The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-09-21

the flock, were wounded men hmping in
twos, as il for company's sake, quite free, as
their captors knew that man wounded is too
sensible to fee from his only chance of cure
and Icare and fsod. Streaming along the
road, there was almost procession of such
objects, now Prussians, now French, and now
q Prussian and Frenchman together, with
shattered hands or limping gait or horrid face
wounds. 1 made for Floing in order to
begin
THE REVIEW OF THE Battlefield.
The road was crowded with regiments and
ammunition wagons, and, to my wonder,
saw it winding for three or four miles by the
river bank towards the village or little town,
the steeple of which looks very near from the
Princes hill. About mile outside the vii
lage on the roadside, came upon dead
horses, and then 1 remembered the dust, the
firing of the Prussian infantry, and the wild
confusion of what thought was rush of
runaway steeds And SO it was, but the
riders Law further on-cuirassiers and lancers
who had either attempted to cut their way
through or had fallen in pursuit of the Prus-
SLAMS. regret to say that the sheets 1 sent
from the field contained my notes of the
times of the occurrences observed, as can
not now remember them. There were many
cuirasses strewed in the field and by the
roadside outside Floing, and here and there
among the turnips, wurzel, and potatoes
which the Prussians were gathering, lay dead
men-all French. But there were pickel
haUbeS and needle-guns lying about also, aud
multitudes of cowhide knapsacks. After q
most irritating ride, getting over useless
ground, 1 got into the village, which lies
directly under the cliff like side of the pla-
teau. From the south side there is a steep
stony lane, continuation of it winding mp
north to it again. The side is in places
scraped for patches of vines and vegetables,
wit OF 4 oIo nj
small cabins. Floing was full of wounded
men. The white flag and red cross hoated
all around; but it needed not that to tell
there were victims of the fight here, for pale
faces and bandaged limbs were at every
doorwayJ and window. The Place was
almost impossible, owing to wreck
Of arms, chassepots, needle-guns, helmets,
swords, accoutrements, bayonets, knapsacks,
Uttered all over with regimental accounts,
papers, ''I0rets"-here and there wagons and
commissariat carts, ammunition boxes, tum-
brils-things that had cost poor Frenchmen
far away great deal of money, for which
there was barren return indeed. pressed
my horse up the steep, the beast shifting and
starting at the dead chargers which lay tum-
bled over in the fatal onset. Some Prussians
were lying in the little churchyard covered
with blankets and wreaths of flowers on the
breasts till the grave-diggers came rude
crosses marked mounds which showed where
they had done their work. q few hundred
yards and there came in view the epGuIeaaent;; ];
over the ridges inside were rows of French.
The ground behind was rent in every direc-
ton and SCARED by shell.
THE SEAMS AND FRAGMENTS AND BURROWS
told Row they had met their death. Many
were buried by the simple process of throw
ing down the bank. 1t is very likely there
were many men there who had dug their own
esy ll,ax ~, ia,
These men had all been clean destroyed by
the batteries on the mamelon, and were thus
rendered unable to prevent the advance of
the Prussian infantry to the village and up
the slopes. The ground on the top is partly
in ultivation-turnips, carrots, and pota-
toes-which the Prussians were digging up;
and the plateau was dotted with burial par
ties, medical men, and idlers. The dead
were generally bootless, stockings and foot
gear gone, coats were torn open, pockets
turned inside out by plunderers. About IL
o'clock, while was on the plateau, asquad of the
gendarmerie swept off the stragglers and
ordered them to bury the dead. An irregu-
lar line of dead horses almost at right
angles to the line of the epauLement indi-
Gated the position of the French batteries,
which made long and gallant but Intellectual
attempt to check the murderous Prussian
guns, fanking and raking it from the ridge
beyond, at the same time that it was torn to
pieces by the batteries posted on the NAME
lon. Men of the 32d French and the SD
Prussian, the 37th and S9th French, were
lying together. A few Prussians scattered on
the trampled earth indicated the site of the
first and successful charge. Further on
towards the river there was evidence Of the
terrible retribution. Such heaps of horses,
gray and white And here were the luckless
riders as they fell-Chasseurs d'Afrique, in
light blue; men with red kepis, marked
g." with blue band, and peaks
lined with green, whom I conjecture
to have been hussars, and men in light
blue, with white facings; the luckless 4th
Regiment of Lancers, the 9Th Lancers, not
more fortunate, what once belonged to the
life and beauty of the gallant brigade which
had tested the lance against the needle-g gun.
Among these bodies, which were not thick,
but scattered all over the plain, lay men OF
the 9th Artillery Regiment. Near them was
sort of earthwork, very rude, with embra-
sures, six in number, for mitrailleuses, with
profusion of empty cartridge cases all
about it. The direction of the two charges
the very formation of the Prussian companies
which met them-could be traced, and then
the course of the flying cavalry round the
fianks in vain attempt to escape and re-
form. On this field there were here and
there wounded men moving uneasily in the
blankets around them, and waiting for the
arrival Of the cacolets and ambulances
Prussian and French medical officers were
going over the field together
A JOURNALIST SHOT.
AS I am writing this there comes news
which hope is not true. 1t is of the loss OF
friend, of one who eagerly pressed to be
employed in your service, and who has in
that service lost his life in the field. car
| 81