The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-12-09
sion was perfect We were transported in spirit
to the camping ground before Graveiotte. The
JOY was real and the tears undIsgulsed.

BEFORE THE BATTLE-
But to the play. There can scarcely be said to
be any regular plot. 1t presents two coenate
pictures OF the war; two canoes OF German his
tory The first being camp scene OF company
I, 10th regiment OF fusiliers, Hohcnzoern, on the
evening before the battle Of Gravelotte. The
characters present are:
Ludwig Won Ehrenfeld. Captain 40.h
Regiment, Hohenzollern.. ..:.........k. K. Helsser
Gottiicb Schulzc. Sergeant, 4oth Rea!-
m1nG HohenZ0lern. 4 .............R N. lSSeTteI
August kutschke. Fusller, 10th Reg-
ment, Hohenzo!lern ......:. IL Jaeeer
Fusiller. :......'....r A. Meene.
Chpyauleger, Bavarian soldier ...P. SChuckmanR
Rneman, Bavarian soldier. Il. Muller
Saxon Rihemau. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS berGuauI
Iurco s.S;.c vrsn1;sro mrs pIe0ge
Soldiers OF different arms ol the service,
Chorus OF the Saugeround)
While the picture here Is mere fancy sketch,
it Is founded in all Its leading incidents upon
actual fact; the events narrated being taken from
the newspapers Of the day. from reports OF bat
ties, &C. The very words Of the reports are some
times used The soldiers present on the scene are
engaged in free and pleasant social intercourse, IN
singing and 10 telling OF dangers past, trials and
prlvations; OF the frequent long marches and
occasional short ratious. The group Is highly
picturesque the soldiers Of the several branches
OF the service, and OF the different parts OF Ger
many-Bavarians Saxoas, Prussians, &c.-all
wearing the uniforms belonging to their several
corps. -FOUR German friends Of the Freundschafts-
bund have gone TO great trouble to present t
even the minutest appointments in perfect!on.l
The piece Is brimful OF humor, due sometimes to
the subject under consideration, to some anecdot C
or ludicrous incident; OF when the original and
highly amusing Kutschke improvises in his dog
gerel verso But there is yet another source OF
humor, which never fails to divert German au-
dience, and that Is the life-like reproduction Of
the different leading dialects (patots) OF Germsny
and In this the author, we think, has made de-
cided hit.
The captain, o fine, spirited young nobeman,
brave as lion and gentle as woman, is the
only officer left OF the seventh company Of the
fortieth regiment above mentioned. His COM
pany were ordered to storm the Spcheren heights
near Saarbrucken, and were met with so murder-
ous fire from the French mitrailleurs, that the
captain ordered retreat. This order the COM
pany refused to obey. On they rushed, and at
last seized the French battery on the height, but
only one officer and thirty men remained out OF
company OF over hundred strong. This deed Of
daring Is the theme of conversation among the
soldiers but the captain ls In no luood to be pre-
sent even, and witness the high spirits Of
his brave soldiers this evening. he has
presentlment that his end Is at hand; that he
will fall In the coming battle. DO what he will,
he caunot divest himself OF this feeling which
has taken complete possession Of him. he is
young, wealthy, Of noble birth, an only son, and
betro.hed to woman fully his equal and worthy
Of him. He had much 20 live for, and his regret
at the thought Of leaving 1t oil Is pardonaole, aud
In nowise conflicts with his patriotism. Much as
he loves le and oil there Is OF promise In his JOY
ous career he lays down his life a willing sacr-
nce on the altar Of his country. The Vtudndfere
tells him, privately that his betrothed Is In an
adjoining village with the (Protestant) Sisters Of
Mercy, from Kaiserswerth. He laments that he
win not be able to see her again before the Bate
near though sheis.
Much merrimeat Is caused by the introduction
Of 4 Turco captured by the Bavarians. The Turco
poor fellow, after all turns out to be no real
Turco, nor oven genuine Frenchman, but only
runaway German hostler, badly demoralized.
The song and hiliarity OF the company
Ia brought to sudden end by the blast OF
the trumpet The soldiers disperse, each Joining
his command, knowing that In few minutes
they are to march, and in all probability enter the
line Of battle.
AFTER THE BATTLE
The dran.attS persone Of the second part
"After the Batte'-are the same as in the hrst,
with the addition OF the following:
Marie Won Hochheim, betr0thcd ofthe Captain.
Miss Boesch.
Two Hyenas Of the Battlefield. d............::...
rOtto Muller and Charles S!eglng.
T!me-Nght Of the battle Of Grayelotte.
The act opens with dialogue between two
hyenas OF the battlefield; the first, hardened
almost beyond description; the second, equally
greedy for plumber, but not yet so callous. The
antecedents of the first narrated In the course OF
this scene, are entirely in accord with his present
revolving occupation. his father was the cap
tain OF band Of robbers; he was nursed IN crime
from infancy, was the sport OF adverse fates, and
ut last unwittngly killed his own son, while en-.
gagged in killing and robbing the wounded upon
the battlefield. After that he continued his
nendish work from pure love OF carnage, with
out reference to the gain it brought him. He
loved the callipg-it was klng-hke. He could
kill hundreds ana thousands with impunlty. Un.
moved by the groans Of the dying, they proceed
with their lanterns to their deeds OF darkness.
These hyenas, it should be observed, In order to
avoid DETECTION, wore the robes OF the Order Of
ST. John-the merclrul brotherhood engaged in
relieving the wounded on the Neld.
The scene shifts, and we have before US cur
rt!ends OF the camp Of the previous evening but
in sadder mood The noble young o1lcer lies
there mortally wounded, his faithful sergeant
bending over him, comforting him, and minister
ing to his wants. The sergeant's wife-the vt
uandiere-a good and faithful soul, has hurried
OF, dark night though it is, through that field of
blood to call the young betrothed OF the captain.
The soldiers talk over the events OF the day, when
presently they see at intervals the CLEANS Of
lantern. They at once suspect the presence Of
the hyenas, and several go or In search OF these
monsters Soon after shots are heard from that
direction. The captain talks to his sergeant,
sending messages Of love, TIL his strength fails.
and he sinks down, apparently dead. soon after,
however, when his beloved Marie arrives with the
vivandiere, and the young girl, in heart-broken
accents, laments her dear lost Ludwig, he re.
wives, comforts her, and after again declaring
how willing, how gladly he dies in the glorious
cause, and for the unity Of his FatheIland, his
spirit takes Its flight.
The curtain falls, and then reopcns upon o
beautiful tabeau composed Of three figures: Ger
mania In the centre, War on the one hand, and