1We thought but little of the danger we were running at the Champ de Mars, and knew nothing whatever of what was going on at the Hotel de Ville. The crowd was nothing more than an ordinary Sunday crowd. No weapons whatever were to be seen, save the sabres hanging to the belts of some stray National Guards, who might be taking a walk with their wives and children. Madame Roland says, in her “Memoirs,” that she remained there till ten o’clock.

2The only extraordinary proceeding that took place was that on the altar.

3They continued to sign the petition with a vigor that promised twelve or fifteen hundred signatures before night-fall. Generally the person signing cried out, “Vive la nation! Down with royalty!” threw his cap up in the air, and ceded the place to another.

4Two contrary currents were established on the north, south, and east sides of the altar of the country, between the persons ascending and the persons descending. The height of the altar was immense—that it is to say, about one hundred feet. At about four o’clock in the afternoon, it presented the aspect of an enormous hive, swarming with bees.

5At a few minutes past four o’clock, we heard the drums, but paid little attention to them, the affair of the hair-dresser and Invalid having for some time escaped the memory of every one. In Paris, one soon forgets the events which are of but little interest to remember. There was simply a movement of curiosity on the altar, where two thousand people were seated, and on the ground of the Champ de Mars, where some ten to twelve thousand were walking.

6These drums were those of a battalion of the advanced guard of the Faubourg St. Antoine. This battalion was totally misinformed of what was taking place in the Champ de Mars. They had received an order from Bailly and Lafayette to fire in case of any resistance being made, but only in case of resistance.

7Before entering the Champ de Mars, the command was given to halt, and load their guns. They thought they would have to face some fifty thousand brigands, determined on bloodshed and pillage.

8They found, on the contrary, an inoffensive population amusing itself.

9The battalion halted a second time; but, as they did not find what they were in search of, they put their guns in clusters, and sent a few unarmed grenadiers to see what was passing on the altar of the country. These came back, saying that they were signing a petition in the greatest possible order, and without the slightest noise.

10The people walking in the Champ de Mars did not, on their side, pay the slightest attention to the arrival of the military from the Faubourg St. Antoine.

11But about the same time, the drums of Gros Caillon and the Cours la Reine were heard calling to arms.

12From Gros Caillon it was Lafayette, and from Cours la Reine, Bailly, who arrived with the National and paid Guards.

13Lafayette sent, in advance, an aide-de-camp and a hundred armed men, to find out what was really passing in the Champ de Mars. But from the group, which I have already mentioned as having been commanded by Verriéres and Fournier, a gun-shot was seen to proceed, which wounded the aide-de-camp of Lafayette.

14The advance guard returned to Lafayette, and the aide-de-camp, bleeding, made his report on the manner in which he was received.

15To him, wounded as he was on his entry into the Champs, all the inoffensive strollers appeared to be brigands.

16Lafayette placed himself at the head of the three thousand men he commanded, and marched on the Champ de Mars.

17He found Fournier, Verriéres, and those they led, busily engaged in raising a barricade. He marched straight up to the barricade, and destroyed it. From under a cart, Fournier, the American, fired through one of the wheels on Lafayette.

18The gun missed fire.

19Fournier, the American, was taken, and charged with revolt and homicide.

20The National Guard would have shot him on the spot, had not Lafayette torn him from their hands, and rendered him his liberty.

21The most curious of all was, that this bloody day was caused by these two bloodthirsty men, Lafayette and Bailly.

22The battalion from the Faubourg St. Antoine and Marias entered the Champ at the same time as Lafayette, and ranged themselves behind the altar, in front of the Military College.

23Lafayette, fearing that these might sympathise with the people, sent a detachment of the National Guard to join them.

24At this moment the promenaders, and those who were signing the petition on the altar, preoccupied, but not alarmed, at the sort of collision which had taken place between the National Guard and the defenders of the barricade, saw, advancing by the Bridge of Bois (to-day the Bridge of Jéna) another body of the army, headed by the Mayor, and over the heads of which floated the red flag.

25This red flag informed us that martial law was proclaimed.

26Against whom?

27It could not be against those who were guilty of no wrong, and who were simply walking by right of the petition accorded to every citizen.

28In the midst of the troop following the Mayor were to be distinguished a company of dragoons. The dragoons were well known to be an aristocratic regiment, being used to firing on the people. Also a band of hair-dressers, armed to the teeth, with their hair dressed à l’aile de pigeon and clad in the height of fashion. Their clothes were of silks and satin, and of every color in the rainbow.

29They came, no doubt, to avenge the death of that unfortunate poor fellow, Léger.

30The group which had opposed the entrance of Lafayette had gone and reformed themselves a little further off. They were joined by all the blackguards of the quarter.

31At the moment when, after a roll of drums, M. Bailly commenced his declaration, a shower of stones fell around him. A gun was fired behind him at the same time, and wounded a dragoon.

32Bailly gave the order to fire a round of blank cartridge in the air. The order was executed. This inoffensive discharge injured no one, but had the effect of making Lafayette think that it was real.

33The promenaders nearly all rushed towards the altar of the country, fancying that they, as simple spectators, could not be fired upon without there having first been a summons to disperse.

34At this moment, the Champ de Mars was invaded by cavalry.

35The promenaders vainly search for an issue to re-enter Paris.

36At all sides, nothing but troubles present themselves to our view; at the Military College, at Gros Caillon, at the entrance to the wood.

37Almost immediately the paid guards made an offensive movement towards the altar. Abandoning the hostile group, which continued to shower stones on their heads, they dashed themselves distractedly and furiously against the altar; and, without an attack, without provocation or resistance, fired on this mass of brothers—this living pyramid, this human beehive, of which two-thirds were composed of defenceless women and children.

38The hurricane of fire fell on this disarmed throng, who only replied by heart-rending cries of agony. The three faces of the altar were covered with the dead and wounded bodies of the unfortunate victims.

39From the height of the pyramid where I found myself—between Robert and his wife,—I perceived that the artillery were about to make fire on the people with the cannon, at the risk of firing on the cavaliers and paid guard, when Lafayette perceiving the movement, dug the spurs into his horse, and galloped to the mouth of the cannon, where he placed himself.

40The first cry of Madame Robert was—“’Tis on the petitioners they would fire! Let us save the petition!” Then addressing herself to me, she said, “Help me, monsieur—help me!”

41It was no longer a question of signing; every one precipitated himself by the only side of the altar which had not been fired upon—that is to say, the side facing the Military College, and which was protected by the battalions of the Faubourg St. Antoine and Marais. Both the petition and the sheets, covered with signatures, were seen to fly before the wind.

42Madame Robert took possession of the petition, whilst her husband and I collected about a hundred sheets of signatures.

43We then descended by the west side of the altar.

44Around us, seven or eight persons had been killed or wounded.

45A hundred and fifty, at least, fell before this first discharge.

46In descending this immense staircase, I lost Robert and his wife. The National Guards of the Faubourg St. Antoine and Marais cried, “Come with us—we will defend you!”

47I rushed to their sides; the dragoons set out in pursuit of us; but the battalion of the Marais opened their ranks to us, and prepared to receive them with the bayonet. An aide-de-camp came up, and ordered this battalion to march forward, and make a junction with the other troops. The aide-de-camp was killed. None obeyed this order but the paid guards.

48The battalion, or rather, the two battalions, of National Guards, formed themselves into two columns, sent out scouts, so as to protect any fugitives who might come and ask for shelter in their ranks, and marched from the Champ de Mars, leaving this horrible butchery to be completed without their assistance.