uld not but foresee
the coming crash, others because they would no longer take part in
the violence and tyranny of their colleagues. In seven weeks the
Commune had four successive heads of the War Department. General
Eudes was the first: his rule lasted four days. Then came Cluseret;
the Empire Cluseret lasted three weeks. Then Cluseret was imprisoned,
and Rossel was in office for nine days, when he resigned. On May
9 Deleschuze, the ex-convict, became head of military affairs.
He was killed two weeks later, when the Commune fell. Cluseret
was deposed April 30,--some said for ill-success, some because he
was a traitor and had communications with the enemy, but probably
because he made himself unpopular by an order requiring his officers
to put no more embroidery and gold lace on their uniforms than
their rank entitled them to.

Rossel, who succeeded Cluseret, was a real soldier, who tried in
vain to organize the defence and to put experienced military men
in command as subordinate generals. To do this he had to choose
three out of five from men who were not Frenchmen. Dombrowski and
Wroblewski were Poles, and General La Cecilia was an Italian. On May
9, after nine days of official life, he resigned, in the following
extraordinary letter:--

CITIZENS, MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNE:

Having been charged by you with the War Department, I feel myself
no longer capable of bearing the responsibility of a command where
everyone deliberates and nobody obeys. When it was necessary to
organize the artillery, the commandant of artillery deliberated,
but nothing was done. After a month's revolution, that service
is carried on by only a very small number of volunteers. On my
nomination to the ministry I wanted to further the search for arms,
the requisition for horses, the pursuit of refractory citizens.
I asked help of the Commune; the Commune deliberated, but passed
no resolutions. Later the Central Committee came and offered its
services to the War Department. I accepted them in the most decisive
manner, and delivered up to its members all the documents I had
concerning its organization. Since then the Central Committee has
been deliberating, and has done nothing. During this time the enemy
multiplied his audacious attacks upon Fort Issy; had I had the
smallest military force at my command, I would have punished him
for it. The garrison, badly commanded, took to flight. The officers
deliberated, and sent away from the fort Captain