The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-08-26
Splendid and Full Description by an
Eyewitness of the Battle Of Grave
l0tte-Gr rand scene s-Immense
&lnuUhsar
10 the New York Tribune.
THE BATTLEFIELD.

| the entire sweep OF the PruSSian anu len.h
centres could be seen, and conslderapie
stood was fearful. 1t was amid ghastly
corpSeS, and the air was burdened WIN Inc
stencil of dead horses, of which there were
great numbers. / was standing on inc
battle field of the 1Gth-the Prusslan slde
thereof. On the left stretched ike SILVER
thread the road to Nerdun-to Paris also
for the possession of which TINS Sc
ries of battles had begun. 1t was
between the lines of popars when
stood against the horizon on my lelt am,
on. as far as the eye could reach, toward
| Metz. with military regularity, strung on
this road like beads, were the pretty VII
lagos, each with its church tower, al OF
| which are really only hundred yards apart,
although they have separate names-Mars-
La-Tour. Flayigny-a little south OF the
road, Vionville, Rezonville, and Gravelotte,
which is divided into Great and Little
Gravelotte. On my right were the thickly-
wooded hills behind which lies the most I'M
portant village of the neighborhood which
had just left-Gorze. SO environed W.,
the foreground of the battle, which should,
one would say, he called the battle of Grave
lotte, for it was mainly over and around
that devoted little town that it ragged. The
area l have indicated is perhaps four miles
square.
! SPECTATORS OF THE BATTLE.
| | arrived lust as the battle waXed warm.
1t was about noon of the 18th. The head
quarters of the King Of Prussia were then
ut the spot which | have described. The
great representative men OF Prussia, sol
! diers and statesmen, were standing on the
ground watching the conflict just begun.
Among them I recognized the King, Bis
marck, General Won Moltke, Prince Frede-
rick Charles, Prince Carl, Prince Adalbert,
and Adilllant Kranski. Lieutenant-General
Sheridan, of the United States army, was
also present. At the moment the French
! were making most desperate effort to hold
on to the last bit of the Verdun road-that
between Rczonville and Gravelotte, or that
part of Gravelotte which in some maps is
called St. Marcel. The struggle was despe-
rate. but unayailing, for every one man in
the French army had two to cope with, and
their line was already beginning 10 WAIVER.
Soon it was plain that this wing Ohe French
right was withdrawing TO a new position.
This was swiftly taken up under cover of
4 continuous fire Of their artillery from the
heights beyond the village. The movement
was made in good order, and the position,
which was reached at / O'Clock and thirty
minutes, would, believe, have been pro-
nounced impregnable by nine out OF ten
military men. When once this movement
| had been effected, the French retreatlng
| from the pressure of the Prussau artillery
| tire, and the Prussians as rapidly advancing,
| the battlefield was no longer about ResOn-
Vile, but had been transferred and pushed
| forward to Gravelotte, the junction of the
| tWo branching roads to Nerdlln. The fields
in front of that village were completely
| covered by the PruSsian reserves, and in
terminable lines Of soldiers we're steadily
marching onward, disappearing into the
village and emerging OH the other side OF
it with fla ming yolleys.
| THIS SECOND BATTLEFIELD
was less extensive than the first, and
| brought the opposing forces into fearflllly
close quarters. The peculiarly Of it is that
It consists Of two heights, interSected by 4
| deeprayine. This woody ravine is over 100
| Get deep, and at the top some 800 yards wide.
| The side of the chasm next to Gravclottc,
| where the Prussians stood, is much lower
| than the other side, which gradually ascends
| 10 great height. From their commanding
| cminence the French held their enemies
fairly beneath them, and poured upon
| them scorching fire. The French guns
| We're in position far up by the Metz road,
| hidden and covered among the trees. There
was not an inStant's cessation Of the roar.
| Easily distinguishable amid all was the GU
rious granting roll of the mitrailleuse. me
Prussian artillery was posteH TO Tue o mo tbo
| md south OF the village, the guns on tne
latter side being necessarily raised for an
! awkward half vertical fire.
THE CARNAGE.
The French stood their ground and died
the Prussians stood their ground and died
10th by hundreds had almost said thou
| sands. This for an hour or two that seemed
ages, so constant was the slaughter. The
hill where / stood commanded chiefly the
conflict behind the village and to the south
of it. The Prussian achievements coming
up on their right, filed ont Of the Bots de:
Ognons, and it was at that point as they
mai ched on to the field that one could per-
maps get the best idea of the magnitude o.
' his invading army now in the heart q
France. There was no break whatever
loE four hours in the march Of men Out
Of that wood. 1t seemed almost al
If all the killed and wounded re-
, vived and came back and marched forth
, again. Birnam Wood advancing t
IDunsinane Hill was not a more omi
= nous sight to Macbeth than these men O
! General Goeben's army to Bazaine, shielded
|. as they were by the woods till they were
p fairly within range and reach Of their enc
mics guns. SO the French must have felt
.or between 4 and 5 O'Clock they concentra
ted upon that spot their heaviest fire, mass
2 ing all available guns and Smelling the woods
, unremittingly. Their fire reached the Prus
, sian lines and tore through them, anC
: though the men We're steady, it was tes
to which no general cares to subject hi
troops long. They presently swerved ,
little from that line Of advance, and there
was no longer contiguous column of in
, antry pouring out Of those woods.
:, THE PRuss1ANs RECEIVE A CHECK.
The attack Of the rrussians in the centr,
was clearly checked. About 5 O'Clock, how
: ever, brigade of fresh infantry was agar
] formed in the wood and emerged from it
: | cover. Once out from under the trees, the,
| advanced at double-quick. watched thei
: movement. The French guns had not los
S | the range Of the wood, nor Of the ground i,
D front. Seen at distance, through pow
, arful glass, the brigade was huge serpen
: | bending with the undulation Of the field
| But it left a dark track behind it, and tn
class resolved the dark track into lfaliin
and dying and dead men. AS the horri
G significance of, that path, so traced, cam
8 upon me, ] gaZed on more intently.
, Many of those who had fallen leaped u
again, and ran forward a little way. striyin
, still to go on with their comrades. Of thos
: who went backward. instead of forwar
sthere were few, though many fell as the
painfully endeavorcd to follow the advance
do not know whether, after the val
effort Of that brigade. another movement
was attempted from within the wood. Blu
half On hour atterward great numbers G
ttroops began to march over the hill wher
was standing, and moved forward towar
; the field where so hard struggle had bee
so long protracted. These also were,
think. q portion of General Goeben's troops
l trha hod haor, dirapfp1 IlnOD 81 less danppl