On June 22, 1848, at nightfall the struggle began.  By morning half Paris was covered with barricades.  It was very hard to collect troops, but Cavaignac was a tried soldier.  He divided his little force into four parts.  It was not till the evening of the 23d that hostilities commenced, and at the same time General Cavaignac was named by the Assembly dictator.  This inspired confidence.  Cavaignac was well supported, and acted with the greatest energy.  The street-fighting was fiercer than any Paris had ever seen, and no real success was gained by Cavaignac till the evening of the 24th, after twenty-four hours of hard fighting.  That success was the storming of the church of Sainte Genevieve (called also the Pantheon) and the destruction of its walls.  But still the fight went on.  Many generals were wounded.  Cavaignac used his cannon freely, and even his bombs.  It was night on June 26 before the troops could be pronounced victorious, and then they had not stormed the most formidable of the barricades,—­that of the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine.  Says Sir Archibald Alison,—­

“But ere the attack on this barricade commenced, a sublime instance of Christian heroism and devotion occurred, which shines forth like a heavenly glory in the midst of these terrible scenes of carnage.  Monseigneur Affre, archbishop of Paris, horror-stricken with the slaughter which for three days had been going on, resolved to attempt a reconciliation between the contending parties, or perish in the attempt.  Having obtained leave from General Cavaignac to repair to the headquarters of the insurgents, he set out, dressed in his pontifical robes, having the cross in his hand, attended by his two chaplains, also in full canonicals, and three intrepid members of the Assembly.  Deeply affected by this courageous act, which they knew was almost certain death, the people, as he walked through the streets, fell on their knees and besought him to desist; but he persisted, saying, ’It is my duty; a good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’  At seven in the evening he arrived at the Place de la Bastille, where the fire of musketry was extremely warm on both sides.  It ceased on either side at the august spectacle, and the archbishop, bearing the cross aloft, advanced with his two priests to the foot of the barricade.  A single attendant, bearing a green branch, preceded the prelate.  The soldiers, seeing him advance so close to those who had already slain bearers of flags-of-truce, approached in order to give him succor in case of need; the insurgents, on their side, descended the barricade, and the redoubtable combatants stood close to each other, exchanging looks of defiance.  Suddenly a shot was heard.  Instantly the cry arose of ‘Treason!  Treason!’ and the combatants, retreating on either side, began to exchange shots with as much fury as ever.  Undismayed by the storm of balls which incessantly flew over his head from all quarters, the prelate advanced slowly,