 have Kriiger, pressed into service a wagon in 
 which he could lie down and in which he will 
 arrive here some time during the cool night. 
 He also had two grazing shots through his 
 clothes, of which one glanced off my black 
 wooden watch, smashing it. I took it with 
 me and left him my ten-franc watch, which 
 I bought in St. Avoid, instead. The black 
 one I shall bring you and will buy myself 
 a new one here. Bill's horse was shot down 
 in the attack, so that he turned a somer- 
 sault, and at first was thought dead. But 
 21 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 he is fat and lusty, looked very smeary. 
 The campaign is now over for Herbert, and 
 he, if God send no other misfortune, under 
 cover against further trouble, for it will take 
 him at least a few weeks to heal up. I will 
 send him by rail direct to Germany. How 
 would it be, if you nursed him in Nauheim? 
 If he does not get the cross, I will never 
 again bear orders. Wesdehlen, Westorp, 
 Reuss, Kleist, remained on the field, Auers- 
 wald shot through the abdomen, severe; he 
 also lay there. The three squadrons, who 
 attacked, lost twelve officers, men not yet 
 counted. Every one a hero! The Third 
 Hussars, Thirteenth and Sixteenth Lancers, 
 and my poor yellow Cuirassiers have lost, at 
 the preposterous and impossible cavalry at- 
 tacks which Voigt-Rheetz commanded, one- 
 third of their men, and all more than half of 
 the officers. I will not be bitter after the 
 Lord has so graciously preserved us our two 
 boys, but the command of the First and Sec- 
 ond Army Corps is unskilful in the employ- 
 22 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 ment of the death-scorning bravery of our 
 men, fist alone, without head; and yet we 
 conquer. But we can not spare so many, 
 especially officers, at the rate we are losing 
 them, if we yet want to reach Paris. It is 
 wasting the best soldiers of Europe. Moltke 
 is good, but Steinmetz no commander. We 
 fought yesterday against a superior force of 
 more than double our number, against a bet- 
 ter position, better arms, and gallant ene- 
 mies, and yet we conquered. 
 
 Farewell, my beloved heart; embrace 
 
 Marie, and fear nothing. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 
 Revolver good, horses well, but tired, 
 deadly tired; in the saddle from three to 
 eight in the evening. 
 
 16 
 Rezonvillb, Atigust 19, Morning. 
 Slept well in camp. Guard Dragoons yes- 
 terday not to the front, thus everything as 
 23 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 before; Herbert, I hope, arrived at Pont-k- 
 Mousson last evening. I saw him in Maria- 
 ville at about noon, without fever, suppura- 
 tion beginning. Yesterday from three in the 
 morning to nine in the evening on horseback. 
 French completely beaten. Now we shall 
 
 investigate closer. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 
 To Countess Bismabck-Schonhausbn, Berlin. 
 
 17 
 
 PoNT-1-MoussoN, AugiLst 19, 1870. 
 I have just got back to headquarters at 
 Pont-k-Mousson after an absence of two days, 
 very tired, but well otherwise; I do not write 
 myself, but dictate, because I am eating mut- 
 ton and potatoes at present. Herbert is lying 
 above in my room; is cheerful, and the best 
 proof of his being well is his smoking reso- 
 lutely, for which he had no appetite yester- 
 day when I saw him in Mariaville. I got 
 back this morning, after our departure yes- 
 24 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 terday morning at three o'clock; my letter 
 of yesterday, written at Rezonville, you will 
 receive only now at the same time with this 
 one. Herbert's departure for Germany does 
 not depend upon his condition, — for as far 
 as that goes he could leave to-day, — but upon 
 the finishing of a short stretch of railway, 
 which was interrupted. Therefore go, as 
 soon as you can, to Nauheim, where, by the 
 way, telegraph and railway are as good as 
 in Berlin. 
 
 Now ^ I have finished eating. I was very 
 hungry, as I had not eaten anything warm 
 for two days and have had the past three 
 days only a few hours' time for sleeping; 
 feel excellent; ride five or six miles on Uncle 
 Tom, who is the most uncomfortable of all 
 horses; drink coffee and smoke six cigars a 
 day. May God save you and change your 
 headaches to a merry good health. Two let- 
 ters from you. Those of 17th and 16th I 
 read, the others I shall read directly. Many 
 
 * From here on written by himself. 
 
 25 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 of the Guards were left on the field; much 
 too gallant, the splendid men, to live. It 
 moves me to pity, almost more than I re- 
 joice over the victory. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 18 
 P(ont)-1-Mou8Son, AugiLst 20. 
 Herbert is lying beside me; has slept well 
 just now for four hours; is cheerful and will 
 be able to depart in a few days. Just go to 
 Nauheim and order quarters. Cordial con- 
 gratulations to the beloved child for to- 
 morrow. 
 
 V. B. 
 
 19 
 
 CoMMERCY, August 23. 
 
 This morning, taken leave from Herbert 
 in Pont-a-Mousson. Kryn, who dresses his 
 wound, goes with him to-morrow by rail via 
 Nancy, Mannheim to Nauheim, where he 
 hopes to find you. He will travel two days 
 and thus arrive at station Nauheim on 
 26 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 Thursday or Friday. He was very well and 
 in good mood. I had to get him to-day a pair 
 of trousers, of which he did not possess any. 
 All goes well with me, always on the go and 
 in good health. Cordial greetings Marie. 
 
 Your 
 V. B. 
 
 20 
 
 Bar-lb-Duc, August 24. 
 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 We are advancing with celerity. To-day 
 noon I gave up pleasant quarters in Com- 
 mercy, with lovable old ladies, tearful wives 
 and mothers of generals, who all want 
 peace. Before us there is no enemy; Chalons 
 and farther on already occupied by us. We 
 shall either fight before Paris or not at all. 
 Napoleon is said to have been in Rheims yes- 
 terday. I do not consider it impossible that 
 he begins to carry himself with the idea that 
 he will have to employ his army more against 
 the Parisians than against us, to make peace 
 with us, and, supported by the army, to con- 
 27 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 tinue to tyrannize the rest of France. I 
 should not object, but one can not judge at 
 this time whether it be true. The French 
 main army is locked up in Metz by Prince 
 Frederick Charles with 20,000 men; it can 
 no longer be 100,000 strong. In addition 
 there are about 20,000 wounded in Metz 
 down with typhus and gangrene; how much 
 of provisions they have and for how long 
 the future will tell. When they kill the 
 horses, they will begin to think of capitu- 
 lating. 
 
 I left Herbert well yesterday; Fritz,^ who 
 met me in Commercy, saw him this morning 
 at five o'clock, when he expected to be taken 
 to the railroad at seven; the nurses of the 
 Knights of St. John were all ready for the 
 transport. When you receive this letter you 
 will probably have him with you, as I heard 
 that you would depart yesterday. I am, by 
 the aid of God, well, beyond expectation. I 
 eat, drink, and sleep just like a healthy per- 
 
 ' General Count Bismarck-Bohlen. 
 
 28 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 son. May God give you and Marie the same, 
 
 and a good cure in Nauheim. We shall stay 
 
 over to-morrow at least. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 21 
 
 Telegram. 
 
 Mainz, August 25, 1870, 3.50 p. m. 
 
 Countess von Bismarck, 
 Bath Nauheim: 
 His Lordship the Count, your son, will ar- 
 rive there this morning at about seven or 
 eight o'clock; expects attendants and men. 
 
 Dr. Frey.* 
 
 22 
 
 Bar-le-Duc, August 25. 
 
 Dearest Heart: 
 
 We march from here to-morrow to St. 
 Mdn^hould, in the direction toward Rheims; 
 shall be there without telegraph or railroad, 
 consequently news longer on the way, and 
 
 * Swiss Volunteer Army Surgeon. 
 
 * 29 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 therefore I write once more from here, where 
 I should like to stay longer on account of 
 good beds, wine, and fare. I have to an- 
 nounce only that all is well with me, and 
 that we, in consequence of the victories at 
 Metz, are advancing six miles almost every 
 day, without seeing anything of the enemy. 
 His main army remains locked up in Metz 
 by Prince Frederick Charles, and we are yet 
 to see whether we shall find something in 
 Rheims, which has meanwhile gotten on its 
 legs. Napoleon is reported to be there. 
 
 Herbert will probably have left Pont-k- 
 Mousson yesterday morning; he will make 
 the journey in about two to four days; It 
 depends upon how he will stand it. So he 
 is, perhaps, with you by the time this letter 
 reaches you. Bill is now with the Dragoons 
 of the Royal Guard a few miles to the left of 
 us. You need not worry about him. A regi- 
 ment that has suffered as the Dragoons did 
 will not be led into the fire again without 
 pressing need. I have repeatedly searched 
 30 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 for information about Btilow,^ and as I could 
 not learn anything about him, I suppose he 
 is well and with his regiment. Itzenplitz is 
 said — and I am sorry for it — to have been 
 left on the field; but do not speak of it, as 
 it is very hard to learn anything positive; it 
 might be an error. I am immeasurably 
 sorry for the old man, if it should be true. 
 Lehndorf told it to me to-day. The regi- 
 mental reports come in sooner at home than 
 here. But whoever is not reported dead, is, 
 as a rule, alive and unwounded. Good-by, 
 with all my heart ; drink and bathe in quiet, 
 trust to God, who shielded our children in 
 the very jaws of death, and greet my beloved 
 
 Marie. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 Birthday of the King of Bavaria, and I 
 without my decorations! 
 
 ^Lieutenant of the Second Guard Dragoons, second son of 
 the later Secretary of State. 
 
 31 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 23 
 
 Clermont-en-Argonne, AugiLst 27. 
 My beloved Heart: 
 
 We thought to find MacMahon not before 
 we get to Chalons; he avoided us and escaped 
 to Rheims. We intended to look for him 
 there, but heard in time that he tried to 
 press forward via Verdun toward Metz, to 
 help liberate the French main army under 
 Bazaine, locked up there. He cut a hook, 
 as they say in hunting, and we, in pursuit, 
 tried to cut him off, in order to force him 
 to stand and fight. MacMahon's troops are 
 of much less capability than Bazaine's; there 
 are many reserves of which a squadron of 
 our Lancers caught 900 yesterday. The 
 above you may communicate to anybody you 
 please, even to the newspapers. We are ly- 
 ing here in a small hole, to be found east of 
 Verdun. I, with the schoolmaster; place of 
 sleeping on the floor; a straw chair, a small 
 pinewood table that serves as washstand, 
 32 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 desk, and dining-table. Provisions hard to 
 get. The people have nothing left; I have 
 now once more to consider floor, bacon, 
 and ammunition bread as remedies whose 
 eflScacy I had never recognized before. Am 
 doing very well on it. Herbert is probably 
 with you; yesterday I received news that he 
 had passed Nancy by railway, accompanied 
 by Colonel Canitz.^ The duration of his 
 Journey depended upon its effect upon his 
 wound. I scented Bill yesterday at St. 
 M^nehould as being well. Did I tell you that 
 every dragoon of the Third Squadron first 
 laughs when he has to undergo an examina- 
 tion about Bill by me? He has a contagious 
 jollity. May God give it to you also and 
 Marie and a good effect from the water. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 Field post much worse than '66! 
 
 * The wounded commander of the Second Guards. 
 
 33 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 24 
 
 Clermont, August 28. 
 
 Still lying on the floor at the schoolmas- 
 ter's, otherwise well. Bill seen well yester- 
 day by an officer; he had marched through 
 here an hour before we got to this place. I 
 at last learned yesterday about young Bil- 
 low,^ that he is unwounded and well, tele- 
 graphed to Thile^ yesterday. I have not 
 had a letter from you from Nauheim. The 
 last one, dated Tuesday from Berlin, I re- 
 ceived yesterday through army messenger. 
 I hope you are nursing your old son there by 
 this time. Hans Arnim ^ wellj saw youngest 
 red Boitze* yesterday, who eaw him. 
 
 I have written since seven in the morning, 
 it is now three. I must have a little walk 
 before I go to eat at his Majesty's at four. 
 
 ^ See former note, p. 31. 
 
 ' Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 
 
 ' Son of the sister of the Federal Chancellor, 
 
 * Count Arnim-Boitzenburg. 
 
 34 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 Heartfelt greetings to both the children. 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 Bavarians have been marching through 
 here the past four hours; blow false. 
 
 25 
 
 Clermont, Augtist 28, 70. 
 My beloved Heart: 
 
 I sent you to-day a pencil-letter hurriedly 
 by army messenger. Now, in the evening, I 
 have time, and my thoughts turn to you. I 
 am writing in advance because I do not know 
 whether there will be time for it in the next 
 few days. I hope that we shall break up to- 
 morrow; we are only expecting certain re- 
 ports upon which depends the direction we 
 are to take. It is not very nice here with only 
 one rush chair. General Staff with night- 
 service below me, offices with ditto above me, 
 twenty people who live in this thin, sound- 
 ing house, five screaming children beside 
 
 me, and not even a . One has 
 
 35 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 to get accustomed, in the face of the public, 
 to go about it shamelessly as best possible, 
 and to induce the guards, at least, not to stand 
 there with presented arms. Pardon these 
 details, but it is to me the most unpleasant 
 of the martial deprivations. Since the 19th 
 I have not observed any warlike adventures 
 near me; some political work, a few Saxon 
 cavalry skirmishes, marching and counter- 
 marching, with which we try to make the 
 French stand, that is to say MacMahon. The 
 main army, Bazaine's, is locked up in Metz, 
 and we have to prevent the other under Mac- 
 Mahon from liberating it. Hence the march 
 from Bar-le-Duc to this place, and perhaps 
 still farther north. These strategical opera- 
 tions are of minor immediate interest to you 
 out there than the battles, but they prepare 
 the fate of the latter. This rainy weather 
 affects the infantry boots badly, and this is 
 just as important a question as a battle; in 
 the marching capacity also, the Germans 
 prove themselves superior to the French, who 
 
 36 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 are known for their light-footedness; and we 
 are not only provided with better foot-wear 
 than the adversary, but also have better legs 
 sticking in it. I must now to the King to 
 tea, in order to help him live through the 
 long evening; to-morrow I shall add a few 
 lines, provided we do not start too early. I 
 shall learn that at the King's. 
 
 Grandpre, 29. 
 This morning there was no time for 
 writing; we started at eight to meet Mac- 
 Mahon, but when we were at breakfast half- 
 way to Varennes (where they stopped Louis 
 XVI seventy-nine years ago), it was report- 
 ed that the bird had flown away, withdraw- 
 ing northwest. Well, I suppose we have to 
 follow them, until the sea at Boulogne or 
 Dieppe puts a limit to their retreat. It is 
 tiresome to run after these Frenchmen, in 
 spite of the charming landscape. We can 
 not afford to get out of touch with them, lest 
 they help the real army (Bazaine) locked up 
 37 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 in Metz to escape. This hunting is for us 
 something like a game of blind man's buff, as 
 we continually have to find out by way of 
 feeling through the cavalry what has become 
 of the adversary. What really has become 
 of my watch? A policeman lent me his, 
 which does not repeat, and then I think every 
 time I awake from the noise that it is not 
 worth while to go to sleep again. It is a 
 little more promising out here than in Cler- 
 mont; I have a bedstead at least, and no 
 more bottle-necks for candlesticks. 
 
 Meanwhile I ate with the King, then 
 drank some native sparkling wine which 
 is not served at table, with our gentlemen 
 whom I found, on my return, still at table, 
 and now shall finish with cordial greetings 
 to both the children. Bill still not ensign, 
 because of no proposals from the regiment 
 having been returned. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 y. B. 
 
 38 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 26 
 
 Vendresse, Augtist 31, 70. 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 Yesterday at last we touched them, a little 
 south of Sedan, which you will find situated 
 on the Maas [Meuse], upon any map. They 
 either did not think us so near or believed 
 themselves stronger. In short, we overtook 
 them, south of Beaumont. Justav ^ with the 
 Fourth Corps and our brave Twenty-sixth 
 and Sixty-sixth ran over two French divi- 
 sions, one after the other. Beside them the 
 Eighty-sixth (Holstein) and Thirty-first, the 
 Nordhauser Chasseurs, on the left wing the 
 Saxons, then the Bavarians and Wtirtem- 
 bergers. Justav did the hardest work with 
 the good Schonhausers. The chase extend- 
 ed over two miles; sometimes they made a 
 stand again and rolled with their mitrail- 
 leuses, as though an engine lets out steam. 
 So far eleven of these not very effective 
 murder-instruments have been reported as 
 
 ^ General von Alvensleben. 
 
 39 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 captured and some twenty pieces, about 
 7,000 prisoners, of which, however, con- 
 tinuously new columns by the hundred are 
 brought in. I saw over 1,000 of them at 
 Beaumont upon one spot, penned up in a 
 quarry, among them a priest who is said 
 to have shot upon our wounded. I had his 
 priestly coat at least quickly taken off of 
 him, and, if charges proved, he will join the 
 order of the cordiliers, — but around the neck. 
 Our good cousin of Briest, the captain of the 
 Twenty-sixth, I hear has remained on the 
 field, badly wounded he will be at any rate; 
 the latter is also true of the fat colonel who 
 so long commanded the Twenty-sixth, and 
 two years ago attended the family gather- 
 ing. A son of the road guard at Fischbeck 
 greeted me, lightly wounded in his arm. I 
 left him what money I had with me. Of the 
 end of the pursuit on the other side of the 
 Maas and below Sedan we have no news as 
 yet. But 15,000 men the French will surely 
 have lost, and the armies of MacMahon and 
 40 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 * Failly are completely routed. Napoleon, 
 father and son, were likewise with the 
 troops; we saw the suite from afar through 
 our field-glasses. The dragoons were not in 
 the fight. I am physically as well as I have 
 been for a long time. With regard to busi- 
 ness, yet uncertain. Gorchakoff is less plia- 
 ble than his Emperor. 
 Cordial greetings to the children. 
 
 Your 
 V. B. 
 
 Vendresse, September 3, 70. 
 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 The day before yesterday before daybreak 
 I left my quarters here, am returning to-day, 
 and meantime witnessed the great battle of 
 Sedan on the 1st, in which we took nearly 
 30,000 prisoners and threw the rest of the 
 French army, which we had been chasing 
 since the time at Bar-le-Duc, into the fortress 
 
 ' Published in Fiirst Bismarcks Briefe an seine Braut und 
 Gattin, p. 579. 
 
 41 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 where it, together with the Emperor, had to 
 surrender. Yesterday morning at five o'clock, 
 after I had been negotiating with Moltke and 
 the French generals till one o'clock in the 
 morning with regard to the capitulation to 
 be effected. General Reille, with whom I am 
 acquainted, woke me to tell me that Na- 
 poleon wished to speak to me. I rode un- 
 washed and without breakfast toward Se- 
 dan, found the Emperor stopping on the 
 road before Sedan in an open carriage with 
 three adjutants and three on horseback be- 
 side it. I dismounted, greeted him just as 
 politely as at the Tuileries, and asked his 
 commands. He wished to see the King; I 
 told him according to truth that his Majesty 
 had his quarters three miles away at the 
 place where I am now writing. Upon Na- 
 poleon's asking whither he should betake 
 himself, I offered him, as I was unfamiliar 
 with the country, my quarters at Donchery, 
 a small place on the Maas near by Sedan; 
 he accepted, and drove escorted by his six 
 42 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 Frenchmen, myself and Carl, who had fol- 
 lowed me meanwhile, through the lonely 
 morning toward our side. Shortly before 
 the place he began to regret on account of 
 a possible crowd of people, and he asked me 
 whether he could stop at a lonely workman's 
 house on the way. I had it examined by 
 Carl, who reported it to be poor and unclean. 
 Wimporte, said Napoleon, and I climbed with 
 him a shaky, narrow flight of stairs. In a 
 room ten feet square, with a pine table and 
 two rush chairs, we sat one hour; the others 
 remained down-stairs. A powerful contrast 
 to our last meeting of '67 at the Tuileries! 
 Our conversation was constrained, for I did 
 not wish to touch upon things which must 
 painfully affect the man, thrown down by 
 God's powerful hand. I had ofiftcers brought 
 from town by Carl and requested Moltke to 
 come. We then sent one of the first upon a 
 reconnoitering tour and discovered a small 
 castle with park one-half mile away at Fres- 
 nois. Thither I accompanied him with an 
 43 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 escort, brought up in the meantime, of the 
 Body-Cuirassier Regiment, and there we con- 
 cluded the capitulation with the French 
 General-in-Chief Wimpffen, by force of which 
 from 40,000 to 60,000 Frenchmen— I don't 
 know yet exactly how many — with all that 
 they carry about them, become our pris- 
 oners. Yesterday and the day before cost 
 France 100,000 men and an emperor. The 
 latter left this morning with all his cour- 
 tiers, horses, and equipages for Wilhelms- 
 hohe, near Kassel. 
 
 It is a world-historical event, a victory for 
 which we will thank God our Lord in humble- 
 ness, and one which decides the war, though 
 we have to continue the latter against the 
 monarchless France. I must close. With 
 heartfelt joy I learned to-day from your and 
 Marie's letters of Herbert's arrival. I spoke 
 to Bill yesterday, as telegraphed before, and 
 embraced him, before his Majesty, bending 
 down from my horse while he stood drawn 
 up straight in line. He is very well and 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 cheerful. I saw Hans and Fritz Carl, both 
 Btilows with the Second Guard Dragoons, 
 well and fresh. 
 
 Good-by, my heart; greet the children. 
 
 Your 
 y. B. 
 28 
 
 Vendresse, September 3. 
 My Heart: 
 
 As there is another courier going to-day, 
 I will send you two more words, through 
 him, that you may know that we shall de- 
 part to-morrow for Vouziers, in the direction 
 toward Kheims. MacMahon's army, which' 
 we attacked at Beaumont-Mouzon (Justav) 
 four days ago, amounted then to 120,000 
 men. Of it nothing has been left. About 
 30,000 may have been wounded or killed in 
 fights, some have been dispersed to Belgium 
 and then disarmed, the rest captured. At 
 the same time the enemy was beaten by the 
 First and Ninth Corps at Metz on the 31st 
 and Ist, in two attempts to break through, 
 5 4& 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 and locked up again in Metz. Sixty to 80 
 thousand French soldiers are reported to be 
 there yet, the only remainder of the whole 
 army with which the war was begun. It is 
 hoped they also will soon be obliged to ca- 
 pitulate. The lies of the Parisian journals 
 about the everlasting victories will probably 
 then cease. I mounted my horse yesterday 
 morning at six, dismounted at midnight, 
 after having ridden ten to eleven miles, 
 twice wet and dry again, and nothing warm 
 to eat the last three days. When I, at said 
 midnight, happened across a pot-roast, I ate 
 of it like a wolf, then slept fast for six 
 hours. And now I feel as well as a fish in 
 water, and, what is still more wonderful, so 
 does Roschen, who had received no feed or 
 water during eighteen hours and had made 
 those eleven miles under me on bad roads, in 
 darkness and rain; she ate immediately with 
 good appetite. Josef,^ I am sorry to say, 
 has a sort of dysentery; I am afraid he 
 
 ' Footman. 
 
 46 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 will be obliged to stay behind somewhere. 
 
 I have a hussar orderly meanwhile in his 
 
 place. Napoleon will sleep to-night in Neuf- 
 
 ch^teau in Belgium. 
 
 Good night, many greetings. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 29 
 
 Telegram. 
 
 Sent PoNT-i-Mou8SON, September 5, 70, 11.20 a. m. 
 
 Countess Bismarck, Nauheim: 
 
 I have seen Bill, well and cheery in camp 
 
 before Sedan on the 2d. 
 
 Bismarck. 
 
 30 
 
 Rheims, September 5. 
 
 Just dismounted. I hear that a courier is 
 ready to leave, and write in haste that I and 
 others are well. I wrote you from Don- 
 chery that I saw Bill well in camp last Fri- 
 day. We shall probably stay here in Rheims 
 for a few days. Many greetings. 
 
 Your 
 y. B. 
 '47 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 31 
 
 Rheims, September 6. 
 Only one word, my heart, that I am well. 
 Now that the arms are resting for a few 
 days the paper business is rising over my 
 head so that I have not a moment's time left. 
 I had a very satisfactory interview with the 
 Crown Prince in Donchery to-day. In Paris, 
 republic ; at least provisional government by 
 republicans. It is all sausage to me.* 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 *We get there just the same! 
 
 32 » 
 
 To Count H. Bismarck. 
 
 Rheims, September 7, 70. 
 My beloved Boy: 
 
 The King told me to-day at table that you 
 were appointed an officer, Bill an ensign. 
 
 ' Published in Fiirst Bismarcks Briefe an seine Braut und 
 Gattin, p. 233. 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 You have one of the appointed ones ahead 
 of you on the list, his name is Behr, I be- 
 lieve; then you, then Dohna and a number of 
 others. I am glad that you have become 
 this on the field, and after so brilliant a 
 deed of the regiment as that of the 16th. 
 May God give you many years to remember 
 it with thankfulness for his grace that pre- 
 served you both in this blood-bath. The 
 other ministers have not been so fortunate 
 with their sons; about Itzenplitz, you know, 
 Roon's good long Bombshell was shot 
 through the abdomen in his battery on the 
 field, rifle bullet, died on the 3d, in the even- 
 ing. My poor old Roon is really ill with 
 grief and is in bed; he told me that Leon- 
 hardt also had lost a son. Few families at 
 home will be without mourning. In Paris 
 the republic has been declared; whether it 
 will stand, how it will develop, for that we 
 have to wait. My wish would be, that we 
 let the people there stew in their own gravy 
 a while and that we settle down in domestic 
 49 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 style in the conquered departments, before 
 we go ahead. If we do it too soon, we shall 
 prevent them from quarreling among them- 
 selves. Internal peace can not last long 
 with this quite socialistic crowd at the head. 
 Above all I would that our reserves arrived 
 soon. The regiments have not yet even re- 
 ceived recruits for the losses suffered at 
 Worth, and at home everything is ready, I 
 suppose. There is much antiquated red tape 
 in these matters and much scribbling. Ba- 
 zaine is making frequent sorties out of Metz, 
 one to-day; about the particulars of to-day 
 we are yet in expectancy, as the wire at Cler- 
 mont has been cut again. Soon, however, 
 he will be obliged to capitulate like Sedan. 
 On the 1st and 2d we took about 90,000 pris- 
 oners, sixty generals and about 6,000 officers, 
 OP people in officer's rank. Strassburg 
 has been willing to capitulate if free retreat 
 be granted, but we do not wish to let them 
 have the 16,000 or 18,000 men that are in 
 there. May God protect you, my old boy, 
 50 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 and give you soon your leg again. Cordial 
 greetings. 
 
 Your faithful father, 
 
 V. B. 
 
 33 
 
 Rheims, Saturday, the 10th of September, 70. 
 The courier must be off, while I am in con- 
 ference with General v. Boyen and President 
 Delbrtick, which I can not interrupt. I am 
 therefore able only to answer the letter, re- 
 ceived to-day through courier, with the as- 
 surance that I am well and happy, and that 
 everything is going well. I have just re- 
 turned with the King from a visit to the 
 former much-talked-about French camp at 
 Chalons, where we found the splendidly ap- 
 pointed apartments of the Emperor and Em- 
 press devastated by the populace. I call 
 attention to a report from me about my 
 meeting with the Emperor of the 2d of 
 September which will appear in the Staats- 
 Anzeiger. 
 
 51 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 With^ thanks to Abeken, who wrote so 
 far, and cordial greetings. 
 
 Your 
 V. B. 
 
 34 
 
 Rheims, September 12, 70. 
 
 My beloved Heart: 
 
 To-day two months ago I left Varzin for 
 Berlin; what a piece of history has inter- 
 vened since, and what has become of the 
 Spanish Succession, about which we had to 
 cipher and decipher so much with Bucher! 
 I just remembered it in writing the date. 
 Your last letter of the 3d is lying before me, 
 received yesterday. Blixen-Finecke is my 
 guest from Copenhagen and Sweden, former- 
 ly married to a Rumpenheimer princess, who 
 presented you with Guava rum, apples, and 
 other things in Frankfort. Be kind to the 
 Rabenaus. They are good people and polit- 
 ical friends. Commend me to Emmi Below 
 
 ' In his own handwriting from here on. 
 
 52 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 when you see her. An enclosure from Eisen- 
 decher was not in your letter. The one from 
 Westphal I answered; regret the loss 
 through the rain. I am sincerely sorry about 
 Schreckenstein, but don't tell him that, but 
 speak only of my sympathy and my joy over 
 his brave endurance. Beps^ is doing well, 
 so I hear, the gallant blade! He is, I hear, 
 on the road to speedy recovery. Herbert's 
 wound is surely mitrailleuse, else the bullets 
 would not have set so close upon him and 
 the horse, and it would heal quicker. The 
 mitrailleuse bullets all seem to have a poi- 
 sonous admixture that at first blackens and 
 irritates the wound. How Bill is to-day I do 
 not know, but he has not had to do any fight- 
 ing since Sedan. We have been here eight 
 days in order to give the great army time to 
 execute its long wheeling evolutions from 
 Sedan to Paris. About the day after to-mor- 
 row we shall proceed. I do not believe that 
 we shall have any battles near or in Paris. 
 
 * Lieatenant-Colonel von Puttkammer, Second Guards. 
 
 53 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 The diplomatic mail has piled up again here 
 during the martial rest, the dammed-up ink- 
 brook has poured itself out over me, false 
 doves of peace buzz around and coo at me 
 hypocritically, but above all the administra- 
 tive organization causes me much friction, 
 on account of the incredible pig-headedness 
 and departmental jealousy of the military, 
 especially in the General Staff, the Post, 
 Telegraph, and Quartermaster's affairs. If 
 I had to keep house with such departmental 
 confusion in my civil affairs, I should have 
 exploded long ago like a grenade. But here 
 nobody cares whether the whole suffers or 
 not, every one does what he is ordered to 
 do, and, about what he is not ordered to do, 
 he consoles himself like the boy for whom 
 his father did not buy any gloves. Before 
 the enemy we are nothing but heroes, but at 
 our writing-tables we are like the famous 
 rat king, only grown together by our pig- 
 tails. Hatzfeld and Carl are just coming 
 from Chalons, where they searched the pre- 
 54 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 fecture. Paul ^ behaves very well, bears 
 everything that comes along with equanim- 
 ity, is always obliging, and a more useful 
 young man than one would have been led to 
 believe. Cordial greetings to the children, 
 Schrecks and Cilchen, and bathe like a good 
 child and breathe the strengthening morn- 
 ing air. Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 (Enclosed was found the following slip by 
 the hand of the Countess Bismarck, with the 
 marginal notes by the hand of the Chancel- 
 lor): 
 
 I would that Carl kindly inform me of Bill- 
 chen's (little Billy's) address, as I do not 
 know it at present.* And please: 
 
 Is it settled that the first condition of 
 peace is: eternal remaining of L(ouis) 
 N(apoleon) upon the throne of the French?? 
 
 *It changes every day; I do not know it 
 myself to-day. The troops are on the ad- 
 vance, you know. 
 
 > Count Hatzfeld. 
 
 55 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 35 
 
 Meatjx, September 18, 70. 
 My beloved Heart: 
 
 If I do not write so industriously now as 
 formerly, do not believe that I think less 
 often of you; it is business that is growing 
 above my head, since the peace; not doves, 
 but vultures, are beginning to hack at me, 
 and the administration of the occupied 
 stretches of land is swelling the stream of 
 ink that is ever flowing toward me. In spite 
 of it I found time yesterday, when I heard 
 that the Guard Cavalry was encamped in the 
 neighborhood, to ride across the country and 
 to look up our young shoot of an ensign and 
 to find him finally in Montg^, two miles 
 northwest from here. I brought him cigars 
 and cognac, found him well, strong, and 
 grown almost slender but not slim. Philipp 
 is here to-day; he has the Cross, and I de- 
 clined his Majesty's invitation to dine with 
 my nephew. Bill's adventure of the 16th is 
 56 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 not quite as I wrote before. His horse was 
 not shot under him, but stumbled fifty paces 
 before the hostile square over another one, 
 shot before him. Bill on his feet again led 
 his horse away by the bridle in a shower of 
 bullets, under God's protection, but not be- 
 fore he had put a wounded dragoon that had 
 fallen beside him into his (Bill's) own saddle. 
 Neither he on foot nor his comrade on horse- 
 back received another of all the bullets that 
 were sent after them, but the horse so many 
 that it fell dead after Bill had led it with his 
 saved comrade out of the fire. He showed 
 himself intrepid and a good fellow. I thank 
 God that he let me live to experience this 
 joy over both boys, and yet preserved them 
 to us. His graciousness, I hope, will rest 
 upon them and us also in the future. Kiss 
 and give my regards to the Lieutenant and 
 his sister. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 y. B. 
 
 57 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 36 
 
 FERRifeRES, September 21. 
 
 My Darling: 
 
 I am sitting here under the portrait of old 
 Rothschild and his Lady: am well, so is 
 Bill, but can write only in flying haste. 
 Negotiations of all sorts hold me by my coat- 
 tails as Jews the broker in the market, and 
 the courier must leave in a minute. We go 
 hungry because H. M. has forbidden forag- 
 ing for headquarters, and there is nothing 
 
 to buy. Cordial greetings. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 
 To Count H. Bismarck. 
 
 FerriJires, September 23, 70. 
 
 To-day eight years ago, methinks, I be- 
 came Minister. 
 My beloved Boy: 
 
 I received, to-day, two letters from your 
 mother of the 15th and 16th, from which I 
 
 ' Published in the sixth volume of the Bismarck Jahrbach, 
 p. 234. 
 
 58 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 gather with grief that your wound is not 
 doing well. You have had a hard year of 
 physical sufferings, but in spite of all I 
 thankfully praise the Lord's protection, that 
 he let you, as it is, survive the ride of the 
 regiment of the 16th of August, for it was 
 not granted to many to tell that they had 
 been there. With God's help your leg will 
 not be stiff, but the flexibility will be for a 
 long time somewhat rusty, the physicians 
 say; the tearing of the muscles was too 
 great, the renewal of tissue and its learning 
 how to move will progress slowly. Roon's 
 wound was a lighter one; in spite of it we 
 shall, as God will, yet have many a ride to- 
 gether through the forest of Varzin. No 
 more riding here, the Crown Prince wishes 
 to let you know. He was with me when I 
 received the letters, and to whom I read the 
 maternal lamentations. What there is left 
 here to do, if there is anything else but starv- 
 ing them out, will be attended to by the in- 
 fantry and artillery. 
 
 59 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 That I visited Bill at Meaux in quarters 
 and found him well, you at home will prob- 
 ably know by this time. I received the let- 
 ters addressed to him, and forwarded them; 
 also received the one from Malle. The 
 offense with regard to Wilhelmshohe I un- 
 derstand; kitchen, stable, and liveries were 
 sent from Berlin against the King's wishes, 
 and Napoleon thereupon quickly dismissed 
 and sold his own, in order to save. A well- 
 treated Napoleon, however, will be more use- 
 ful to us, and that is the only and most im- 
 portant thing to me. Vengeance is God's. 
 The Frenchmen must remain in the dark, 
 whether they will get him back or not; that 
 will improve their quarrels. They had al- 
 ready begun night before last to hit each 
 other in the streets of Paris with artillery. 
 It is not our duty to pacify them against us. 
 Tell Mama that I agree with her about the 
 advancement of money to the Mesendorfer 
 village magistrate and beg not to remind 
 him of the loan. 
 
 60 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 So far I have three times negotiated here 
 by the hour with the French (Favre accom- 
 panied, very meekly, by Ring and Hall), but 
 they still get the gripes so severely about 
 Alsace that we had to break off. They be- 
 lieve they will be able to pay five thousand 
 millions of francs and seem to be ready, if we 
 let them keep Strassburg. But I told them 
 we would speak later about the money; first 
 fix the German frontier and make it tight. 
 For as soon as they should get strong enough 
 they would attack us again, I said, which 
 they denied under the most pompous protes- 
 tations of peace. All that has happened be- 
 fore. But what has not yet happened is your 
 quick and complete recovery, which I wish 
 you, my heart's own boy, and for which I 
 pray to God, and with thousand greetings to 
 Mama and Marie. 
 
 Your faithful father, 
 
 V. B. 
 
 et 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 38 
 
 Ferrieres, September 27. 
 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 I have had great joy, first, over Herbert's 
 lead-pencil letter, for which I cordially thank 
 the old boy, and then, to-day, over the letter 
 from the Swiss doctor, the tenor of which 
 was so satisfying, but showed me also how 
 dangerous the situation had been a fortnight 
 ago. You probably experienced genuine 
 fear, remembering Bonn, my darling, and 
 kept silent so bravely toward me. Worry 
 came to me during the nights, as it was, but 
 I kept myself quite nerved, in which I hardly 
 should have succeeded if I had received 
 worse news. I almost become uneasy now, 
 after all is over, as is your habit, but will 
 not spoil myself the joyous gratitude to God. 
 Malle telegraphs much worried about Hans. 
 I immediately sent out Leberstrom * to find 
 out where he is lying and whether he is well. 
 
 * Mounted policeman. 
 
 62 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 He can not be back before to-morrow. Five 
 
 miles from here he will only learn where the 
 
 regiment is located. At the same time I 
 
 shall hear from Bill, about whom I received 
 
 good news the day before yesterday. He has 
 
 now taken his horse from me, after I have 
 
 nursed it back to health. Cordial greeting 
 
 to his brother and sister. 
 
 Your 
 V. B. 
 
 39 
 
 Ferrierbs, October 1, 70. 
 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 For two months we have been lying now 
 in the field, and I nearly a fortnight in Old 
 Rothschild's green damask; this latter part 
 of the adventure commences to have its 
 length; my existence is very monotonous; 
 much scribbling about German, Prussian, 
 and French business; great heat during 
 the day, nights cooler. Very inconveniently, 
 my free time mostly coincides with the mid- 
 day heat, when I sit, more than walk, for 
 63 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 exercise. In getting up early I do not suc- 
 ceed easily, and therefore my day is short. 
 Yesterday we celebrated her M(ajesty)'s 
 birthday with congratulations at ten in the 
 morning, then a sleeked-up dinner, with prin- 
 ces and Decorations. That sort of thing is 
 wearing, because I have to talk carefully 
 with the gentlemen, and politely. Three days 
 ago I shot a few pheasants; but the thing 
 was unsatisfactory, too small a rifle with 
 short butt-end and only nine cartridges to be 
 found; shot also too small. Otherwise they, 
 that is to say birds, are here in abundance. 
 In a few days we are to remove to Versailles. 
 A few French made a sortie yesterday out of 
 Paris, attacked the Sixth Corps, lost 600 pris- 
 oners and then asked for an armistice to bury 
 their dead, which was granted for two hours. 
 They in Metz will probably make another 
 sortie in these days, as they are building 
 bridges over the Mosel. We have time and 
 are looking about for winter quarters, and 
 then I hope to find time to visit you. Re- 
 64 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 ceived good news from Bill yesterday. Both 
 the good boys ought to have the Cross, but 
 likewise every dragoon who was in it at the 
 16th of August. After Phipp has received 
 it, who deserves it as well as anybody and 
 received it through the officers' vote, there 
 is little hope for our poor boys, because the 
 name would be too frequent on the list. 
 Phipp is, without that, put to my account by 
 people who show that they do not know bet- 
 ter, when they congratulate me; and I my- 
 self wear it certainly unmerited, but can not 
 give it back to the King, I am sure. The fat 
 colonel, if he is alive, and the captain of 
 Briest probably have it also. I should like 
 to give mine to one of the boys if I could. 
 
 Cordial greetings. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 
 Versailles, October 8, 70. 
 My Darling: 
 
 If I am not any more the industrious cor- 
 respondent of the first weeks, be not angry 
 65 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 with me. The ink-wave of business has over- 
 taken me upon my journey, and pours over 
 me so that I hate the well from which it 
 springs, and have little time left to let you 
 have that which belongs to you. Your letter 
 of the 2d I received to-day; I learned from it 
 with much grief through what anxiety you 
 have passed on account of Herbert. After 
 these troubles we will not embitter our 
 gratefulness to God for his gracious protec- 
 tion by complaining over trifles. It is a great 
 thing to have two sound sons with all four 
 limbs left from that cavalry fight, and, when 
 I think of Bonn and Mars-la-Tour, I allow, in 
 the hope of seeing them both well again after 
 the war, no other feeling but warm thanks 
 to God to rise in me. For all of that, I have 
 seen too many thousands of corpses and 
 cripples, and admired too much heroism that 
 dropped in unrecognized modesty into death 
 and oblivion. Every one of the dragoons, 
 that rode with our boys, has earned the 
 Cross, and we all here in headquarters walk 
 66 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 around with it without shame or worry; and 
 in the Guard Cavalry the crosses were not 
 distributed according to experience but ac- 
 cording to the regiments. For instance, four 
 for the First G(uard) Dragoons, as many for 
 the Guards du Corps, who certainly would 
 have fought just as bravely as the dragoons 
 if they only had been given the chance, but 
 who got under fire only at Sedan, had two 
 wounded there, and now decorate these two 
 Und two other brave men with their four 
 crosses. It is little the King's fault; he does 
 according to the application of the division 
 (Goltz), and the dragoons had nobody to ap- 
 ply for them, because their staff officers and 
 colonels were dead. I for my part can not 
 demand anything for my sons; they both 
 have earned it, without doubt. But now 
 enough of it. My telegram of the 3d about 
 Bill being well, I presume you have received. 
 He surprised me in bed on the 2d, dressed in 
 Blumenthal's uniform and somebody else's 
 trousers. To that he hung Carl's reserve 
 67 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 cartouche, assumed my general's helmet, in- 
 correct only on the top, and thus I took him 
 to church, where he reported to his Majesty, 
 who did not say anything about the outfit. 
 At table we drank Sec, bought from Roths- 
 child's cellar, until your son had a red saddle 
 upon his nose, and then he rode again with 
 Phipp via Lagny and Claye back to his quar- 
 ters three miles away, not without having 
 taken my gold out of my vest pocket and two 
 pairs of gloves; also provided with cognac 
 and cigars. The following day Gerhard, 
 sent from Rheims, and Dachroden and 
 Jagow, who announced Bill's happy return, 
 ate with us. Lehndorf is still lame, through 
 a fall in Clermont, five weeks ago, but 
 is in good humor with all his suffer- 
 ing. He can walk again, on a stick, how- 
 ever. The weather has changed to-day to 
 rain, but has become warmer than it used to 
 be during those sunny weeks, from five in 
 the evening to eight in the morning. I fled 
 the botheration to-day, in order to gallop 
 68 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 Roschen for an hour in the soft and quiet 
 autumn air through Louis XIV long and 
 straight park avenues, through rustling foli- 
 age and cut hedges, passing by quiet mirror- 
 like ponds and marble gods, and hearing 
 nothing more human than Joseph's rattling 
 cavalry sabre; all to give way to homesick- 
 ness, which the falling leaves and the soli- 
 tude in strange lands bring about, with 
 childish memories of clipped hedges which 
 are no more. This pleasure I shall probably 
 give myself daily in the deserted royal gar- 
 den, rain or shine, to escape the peacemaking 
 diplomatists. The letters, I am sorry to say, 
 can not be escaped. The ones from Berlin 
 are often more annoying than those from 
 abroad, — elections for the Diet and Papal 
 complaints, German constitution, and per- 
 sonal quarrels in Alsace-Lorraine or Rheims, 
 where the Grand Duke of Schwerin is now 
 governor and Gerhard with him Russia be- 
 haves very amiably; England, except for the 
 trade in arms, not so bad; Beust uncertain 
 69 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 as ever, and our American friends do not 
 exactly know, now that France has become 
 a republic, with which side of their faces 
 they should smile more benignantly. They 
 love us just as much as ever, but republic! 
 They are unable now to hate the Frenchman. 
 The Badeners who are on their way to us 
 from Strassburg cut down about 1,000 guer- 
 rillas, at Eaon-l'Etape on the Meurthe, and 
 Bazaine moved with his whole force out of 
 Metz toward the north, but was thrown into 
 the place again, losing from 5,000 to 6,000 
 men. We lost 800 men in the affair; now our 
 men, there as well as here, stand behind 
 breastworks, and the Frenchmen have got 
 to come to them across a plain, and so lose 
 more. All the ladies here, where I have seen 
 the first woman again in two months, dress 
 in black, be it for national or family mourn- 
 ing. There are, indeed, probably more here 
 than with us that have reason for mourning. 
 I enjoyed Herbert's pencil-letter very much, 
 and thank him sincerely, although I am sorry 
 70 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 that his poor leg can't as yet carry him. 
 Cordial greetings to him and to my dear 
 Marie; also express my sympathy and my 
 wishes to Schreck,^ and kiss Cilchen heartily 
 for me. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 41 
 
 Versailles, October 20, 70. 
 
 21. I lost one day which I have not yet found. 
 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 I am quite conscience-stricken by my ir- 
 regularity in writing; you must put a few 
 letters of August, when business had not yet 
 gotten hold of me, to the account of the pres- 
 ent letterless time. I am every day a few 
 hours short, and from to-morrow on it will be 
 still worse, as the Ministers of the South 
 German States will arrive to sit in council 
 over the new 1,000-year Empire. I post- 
 
 ^ Major von Schreckenstein, of the King's Hussar Regiment, 
 who lay sick in Nauheim. D. 1875. 
 
 71 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 poned it every day till evening, and was then 
 so tired that I thought there would be time 
 when I had finished sleeping; then in the 
 morning the pile of telegrams is there again. 
 This noon I was just ready to begin when the 
 alarm signals were given; sortie from Mont 
 Val^rien, four hours on horseback; heard 
 much gun-firing and saw grenades burst in a 
 distance of sure range; back hungry, and 
 now after dinner so much to read and write 
 again, and to discuss by way of mouth, that 
 it will be soon twelve, and I commence to 
 flirt with my bed. I telegraphed you in in- 
 stalments that everything is all right; there- 
 fore, until to-morrow. 
 
 22d. I sleep well, but never enough. Yes- 
 terday came your letter of the 18th; you 
 are so industrious that I am ashamed of my- 
 self, but it is, indeed, the only handwriting 
 which gives me pleasure, when jt comes, and 
 also that from the children, of course. Thank 
 Herbert for his letter. 
 
 As far as this I had got this morning, and 
 72 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 now it is again midnight. Delbriick, Ben- 
 nigsen, King, papers, reading and writing 
 telegrams and despatches, and the gentle- 
 men of the army make my business terribly 
 hard for me. They snatch it unto them- 
 selves, spoil it, and I am the one who is re- 
 sponsible for it all afterward. 
 
 23d I cut off what I wrote in midnight 
 wrath, as the mail certainly sometimes falls 
 into the enemy's hands, and then my com- 
 plaints might become public accusations. 
 To-day, Sunday morning, I will not return to 
 this theme anyhow. 
 
 It is raining autumn-like, not very cold, 
 but unpleasant enough for camping. Has 
 Bill undervests and things of that sort? Give 
 Herbert the money which he wants for his 
 outfit, and for a good horse. It is a question, 
 though, whether he would not buy better 
 here; sometimes at least it has been done. 
 About Bill's necessities in the way of outfit I 
 have heard nothing. He has one horse, one he 
 gets furnished, and all the rest he will have 
 73 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 ordered in Berlin on tick. Ask him about it 
 when you write him, that you may pay the 
 bill. The people, I suppose, have urgent need 
 for ready money at present, the tailors, etc. 
 Presumably this will last yet awhile before 
 Paris. I do not know whether the generals 
 of the staff had different intentions formerly 
 or what, but the siege guns are not here, and 
 before November, probably, we shall not put 
 a shot upon the fortifications. On the other 
 hand, I expect to-day and to-morrow many 
 Ministers from Bavaria, Wtirtemberg, Ba- 
 den, Hessen, Saxony, in addition to French- 
 men of all parties. Where the time is to be 
 found for them, besides all the other torment- 
 ors that are here already, is certainly a 
 matter of conjecture. I beg Herbert to be 
 careful about his riding and not to feel well 
 too soon. The wound was too serious 
 for that. His regiment is lying quiet in 
 Villette, near Mitry, drilling and riding re- 
 mountings, on rainy days. There is nothing 
 to do for the cavalry, at present, excepting 
 74 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 occasional patrols. My cordial greetings to 
 him and Marie. I can not keep the courier 
 any longer. Good-by. May God take care 
 of you all. Yquj. 
 
 V. B. 
 
 42 
 
 Telegram. 
 
 Versailles, October 22, 70. 
 
 Countess Bismarck-Schonhausen, Berlin: 
 
 Both letters up to the 18th received; all 
 
 well, much work. 
 
 Bismarck. 
 
 43 
 
 Telegram. 
 
 Sent Versailles, October 27, 70, 3.30 p. m. 
 Countess Bismarck: 
 
 Metz capitulated to-day, 150,000 prisoners, 
 among them 4,000 officers and 20,000 wound- 
 ed. Here all well. 
 
 V. Bismarck. 
 
 44 
 
 Versailles, October 28-29. 
 My Darling: 
 
 It is indeed past twelve and I have just 
 
 ended my early-started discussions, useful 
 
 75 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 and silly ones. I also sent you a telegram 
 from Metz yesterday, but as I shall not get 
 up so early to-morrow as when the courier 
 leaves, I must to-day, late as it is, put my 
 indignation on paper about the idea that had 
 been brought to you and printed in many 
 papers, namely, that I hindered the play of 
 our artillery against Paris and thus was the 
 cause of the prolongation of the war. Weeks 
 ago I hoped, every morning, to be awakened 
 by the cannonade. Over 200 are planted al- 
 ready, but they do not shoot, and are not 
 even to take Paris as the target but only a 
 few forts. There is an intrigue hanging over 
 the whole thing, contrived by women, arch- 
 bishops, and savants. Well-known influ- 
 ences in high quarters are said to be at play, 
 that the laudations from abroad and the in- 
 cense of hollow phrases should not suffer. 
 Everybody complains of obstacles of an 
 anonymous nature, and says the transports 
 of artillery are being held back on the rail- 
 roads, that they may not arrive in time. An- 
 76 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 other scolds the want of earlier prepara- 
 tions. A third says that there was not suffi- 
 cient ammunition. A fourth, the armament 
 incomplete. A fifth, that everything was 
 there except the order to shoot. With all 
 that, the men are freezing and falling sick, 
 the war dragging on, the neutrals are mixing 
 themselves up with what concerns us only, 
 because they think time is getting long, and 
 France is arming herself with hundreds of 
 thousands of guns from England and Amer- 
 ica. All this I am preaching every day, and 
 then the people insist that I am the culprit 
 in this dragging on of the war, which will be 
 the death of many an honest soldier, only to 
 be praised by the other countries for saving 
 " civilization." Please contradict this lie to 
 everybody, and give my greetings to our 
 children. Tell Herbert not to be in a hurry. 
 It is one thing to ride two hours for pleasure 
 and quite another to be stuck on to the sol- 
 dier's caparison. There is no use now for 
 
 the cavalry, anyhow; the regiment is lying 
 
 7 77 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 idle in Villette-aux-aulnes, and is going to re- 
 main there till peace is made or springtime. 
 I am well. Many Ministers. We probably 
 shall call the Reichstag hither at the end of 
 November (20) with Federal Council and Con- 
 gress of Princes. 
 
 Your 
 V. B. 
 
 45 
 
 Versailles, November 3. 
 
 My Love: 
 
 The last three days daily three hours' tMe- 
 k-t^te with Thiers, and no armistice will 
 come of it in spite of all. They want to have 
 everything, but grant nothing. My evenings 
 are to be taken up by the German Ministers, 
 in between H. M. and papers and telegrams, 
 but I am well, under the circumstances; also 
 Bill. Cordial greetings. 
 
 Your 
 V. B. 
 
 78 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 46 
 
 Telegram. 
 
 Versailles, November 8, 70, 10.14 a. m. 
 
 Frau Countess von Bismarck: 
 
 Bill and Philipp are here on a three days' 
 
 furlough. All well. 
 
 Bismarck. 
 
 471 
 
 To Count H. Bismarck. 
 
 Versailles, November 12, 70. 
 My beloved Boy: 
 
 I thank you for your letter, and understand 
 and sympathize with your chagrin over your 
 removal to the depot squadron. I should 
 have been too glad if you had come, but I 
 am too superstitious a father to do anything 
 toward it, and take these things as God or- 
 dains them. You are there more useful, as 
 far as the service is concerned, than here. 
 Your regiment is still in Tremblay and neigh- 
 
 ' Published in the sixth rolume of the Bismarck -Jahrbucb, 
 p. 236. 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 borhood, drilling and riding, seldom having 
 the excitement of a transport of prisoners. 
 Bill was here three days ago, together with 
 Phipp. Seven miles of bad road, back and 
 forth; both fat and bored; inspected castle 
 and garden and sneaked about between 
 street and breakfast. You are not losing 
 much here, even the French stopped shooting 
 ninety-three thaler balls into the sky, and 
 ours have not yet their ammunition. What 
 influences those are that hinder its arrival! 
 Well, I have my thoughts about it, but do not 
 write them down. But my ink-dabblers ma- 
 neuver day and night and intrigue after the 
 manner of former days in Frankfort. If a 
 German thunderstorm is not to burst upon 
 them, these diplomatists and bureaucrats of 
 the old school will never make any headway, 
 at least not this year. We lose nothing in 
 waiting. I received two dear letters from 
 your mother to-day at the same time, and 
 thank her much for the psalms and love. En- 
 closed I send her a few leaves of a bouquet 
 80 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 which a petty officer of the Forty-seventh 
 brought me yesterday from the outposts, 
 drawn up as if on duty, announcing that the 
 flowers were picked for me by his Silesians 
 under the French fire. To-day at ten I was 
 awakened by the Eighty-second a little 
 early, yet pleasantly, with a serenade, Nas- 
 sovians and Hessians. The soldier has lots 
 for me in his heart. The princes, I suppose, 
 have roses not without thorns, but, I am 
 sorry to say, lots of time, that costs me mine. 
 Cordial greetings to Mama and Marie. 
 Your faithful father, 
 
 V. B. 
 
 The conversations with Thiers were really 
 animating. He is by far the most charming 
 Gaul whose acquaintance I have made, but 
 from the first word I never for a moment 
 counted upon an armistice; but he did. His 
 wishes deceive him about his compatriots in 
 Paris, who would have almost stoned him. 
 We have time, until they have eaten their 
 81 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 dogs and those beautiful long-haired cats. 
 Perhaps it will not be necessary for us to 
 shoot, since it has not been done so far. 
 
 Enclosure (as the wrapping of the leaves 
 from the bouquet): 
 
 PROGRAM. 
 
 Parma March von Budik 
 
 Fest Ouverture Hamburger 
 
 Studentenlust Strauss 
 
 Frtihlingserwachen, Lied ohne 
 
 Worte Bach 
 
 The Pauline, Polka concertante.Sachse 
 
 48 
 Versailles, November 16, 70. 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 Delbriick leaves to-morrow and I should 
 gladly accompany him, to derive, from the 
 Reichstag, at least, the profit of seeing you 
 again. But I dare not leave here. The air 
 is so laden again with attempts at meddling 
 reconciliations and quarrels among the neu- 
 82 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 tral powers, which threaten to leap over 
 into ours, and so many images of princely 
 fancy about Germany are haunting head- 
 quarters that I can not leave his Majesty, 
 hard as it is for me to deny myself a change 
 in my treadmill work. I very seldom leave 
 my working-room; hardly ever the garden, 
 as there is not every day time or weather 
 for riding. I see almost nobody but our coun- 
 selors and servants, the King, when report- 
 ing to him, and consulting Ministers. I 
 hardly remember a time so barren of diver- 
 sion, spiced only by visits of exalted gentle- 
 men whose political chimeras I combat. But 
 I will gladly bear everything if God only will 
 give a good ending this side and on the other 
 side of the Khine. The German affairs cause 
 most work. Of the latter Delbriick takes the 
 larger share of the load upon himself, but he 
 can not take the princes from me, neither 
 the Europeans. And besides that, the Keichs- 
 tag will probably be offended that I have to 
 deny it the honor of appearing in person. I 
 83 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 can not publicly tell all the reasons that 
 necessitate my remaining here, therefore 
 assist Delbrtick to spread the opinion that 
 the journey would be too great a hardship 
 for me. I was not sick, but not strong 
 enough to stand the journey in addition to 
 the Keichstag, and then to remain capable of 
 attending to business. That I should not re- 
 turn exactly refreshed to this workhouse 
 after three nights of travel, eight days of 
 Reichstag, and again a ride of sixty hours 
 back is no lie either; otherwise you need not 
 fear that I am feeling bad, physically I mean. 
 There is much vexation, as everywhere else, 
 where there are many unoccupied princes, 
 but I am getting more hardened, to be sure. 
 nth. Delbriick is not going to leave be- 
 fore this afternoon. Tell him, and it is the 
 truth, how gratefully I admire his unceasing 
 and successful power of work. You know 
 that my ability of acknowledging is not 
 great, but he so penetrates me that I even 
 have to speak of it to you in my letters, which 
 84 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 are generally filled with other thoughts than 
 thoughts of business. Our artillery is still 
 silent, after about three times as many as 
 can immediately be used have been brought 
 on. I was right from the beginning, two 
 months ago, when I was opposed to a siege 
 of Paris and in favor of other war methods; 
 but now that the great army has been nailed 
 here for two months and our enthusiasm is 
 oozing and the Frenchman is arming, the 
 siege must be seen through; but it seems 
 as though they wish to let the four hundred 
 big thunderers and their hundred thousands 
 of pounds of balls stand until after the war 
 is over and we go back to Berlin. And it is 
 not a question of bombarding the town 
 either, but only of the detached forts. Those 
 whose influence is credited with these delays 
 probably do not know this at all. God may 
 know what it is all good for. Cordial greet- 
 ings to the children, and Oberchen,^ whose 
 faithfulness you praise. Have you snow 
 
 ' Privy Counselor von Obernitz. 
 
 85 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 there? Here we have again mild sunshine 
 alternating with rain. 
 
 Your most faithful (in spite of Oberchen) 
 
 V. B. 
 
 49 
 
 Versailles, U, 22, 70. 
 I only write you, my heart, to tell you that 
 I have good news from Bill. Carl DGnhof 
 saw him yesterday riding on his black hunt- 
 ing horse and very cheerful. I am sitting in 
 work up to my ears, but am getting through 
 with Bavaria and Wtirtemberg, which 
 pleases me and makes me forget the Anglo- 
 Kussian vexation. Your journey to Reinfeld 
 causes me some uneasiness on account of 
 your dear father. I hope he is well. Write 
 immediately about it. I am well, but busy, 
 day and night. Boon is sick with anger over 
 the intrigues against the bombardment of 
 the Parisian forts. In case that it ever 
 should become known why our good soldiers 
 have to sleep so long in shell fire and are not 
 86 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 permitted to attack, there will be bad blood; 
 and it will be known, for there are too many 
 people who believe it. Whether the King 
 knows of it and permits it or is deceived, the 
 opinions differ; I willingly believe the latter. 
 The conspiracy, if such be, reaches high up 
 into the General Staff, which I do not like 
 anyhow, excepting the good and judicious 
 old Moltke. The success has, emperor-mad, 
 gone to their heads, and I often fear that 
 this arrogant overself-estimation will yet be 
 visited upon us. Behind Moltke's name 
 many hide themselves. He himself has 
 grown old and lets go what will go. The 
 regiments save us, not the generals. Good 
 night, my heart; greet your father and the 
 children. 
 
 .Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 87 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 To Count H. Bismarck. 
 
 Versailles, December 1, 70. 
 My beloved Herbert: 
 
 I do not know whether your mother has 
 come back from Reinfeld; I hardly believe 
 so, as, in view of the weakness of your grand- 
 father, the leave-taking will be hard. If she 
 should be in Reinfeld long enough for it to 
 reach her, give her information directly that 
 I wrote. My last letter was addressed to 
 Reinfeld; but as I was led to believe, judging 
 by the news from there, that Mama must 
 have left by the time it would have reached 
 there, I stopped it in Berlin by wire, where 
 it is probably lying now. There were several 
 things in it, the careful treatment of which 
 in R. I was not so sure of after the departure 
 
 ' Published in the sixth rolume of the Bismarck Jahrbuch, 
 p. 237. 
 
 88 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 of our ladies. I always feared until now that 
 my letters would miss them if I wrote to 
 E., as the return was postponed several 
 times, which I consider only natural. Two 
 or three Keinfelder smoked goose-breasts 
 would be quite welcome here; after those 
 also a ham, if there is sure and quick oppor- 
 tunity. If our ladies are in Berlin, give 
 them my cordial greetings. I am well; I eat 
 and drink whatever I like; weather mild; 
 since yesterday clear and cold. I rode to 
 Marly and climbed the tower (about 100 feet 
 high) of the water-works, from which Babel 
 can quite clearly be seen from the Pantheon 
 at the right to the Arc de Triomphe at the 
 left, which is cut by the sloping profile of 
 Mont Val^rien. They defended themselves 
 yesterday and the day before still valiantly. 
 The Wtirtembergers lost forty officers and 
 seven hundred men yesterday; fought very 
 bravely. To-day three months ago at Sedan 
 — and in three months our artillery can not 
 get the first shot upon this fortress not very 
 89 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 strong in itself, which holds only 60,000 men, 
 field-troops, and paralyzes 300,000 of ours. 
 Your faithful father, 
 
 V. B. 
 
 51 
 
 Versailles, December 7, 70. 
 
 My beloved Heart: 
 
 I will force myself now to send you at least 
 a few lines, though the unfortunate three 
 o'clock mail is again pressing breathlessly, 
 and Weimar's lord is expecting me. Herbert 
 wrote philosophically the other day of Bill: 
 " It is really sad that he writes so little, but, 
 well, it can't be helped, I suppose." If any- 
 thing had happened to him I should know it 
 ere this through military reports and there- 
 fore believe that he is well and wallows in 
 oysters between Kouen and Havre. I do not 
 know where he is exactly, but it is very likely 
 that there are no German mail connections 
 in the whole region which the Army of the 
 North now occupies, and as soon as such are 
 90 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 instituted, the dammed-up stream of Bill's 
 ink will find its way to you. Your question 
 from Keinfeld whether to send a smoked 
 goose-breast was very surprising to me as 
 I had counted on the goose itself. I have 
 been eating some here, charity gifts, which 
 do not always resemble the ideal of Reinfeld. 
 Also " weisssauer " we should be only too 
 ready to eat, after that ham. After the 
 glorious victories on the Loire and in the 
 north our great army of Paris is sitting still 
 as ever, whether " Fast, in its prison walls of 
 earth," or, like Thor, " its knees encircled by 
 feminine garments," impeding their walk- 
 ing, the Lord knows; but it is saddening and 
 it costs more men than any attack. Our 
 good Pomeranians, the Ninth and Forty- 
 ninth Regiments, paid for the victory of the 
 2d with much blood, likewise the brave WUr- 
 tembergers. Moltke is also, and of course 
 with deciding voice, against an attack and 
 in favor of all armistices. The attack would 
 cost us 1,000 men. I do not believe it. This 
 91 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 defensive waiting for hostile sorties, the 
 daily small losses, the sickness have, in these 
 two months, cost about 10,000 men. I, of 
 course, abstain from putting my civilian 
 opinion forth in presence of such authori- 
 ties; but the good Roon has been real sick 
 with anger about our passiveness and his 
 vain attempts to get us to an attack. He is 
 better now, resigned; only nobody must 
 speak of the matter; he becomes immedi- 
 ately sick with bitterness. He really stays 
 here only for my sake, because I should else 
 become an absolute recluse, politically and 
 sentimentally. I do not mean that I have to 
 combat the resistance of all in the political 
 field — on the contrary; but I have not here a 
 human soul to talk to about the future or 
 the past. When one has been too long a 
 Minister, and with it has had, by the provi- 
 dence of God, some success, one feels dis- 
 tinctly how the cold waters of the swamp 
 of envy and hatred rise gradually higher 
 and higher up to one's heart. One does not 
 92 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 gain any new friends; the old ones die or 
 step back in disgruntled modesty, and the 
 coldness from above grows, as is peculiar to 
 the natural history of princes, even the best. 
 Every affection needs a response if it is 
 meant to last. In short, I am feeling cold, 
 spiritually, and I long to be with you and 
 in the solitude of the country. No healthy 
 heart is able to endure this Court life per- 
 manently. But I am healthy in body, more 
 than I have been for years or days, and greet 
 you and the children in heartfelt love and a 
 little homesickness. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 
 52 
 
 Versailles, December 12, 70. 
 
 My beloved Heart: 
 
 Shortly before the mail leaves I write only 
 
 to inform you that I have good news from 
 
 Bill and through your friend Edwin, in a 
 
 letter dated the day before yesterday from 
 
 « 88 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 Rouen. He has been ordered to the staff 
 guard of the First Army Corps; that is to 
 say, to the personal protection of the com- 
 mander, a position correspondingly less ex- 
 posed, as the commander is not permitted to 
 expose himself. Bill entered Rouen as the 
 first Prussian. The inhabitants are said to 
 be less hostile than most the other French 
 people. We had clear frosty weather here, 
 5° (Reaumur); since last night rain again 
 and the snow begins to melt. The princes 
 bother me with their offlciousness; also my 
 most gracious one with all the small diflQcul- 
 ties that come up for him in connection with 
 the very simple Emperor question caused by 
 princely prejudices and trivialities. Next 
 week Christmas; and what shall I give you, 
 you poor little woman, and our daughter? 
 Most gladly myself, but no hope of that! 
 
 At last, Roon has been charged with the 
 
 transportation of the ammunition, and in a 
 
 week he hopes to have all that is necessary 
 
 here. Would that this had happened two 
 
 94 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 months sooner! Much might be told of that, 
 but better by way of mouth. I should like 
 to give Herbert a fine sabre-blade for Christ- 
 mas, also Bill, but it must be the usual per- 
 missible form. When I say blade, I mean 
 sabre with scabbard, but the value must lie 
 in the blade. God save you all. 
 
 V. B. 
 
 53 
 
 Versailles, December 14, 70. 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 You have spoiled me so that I look every 
 morning, when Engel steps into the room, 
 at his hands, whether there be any letters. 
 The past five days they were empty, and that 
 worries me a little; perhaps only because 
 you were at other times so industrious. I 
 enter upon all sorts of speculations whether 
 Christmas work, or, which God may prevent, 
 sickness or nursing others keeps you from 
 writing. 
 
 I am passably well in spite of storm and 
 95 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 rain; tired out with vexation about the well- 
 known themes, bothered with work beyond 
 all measure, through the fault of people, not 
 through real necessity, else I should not com- 
 plain. I hope you have the good news in my 
 last letter about Bill, that he is well in 
 Rouen. Cordial greetings in post haste. 
 
 Your 
 V. B. 
 
 64 
 
 Veesailles, 12, 19. 
 My beloved Heart: 
 
 Many thanks for your letter, which I 
 
 L!!ls far as this I was, then interruption by 
 
 business; now closing of mail. Seen courier 
 
 from Rouen, who spoke to Bill the day before 
 
 yesterday, laughed (as all do) when I asked. 
 
 Goose-breast forwarded. 
 
 your 
 
 y. B. 
 
 96 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 55 
 
 Telegram. 
 
 Sent Versailles, the 2Uh of December, 70, 2.40 p. m. 
 
 Countess Bismarck: 
 
 Bill wrote me the day before yesterday 
 from Amiens. There and here all well. 
 God's blessing for the holiday. 
 
 VON Bismarck. 
 
 56 
 
 Versailles, 12, 24, 70. 
 
 My beloved Heart: 
 
 It is hard to be separated to-day, but when 
 I think of Bonn a year back, we have plenty 
 of cause to thank God that we, in the hope 
 of a speedy reunion, are only separated to- 
 day. The enclosure will comfort you about 
 Bill for the time being. Smoked goose- 
 breast, then he will write! I shall send him 
 another to-day by the same courier. At last 
 there is an attack upon Paris in view, before 
 New- Year's Eve it is to be hoped. What 
 97 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 Roon's and my work of months were unable 
 to bring about, the storm of the Berlin news- 
 papers and the echo of it which the Reichs- 
 tag brought along, seem to have effected. 
 Also Moltke is said to be converted since 
 he received anonymous newspaper poems 
 which showed that his system, as though the 
 thing did not concern him, found no mercy 
 before the public opinion. The glory of the 
 leadership is lying in the admirable valor of 
 the troops. Only a little less of it and none 
 of the leaders would be able to stand against 
 criticism. Owing to the scattering of the 
 army from Tours to Lille and to the over- 
 hasty attacks, then to the sleepy conduct of 
 the war before Paris, there is not a single 
 department in France in which we are com- 
 plete master, so that we could enforce a con- 
 tribution. May God better it, his arm is not 
 flesh. In that I trust, when I see these 
 abandoned people. We are all sinners, but 
 not so Babylonian and not so refractory 
 against God. Kiss and greet the children, 
 98 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 give Marie whatever she wishes from me, 
 something of gold, as a souvenir of the times. 
 For Herbert a double-barreled gun, if not to- 
 day, then for his birthday. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 Have you received my telegram of to-day? 
 
 57 » 
 
 To Count H. Bismarck. 
 
 Versailles, December 26, 70. 
 My dear Herbert: 
 
 Cordial wishes for your birthday are all, 
 I am sorry to say, that I can entrust to 
 the paper, but thank God that he has gra- 
 ciously protected you this last year in all 
 dangers, and preserved you to us. It would 
 have been a sad day of mourning for all of 
 us instead of your birthday, if many things 
 had come out differently, but for the breadth 
 of a hair, in Bonn, on the battlefield, or in 
 
 > Published in the sixtli Tolume of the Bismarck Jahrbuch, 
 p. 238. 
 
 99 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 Nauheim. Thank God with me for his grace 
 and for the joy with which I think of you. 
 I wrote Mama that I wanted to give you a 
 gun; select it yourself, with detachable bar- 
 rels as rifle, case, arms, and the number of 
 the year 1870 under the latter on the 
 plate. . . . Here we shall, I hope, cele- 
 brate your birthday with the first efforts of 
 the artillery. It was not God's will that 
 mine should rule. 
 
 Your faithful father, 
 
 y. B. 
 
 58 
 
 2d Holiday. 
 My Darling: 
 
 Only a greeting and thanks for the charm- 
 ing cups. The little tree was lit for the cof- 
 fee, and I wrote at its flickering light to 
 Munich. Then Keudell called us again from 
 our drawing-room into the dining-room; I 
 had a beautiful large tree, and for everybody 
 something under it. Even if the gun for 
 Herbert should cost one hundred thaler and 
 
 100 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 more, it is a memento of serious times. His 
 letter is already closed and I must mail this 
 one separately. Cordial greetings to Marie 
 and Oberchen and all. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 Keceived the letter of the 23d. Be gentle 
 and good, my heart, we are all wanting in 
 the glory, and must let the will of God be 
 done, who is kind to us beyond our merit. 
 
 59 
 
 Versailles, January 1, 71. 
 
 My beloved Heart: 
 
 The first time that I write '71 it shall be 
 for you; it will bring us luck. The beginning 
 is good, letters from you and from Herbert, 
 with good contents, when I woke up; and I 
 see that everything is tolerably well in Var- 
 zin, and here; the striking proof has been 
 furnished that our artillery is superior to 
 the French. Mont Avon shot to pieces in 
 101 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 one day and occupied without loss. The 
 heretofore opposers to the attack are con- 
 verted, though a little sour-looking on ac- 
 count of the quick successes of the artillery; 
 for everybody thinks now by himself we 
 could have done this two months ago, if a 
 dozen of people of influence had not hindered 
 it for several reasons. More by way of 
 mouth! For now I hope to see you all this 
 year, of which there have elapsed already 
 fifteen hours. I am glad of Herbert's joy; 
 be good to Einsiedel; I saw him being 
 brought in on the stretcher in his cloak when 
 I went into the house to Herbert on the 17th 
 of August. He has an honest face. I feared 
 immediately that his poor long leg would 
 heal slowly. All this vexation has gone 
 somewhat into my left leg, the old vein over 
 the knuckle. But I kept myself still and 
 dieted for three days; yesterday only one 
 glass of weak punch; and now it is going 
 again. I still use it as an excuse not to make 
 any New- Year's visits, as it still hurts me 
 102 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 when I have to stand long, which is unavoid- 
 able at Court. Grand Duchess Helen sent 
 me charming caviar and six bashliks. She 
 remains always equally gracious and kind. 
 For Marie's good courage I thank God that 
 at least one of us sees otherwise than black. 
 Would that her George's dollar, that is lying 
 before me attached to my watch, reflected on 
 me also some lighter pink-cloud lamb-color- 
 ing. It is wearisome when old people are 
 becoming so peevish. May God change it to 
 the better. 
 
 Your most faithful , 
 
 V. B. 
 
 60 
 
 Telegram. 
 
 Sent Versailles, January 1, 71, 7 p. m. 
 
 Countess Bismarck: 
 
 Received congratulations from Bill by 
 telegraph. Yours also. 
 
 y. Bismarck. 
 
 103 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 61 
 
 Versailles, 1, 4, '71. 
 My Heart: 
 
 I received your letter of the 1st just now 
 and beg God with you that he, first of all, 
 bring us together again. If you were here 
 I should like these winter quarters just as 
 much as any other, and look upon events in 
 resignation. But that would not do, wives 
 and daughters are forbidden at headquar- 
 ters, else there would be too many of them, 
 for even the most incorrigible casino-fly gets 
 a longing here for the at other times scorned 
 domesticity. It could have been different a 
 long time ago, if they had shot sooner. After 
 the brilliant successes of the first trials with 
 the beleaguering artillery nobody disputed 
 it any longer, and it would be hard to find 
 one now who would admit to have ever been 
 against shooting, and yet only three weeks 
 have elapsed since of those who were ad- 
 mitted to the war council, Roon was the only 
 one who thought correctly. General-Adju- 
 104 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 tant Boyen still tried to convince the gentle- 
 men of the Reichstag that Roon, for want of 
 sense, and I, out of bitterness against the 
 General Staff, were the only ones who cried 
 for shooting, because we both did not un- 
 derstand such things. Boyen's further con- 
 nection you know. He is, so to say, " ambas- 
 sador" to this royal camp. To-day it was 
 intended that we should begin seriously, but 
 God did not wish it, and sent a dense fog, 
 so that one can not see one hundred feet 
 ahead. Let us hope for to-morrow; the lost 
 three months can never be made up. 
 
 5th. At last they have shot; since eight 
 o'clock I counted fifteen to twenty shots in 
 every minute. The French did not respond, 
 and now, two o'clock, ours are also silent. 
 Perhaps a sufficient effect has been made 
 already? I am very curious. 
 
 What does the good Suabian friend really 
 mean? I do not understand his letter. An- 
 swer him kindly. 
 
 Bill has been seen well yesterday morning 
 105 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 by a courier who arrived here to-day. En- 
 closed the rarity of his handwriting. Thank 
 Herbert for his letter and kiss the good 
 Marie for me for the same reason. 
 Your most faithful 
 
 y. B. 
 To-day post haste. 
 
 (Enclosed the following slip by the hand 
 of the Count Lehndorf :) 
 
 Versailles, January 5, 71. 
 
 8.15 o'clock the first shot from our bat- 
 teries — since then several. Perhaps you 
 have known this for some time, but I did not 
 wish to lose the opportunity to be the first 
 at your awakening to bring you the news of 
 the final fulfilment of your wish. 
 
 9.30. Lehndorf. 
 
 62 
 
 Versailles, 1, 9, 71. 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 In fiying haste of business I give the 
 
 courier a few lines before three o'clock, to 
 
 quiet you about my health. During the last 
 
 106 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 three days I have taken walks and have 
 
 driven even before that. Lauer thinks it to 
 
 be the first announcement of gout, thus a 
 
 permit for twenty-five years at least, even 
 
 if it should be only an occasional twitch in 
 
 the big toe. I have sent Bill cigars several 
 
 times, that he may make friends for himself. 
 
 To-day Roon's fiftieth anniversary; too bad 
 
 he is lying in bed. I was just on the way 
 
 to him, and hope to be one of the few whom 
 
 he sees. He suffers through fault of others. 
 
 Both of us have paid for the insistence upon 
 
 the siege with our health. Kraft Hohenlohe, 
 
 zealous and expert, throws a bombshell a 
 
 distance of 10,000 paces. Heavy snowfall. 
 
 Cordial greetings to the children. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 I enjoy your letter every morning. Read 
 Psalm 27 yesterday in bed and fell asleep 
 comforted with verse 14. Do likewise, and 
 with thanks in spite of all. 
 
 107 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 (Enclosed the following telegram:) 
 Count Bismarck-Schonhausen, 
 Versailles: 
 
 My most cordial congratulations to the 
 Cross First Class. Regret your indisposi- 
 tion. Hope that the bombardment will re- 
 store you soon! You will presently receive 
 bonbonni^re with chocolates from me. 
 
 Marie Princess Charles of Prussia. 
 
 63 
 
 Telegram. 
 
 SerU Versailles, January 10, 71, 3.50 p. m. 
 
 Countess Bismarck: 
 
 Bill here with Baron von Manteuffel; I all 
 
 well again. 
 
 yoN Bismarck. 
 
 64 
 
 Versailles, 1, 11, 71. 
 My Darling: 
 
 Our fat child, in order to take leave to-day, 
 
 woke me earlier than I am accustomed to 
 
 get up. He has just left with Manteuffel for 
 
 the army formed at Vesoul, the command of 
 
 108 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 which his present chief will take, because 
 of Zastrow's illness. He is very well and 
 strong, and Manteuffel satisfied with him; 
 he is " practical." Manteuffel tells him that 
 he will look out for him out of gratefulness to 
 you and your " tea " in Frankfort. I am glad 
 that he remains with the army staff; he sees 
 and learns more than in the regiment, and 
 he is really everywhere in God's hand, but, 
 according to human knowledge, there less 
 exposed to the frontireur-murderers; which 
 I mention for your sake, for I fear you worry 
 and fret yourself sick, which part will come 
 after the tension is over. I have been going 
 out for a long time; drive daily, as it is too 
 slippery and cold for riding on horseback. 
 Bill came yesterday morning, just when 150 
 music men (Fourth Corps) of this division 
 gave me the enclosed serenade, after which 
 I treated them all to hot punch. Everything 
 is covered white with snow, moderately cold, 
 clear weather, which is made use of by 
 our artillery for continued shooting. I am 
 ® 109 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 counting on the average twenty to twenty- 
 five shots in a minute, and with some of them 
 the windows and the ground tremble gently 
 as far away as this. I think the negotiations 
 will now soon begin. Cordial greetings to 
 the children, and fight off sorrows with 
 
 prayer. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 The music bands of the Ninth Division: 
 
 PROGRAM. 
 
 No. 1. " Hoch Deutschland, herrliche Sieges- 
 braut," Sieges-Fest March, by Franz 
 Abt. 
 
 No. 2. Ouverture of the Opera Don Juan, 
 by W. A. Mozart. 
 
 No. 3. Hohenfriedberg March, by Frederick 
 the Great. 
 
 No. '4. "Am Meere" Lied, by Franz Schu- 
 bert. 
 
 No. 5. Jubel-Fest March — Deutscher Kriegs 
 und Sieges March, by Georg Gold- 
 schmidt. 
 
 110 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 65 
 
 Versailles, 1, 21, 71. 
 
 My Darling: 
 
 I have not written you for a terribly long 
 time. Pardon me, but this emperor birth 
 was a difficult one, and kings at such times 
 have their queer desires like women before 
 they give up to the world what indeed they 
 can not keep. Acting as accoucheur I had 
 several times the urgent need to be a shell 
 and to burst so that the whole edifice might 
 go to pieces. Necessary business does not 
 wear me much, but the unnecessary things 
 gall. 
 
 Loper,^ I hope, has written you about me; 
 he promised me to. To-day Struck came to 
 me; I believe you sent him reconnoitering; 
 he spoke words which I had written to you. 
 He was satisfied, after he had gone through 
 his hocus-pocus of feeling, pressing, and 
 listening. Riding and lemon-juice are his 
 remedies, also Vichy. Well, all that is being 
 
 ' Reporting Counselor in the Home Office. 
 Ill 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 done, but the roads are so muddy from the 
 rain that it is possible to ride only on the 
 macadamized roads. Poor Roon is still very 
 weak. Schleinitz is trying to burden me 
 with the unpleasantness about " Imperial 
 and Royal Highness " ; it rests entirely with 
 the King and the Chamberlain; in time it 
 will, perhaps, be possible; the sisterly re- 
 sistance has been so far very strong. The 
 Grand Duke of Baden is really sensible and 
 mediating, but he is the only one who assists 
 me, now and then, in the affairs. Carl has 
 been indisposed for a long time, stomach. 
 Hatzfeld was the same, cold. Abeken had 
 some " writer's cramp." Bucher, uriberufen, 
 always like a fish in water. Read Scherr, he 
 is really a lying driveler. Carl reports just 
 now that sixty of our artillery have been 
 bombarding St. Denis since nine o'clock. 
 Last evening H. M. and the Crown Prince 
 stepped suddenly into my room just when we 
 were getting up from table; Trochu wanted 
 an armistice, — not much! Cordial greetings 
 112 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 to the children, Oher- (Upper) and Under- 
 
 nitze. 
 
 Your 
 
 y. B. 
 
 66 
 
 My Heart: 
 
 I have been negotiating with Favre the 
 past three days, day and night, and if our 
 side is not going to cause too many difficul- 
 ties, an armistice of three weeks will begin 
 the day after to-morrow, which will probably 
 lead to peace; to the surrender of all the forts 
 of Paris at any rate. May God give his bless- 
 ing. Favre is here. Farewell, greetings. 
 
 Your 
 y. B. 
 
 67 
 
 Versailles, 1, 27, 71. 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 I have been having so much work the last 
 
 few days that I had little time for writing. 
 
 It seems that we shall, in a few days, have 
 
 an armistice of three weeks; the cannons 
 
 have been silent since midnight. Will it lead 
 
 113 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 to peace? It seems so, and may God grant 
 it. Anyhow it will give us, if it should be 
 accomplished, all the forts of Paris, and 
 after the lapse of three weeks we shall, so 
 God will, occupy the city also. Farewell, my 
 heart. Favre is coming with generals. 
 
 Cordial greetings^. Embrace the children, 
 or is the long one already on the way hither? 
 Marie, Roller says, is getting stout. She will 
 press on my horse, the dearest child. 
 
 Your 
 y. B. 
 
 68 
 Telegram. 
 
 Versailles, January 28, 71. 
 
 Capitulation of all Paris forts and armis- 
 tice of three weeks on land and water signed 
 by me and M. Jules Favre. Paris army re- 
 mains prisoner within the city. 
 
 Bismarck. 
 
 69 
 
 Versailles, 1, 30, 71. 
 
 I am quite well, my heart. The High 
 double visit was only curiosity and zeal for 
 114 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 an important affair. I was still sitting at 
 table with the bureau when the Exalted sur- 
 prise entered. I have the house daily full of 
 Frenchmen. Favre works in my little par- 
 lor; I in my bedroom; there is so much to 
 arrange and to write that I seldom go to bed 
 before two or three, but. sleep then very well 
 till ten or eleven. Paris is living only on our 
 bread ; the people had no idea how thorough- 
 ly they themselves had destroyed all the rail- 
 roads. 
 
 Cordial greetings. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 
 I write with pencil, because I have not the 
 time to dip my pen into the ink-well. 
 
 70 
 
 February 1; 71.' 
 
 Well, and much work. Every day French- 
 men from early in the morning till late in 
 the evening, for the execution of the armis- 
 tice. The people are so inexperienced in 
 115 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 business that I have to help them in their 
 
 work. Favre is sitting in his chair daily 
 
 from twelve to ten in the evening writing 
 
 in my room. Many thanks to Marie for 
 
 letter. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 71 
 
 Versailles, 2, 3, 71. 
 My Heart: 
 
 To-morrow I am expecting Herbert, and 
 shall give him the fat letter. But how could 
 the dear boy leave without horses? He has 
 to march with his detachment, indeed, at 
 least from Lagny here, and then farther 
 on to the mustering out, even if he should 
 not be ordered back to the regiment. Well, 
 we shall, as God will, see to-morrow what 
 he thinks about it, and I am heartily glad to 
 be able to grasp him and see him again. 
 
 Yesterday I was in St. Cloud, Battery One, 
 
 just opposite Kothschild's. Without having 
 
 seen it, it is impossible to have an idea of 
 
 the destruction which the artillery of Mont 
 
 116 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 Val^rien has caused in these charming 
 places west and south of the Bois de Bou- 
 logne, from Meudon to St. Cloud. Burned 
 ruins are the least; completely demolished 
 are the houses, and in the fantastic bits 
 which the shells allowed to stand, one may 
 see furniture and wall-paper in inaccessible, 
 overhanging upper stories, silk, marble, 
 bronze. I drove with Boon, who is considera- 
 bly better and who sends his regards. I 
 telegraphed Princess Charles to-day. The 
 " Highness " question will, I suppose, be set- 
 tled in time and according to wishes. I 
 found the French Ministers and generals 
 here when I returned from St. Cloud. They 
 can't live without me; at least not work. 
 Perhaps they will yet split up and fight 
 among themselves. Gambetta apparently 
 gave in at first, causes now difficulties, and 
 accuses Favre and the Parisians of treason. 
 I do not believe that he will find a following. 
 The desire for peace is dominant. But he 
 forces us to carry the armistice through in 
 117 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 a harder manner than we should have done 
 
 otherwise. Keudel, pale and wounded, is 
 
 stepping in with papers. Kiss the dear 
 
 Marie for me, and good-by. 
 
 Your 
 
 y. B. 
 72 
 Telegram. 
 
 Versailles, February 4, 71. 
 
 Countess von Bismarck: 
 
 Herbert here in best condition. Please 
 
 find out what there is known ofl&cially 
 
 about his removal to the regiment, and as 
 
 soon as the information is received there, 
 
 forward it here to me by telegraph. 
 
 V. Bismarck. 
 
 73 
 
 Versailles, February 5, 71. 
 His Majesty the Emperor and King has 
 deigned to grant the Iron Cross, second 
 class, to your Excellency's son, second lieu- 
 tenant in the First Guard Dragoon Regi- 
 ment, stationed here. I most obediently 
 
 118 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 haye the honor to transmit the same here- 
 with, most respectfully leaving to you the 
 further forwarding of the same. 
 
 (Sig.) V. Albedyll. 
 
 To the Imperial C3ianceIlor Count v. Bismarck, Ex- 
 cellency. 
 
 Well, at last; he earned it last August, but 
 the Court air, in which they grow, was lack- 
 ing in the lazaretto. I am well, and French- 
 men daily in excess. 
 
 Youp 
 
 y. B. 
 
 74 
 
 Versailles, 2, 10, 71. 
 
 My Darling: 
 
 Herbert is just departing and leaves me 
 alone with the weather, the usual kind at 
 such farewells, gloomy and rainy. It has 
 given me great pleasure to see him. His re- 
 moval has been proposed by the regiment, 
 not yet ordered by the division, so he has to 
 lead his detachment back. It is just as well 
 that he should attend to his horses and 
 things himself, if it should really come to 
 119 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 that, and that he should see you again and 
 attest to you the groundlessness for all the 
 newspaper canards about my health. I rode 
 with him yesterday for four hours, and only 
 one day in weeks have I lost through anger 
 and thus been indisposed. 
 
 " Herr Favre " is being announced, and 
 the mail is also ready. Greeting Marie. 
 
 Your 
 y. B. 
 
 75 
 
 Monday, 2, 13, 71. 
 I quite lost sight of Herbert. I wrote and 
 telegraphed him to Lagny, without success. 
 Telegram from Brozowski,'^ which I forward- 
 ed meanwhile to Berlin, arrived the day after 
 his marching. It is perhaps better so on 
 account of his horses and things. Bill was 
 seen well three days ago. Courier laughed 
 
 again in reporting it. 
 
 In haste, 
 
 V. B. 
 
 1 Commander of the First Guard Dragoons. 
 
 120 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 76 
 
 2, 17, 71. 
 
 We have spring weather here the last 
 eight days; buds on shrubs, white snow- 
 bells^ in the garden and violets under glass. 
 Cordial greetings to Marie. In three weeks 
 I hope to be with you, my heart, if it is 
 
 God's will. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 
 77 
 
 Versailles, 2, 27, 71. 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 I badly rewarded your faithfulness in 
 
 writing me daily, and every time when Engel 
 
 brought me your letter to my bed, regretted 
 
 and made good resolutions, but one day 
 
 passed as the other, daily six, sometimes 
 
 seven hours Thiers and Favre. My little 
 
 friend Thiers is very clever and charming, 
 
 * Were enclosed. 
 
 121 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 but no business man for verbal negotiations. 
 The foam of ideas gushes irresistibly out of 
 him as out of an open bottle, and tires the 
 patience because it hinders getting at the 
 drinkable stuff, which is the thing. With all 
 that, he is a decent little fellow, with white 
 hair, respectable and charming, good old- 
 fashioned French manners, and it was very 
 hard for me to be as hard upon him as I had 
 to be. This the villains knew and therefore 
 pushed him forward. Yesterday at last we 
 signed; gained more than I think is good 
 for my personal political calculation. But 
 I have to regard, upward and downward, 
 sentiments which just won't calculate. We 
 take Alsace and German Lorraine, Metz with 
 very indigestible elements, and over 1,300,- 
 000,000 thaler. The last difficulty will now 
 be to get these conditions in Bordeaux 
 through the Assembly of seven hundred 
 heads strong. But God led us so far with his 
 strong hand. He will also make the peace 
 firm and solid for us, for which beside much 
 122 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 rabble in France, so many honest people of 
 ours and also of the opponent have fallen, 
 are crippled or in mourning. My heart is 
 full with humble thanks, and I hope to be 
 with you soon with both your boys in blue, 
 in, perhaps, a fortnight. May God save you 
 and give us a speedy reunion at home. Re- 
 garding the " victorious return," no more 
 danger than anywhere in life under God's 
 protection. Cordial greetings, above all, to 
 Marie and to your faithful comfortress, Frau 
 
 yon E(isendecher). 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 
 78 
 
 Versailles, March 5, 71. 
 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 It is to-day just five months since I moved 
 into this poor little room, and to-day I re- 
 solved, with the help of God, to leave it to- 
 morrow. Whether I shall succeed depends 
 128 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 upon emperors, grand dukes, and opportuni- 
 ties to travel; of the latter none probably 
 will offer itself before next Thursday from 
 Lagny, if I will not fall into local trains. I 
 shall stay in Metz overnight, and the follow- 
 ing day, via Bingen and by express, hurry on 
 to Berlin and you. Meanwhile everybody 
 pulls me by the coat-tails and bothers me 
 with questions which nobody can answer. 
 His Majesty is going to Ferrieres on Tues- 
 day. I, if I can, to-morrow. The decision 
 about it I shall have not before this evening. 
 Then the King wishes yet to see many troops. 
 He thinks that he will never see them again, 
 as for the next three years there will be no 
 reviews, and that he will not live long enough 
 to see them later. But he is so well that I 
 do not see why he should not become over 
 eighty years old, if anybody does. Your fear 
 of the Parisians was unnecessary. I entered, 
 with Gordon,^ through Porte Maillot, on 
 
 ' Commander of the Eleventh Dirlsion, which entered Paris 
 after the parade at Longcbamps. 
 
 124 
 
TO HIS WIFE 
 
 Wednesday, on horseback, turned back at 
 the Arc de Triomphe, as I am not allowed 
 to pass it before H. M. had done so, and rode 
 then alone back with Wartensleben^ ; was 
 recognized everywhere, hissed a little, but, 
 indeed, only by very small boys. Of assas- 
 sins not a trace. The King will not get in at 
 all now, as the French hurried so with the 
 ratification. I am sorry for it, for nothing 
 would have happened to him either. At taps 
 on Thursday thousands of Parisians fol- 
 lowed arm-in-arm with our soldiers, and at 
 the " helmet off for prayer " everybody took 
 his hat off, and said voild ce qui nous manquey 
 and that, I presume, is right. Before the 
 end of the week I shall be with you, so God 
 
 will. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 ' Lieutenant in the Fifth Lancers and attach^. 
 
 10 125 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 79 
 
 Saarbrucken, 3, 8, 71. 
 Telegram. 
 
 Countess von Bismarck-Schonhausen, 
 Berlin : 
 I have just arrived at Saarbrticken, and 
 hope to arrive at Anhalt Depot by express 
 Thursday morning. 
 
 BISMABGK. 
 
 126 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 Ten Letters from the Years 1867-1873 
 
 80 
 
 Vahzin, June 27, '67. 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 Bernhard left this morning after he had 
 
 still bothered me at five o'clock about Kniep- 
 
 hof, and thus managed that I got up at six 
 
 and rode about for five hours on Walter, up 
 
 and down steep hills, with beech-nurseries, 
 
 brimm,^ and heather; then I ate dinner with 
 
 the pastor at Wussow, gave him a lesson in 
 
 ciphering, and will now try a wagon from 
 
 Coslin. It is right nice here outside the 
 
 house, and I advise you to come soon. But 
 
 first send beds, and dishes which Engel has 
 
 noted upon the enclosed slip. There are only 
 
 ' Pomeranian broom. 
 
 127 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 two poor sets of beds here, thus six more at 
 least are wanted. Did you order three from 
 Reinfeld? They could be here within a few 
 hours. From Schonhausen have our glasses 
 sent, the red and the carved chairs, at least 
 one writing-desk with locks, or two, and all 
 that can be spared of beds. Here is one 
 dining-room, two drawing-rooms (for a bil- 
 liard-room or third drawing-room is time 
 enough later), four sleeping-rooms and 
 three guest-chambers to be furnished. For 
 this purpose send now whatever can be 
 spared in Schonhausen and Berlin; then we 
 shall see what more we want. The two inlaid 
 cigar cabinets with tables which you gave 
 me might be sent here from Berlin; in their 
 place in my old room the roll-top desk from 
 the antechamber of Decker's^ board-room. 
 With what shall we furnish the room of his 
 Majesty? We are short here. I do not 
 know if I should not stay here, as long as I 
 
 ' Wilhelmstrasse 75, formerly in the possession of Mr. 
 Decker. 
 
 128 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 am here, and wait for you. I feel, though 
 lonely, quite comfortable here; how much 
 more pleasant it will be with you. But I 
 can not write much. The ink hates me. 
 Cordial greetings to the children, and come 
 soon, all of you, but first send furniture and 
 fifty bottles of red wine and as many of beer. 
 Now I shall go driving to see forest and sun- 
 shine. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 Send me immediately, paper, 
 wealing sax, and official seal. . . 
 
 81 
 
 Varzin, June 30, '69. 
 My Beloved: 
 
 I had the best of intentions to write you, 
 but neither time nor pen, paper nor ink. The 
 latter has arrived, but whence shall the time 
 come? After having breakfasted and news- 
 papered, I wander in hunting-boots into the 
 forests, hill-climbing and swamp-wading, 
 129 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 learn geography, and plan reservations; 
 as soon as I return home I have the horses 
 saddled and the same business is contin- 
 ued, to the disgust of Joseph, Roschen, and 
 Walter. The latter, running up-hill, is not 
 afraid of anything, but down-hill he some- 
 times lets his four hoofs take root and de- 
 clares with resigned silence, it is impossible. 
 There are, indeed, very thick beeches here, 
 also beams and blocks, deserts, reservations, 
 pools, moors, heaths, broom, roes, mountain- 
 cocks, impenetrable beech and oak forests, 
 ready for felling, and other things which 
 give me pleasure, when I listen to the ter- 
 zetto of pigeon, heron, and glebe, or hear the 
 complaints of the tenants about the mis- 
 deeds of the wild sows. How can I write you 
 with all this? I was in Brotzen one evening 
 to examine a piece of woodland there situ- 
 ated and the beautiful Btilow,* whom I met 
 also in Beswitz yesterday. Bernhard was not 
 so entertaining as usual, he broods and cal- 
 
 ^ N6e von Zanthier. 
 
 130 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 culates too much internally. I believe I shall 
 leave Kniephof to him in case I should find 
 something here for sale. But when I am 
 there I always run the risk of rooting into 
 the ground. I found it now charming again, 
 only they never let me alone, and I find so 
 much more to converse about with the trees 
 than with men. Do come soon, please, and 
 let the boys follow by themselves. Beds, I 
 hope, are waiting in Coslin, whence I wrote 
 on receipt of your telegram that all boxes be 
 sent in all haste. Do not bring any girls ex- 
 cept your maid; perhaps you do not want 
 even her. Here is a highly recommended 
 linen-girl, who attended to the linen at Blu- 
 menthal's for three years. The old man- 
 servant is also very useful, and especially the 
 cook, and I have to keep all these people till 
 St. Michaelmas anyhow. So do not bring 
 either Riepe ^ or the girl, unless for personal 
 reasons. Send some green opaque material 
 for a dark window-hanging, and to cover the 
 
 ' His chef in Berlin. 
 
 131 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 inner sides of glass doors through which one 
 would not like to be seen. That I shall ap- 
 pear once more in Berlin before your arrival 
 here I hardly " reckon." Just depict my con- 
 dition as being so run down that I could not 
 imperil the visible benefit of the cure by the 
 hardship of this journey, and come yourself 
 
 soon. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 y. B. 
 
 82 
 
 Varzin, Jidy 4, '67. 
 My dear Heart: 
 
 A shipment of furniture came yesterday 
 
 from Stolp, another one from Berlin to-day, 
 
 the latter comprising the things of my old 
 
 room. Your telegram, according to which 
 
 cases were waiting in Coslin, and which were 
 
 not to be found afterward, no doubt referred 
 
 to the glass and porcelain things, lamps, etc., 
 
 which had arrived already before me on the 
 
 25th, and therefore the confusion. Beds 
 
 (two) have arrived from Reinfeld and also 
 
 132 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 the old Frankfort sleeping-couch. Curtains 
 are entirely lacking, about twenty-four win- 
 dows. I ordered bedsteads, two long ones, 
 in Stolp, and sent four short ones back 
 again. Besides these are three and two sleep- 
 ing-sofas and a few for the domestics. 
 What is wanting we shall get here. You 
 will buy curtains best there; about twenty 
 windows for the present, quite simple, 
 light white summer ones, as we shall not 
 make winter quarters for the present, you 
 know. I miss my hunting spectacles; please 
 send them. It will be better if we do not 
 build in No. 76 this year, for at the removal 
 of the furniture we should be present, I sup- 
 pose. The day after to-morrow I hope (to 
 go) to Reinfeld. 
 
 This morning I was surprised in a wilder- 
 ness near the Crangen dividing line to my 
 thorough astonishment by twenty-six, for 
 the most part pretty, young ladies, members 
 of a girls' boarding-school kept by the minis- 
 ter's wife, and of whose existence I had so 
 133 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 far been ignorant. English and French girls 
 among them; bouquets; hurrah in treble 
 voices and Prussian air! The late King's 
 singing mattress in Colberg is nothing in 
 comparison with them, only these song- 
 stresses were not without charms, and that 
 disarmed me. Roschen sank into her knees 
 with fright over this herd of game from the 
 bush. I am longing for you all very much, 
 and hope my own, all in white, will be ready 
 for traveling on Monday at least. 
 
 My heart's wishes to the child, and greet- 
 ings. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 Please send the Dtippel inkstand and sim- 
 ilar souvenirs which are in the way there! 
 
 83 
 
 Varzin, 10, 28, '68. 
 
 My Love: 
 
 I am so unused to being separated from 
 you that I find it horrible here and count the 
 134 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 hours till all of you get back again.* Your 
 telegrams from Coslin and Pasewalk arrived 
 to my great joy. Adelheid has gone to Kein- 
 feld with Eugenia,^ father at least remained. 
 I drove with him and Jenny (very much 
 scratched) in rain and storm to the irriga- 
 tion meadows. Carl ^ rode to Fanny.* Wil- 
 mowski and the Counselor to-morrow. Cor- 
 dial greetings to the two Maries and mothers 
 
 and fathers. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 84 
 
 Varzin, 7, 1, '69. 
 
 You were very wrong, my heart, not to 
 have come along. It is even more beautiful 
 here than last year; the weather was charm- 
 ing, and the railroad line from Coslin to 
 Schlawe is the most pleasant for the eye 
 between Stolp and Guntershausen. I was 
 
 * The family had gone to Krochlendorf to the wedding of the 
 now Frau von Kotze. 
 
 * Friiulein von Reckow, 
 
 ' Count Bismarck-Bohlen. 
 
 * Nickname of Colonel von Zitzewitz-Piistow. 
 
 135 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 here ten minutes before seven, ran around 
 in the park till sunset, ate cauliflower, wild 
 ducks, and many eggs; saw a roebuck, who 
 was so bold as hardly to get out of my way, 
 and found almost everything grown, except- 
 ing a few single ashes. Gretchen throttled 
 six young foxes, but in her excitement also 
 the young black dachshund. Mail coach is 
 
 tooting; come soon. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 
 It is nice here in the forest. 
 
 85 
 Berlin, December 15, '69. 
 My beloved Heart: 
 
 Your telegram of yesterday frightened 
 me hardly less than the first news in Varzin, 
 and I have not been able to find the trusting 
 mood again in which I wrote my last letter. 
 The receipt of a disquieting telegram always 
 imposes upon us the brooding supposition 
 that the recipient is meant to use the ad- 
 136 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 vantage of time which a telegram has over 
 a letter, for some hurried action on his own 
 part, as, perhaps, for the preparation to- 
 ward a sudden departure or for the getting 
 of further medical help. Now I committed 
 the folly of asking Busch ^ yesterday by tele- 
 graph whether this new case of erysipelas * 
 seemed dangerous to him and received the 
 usual physicianly answer, cunningly calcu- 
 lated for the anxiety of relatives : " Mo- 
 mentarily not dangerous, temperature 39, 
 further developments of the disease to be 
 waited for." If he only answered, " So far 
 no danger," I should go to bed comforted, but 
 in the last phrase I saw the preparing for 
 something worse, for else it would be abso- 
 lutely superfluous, I think. The result was 
 that I spent a really bad night after a lot of 
 good ones, and offended everybody to-day 
 who had anything to do with me. You may 
 read this now in comfort, for it is now all 
 
 * Privy Medicinal Counselor in Bonn. 
 
 * Count Herbert had fallen sick with erysipelas. 
 
 137 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 over and your good telegram of this morning 
 was the best antidote for the scare, but if 
 I or Marie had telegraphed you this morningj 
 " Papa spent a very bad night," and Struck 
 had sent a similar despatch of comfort on 
 top as the one Busch sent, you also would 
 have probably brooded over it, and such a 
 telegram, when one presses and tears it to 
 pieces, has for nervous people a lot of hid- 
 den thorns and hooks which swell up in the 
 dark of the night to horrible instruments of 
 
 torture. 
 
 V. B. 
 
 86 
 Ems, Thursday (Postmark June 2, 70). 
 I am very tired from the drive and the 
 visits and conversations here, but otherwise 
 I can not complain, except about petitions 
 and " requests for audiences," which pursue 
 me. We dined at the Emperor's, with Grand 
 Duke of Oldenburg, Vladimir, Prince Alex 
 of Hesse, and many Russians of old ac- 
 quaintance. I shall avoid the evening pleas- 
 138 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 ures by going to bed soon, though it is not 
 
 eight yet. I slept very well from Magdeburg 
 
 to Kassel, then watched the scenery in 
 
 memory of Frankfort times. Much colder 
 
 than it is here to-day, I am sure, it can not 
 
 be behind the Gollenberg either, though 
 
 there has been a blue sky for the last two 
 
 hours. Greet the children. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 
 Blanquart* telegraphed you, I suppose? 
 
 87 
 
 Varzin, Thursday, June 7, 70. 
 My Heart: 
 
 I arrived well; immediately went around 
 with Westphal for two hours; then ate pike 
 and mutton, to-day pike and veal, also as- 
 paragus of a quality which is better than 
 the Berlin kind. The frost has browned the 
 young beeches at the edges of the forest, 
 blackened many oak-shrubs, otherwise left 
 
 * A cipbrist, 
 
 139 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 no serious traces on the foliage. Your 
 chestnuts are sound, six or eight of them 
 want new leaves. Your roses fared worse; 
 the Americans are sound, one of them is in 
 bloom; but six or eight of the high-stemmed 
 ones have been, so far, without a sign of life. 
 In the field the rye shows in spots trifling 
 shadings of frost, the potatoes, Pomerania's 
 Consolation, seem to be sound, but the mead- 
 ows and the red clover have borne out the 
 bath; both look the same as three weeks ago, 
 only with yellow points. I have been six 
 hours in Selitz to-day, satisfied with fields, 
 culture of meadows, and especially with the 
 coming up of the reservations. Then I ate in 
 melancholy singleness. While I was hill- 
 climbing in the heat all my thoughts were 
 directed upon Gratzer beer; but we are out 
 of it, also Klette^; Schops my only solace. 
 But it has some " bock " in it, that resists be- 
 ing used in quantities. After dinner I went 
 through park and hedges; saw four deer, 
 
 * Berlin beer exporter. 
 
 140 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 three bucks among them. The circular road* 
 
 is coming on well, also all the red firs; the 
 
 ones that were hoed are the strongest. Your 
 
 elder plantation in the white moor had come 
 
 up, but frozen. The black ground under the 
 
 bleak pines was all white with the enclosed 
 
 flower (Blilte, I never wrote the word, has it 
 
 an h?) three feet high, like blooming myrtle; 
 
 it is ledum palustre, in Pomeranian Schwine- 
 
 Pors, also wild rosemary. Accept this native 
 
 nosegay in kindness and greet the children 
 
 cordially. 
 
 Your most faithful 
 
 V. B. 
 
 I go to bed at ten! 
 
 88 
 
 Fbiedrichsruh, March 12, 72. 
 
 We found Bill here on our arrival; feel 
 
 well and have dined with two Eilers^ and 
 
 Cassel.* Send me the six forest charts which 
 
 are lying upon the small ^tagfere, beside my 
 
 ^ An arenue. ' Head foresters. ' Herr Ton Marwitz. 
 
 " 141 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 writing chair at the left, up near the edge. 
 My keys, I believe, have been left there; my 
 portfolio is lying in the money-drawer at the 
 right-hand side on the top, 1,000 and a few 
 thaler in it; send me 500 of them. In my 
 sleepiness this morning I took in cash with 
 me only one hard thaler, which I still pos- 
 sess. Kltlp^r very talkative, but not incon- 
 venient. Bill will shoot something to-mor- 
 row, deer or dog. I shall sleep as long as I 
 can. Health good. Cordial greetings to 
 Marie and Herbert. Everything here over- 
 heated. Good-by. 
 
 Your 
 V. B. 
 
 Petersburg, May 3, 73. 
 
 My beloved Heart: 
 
 I am well, as I telegraphed you before,. 
 
 physically better than in Berlin; I do not 
 
 sleep long, but well, because the gall has 
 
 rest and I get to bed physically tired. Yes- 
 
 142 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 terday we had, with the King's old luck of 
 weather, four warm hours free from rain, 
 even some sunshine during the parade (your 
 little fur coat did very good service under 
 the greatcoat); breakfast at three o'clock 
 at the Prince of Oldenburg's, Marshalls' ban- 
 quet at six; gala performance in the even- 
 ing; a splendid ballet, " Pharaoh's Daugh- 
 ter," with stunning decorations and many 
 pretty ballerinas. I fled from the splendor 
 and heat at eleven, and went to bed directly 
 after I had read your dear letter. At eight 
 I had finished sleeping, but continued snooz- 
 ing till ten; ate four eggs, and after an 
 hour's audience with both emperors, again 
 much luncheon, almost a dinner, with 
 four wines and four warm dishes. Now 
 I wished to drive to the Islands, but it 
 is raining too hard. But the excursion 
 to Zarskoe will be made in spite of all 
 at about four. Herbert is in Moscow, 
 for which I asked three days' furlough for 
 him yesterday after the parade. He will, I 
 143 
 
BISMARCK'S LETTERS 
 
 suppose, send you news from there. I hope 
 he has better weather than we here. It is 
 not cold, but wet. I see many hundreds of 
 old acquaintances, who ask much after you, 
 and often cause me some embarrassment. I 
 know 10,000 people more than I can remem- 
 ber, but it is hard to tell a person that he 
 belongs to just those. I call them jnon prince 
 and refer to our last meeting in Baden, 
 whereupon they answer amiably, Non &etait 
 a Paris en '67, or something of the sort, and 
 the following day I have forgotten it again, 
 and they think il commence a haisser. I can't 
 help it; memory is used up, and as far as 
 that is concerned, they are right. Otherwise 
 nobody can be more kind and grandly hos- 
 pitable than they are here to us. The King 
 pleases, as everywhere, yet the Russians 
 think he looks too friendly for a monarch. 
 When he is serious " he has a face like a 
 Tzar." 
 
 I can not complain about anything; am 
 also politically satisfied, but I suffer dread- 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 fully from homesickness for you. I am no 
 longer used to these long separations. Now 
 there is a rumor of staying even longer than 
 the 7th. Perhaps the Reichstag will storm- 
 ily ask for me; but so far everything has 
 gone better without me. Except with 
 Sultl;* just tell him that I shall be back 
 soon, and greet the children cordially. 
 
 Your 
 
 V. B. 
 Saturday: Have been in Zarskoe to-day 
 to dinner; received telegram of Theodor's^ 
 death there. Tell Fritz ^ of my sincere sym- 
 pathy. Your letter of the 1st received just 
 now. 
 
 ' Black honnd. 
 
 * Counts von Bismarck-Bohlen. 
 
 (1) 
 THE END 
 
 145 
 
A DECIDEDLY INTERESTING VOLUME. 
 
 Personal Reminiscences of Prince Bismarck. 
 
 By Sidney Whitman, Author of " Imperial Germany," 
 etc. With Portraits. Large i2mo. Cloth, gilt top, uncut, 
 $i.6o net ; postage, i6 cents additional. 
 
 Mr. Whitman's distinction as a man of letters, a student of 
 politics, and a man of affairs has enabled him to profit to the full 
 by the opportunities afforded through his long friendship with 
 Bismarck. For many years he knew the Iron Chancellor, visited 
 him, and enjoyed his confidences. The Bismarck literature which 
 has been published in Germany has necessarily been subjected to 
 much revision and editorship for political reasons. Mr. Whitman 
 understood the policy, motives, and views of Bismarck as explained 
 by himself, and his book affords a significant and intimate inter, 
 pretation of the g^eat statesman from a wholly personal point of 
 view. There is history that is held in respect, but neglected, 
 and history that is read. Whitman's " Reminiscences " represents 
 intimate history which holds the attention and is eagerly read. 
 
 Mr. Whitman first gained attention as an authority on Ger- 
 man affairs by a book he wrote in 1888, entitled " Imperial 
 Germany." Translated into French and German, it created a 
 decided sensation on the Continent, and was mentioned two or 
 three times in open debate in the German Reichsrath. The chap- 
 ter on Bismarck has since been incorporated in some of the 
 German schoolbooks, and the book itself is used as a text-book 
 at the University of Oxford. 
 
 Mr. Whitman made the acquaintance of Bismarck shortly 
 after he retired from office, and claims that he is now the only 
 Englishman living who was in any sense intimate with the great 
 Chancellor. During the last seven years of Bismarck's life he 
 visited him ten times. He arrived at Bismarck's home for the 
 last visit a few hours after Bismarck breathed his last. Outside 
 the family not more than a dozen persons saw the dead statesman, 
 and of these Whitman was one. 
 
 D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
''THE SIBYL OF TRANSCENDENTALISM," 
 
 Love-Letters of Margaret Fuller. 1845-1846. 
 
 With an Introduction by JULIA Ward Howe. 
 To which are added the Reminiscences of Ralph 
 Waldo Emerson, Horace Greeley, and Charles T. 
 Congdon. i2mo. Cloth, gilt top, uncut edges, $1.35 
 net; postage, 12 cents additional. 
 
 "These are genuine letters, written by the Sibyl of 
 New England transcendentalists. They reveal purity of 
 thought, beauty of sentiment, sweetness of nature, and 
 exquisite refinement of style. They were written out of 
 a full heart and mind, and fairly pulsate with womanly 
 tenderness and sensitiveness." — From a column and a half 
 letter by Isaac N. Ford, the London correspondent of the 
 New York Tribune. 
 
 "Aside from interest attaching to a great nature, her 
 letters are absorbing in their blend of mental brilliancy 
 and feminine tenderness." — Boston Advertiser. 
 
 " An echo of the life of a simpler era, and the record 
 of some of the moods of a famous woman, these letters 
 are interesting, and this book will probably impel many 
 persons who have hitherto known nothing of Margaret 
 Fuller to learn more about her." — JVew York Times Sat- 
 urday Review. 
 
 "These Letters, so tardily given to us, have within 
 them the element of prolonged life far more than any of 
 Margaret Fuller's other published works. They were well 
 worth publishing, they are well worth reading, they are 
 well worth preserving." — The Mail and Express. 
 
 D, APPLETON AND COMPANY, NEW YORK. 
 
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 lY 9 1971 
 
 
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