Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1870-09-29
The Flight of MacMahOn's Army.


A correspondent of tho Vienna Wehr
Zeitung gives some most graphic pictures
OF tho fight of MacMahon's army. He
writes: 81 could now Aug. 6. "a PM)
stay in Haguenau no longer. Despite the
warning of my host, turned out of the
northern gate and took the direction of the
Haguenau forest toward Niederbronn
The roar of cannon was loud. Columns of
smoke rose in the northwest and even In
the direction of Saarburg. L judged the
fight TO be noar Nioderbronn, and did not
err. AZ o'clock, in galloped horse with
empty saddle slipping under its belly,
through the town gate. Directly after, q
second. then third; then followed a
cuiraesier, his horse covered with blood
and foam, without cuirass, without arms.
Next an artillerist, on an unsadded horse,
his face distorted with inexpressibie
fright Some minutes later, mob
of some twenty horsemen hurried
past, among whom two Zouaves cliuging
upou one horse were conspicuous: the 9TH
ers were cuIrssslers IN every STAGE of hight
and terror. some swinging wildly their So
bres; others, as If out OF their wits, fog
ging their poor exhausted horses, several
OF them without saddles, most of them
wlth0Gt arms. One cUiTasSier halted his
horse Just before me, loos, ned his cuirass
threw o;f his helmet, next his heavy sword
lastly bis weighty breast-plate, and then
laughins contentedly, rode leisurely or.
pause of some 1--WE minutes followed
| The townsmen had all fed inside the gates
The field watch and stood alone at the
point where the Niederbronn branch rail
way intersec!s the high road. Presently up
gallcps field geHdarne, halts his hal.-dead
horse, and calls out Shut the gates in
stantly; the PfussIsls are at my heels
! The field-wa'oh turned white. exciaim-
! ed. What maduess. Hsguenau is an open
town. There could be no defense, and ii
the PrlssianS really were there the best
thing for the town was to open the gates
as wide as possible His face frightened
up. The tumalt became greater. Among
a crowd of cnirassiers some lapcers were
mixed up; then came hussar uniforms
The roads are thronged; unmounted horses
gailop past as IT driven on 10y panic; on all
sides are swarms ms-artillerymen in shirt
sleeves, many of their horses with the
traces cut. ridden by infsntry-men or AZ
tillery. So far | have rot remarked one
officer. AS the mob was thicksst rail-
way train came screaming along from
the north. At the moment num-
an"es eptapgled in the tbrong, were close
upon the rails. They caLuot move for
ward or backward; they seem lost. The
| lield-watch and myself, seizing tho barrier
| tree, forced back the distracted vencbes.
shut the barrier, helped them over, and
the tram rushes past without mishap. -
The train ought 10 have saved the naieriel
accumulated AT Niederbronn; it ought TO
have transported the wounded; 1t was en-
tirely devoted 10 fight They were the
first infantry soldiers who saved them
selves. All the wagons over-filled, en- the
roofs, hanging ou by the handles, with
half their bodies in the air, on the
gaDgway boards, some fully accout-
red, some hali-nsked, no wounded 7
So flashed past us this novel picture Of dis
tnction crossing the current of misfortune
IN the high road. We let the barrier baIk
drop. and sprung aside. Like ~ wild hunt
&he horsemeu galloped into the town and
clattered through il without drawing bride.
By O'Clock ~ torrent gradually ceased.
Alter pause came the couveyapces. saw
four or five carriages, all completely har
messed, yet without their guns. Then
jolted and ratified past broken amniuni-
ton wagon crammed with TurcOs; next q
peasants wagon filled with bedding and
household gear, but no owner; n Zouave led
the horses, two frightfully wounded Turcos
lay Oh the top, "a cluster of unarmed SOL
dlers of all arms clu1g around it. Now
followed infantry on foot. 1t was about 81 !:
still no officers. III dense swarms. th !,
cbancery cars, the carriages of three gene
raj brieades, the archives ot !. division.
four or five empty ammunition trucks.
every kind Of ambulance wagon, all pack
cd with unibjurcd soldiers. On one car
lay three corpses, a few pitifully dra2eIed
Turcos following in the crowd in dumb re-
siguation. Then came lot of suffers and
camp followers. The infantry had all flung
away their packs, many their guns, some
wero in their shirt sleeves, most of them
had leaves stuck or their swords aud hung
on their shoulders BY far the greater
part wero 'Uieug sold.ds,' for whose valor
Troehu had so lately vouched. / shall not
soon forget poor perspiripg infantry
soldier of the Fiitieih, smartly accoutred.
with knapsack on his back, with broad.
red face, who came mp to me aud anxiously
asked where bis regiment was. told him
TO go right on TO S.rasbourg. aud perbap
he would lind it there. He marched brave
ly along as had directed him. He was an
Alss,ian- About 81 an orderly troop of
cairassiers under command Of Captain
and two suhaterns, about forty men
strong, rode past They we're almost all
properly accou.red, and kept step. Be-
tween ! and o'clock disorderly rabbIe
hurried by, absorbed in themselves and
IN their miserable existence: in the whole
body not more tran iorty in marching Or
der: altogether some s 900 to 10, 600 men:
very few wounded. soue threo or
four cavalry officers, two ar.
tillery and about eight infantry officers in
the entire swarm; such rout rs neither
1853 or 1866 ever witnessed. But back
must go 10 Haguensu. 1t WAS z O'Clock
the stream cf fugitiyes was less swollen.
As In the fading TWILIGHT aastened toward
he tow to learn If any trains were going
| came across hve or six soldiers of various
arms, l-ading in their midst one Prussian
prisoner, as proud as II they had got with
them the eptire frussian army. The poor
man was trembling. La such dsbacle to
parade ODE prisoner The public houses
were scene of animation. Soldiers were
busy eating and drinking, and what sur
prised me they quietly paid their shot. In
an upper room Iour infantry officers drank
their wine in silence. Five culrassiers sat
before roast goose, cracking mad Joke S.
Early next morning Mt l was lucky
enough to reach Strasbourg in wagon"
A Saratoga sensation. l..4
A visitor at Saratoga writes that at one