The Portland daily press., 1870-09-06

nosed of the Garde Mobile Mcmahon, al
though wounded, commanded in chiet on the
French side The real commander-in.c chief of
the Prussians was Won Moltke with the Crown
Prince and Prince Albert of Saxony immedi-
ately next in command There were a few
cannon shots fred, but the real battle did not
commence until o'clock, and became a sharp
artillery fight at 8, when the batteries had
each got within easy range, and the shells be-
gan to do serious mischief. AT IL 90 o CLOCK
the musketry fire in the valley in the rear oi
Sedan, which had opened about IL % oclock'
became exceedingly lively being one contraiHi itnaii
leuses, which played with deadly efect on tue
advancing Saxony and Bavarian col1mns.
Gen. Sheridan, by whose side was standlngi;
told me he did not RENE moer ever 10 nays neai" i
such we'll sustained small arm fire: Is maue
itself heard above the roar of the bat,erie.. az
our feet At ~ o'clock precisely the fiussi,u
battery of six guns on the slope above vr tne
broken railway bridge, over tne neuse E.onnh 2.
lette had silenced two batteries OF rfehch
guns at the foot of the bare hill already men-
TONED, near the village of Flolng. Atl0 MN
utes past 12 o'clock the infantry, no longer
supported by their artillery, were compeiied To
retire to Floring, and soon aterward
JUNCTION BETwEEEN THE sAxoNs AND
PRUSSIANS
behind Sedan was announced to us by Cen
era Won Room, who was eagerly peering
through telescope, and safely completed.
From this moment the result OF the battle
completely surrounded and brought to bay. At
1926 o'clock we were all astonshed to see
CLOUDS OF RETREAT.NG FRENCH INFANTRY
on the hill between Floing and Sedan, Prus-
sian battery making good practice with per
cussion shells among the ieceding ranks. The
whole hill for quarter of an hour was literally
covered with Frenchmeu running rapidly. In
less than half an hour after, at II 30 Gen. Won
Room called our attention to another French
column in full retreat to the right of Sedan,
the road leading from Bazelles to La Gavenue
wood, and they never halted until they. got to
a small red.roofed house on the outskirts OF
| Sedan itself. Almost at the same moment
| Gen. Sheridan, who was using my opera glass,
asked me to look at the third French column
| that was moving up broad grass road through
! La Gavepue wood, Immediately above Sedan,
| doubtless to support the troops defending the
| important Bazeilles ravine to the northwest of
| the town. At one o'clock the French batteries
| on the edge of the woods towards Torcy, and
above, opened vigorous fire on the advancing
| Prussian columns of the third corps,
| whose evident intention was to storm the hill
| northwest OF La Garanne, and SO gain the key
| of the position on that side of the position. At
| LIS o'clock yet another French battery, near
| the wood, opened on the Prussan columns,
which were compelled to keep shifting their
ground until ready for the final rush at the hill,
| in order to avoid offering so good mark to
| the French shells. Shortly afterwards we saw
| the first Prusslan skirmishers on the east of
/
| seem in strength and Gen. Sheridan, who was
| standing behind me, exclaimed, "Ah! the beg
| gars are too weak; they can never hold that po-
| sitiOn against all those French generals" The
prophesy soon proved correct, for the French
i advanced, at least six to one, the Prussians
| were forced to retreat down the hill to seek re-
| Inducements from the columns which were
hurrying to their support. In five minutes
| they came back again, this time in greater
| force, but they were still terribly inferior to
| fhOCa nf the huUa FrQpch HGOO1
heavens, the French Cuirassiers are going to
charge them!' cried Gen. Sheridan, and sure
enough regiment of Curassiers, with their
helmets and breast-plates flashing in the Sep
tcmber sun, form in sections of squadrons and
dash down on the Prussian skirmlshers with
out taegniDg to form in line. The squares
never oSed by the Prussian infantry, received
the cuIrassiers with crushing quick fire at
about loo sards distance, loading and firing
with extreme rapidly and unfailing precision
into the dense french squadrons. The effect
was startling; over went the horses and men
10 numbers, IN masses and in hundreds, and
tue reSlmenG ol tne proud French cuirasseers
went hurriedly into disorder They went back
faster than they epme They went back
scarcely regiment instrength aud not at all
regiment in FORM Its e,meiy array was sud
denly aad turned f into snapee mass and help
cuirassiers turned brave the Prl,sians actually
dashed forward in hot purst at do,ble nuick'
the infantry plainly pursuing the dSng cayal.
ry. Such thing has not been recordsl in the
annals of war. know not of an exain,le 'ta to
; compare with this.
There was no more striking episode in he
battle. When the French infantry saw thei
cavalry thus fleeing before foot soldiers, they il
their turn came forward and attacked th
/ Prussians. The Prussians waited quietly ant
; patiently, enduring a rapid and telling fir
from chassepots, until their enemies hat
drawn SO near as TO be within a hundred yard
from them then they returned with the needl
rpn fha aniH iraf frnr 10 nj nrptS NIL h
French infantry could no more endure thu
PrusSian fire than the cavalry, to whose rescu
they had come. The infantry fled in its turf
and followed the cavalry to the place from
which they came, that is, behind ridge som
500 yards on the way to Sedan, where tn
Prussans with their teasing fire could no long
: er reach them. The great object of the Prus
slams was gained, since they were not driver
from the crest OF the hill they fought to hold
! Holding it thus against cavalry the Prussian
,. . persuaded themselves that it was possible t
establish artillery on the hill.
The Worlds correspondent telegraphs fron
$ Namur, Belgium, the following sketch OF tn
3 latter portion OF the battle at Sedan, not here
,, tofore published:
staaa Lian FEES 7TFssast en- the hills wost of the cit
their alsaiIants TrhbrSnnlsng TheS with great los
PACK mere: also, and about 2 80 they feII bacl
suddenly, firing steadily, though q little tot
rapidly, upon the inner road TO Sedan, coseIy
followed up by the Germans, who were nress
ing on 10 meet the columns eme,oinr fro,r
under the smoke which enveloped the wood
, of Givonne. "ooa
At Bazeiles the battle wavered still. tb,
| ground there fav0ring the French artillery
which kept up murderous and almost literal
~ Intermittent fire with extraordinary accura
cy. L think the German losses here were tbe
heaviest OF the day, and from what L mvsel
saw, should put them down at from ten tc
L IAd md ii 49,.
point alone. Three attempts were here made
at using cavalry, the only attempts, think.
that were made during the day, but the ma.
ture OF the country made them useless and
neither on the French side moron the German
was there any serious display of this arm, in
which the German army was SO much stronger
and better equipped than it's rival.
IT. was towards o'clock, think, that the
declsive moment came. The Germans who had
fought and won on the Givonne road we're
thrown 10 heavy columns by Small byways and
| county roads along the line of small water
| course up to Daiguy hamlet where they gath
ered around some of the iron factories to the
oasI ssI VI Dazellies, pressed through the wood,
ana came out on the flank of LeOrun in over
Wneimlng strength, firing as they came On in
tna9 cool, deliberate, unexcited irregularity
whlcn mas such striking effect upon the NOR
| ale of the enemy
| saw their dark lines emeroing tho sun
glitterng on the brass ornaments which mark
Inem out SO clearly when in masses from the
French, at any distance, and heard The crack
ing rattle of the voleys deepen and grow near
er rolling at last into sort of Continuous
SCATTERING noise like the cracking of brarcb
In the forest The attack was decisive.
The French were driven in on the west and
! south, as on the east and north. The ground
| fought over was won and kept Everywbere.
at each point, the German troops were handled
with such sense and coolness that always thew
| came IN greatest force upon the weakest
point. The day was never in doubt. NV ionr
ney here, by Bouillon and Givet has been ter
ribe. All is confusion and alarm among the
refugees, deserters and broken companies of
troops The Belgians are greatly excited. The
Empire is done with, if half we hear tc-night
be true, that all France is in revolution: Sol
diers shooting their officers, peasants attackino
the houses Of the rich. This city is crowded
with Belgian troops, and just outside of the
great dark railway station are cantoned two
regiments. Two thousand Prussjaps and
French are here. Many wounded are in the
hospitals, and many have died. The maenif-
cent citadel is full of soldiers The Duke of
Aumale was here yesterday with the Duke of
penthieore, and the Count of Flanders is with
the army on the line.