Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-09-22
A Night Scene before strasbourg.

Berthold Auerbach, the German move
list, is writing series of interesting let
tiers from the army. In a recent one he
thus describes a night scene before Stras-
bourg;
August 25-Before Strasbourg, morn
ing.-Strasb ourg burns In this word are
crowded all the horrors, terrorF, anguish
of heart we experienced in the past night.
NV eyes vet smart from the fire flashes,
my hand trembles still. So was it to be !!
Agein is there night Of st. Bartholo-
new, for such was the one just passed
with detestation to be craven in history,
but not through fault OF ours. On those
who must needs deck their heads with
glory, Oh their heads alone lies the
blame The worst injury an enemy
can infict upon man, upon peo-
pie, is to force them to acts from which
| they re- oil with aversion. We are in
the position of a man who declines 8 duel
and vet is compelled to shoot down HE
adversary. Unhappily it must be done.
| But yesterday we made offers to the COM
mandant of Strasbourg to come ont, or
send trusty officer, to convince himself
that resistance was in vain, and that we
could only with the utmost pain bring
ourselves to fire even part of Stras bourg.
He replied--an inspection of our position
would be construed as first probability
of surrendering the fortress. He had,
however, resolved to defend it to the last
man and the last cartridge. 1t was said
Yesterday that the broad pillars of smoke
testified that Kehl was again set on fire
by the French. We kept quiet until the
break of evening, the columns of fame in
Kehl hared up wide, mounting heaven
wards, and necessarily were fre-balls
hurled thither from The citadel. Now be-
gan on our side the fire, fash for ia sh,
blow for blow they were returned with in
terest. There the citadel blazes up; the
fast falling night revealed every fret flame
Bombs reared aloft and descended. Now
the city was on fire north from the Cathe-
dral. 1t must have fallen on infsmma-
BILE material, for instantly the flames shot
heavenward. From this point who can
paint the scene Here and there it blazed
up; we saw four, five confagrations, two
united, and presented q vast roaring fur
mace. The wind blew from the west, and
famed the flames, they darted up forked
tongues of fire. A spectator cried out,
"See how the Cathedral towers aloft above
the clouds or smoke, now FehefaCle, ds Ii
mutely threatening and reproVlng the men
who hurled reckless flames against each
other" IF the Cathedral but does re-
main unframed, was the cry thatran from
mouth to mouth, and meanwhile feelings
of deep compassion were expressed
for those within the city. In spirit we
were transported among those now wait
} ing in yaulted cellars, as they heard the
thunder of the guns, ignorant where the
fires were raging, perhaps even their own
homes. And in the streets the fires must
be left to rage unchecked. Who could
strive to quenoh them while each minute
further discharges were falling How
many cry out to their own dear ones, seek
them, and are like beings bewildered In
their own homes. What skrieking, what
] miseryl If one could but compress TO,
} gether the heart-throbs of the people, fan
J. louder, quicker, mightier must be the
stroke than the deep roar of the guns
\ which, necessarily discharged, lift up the
e m-here-there-til the eye could ne
e longer follow. Midnight had set in be-
{ fore we decided to go home. We could see
e each other as in full moonlight. The fields
a the vineyards, were lit up. The church Of