The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-08-24

; about ten men; it was strange sighl
to see them as they passed amid the
files of French soldiers unable to con
ceal their Joy; but now came the 9TH
er side of the account, the streets be-
gan to swarm with other wagons with
other wounded, the wearers of red
trowsers, and now and then a batch OF
unwounded prisoners. At length
arrived a carriage with a French
General. It was followed by a vast
crowd of French. For little time il
seemed as if there might be a collis-
ion between the inhabitants and the
Prussisns, so earnest were the dem
onstratiens of the populace, but 1t
was now at least evident that the
struggle was very serious at the front
at midnight or a little after, on the
18th and 18th. Trumpets for miles
around began to sound. This was the
first time we had been startled by
such wild music. Trumpet an
swered to trumpet through all
the bivouacs around the little city
For several days previously there had
been troops almost perpetually march
ing through, but now the tramp
through every street and By way made
between midnight and dawn a perpet-
ual roar. Hastily dressing, / ran
out into the darkness, and managed
to get seat on a wagon going Ia the
direction of the front, which was now
understood to be mile or two beyond
the village of Gorzo, some twelve
miles from Pont-a-MOusson.
"On our way we met a considerable
batch OF French prisoners. who look
ed upon us with considerable curiosi-
| ty by the continuous line of German
soldiers, with whom we advanced.
But only one or two offensive cries
toward the prisoners were heard.
The way was so blocked up with
wagons that l finally concluded /
could do the remaining six or seven
miles on foot better. so l got out of
the carriage and began to walk, and
ran swiftly ahead.
AT Monvient on the Moselle, about
half way to Metz. | found vast bodies
of cavalry, uhlans and hussars, cross
ing the river by pontoon bridge, and
| hurrying at the top of their speed to-
wards Gorso, and hurrying my own
steps / soon heard the first thunder of
cannonade, seemingly coming from
the heart of a range of hills on the
right. Passing through the village
and ascending the high plain beyond
I found myself suddenly in the battle
field, strewn literally as far as my eye
could reach, with dead bodies.
In one or two parts of the
field companies were still bury
ing dead, chiefly Prussians. The
French, being necessarily buried
last. were still lying in vast numbers
on the ground; few of these | saw
were not dead. As / hurried along |
saw a splendid regiment Of cavalry
come on behind, and when they
reached the brow of the hill they
all broke out with a wild hur-
rah, and rushed forward. A
few more steps and gained
the summit and saw the scene which
had evoked their cry, and seemed to
thrill even their horses. 1t would be
difficult to imagine grander battle
field. From the hill. to which had
| been directed by good authority to
come, the entire sweep of the Prus-
sian and French centres could be
seen, and a considerable part of their
wing. The spot where l stood was
fearful; it was amid CHASTITY corpses,
aud burthened with the stencil of dead
horses, of which there were greal
numbers.
II was standing on the battle field
of the 10Th. The Prussian side
thereof, on the left, stretched like
silver thread. the road to Verdu un
and to Paris, also, for the possession
of which this series OF battles had De
gun. II ran between lines of poplars
which ~tood against the horizon to my
left, aid as far as the eye could reach
/ 4 al rla
Strung on this road like beads were
the pretty villages, each with Its
| church tower, which, although they
have separate names, are really only
a few hundred yards apart.
Mars Ia Tour and Fla Viguey, a lit.
tie south of the road, Vionnelle, Re-
zonville, and Gravellotte, which is di-
vided into Great and Little GIavellot-
to. On my right were the thickly
wood hills, behind which lay the most
important village of the neighbor'
hood, the one / had just left, Gorsee.
So environed was the foreground of
the battle. which should, one would
say, be called the battle Of Gravellot-
te, for it was mainly over and beyond
that devoted town that it ragged.
"The area I have indicated is. per-
maps kOQEr m4ASS. 81 ClAaI0s OMluk 10
having come on foot rather than
along the blocked road, arrived just
as the battle waxed warm, that is
about noon of the 18th. At that time
the headquarters of the King of Prus-
sia were on the spot / have described.
The great representative men and
soldiers Of Prussia were stan ding on
the ground watching the conflict Just
A fbou, 4
the King, General Won Moltke,
Prince Frederick Charles, Prince
Carl, Prince Adelbert and Adjutant
Krauski.
'sGeu. Sheridan of the u. s. Army,
was also present. At this moment
the French were making a desperate
effort to hold on to the last bit IF
the Verdun road, that lay between Re-
zonyille and Gravellotte, or that part
of Graveliotte which on some maps is
called ST. Marcel, every one man in
the French ranks had two to cope
with. and they were already begin
ming to waver. Soon it was plain
this wing of the French right was
withdrawn to a new position. This
was swiftly taken up under cover of
a continuous firing of their artillery
from the nights beyond the village.
The movement was made in good or
der, and the position reached at 1:30.
l believe nine military men out of
ten would have pronounced it i'm
pregnable. When once this move
ment had been effected, the French
retreating from the pressure of
the Prussian army fire, and the
Prussians as rapidly advancing
the battle field was no longer at
Rezonville, but had been transferred
and pushed forward to Gravellotte.