History
article | Reading time5 min
150 years ago, Paris was under siege by the Prussians. Léon Gambetta managed to escape from the capital… by air! Discover the story of this spectacular escape aboard the Armand-Barbès.
7 October 1870: Gambetta’s escape
Paris under siege
Napoleon III’s military setbacks led to the fall of the Second Empire and the proclamation of the Third Republic on 4 September 1870. A Government of National Defence was immediately formed, headed by General Louis-Jules Trochu.
Léon Gambetta, then aged thirty-two, became Minister of the Interior. But Prussian pressure was mounting, particularly around the besieged capital. Gambetta was therefore appointed to lead the Tours delegation, which coordinated French military operations.
On 7 October 1870, Léon Gambetta left Paris by balloon, accompanied by his friend Eugène Spuller. The two men were aboard the Armand-Barbès, piloted by Alexandre Tricher, an expert with seventy-eight ascents to his credit. Also in the basket were three cages containing sixteen pigeons, as well as a 100-kilo sack of dispatches and leaflets intended to be dropped over the German lines. Another, smaller balloon, the George-Sand, accompanied the adventurers.
© Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace du Bourget
A perilous journey
The two balloons took off from Place Saint-Pierre in Montmartre at around eleven o’clock in the morning, amidst a large crowd that included celebrities such as Victor Hugo, Alphonse Daudet and Louis Blanc. Léon Gambetta, clad in an impressive fur coat and wearing a fur hat, waved to the crowd, shouting “Long live the Republic!”, a cry taken up by the crowd. The journey, which took them as far as Épineuse, was epic. Tricher, frightened by Prussian gunfire, steered the balloon erratically and came close to losing control of the craft on several occasions. Flustered, he sought solace in his flask of rum, so much so that Spuller and Gambetta were forced to reprimand him to bring him round.
The balloon landed for the first time at Villiers-le-Sec, in German-occupied territory, from where it took off in a panic as Prussian cavalry approached. Later, above Creil station, an enemy bullet grazes Gambetta’s hand. They abandon the balloon at Épineuse, where the mayor takes them as far as Montdidier. They then make their way to Amiens before travelling to Rouen to reach Tours by train.
© Gallica - BnF
Hero of the 1870 War
This episode would leave a lasting impression on the public consciousness. The republican’s courage, braving countless dangers to reach Tours, would be recognised by his political friends as much as by his opponents. It would help to cement Léon Gambetta’s place in legend.
Gambetta’s balloon journey left a lasting impression on people’s minds and in popular imagery. It is a theme frequently depicted in engravings, on calendars and coins, as well as in caricatures. Numerous examples are on display at the Maison des Jardies: plan your visit to discover them!
© Jonathan Legros / Maison des Jardies
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