Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-08-25
THE BATTLE OF GRAvELOTTE.
Graphic Description By an Eye w,tue..
One Of the Greatest Battles Of Modern Tines.


correspondent, who witnessed the battle Al
headquarters, and stood by the side Of Bismarck
and hing William. lie says:
TIKI RATTLE FIELD.
4 ~ would be dific1t % imagine q grRnder
battle field. Prom the hiu 60 which had been
sweep Of the Prussi.n and French centers coaid
! ~ seen, end considerable part OF their winr,s
ana ~, s.r where ! stood was fcArfal. Il vas
| .sa tnsstN corI,ses, and the air was bur,lened
Win the stencil OF dead horses, OF which TIER,
hst,letaeiS ~ IN sa, Was standing on The
os ~ ,sa 0i IN .ne .oth.the PruSsias siae the-e
the road 20 Nerdun-to Psris1 80 set ss thread
session OF which THIS series Of battles had h.,
| ~ vas between the lines OF pOplnrs
| stood against the horizon on ms a.. al sn'en
FAR as the eve coald reach, toward Met s,,,S -
| military regularity, strung on this road lie
| beads, were the pretty villages. each with t,s
church tower, all OF which are really aniv
| hundred yards apart, although they Ia se xena-
| rate names-Aars-La-ro Tour, Flavisny, "a Etiie
| south OF the road.l Nionville. Rezonvile and
| Grayelotte, which Is divided into ,sraaf anJ
| Little Grsvelotte. On nv right were the
| thickiy-woodei hills behind when lies ths nosf
important village OF the neghhorlOod which \
had just left-tiorze. SO euytropeg w. ,hs
foreground OF the battle. which Shoald one
would say, be called the battle OF Grayelo'te,
| Tor u was mainly over sud around that devoted
| little town that it ragged. The area have md
Gated s perhaps four miles Sauare.
SPECTATORS or TIE RATTLE
~ sIrived shn.. Just A. the battle waNed warn
l 4
sentative men Of Prussia soldiers All -,
s Iuen, were standing on the ground WATCHING the
IiSo tSe KinJ Juss begun; Among them I recognized
ts ~ nIns D.Suarck, Gen. Won Moltke Prlnoe
srederlck Charles, Prince Carl, Prinee aasI
oert, and Adiutant krsnski lien. fssr Ss
V1e ehlted states army, was also pres
ent. AT the moment the French were making
mc.. d-.perste euor, q hold on to the lsst blt
:: The Ncrdnn r"e1 that between EsE6nyiiis
and Gravelotte, or that part OF Grayelotte which
in some maps is called ST. Marcel.
TWO PRUssIANs TO ONE FRESCHNAN.
The struggle was desperate but unavailing,
| for every one man in the French army had two
/ 10 cope with, and thcir line was ALREADY begin
ing TO waver. Soon il was plain that this wing.
! the French right. was Withdrawing 70 a new 10,
! siiion. This was sw iftly taken up under cover
of continuous fie of their artillery fnom the
! Nights beyond the village. Whence once this
movement had been effected, the French re-
/ treating from the pressure OF the Prnssian ar
| tillery fire, and the PrusSians a rapidly ad-
vancng. the battlefield was no longer about
4 forward to Gravelotte, the junction Of the two
| branching roads 20 Nerdun.
| This second battle neld was less extensive
than the first, and brought the opposing forces
| into fearfuliy close quarters. The pecuhsrity
of IL is that consists of two heights, iutersected
by deep ravine. This woody rsyine is over 100
| feet deep and at the ter some 800 wards wide.
4 The side of the chssm next 20 GrsvelOtte,
| where the Prussisns stood, is much lower than
the other side, which gradually ascends 70
FEARFUL sLArGHrxR.
From their commanding eminence the French
held their enemies fairly under them, and
! poured upon them scorching fire. The French
guns were In position far uP by the Metz road,
| hidden and covered among the trees. There
| was not an instants cessation Of the roar.
| Easily distinguished amid all was the curious
\ grunting roll Of the Mitrsllleuse. The Prusslan
| artillery was posted 10 the north and south OF
the village, the guns on the latter side being
| necessarily raised for an awkward half vertical
| tire. The French stood their ground and died
| the Prussians stood their ground and died-both
by hundreds, ] had almost said thousands.
| This for an hour or two that seemed ages, 80
constant was the slaughter. The hill where
stood commanded chiefly the conflict behind
the village and TO the south of it.
Il PRCssfAN REINFoRCENENTs.
The Prussian reinforcements. coming up on
| their right, filed out Of the BOis dee Ognons;
and II was at that point as they marched on 70
the held that one could perhaps get the best
idea of the magnitude Of this Invading army
now in the heart Of France. There was no
nfesk ~. wns.eyer ~ ior Tour hours IN the march OF
all the killed and wounded revived aai cam
| back and marched forth again. Brnam Wood
advancing TO Dunsinahe Hill was not a more
| ominous sight 70 Macbeth than these mea OF
| General Goeben's army 10 Bazaine, shielded as
| they were by the woods till they were fairly
within range and reach OF their enemies guns.
So the French must have felt; for, between
and D O'Clock, they concentrated upOn that spot
their heaviest hre, massing all available guns,
and shelling the woods unremittingiy. Their
hre reached the Prussisn lines and tore through
| them; and though the men were steady. il was
test TO which no General cares 70 subject ms
troops long They presently swerved a little
longer continuous column OF infantry pouring
| out Of those woods.
THE PRUssIAss RECEIVE A CHECK
| The attack Of the Prussaus in the center was
| clearly checked. About O'Clock. however. a
| brigade OF fresh infantry was again formed in
| the wood and emerged from it, cover. Once out
| from under the trees, they advanced at double
| quick. 1 watched their movement The French
guns had not lost the range Of the wood. nor OF
nrIrasla inf
| powerful glass. the brigade wa a huge ser
| pent bending with the undulation OF the field.
| but 1t left dark track behind IL, and the glass
resolved the dark track into falling and dying
TIMELY ARRIVAL or srEISNErz.
Ihe French line on the hills still un-
\ broken, and TO all appearances they were
| having the best of the battle. But rh : appear.
ance was due, perhaps, 20 the fact that the
| French ~ere more clearly visible in their broai
| height, and fsatiDg with such singular obs,ina-
cy. They plainly r.lenced a Prassi4n battery
| now and then. But the Prussian Iine also was
| strengthened by degrees on this northern point
iom FAR io IN tse rea ssaS Sese Brought up; and md
| direction Of Nerneyille, shot and shell began
reaching the French ranks. These were the
there and then effected his junction with the
army OF Prince Frederick Charles, ana COM
| pleted the investment OF Metz TO the nth west
| With reinfOrcements for the Prussians thus con-
tinually arriving on both sides Of the field, the
battle grew more and more obstinate.
THE FRRNCH oUTFLANKDK.
\ Steinmetz WAS allie 20 extend his line grad
| ually further and further until the French were
| outHanked and began TO be threatened a IL ap-
| peared with an attack on the rear of their es-
RENE right wing. I know not how Tong the
| French held out, nor at what precise mSment
| the Prussians onset became irresistible. What
| saw was this:-The puffs Of smoke from the
| French guns mingled with the flashes brighten
ing as the darkness increased, receded gradual
| ly. The pillars OF cloud and flame from the
| north as gradually and steadily approached.
| With the advance the French fire every momsut
| grew more slack. IL was not far from o clock
| when the ground was yielded finally on the
| north, and the last shots rred on that terrible
| evening were heard In that direction.
4 KING WILLIAM AND BISMARCK.
| But to 90 back now TO the movements of the
King and those with him at headq uarters. The
King face, rs he stood gazing upon the battle
ned, had something almost plaintive in it. He
hardly said Q word, but noticed that his atten-
| ton was divided between the exciting scenes I'm
the distance and the dismal scene nearer his
feet, where they were Just beginning what must
yet be long task-to bury the French who tell
| In Tuesdays battle. On them he gaEed silently,
| and, thought, sadly.
Count Bismarck could not conceal his excite
ment and anxiety. III it bad not been for the