Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-09-05
THE GREAT BATTLE AT SEDAN.
Graphic Account OF the Terrible Contest.

the King of Prussia, eight miles from Sedan,
Thursday night, September 1:
The PrusSians Taking Their Position
After their defeats on the 3Oth and 3ist ult
the French retreated en- mdsSe on Sedan and en-
camped around it. on the evening OF Wednes-
day from TO O'Clock, L was at the Crown
Princes headquarters at Chemery village, some
thirteen miles from Sedan, to the south south
We st on the main road AT half-past We saw
I'll at there was a great movement among the
troops encamped all around us. Soon L learned
that n whole PrussIan corps, those lent from
Prince Frederick Charles second army and the
Grow Prince, were making forced march to
the left, in the direction OF Dopchery and
MeZieres in order to shut in Marshal Nc Mahons
army in the west, and SO drive them against the
Belgium frontier. / learned from officers of the
Crown Princes staff that at the same time
while we were watching regiment after regi-
ment pass through Chemery, the SaNoDs and
Guards, eighty thousand strong on the Prussian
right. under Prince Albert of Saxony, were also
marching rapidly to close on the doomed French
army on the right bank OF the Meuse, which
they crossed at Eemilly on Tuesday, the 30th,
in the direction of La Chapelle, a small village
of $50 inhabitants on the road from Sedan to
Bouilon, in Belgium. and the last village be-
fore crossing the frontier.
The Battle Field.
When L had seen the last regiment dash
through for the pace at which they went can
really not be called marching in the ordinary
evening, for Vendresse, where the Kings head
quarters were. At O'Clock Thursday morning
my servant came to awake me. Just as got TO
my horse eKingWilliam drove outin an open carri-
with four horses for Chevauge, about three ard
a-half miles south of Sedan. Much against nv
will, / was compelled to allow the Kings staff
where L arrived myself soon after O'Clock. 1t
was impossible to ride fast, all the roads being
blocked with artillery, ammunition wagons,
ambnlarces, etc. Is rode on to the crest of
the hill which rises sharply about GOO or 200 feet
above the little hamlet of Chevauge, nestled in
grove below, most glorious panorama burst
on my view. As General FOrsythe, of the United
States army, remarked to me later in the day, IL
would have been worth coming merely to see so
splendid scene, without "battles magnificent
stern array" In the lonely valley below us.
from the knoll which stood with the King anu
staff, We cou'd see not only the whole valley Of
the Meuse, but also beyond the great woods,
Bois de Loup, and Franchural, into Belgium,
and as far as the hilly forest of Numo, on the
other side ofthe frontier Right at our feet Law
the little town Of Sedan, famous for its fOrtifca
II ipns by Vanban. and as the birthplace OF Tu-
renne, the great Marshal
French Blunders.
The French had flooded the low meadows in
the valley before coming to the railway bridge
at BaZeille, IN order to stop the Germans from
advancing Oh the town in that direction. With
their usual stupidity, for one can find no other
word for it, the French had failed tosmine the
bI idge at BaZeille, and it was OF immense ser
vice to the PrusSians throughout the battle.
the iron bridge itself to protect it from the
French, who more than once attempted early
in the dav to storm the bridge i'm the hope of
breaking the Bayarians' communication be-
tween the right and lett banks of the Meuse.
This they were unable to do, and although their
cannon shot had almost demolished the parapet,
the bridge itself was never materially dana sed.
On the projecting spurs of the hill, crowned by
the woods OF La Marfee, of which / have
already spoken, the Bayarians had posted
two batteries of six FOUNDER rifled breach
loading steel knipp guns, which kept
up duellO until the very end of the d2v
with the siege guns OF Sedan across the Meuse.
Still further to the right flank, or rather to the
east, for our line was a circular one. crescent
az first. with Sedan in the center, like a star on
the Turkish standard was Az unGu!ating plain
before the village of BaZeillc, terminating about
a mile and half from Sedan. At the woods
near Rubecourt, midway, that is to say, in a
line from BaZeille north, there is a ravine,
watered by a tiny brook, which was the scene
OF the most desperate struggle and of the most
frightful slaughter OF the whole ba lie. on the
north, behind the town, rises a hill dotted with
cottages and fruit.laden orchards, and crowned
to the valley OF which i have just spoken Be-
tween this wood and the town were several
French camps, their white shelter tents stand
ing out clear among the dark fruit trees. In
these camps one could see throughout the day
huge masses of troops which were never used.
Even during the height OF battle they stood as
idle as FItz John Porter at the second battle OF
Bull Run. We imagined that they must have
been undisciplined Gardes Mobile, whom the
French generals dared not bring out against
their enemy. To the Prussian left, and near
tutsc FRENCH camps, separated from them by
wooded ravine, was a long bare hill some
thing like one Of the hills on Long Island.
This hill, on which was some OF the
hardest fighting OF the day, formed one OF
the keys Of the position OF the French army
When once Its crest was covered with Prussian
artillery the whole town Of Sedan was completely
at the mercy OF the Prussian guns, as they were
not only above the town, but the town was
almost within musket range Of them. Still fur
ther to the left lay the village of Ily set on fire
early in the day by French shells. South OF this
hias R by the
object. Right above the railway bridge, on the
line TO Mezieres, was the wooded hill crowned
by the new and most hideOus chateau, as he
calls it, of one Monsieur Pave. 1t was here the
Crown Prince and his staff stood during the
day, having a rather more extensive but less
central view, and therefore less desirable than
ouIs, wher stood the King, Count Bismarck,
Won Room, the war minister; Gen. Moltke Gen
erals Sheridan and FOrsythe, to say nothing of
your correspondent.
The French Surrounded.
Having thus endeavored TO give some faint
idea OF the scene OF what is in all probability
the decisive battle OF the war, 1 will next give
an account of the position of the different corps
at the commencement Of the action, promising
that all movements were OF the simplest posi-
bic nature, the object OF the Prdssian generals
being merely to close the crescent Of troops
with which they began into circle, by effect
ing junction between the Saxon corps on
their right and the Prussiap corps on their left.
This action took place SCOUT noon, near the
little village Of Olley, on Bazeille ravine, be-
hind Sedan, of which have already spoken.
Once their terrible circle formed and we'll SOL
dered together, 1t grew smaller and smaller,
until at last the Notifications of Sedan itself
were entered. On the extreme right were the
Sax0ns, one corps d'armee, with King Williams
guard; also, a corps d'armee in reserve behind
them. The guards and Saxons, then about
20 900 strong, were all day on the right bank
or the Meuse, between Rubecourt and La
Chapelle, at which later village Prince Albert,
of Saxony, who was in command Of two corps
which have been formed into little extra army
by themselves, passed the night Of Thursday.
The ground from Rubecourt to the Meuse was
occupied by the LIST Bavarian Corps. The 2d
Barian Corps extended their front from near
the Bazeille railway bridge to a point on the
high road from DoncherIy to Sedan, not far
from the little village of Torcey. Below the hill
on which the Crown Prince was placed the
ground from Torcey to lily, through the large
village Of Flourig, was held by the 1st and Sd
Prusean Corr ,, belonging to Prince Frederick
Charles, and temporarily attached to the army
Of the Crown Prince. This was the position Of
the troops about 8 O'Clock on Thursday morn
ing, September 1, and no great advance took
place until later than that, for the artillery at
nr.t had al the work to do. Still further to the
lett, near DoDcherry, were 20, eco Wurtemburg-
ers, ready TO cut offthe French from Mezieres
In cas- of their making a push for hat f,rtraS,