About two o'clock in the morning
An officer of chasseurs , who was standing near , spoke up in a loud voice : `` _ Nom de Dieu ! _ the time for us to make the movement was the 28th , when we were at Chene ! '' Others were more explicit in their information ; fresh news had been received . About two o'clock in the morning one of Marshal MacMahon 's aides had come riding up to say to General Douay that the whole army was ordered to retreat immediately on Sedan , without loss of a minute 's time . The disaster of the 5th corps at Beaumont had involved the three other corps . The general , who was at that time down at the bridge of boats superintending operations , was in despair that only a portion of his 3d division had so far crossed the stream ; it would soon be day , and they were liable to be attacked at any moment . He therefore sent instructions to the several organizations of his command to make at once for Sedan , each independently of the others , by the most direct roads , while he himself , leaving orders to burn the bridge of boats , took the road on the left bank with his 2d division and the artillery , and the 3d division pursued that on the right bank ; the 1st , that had felt the enemy 's claws at Beaumont , was flying in disorder across the country , no one knew where .