The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-09-06

4 AZ ] TUE u ~ ~ ~ ~ - = l-as7 =
riSs.5 sharply about III u seyen handTei
fest shove lbs little hA1nlst q ChsTanga
resided 10 gore bsloAT, EHnst EsoTtoO,
paporsrnS bgESt on my wise. As GsneFA
! Fnsyth. Of the United StAIes army, r.
marked % ne lAGrF ia The day, il Nould
have busu worth Olming merely 20 ~ y
Jplendd 8 kcena WilhVut -bNitls1 mag
lul6cently stern array IN tie lovely
V1Iley below u, from The knoll % which
I stood with TIE King ard stzii, We COuld
Bea moi only the whole valley Of h'
Neuse, buE also beyon1 tic great wood.
al Bae4 de LonP and FFHnchsyAl into Bel
giUn. and a. lar as the billy forest o
I NnHsOp On the other vide Oi the frontier
RlRhs At our feet lay the little town Of 50
dan, famous log ~ lordhcatiOna 6y VRu
ban, and - the birthplNcs of TuTennc,
The great MRnhal-knOWR also = Tho
place where Sedan chAip originated Al
We were only about two and > guaTt?sl
miles from the town, We could easily dls
IinguiSh its principal ediics without tls
AID Of field glasssA On The LEFT was .
pretty church, is gothic spirV VI pAn,i'
stone Offering conspicuous target 1ol
PFlsSian guns, had Gen Noltke thought
1t % bonbaEd the Town. To the right
on tue southeast Of the church, was Z
lnrpe harrack, with the Notifications O'
the citadel behind il, and behind u, " the
southeast again was the old chateau q 80,
dan, with the picturesque NoQnd-lurreiied
tOWeEs VI The SixIeeRth century, very use
| les even against COur-pounder hruRp
field pieces. This building l believe Is
NOW an arsenal. Beyond this was the
citntlel In the heart Of Sedan. On y rtS.
ing hill above me, Just to the southeast,
but completely commanded by the hills
on both sides Of the river, which runs ~
front OF the citadel, the French had QQgd'
cd the low meadows In The valley OeiGEe
coming 70 the railway bridges a. B0Llellss'
in order to stop The Germans from ad'
vancinE on the town in that direction
With their usual stupidity, for one can
find no Other word Tor 1t, The French bad
failed 70 mine the bridge al Bo4ielle, and
it was Of immense service 70 the rus
slams throughout the battle, Tho frus:
Sims aCtualIyth up earIhworks On tue
iron bridge itself " protect 1t from khS
French, who more than once Attempted
early In the day 10 storm the bridge IN
the hOpa OF breaking tho BAyaFial COM
muniedLiOA between tho. right and lott
banks Of the Meusa. This they were UNI
able 70 do, and although their cannon
shot had almost demolished their parapet,
tho bridge itself was not materially
damaged. g4a,1oG 53y rua I,
on projecting spurS Of the hill crowned
by The rWoOds OF LATpariee, Of which I!
have already spoken, The BaVarians had
posted two batteries OF Six-pounder Tiaed
breech,loading steel Krupp guns, which
kept 1up a duello till the very end Of the
day with the siege guns Of Sedan, across
tho Meusc. Still further to the right
flank, Or rather 70 tho east, for our line
was q circular one, crescent at first with
Sedan in The center, like the star on the
Turkish standard. WIS an undulallng
plain above The village Of Bazeille, termt-
mating about one and a half miles from
Sedan at the woods near Rubraurt. Mid
land, that 10 TO soy, In o line from BazeilIo
north there Is a ravine wAteTGd by o tiny
brook, which was tho scene OF the most
desperate struggle :Hndii Of tho most
trightfll1 slaughter Of tue whole battle.
This stream, " hose name have forgot.
ten, il I ever had one, runs right behind
tho town Of SedRnotrom the woods OF
FloigreuSe Oni tho north Behind the
town risea o hill dotted with cottages and
truIE,laden orchards, and crowned by the
wood LRSaFpnue. which runs down 70 the
valley Of which. / have Just spoken, Be
tween this wood and the! town were seV-
eral French icampS, their white shelter
tents standing out !Elear among the dark
fruit trees. In these camps one Gould see
throughout the day huge masses Of troops
which were never? used, Even during
the height, Of the battle they stood as Idle
as Fitz John Portcr's men At the second
battle Of Bull Run. we imagined that
they must have been ,nndisciplined GardeS
Mobile whom the French Generals dared
IIi0t bfing out against their enemy. To
tho Prussian left Of these French camps
separated from them by Q wooded raYiner
was long, bare hill, something Ike one
Of tho hills on Long Island.
This hill, oh which there was some Of
tho hardest fighting oil the day, formed
one Of the keys Of the position Of the
French army. When once Its crest was
covered with PFnsBilii artillery, tho whole
town Of Sedan was completely at the
mercy Of the German guns, rs they were
not only about the, town; but the town al
most within musket range Of them.
IEhsull further to the len lay Tho village
of NV, set on FIRE carly in the day by
French shells. South oF this q broken
railway bridge, blown up by the French
ID protect their right, was II conspicuous
object! Right about the railway bridge,
on a line 70 ATeziercs, was wooded hill,
crowned by the new and most hidcOus
cbatedt, as le calls II, Of one Monsieur
Pave, Il was here the Crown Prince and
his stat stood during the day, having 9
rather more extensive but less central
View. and therefore less desirable than
ours, where sl0od the King, Count Bis
marck, Won Room, the War Minister,
General, MoltEe, and Generals Sheridan
and Forsyth, 70 say nothing ot your cor
respondent .airpg rel4
. Having thus endeavored 70 give some
faint idea Of the scene Of what Is IN all
DrbbabllIty, the decisive battle OF the war
f. willnext give an account Of tue position
IF the different corps Of the commence
ment Of tho action, promising that all the
movements were of the simplest possible
nature, the object Of the PrlSsian Gen.
erals being merely to close tue crescent Of
troops with which they began into cir
Gle, bycxtendiug junction between the
Saxon corps on their right and the PFus'
sian oorps on the left, This junction took
Eplace about noon, near the little village 81
| illy, on the BOzulle rAYine, behind Sedan
Of which l have already spoken. Once
their terrible circle formed, and well
soldercd together, It grew steadily smaller
and smaller, until o. last the Notifications
Of Sedan itself were entered. On
the extreme right were the SaXonst
one corps d'arnee with King Williams
guards, also q corps darmee In reserve
behind them. The Guards had suffered
terriblyiat Grayelotte, where they met the
Imperial Guard, and the King would NOT
allow them TO be again 90 cruelty deCimar
ted; Justice compelS me tO state that
this arrangement was very far indeed