The Portland daily press., 1870-09-26

A correspondent of the New York Ecening
Post, who has recently reached Berlin, sends
letter, in which he says:
All persons-officers, surgeons and civilians
who have been afforded any opportunity to
witness the scenes OF the actual conflicts, were
unanimous in characterizng the results as
partakihg of the azure OF butcher rather than
OF ordinary military combat. The remarks OF
a surgeon who had accompanied one of the
conveys of wounded from before Metz to me-
was: "After what have experienced, it
somehow seems to me that few who have
gone out from Germany will come back
alive" And the same idea was also expressed
IN q ucs,fcc, ny rfCrofi -,
who, in response to remark OF mine in refer
ence to the French reverses, significantly
shrugged his shoulders and said: "But there
will be many graves this year in Prussia"
1t seems, furthermore. the opinion of nearly
all the wounded Prussian officers with whom
l conversed-and their number was consider
able-that the Prussian loss was almost uni
iormy much greater than that of the French,
inasmuch as the former have been, in almost
every battle. the attacking party, while the
latter have stood upon the defensive, with
more or less protection in the outset, from
the fire OF their assailants. 1t was also ad-
mltted that the range OF the chassepOts was
much greater than that of the needle gun, and
that from this cause the Prussians were al
ways obliged to advance for considerable
distance under the fire of the French before
their own weapons could be made fully effrc-
tive. When. however, the range was once at
tanned, the superiority ofthe Prussian fire was
manifested with fearful effect.
AS the long trains of wounded, which
have referred to, stop at the numerous STA
tons, the whole population who have escaped
the conscripfiOn-manly men iacapaCitated
and the clergy, women, children and govern
ment Officials-turn out in masses. At every
station, moreover, the associates of the santa
ry commission, distinguished by wearing Oh
the lett arm white band, with red cross
imprinted thereon, are assiduCus in supplying
refreshments; and medical relief, wine, coffee
SOUP, "butterbrod" grapes and cigars appear
ed to be offered without reserve to whoever of
the wounded were desrous, and to those who
were not able to signify such desire the mos
tender Of attentions were exhibited.
In the latter days of my journeying, always
on the same trains with the wounded, as the
TACT OF the terrible carnage had become evil
dent to the masses, the desire exhibited by
the women at the little stations to obtain in
formation on the arrival OF the tram was
painfully noticeable. As the cars rolled up to
the platform numbers might frequently be
seen weeping bitterly, as il in anticipation of
some terrible announcement. Women, fire.
quently followed by children clinging to their
hands or dresses, would hurredy pass from
car to car; the rapid demand with trembling
voices for information from the inmates ;and,
in more than one instance, the wild cry OF
grief and horror, followed by lush of the
crowd carrying fainting, sorrow-stricken
form, told only too truly the desolat'on that
had fallen upon some household. Truly, as
the French officer remarked, there will be
many graves this year in Prussia, and many
the widows and orphans IN the pleasant falh-
erland who will not be comforted for the
Hans and the Fritz who have left them to
return no more forever.