The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1871-02-09
VOL. XII.

u
/ of Bougival, which lies close to the
Seine. Between this and Garches
which is situated on the other side O
4 this tongue of land, and also near the
river, the sloping plain is dotted by
woods, which extend for a considerable
distance back towards Vaucresson;
I in these woods the Prussians
stood TO meet the French onset The
onset was made in curious but plucky
way down the slope: before the skir.
misbers came two field pieces and g
mitrai lleuse; these dashed at gallop,
bump, bump, over every obstacle: then
with a quickness that did their drill
great credit, the horses turned the
muzzle of the guns towards the enemy,
and the gunners pounded away into the
woods to their hearts content 1t was
hard work, however, for the Prussians
stand like walls even when without
cover, and are particularly stubborn
when under protection of woods OF
houses. The rattle of musketry was
incessant; it was like continuous
volley, the smoke of which seemed to
emerge from everything around. The
French troops posted on the hill, I'M
der the Valenen guns, never moved an
inch the whole day, but kept firing in
cessant volleys at the Prussians, posted
to the right of Bougival. The artillery
seemed also to be doing its work, for
ever and anon the rattle of the volleys
was drowned by the awful boom of the
heavy fort guns while throughout the
internal music ran the newest battle
sound-I mean the horrible rata tat
tat-tat of the mitrailleuse. Simple as
the sound may look on paper, there is
something horrible about it; some
thing quite distinct from the noise
made by any other weapon.
A FEARFUL SCENE.
now came to little clearing in the
wood. Just as stepped into the open
a gust of wind blew out my lantern. l
had no matches. 1 crept cautiously
along, but it was pitch dark, and [
could not see an inch before me- I had
not gone many yards when l stumbled
over a body; spoke, there was no an
swer; put my hand over the face, it
was cold; got up, and again l STUN
bled over a second body. l felt for
matches in dead mans pocket; to my
delight | found a pipe, and of course
matches. l lighted my candle Iii the
lantern, and then holding it above my
head / surveyed the scene before me-
To my dying day [ shall never forget
it; stretched out like a fan, with their
feet towards common centre, lay eight
men near the middle of the clearing ::
between them and the side of the wood
| had Just emerged from, were the two
corpses | had stumbled over. and in
this little space five others lay dead
also 1 was Mortified; fifteen dead
men, and I the only living person
near them; oh how dreadful was that
silence. l shivered from head to foot
Just as 1 was lowering my lantern,
after viewing this CHASTITY spectacle,
one of the supposed dead in the center
moved; it brought my scattered senses
back again. [ went to the wounded
man he had received frightful scalp
wound, and looked, from his face being
covered with blood, almost unearthly :;
his eyes rolled in their sockets | felt
for fracture but could find none. |
spoke to him; he answered. l asked
him why he did not go away; he point
ed to his knee; L ripped the trouser
open, his kneecap had been completely
blown away. | dressed his wounds,
took the great coat from the knapsack
of dead man lying near, and wrapped
him in it, for he was shivering with the
cold. AS | was leaving, he SAID, "Ah,
that was fearful bad shell we are
only half of what it hurt, the rest have
crawled away" OF the sever others,
six were stone dead. The Mont Vale
rien shell had indeed done its work :;
the other still lived, but how? I will
not harrow your feelings Iy answering
the question; his lips were blue; he
murmured, Wasser, wasser;" l
handed him my flask. |
knew nothing could be done for
him. At that moment | saw a CLEAN
of light coming towards me through
the trees. Two krankentragers, or
sick carriers, stopped in the wood to
pick up a wounded man. l went to
them, and told them of the men in the
clearing, and they promised to return
at once. [ now thought my work was
done, and making my way towards the
road leading to Garches, [ came to
what seemed to be field; many lights
were fitting about, and wounded men
were being carried to the village. l
saw light stationary at a spot not far
distant, and coul. hear the thud. thud
of pickaxe. l knew what that meant,
and turned away; helmets and KNAPP
sacks We're lying about in all directions.
| then passed some vineyards, where
there had been very heavy fighting.
From the amount of debris all the
wounded seemed to have been taken
away, but many dead lay about. 1 had
now almost got into the road, when out
of the darkness l heard a low call for
water; [ hastened to the spot, and in a
ditch l found man lying on his back,
breathing heavily. l gave him some
water, then set about finding out where
his wound was. His shirt was hot, wet
and red. / tore it open; in doing so
knocked my lantern over. AS /
relighted it 1 saw the mans
face; it was CHASTITY pale, and
death was there, but l knew it, and ut
tered a cry of horror. 1t was the land
wehr officer had seen that morning in
all the vigor of manly health, and now,
only ten hours afterwards, was to find
him dying. 1 plugged the great hole
in his chest lightly with charple mois-
tened with water, took a Frenchman's
great coat and wrapped him in 1t, and
left him there to seek couple of kran-
kentragers. l was away about twenty
or twenty-five minutes: Ia my horror
when [ returned with the men. the
handsome lieutenant was dead, and his
coat and waistcoat we're gone. looked
round, then ran down the road for five
minutes towards Garches to catch the
rohber who, if he had done nothing
worse, had robbed the dead, but
PpTrl1 see no ono I rafur1,a5. the fxr1