The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-09-06

the village OF LILY, Get Oh itre early In IN
day by French shells.
Above the railway bridge. On the line t
Mezieres, was a wooded hiil where tn
day, having a more exte f1sive view thar
ours. The King, Bismarck, Genera
Moltke. and Generals Sherid an and For
sythe, stood together, The object of TIT
Prussian generals was to close the crcscen
Of troops which they brought into a circt,
by the junction between, a SaSoh corp
! on the right and the Prussians on the left
This took place at noon near the village o
| Oller. on the Bazelle ravine behind Sedan
This terrible circle once formed, grew
steadily smaller. till at last the fortificationi
and Sedan itself were enclosed.
The Guards and Saxons. $4,000 strong
were all day on the right hahk Of the Me,lse
between Ruhccolt and La Chapelle. Be
tween Rnbccort and the Arenze were
posted the Bavarians. Below the hill. or
which the Crown Prince stood, were tht
first and third Prussian corps Of Frederick
Charles. Further to the left were %. 0Ot
Wurtemhurgers. The Prussian troons on
gagged are estimated at 4 1000, and the
French 100000. MacMahon had with him
four corpS-his own, that lately commanded
by Failly, that Of Felix Donay, and the (iarde
Mobile. MacMahon, though wounded
commanded in chief on the French side
The real commander-in.chief on the Prus
sian side was Won MUltke, with the Crown
Prince and Prince Albert of Saxory imme,
diately next in command.
The battle did not commence till S%o,clocI
A. NJ, and ut 8 O'clock It became a sbarr
artillery fight, when the batteries had col
within easy range. At LOS the musketry
fire IN the valley in the rear of Sedan be
came lively. The mitrailleuses played with
deadly effect on the SaXons and Bavarians
AT II O'Clock two French batteries neal
the valley Of Flnring Were silenccd. AT ter
minutes past II the infantry, no longer sup
ported by artillery, were compelled to re.
tire to Floring. Soon alter, a junction be,
tween the SaXons and Prussians behind Sc
dan was announced. The battle was nc
longer doubtful, the French being com
pletely surrounded and at bay.
At 1925 the French retreated, the Prus
sian batteries making good practice among
their receding ranks. At 1850 another
French column was in full retreat to the
right OF Sedan, never hating till they
reached the city. The third column fol
lowed ut l o'clock. The French batterie.
on the road towards Toury, and above it
opened q vigorous fire on the ADVANCING
PruSSians. whose intention was to storm
the hill northwest OF La Gavanne, the Ike,
to the position on that side.
At 1:l5 O'Clock yet another French bat
terry near the wood opened on the Prussia1
columns, which were compelled TO kee1
shifting their ground till ready for theii
final rush at the hills, and in order to avoit
so good a mark to the French shells. Shortly
afterward we saw the first Prussian Skin
mishers On the crest of La Gavanne hill
above Toney.
n hoy- 3;3 NOT coar, ~ 81 ~ o~1 n AVA
raj Sheridan, who was standing by, eX
claimed "Ah! they are toe weak. They
can never hold that position against al
those French" The Generals prophesy
was soon proved correct. for the French
advancing at least siX to one, the Prussian.
were forced 10 retreat down the hill to seek
reinforccments from columns which were
hurrying to their support.
IN five minutes they came back again, thi;
time in greater force, but still terribly infe
rior to those huge French masses. "Good
heavens, the French cuiraSsiers are coins
to charge them," cried General Sheridan
and sure enough the regiment of cuiraSsiers,
their helmets and brcastplates flashing in
the September sun, form i'll sections o.
squadrons and dash down Oh the scattered
Pru>Sian skirmiShers without deigning tC
form i'll line.
Squares are never used by the Prussians
The infantry received the cuirasslers with {
crushing, quick fire, ut about one hundred
Yards distance, loading and firing with eX
tIeme rapidity and unflinching precision
into the dense French squadrons.
The effect was startling. Over went
horses and men i'll numbers, in masses, II
hundreds. and the regiment Of prouJ
French cuiyusSicrs went hurriedlv bach
in disorder; went back faster than it came
went back scarcely ii regiment in strength
and not at Ill q regiment in form. 1T
cumely array was suddenly changed into
shapeleSs and helpless crowds OF flying men
The moment the cuirassicrs turned bach
the brave pruSsians actually dashed for
ward in hot pursuit ut a douhle-uuick. thu
infantry plainly pursuing the flying cavalry
Such Il thing has not often been recorded
in the annals OF war. | know not where
to find an example to compar u~recisely
with this. There was no more strikin.
episode i'll battle Than when the French in.
iantry, their cavalry t.nus fleeing before foot
soldiers. in ter turn came forward anC
attack the PrussianS. The PrusSian;
, ".,aited quietly, patiently enduring a rapit
and telling fire from the chasSepots unit
their enemies had drawn so near as to bt
within II hundred yards from them. Their
they returned with the needle gun the ia
pid fire Of tie ChasSepots, and the French
Infantry could no more endure the PrusslaI
fire than the cavalry to whose relief the.
had come.
The infantry fed in their turn, and fol
lowed the cavalry to the place from which
they came, that is, behind the ridge, som'
500 wards on the way to Sedan, where th'
Prussians, with their teasing fire, could III
longer reach them. The great object OF thu
Prussians was gained, since they were no
I.driven from The crest of the hill they tough
to hold.
Holding it thus against cavalry, the Prus
slams persuaded themselves that 1t was pos
slble to establish artillery on this bill.
TThe dispatch was broken OF at TIL
point by the interruption Oh o'hef e"oie ois
patches.l
The following taken from the Sundd;
Herald, contains a less detailed account o
events from the hour named above:
At the hour of l o'clock in the afternoon
the artillery fire was less animated and no
Quite so inccSsant on either side. This TEN
porarv lull indicated, however, merely The
prelude of still fiercer ASSAULT really
| dreadful action. At the hour OF = o'clocl
a simultaneous and grand movement wa
) commenced along the whole Prusslan line
their infantry charging right up on IN
French u The hour OF 3 O'Clock IN Ia!
afternoon came on. The battle was still
raging. .,
The French soldiers, who had preyiousl,,
and from the first moment stood firm at al
points, Notwithstanding the almost crush
ing severity of the Prussian attacks
wayered for u moment or two all alon!
their position, and almost lmmediatel.
thereafter broke in apparent confusion.
The battle soon became a rout on In
part Of Napoleou's soldiers. They recolled
ftll back, staggered as it were, and mail
retreated..