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398 FRANCE Germans capturing the town and many prison- ers, while the remainder of Aurelle's troops re- treated in confusion. (See ORLEANS.) From the remains of this defeated force were now organized two new armies, under Bourbaki and Chanzy. The Germans made a corre- sponding division, Frederick Charles leading a part of his command against Bourbaki, who took up a position near Bourges, while the re- mainder, with other troops, under the com- mand of the grand duke of Mecklenburg, ad- vanced against Chanzy, whom they defeated at Beaugency, Dec. 8, and followed in his subsequent retreat to Blois (13th), Vendome (16th), and thence (dividing into two detach- ments) toward Le Mans and Tours. On the 31st Chanzy made an attempt to recover his ground, but was again defeated in the neigh- borhood of Vendome. Still continuing his efforts at advance, the forces of the enemy were now concentrated against him, and he was gradually forced back, in a long series of minor engagements (Jan. 6 to 11). Finally he was overwhelmingly defeated and his army fairly broken up and put to flight, in severe combats at Corneille, Ste. Croix, and Le Mans (Jan. 12). With these German victories the war in this portion of France may be said to have ended. In the north, the newly organ- ized army under Gen. Faidherbe, seeking to advance to the relief of Paris from that di- rection, had been opposed by the Germans (a part of the first army) under Gen. Manteuffel. Massed at first chiefly at Amiens and Rouen, the French were defeated at the former place on Nov. 27, the town being occupied on the 28th ; from the latter place they retreated, and it was occupied without resistance on Dec. 6. From Lille and Arras Faidherbe again tried to advance toward Paris by passing behind the Germans; but Manteuffel again checked him in an engagement at Pont Noyelles, near Amiens, Dec. 23 ; and when he again assumed the offensive, a few days later, defeated him once more at Bapaume, Jan. 2 and 3, 1871. Manteuffel, transferred to the south, was now succeeded by Von Goeben, who put an end to Faidherbe's fourth attempt by inflicting upon him an overwhelming defeat at St. Quentin, Jan. 19, leaving his army completely disor- ganized, and bringing to a conclusion all se- rious operations in this quarter. The few for- tresses and cities that had still held out after the fall of Metz had also surrendered one by one before this time (Thionville, Nov. 24 ; La Fdre, Nov. 27 ; M6zieres, Jan. 2 ; Rocroy, Jan. 5) ; and only in the south did any really seri- ous opposition to the German arms remain in the field. Here, where Gen. Cambriels had been forced back during the month of October, 1870, by the Germans under Von Werder, until he had retreated to Besancon, the aspect of affairs was somewhat different from that pre- sented in the north. Von Werder, whose force was too small to take Besancon, had taken Dijon (Oct. 30) ; but Ricciotti Garibaldi, who commanded a body of French troops, had, by successive advantages gained over outlying de- tachments of German troops, approached the place during November, and on the 26th he be- gan an attack. This was only repulsed after a fierce struggle ; and the French were pursued, but without important results. On Dec. 18 Von Werder again defeated the French near Nuits ; but on the 27th he was compelled to abandon Dijon on account of the advance of an army un- der Bourbaki, who had left his position on the Loire, and was marching to the relief of the fortress of Belfort, which had been besieged by the Germans since Nov. 3. Von Werder, withdrawing from Dijon to Vesoul. and thence to Villersexel (where he had a short engage- ment with the enemy's left wing), finally took up a position near Hericourt, where, with his small force, he awaited the attack of Bourbaki's army of 150,000. In a three days' fight which followed (Jan. 15-17, 1871) he so completely repulsed it that the French were finally driven into full retreat. The approach of the army of Manteuffel nt almost the same time com- pelled the French troops to abandon Dijon. The retreating army of Bourbaki (who had now been succeeded by Clinchant) did not again assume the offensive; but, slowly pressed to- ward the southeastward by the advancing Ger- mans, who had several conflicts with its rear guard, it finally ended its share in the war by retreating over the Swiss frontier on Feb. 1, thus finally withdrawing from the field. In the mean time the situation of Paris had become hopeless; and on Jan. 28 arrange- ments for its capitulation had been con- cluded between Jules Favre and Bismarck by the convention of Versailles, which also pro- vided for a general armistice of three weeks (afterward extended to March 13), during which there should be general elections for a national assembly to decide upon the question of further war or peace. By the terms of the convention, the Germans took possession of the forts, the army of Paris were declared prisoners of war (except the national guard and a division of 12,000 others), and the seat of war in the southeast (near Belfort) was expressly excepted from the armistice. The elections, after a violent discussion among the members of the government of defence as to the course to be pursued, took place on Feb. 8, and resulted in the choice to the assembly of a majority of legitimist and Orleanist mem- bers, as opposed to republicans, and in placing its control in the hands of the more conserva- tive or prudent party as regarded the conclu- sion of peace. The first sitting of the new body was held in Bordeaux on the 12th, and on the following day the government of na- tional defence formally gave up to it their powers. On the 17th Thiers was chosen chief of the executive of the republic. On the 19th he delivered an address to the assem- bly, urging upon it the duty of immediate- ly 'making peace and endeavoring to restore