The Seventy-Three Revolutionary Days of the Paris Commune Catulle Mendès translated from the French by Janine C. Hartman Catulle Mendès The Seventy Three Revolutionary Days of the Commune (from 18 March to 29 May 1871) English Translation from the 3rd edition, Paris: E. Lachaud, Editeur-Libraire 1871. by Janine C. Hartman This digital book was created for the Digital Resource Commons at the University of Cincinnati, 2015 This item's license is described as Creative Commons -Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivs 3.0 United States This book's typeface is Bookman Old Style, which was an almost exact match to the original. The suppressed cover illustrations and the title page illustration are from Histoire de la Commune de Paris en 1871, par de La Brugère (Paris: A.Fayard, 1875) Book and cover design by WM. E. Parker Table of Contents I. The morning of 18 March---Cannon--Movement in the Air--Who is at fault--Impasse ................................................................................................. 1 II. General Lecomte--Clement Thomas--Double Assassination .................. 3 III. This and That - M. Picard's Proclamation-Inactions: Motifs .................. 5 IV. White Posters ...................................................................................... 7 V. Paris Hesitates-Reasons for Hesitation ............................................... 11 VI. On the Montmartre Butte .................................................................. 13 VII. A Possible Issue--Mayors -and Paris-Approve ..................................... 13 VIII. Paris hopes-Meeting of the Friends of Order--First Demonstration ..... 15 IX. Gunfire-What I Saw-What I Heard- The First shot?-The Victims ......... 18 X. A Wedding ......................................................................................... 20 XI. Organizing Resistance-The Resistance--An Alarm .............................. 20 XII. Night-Military Placements-The Wait ................................................... 22 XIII. Morning-A Prudent Person-Escape plan-A Brave Poltroon .................. 23 XIV. What happened?-Opinions of Some Federals? .................................... 27 XV. Vice- Admiral Saisset's Proclamation--New Hope-Paris Content ......... 28 XVI. A Widow ............................................................................................ 30 XVII. Paris Wrongly Content--Central Committee Triumphs--Sunday, 20 March 30 XVIII. Paris Votes ........................................................................................ 32 XIX. The Commune Exists-What Will It Be? ............................................... 33 XX. At The Hôtel de Ville .......................................................................... 34 XXI. The First Decrees--Law on Rents--Small Chat With a Landlord--After the Chat--Commissions................................................................................. 35 XXII. Weddings and Parties ........................................................................ 38 XXIII. Story of a Move .................................................................................. 38 XXIV. Departing-Must one leave? ................................................................ 39 XXV. General Garibaldi .............................................................................. 42 XXVI. Monday, 3 April--the Matinee--Flights--Seeing the Arc de Triomphe- First Shot--Passing Battalions--Royalists attack. ........................................... 43 XXVII. To Versailles !--Mont-Valerien-M. Thiers, Prisoner--New Decrees ........ 47 XXVIII. General Duval-Tenacity of the Federals-Order in Disorder--Neuilly-- Paris that Kills--Paris that Amuses Itself-A Philosophe's Opinion--Fusillade to Fusillade ....................................................................................................... 50 XXIX. Monsignor Darboy--Citizen Rigault .................................................... 54 XXX. Accessories at Versailles .................................................................... 55 XXXI. Flourens--Flourens and Rochefort ..................................................... 56 XXXII. A Sad Spirit ....................................................................................... 58 XXXIII. Communal Brotherhood--Citizen Lhuillier and Mont-Valerian--the Prisons of Lhuilier--Lhuillier-Latude-Marionettes and Puppets ...................... 58 XXXIV. Struggle Always ................................................................................. 61 XXXV. Funerals ............................................................................................ 62 XXXVI. The Post and Citizen Theiz--To the water, Informer--That is Prudent Advice ......................................................................................................... 62 XXXVII. .... Don't Touch the Queen--Suppressed Newspapers-Dangers in Private ......................................................................................................... 64 XXXVIII. ........ Paris Bombarded--A Walk Down the Champs-Elysees--Continued Walk-- Some Shells--Going to Porte-Maillot--What what saw from the Window-- The Dice--Women and Children--Mistake of the Cannon--What remains for Victory? ........................................................................................................ 66 XXXIX. Disappearance of Bergeret--Bergeret's Plan ........................................ 72 XL. Apotheosis of Cluseret--All Soldiers!--Informers and Recruiters--Who is Monsieur Cluseret?--93 and America ............................................................ 73 XLI. The Amazons of the Commune-Children leading ................................ 76 XLII. Conciliation-Why This is impossible ................................................... 78 XLIII. The Abbey of Saint Pierre--The Portable Guillotine--Burning the Guillotine ...................................................................................................... 79 XLIV. A Visit to the State Cemetery ............................................................. 80 XLV. Paris Laughing-Paris Flaneur ............................................................ 81 XLVI. The Independent Press-Real News ..................................................... 82 XLVII. Following Days and How They Seemed .............................................. 83 XLVIII. The Vendôme Column Will Be Demolished--Walking Down the Champs- Elysées--Walking On-Some Shells-Going to Porte Maillot--Seeing a Window-- Ternes-Women and Children- Cannon Misdirected--What Will Remain Upon Victory? ........................................................................................................ 84 XLIX. The Negotiators Return-- M. Thiers' Reply-- Reply to the Reply--Paris and France ................................................................................................... 87 L. Caricatures ....................................................................................... 90 LI. M. Courbet--The Artistic Commune--Free Art-Assembly of Design Artists 93 LII. Lady in the Red Stockings--Camp at the Place Vendôme-Indifference to the Column ................................................................................................... 95 LIII. The Commune Embarrassed--Elections Sans Voters .......................... 97 LIV. The Bourse During the Commune--Specters and Ghosts ................... 98 LV. Examining Lost Gains--Parody of Universal Suffrage--Mardi-Gras Carnival--Ash Wednesday ........................................................................... 100 LVI. Paris Decadence--London Modes ..................................................... 102 LVII. The Little Sisters of the Poor ............................................................ 103 LVIII. New Embarrassment of the Commune--Expedient--Declaration to the French People--Commentaries..................................................................... 106 LIX. Commandant Girod--Complaints of the Martial Court ...................... 114 LX. Heroes! ............................................................................................ 114 LXI. The Ingenuity of Shells .................................................................... 115 LXII. Neuilly's Respite--Death in the Cellar--The Porte-Maillot--The Ruins of Neuilly--Exodus .......................................................................................... 115 LXIII. The Freemasons--The Cortege and the Crowd--In the Court of the Hôtel de Ville--Discussion--Opinion of Gavroche--Simple Reflections-Sacrilegious Bullets--A Freemason's Account .................................................................. 118 LXIV. The Prudence of Felix Pyat--Unlucky Pyat!--the Commune Obliges .. 123 LXV. Colle and the Commune--Resources of the Commune--Exporting the Museums--Austerlitz to bid ......................................................................... 126 LXVI. Proudhon's Prophecy ....................................................................... 128 LXVII. Apostle Balloons-Indifference to Manners-Good Trip! ....................... 130 LXVIII. Examination of Conscience .............................................................. 131 LXIX. Journals of the Commune--Sensational News--the first Paris--Basic article--Various deeds ................................................................................. 132 LXX. Fort Issy--Tears of a Drunkard ........................................................ 137 LXXI. Arrest of Cluseret--Epaulettes and braid--Reconassiance