New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-09-21
McMAHON,S ARMY.

Secretary.
AIcMAHON'S ARMY.
German Account Of the Retreat ana
Flight Of the Marshal.
A correspondent Of the Vienna Weir lei
tnslg gives, in a copy of that paper to hand
by the European mail, some most graphic
pictures of the flight Of McMahOn's army
He writes as follows:
could now august 6, half-past two P
y. stay in Haguenau no longer Despite
the warnings of my host. turned out OF
the northern gate, and took the direction OF
the Haguenau forest toward NiederbrOnn.
The roar Of cannon was loud. Columns OF
smoke rose in the northwest, and even in
the direction of Saarburg. judged the
fight to be near NiederbrOnn, and did not
err.
q At four o'clock in galloped horse with
an empty saddle slipping under its belly,
through the town gates. Directly after a
second, then third; then followed a cuiras-
eier, his horse covered with blood and foam,
without cuirass, without arms. Next an
Artillerist, on an unsaddled horse, his face
distorted with inexpressible fright. Some
minutes later mob of some twenty horse
men hurried past, among them two Zouaves
clinging upon one horse were conspicuous;
the others were cuirassiers in every state of
fright and terror, some swinging wildly
their sabres; others, as if out of their wits,
6oggiqg their poor, exhausted horses, several
without saddles, most of them without
arms. One cuirassier halted his horse just
before me, lO0sened his cuirass, threw off
his helmet, next his heavy sword, lastly his
woighty breastplate, and then, laughing
contentedly, rode leisurely on. A pause Of
eOmo five minutes followed. The tOwnsmen
had all fed inside the gates.
The 3eld-watch and stood alone at the
point where the Niederbronn branch rail-
way intersects the high road. Presently,
up gallOps field gendarme, halts his half
head horse, and calls out, "Shut the gates
instantly, the Prussians are at my heels"
The field-watch turned white. / exclaimed
ssWhat madness. Hagenau is an open town
There could be no defense, and if the Prus-
slams really were there the best thing for
the town was to open the gates as wide as
possible" His face frightened up. The
tumult became greater. Among a crowd Of
cuirrassiers some lancers were mixed up;
then came hussar uniforms. The roads are
thrOnged; unmOunted horses gallOp past as
driven on by panic; on all sides are swarms;
their horses with the traces cut,
ridden by infantrymen or artillery
So far have not remarked one
officer. As the mob was thickest railway
train came screaming along from the north.
At the moment a number of peasant girls
with their cOnveyances entangled in the
thr0ng were close upon the rails. They
can not move forward or backward-they
seem lost. The field watch and myself.
seizing the barrier, helped them over, and
the train rushed past without mishap. The
train ought to have saved the matSriel ac-
cumulated at Niederbronn; it ought to have
transported the. wounded; it was entirely
devoted to fight. They were the first in
fantry soldiers, who saved themselves. All
the wagons, Over-filled, on the roofs hanging
on by the handles, with half their bodies in
the air; on the gangway board, some fully
acc0utred, some half naked, no wounded!
30 flashed past us this novel picture of dis
traction crossing the current Of misfortune
in the high road. We. let the barrier balk
drop, and sprung aside. Like wild hunt
the h0rsemen galloped into the tow and
Gathered through it without drawing
bride.
BY five o'clock the torrent gradually
ceased After pause came the convey
ances. saw four or five carriages COM
pletely harnessed, yet without their guns.
Then jolted and ratified past q broken am
munitiOn wagon crammed with Turc0s; next
. PEASANTS wagon filed with bedding and
household gear, but no owner; q. ZOuave
led the horses, two fmghtfully wounded
Turcos lay on the top, a cluster of unarmed
soldiers of all arms chung around it.
) Now followed the infantry ON foot.
It was about halt-past five; still no officers.
IA dense swarms the chancery cars, the car
riages of three generals OF brigades, the ar
chives OF a division, four or five empty am
mumtion trucks; every kind of ambulance
wagon, all packed with uninjured soldiers.
Un one car lay three corpses, few pitifully-
draggled Turcos followed in the crowd in
dumb resignation. Then came lot of suit
lers and canp-followers. The infantry had
all flung away their packs, many their guns,
some were IN their shirt sleeves, most of
them had loaves stuck on their swords !
and swung on their shoulders. By far |
the greater part were those rieur soIdGts for |
whose yalor General Trochu has SO lately |
shall not soon forget poor per- |
spring infantry soldier of the Fiftieth, |
smartly accOutred, with knapsack on his |
back, with broad, red face, who came up to !
ne and anxi0usly asked where his regiment |
Was. told him to go right on to Strasburg.
md perhaps he would find it there He |
marched bravely along as l had directed |
him. He was an Alsatian. About half-past |
'ix an orderly troop of cuirassiers, under |
command of captain and two subalterns,
bout forty men strong, rode past. They |
we're almost all properly ACQUIRED and kept |
!tep. Between four and seven o'clock a |
lisorderly rabble hurried by, absorbed in |
themselves and their miserable existence.
N the whole body not more than forty in |
marching order; altogether some 5000 to |
O,OOO men ; very few wounded, some three |
y four cavalry officers, two artillery, and |
loout eight infantry officers in the entire
warm such a rOut as neither 1859 or 1866 |
'yer witnessed.
!, Put must go to Haguenau. 1t was seven
CLOCK; the stream Of fugitives was less
woiien. AS in the fading twilight l hast
NED toward the town to learn if any trains
we're gong, came across five OF six soldiers
7 various arms leading in their midst one
RUSSIAN prisoner, as proud as if thew had
0t with them the entire Prussian army
he poor man was trembling. In sncL
eb0clc to parade one prisoner!
The public houses were a scene Of ANNA
loE. Soldiers were busy eating and drink
", and what surprised me thew ouietiv
aid their shot. In an upper room four in.
sntry officers drank their wine in silence
i've cuirassiers sat before a roast goose
racking mad jokes.
Early next morning at seven o'clock I
Us lucky enough to reach Strasburg in a
agOn.
The Law Made Terrible.
We copy the following from the New