Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-10-07
The Mountain OF Dead Bodies I'm the Quar-
rtcs Of Jaumont. Near Metz.

FOR the Augusta Chronicle and Sentinel fro

! - Translated BY TILE REV. F. A.-BUN 80
For the augusta Chronicle and Sentinel from
+ e - tho Gau1ois paris Paper.)
j. Until now VIC have no details of the en-
gagement of Jaumont. We extract the
following terrible narrative from a letter
addressed by young soldier to his broth
err. -+2s as.-s -aa
eyes, my dear Louis, the Mejor said, 1
have had terrible shock. May Heaven
preserve me from ever Witnessing spec
tacle similar to that of the quarlies of Jau-
mont, for am very certain that would
loose my senses. Even to this time my
nerves are still trembling, which alters
my writing, and when close my eyes
see again this fearful torrent of human be-
ings falling over the precipice. aa
The battle of Jaumont will remain IN
history. as one OF the most terrific acts of
war, and however terrible the imagina-
ton may describe il, it will never attain
that degree of horror experienced 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. ...s. .a.
Knowest thou to what cause we attribute
in our corps, this unheard of drama
They say it is the vengeance Of four peas
ant ruined and buried out by the Prus-
slams In order to avenge themselves,
these men, knowing we'll the county,
made themselves the guido of the enemy, ,
| and had conducted them to position
that the Prussians imagined imprcgnable,
not doubling the wonderful trap into
which they were drawn.
| Thou wilt judge OF it.
The stone quarries at Jaumont, from
which at first stones were taken from the
top, form an immense and deep e&cava-
ton the walls of which a attain height Ct
from seven to- eight stories. 1t is at he
summit Of one Of those pointed walls that
the Prnssians had themselves strongly es-
! taDlisbod, very certain that they would not
! he surprised from the rear.
OF the four peasants WHO Lead them into
this place one made his escape 10 inform
us of the terrible means used to annibilate
the entire corps.
And this plan vas infalliblo.
At first worked from the top. the quarry
/ has been slowly excaVated in one Of its
sides by long sGbterraneau galleries with
many stories, one above the other, and
which were maiptained by supporting pill
lars. One side, / repeat aGoi3, lad been
! thus excavated, and it is on this ground,
sustained by these pillars. that our peas
ants had established the Pruasians during
the night. The obscufity at first, and at
terwa rds tho high elevation, prevented
tuem from having any knowledge of these
e iEsries, which Wero hollow, on the tOE
Of which they had entl Cnched themselves
vt daybreak Dazaine attacked them
from the fyCnt. ANA they fought, fall Of
cou1lrnc0,th tley could not be taken
from the rcs.r. Bat ~ the height Of the
combat, Canrotert, wElo had nankcd the
quarriee, planted cannon on the other side
Of the pIecipicc III order to fire on the phi
lars which supported the ga,leries. Al
hour after a sudden and immense crum-
bliug, III one enormous block, took place
under the feet of the Prus8i8ns. aad pre-
cipitated them into the cbasUl. Q, my
dear Louis. should [ live one hondreC
years yet, shall always hear the horrible
cry uttered by the entire corps in feeling
the ground giving way under them. I'm
agne to ting self 20, 900 cries ooHloundine
themselves INTO single sound OF indie
s3ribablo DESPAIR coming up from the {
men when conscious of the instant death
approaching.
Il was like enc human voice, but power
fGl as possible, vibrating with that terrible
anguish e q last and doleful appeal for aiC
and frightful ndieu to life, but Of very
short duration, for the human avalanche
Immediately commenced, and men, horses
cannon, all, aic hurled pell NELL into thu
chasm IN one enormous mass, which crush
At the Same time that this crumbiinG
took place, Blzaine drove the Prussiar
corps before him with sach irresistible fu
~ that a half regiment of French who coUlC
not restrain their eLCja were also precipita
te,: IN he abyss.
The dram 4 lasted Ten minutes. at thi
moment the national character was imme
lately elevated. ms cad of exclamation
: of ferocious joy, We remain quiet, terrified
= IL. I f,71 5aIO
rung in our ears and tears flowed from
, our eyes, which remained fixed on Thu
| mass vet moving III the spasms Of terri
bic agony.
Thl, heap OF bodies, from which pro
t truled arms, bu5ts and heads Of men, leg
= Of horses, cann0ns, broken caissons, repre-
sen tea ia us living mountain, the heigh
!, of which settled little by little by it's owI
: weight, ended by filling two-thirds of tn
: precipice which had received it.
; The noise Of tia combat immediatel,
. ceased.
: All, with heavy hearts, were silent, list
ening to the twenty thousand means ies1
y ing from this mass, and dying away as tn
mass became more compact.
Our victory gave US fear.
i am ignorant of what passed afterwards
for I tainted, and am now awake in tn
L ambulance after long attack of deliriut
It which had seized me.
e To remove these thousands Of heape
corpses for interment was impossible, nc
> did time permit the raising Of these bruise
o bodies. We had at first thought Of burn
e ing them by inundating in petroleum, bU
we gave up that idea. The Prussians the
% hired Belgians, ct ten francs per day,
: tcover with sand this mountain of huma
beings, from which for four days terribl
: cries cane out. In the placeof earth the
= employed sand, because it fills up til
f empty spaces in the mass, and, rising Ii
tie by little. it finishes by covering til
: frightful hecatomb caused by four pea
: ants who desired to aveDgo their outrage
e wives and their burned homes.
= They say even, that one of these falls
= guides, who had succeeded in escaping
order to forewarn US, had reioined til
q Prussians, in order to enjoy, at the prie
n of his life, the pleasure Of this terribl
n vengeance.
: Poor peasants, who month since hay