The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1870-09-09
Especial to the New York Tribune.1
Battle of Gravolotte.

| eAS Va NAuSU1UGGos
at midnight or little after, on tho
18th and 18th, all tho trumpcts, for
miles around, begand to sound. This
was tho first time wo had been start
lea by such music. Trumpet answer
CD TO trumpet through all the bivouacs
around the little city. For several
days previously there had been troous
almost pcrpctually marching through
every street and by-way, making, be-
tween midnight and dawn, q perpct-
ual roar
LASTLY dressing, went outinto the
darkness and managed to get scat on
wagon that was going in the dircc-
tion OF the front, which was now un-
derstood to be mile or two beyond
The village of Gorge, some twelve
miles from PuIt-a-Mousson. On our
way we met q considerable batch of
French prisoners, who lwcrc looked
upon with considerable curiosity by
the continuous line Of German soldiers
with whom we advanced. But one or
two offensive cries toward tho prison
crs were heard.
The way was so blocked with wa.
gons that finally concluded l could
10 the six or seven miles remaining
on foot better, so 1 got out Of my car
rlage and began to walk and run
swiftly ahead. At Monvient, on the
Moscllc, about half way to Metz, I
found vast bodies of cavalry, Uhlans
and 1Iussars crossing the river by a
pontoon bridge and hurrying at the
top OF their speed toward Gorge.
llurrylng my own steps, | soon
heard the first thunder of tho cannon
AIDE, seemingly coming from the heart
OF 4 range Of hills on the right. Pass
ing through the village and ascending
the high plain beyond, l found myself
suddenly in battle field, strcwn, lit
orally, as far as my eyes could reach,
with dead bodies. In one or two
parts OF the field companies were still
burying tho dead, chiefly Prussians.
The French, being necessarily buried
last, were still lying in vast numbers
on the ground.
a few Of those / saw were not dead.
AS followed IL splendid regiment of
cavalry came on behind, and when
they reached the brow Of the hill they
all broke out with wild hurrah and
dashed forward. A few moro stems
and gained the summit, and saw the
scene which had evoked thci, cry and
seemed to thrill even their horses. 1t
would be difficult to imagine O grand.
CT battle field.
THE SCENE OF RATTLE.
From the hill to which 1 had been
directed by good authority to come,
the entire sweep of tho Prussian and
French centres could be seen, and a
considerable part of their wings. Thl
spot where l stood was fearful it was
amid ghastly corpscs and burdcncd
with stencil Of dead horses, Of which
there were great numbers.
L was standing on the battle field of
the 10th instant, and on the Prussian
side thereof. On the left stretched,
like silver thread, the road to Vcr-
dun, and to Paris also, for the posses
sion Of which this series Of battles had
begun. 1t ran between a line Of pop
lars which stood against the horizon
on my left, and on as far as tho eye
could reach towards Metz.
With military regularity, strung on
this road, like beads, were the pretty
villages, each with its church tower,
which although they have separate
names, arc only few hundred yards
apart.
On my right werc the thiclzly wood
Cd hills, behind which lies the most
important village Of the nciyhborhood,
the one l had just left, Gorge. So en-
vironed was tho foreground of the
battle of Gravelottc, for it was mainly
over and beyond that devoted town
that it ragged.
The area | have indicated is, pcr-
haps, four miles square. Owing to
having come on foot rather than along
the blocked ROAD, l arrived just as the
battle waXcd warm, that is, about
noon of the 18th. At that timo the
headquarters of the King Of Prussia
were at the spot have described.
WATCHING THE BATTLE.
Tho great representative men and
soldiers of Prussia were standing on
tho ground, watching tho conflict Just
begun. Among them, I recognized
tho King, Count Bismarck, General
Won Moltkc, Prince Frederick Charles,
Prince Carl, Prince Adelbcrt and Ad-
jutant Kronski. Lieutenant General
Sheridan, of tho United States army,
was also present. At this moment,
tho French were making n most des-
perate effort to hold OH to the last bit
Of the Vcrdun road-that between
Rezonville and Gravclottc or that
part Of Gravclotte which in somo maps
is called st. Marial-
FIGHTING TWO TO ONE,
Desperate but unavailing, for every
one man in the French ranks had two
to cope with, and their limo was oil.
ready beginning to waver. Soon it
was plain that this wing Of tho French
right was withdrawing to a new DO.
sition. This was swiftly taken up
| under cover Of q continuous fire Of their
artillery from the heights beyond the
village.
The movement was made in good
order and the position il reached ut l:3O
1 believe nine military men out Of Ten
would have pronounced it impregna
BILE. When once this movement hof