The Hawaiian gazette., 1870-09-21

cannon, seemingly coming from the heart Of range
Of hills on the right.
ARRIVAL AT THE SCENE OF CONFLICT.
Passing through the village and ascending high
plain beyond found myself on battle held strcwn,
as far as the eye could reach with dead bodies In
one or two parts Of the field companies were stin
seen burying the dead. chiefly Prusslans. The
French being necessarily buried Last still ~
ing In vast numbers on the ground. A few Of those
saw werr not dead; as hurried on a splendid reg
iment of cavalry came on behind and when they
reached the brow OF the hill they all broke out with
wild hurrah and dashed forward. few more
steps and gained the summit aud saw the scene
which had woked their cry, and seemed to thrill
even their horses. II would be difficult to imagine
grander battle held. From the hill to which had
been directed by good authority TO come, the entire
sweep Of the Prussian aud French centres could be
seen, and considerable part Of their wings. The
spot where stood was fearful. II was amid ghast.
ly eorpses and burdened with the stencil Of dead
horses, Of which there were great numbers was
standing the battle field Of the 10th On the let
stretched like silver thread lay the road TO Verdun
and to Paris. 1t nan between lines Of popars which
stood against the horizon. On my let tar rs the
eye could reach toward Metz with military regular
ity, strung this ruad like beads, were the pretty
villages, each with Its ehurchtower, which, al
though they have separate names, are really only
few hundred yards apart They are MARSHA Tour
Flavigdi, and, little South of the road vionetti
Rezonvile aud Gavelotte which is divided into Great
and Little Gravelotte. On my right were the thick
" wooded HILL beyond which lies the most import
ant village of the neighborhood, the one Just lcfi
viz: Gore and Its envirous, was the foreground of
the battle which should [notsl be called the battle
Of Gravelotte, for It was mainly over and beyond
that devoted town that 1t ragged. The area / have
indicated is perhaps four miles square. Owing to
having come ON foot rather than along the road,
arrived just the battle waxed warm-that is about
noon of the 18th AT that time the King of Prussia
was standing on the ground watching the conflict
which had just begun. Among them recognized
the King, Bismarck, Gen. Moltke, Prince Frederick
Charles, Prince Carl, Prince Albert, Adjutant Krou-
sky, and Lieut. Gen. Sheridan, U. s. A, was also
present At this time the French were making the
most desperate effort to hold on to this last bit o,
the verdun road that lies between Rezonville and
GSvelotte, that part of Gravelotte, which, In
some maps, is called "st. Msriol" Desperate, bus
uuavailing, for every man in the French ranks had
two to cope WITH and their line was beginning to
waver.
FRENCH CHANGE OF PosIrroN-CHANGE OF BArrLl
Field.
Soon It was plain that this wing of the French
right was Withdrawing to a new position. This wa
swiftly taken up under cover of continuous FIRE o
their artillery from the heights beyond the village
The movement was made in good order, and the pc
sition was reached at 1850 believe nine mIlItar,
men out Of ten would have pronounced 1t impregna
BILE. When once this movement had been effected
the French retreated from the pressure Of the Prns
sian artillery fire. the Prussans rapidly advancing
The battlefield was no longer at Rezonvile but had
been transferred and pushed forward to Gravelotte
the junction Of the two branching roads to Verdun
The fields in front of that village were completely
covered By Prussian reserves and It intermina
BILE lines of soldiers were marching In the wood dis
appearing into the village. This part Of the battle
field was more extensive than the first, aud brough
the opposing forces into fearfuy close quarters I
popularity of IL is that II consists of two heights IN
tersected by deep ravine; this woody ravine owe.
one hundred feet deep, and at the top some so
yards wide The side OF the ehasm next TO Grave
lOtte, where the Prussians stood, is much lower tina
the other side which gradually assembled to a grea
height. From their commanding eminence tn.
French held their enemies fairly beneath them an,
poured upon them scorching fire.
PLAYING OF ARTILLERY-A GRAND SIGHT
The French guns were in position far up by the
Metz road, hidden and covered among the tree.
There was not instants cessation of the roar O.
artillery. Distingushable among all was the curou
grunting roll of the mitrailleuse The Prussia
artillery was posted upon the north side, bein
necessarily raised for an awkard halfvertical fir,
Thief reuch stood their ground and died BY hundreds
and had almost said by thousands This lasted &c
an hour or two, which seemed ages, so constant We
the slaughter. The hill where stood commando
chiefly the conflict behind the village and to I'll
south of it. The Prussian reinforeements comm
up on their right, fled out Of the Bots d'Agneus
and it was at that point, as they marched on III
field that could perhaps get the best idea OF tb
magnitude Of this invading army now in the heart O.
France. There was no break whatever for fou,
honrs in the march of the men out Of that wood /,
seemed almost as II I'll the killed and wounded re-,
vived and came back, and marched forth again
' Burnam Wood advancing TO Dunsinane," was nct
more at Ominious sight TO Macbeth than these me,
Of Gen Goeben's army, shielded as they were by II
woods until they were fairly within range and resei
Of their enemies. So the French must have feIi f
between four and five O'Clock, they Concentrate.
1PVh 'uat ePot tucI neaFlest nre, masslnE all thCi
available guns. aud shelllug the woods which GOV
cred the Prussans unremittiugy: their shot reacb,
he Prussian lines, then tore through them, an
though the men were steady, II was trial 10 whjc
10 general could long subject his troops. The
presently swerved little from that line Of advane,
md there was no longer a continuous column IT in
antry pouring out Of those woods The attack
he Prussians In the centre was clearly checked
About five o'clock, however, another brigade G
resh infantry was again formed In the wood. an.
merged from Its cover. Once out from under III
rees they advanced in quick time watched IN.
movement, for the French guns had not lost tn.
ange OF the wood nor Of the ground in front See
distance through powerful glass, the brigad.
vas like huge serpent, beginning with the undula
lon ofthe field, but 1t left dark track behind IL and
be glass resolved tue dark track into falling and DIV
~ men AZ the borrid significance Of that path so
Iaeed, came upon me. gszed on more iutentIy.
iany Of those who had fallen lesped up again and
IN forward little way, striving to 20 on with their
omrsdes. OF those who fell back wards instead Of /
'r"ard, they we're few. though many fen as thew
ainfully eudeavored to follow the advance.
do not know whether siferthe vain movement Of
lat brigade, another movement was attemptsd
ON the road, but half hour Afterwards great
nmbers OF troops began to march over the hin
here was standing, and moved forward toward
e held, where so hard a struggle had been 40 long
'otraeted- These were, think portion Of Gen.
~. Eaat