Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-09-09
ABOUT ABOUT.
M. Edmund Writes after Forbaeh--
A Journalists Journal.

n
From Phalsburg to near Saverne
met a long procession Of laggards-cu
irassiers without cuirass, fusiliers withou
guns, hprsemen, on fcot and infantry ol
horseback. Here is a small body wh'
still march in good order; it is com
pany of the Seventeenth Battalion o
Foot Chasseurs. II congratulate you
my friends; your company has not suf
fered much. A soldier replied, with I
smile, 1t is the battalion you see. Al
the rest lie yonder." A dead horse liel
there on the roadside, and they cut two
pieces of flesh out of his thighs to eat
In proportion as we advanced the roaC
became more narrow for us, and the
wave of men which swept upon Phals
burg seemed, so to speak, to swell undel
ones eyes. We were just passing reg
iment of infantry in pitiable condition
and mingled with other uniforms, and
had prudently placed ourselves ON the
descent which leads down towards the
valley of the Zorn, when real charge
of cuirassiers, galloping like mad, upset
my horse in the ditch and broke the
springs of the carriage. The unfortu'
nate horse got up again with bound
but the carriage, horribly damaged, i'm
mediately began to tumble about zig-zag
first to the left among the cuirassiers
and then to the right towards the internal
ditch. We jumped into the road in the
middle of the galloping cohort. One
stopped the horse another pushed the
carriage into hole in detaching the
traces, and we discovered ourselves jour
neying unencumbered, with horse with
out carriage, and carriage without a
horse, and all our luggage in the midst
of the great retreat of the First Corps.
A benevolent woodman, whose house was
near, came to our assistance, taking the
horse under cover and hiding the lug
gage. We left the carriage in the ditch,
and went off on foot towards Sayerne.
sn THE TURcos.
From communicative German sol
der, M. About learned that the Prus-
slams had sustained enormous losses;
that they used no tents, but slept in
their great-coats; that they had plenty
of meat, but had no bread for four days
This was the Germans opinion of the
Turcos:
Don't speak to me Of them. They
are tigers They cut off the heads and
gouge out the eyes Of our wounded; filthy
black beasts that they arel Detestable
soldiers, they fire without taking aim;
they rush forward like fools, and run
away without knowing why. They did
us good deal of harm with their bay
onets, but When the Wurtemburg cavalry
charged them they turned their backs.
OFFICIAL INooMpETEycY.
u We need not act like Carthagenians,
nor even like the French of 1890. The
nation can afford to amnesty its van
quished leaders; but let them hide them
selves from public view. The sooner
the better. The idea of having recourse
once more to the worn-out lists of the
reserve pro6tably to replace them is a
delusion., France, rejuvenated by
stroke of misfortune wishes to be com
by young men. Take colonies
to make them generals, majors and cap
tains to make them coloHels. Break
with the second traditions of the Second
Empire, which gave everything by favor;
let merit only be held Of account. The
army no longer wishes to obey warriors
of the ante-chamber and UirtuOsi of the
court. As to the supreme chief, his ac-
count will be settled in the proper time
and place, according to the circum-
stances. Emperor is the translation of
Latin word which means victorious ger
eral. If the victorious general or EN-
peror is vanquished, it is not the enemy,
nor the nation, nor the army which de-
prives him of his authority (mdnddt),
but logic and plain grammar. Already
he peasants of Alsace, those model
electors, cry aloud This will teach us
o vote for the official candidate. We
should not be in danger perhaps, if we
iad answered no to the ple6iscit,m
olivier should teach us what he meant
,y a French Sadowa We have no
more troops here (Saverne). The last
left for Phalsburg during the
lay. What shelter can they find-what
,hange of clothes they will have-how
hey will feed themselyes-how oppose
he enemy-those thousands of fools who
lave had care only to save their mis-
,rable persons2 The enemy must have
eaped rich harvest of booty-a pay
masters chest, all the officers baggage
nd thousands of full knapsacks are his
% those acquisitions he can add pile
{ relics of all kinds, uniforms, cuirasses,
abres, helmets, rifles, which strew the
eserted camps. Old soldiers lost their
eads like conscripts. / have seen a
mall boy strutting in tunic with three
ood-conduct stripes on the sleevel An
ther carried Chassepot given to him
y a soldier; ten others had their blouses
Ill of cartridges. The beadle makes a
ollection Of trophies at the townhouse.
he, women in the streets have pouches,
ne children trundle the hoops of drums
l play; wounded troop-horses limp to
lie fields, there to perish of hunger if
lie knacker does not arrive to put an
nd to their sufferings.
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