The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-09-09
THE WAR
THE SITUATION
THE RATTLE OF SEDAN.
Surrender of Napoleon and Mcmahon

The following dispatch is from the special
correspondent of the Tribune at the head
quarters OF the King Of Prussia, eight miles
from Sedan, Thursday night;
CATER their defeat on the 30th and 3lst ult.,
! the French retreated en- masse, on Sedan and
/ camped around it From what learned from
French prisoners, of whom as you may imagine
/ there was no lack in our quarter, 1t seems they
believed the road to Mezieres would always be
open to them, and therefore, in case of another
defeat before Sedan, their retreat would be
easily accomplished"
On Wednesday evening, from ) to S o'clock
l was at the headquarters Of the Crown Prince
at Chirnoye village, some thirteen miles from
| Sedan, southwest on the main road. At $50
p. IN. l saw there was great tmOyementamong
the troops encamped all around us, and we
thought at first that the King was riding
through the biyouacs, but soon the Thirty
seventh Regiment came pouring through the
village, their band playing "Die wacht am
Rhine" As they marched along with swing
/ ing stride, l saw at once by the mems faces
that something extraordinary was going on.
1t was soon plain that the troops were in the
| ightest possible marching order All their
| knapsacks were left behind, and they carry
ing nothing but cloaks slung around their
shoulders, except that one or two bon Grants
1
kettles were left behind, cartouche cases
were there hanging heavily in front of
the mems belts, unbalanced as they ought to
be, by knapsacks. Soon learned that the
whole Prussian corps, those lent from Prince
Frederick Charles army; the second army and
the Crown Princes were nlakinga forced march
to the left in the direction of Douchery and
Mezieres, in order to shut in MacMahon's
army in the west, and SO drive them against
1 Il.I-- n
officers of the Crown Princes staff, that at the
same time, while we were watching regiment
after regiment pass through Chemoye the
Saxons and Guards, $4,000 strong, on the Prus-
sian right under Prince Albert of Saxony
marched rapidly to close ON the doomed French
army on the right bank of the Neuse, which
they had crossed at Brimley on Tuesday, in
the direction of La ChapeIle, n small village of
$50 inhabitonts on the road from Sedan to
Bullion in Belgium, and the last village before
crossing the frontier. Anything more splen-
did than the mems bearing would be impossi-
BILE to imagine. l saw men lame III both feet
| hobbling along in the ranks kind comrades
less footsore carrying their needle-guns, Those
who were actually incapable Of putting one
foot before another, had pressed peasants
/ wagons and every conveyance into service and
/ were following i'll the rear to be ready for the
great battle which all felt sure would come off
on the morrow.
The Bavarians, who, it is generally believed,
do not march so well as they fight, were in tile
centre between US at Chemeny and Sedan, en-
camped around the wood of La Moorete,
famous for a great battle in 1910, and one dur
ing the wars of the League.
When had seen the last regiment dash
throngh-for the pace at which they went
cannot really ba called marching in the
ordinary sense-I started about S:l5 in the
evening for Vendress, where 1 hoped to find
houseroom for man and beast, especially the
latter, as being far more important ON the eve
of great battle. When had reached q point
which was within about half q milo of Ven
dress, going at steady trot, sharp "hslt!p
! rang out through the clear air. l brought my
horse to a stand-still, knowing that the Prus-
| sian sentry could not be trifed with AsI
pulled up, thirty yards off / heard the clicks OF
/ their locks, as they brought their weapons IN
l full cock and covered me. Mr. reply being
satisfactory, logged on into Yendress, and
my man aud myself had soon forgotten sem
tinels forced marches and coming battles, one
of us on the straw and the other on the floor
At seven o'clock Thursday morning, my
servant came to wake me, saying the Kings
horses were haTnessed and his majesty would
leave in half an hour for the battlefield; and
as cannondlng had already been heard near
4 i u,
/ wine, cigars &c, and crammed them into my
holster, taking breakfast on the way. Just
| as got to my horse, King William droye out
in an open carriage with four horses for change.
| At out four miles south of Sedan, much against
/ my will, was compelled to stop and allow the
| Kings staff 10 precede me on the road to the
scene of action, where l arrived myself soon
after o'clock. 1t was impossible 10 ride fast,
| all the roads being blocked with artillery, am
1 Ill,
| the crest of 2 hill viii h rises sharply about
600 or 700 feet aboye the little hamlet of
Chevange nestled in grove below A most
glorious panorama burst on my view. As Gen.
/ Forsyth, U. S. a, remarked to mo later in the
day. sit would have been worth coming
merely to see so splendid scene, even with
out the battles and the magnifcently stern
! a---av:"
In the lovely valley below us, from the wall
on which I stood with the King and staff, we
could see not only the whole valley of Meuse,
but also beyond the great woods at Bois de
| Loup and Franchiyal, into Belgium, and as
far as the hilly side of Numson on the other
| side of the frontier Right at our feet lay the
little town OF Sedan, famous for its fortifica-
tions by Vauban, and as the birthplace of
l Turenne, the great Marshal; known also as
| the place where Sedan chairs originated As
we were only about I-2 miles from the town,
We could essily distinguish its principal ediices
| without the aid of field glasses. On the left
| was pretty church,, its gothic spire of sand
stone Offering conspicuous target for Prus-
sian guns had Gen. Molike thought fit to
| lombard the town. To the right. on the SOUTH
/ east of the church, was large barraCk, with
| Notifications Of a citadel behind it; and beyond
this, to the southeast again, was the old chateau
of Sedan, with picturesque round-turreted
| towers Of the sixteenth century, very useless,
even against four FOUNDER Krupp feld-pieces.
This building, 1 believe, is now, the arsenal.
Beyond this was a citadel in the heart of Sedan
on a rising hill above me, Just to the southeast
but completely commanded by hills on both
/ sides of the river, which was in front Of the
citadel. The French had flooded the low
meadows in the valley, before coming to the
railway bridge at Bogielle, in order to stop the
Germans from advancing on the town in that
direction.
With their usual stupidity flor we can find
/ no other word for it) the French had failed to
| mine the bridge at Bazialle, and it was of I'M
mense service to the Prussians throughout the
battle. The Prussians actually threw up earth
works on the iron bridge itself to protect it
from the French, who more than once attempt
ed earlyin the day to storm the bridge, III the
hope of breaking the Bavarian communication
between the right and left banks Of the Meuse.
This they were unable to do, and although
their cannon shot has almost demOralized the
parapat, the bridge itself was never materially
damaged.
On projectingSpurs of the hill, crowded by
the woods OF Lamarifee, of which have al
ready spoken, the Bavarians had posted two