Complex sentence: He was in France in 1870 when the Franco-Prussian War broke out, obtained an engagement as a correspondent for the New York Herald, and hurried to the front, where he wrote vivid reports of the French army's retreat before the Germans.
Split into simpler sentences: He was in France in 1870 when the Franco-Prussian War broke out. He obtained an engagement as a correspondent for the New York Herald, hurried to the front, and wrote vivid reports of the French army's retreat before the Germans.