The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-08-26
The battle of GravellOtf>,
From the N, Y, Tribune.1

lrrOm the N. Y. Tribune
1t would be difficult to imagine srander
battle field. From the hill, to which 1 had
been directed by good authority to come, the
entire sweep of the Prussian and French CEN
tres would be seen, and a considerable part Of
their wings. The spot where 1 stood was
fearful. 1t was amid ghastly corpses and bur-
dened with the stencil of dead horses, of which
there was great number. l was standing on
the battle field of the 10th. The Prussians'
side thereof on the left stretched like silver
thread on the road to Verdun and to Paris al
SO, 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 on as far as the eye could reach
toward Metz, with military regularity, and
strung on this road, like beads were the pret-
ty villages, each with its church tower which,
although they had separate names, are really
only few hundred yards apart. Mars la
Tour, Flavgny, a little south of the road, vi
onville, Rezonville, and Gravellotte, which is
didided into Great and Little Gravellotte. On
my right were the thickly wooded hills. be-
hind which lies the most important village of
the neighborhOod, the one had Just left
Gorze. So envroned was the foreground Of
the battle, that it should, one would say 10
called the battle OF Gravellotte, fn--it was
mainly over and beyond thaf devoted town
that it ragged. The arA~I have indicated is
perhaps four miles square.
Owing to bavng come on foot raiher than
along the blocked road, arrived just as the
...-----rIf warm-that is about noon on
the 18th. At that time the headquarters of
the hlng OF Prussia were at the spot 1 have
described: Ihe great representative men ard
soldiers OF Prussia v were standing on the ground
watching the conflict just begun.
al TINS moment the French were making a
most desperate effort to hold on TO the last bit
OF the Verdun rOad-that between Rexon-
vile and Gravellotte, on that part of Crave.
lotte which on some maps is called st. Marcel
desperate but unavailing, for every one man
IN the French ranks had two to copewith. and
their line was already beginning TO wayer.
Soon it was plain that this wing, the French
1IShs liz was withdrawing to new position.
lnls wa. swiftly taken up under cover of
contlnuous fire of their artillery from the
nights beyond the village. The movement
was made in good order, and the position
reached at 11.30 1 believe nine military men
out OF ten would have pronounced il imnreo.
nable. When once this movement had been
effected, the French retreatng from the pres-
ence OF the Prussian artillery, as rspidIy ad-
Yanclng, the battlefield was no longer about
nusheeXXllIe put had been transferred and
pf the two woYard to Gravelotte, the junction
s1ds lne in r"p 'front.' roads to Verd1n. The
covered cover bv the PrussEIdIlage were completely
minabIe lines of soldieTTeserves, and inter-
marching onward, disappearfeire perpetualy
age and emerging on the other $40 the VII
| flaming voleys. with
| The second battlefield was less exte..
| than the first, and brought the opposing fore
into fearfuly close quarters. The popularity
| of it is that it consists of two hients, inter-
sected by a deep ravne. This ravine is over
a hundred feet deep, and at the top some three
hundred yards wide. The side of the chasm
next to Gravellotte, where the PrIssians stood,
is much lower than the other side, which
| gradually ascended to great height. From
their commanding emlnence the French held
their enimies fairly beneath them, and pour
| ing 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 instant's cessation of the
roar. Easily distinguishable amid all was the
curious grunting noise of the mitrailleuse.
The Prussian artillery was posted to the
| north and south of the villa re, the guns OH the
latter side being necessarily raised for an awk-
ward, halt-vertical fire. The French stood
their ground and died, and the Prussians
stood their ground and died, both by him.
dreds-I had almost said by thousands-for
an hour or two, that seemed ages, SO con-
slant was the slaughter The hill where |
stood commanded chiefly the conflict behind
the village to the south of it. The Prussian
reintorcements coming up on their right, filed
out of the Bois des Ognous, aud it was at
that point, as they marched on TO the field,
that one could, perhaps, get the best idea OF
| the magnitude of this invading army now in
the heart of France. There was 10 break
whatever ior four hours 10 the march of mel
out of that wood. 1t seemed almost as if the
killed and wounded revived and came back
and marched forth again.
Birnam wood advancing to Dunsinane hill
was not more ominous sight to Macbeth thar
these men of Gen. Goeben's army to Bazaine
shielded as they were by the woods until fairl,
within range and reach of their eremies guns
So the French must have felt, for between 4
and o'clock they concentrated upon thai
| spot their heaviest fire, massing all available
guns and shelling the woods unremittngly
which covered the Prussans. Their sho
reached the Prussan lines and tore through
them, and though the men were steady. i
was test to which no general cared long Il
subject his troops. They presently swerved ;
little from that line OF advance, and there wa
1 no longer a continuous column OF infantr
pouring out of those woods. The attack o
the Prussians in the centre was clearly cheek
ed. About o'clock, however, another brigade
, | of fresh infantry was again formed IN tn'
wood, and emerged from its cover once ou
from under the trees, they advanced at
: | double quick. g., a., un.,
onns had not lost the range of the wood, no
IF the ground i'm front. Seen at q distance
through powerful glass, the brigade was
huge serpent, bending with the undulation
of the field, but it left dark trace behind i
and the glass resolved the dark track int
falling and dying and dead men. As the ho
rid significance of that path so traced cam
upon me, gazed on more intently. Many
those who had fallen leaped up again and ra
forward little way, striving 10 go on with the
: comrades. OF those who went backward il
| stead of f0ryEard thara tl,aI,a