The union Democrat., 1870-09-24

the French. who, in spite of all efforts. were
soon obliged to retire again into the town.
/, was the last incident of the battle-the last
struggle.
"While this took place at the Porte de Bal
an the Prussian shelling went on, and the
shells began TO fall into the hotel. Shocking
scenes followed. A boy. the son of a trades
man round the corner of the street. came in
crying and asking for a surgeon saying bis
fathers leg had been shot off. woman IN
front Of the house met the same fate The
doctor went 20 the tradesman found him dead,
and returning attempted to carry the woman
to an ambulance. lie had scarcely made a
step when she was shot dead in his arms.
Those of Us who stand in the gateway and
witness such scenes have got beyond any feel.
ing of personal lear. Any of US. will ven
tnre to saw, would have given his life to spare
France this dreadful dav. Yet we stand pale
and shuddering ut the sight of the fate which
befalls the poor people Of the town--Civilans
and even the jaded soldiers. as helpless as
they. | pass over details. care not Il
dwell on horrors which. nevertheless | shall
never he able to forget. | could mention
more than one have ofieer who did not fear
1 to shrink from the sight of what bad become
u mere.massacre. Those who were safely out
OF the way as prisoners, whether officers or
men. need not lie pi,tied. When after time
il became clear that there was no signs OF la
zaine the hopes of the French again depart
ed. A sullen sort of fight still went on. TIL
guns Of the toxn answered tho Prussians.
An Aid-de-Camp of the Emperor went by or.
foot, and heard him ask the officers near
hy to help him 10 put out the fire such heing
the Emperor's wish. As length the white
flag was raised on the citadel. The cannon
ade ceased suddenly at about half-past four.
Eager as we were to know the cause, we can
not leave the house for the street is im?assi-
! BILE, and we shall have to he content with
learning the mere fact. of surrender. As
night grew on the crowd little diminished.
and by some effort it was possible 10 make
ones wGv about town. The spectacle il Of
! fered few hours before was more horrible
than ever. The dead were lying everywhere,
civilians and soldiers mingled in the same
slaughter. In one suburb counted more
than fifty bodies of peasants and Bourgeois. u
few women among them and one child. The
ground was strewn with spiinters of slels.
Starving soldiers were cutting dead horses to
cook ard eat, for provisions had again failed,
as everything has failed since this campai- IN
has began. was glad to get awny from the
scene of orr disaste. and lose their memory
in a few hours sleep.
"The next day we were told that the En-
peror had gone TO the Kings headquarters to
treat for surrender. At III o'clnck his house
hold and carriages left town, and we knew he
was q prisoner, and the Emperor more.
About the same hour was posted in the steets
a proclamation from General Wimpffen, say
ing that, Notwithstanding prodigies OF cour-
age, the army, having no more ammunition,
found itself unable to respond to the summons
of it's chiefs and 10 force its way to Mount
meady. shat. heing surrounded, he had made
the best conditicns he could-ccnditions such
as would irflict no humiliation on the army.
/ These conditions prove to be the surrender Of
the whole army, NOT less than n hundred
| tho usand men prisoners of war, with ell
their arms, baggage. horses, standards and
guns. The ptficers who sign an agreement
not to fight against Prussia during the war,
NAV return To their homes, The remainder tn
be sent 10 garrison towns in Germany. Ma
ny officers refuse to sign preferring to share
the captivity cf their men. On Saturday.
the whole force laid down their arms. Not a
few soldiers, in their rage broke, rather than
give up their arms, and the streets were lit
tered with fragments of all kinds Of weapons,
broken swords, rifles, pistols, helmets, cuir-
asses, and even mtralleuses covered the
grouud, and in one place, where the Meuse
runs through the town. the hears Of such
| fragments choked the stream and rose along
the surface. The mud of the streets was
black with gnnpowder The horses bad been
ried to houses and gun-carriages, but nobody
remen bered to feed or water them, ard in the
frenzy of hunger and thirst they broke loose
and run wild through the town. Whoever
liked might have a horse.-even officers hors-
! ss, which were private property,-fnr the
trouble of catching them. When the Prus-
slams came into the town they were very sore
and angry at the sight of all this destruction
and waste What mnst have pleased them
still less was the state in hch they found the
military. As soon as surrender was resolved
on tie French officers were :old to make out
The best accounts they could, present them
Immediately. and receive rayment. Natu-
rally the statements thus brought IN soon
proved sufficient to empty the Treasury. /
know of officers who demanded. and received
M 7ment for horses that were not killed, and
baggage which had not been lost. Demorali-
cation showed itself in every way. Even
standards were burned or hured-an act Of
bad faith not to be paAiafed even by the grief
and rage of beaten army. Their rage ia
greater against no one thar General De Fail
ly. He had room in the hotel where was
staying on Friday. A great multitude OF sol
diers gathered before the bouse. the doors of
which were closed, demanding General lie
Taillv, with such shouts and menaces, that
the landlord thought it prudent to hurry him
OUT at n back window. The soldiers, could
they have reached him.. would have torn him
TO pieces. Since my return 10 London. |
found il stated that he was shot hv one of his
own men, bus no such event had happened on
Saturday. and could not we'll happen later
! It was a relief on Saturday when the Prus-
slams came and occupied the town and restor-
ed order. am sorry to have 10 acknow ledge
that all through the campaign the French
acted much more ike conquering army in
q hostile conntrv than the Prussians. All
the annovanre that have experienced per-
sona''v came from nv own eoontrvmen. from
the peasants, above all. who saw n spy in ev-
ery stranger When.I fell into the hands OF
the Prussians. / found them courtesy itself.
~ wrote the last Of this letter in London.
On leaving Sedan. ard thence to the frontier.
IN passing through Prussian posts, / was
stnnped. hfd but to say was a correspon.
dent of an American journal and was at once
sent kindly forward. On the back Of my