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Today is Bastille Day. Many years ago, I approvingly cited a post by a Jerry Pournelle, a conservative commentator. He pointed out that only 5 people were freed when the Bastille was stormed, including two madmen who were sent to the insane asylum, and most of the garrison was killed. The overall impression left was that this attack was a wasted effort.This is somewhat true and all wildly misleading.
The people who stormed the Bastille were not looking to liberate prisoners. They were looking for shot and gunpowder to marry up with the muskets they'd taken from another Parisian location earlier in the day. During the chaotic events of the afternoon, a large group of people had gotten inside an unguarded courtyard where they were killed by the defenders. When the fortress finally surrendered, 98 attackers and 1 defender had died in the actual fighting. 9 of the defenders were killed after the fighting, including the fortress commander.
The attackers got their gunpowder. The King, hearing of the attack the next day, returned to Paris. Many aristocrats, including a later King of France, on hearing of the attack, fled Paris and eventually the country. In short, the storming of the Bastille was at least as consequential as the fighting in Lexington and Concord.
The people who stormed the Bastille were not looking to liberate prisoners. They were looking for shot and gunpowder to marry up with the muskets they'd taken from another Parisian location earlier in the day. During the chaotic events of the afternoon, a large group of people had gotten inside an unguarded courtyard where they were killed by the defenders. When the fortress finally surrendered, 98 attackers and 1 defender had died in the actual fighting. 9 of the defenders were killed after the fighting, including the fortress commander.
The attackers got their gunpowder. The King, hearing of the attack the next day, returned to Paris. Many aristocrats, including a later King of France, on hearing of the attack, fled Paris and eventually the country. In short, the storming of the Bastille was at least as consequential as the fighting in Lexington and Concord.
