The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-24

messed the battle at headquarters and stood by
the side of Bismarck and the King:
The first intimation we had at Pont-a-Mous-
son, where / found myself on August IL, of
the extent to which the fighting had been
going on Tuesday and Sunday last at the
front, was the coming in of the wounded men.
At first ii was surmised that these had been
wounded in skirmishes, but on the 10Th, late
in the evening, there were signs that great
battle had taken place in the vicinity The SOL
diers, with CHASTITY wounds, walked about the
market place in Pont-a-Mousson, surrounded
by eager groups of their newly arrived COM
rades, and told the story Of the disaster.
Poor fellows; it surely was disaster to them,
borne away as they had been from the field
without having heard of any result.
i stood among these groups and the narra-
tive of the men all amounted to their having
been set to confront a much larger force than
their own, and that their division had been
cut up. / was struck by the fact that, al
though there was some dissatisfaction sug-
gested by their tone of voice, heard no word
uttered by the narrators or listeners, which
accused any one. They dwelt rather on the
fact that they had dealt heavy blow on the
14tb, and that though the division had, as an
available organization, been demolished, it had
sold its life dear.
On August II the wounded from the prece-
ding day began to pour into Pont-a-Mousson
carts lying upon hay. From my window,
which overlooked the main street and COM
manded also view of the market place,
counted more than ninety of these long carts,
each holding on an average about ten men. 1t
was strange to see them as they passed amid
files Of French unable to conceal their joy, on
the one hand, and Prussian soldiers on the
other.
But now come to the other side of the ac-
count. The streets began to swarm with
other wagons, with other wounded; the wear
ers of red trowsers, and now and then batch
Of UNIV ounded prisoners. AT length arrived
carriage with French General. 1t was fol-
lowed by vast crowd of French, and for a
little time it seemed as if there might be a
collision between the inhabitants and the
Prussians, SO earnest were the demonstrations
of the people; but it was now at least evident
that the struggle was very serious at the
north.
At midnight, on the 10th, all the trumpets
for miles around began to sound. This was
the first time we had been startled by such wild
music. Trumpet answered to trumpet through
all the bivouac around the little city. For
several days previously there had been troops
almost perpetually marching through; but now
the tramp through every street and byway,
made between midnight and dawn, a perpetual
roar.
Hastily dressing, l ran out into the darkness
and managed to get seat on wagon that
was going in the direction of tie front, which@
was now understood to be mile or two be-
| yond the village Of Gorge, some twelve miles
| from Point. a. Mousson. On our way we met
| large number of French prisoners, who were
looked upon with much curiosity by the con-
tinuous line of German soldiers with whom we
| advanced, but only one or two offensive cries
| toward the prisoners were heard.
| The way was so blocked up with wagons,
| that finally concluded would do the six or
seven miles on foot better, so got out of my
carriage and began to walk and run swiftly
ahead. At Mouvient, on the Moselle, about
! half way to Metz, l found vast bodies of cav
airy ,uhlans and huzzars crossing the river by a
| pontoon bridge, and hurying at the top Of
their speed toward Gorge.
Hurrying my own steps, l soon heard the
| first thunder of the cannonade, seemingly COM
| ing from the heart of range of hills on the
right. Passing through the village and
ascending the high plain beyond, / found my
self suddenly in battlefield, strewn literally,
| as far as my eye could reach, with dead bodies.
In one or two parts of the field, companies
were still burying the dead, chiefly the Prus-
sians the French, being necessarily last, were
| still lying in great numbers on the ground. A
few of those saw were not dead.
AS hurried on, splendid regiment of cav
airy came on behind, and when they reached
the brow of the hill they all broke out into a
wild hurrah, and dashed forward. A few more
steps, and gained the eminence, and saw the
scene which had evoked their cry and seemed
to thrill even their horses. 1t would be diff
cult to imagine grander battlefield. From
the hill to which had been directed by good
| authority to come, the entire sweep OF the
Prussian and French centres could be seen,
and a considerable part of their wings.
The spot where ] stood was fearful. 1t
was amid ghastly corpses, and burdened with
the stencil of dead horses, of which there
were great numbers. / was standing on the
battle-f field Of August 16-the Prussian side
thereof. On the left, stretched like silver
thread, the road to Verdun and Paris, for the
possession of which this series of battles had
begun. 1t ran between lines Of poplars,
which stood against the horizon.
On my left, and on as far as the eye could
reach toward Metz, with military regularity,
strewn on this road like beads were the pretty
villages, each with its church tower, which,
although they have separate names, are only a
few hundred yards apart.
On my right were the thickly wooded hills
behind which lies the most important village
of the vicinity, the one had just left, Gorge
SO environed was the foreground of the battle
which should one day be called the battle o.
Gravelotte, for it was mainly over and beyond
that devoted town that it ragged. The area
have indicated is perhaps four miles square.
arrived just as the battle waxed warm, tina
is about noon of August Is. At that time the
headquarters of the King of Prussia were a
the spot have described. The great repre-
sentative men and soldiers of Prussia wer
standing on this ground watching the conhic
Just begun. Among them / recognized tn
King, Bismarck, Won Moltke, Prince Fredercl
Charles, Prince Carl, Prince Adalbert ant