The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-09-30
Misfellaueoas.
The Battle Field of Gravslotts.
Described sy as dwerteas.

tumbled over. We came upon French
man whose head had been knocked OF by
cannon shot. There remained OF Il two
scraps of skin. each as large rs your hand.
on one was his moustache and the end OF
his nose. and on the other patch Of the
hair of his head. Another had been struck
in the centre Of his body and almost cut
In tive. The shoulders were left. the hairy
knapsack and red cap still cliuging to
them, and below the bloody mass his
coarse shoes and white CATERS were visi-
BILE; his face was in the dust. Another
French soldier bad been
DIsENBowELED
by fragment of shell. and the fatal mis-
sile had torn open his pantaloons pocket.
showing large piece of hard bread and
bit Of meat. A tall Prussian, dead, was
at full length on his back. his helmet half
hiding his swollen fsce-the eagle that
adorned il with the legend "For King and
Fatherland," and the buckle Of his hilt
showing In conspicuous letters God with
us.n On the north side OF the road was
n slender little French soldier lying on his
face, his gun In his hands. He had been
killed as he was making ready Ia fire, and
had crouched in the collapse OF death like
n pitiful little animal. A triangular rent
in the band of his red cap told that he
had been shot through the head.
SHOT THROUGH TIE HEAD.
At his side was larger man. through
whose naked head ghastly furrow had
been ploughed. and from il the torn brains
issued. His chassepot was clutched In his
stiff hands. In the same neighborhood
was French colonel. not disigured Mt all
by his death wound. think he had been
struck in the thigh and died from loss OF
blood. He had. il seemed, attempted to
do something to staunch the flow Of blood.
and finding il in vain, had composed him.
self for death.
NEAT CORPSE.
He was rs neat corpse rs YOU ever saw.
His spurs were still on his heels. his KEPT
on his head. his hands by his side. His
clothes had been opened about his breast
by some one in search Of valuables, l sup
pose. and there were articles scattered
about showing that he had been careful
in camp 10 be neat. Among them were
toothbrush and boN Of tooth-powder.
The dust from the Paris road had powder
ell him. His features were not swollen
or distorted. but clear and colorless, and
his friends would have recognized him
quickly rs in life.
BLACK AND SWOLLEN.
How Il happened that in the same
groups Of dead some were hidcously a-
fccted by the sun, black and monstrous.
with details of horror in their appearance
that must not mention. while others
were pale and waxen, every facial outline
delicately preserved. l do not understand.
THE DEAD HORSES.
Some of the most terrible Of the pic
lures of death were among the fallen
horses. There were expressions OF un-
utterablc fear and suffering in their dead
faces. The wide eyes, the expanded nos.
trils. the open lips displaying the full
length OF the teeth. In some of the faces
of these noble animals every hair seemed
TO tell tale of terror. The attitudes OF
these horses in death were rs various and
fascinating in their interest rs those OF the
men. Oh for an artist to have made n
study of them! Here is n grand bay horse
shot through by An exploded shell. his
left shoulder crushed and hole In his
flank half rs large rs the head Of n
-four barrel. Stricken down with his
legs under him and his chin In the dirt,
and there was in his
srARiNG EYES AND sARrLISG GRIN
the suggestion Of n horrid shrek. Here
was another, shot through the head and
prone ON his side. In his struggle he had
torn the clover sod with his feet, and the
bloody froth blown from his nostrils,
spoke of the desperate agony OF his dying
breath. A beautiful young mare, In
whose satin skin and handsome limbs,
and graceful head. tipped with dainty
ears. any horse fancier would have de.
tected the marks of gentle blood, had
clasped her legs, as IL they were human
arms, against her body which had been
shot through. Many were on their hacks,
their legs extended. So numerous were
they that. glancing over the field horses
legs oould DO seen sticking up on all
sides, making display that would have
been grotesque II had not been hideous.
A GROUP FOR A PHOTOGRAPHER.
In the Gravelotte letter I referred to
the seven horses and forty mon dead In a
group. There wasa chance for photo
grapher. If the photographers Of Eu-
rope had half the enterprise they have in
America. some Of them would have been
on the spot. however extreme the trouble
Of getting there. That slaughtered heap
contained soldiers of both armies, and not
rag should have been changed or shit
cd for the purpose of the artist. II was
in its dreadful picturesqucncss complete.
The open caisson. the horses Mt the wheels
DEATu.sMIrrEN AT TIE SANE STROKE,
the rel breeches Of France and the blue
coats Of Prussia piled together. caps and
helmets. knapSscks, swords and bayonets,
muskets and S,brcs. the hammers for
cleaning cannon one Of them broken,
chassepots. needle-guns literally lying
across each other. the ground pitted with
shells, a dozen marks Of them within q
squares rod. black holes where they had
burst. indentious where they had bounced,
deep scrisions where they struck and lay
exploded. counted thirteen Of these In
cluster. and So small was tho space you
could have concealed half of them under
wagon cover.
/ uEArs OF coRrsks.
The little town Of vionville was heap
ed with corpses. The garden walls were
overthrown, the houses shivcrcd with shot.
and one that had been fired In battle was
still burning. Every house had been a
slaughter.housc. The Pr,ssians had re-
moved nearly all their dead. hut the
French corpses were 50 thick that one
would think the battle had been for them
at that point, y massacre. Extending
across the Paris rosd from vionville SOUTH
ward was line on which the French had
stood, their faces toward Paris. How
many miles Of corpscs there were here, IN
a row. revealing the ground on which the
French had made their last stand on the
second day. I do not know. but I Iccrtainly
saw two miles Of them.