The Portland daily press., 1870-09-06

headquarters of the King of Prussia. eight
miles from Sedan:
Thursday Night, Sept. AFTER their defeats
ON the Both and 3lst ult. the French retreated
en- masse on Sedan ani encamped around it,
FROM what learned from French prisoners,
OF wnom, as you may imagine, there are no
lack III our quarter, it seems they fully believed
that the road to Mezeires would always be
open to them, and therefore, in case OF another
defeat before Sedan, their retreat would be ac-
cOmplished. On the evening of Wednesday
from to oclock, was at the Grown Princes
quarters at Culinary village some thirteen
miles from Sedan, to the south-southwest on
the main road. AT halfpast we saw that
there was great move neDt among the troops
encamped all around us, and we thought at
first that the King was riding through the
bionvacs, but soon the 37th regiment came
pouring through the village, their band play
ing Die WeTcht Am Rhein. As they marched
along with swinging stride, saw at once by
the men faces that something extraordinary
was going on. 1t was plain that the troops
We're of the lightest marching order. al
their knapsacks were left behind, ana they
were carrying nothing but cloaks strung
bon vivantS had retained their camp Keitles,
but if their camp kettles were left behind their
| cartouch cases were there hanging heavily IN
| front of the men's belts unbalanced as they
| ought to be by the knapsacks. soon l iealn- .
| ed that that the whole Prusslan corps, ihose
| sent from Prince frederick Charles army, the
| ID army and the Crown Princes army were
| making forced march left in the direction OF
| Doucheny and Meseires in order to shut in
| Marshal McMahon's army in the west, and SO
| drive them against the Belgian frontier.
Learned from the officers of the Crown
Princes staff that at the same time, while we
were watching regiment after regiment pass
| through Chemeny the Saxons and guards, 8O,-
| 600 strong, and the Prussian right under Prince
| Albert Of SaXony were also marching rapidly
| to close on the doomed French army on the
right bank of the Meuse, which they had cross
ed at Romilly on Tuesday, the 30th, in the di-
| rectou OF La Chapelle, a small village of $50
| Inhabitants, on the road from Sedan to Bouil-
lon, in Belgium, and the last village before
crossing the frontier. Anything more splendid
than the mems marching would be impossible,
Imagine: saw men lame 10 both feet, hob
bling along in the ranks; kind comrades less
footsorc carrying their needle guns
Those who were actually incapable of putting
one foot before another pressed peasant wagons
and every available conveyance into service
and were following in the rear so as to be ready
for the great battle which all felt sure would
come off the morrow. The Bavarians, who il
is said do not march SO we'll as they fight
were in the centre between us at Chemury and
Sedan encamped around the woods of La Nor
war of the league. When had seen the last
regiment dash through, for the pace which
they went can really not be called marching in
the ordinary sense, | rode off about a quarter
past eiSnp III Jno evening 1OF IOr Nouuredse
where the Kings headquarters were and
where hoped to fiud houseroom for man and
beast especially the latter, it being far more
important on the eve of a great battle. When
l got within about half mile Of Vehdrease a
steady trot sharp halt rang out through
the clear air. / brought my horse to stand
still, knowing that the Prussian sentries were
not to be trif1ed with, and as pulled up
heard the clicks of their locks as they brought
their weapons to full cock as they covered me
My reply being satisfactory logged on int'
Vepdrease and my mare and myself had 500,
| forgotten sentnels, forced marches and tn
coming battles, one of us on the straw and tn
r other on the floor.
ATT clock Thursday morning my servan
came to wake me, saying the Kings horse
: were being harnessed and His Majesty woul
| leave in half an hour for the battle field, ant
as a cannonade had already been heard at Sc
: dan, jumped up, seized some crusts of breat
; | wine and cigars and crammed them into M
. | holster, taking my breakfast on the way. jus
| as got to my horse King William drove OF
!, in an open carriage with four horses, going
Chevange, about three and a halt miles sout
| of Sedan. Much against my will was con
, PEELED to allow the Kings staff to precede m
e on the road to the scene of action, where l a.
rived myself soon after 9 O'Clock. As | rod
on to the crest of the HILL which rises sharpl
about 600 or 700 feet above a little hamlet
Chevange, nestled in the grove below, a mos
glorious panorama burst on my view. AS Gel
| FOrSyLn, OF Cn6 Y u1teu OlateS army, remarke
to me later in the day, it would have bee
worth coming merely to see so splendid sceh'
| without the battles maguificenty stern al
ray,'' ia the lovely valley below; as from til
knoll on which stood, with the King and hi
+ | staff we could see, not only the whole vale
of the Meuse, but also beyond the great wood
of Bois de Ioup and Francheval into Belgium
| and as far as the hilly forest of Numon on th
other side of the frontier. Right at our fec
, lay the little town of Sedan, Notifications an
1 I, hc<l, III ox,f f1o
!. | shal, and is known also as the place where 81
: | dan chairs orig mated. AS we were only ahol
two and quarter miles from town We coul
i easily distinguish its principal edifices withor
s the aid of our fied-glasses. On our left wa
| pretty church, its gothic spires of sandston
i Offering conspicuous target to the Prussia
+ guns, had Gen. Moltke thought fit to bombai
+ the town. To the right, on the south east
= the church, was large barrack with the fort
y 'fications of the citadel behind it, and beyop
| this to the southeast, again was seen the o
n chateau of Sedan, with the picturesqu
- round turreted towers of the 10th centur
1t which were very useless even against the fou
n nQunder Krupp feld-pieces. Beyond this W;
n tne oitadel in the heart of Sedan, on risiI
nlll ABOVE tho Meuse to the southeast; b.
eefDamrpIeteIE efart M lE e9m handed by the hills on bo
citadel. The French -ha1tass Ha1uaT fba 10
u1cauows IN the valley before con,inz, to u
b railway bridge at Bazville, in order to stop ii
r. Germans from advancing on the town in tn;
direction, but with their usual stupidity-fc
one can find no other word for 1.-THE Frenc
a | had failed to mine the bridge at Bazville, an
1t was OF immense service to the Prussian
throughout the battle. The Prussians actuall
9 | threw up earthworks on the iron bridge itsel
to protect it from the French, who more tha
once attempted, early in the day, to storm I'll,
bridge, in the hope of breaking the Prussia
2 communication between the right and lie
n banks OF the Meuse. This they were unable t
do; and although their cannon shot ha
almost demolished the parapet, the bridg
itself was never materially damaged
,I1 IN oshso the projecting spurs Of th
f Marfee, the Bavarians had posted two battere
, OF sx-pounder rifed breech loading stee
Krupp guns, which kept up a duello until tn
very end of the day, with the siege guns O
Sedan across the Meuse. Still further to the
right flank (or rather east, for one line was {
circular one, crescent at first, with Sedan il
the centre, like star on the Turkish stand ard
was undulating on the plain above the village
OF Bazeile, and terminating about mile ant
half from Sedan, at the woods near Rube
court, midway, that is to say, in a line iron
Bazeile. On the north there is ravine
watered by tiny brook, which was the scene
OF most desperate struggle and of the mos
trightful slaughter of the whole BATTLE Thi
stream runs at the right behind the town O
Sedan. From the woods of Fleigreuse on the
north, behind the town, rises hill dotted witt
cottages and frut-laden orchards and crowned
by the woods of La Creme, which runs dowI
| TO the valley OF which nave just spoken Be
tween this wood and the town were seyera
French camps, their white shelter-tents stand
ing out clear among the dark fruit trees. In
these camps we could see throughout the day
huge masses of troops, which were never used
Even during the height the battle they stood
as idle as FItZ John Porter at the second bat
tie of Bull Run. imagined that they must
have been undisciplined gardes mobile, whom
the French generals dare not bring out against
| their enemy. To the Prussan left of these
French camps, separated from them by a
| wooded ravine, was a long bare hill, some
thing like one of the hills on Long Island,
| This hill, on which was some of the hardest
fighting of the day, formed the key of the rosi
ton of the French army When once its crest
was covered with Prussian artillery, the whole
town of Sedan was completely at the mercy Of
the German guns, as they were not only above
the town, but the town was almost within
musket range of them. Still further to the
left lay the village of lily, which was set on
fire early in the day by French shells. Sonth
of this broken railway bridge, blown up by
the French to protect their right, was con-
| spicuous object. Right above the bridge on a
| line to Mezieres was wooded hill crowded by
| the new and most hideous chateau as he calls
it, of one Monsieur Pave. 1t was here that the
Crown Prince and his staff stood during tn.
day, having rather more extensive, but less