The union Democrat., 1870-09-03

when they reached the brow Of the Hill they
| all broke out with q Wild hGrrah and dashet
/ forward. n few more steps and gained tht
summit, and saw the scene which had eSokec
their cry and seemed TO thrill even the hors
es. Ii would be difficult to imagine grand
er battle Geld. From the hill to which had
been directed BY good authority To come, the
entire sweep of the Prussian and French cen
ters could be seen, and a considerable part ot
their wings. The spot where | stood was
fearful. 1t was amid CHASTITY corpses. and
burdened with the stencil of dead horses, ol
which there were great numbers. | was
standing on the battle field of the 10th.
| The Prossian side, off on the left stretched
| like silver thread, lay the road to Verdun
Ito Pcris also--fnr the Prussians. 1t was
for this road which this series of battles had
been fought. 1t ran between tho lines oi
poplars, which stood out against the horizon
On my left, ON as far as the eye could reach
toward Metz, with military regularity, strung
on this road. cut like beads, were the pretty
villages. each with its church-tower, which,
although they have separate names, are real
! ly only few hundred yards apart. Mars Ia
Tour, Flavigai, and little south of the road
Vionetti, Rezonville, and Gravellctte. which
latter is divided into 'great" and "little''
Gravellotte. On the right were the thickly
wooded hills, behind which lies the most i'm.
portant village in the neghborhood, the one
had just left, Gorze.
| So environed was the fairgrounds Of the
battle. which should. ono would say, be call,
ed the battle of Gavel!otte; for it was, mainly
over and beyond that devoted town that i,
reged. The area that | have indicated is
perhaps four miles square. owing to having
come on foot rather than along the road, ar
! rived Just as the battle waxed warm; that is,
| about noon on the 18th. At that time the
| headquarters of tue King of Prussia. AS we
were standing on the ground watching the
conflict just begun, among these near re-
coguized the King premier Bismarck. Gener-
al Won Moltke, Prince Frederick Charles,
Prince Carl, Prince Albert, and adiutant
Krouski, Lieutenant-General Sheridan, of the
United States Army, was also present.
,, At this moment the French Sere making q
most desperate effort to hold on to the last bit
of the Verdun road that lies between Eegon-
Vile and Gravellotte, or that part of Gravel,
lotte which in some maps is called st. Mariol
1t was desperate but unayaiing, for every
man in the French ranks had two to cope
with, and their line was already beginning to
waver. Soon it was plain that this wing of
the French right was Withdrawing to IL new
position. This was swiftly taken up, under
cover Of the continuous FIRE of their artillery
from the heights beyond the village. The
movement was made in good order; and the
position was reached at 1880 P. NJ. believe
nine military men out of ten would have pro-
nounced it impregnable.
When ence this movement had been effect
ed the French retiring from the pressure of
the Prnssian artillery fire, the Prussians as
rapidly advancing, the battle field was no
longer at Regonville, but had been transfer
red and pushed forward to Gravelotte, the
junction Of two branching roads to Verdun.
The fields in front of that village [Gavellottel
were completely covered by Prussian reserves
and over beyond it, lines of soldiers were
marching In the wood, disappearing into the
village.
This part Of the battle field was more ex-
tensive than the first, and brought tie opros-
ing forces into fearful close quarters. The
peculiarity of it is that it consists of two
heights interscted by deep ravine. This
woody ravine is over q hundred feet deep,
and at the top some three hundred yards
wide. The side of the chasm near Gravelot-
te-near where the Prussians stood--is much
lower than the other eide which gradually as
cended to great hight. From their com
mapding eminence the French held their enc
mics fairly beneath them, and pouring upon
them a scorching fire. The French guns
were in position far up by the Metz road,
hidden and covered among trees. There was
not an instant's cessation of the roar of artl-
lery. Distinguishable among all was the GU
rious grunting roll of the metrailleuers.
The Prussian artillery was posted to the
north side, being necessarily raised for an
awkward half vertical fire. The French
stood their ground and died by hundreds and,
had almost said by thousands. This, for
an hour or two that seemed ages-so constant
was the slaughter. Tho hill where | stood
commanded chiefly the conflict behind the
village, and to the south of it the Prussian
reinforcements, coming up en- their right, i'll
ed out of Boise De Ageus, and it vas at that
noint, as they marched on 10 tie field, that
could perhaps get the best idea if the magni-
tude of this invading army, now in the heart
Of France.
There was no break whatever for four hours
in the march of men out of that wood. 1t
seemed almost rs if all the killed and wound
ed had revived and came back and marched
forth again. Birnam wood advancing to Dun
shame Hill was not more an ominous sight to
Macbeth than these men Of General Goebens'
army shielded as they were by the woods, un-
til they were fairly within range and reach OF
their enemies. So the French must have felt,
for between four and five O'Clock they COM
nenced upon that SPOT their heaviest fire,
massing all their available guns and shelling
the woods which covered the Prusoians nnre-
mittingly. Their shots reached the Prussian
line and tore through them, and though the
men were steady, ii was test to which no
General cared long to subject his troops.
They presently swerved little from that line
of advance, and there was no longer con-
tinuous column of infantry pouring out of
these woods.
The attack Of the Prussians in the center
was clearly checked. About O'Clock, how
ever, another brigade of fresh infantry was
again formed in the woods, and emerged from
under the trees, they advanced ct quick time.
/ watched the movements, for the French
guns had not lost the range of the wood nor
Of the ground in front. Seen at q distance,
through powerful glass. the brigade was
like O huge serpent, beginning with the un-
dulations of the field; but it left dark track
behind il, and the glass resolved the black
,..;l into falling and diving men As tho