The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-30 00:00:00

THE BATTLE OF GRAVELOTTE.

In a letter dated Doncourt, August 19, the Times cor-
rospondent with the Prussian army, gives a short account
of the great battle of Gravelotte on the previous day :
Yesterday the enemy was again encountered, he having
taken up a very strong position on a range of hills between
Montois-la-Montagne and the little village of Leip-
zig. The Prussians had the 7th, Bth, 9th, 12th, and
Guard Corps engaged, with the 10th and 3rd in
reserve. The action commenced on the left of the
line, in the vicinity of Doncourt, the object being to
draw the French towards Metz again, which they had
lately left. As is usual, the same plan seemed to be fol-
lowed which has won the Prussians so many victories—
that of concentrating at a certain point all their forces, and
crushing the enemy at the last moment. Thus, on this
occasion, as will be seen, the right was brought up at the
exact moment it was required, and the result the most
decided victory for Prussia. At the outset of the battle
the firing was heavier than at any time in the
preceding battle, and I expected to have even a
heavier loss to chronicle than I have already ; but
towards 3 o'clock the French guns seemed to diminish,
and we heard no more of the mitrailleuses, the peculiar
reports of which it is impossible to mistake. The place
where I first came up to the scene of action was a little
village, nearly the centre of the line, but the extreme
right of the left attack. The unfortunate inhabitants
had prepared for the worst by closing up their houses
and retiring to their cellars. Not a soul was to be
seen, except a motionless group of Prussian infantry
crouched behind a wall, waiting for the signal to ad-
vance into the open space, for at present it was but a
duel between artillery. Soon, however, they debouched

from the village, and, as if by magic, from every point
you saw the brass helmets shining in the midday sun,
and, with artillery covering them from a small height
on their right, they brought their right forward and
forced the French back towards Vionville. This was the
moment that the firing was heaviest, and the wounded
began soon to fill the little village. There were three or
four copses which were carried in succession, but not with-
out great loss from the Chassepots,,which, under shelter,
poured a steady fire on the Prussians. Notwithstaiiding
it, however, the French were driven hack step by step
distance of a mile, and then came under the Prussian
artillery attacking Vionville, to which they retreated,
and one could see them defiling on the high road that
topped the position: I ought to say under it, as it was
within range of the Prussian guns, from the position
they had now attained, but they were far too well
generalled to commit such a folly. The fire of the mitrail-
leuse now begun steadily to decrease, and it was observed
that their guns, which are invariably fired with great
rapidity, seemed equally to slacken. Their infantry
at the same time advanced from the road, and were
in turn met by the Prussian infantry, who, debouching
from their various nooks of safety in the copses that I
before mentioned, dashed across the plain, and some very
pretty skirmishing ensued—a peculiarly difficult thing to
carry on in a plain which had not a single shrub. One
could see the Prussians run out, and in twos and threes
sink down until nothing but little bright specks ap-
peared above the ground. These were the spikes on
the tops of the helmets, a singularly unfortunate
head dress for this peculiar kind of warfare. This
was carried on for at least two hours, accom-
panied by heavy firing from the Prussian guns, replied
to but moderately by the enemy. I observed that
the French tirailleurs invariably fired far over the sharp-
shooters, and indeed the men themselves told me that in
skirmishing they were nearly always tolerably safe as
regards the infantry. The whole force now brought its
left forward, which was the original intention, and the
Guards were brought into action. At. six o'clock the
enemy gradually retreated, though not without the
most desperate resistance, which lasted till nightfall.
In the meantime the 10th Corps in reserve
had come into action on the extreme right of
the line, at five in the afternoon, with a corps
which was so confident of success as to leave their encamp
ment all standing. They were in the neighbourhood of
St. Piraut, and marched out a quarter of a mile to meet
their enemy. Placed as they were, with a magnificent
range of hills for artillery in their rear, it did seem im-
possible that, unless greatly outnumbered, such a force
could be beaten; but they had to learn yet another
lesson from the sons of Vaterland. Again they
rallied and advanced, covered by 'a galling
fire from their guns on the heights, but with only the
same result, as they were again obliged to recede to their
guns by the charges of the Prussians, who took a little
village in advance of St. Piraut at the point of the
bayonet, driving the enemy out with fearful loss. Any-
thing so devastated as the two little villages is scarcely to
be believed, there is scarcely one stone above another, and
what wood is in them is at this moment, eight hours
after the combat, still blazing. To chew the rapidity
with which the Prussians advanced, the French testes
d'abris, with the officers' canteen and the knapsacks of
the men, were left in possession of the Prussian; so that
those that have gone on have literally nothing but their
rifles. At 8.30 it became so dark that the conflict was dis-
continued, except with an occasional shot from the guns.
Prince Frederic Karl was present on both days, and com-
manded in person. On his way home from the field on the
first day he was loudly cheered by the troops as he passed
them, which, considering the enormous fatigue they had
undergone, was a pretty good test of his popularity.
A correspondent or the Cologne Gazette, writing on the
19th, makes the following observations :—•' Our losses
have again been very severe. The enemy. had had time
to place himself behind his entrenchments. "

batteries of mitrailleuses which in the afternoon had been
placed in the hamlet of Malmaison were brought
to bear upon our left towards evening, and when
night came were directed with the greatest
violence against our centre. This morning the con-
tinuation of the battle was expected, but I am told
to :day will be a day of rest after the fearful and san

guinary struggle of yesterday, should not the enemy,
who has now been repulsed, make an attack upon us. It
was only this morning at 8 a.m., that I was aware of
the importance of yesterday's engagement and of our

success in repulsing, in spite of gur momentary disorgani-
sation, the attack that the enemy had made upon Grave-
- It is stated that nearly the whole of the

[otte.

French. army, about 150,000, were engaged in the attack,
whilst on our side the Ist and 2nd corps d'armee and the
2nd, 7th, Bth, 9th, and 12th Corps, as also the Guard,
took part. Our 2nd corps d'armee advanced against the
enemy at the point of the bayonet, whilst our advance

,
was made so quickly upon the left flank that the roads
leading from Metz were cut off from the use

of the enemy. General Fransecki has requested
permission to advance to the very ramparts
of Metz. The army of the enemy seemed to be
perfectly demoralised by the result of this decisive battle.

The Kim" stayed here this morning. The royal and heroic
patriarch could be seen yesterday seated upon a knapsack
and looking down upon the battlefield. This morning I
saw the King, accompanied by Count Bismarck and his

staff, seated before a farm-house at Rezonville, whilst the
French surgeons, girt with large white scarves, were
dressing and basidaging the wounded. Head-quarters
have been remoA ed to-day to Pont-h-Mousson.