The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-10-05
THE MOUNTAIN OF DEAD RODIR0
IN THR QUARRIRs OF JAUa1ONT,
NDAH METX.
TRANSLATED sr rur REV. ,. 4. sLus.
For The Chronicle d. Sentinel from tie Gaslo;.
(Paris Papsr.)

"s uPoFI
Until now We have had no details OF
the engagement Of Jaumont. We ex-
tract the following terrible narrative
from q letter addressed by young col.
dier to his brother: - -
eyes, my dear Louis, the Major said
have had terrible shook. May
Heaven preserve me from ever witness.
ing aapeetacle similar to that of the
quarries Of Jaumont, for 1 am very ccr.
tain that ! would loose my senses. Even
to this time my nerves are still trem-
bling, which alters my writing, and
when close my eyes I see again this
fearful torrent of human beings falling
over the preoipice.
The battle Of Jaumont will remain ip
history as one of tho most terrific acts
of war, and, however terrible, the
imagination may describe it, it will
never attain that degree of horror ex.
perienccd by those who were spectators.
Would you believe that after the blow
was over, we remained dumb, breathing
with fright and even weeping before
this horrible mountain of dead bodies.
Knowcst thou to what oause we attri
butte in our corps, this unhcard of
dIama2 They say it is the vengeance
OF four peasants, ruined and burned out
by the Prussians. In ordcr to avenge
themselves, these men, knowing well
the country, made themselves the guido
of the enemy, and had conducted
them to position that the Prussiams
imagined impregnable, not doubling
tie wonderful trap into which they
were drawn.
Thou will judge Of it.
The stone quarrics Of Jaumont, from
which at first stones were taken from
the top, form au immense and deep cx-
cava,iOn, the walls of which attain q
height Of from seven to eight stories. 1t
il ut the summit Of ono of these pointed
walls that the Prussians had themselves
strongly established, very certain that
they would not be surprised from the
rear.
Of the four peasants who had led
them into this place one made his es-
cape in order to inform ns of the terri
BILE means used to anuihilatc the entire
corps.
Aud is plan was infalliblo.
AT first worked from the top, the
quarry has hcen slowly excavatcd in one
Of its sides by long subterrancsn gale
ries with many stories, Que above the
other, and which were maintained b.
supporting pillars. One side, L rcpc;.,
again, had been thus excava' ed, aud
it is on this ground, sustained by these
pillars, that our peasants had established
the Prussians 'uring the night. Tie
obscurity, at first, and afterwards the
high elevation, prevented them FROM
having any knowledge of these gales
ries, which were hollow, on the top of
which they had entrenched them.
selves.
At daybreak Bazainc attacked them
from the front, and they fought, full OF
confidence that they could not be taken
from tho rear. But at tho height of,hc
combat, Canrobcrt, who had ilanked the
quarrics, planted cannon on the other
side of tho precipice in order to fire on
the pillars which supported the gallc-
rics. An hour after a sudden and
immense crumbling, in one enormous
block, took place under the feet of the
Prussians aud preeipitatsd thcm iu:o
the chasm. O, my dear Louis, should
l live one hundred years yet, I shall
always hear the horrible cry uttered by
the entire corps in feeling the ground
giving away under them. Imagine to
thyself 10000 cries confounding them
selves into single sound Of indescriba
BILE despair, coming up from these men, =,
when conscious of the instant doath
approaching
1t VAS like one human voice, but
powerful as possible, vibrating with that
terrible anguish of a last and dolcful
appeal for aid and frightful adicu to
life, but of very short duration, for the
human avalanche Immediately COM
menccd, and men, horses, cannon, all,
is hurled pcll NELL into the chasm in
ono enormous mass, which crushes itself
under its own terrible weight.
At the same tine that this crumbling
took place, Bazaine drove the Prussian
corps before him with such Irresistible
fury that balfregimcnt of French who
could not restrain their elan wero also
prccipitatcd in the abyss.
The drama lastco ten minutes. At
this moment the national character was
Immediately elevated. Instead of cxcla-
nations of fcrocious joy, which tho
Prussians would not have failed to have
given were they in our place, at II
similar success, wo remained quiet,
terrified by this last and mournful CRY
which still rung in our cars; aud tears
flowed from our cyes, which remained
fixed ON this mass yet moving in tho
spasms Of terrible agony.
This heap of bodies, from which pro-
trudcd arms, busts and heads of men
legs Of horses, cannons, brokcn caissons
represented to us a living mountain
tho height of which settled little b,
littlo by its own weight. ended by fillins
two-thirds Of the prccipicc which hat
received it.
The noise of the combat immediatol,
ceased.
All with hcouv boorka uera. oilent