The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1870-09-15
The Battle Of Sedan.

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The Battle of Sedan.
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT By An EYEWITNESS
NIFICENT COURAGE; OF TEE GERMAN TROOPS
-UNAvAndNG HEReIsM oE THE FRENCH
MoLTKE' sssTRATEGY SURRENDER.
me war correspondent of the New, York
Zhi51ne at the Prussian headquarters, whose
acCuuntao of the battle of GraSelotte evoked the
universal Iaudation of the press, furnishes the
following admirable description of the terrible
battles around Sedan. The letter is dated at
the headquarters of the King of Prussia, Thurs
ton of the movements of the previous day, and
a description of the prehminaries incident to
-steas battle, in which he pays an eloquent
tribute to the endurance and courage OF the
Prassian troops, he proceeds:
AT (, o'clock on Thursday morning, my ser
want came to awake me, saying the Kings
horses were Harvesting, and his Majesty would
leave in half an hour for the battlefield, and as
cannonading had already been heard near Sc
dan, L jumped up, seized crusts of bread, wine,
cigars. &c, and crammed them into my holster,
taking my breakfast on the way. just as got
to nav horse King William drove out in an
open carriage, with four horses, for Chevange,
about three and half miles south OF Sedan.
Much against my will, / was compelled to al,
low the Kings staff to precede me on the road
TO the scene of action, where arrived myself
soon after O'Clock. 1t was impossible to ride
fast, all the roads being blocked with artillery,
ammunition wagons, ambulances, &C.
THE SCENE OF coNFLICT.
AS rode on to the crest of the hill which
rises sharply about six hundred or seven hum
dred feet above the little hamlet of Chevange,
nestled in the grove below, a most glorious
panorama burst on my view.
- Right at our feet lay the little Town of Sc
dan, famous for its Notifications 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 editices without
the aid of our field glasses. On the left was a
prettsschurch, its Gothic spire of sandstone Of
fering conspicuous target for Prussian guns
had General Moltke thought fit to lombard
the town. To the right, on the southeast OF
the church, was large barrack, with the fortl-
fcations of the citadel behind it, and beyond
this, to the southeast again, was the old chat
can of Sedan, with picturesque round tur-
Teted towers of the sixteenth century, very use
less even against four-pounder Krupp field
pieces. This building, believe, is now an arse
nal.
Beyond this was the citadel, in the heart of
Sedan, on rising hill above the Meuse, to the
southeast but completely commanded by hills
on both sides of the river, which runs in front
of the citadel. The French had flooded the
low meadows and valley before coming to the
railway bridge at Bazeile in order to stop the
Co,,,o,,, fro,o odvopciDo IN tho TOWN in that
direction. With their usual stupidity, for one
can find no other word for it, the French had
failed to mine the bridge at Bazeile, and it was
of immense service to the Prussians throughout
the battle. The Prussians actually threw up
breastworks on the iron bridge itself toprotect
1t from the French, who more than once, at
tempted, early in the day, to storm the bridge
in. the hope of breaking the Bayarians commu,
nication between the right and left banks OF
the Meuse.
This they were unable to do, and although
their cannon shot had almost demolished the
parapet, the bridge itself was never materially
damaged On the projecting spurs OF the hill,
crowned by the woods of La Marfee, ofwhlch l
have already spoken, the Bavarians had posted
two batteries of six-pounder rifle breach-load-
ing steel Krupp guns, which kept up a duello
until the yery end of the day with the siege
yuns of Sedan across the Meuse. Still further
To the right flank, or rather to the east, for our
line was circular one, crescent at hrst, with
Sedan in the centre, like star On the Turkish
standard, was an undulating plain before the
village of Bazeile terminating about mile and
q half from Sedan, at the woods near Rube-
court midway, that is to say, In a line from
Bazeile north there is q rayine, watered by
tiny brook, which was the scene of the most
desperate struggle and of the most fr1ghtful
slaughter of the whole battle. This stream,
whose name have forgotten, If it ever had
one, runs right behind the town of Sedan, from
the woods of Feigreuse On the north behind
the town rises hill, dotted with cottages and
fruit-laden orchards, and crowned by the wood
of La Garienne, which runs down to the valley
of which I have just spoken. Between this
wood and the town were several French camps
their white shelter tents standing out clear
among the dark fruit trees. In these camps
one could see throughout the day huge masses
of troops which were never used. Even during
the height of battle they stood as idle as Fitz
John Porter at the second battle OF Bull Run.
We imagined that they must have been undis-
ciplinedl Gardes Mobiles, whom the French
generals dared not bring out against their enc
nav, To the Prussian left these French camps,
separated from them by wooded rayine, was
a. long bare hill, something like one of the hills
ON Long Island. This hill, on which was some
of the hardest fighting of the day, formed one
of the keys of the position of the French army.
VIXEN once its crest was covered with Prussian
artillery the whole town of Sedan was COM
pletely at the mercy of the Prussian guns, as
they were not only above the town, but the
town was almost within musket range of them.
Stin further to the west lay the village of lily,
set on fire early in the day by French shells.
South of this broken railway bridge, blown
up by the French to protect their right, was
conspicuous object. Right above the railway
hill crowned by the new and most hideous
chateau, as he calls it, of one Monsieur Pave.
It was here the Crown Prince and his staff
stood during the day having q rather more ex-