The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-09-24

believed tney could hold out for five weeks In
the entrenched position they had made. The
Corps demolished their confidence. From the
plateau Of Floing the ground falls toward
the Meuse, but retains It's elevation and
bluff-like formations towards the north,
cut by several deep ravines running generally
north and south. In one Of these hollows,
sweeping In semi-circle towards Sedan, lies
the villages of La Chapelle, Illey, Glonne, &c.
sections formed by ravines conceal the features
of the country from general view. Sedan
itself screens good deal Of the field from the
eye. On the right, towards BeZeilles and over
the road by which the Prince Of Saxony ad-
vaneed. the woods are so thick as to look like
continuous forest.
THE POSITION.
ANY one with good map, (Reyman's Special
Karte will do.) can get an idea of the position
and nature Of the ground by filling the line
from CaZal by Flolng, and so on round By Gi-
vonne to Bazeilles, and he can mark the effect
In cutting up the ground of the two little rivu.
lets which flow into the Meuse east of Sedan.
There we're outposts In the villages towards
Mouzon, but generally the ground held by the
French was included within this semt-clrcular
line. The army Of the Crown Prince Of Saxo,
ny, consisting of three corps and Of the Prus.
sian Guards, came from the east side, and had
to deal with the principal force Of the French.
It was at one time exposed to an offensive
movement, and had to attack positions most
savagely defended, including those which
covered the depots. One division oi
this army was not engaged at all, but
the losses were severe. One battalion
Of the Queens Regiment of the Guards,
the Augusta, lost 90 officers and 500 men. The
Bavarians attacked BaZeilles and the works OF
Sedan. OF the Crown Princes army on the
west only the Filth and Eleventh Corps at
tackled, and all the divisions Of these were not
equally engaged. The Wurtembergers watch
ed Mezieres towards Donchery on the left, GOV.
Vering The bridges. The Sixth Army Corps
was In reserve. Altogether there were about
1000 men engaged and in reserve on the
attacking force at the very least, and If we
take McMahon to have had 1l0, 900, and count
the prisoners and capitulated $4,000 of, there
remains 10000 to be accounted for as killed
or wounded. The disparity In force was, how
ever, more than compensated by the position
held by the French as long as 1t was not bulged
in or contracted; but as soon as they allowed
their line to be forced they were exposed to 6
converging fire from the semi-circle closing in
from east and west and north, and put In des
perate straits. Then there only remained the
back one or other army, and their efforts were
directed to repulse the Crown Prince Of Saxo
ny, with the result known by this time to al
the world. The Prussian guns were
AS SUPERIOR IN NUMBER AS IN POWER;
in fact, If Marshal Mcmahon could, he ought
to have evaded an encounter with such force,
and would have done go. But what men call
fate was upon his track. The genius of Prus.
sia, in the heads OF two men, was, humanity
speaking, Irresistible. The Emperor and his
army were hunted down, fenced in, brought
to battle, and overwhelmed in vast ruin, o.
which mankind will speak and read as long as
history endures.
THE PRISONERS.
Beyond the town, strange scene presented
ITSELF In the large fields near the railway sta
tion, there was body OF French prisoners
unwounded. fenced In by line Of Wurtem
and were of several different regiments
comprising all arms, drawn up as II in military
order to receive rations, their officers taking
down their names and calling out their num-
bers. They were remarkably fine body oi
men, taking them all in all. Many were toe
young-mere boys-but even in their depres-
sion, after night of cold. after day Of terri
Bile trial, they had that military as distinguish
from warlike air which Is characteristic OIL
the race.
A CONTRAST TO THE sLoUcHIEG, sHAaBLING
look of the men who were guarding them.
Turcos and zouaves, lancers, Chasseurs
d'Arrque,. hussars, culrassers, artillerymen,
chasseurs and line were there In ranks, many
lying down, others fast asleep.Iet US nope,
happy In their dreams, poor wretches They
had nearly all their great coats and cloaks;
but the miserable thr0ng looked as gay as a
flower garden, owing to the variety of kepis,
turbans and shakos. Further on lay great
spoil of the Prussian proper-a quadrangle
filed with on army without arms-as many
men as we can show royalty on q field-day at
Aldershott-probably twelve thousand men-
such a spectacle have never seen yet in my
life. There seemed to be whole oattallons ( Of y
them-fve hundred and six hundred OF single
regiments. It Is very unwise in civilian to
speak with prisoners Of war If he has not ari-
thority to do 80. Sentries are very jealous on
that score, so Icould not make inquiries. The
men were passive aud quiet-no movement,
no voices in the multitude. Outside, here and
there, like sheep seeking to regain the flock,
were wounded men lmping In twos, as If tor
company sake, quite free, as their captors
knew that man wounded Is too sensible to
fee from his only chance OF cure and care and
food. Streaming along the road, there was
almost procession Of such objects, now Prus-
SLAMS, now French, and now Prussian and
Frenchman together, with shattered hands or
lImping gait, or horrid face wounds. 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. 1
saw 1t winding for three or tour 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, l came upon dead horses,
and then remembered the dust, the firing OF
the PrussIan infantry, and the wild confusion
OF what l thought was a rush of runaway
s:eeds. And so 1t was, but the riders lay
further on-cuirassiers and lancers, who had
either attempted to cut their way through
OF had fallen in pursuit Of the Prusr
slams. I regret to say that the sheets
sent from the field contained my notes
of the times OF the occurrences observed, as
I cannot 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 We're gathering, lay dead men-
all French. But there were pickel haubes and
needle-guns lying about also, and multitudes
of cowhide knapsacks. After most Irritating
ride, getting over useless ground, got into
the village, which lies directly under the Gill;
like side If the plateau. From the south side
there Is steep, stony lane, continuation OF
it winding up north to 1t again. The side Is IN
places scraped for patches OF vines and vegeta-
bles, fenced with stone walls, and enclosures
round small cabins. Floing was full Of wound:
ed men. The white flag and red cross floated
oil round; but it needed not that to tell there
were victims OF the fight here, for pale faces
and bandaged limbs were at every doorway
and window. The place was almost impassa'
BILE, owing 10 wreck of arms, chassepots,
needle-glDa, helmets, swords, accoutrcments
bayonets, knapsacks, Uttered all over win
and there wagons and commissarlat carts, am
munition boxes, tumbrils-things that hao