My Days of Adventure / The Fall of France, 1870-71

The author blends memoir and frontline reporting of the 1870–71 Franco-German conflict, emphasizing the popular mobilisation that followed the collapse of the imperial armies. He describes the outbreak of war, revolutionary ferment, the siege of the capital, the government’s relocation and provincial campaigns, including service with a regional field force. Personal recollections are interwoven with analyses of mobilization, civilian defence, army shortcomings, demographic and conscription challenges, and contemporary debates over armaments and preparedness, all drawn from diaries, early newspaper work, and direct observation.