New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-08-27
THE BATTLE OF. GRAvELOTTE.
Graphic Details BY an Eyewitness
The Wounded-Wild Music-s'Tramp,
Tramp',-The Battle6eld-Gcneral
Shnr;.lun N XNifness 0f fhe Raffle

| NEW YORK, August %c.-A CdDlt UlSpaCcn
| to the Tribune, dated London, August %,
says: The following detailed account of
| Thursdays battle at Gravelotte, August 18,
| was received this morning in London from
| our special correspondent, who witnessed
| the battle at the headquarters, and stood by
| the side of Bismarck and the kNg:
The first realization we had at POnt-a-
Mousson, where found myself on the sew
entcenth of the extent to which fighting
had been going on Tuesday and Sunday
last at the front, was the coming in of
wounded men.
At first it was surmised that those had
been wounded in skirmish, as on the six
teenth, late in the evening there were signs
that the work was becoming warm.
On that evening the soldiers, with CHASTITY
wounds, walked about the market place in
Point-a- Mousson, surrounded by eager
groups Of their newly arrived comrades,
and told story of disaster.
Poor fellows! it was surely disaster to
them, borne away as they had been from
the field without having heard of any re-
suit | stood among these groups, and the
narratives of these men all amounted to
their having been set to confront a much
larger force than their own, and their di-
vision had been cut up.
was struck by the fact that though there
was some dissatisfaction suggested by their
tone of voice, | heard no word uttered by
the narrators or listeners which accused
any one: they dwelt rather on the fact that
they dealt heavy blows on the fourteenth,
and that though the tenth division had an
available organization, it had been demOl-
ished and sold its life dearly.
On the seventeenth, the wounded from the
preceding day began to pour into Point-a-
Mousson They were brought in in long
uncovered grain carts, and lying upon hay.
From my window, which overlooked the
street and commanded also view of the
market place, counted more than ninety
of these long carts, each holding, on an
average, about ten men,
1t was strange to se,, them as they passed
amid the files OF the French, unable to con-
ceal the JOY on the one hand of the Pms
sians and the sadness of the French sol
| diels on the other.
But now came the other side of the ac-
| count The streets began to swarm with
| other wagons, with other wounded, the
| wearers OF red trowsers, and now and then
came batch of unwounded prisoners.
At length a carriage arrived with French
| general 1t WAS followed by vast crowd
| of French, and for little time it seemed as
| if there might be collision between the in
| habitants ana the Prussians, so earnest
| were the demonstrations of the populace:
| but it was now evident that the struggle
! was very serious at the front.
| "A
! eighteenth trlmpets for miles around began
to sound. This was the first time we had
been startled by such wild music. Trumpet
answered to trumpet through all the biv-
ouacs around the little city.
For several days previously there had
been troops almost perpetually marching
| through, but now the tramp through every
street and by way, made between midnight
| and dawn, Is perpetual roar.
| Ilr,n int 10 lark
and managed to get seat on a wagon
| going in the direction of the front, which
| was understood to be a mile or two beyond
| the village of GOrzO. some twelve miles from
| Pont t-a-Mousson. On our way We met a
considerable batch Of French prisoners who
| looked upon us with considerable curiosity.
BY the continuous line of German soldiers
with whom we advanced, but only one or
two offensive cries toward the prisoners
| were heard.
The way was so blocked up with wagons
that | finally concluded | could do the re-
! naming six or seven miles on foot better, so
got out of the carriage and began to walk
and run swiftly ahead.
At Monvicht, on the Moselle, about half
way to Metz. / found vast bodies of cavalry
| uhlanS and hussars. crossing the river by a
pontoon bridge and hurrying at the top OF
| their speed toward Gorso.
| Hurying my steps l soon heard the first
! thunder OF the cannonade, seemingly COM
| ing from the heart of q range of hills on the
! right.
Passing through the village and ascend
ing high plain beyond, found myself sud
| denly in q battlefield, strewn, literally. as
| far as my eye could reach. with dead bodies.
In one or two parts of the field companies
| were still burying the dead, chiefly Pruss-
SLAMS. The French were being necessarily
buried last. They were still lying in vast
numbers on the ground, A few of these, l
saw, were not dead rs l hurried on.
A splendid regiment of cavalry came on
| behind and when they reached the brow of
the hill they all broke out with wild hur-
rah and rushed forward
A few more steps and l gained the su m
nit and saw the scene which had evoked
their cry, and seemed to thrill even their
horses. 1t would be difficult to imagine a
grander battlefield.
From the hill to which had been directed
by good authority to come the entire sweep
| of Prussian and French centres could be
seen. and a considerable part of their wing.
The spot whore stood was fearful. 1t
was amid ghastly corpses. and burthened
| with the stencil OF dead horses, OF which
there were great numbers.
| was standing on the battlefield of the
sixteenth, the Prussian part thereof; on the
left stretched on u silver thread, the road
to Eerdun, to Paris, also, for the possession
| of which this series of battles had begun.
1t ran between lines of poplars which
stood against the horizon on my left. and as
far as the eye could reach toward Metz.
with military regularity.
Strung on this road like beads were the
pretty villages, each with its church tower.
which, although they have a separate name,
are only few hundred yards apart Mars
| la-Tour and Flaverny q little south of the
| ln .,r,I f,pay
which is divided into Great and Little GRAY
elotte
On my right were the thickly wooded hills
behind which lies the most important vii
lase OF the neighborhood, the one | have
just left, GOrzo.
Environed thus was the foreground Of
the battle, which should. one would say.
be called the battle of Gravelotte; for 1t
was mainly over and beyond that devoted
town that it ragged. The area have indlca-
ted is perhaps four miles square. ..
Owing to having come on foot rather than
| along the blockaded road | arrived just as
the battle waxed warm; that is, about noon
| Of the eighteenth.
At that time the headquarters of the King
of Prussia were at thespot have described.
The great representative men and soldiers
Of Prussia were standing on the ground
| watching the conflict just begun
Among them recognized the hlng, per
haps Bismarck. General Won Moltlle,
Prince Frederick Charles, Prince Carl,
Prince Adalbert, and Adiutant krauski-
| Lieutenant General Sheridan, Of the United
| States army. was also present.
At this mement the French were making
q most desperate effort to hang on to the
last bit OF the Verdun road-that between
! Rezonville and Grayelotte, or that part OF
| Gravelotte which, on some maps, is called
St. Mascel.