The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-08-24

artillery continued TO vomit forth destruction ana
death. The of the wounded were fearful. but
no one dared go TO help them. for even 10 snow YOUR
| let from a needle gun.
The Russians had got into their heads that some
one had fired at them from the houses OF Woerti an
| idea which was without any foundation whatever
| But the balls from the French Chassepols on tne
rising ground carried 10 far that the Prussans pos
lively believed they mad been fired at from n the
town, and were furious IN consequence. ine HIS
lake was one which Cos, o tne ron Of the tower Of
the hospital IN order 10 see the battle better tnan
from where we We're c r1r nrsssed do
| so. | am quite certain that they had no arms WIN
them One Of them had revolver but ne ies IL a.
they were both far prudent and Judicious ever TO
commit wicked folly as firing upSa Troops SoG,cr sd
| rom ali can learn-belleved that they had done
3d. and rushing up to the tower TOOK them prisoners
hours spent In inquiries that IL all can learn OF
them. the Prussian Oncers-hke all officers IN the
prone to psevc what their men tell them, and at
once rushed TO the conclusion that they mad Deen
ssa ~ esp
BILE persons in the town were arrested ana carried
TO the rear.
Presently the battle began to rage hotter and
hotter In the upper part OF. the town. Knowing as
did che position OF the French army felt certain
that MacManon had drawn on the enemy In order to
give them battle IN the position he had himself
to pour INTO the town by the little bridge just before
the inn by companies by battalions. 10y regiments,
cellenI order, all looking wonderfully clean after
having passed the night under heavy rams In the
open fields.
never saw liner, stOutcr. better dressed better
drilled men. But what astonlshed Inc was their
number. They must have taken at least an hour
and q half to pass at smart pace, the drummer OF
each company beating q pas DC charge in front OF
his company. Il saw al once that il would take-tO
MQ Nh hOn kuQ w,
to beat these men, II only from their numbers and
their freshness from fatigue. Half an hour later,
have reached the French position the rising
ground. the sound ofcannon waxed fainter ana far
Presently 1t could hardly be heard at ALL and then
as | saw the Prusslan cavalry and light artillery
position felt That S ne uad M
len back, and the star OF France was on the wane
Tor The present ut least:
enter the town. not to pass through it, but TO
aud establish their hospitals The hotel III which
lodged was quickly filled up with the wounded, the
dead and the dying 1t has been my fate to see not
little service In the East. but such earfuliy gastly
Wounds as those have seen this day It never entered
rally 10 be mashed into bloody shapeless masses OF
gore. In many instances the poor creatures could
not be recognized, all their features being utterly
strOyed. In others, after cutting off their bloody
clothes the most awful tearings away 10 the very
Dozens were brought In but TO die. What
became OF the French wounded could not lind
out, Out u long, long OF french prisoners
being escorted TO the rear and consisting OF more
than thousand men, mixed up with about eighty
officers Of their 0wn confirmed what had heard
whole OF General Ducrots division consisting Of the
Thirteenth chasseurs, the eighteenth, Forty -dlth
Ninety sixth or the line and his pet Zouaves had
been surrounded ana captured by the PrussianS.
PRussIAN OCCUPATION.
have august 81 tried four times get this letter
Prussan quarters, and try II could not induce
the authorities there send 1t with their despatches
but although got pass, 1t was Impossible TO get
the utmost confusion. The Prusslan soldiers are
masters OF the situation, and every one OF them
seems to do exactly what he likes. Even with an
English passport have been twice arrested spy,
and once all but shot Dy u drunken ruflan because
declined to give him pair OF large Unframed riding
boots l happened to have on me- TO get to the
French headquarters is utterly impossible for Mac.
Mahon has fed. no one knows where. The local
post office Is taken possession or as hospital. the
postmaster has ned IN terror and have every rea-
son to believe that a long letter which l wrote on
Friday, the 5th-gving an account OF the defeat OF
the French the previous day al WlssemDourg-will
be, or rather has been, lost. Twice have tried to
get some one to take wha have already written to
entirely under the Prussans But both times the
letter has come back 10 me- the messengers being
AFRAID to 90 on beyond the bare outskirts OF the
village. nave managed TO get from the Prussian
commandant OF the place u passport which win
allow pass any Prussian post free, and hope
in the OF the day to be able TO get guide and
conveyance or some sort which will enable me
to reach Hagueuau, the nearest French garrison,
where shall mud both telegraph and post office.
At Hagueaau.
HAGUENAU, August 8-9AM
After great deal OF trouble, and with not little
difficulty, managed to get here country cart
about three hours. Tony great surprise ,he Prus-
slams in possession OF the place, and in full
march towards Strasbourg, wlncn is said to be in.
vested by 81, 900 Baden and Bavarian troops At
this place the wires are cut the rails are taken up,
and the post office is not AT work, all the French
officials having fed In terror. | have taken the
advice OF a German gentleman from Carsrnne who
has offered me seat In carriage he has with him,
Schoss, wnere l may find the Prussian headquar-
ters, and II not TO wssemDourg, or at any rate on
to where can nnd post Office or wires, or both.
At Cnrlsruhe.
CARLsRUHE August 9-s A. M.
After exactly twenty-five hours on the road have
got to where can send letters and kilograms to
London. the latter has gone already; the former
| goes now. But before despatchlng it, as l have
some little time to spare before the post goes Will
| give resume OF the last lew days and account
! OF what can only consider to be complete defeat
| OF the French arms.
THREE DAYS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. DEFEAT OF
THE FRENCH
This Is Tuesday, the 9th OF August. Less than q
| week ago every one not III the confidence OF the
| Prussian authorities believed that the French
would cross the Rhine. carry on the war
IN their enemvs country, ana that their ul-
innate success was pretty certain. fortnight ago,
with 100 600 men wen In hand, they could have done
| this, and might perhaps, nave reached Berin but
the prolonged delay at Metz aud at S,rasbourg,
caused, rs 1 told you IN more than one of my late
letters, by the utter failure Of their lntendance has
becn their ruin. have it from excellent Prussian
I authority tnat even week ago the authorities at
! Berll fully believed that the French would cross
the frontier, and 1t Was only when they again and
again delayed doing so that II determined that
| Germany should take the initiative.
glance at the map Will show now very SIMPLE
and yet how Clever. the Prussian tactics have been
up TO this time. They crossed The frontier in three
very large armies at Landau, at Wlssembourg and
at LauterbourR. The one that crossed at Wisseml-
bourg had on Thursday, the 4ih the affair at that
place with General DOuay's DIVISION OF which sent
you an account and telegram early the next day.
The French treat the affair as one OF consequence
but there can be no doubt 1t contributed greatly to
their defeat two days later at WOerth for the moral
courage OF their very best troops then broken.
J was at WissemDOurg yesterday on my road along
the frontier III search Of post Office that would
! ceve letters, and can only say that the military
authority that would leave such post unOccupied
| by all save mere nomlna. garrison on the eve OF
war deserves the greatest possible blame. But the
| French Will not look TO small details. They are
| hraV EuOw tnpyua O. fn no IN