Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-09-14

ILdb 10 W say, IN q line from BaZe1lle. OD
the north there is a ravine watered by tiny
brook, which was the scene Of desperate
struggle, and Of the most frightful slaughter
of the whole battle. This stream, whose
name have forgotten, if it ever had one,
runs at the right, behind the town of Sedan.
From the woods of Fleigreuse on the north
behind the town, rises hill dotted with cot
tages and fruit-laden orchards and crowned
by the woods OF La Grenna, which runs down
to the valley of which | have lust spoken.
Between this wood and the town were several
French camps, their white shelter tents stand
ing 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 the battle
they stood as idle as Fitz John Porter at the
second battle of Bull Run. We imagined
that they must have been undiscipiined
Gardes Mobile whom the French generals
dared not bring out against their enemy. To
the Prussian left of these French camps,
separated from them by wooded raYine,
was 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 the key of the position of
the French army. When once it's erests
were covered with Prussian artillery the
whole town of Sedan was completeIS- az ,he
mercy of the German guns, as s
only above the town, but the town was az
most within musket range of them. Still
further on to the left lay the village of lily,
which was set on fire early in the day by
French shells. South Of this broken rail-
way bridge, blown up by the French to pro-
tect their right, was conspicuous object.
Right above the bridge, on line to Mezieres,
was wooded hill crowned by the new and
most hideOus chateau, as he calls it, of one
Monsieur Pave. 1t was here that the Crown
Prince and his staff stood during the day,
having a rather more extensive, but less cen
tral, and therefore less desirable view than
ours, where stood the King, Count Bismarck,
Won Room, War Minister, Gen. MoItke and
Generals Sheridan and Forsyth, to say moth
ing of your correspondent.
Having thus endeavored to give some faint
idea of the scene of what is in all probabili-
ty the decisive battle of the war, will next
give an account of the position of the differ
ent corps at the commencement of the action,
promising that all the movements were of
the simplest nature p~ssible, the object of
the Prussian generals being merely to close
the crescent of troops, with which they
began, into circle, by etfecting junction
between the Bavarian corps on their right
and the Prussian corps on the left. This
junction took place about noon, near the
little village of Ally, on the Bazeille ravine,
of which have already spoken. Once their
terrible circle form ed. and well soldered to-
gether, 1t grew steadily smaller and smaller,
until at last the Notifications of Sedan itself
were entered. On the extreme right were
the Sdxons, one corps d'armee, with King
William Guards, also a corps d'armee in
reserve behind them. The Guards had suf-
fered terribly at Gravelotte, where they were
met by the Imperial Guard, and the King
would not allow them again to be so cruelty
cut up. Justice c0mpels me to state that
this arrangement was very far indeed from
being pleasing to the Guards themselves,
who were anxious to be in the fore front of
the battle. The Guards and SaxOns then,
about : D 600 strong, were all day on the
right bank Of the Meuse, between RubecOurt
and La Chapelle, at which latter village
Prince Albert of Saxony, who was in com
mand of two corps, which had been formed
into little army by themselves, passed the
night of Thursday.
The ground from RabecOurt % tno hivuev
was occupied by the first Bayarian corps,
and the second Bavarian corps extended their
front from near the Bazeille railway bridge
to a point on the high road from Donchery
to Sedan, not far from the little village of
Forcy, below the hill on which the Grown
Prince was placed. The ground from Forcy
to lily, through the large village of Flolng,
was held by the first and third Prussian
corps, belonging to Prince Frederick Charles,
and temporarily attached to the army of the
Crown Prince. This was the position of
the troops about Q o'clock on Thursday
morning, September Ist, and no great ad-
vance took place till later than that, as the
artillery had at first all the work to do. Still
further to the left, near DOnchery, were
10000 urtemburgers ready to cast off the
French from MezieTes in case of their making
a push for that fortress.
The number of troops engaged on the
Prussian side is estimated by Gen. Moltke
at 240 900, and that Of the French at l20,-
600. We know that Mcmahon had with
him on Tuesday 1900 men-that is, four
corps-his own, that lately commanded by
Gen. De Failly, now under Gen. Lebrun,
that Of Fitz DOuay, brother of Gen. Abel
Douay, killed at Weisscnburg, and the fourth
corps, principally composed of the Garde
Mobile, the commander of which has es-
capped. Mcmahon, although wounded, COM
manded in chief on the French side.
1t is almost needless to say that the real
commander-in-chi6f of the Prussians was
Won Moltke, with the Crown Prince and
Prince Albert of SaxOny Immediately next in
command. There were a few cannon shots
fired, but the real battle did not commence
until SIX o'clock, and becoming sharp artil-
lery fight at nine, when the batteries had got
within easy range, and the shells began to dc
serious mischief. At ii So O'Clock the mus
kerry fire in the valley in the rear of Sedan
which had opened about 1l.25 clock, be.
came exceeding lively, being one continuou;
rattle, only broken by the growing mitrail
leurs, which played with deadly effect on the
advancing Saxon and Bavarian columns
General Sheridan, by whose side was stand
ing. told me that he did not remember eve
to have heard such well sustained small arm
| fire. 1t made itself heard above the roar o
the batteries al our feet.
At II o'clock precisely the Prussian b.
terry of six guns on the slope above the broker
railway bridge over the Meuse near Villctte
! had silenced two batteries of the French gun
at the foot of the bare hills already mention
! ed. near the village of FloiDg. At ten min
utes past II O'Clock the infantry, no longe
supported by their artillery, were compelle'
to retire to Floing, and soon afterward
| junction between the Saxons and Prussian
behind Sedan was announced to US by Gen
Won Room, who was eagerly peering throug
moment the result of the battle could n
longer be doubtful. The French were com
pIetely surrounded and brought to bay.
| At 1926 o'clock we were all astonished
see clouds of retreating French infantry o
the hill between Floing and Sedan, Prus
/ sian battery making good practice with pei
cussion shells amongst the recediDg ranks
The whole hill, for a quarter of an hour, wa
literally covered with Frenchmen runnin
rapidly. Ia less than half an hour after. a
II. 50, General Won Room called our attentio
to another French column in full retreat t
the right of Sedan on the road leading frOr
Bazeille to La CAYENNE wood, and they neve
halted until they got to small red roofe
house on the outskirts of Sedan itself. A
most at the same moment General Sheridan
! who was using my opera glass, asked me
look at the third French column that wa
moving up broad grass road through L
CAYENNE wood, Immediately above Sedar
doubtless to support the troops defending th
important Bazeillc ravine, to the northwes