The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1873-05-09

Ni0h'a w HaNTNt " ~"
the two banks of the Marne, the scanty
and dusty turf. trampled down by the !
feet Of soldiers, soiled by old plaster
work and ruins, seems even after two
years unable to regain its former fresh /
ness. Here and there in the soil are
holes half yard deep, the graves of lost
sentinels ; then felled trees whose dead
trunks penetrate the earth. Tho walls
of the gardens and houses hastily repair
ed show by their marks the places Of
slaughter, and these great white squares
dot the dark background. Bullets have
shivered the lattice, and broken down
the fencing. The eye is saddened by the
spectacle, and now we see coming heavy
wagons loaded with material; at the
turn of the road some painters, while
singing, are re-establishing the sign Of
cabaret; near by is heard the grinding of
the iron upon the stone, and the hammer
Of the workman repairing the bridge Of
Bry. Every spot of the country has
now its legends. Here it was that Hoff
did his fighting and made himself IA
nous here, only short distance from
Paris, in these gardens and these inclos-
ures, he was to engage in that war of
stratagem and ambuscade, the details Of
which remind us Of the romances of Fen
more Cooper. and seemed to have been
borrowed from the life Of the prairies.
At the beginning Of the investment of
Paris, our troops, it is well known, did
not go beyond the line Of forts, and the
enemy had advanced far beyond the linn
It's which il was to preserve at later
day. On the 9TH Of March the enemy
was posted in front of Nincennes, but
did not occupy Nogent. During the
night the Prussian scouts pushed their
reconnoissances as far as the village, and
as.they passed along at full gallop they
saw by the light of the moon their fly
ing shadows profled upon the walls.
Eager to come to blows, HoH applied to
his commander. Having with great diff
ilculty obtained the proper authority, he
gathered a band Of fifteen daring men,
set out at night-fall, and, moving around
the village, hid himself and men in
trench running parallel with the Marine,
in front Of the first houses of Bry. They
lay here in waiting, with ready guns,
four long hours. Suddenly n detach-
ment of cavalry was seen issuing from
Petit-Bry, coming down the tow-path
from the street leading from the mayor
atty towards the river. They were at
least three hundred in number, uncon-
oernedly smoking aud chatting, the
cigars OF the officers glowing in the dark
ness. Now was Hoti''s time. Alta given
signal, the fifteen guns we're lowered and
broadside Of bullets was showered into
the ranks of the detachment Caught
in this narrow space between the river
and the walls of the neighboring inclos-
ures, the Germans could neither advance
nor retreat. The frenzied horses were
rearing, men were falling, the whole
squadron was in confusion, and our men
continued firing upon them all the while.
II was scene of indcscribable confusion.
At last some bodies of infantry issued
from the houses of Bry, and began to
reply to our men, while at the same time
few shots were fired from the left.
Fearing flank movement, Hoff ordered
retreat. himself being the last to leave.
The next morning at daylight the Prus-
slams, as usual, carefully carried oli-their
dead and wounded; but fifty horses were
left scattered over the ground.
In retreating, Hoff had observed care
fully the place upon our side of the
river whence came the shots fired at him
in the skirmish. lie concluded that this
must be one of the enemy's outposts.
He was right, for under shelter of the
bridge there had been established a picket
of four men, and every morning the re-
lief crossed the Marne in boat The
Sergeant determined 10 make sure of
this thing. Que evening, this time all
alone, he directed his course towards the
Marne, and, half creeping, half walk
ing, at last reached it without having
been heard. Leaning against pile OF
stones, a Bayarian was acting sentinel.
lie was looking with a melancholy air at
the water rolling by, and was doubtless
dreaming Of his native land Hoil
threw himself upon him and Glove his
skull with one blow of his saber then,
perceiying a sentinel standing ON the left
bank, at the other extremity Of the
bridge, he raised his gun and brought
him to the ground. A German ran up,
fired at the Sergeant and missed him,
and fell in his turn, struck by ball
from the sergeant's gun. ID did not re-
quire ten minutes for all this 10 tanspire.
This fight HOif calls his first Prussian
battle.
Such debvt meritod certain privileges.