The union Democrat., 1870-09-24
THE BATTLE OF sRDAN.

| A New York Tribune correspondent, n
| French of6eer in McMahon's army, who wit
messed the battle of Sedan on the french side.
and the rnnt, and was shut up in Sedan with
the French army. having been released.
reached London with the following account:
SEDAN, September 3.
!. Early on the morning of the 3lst orders
were given tn bring into town nli wagons.
trains, and oxen which had heen left outside
the glacis. By this time the streets were
blocked up hy troops os every kind, which
had entered the town during the night.
tried to ride down to Porte de Paris. where
the tain was stationed to carry orders.
was ohlig ged to get off my horse and make r.y
way as hest could between horse and cais-
scns, which caoked up every streetand square
of the town. Al | reached the P,lrte de
| Paris. met the wagon train entering IA fast
as possible. fnllowed closely by the rushing
| oxen. ani interMingled in weeping and ter
ror, the stricken peasantry of the neighl.or-
| hood fving into town for protection. They
| little knew it was about the worst place they
could have chosen. The gates on that side
v ere Immediately closed. while the troops
slowly filed throLgh the opposite gate towards
Dnuzv. where all MacMahon's fnrces were
posted. expecting to lie again attacked ty the
Prus>ians. who had closely f,l.nwed up the
French army. About 10 o'clock that morn
ing some cannonading was heard six or seven
miles away toward the village of Bazeilles.
[ went up on the rampant looking over the
country in that direction. Thence | could
see the Prussian position, and with my glass
could watch the firing plainly, hut could rot
see the French lines well, which were hid
| from me by trees about mile from town. l
therefore. at noon, walked out of town at the
| Porte de Balan, and ascended, on my left,
the ri,ing ground, which ia close hy the town.
not more than half mile from the gate.
rassed through regiments Of reserve infantry.
Their arms were piled and the fires smoking,
soup having not long ago been eaten. ] con-
tinued ascending. and everywhere passed re-
serve corps Of infantry and artillery. | got
higher and higher, from hilock to hillock.
till reached battery of reserve, the guns OF
which were unlimbered, and placed facing
the rear nf the F-ench left. This battery was
40 pointed as to fire over the crest of rising
ground on which stood, about n qnar;er of
mile in front of the little church ward
IIere stood alsn several officers of the differ
ant corps. stationed on my right and left, al
ef the reserve. From the Point | had now
reached. a charming scene was in view. The
French line nf hattie extended right in front,
spreading on the slope Of ground which forms
one side of tb,s basin of the Meuse. In front
of the centre French lines, anil lower down
in the vale was the village Of BazailleS, then
beginning TO hurn. the PrusSiau shells hav-
ing set fire to il. Panllel almost TO the front
af the French positions ran the Mense. The
French right was upon kind of wooded
ground. held hv mifraileures. The wooded
ground extended near the grounds Of Sedan.
Fhe French left was lost 10 nv sight behind
the irregularities Of gr"und. toward The road
Ia Bnuilion. A. far n. colld see right and
left in front of me-. were massed regiments nt
all arms. Int toward the left the second
line. WAS a verv barge force of heavy cavalry.
lravaons and Gul-assiers. The sun shin
ing brichtlv AMI everything was plainly visi-
ble. The slittering of weapons. the bright
aud sfowv colors oi the French uniforms, the
white snake curling under the blue sky. or
lingering varor-like. heneath the trees. the
cracking flames arsin. from the burning
village of BazaIles. the whale seen from a
com ma nding ?asitian. fnrmed a spectacle one
seldom finds himself in position TO witness.
The princiral PrrSsian batteries were direct
" opposite the French centre on plateau, or
table land, which terminated abr1p.ly, and
made it a very strong position. For some
time cannonaHing continued on both sides.
At . n',:lock force Of Prussian infantry ed
vancad across the bridge in the village of
l,nnzS. and Immediately there hegan very
sharp fusilade, lasting. however. not more
than ton minutes. think the French must
have lost ground in that encounter. although
| I could not see for some trees that ntervened
hut a battery of six mitrcilleuses advanced
and opened fire through the trees. Six vol
'eys came all at once. The Prussians fell
hurrieilv back, leaving whole ria, ks behind
which had gone down like leaden soldiers
children play with. Abont halcpast firing
had ceased everywhere. The village, which
had been hlazng all dav, was still smoking
The French remained in the same position.
though the dav hsd apparently been without
result Its description is a necessary prpl;; d o
TO the bitter s,or, ,f the MORROW. At half
past 5 | returned to town. The emperor.
who had arrived dur;:,g the night, had issned
proclamatinS. which was posted on the
wall, saving he had confded the command af
the armies to the Generals whom public onin-
/ ION had seemed to select as the must capable.
and that he himself intended to fight is m
efEcer. f,rgetting for a while his position as
sovereign. The next morning Thursday |
returned as the gates of the town we're open
ell 10 nv post of observation on the elevated
ground where the battery was still placed.
the French positions did not seem to me
mnch altered hut the right was now on the
nther side OF Sedan. At Z o'clock cannonad-
ing began in earnest. some slight fring hav-
ing taken place earlier. The Prussian bat
| teries facing us appeared to me more namer-
Gus. Indeed. il seemed that there were bat
teries everywhere. They roared from every
pnint or the Prnssian line VIII ch then stretch
ed nearly parallel in front of the French. |
could folow the falling of their shells which
exnloded as they touched the ground, and fell
with wonderful precision. | noticed how
quickly. also. they changed and corrected
their fire. As soon as French corps took a
posi.ian, it vas instantly assailed by shells.
| The first would perhaps. fall u few feet short
cr havand. but tho third was mnre sure II
| find it's wav to the trnols and do it's awful
work amnng them. The French shells, on
the contrary. exploded generally before they
| reached the ground. AMI the smoke OF exp'o-
sion formed innrmerahle little clouds at dli-
ferent heights, some so high that they could
do no harm to the enemy. noticed snme IN
exnlicahle movements. A lev sqnadrons OF
Prussian cavalry made asiftaev wouli char e
the French farce which was towards the lett.