Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-09-08
Miseellany.
THE BATTLE OF SEDAN.

bune, at the headquarters OF the King OF
Prussia, telegraphed the following account
of the battle OF Sedan. e
Thursday Night, Sept. AFTER their
defeat on the 30th and 31st ult., the French
reteated en- masse on Sedan and en-
camped around it, From what | learned
from the French prisoners, of whom, as
you may imagine there was no lack in
our quarter, it seems that they fully be-
lieved that the road to Mezieres would al
ways be open to them. and therefore, in
case of another defeat before Sedan, their
retreat could be accomplished.
On the evening of Wednesday, from
five to eight o'clock, was at the Crown
Princes quarters, at Chemery village,
some thirteen miles from Sedan, to the
south southwest, on the main road. At
hali-past five we saw that there was a
great movement among the troops en-
camped all around US, and we thought at
first that the King was riding through the
bivouacs, but soon the thirty-seventh reg
iment came pouring through the village.
their band playing "Die Wacht am
Rheim." As they marched along with a
swinging slide, saw at once by the mems
faces that something extraordinary was
going on. 1t was plain that the troops
were in the lightest possible marching
order; all their knapsacks were left be-
hind, and they were carrying nothing but
cloaks strung around their shoulders, eX-
cept that one or two bon vivants had re-
tanned their camp kettles; but if their
camp kettles were left behind their car
fridge casesw were there, hanging heavily
in front of the mems belts unbalanced, as
they ought to be by knapsacks. Soon |
learned that the whole Pfussian corps,
those lent from Prince Frederick Charles
army, the second army, and the Crown
Princes army were making forced march
lett, in the direction of Donchery and Me-
zieres, in order to shut in Marshal McNa-
hons army in the west and SO drive them
against the Belgium frontier. | learned
from the officers of the Crown Princes
staff that at the same time while we were
watching regiment after regiment pass
through Chemery, the SaXons and Guards
So 900 strong, and the Prussian right un,
der 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 crossed at Remilly
on Tuesday, the 3Oth, in the direction of
La Chapelle, a small village of $50 inhab-
itants, on the road from Sedan to Bouillon,
in Belgium, and the last village before
crossing the frontier.
At seven o'clock Thursday my servant
came to wake me, saying that the Kings
horses were Harvesting and that his Maj
esty would leave in half an hour for the
battlefield. just as | got to my horse
King William drove out in an open car
,r,tI, srnir t,,( tbax
about three and half miles south of
Sedan. 1t was impossible to ride fast, all
the woods being blocked with artillery,
ammunition, wagons, ambnlances, etc.
As ] rode on to the crest of the hill, which
rises sharply about coo or 700 feet above
the little hamlet of Chevange, nestled in
the grove below, a most glorious panora
ma burst on my view.
Right at our feet lay the little town of
Sedan. famous for its Notifications and as
the birth place of Turenne, the great mar
shall, and known also as the place where
Sedan chairs originated As we We're
only about two and quarter miles from
the town, we could easily distinguish its
principal edifices without the aid of our
glasses. On our left was a pretty church
its gothic spires of sandstone offering a
conspicuous target for the Prussian gnns,
had General Moltke thought fit to bonn
bard the town. To. the right, on the
southeast of the church was a large bar
rack with the Notifications of the citadel
behind it, and beyond this to the south,
east again was seen the old chateau of Sc
dan, with their picturesque round turret-
ed towers of the 10th century, which were
very useless even against the four-pound-
er Krupp field pieces.
Beyond this was the citadel in the heart
of Sedan, on rising hill, above the
Meuse, to the southeast, but completely
commanded by the hills on both sides of
the river which runs in front of the citadel.
The French had flooded the low meade ws
in the valley before coming to the railway
bridge at Bazeilles, in order to stop the
Germans from advancing on the town in
that direction, but with their usual stupid
ity, for one can find no other word for it
the French had failed to mine the bridge
at Bazeilles, and it was of immense ser
vice to the Prussians throughout the bat
tie. The Prussians actually threw mp
earthworks on the iron bridge itself t1
protect it from the French, who more thar
once attempted, early in tile day, to storm
the bridge in the hope of breaking the Prus
sian communication between the right
and left banks of of the Meuse. This they
were unable to do, and although their
cannon shot had almost demolished the
parapet, the bridge itself was never mate
rally damaged ,,,
On the projecting spurs of the hill
crowded by the woods of Marfee, of
which | have already spoken, the Bava-
rians had posted two batteries of six
FOUNDER rihed breech-loading steel Krupp
guns, which kept up duello, until the
very end of the day, with the seige guns
of sedan across the Meuse. Still further
to the right flank, or rather east, for one
line was circular one, crescent at first
with Sedan in the centre, like star on
the Turkish standard, was the undulating
plain above the village of Bazelles, ter
minating about mile and half from
Sedan, at the woods near Rubecourt, mid
way, that is to say, in a line from Bazeil-
les. On the north there is ravine water
ed by tiny brook, which was the scene
of most desperate struggle and the most
frightful slaughter of the whole battle.
This stream, whose name | have forgot
ten if it ever had one, runs at the right be-
hind the town of Sedan.