New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-09-08
NEW ORLEANS, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER s. 1870.

| Offering SO good mark to the French shells
Shortly afterward we saw the first Prus
sian skirmishers on the crest of La CAYENNE
hills, above Torcy. They did not seem to
be in strength, and General Sheridan, whc
was standing behind me, exclaimed: "Ah
the be:ggars were too weak they can never
hold that position against all those French
General" The prophecy soon proved cor
rect, for the French. advancing at least six
to one, the Prussians were forced to retreat
down the hill to seek reinforcements from
the columns which were hurrying to their
support.
In five minutes they came back again,
this time in greater force, but still terribly
inferior to those huge French masses.
Good Heaven! The French cuirassiers
are going to charge them," cried General
Sheridan; and sure enough regiment of
euirassicrs, their helmets and breastplates
flashing in the September sun, formed in
sections OF squadrons.
They dashed down on the scattered Prus-
sian skirmishers without beginning to form
in line. Squares are never used. But the
Prussan infantry received the cuirassiers
with crashing quick fire at about hun
dred yards distance, loading and firing with
great rapidity and unfailing precision into
the dense French squadrons. The effect
WAS startling. Over went horses and men
regiment of proud French cuirassiers went
hurriedly back in disorder, went back faster
than it came, went back scarcely regiment
in strength and not ut all n regiment in
form. Its comely array was suddenly
changed into helpless and shapeless crowds
of flying men.
The moment the cuirassiers turned back,
the brave Prussians actually dashed for
ward in hot pursuit at the double quick, in
fantry plainly pushing flying cavalry.
Such "a thing has not often been recorded in
the annals of war.
l know not when an example to compare
precisely with this has occurred. There
was no more striking episode in the battle.
When the French infantry saw their cav
airy thus falling before foot soldiers, they
in their turn came forward and attacked the
Prussans The PI1ssians waited quietly,
patiently and enduring the rapid and telling
fire from the chassepots, until their enemies
had drawn SO near as to be within hun
dred yards from them. Then they returned
with needle-gun the rapid fire from the
chassepots. and the French infantry could
no more endure the prussian fire than the
cavalry, to whose rescue they had come.
The infantry fled in its turn. and followed
the cavalry to the place from which they
had come-that is, beyond the ridge some
five hundred yards on the way to Sedan,
where the Prussians with their teasing fire
could no longer reach them.
After q tremendous battle, the Prussians
have completely surrounded Sedan, and
the Bavarians having entered the fortitica-
tons Of Sedan, the Emperor eapitulated at
5:l5 z. NJ.
His letter to the King of Prussia said:
"As | can not die at the head of my army,
l lay my sword at the feet of your majesty"
Napoleon left tor the Prussian head
quarters at Vendresse at seven o'clock in
the morning of September ,.
McMahon's whole army, comprising one
hundred thousand prisoners, capitulated
without condition.