The German Staff had no knowledge of his whereabouts.

On hearing the news, King William, who throughout the day sat on horseback at the top of the slope behind Frenois, said to his son, the Crown Prince: "This is indeed a great success; and I thank thee that thou hast contributed to it." He gave his hand to his son, who kissed it, and then, in turn, to Moltke and to Bismarck, who kissed it also.

In a short time, the French General Reille brought to the King the following autograph letter:-- MONSIEUR MON FRERE--N'ayant pu mourir au milieu de mes troupes, il ne me reste qu'a remettre mon epee entre les mains de Votre Majeste .-- Je suis de Votre Majeste le bon Frere NAPOLEON.
SEDAN, _le 1er Septembre, 1870_.
[Footnote 49: Lebrun, _op.

cit._ pp.

130 _et seq._ for the disputes about surrender.] The King named von Moltke to arrange the terms and then rode away to a village farther south, it being arranged, probably at Bismarck's suggestion, that he should not see the Emperor until all was settled.
Meanwhile de Wimpffen and other French generals, in conference with von Moltke, Bismarck, and Blumenthal, at the village of Donchery, sought to gain easy terms by appealing to their generosity and by arguing that this would end the war and earn the gratitude of France.