The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-09-07
TIE BATTLE OF SED1N.
Full and Graphic Account.
LONDON, September ;

LONDON, September 8.
The following is from the correspondent of
the New York Tribune, at the headquarters of
the King of Prussia, eight miles from Sedan,
Thursday night, September lst: After their
defeats on the 3Oth and 9lst ult., the French
retreatcd en- masse on Sedan, and encamped
around It. From what could learn from the
French prisoners, of whom, as you may i'm
arjne. there was no lack In our quarter, it
seems that they fully believed that the road to
| Mezieres would always be open 10 them, and
therefore, in case OF another defeat before
Sedan. their retreat would be easily accom-
| pished.
On the evening OF Wednesday, from to S
| o'clock. | was at the Crown Princes quarters
| at Chemery Village, some thirteen miles from
Sedan. TO the southwest, on the main road. AT
hali-past we saw that there was great move
ment among the troops encamped all around
us, and we thought at first that the King was
riding through the blrouacs but soon the 37th
regiment came pouring through the village,
their band playing Die Wacht Am Rhein. AS
they marched along, with their swinging
stride, saw by the mems faces that something
extraordinary was going on. Soon the plain
troops were In the highest possible marching
and they were carrying nothing but a shake
slung around their shoulders, except that one
or two bon vivant5 had retained their camp
kettles.
But If camp Kettles were lett behind. the
cartouche boxes were there, hanging heavily
| in front of the mems belts. unbalanced as they
ought 10 be by knapsacks. Soon learned
| that whole Prussian corps, those lent from
| Prince Frederick Charles's second army and the
Crown Princes were making q forced march
to the left, In the direction OF Douchcry anu
Mezieres, in order to shut in McMahon,s army
in the west and SO drive them @ aganss she BEL to
| Crown Princes staff that at the same time,
while We were watching regiment after regi-
ment passing through Chemery, the Saxons
and Guards, 90, 900 strong, on Inc Prusslan
right, under Prince Albert OF SaXony, were
also marching rapidly to close on the doomed
French army on the right bank OF the Mellse.
which they had crossed at Remilly on Tuesday,
the 3Oth, in the direction Of La Chapelle, o
small village of $50 inhabitants, on the road
from Sedan to Bullion, in Belgium, and the
last village before crossing the frontier.
Anything more splendid than the mems
marching would be Impossible to imagine.
saw men lame in both feet, hoo6llng along in
Inc ranks. kind comrades less footsore carry
inc their needle-guns. Those who were
! actually incapable of putting one gfoot before
| another had pressed peasants wagons and
every available conveyance into service, and
| were following In the rear so as TO be ready
for the great battle which all felt sure would
come of on the morrow The Bayarans, who,
IL Is generally believed, do not march so well
as they fight. were in the centre, between us
at Chemery and Sedan. encamped around the
| woods at La Mafiee, famous for the great bat
ties in l64l, during the wars of the League.
When ! had seen the last regiment dash
through. (for the pace at which they went can
really not be called marching IN tne ordinary
sense,)I rode Off about q quarter-past eight
| in the evening for Vendresse, where the Kings
headouarters were, and where hoped to find
mouse room for man and beast, especially the
latter, as being far the most important on the
eve of great battle. When | got within
about half mile Of Vendresse, going at 8
steady trot, sharp 'halt" rang out through
still, knowing that Prusslan sentrles are not to
be trified With. As pulled up, twenty yards
of heard the clicks Of their locks as they
brought their weapons to full cock and COW
cred me. My reply being satisfactory, logged
on into Vendresse, and my mare and myself
had soon forgotten sentinels, forced marches
and coming battles, one of us on straw and the
| other on the floor.
Att o'clock on Thursday morning, my SER
want came TO awake me, saying the Kings
horses were harnesslng, and his Majesty would
| leave in half an hour for the battlefield and as
cannonauing had already been heard near Sc
dan, ! jumped up, seized crusts OF bread, wine,
cigars. &c, aud crammed them into my hol-
ster, taking my br s,ktast on the way. Just as
| got 10 my horse King William drove out in
an open carriage. with four norses, for Che
yange. about three and half miles south Of
| Sedan. Much against my will, was compell-
| ed TO allow the kIng's staff 10 precede me on
the road TO The scene Of action, where arriv-
ed mysrlf s,on after o'clock. II was impos-
sihlp 10 rui, fast, al the roads being blocked
with artillery, ammunition wagons, ambulau-
Ces, &c.
THE sCENE OF CONFLICT
As ! rode on to the crest OF Tile hill which
rises sharny about six hundred or seven hum
dred feet above the little hamlet Of Chevange,
nestled in the grove below, q most glorious
nanorama burst on my view. As General
Forsythe, of the United States army, remarked
| to me later in the day, it would have been
worth coming merely TO see SO splendid a
scnne without "battles magnihcently stern
array In the lovely valley below us, from
the knoll on which J stool with the King and
| his staff we could see not only the whole val
lev OF the Meuse, but ALSO beyond the great
woods, Bois de Loup ana Francheval. into
Belgium, and as far as the nilly forest OF Numo,
on the other side of the irontier.
Right at our feet lay the little Town Of Sc
dan. famous for its fortiflcations by Vauban,
and as the birthplace OF Turenne, the 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 edihces without
the aid OF our field glasses. Qn the left was
pretty church, its Gothic splre OF sandstone
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