New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-09-08
THE BATTLES OF SEDAN.
Full Details Reported. 4.
Especial Dispatch to the New York Tribune.

1 HEADQUARTERS OF THE KING OF PRUSSIA
eendresse, eight miles from Sedan depart
ment OF Ardennes, France. Thursday night
| September 1-Attcr their defeats on the
thirtieth and thirty-first, the French re
treated en- masse on Sedan, and encamped
around 1t. From what learned of the
French prisoners, Of whom, as you may
imagine, there was no lack in our quarters,
IT seems that they fully believe the road to
Mezleres will always be open to them, and
therefore in case of another defeat before
Sedan their retreat would be easily accom-
plished.
On the eve Of Wednesday, from five to
eight o'clock. l was at the Crown Prince s
| quarters, at Chemery, q village some thir-
| teen miles from Sedan to the south south
| west on the main road. At haIt:past five we
| saw that there was great movement
among the troops encamped all around us,
and We thought at first that the King was
| riding through the bivouacs; but soon the
Thirty-seventh regiment came pouring
} through the village, their band playing
| "Die Wacht am Rhein," rs they marched
along with swinging stride.
! l saw at once by the mems faces that
something extraordinary was going on. 1t
was soon plain that the troops were IN the
| lightest possible marching order. All their
knapsacks were left behind, and they We're
carrying nothing but eloaks slung around
their shoulders, except one or two bon
! girdNtS, who had retained their camp ket-
| ties. But If camp kettles were left behind,
| the cartouche cases wtre there, hanging
heavily in front of the mems belts, unbal-
anced as they ought to be by the knap-
| sacks.
Soon l learned that whole Prussian
| corps. those lent from the Prince Frederick
| Charles army and the Crown Princes, were
| making o forced march to the left, in the
| direction of Chichery and Mezieres, in order
| to shut in McMahOns army on the west,
| and so drive them against the Belgian
| frontier. l learned from the officers of the
Crown Princes staff that at the same time
while We were watching, regiment after regi-
ment passed through Chemery, the Saxous
and the guards, 100000 strong.
The Prussian right, under Prince Albert
of Saxony is marching rapidly to close on
the doomed French army on the right bank
of the Meuse, which they had crossed at
Romilly on Tuesday. the thirteenth, in the
direction of La Chapelle, n small village of
nine hundred and thirty inhabitants, on the
road from Sedan to Bouillon, in Belgium,
and the last village before crossin, tho
frontier.
Anything more splendid than the mems
marching would be impossible. Imagine!
l saw men lame i'll both feet, hohbling along
in the ranks, kind comrades less foot-sore
carrying their needle-Suns. Those who
before the other had pressed peasants
wagons and every available conveyance into
service, and We're following i'll the rear, so
as to be ready for the great battle, which
all felt sure would come off on the morrow.
The Bavarians. who it is generally be-
Eeved, do not march Sc well as they fight,
were in the centre, between us at Chemery
and Sedan, encamped around the woods at
La Marfel, famous for the great battle in
l64l. during the wars Of the League.
When ] had seen the last CT the right
through, for the pace at which they went
can not really be called marching in any
Sprdinary sense, l rode off about Il quarter
past eight in the evening for Vendressc,
where the kings headquarters were, and
where hoped to find house room for man
and beast, especially the latter, as being
far the most important on the eve of bat
tie. When | got within about half mile
from Nendresse, moving at steady trot, l
brought my horse to a stand still, knowing
that the Prussian sentries are not to be
triied with. As pulled up, twenty yards
off. heard the chicks of their locks as they
brought their weapons to tul! cock and
covered me. My reply being satisfactory, l
logged on into Nendresse, and my mare and
myself had soon forgotten sentnels, forced
marches and coming battle-onc of us on
the straw, the other ON the floor.
came to wake M, saying that the kings
horses were harnessing, and his majesty
would leave in half an hour for the battle
field, and a cannonade had already been
heard near Sedan. jumped up and seized
"a crust of bread, wine, cigars, etc, and
cranlmed them into &ny holsters, taking my
break fast on the way.
just as got to my horse, King William
drove out in an open carriage with four
one-half miles south of Sedan. Much
against my will. was compelled to allow
the kings staff to take precedence on the
road to the scene of action, where | arrived
myself soon after nine o'clock. 1t was i'm
possible to ride fast all the roads being
blocked with artillery, ammunition wagons,
ambuiances, etc.
As rode on to tho crest Of the hill, which
rises sharply about seven hundred feet
above the little hamlet of Chevange, nestled
in the grove below, most glorious panora-
ma burst on my view. As General Forsyth,
of the Unlted States army, ramaTked to me |
later in the day, it would have been worth |
coming merely to see so splendid a scene
without the battles magnticently stern
array. III the lovely valley below us, from
the knoll on which l stood with the king
and his staff, we could see not only the |
whole valley of the Meuse but also beyond
great woods, the Boisde-L Loup and Fran |
chevae. into Belgium, and as far as the hilly !
forests of Muno on the other side of the |
frontier
Right at our feet lay the little town of |
Sedan, famous for its Notifications by Vau- |
ban as the birthplace Of Vurennc tho great !
marshal, known also as the place where |
Sedan chairs originated. As We were only |
about two and quarter miles from the |
town. we could easily distinguish its |
principal edifces without the aid Of d field |
glass. On the left was Il pretty church, its |
gothic spire of sandstone offering con-
sricuous target for the Prrlssian guns had |
General Moltke thought fit to lombard the |
town. To the right on the southeast of the |
church were large barracks, with the forti- |
iicatons Cf the citadel behind them. And |
beyond this to the southeast again was the |
old chateau of Sedan with picturesque |
round towers of the sixteenth century, very |
useless even against four pound krupp |
pieces. This building, l believe, is now an !
arsenal. Beyond this was the citadel, the |
heart OF Sedan on a rising hill above the |
Meusc to the southeast, but completely COM |
manded by the hills on both sides of the |
river which runs in front of the citadel.
The French had flooded the low meadows |
in the valley before coming to the railroad |
bridge at BaZeilles, in order to stop the Ger |
mans from advancing on the town in that |
direction. With their usual stupidity flor
one can find no other word for it J, the French |
had failed to mine the bridge at Bazeilles,
and it was Of immense service to the Prus-
SLAMS throughout the battle. The Prussians
actually threw up earthworks on the iron
bridge itself to protect it from the French,
who. more than once, attempted early in
the day to storm the bridge in the hope of |
breaking the Bavarian communication be- J
tween the right and left banks ofthe Meuse.
This they were unable to do; and, although