The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-09-17 00:00:00

SEDAN AFTER THE BATTLE.

Herr Wachenhrusen, writing from Belau. near
Sedan, on the led hint., to the cao9ne Gaulle, says 1—
The small drawbridge was already let dawn, and a num-
ber of meu and women hastened towards us, asking whether
tho Prussians would allow them to paw The walls were
empty, not. moldier to be seen 011 them. A peasant woman
was standing like a sentry, with an umbrella under her
arm, on the wall over the gate, probably reeking her son.
We passed hi unmolested. Purulent Prussians!' was the
general exclamation. The narrow, dirty streets, soaked
with rain, swarmed with townspeople, from whose hurts' a
heavy load seemed to have fallen, and with unarmed soldiers
—Turco& and Zouaves, cavalry, artillery, and Line, all
streamed together, and auildet the throng rushed horses who
h,rl lost thar masters in the battle. It was a fright( ut chaos.
The townspeople seemed happy to have escaped a bom-
bardment. The soldiers were evidently glad to be
free from their weapons. Many had thrown them
Intl the moat. A cavalry soldier was engaged
before us In thrusting his sword into a sewer. At
our request soldiers were ordered to conduct us through
the mud end the crowd of French troopa to the citadel. As
we pressed through the streets no abuaive word waa addressed
to us, though we were the first Prussians who had to-day
entered the place. The troops allowed us to pans peacefully.
If MacMahon really declared he could do nothing more
with such soldiers, I endorse It And yet on the let of dep.
tercher they had fought with great bravery. After a long
promenade, in which loose horses rushed against us, and
every where a pletnre of the direat confualon met our eyes,
She citadel General itaurcuann was abeady
Sues calor appointed oomensdass. g,as
to me to talk with the Trench clteers In the court
of the citadel, e Ml° the other gentleman visited the wounded.
' have an excellent artillery,' uld a French officer tome,
and truly they have reason to speak of it. I noticed among the
efficms no depression or military shame at so contemptible
an end of their army, and I naturally avoided touching on
the subject. They complained ref great lack of provision..
Fverythieg convinced me that the fortress had not teen pro.
vieloued ('ran emergency. After an hour we went out of
the inner fortress into the euburb. The soldiers had already
formed In companies, in order, after surrendering their
wespone, to leave the place and repair to the sppolnted
rendervoua At noon, on leaving Palen to Malt beneral
Stfifffer. my Way *cook me ilitvugh the deeolailos which one

artillery had caused on the road from the still burntrig
Bahasa. There lay the horses of the ammunition wafg.ins
which our artidery had shattered; the waggons lay like
bard csti es, with the dead horse, in the path. There elan icy
the corpses , f three unfortunates whom the Bavari to soldiers
, had shot yesterday moo--two peasants and • woman oven,
found with gun in hand. Tho wretches had ,hot at the
Bavarians from a ceilsr. I am told, moreover, a priest
has been shot who fired on the soldiers hoar the
church. Much may happen on the part ni soldiers
heated by battle which S. no; to be approved, but the fury •
of some peasants goes so far that after twenty ,if them
had yesterday beau led bound through the stre,ts our
soldiers were Bred at this afternoon from a house in
Remlily. eh,' yet the pretty villitee of 8... z Tiles, now hunt
311111.35 1:1 a fearful warning ! As I spoke ta my last of the
feeling el the population sgabat Ilepolooo, I ought not te
concert the revers,. In spite of the hateful civilisailor, for
whiet the provinces are indebted to the neco,id
officers assure ma that en enterlog the peasant's houses they
were met by cries of hing live the lidtperor ! ' and women
In their presence hose.! the Emperor's In :tries.. Trie I um-
ber of these adherents it is ditlieule to judge, where the
jr u teat conceal their opihion, an I the thous htleh, expreen
them with musket shots. The Mobiles, who aro everywhere
orgahised, are treated by our eri tiers as regular tr .oris, hat
the peasants, alto tiro from the veln.iows, are getter:My ilia
wlthout ceremony, Ho batters are wehting M.ey of them
ap;:ear incited to such revenge through geeing tr tmeelma
lirought to beggary, and patriutitm has, therefore, nothing
hi do with it, The °Meer' in Sedan caret ully avoid A eyoieon'a
name.'
•

The German papers gives a few further &tails of
th Enlperor's eurrender. A letter (rum Reth.. in the
Nurth German Gcc.-el le says :
• - •

'Oa the evening of the day when the B MIMI' be)
letter offered his sword to tits King, Count 131,1713' diend
General Moltke emit to the village el fror the
purpose of negociatin as to • n -• -.0-, ,tt of Mao-
Mutton's army, 2.1 there the -.•, the
King remained behind at \ler is A. he nex:
morning Cameral Rollie, the bones of 1`,..,t ,t oils letter
on the previous v, arrived at Count Inntorcles quit-
curs with the anuountentent Mat :be Es- - ...car It idled to
speak with him. The Coant Inmediaiely dressed and
mounted his horse In order to ride to 0. :an. On tire way,
at Presets, he met the Enrperor tu a pair-horse cortege,
In which three superior others were seated with him, while
three others scosnpanted hits on horseback. the Curt
Munediately dismounted and asked what Ills 11.jest7
destred, whereupon the Emperor and Me officers tank Cl?
their caps, au example aisles Count Mimeses I -Slowed
Ito Itsmeror then seised whether he could nut sp.,ek stilt
the King. Ile was told It, was trupoaelble, as Bin Ms/easy
was at Vendresse, nine mites from Promote. Oa this he
Inquired where he could remain, thus intimating that be
would not return to Sedan, because, ;perhaps, be hod ere-
feretl or apprehended indiAntlics frt.in his army en recount
of his surrender. The Count offered Mtn his quarters at
ffichere, adding that he would him:elf at once vacate
them Toe Emperor accepted the offer, tort SOO yards
from the spot he halted, and asked whetter he could not
rentals is a liewe Cu the right, elute to tho road. The
Count told him it looked a miserable place. hut the En-
peror replied that this did not matter, and he and his
cults disusountead, and along with Count ilismarok west up-
stairs Into • small room, with a single window, a ilr to Is,
and two rock-bottomed chairs. lure they had an how's
conversation Meanwhile the Count had sent for Ceres-al
Moltke ; the locality was examined It soW.ch i f , nimble
acsemmodati, n for the Emperor, slid the petty e‘' V.Chll of
Bellevue, neer Fretiols, was selected, about tone stiles from
the spot where lie nut the Count Thither Napoleon e tut
sooorningly c in-ducted. eacorted by a troop of Cutrumen,
and accompanied by the Count. There the capitulat-on
was afterwards reigned wtth General Woopties, and there
the Interview with the King which the Emperor had desired
waa held."

A correspondent of the Frankfurt Gez,fte, writing on the
4th. states that one of the inhabitants expressed great sal,
faction at the entry of the Prussians into :Waft, us they de-
I voted the town from a met of beasts, who fur the days had
Indulged In every kind of plunder and debauchery, hareas
the Prussians were subj .ct to the strictest died, ion. The
conduct of the G..rman troops is loudly praised by the towns.
people, and they have done clinch in the way of disinfecting
and cleansing the place, and supplying it with provitions.
On his third visit S.:clan had quite a alff,reut aspea, but
nettling Moe to ha bought in it, as it had hem plundered for
Ilse day, by 103,000 shee Pima troops.

SATU RDA Y. SEPT. 17, 1 b7O

Limn or hie other son on vim tame flay: how lie wee oven to
fall with his hens. and 131,11 left for dead, but how he met his
father, safe and sound, the same evening. The Minicar
hitnekf had a litito shire IP the emits of that day's battle,
which he related with much gusto. lie Was appealed
to by a Finch priest. alio found himself at • mitt.
momebt kept for the nonce • prlecner.—
There nine good ressons for his detention, into
which It is lio3 DOC. awry to enter; but the priest appealed to
1113 gown, and proteeted violebtly saainsi the detentn U. "it
is quite right," s-lii the Minister, " for all that, it you were
to attempt to go I would shoot pit mysi if." At length the
moment arrived when the priist could safely be releued.
By the: thee Ms good humour had returned, and he departed
with the pont,: tiNE ur..ace th it the kind iter, In his long caner
of eivd y, hod Lot forgotten 11. e ILde and i unction. of •
soldier. The compliment was narrated with evident sell.
faction, for in this laud civilians are :imbed down upon, and
have myself heard -WO plume applied to GOMA Bismarck,
"'lle 13 uniy a CiViii4ll " lii Is hint oil w,,t of lat opinion,
as the ansciluto mho Ais. But in whatever chancier we re-
gal d StAin, he Is certainly bur of La heArtiost, fr ankest, and
DLit of mankind.

As I brirg this letter to a close the square of the cathedral
Is crowdel with people; amliitaryc,lca.rt is going forward ;
and some 1.1 liat vqlaUmus musk: of which Count Bismarck
spoke in being setved out to us. It Is patriotic, but die-
cerd.stst, and atrociously bay. And the grand old pile,
horn of t•ther centunes, loots calmly town upon the dls•
tractiag din, nod surely wroders If we have sway improved
upon the much-abmed egos that lifted it In piety to the
skies.