The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-07-19
terry, and the white shakOs of their advanced
cavalry piekets.

RECoSNOITEgING.
Knowing my friends would soon be on the
move, / walked back through the village to
meet them. l had not long to wait, for as
scanned the edge of the forest soon saw one
| or two dark objects, which / made out to be
| horsemen, moving out of the shadow of the
trees into the fields. while simultaneously q
| group of a dozen or more appeared on the high
| way. They moved slowly forward little way,
and then halted. One or two tTottcd of TO
| little eninences, stopped for moment, and
then returned to the squad still standing in the
road. Then one horseman detached himself
| from the group and came gallOping toward NE,
while the others moved slowly along at a walk
! those whom l had seen emerging from the
woods into the fields, and whose line had since
| been heightened by the arrival of others, keep
| ing pace with them.
l watched the rider as he came up the road
/ his half-Arab horse moving with easy strides.
| As they approached, the gailop subsidized into a
| trot, and the man, rising in his stirups, peered
| over the hedges into the yards and orchards at
| his Sides and / knew him for one of the SOL
| dlers of troop of chasseurs-a-cheyal, the Off
GERS of which had been most kind and polite in
| their behavior toward me.
| Then small body of the enemy's cavalry
| trotted out from behind little farmhouse
| The soldier wheeled his horse, and giving it
the spurs, dashed off to rejoin his comrades,
| who had evidently also perceived the others
| back toward some squads of infantry that had
| also debouched from the woods These latter
| formed a line of skirInishers ON the run and
advanced across the fields until within about
a thousand feet of the enemy's troopers, who,
not waiting to receive their fire. turned their
horses, and slowly disappeared behind the
| town.
Again the ehasseurs advanced, at first eau
tiously and then more boldly, until they
| reached the first houses, where the young lieu
tenant in command halted his troops and sent
half a dozen of his men seurrying round the
edges of the town on both sides They re-
| turned in minute or two, reporting the place
| evidently unOccupied and the way clear.
| Meanwhile we heard desuIt0ry firing over on
our right and beyond our position so pushed
up the main street and out on the road to the
point where had first seen the enemy's line.
My friends the chaSseuTs had not arrived mo-
| ment too soon, Tor not hundred yards from US,
| crossing wide field of turnips. we saw num-
| Der OF the enemy'S infantry advancing as skir-
mishers, with the evident intention of occupy
| ing q row of hedges and earthen walls which
skirted the road, and from there delay the
progress OF our troops through the town. Our
Infantry, however, were right ON our heels,
and, quickly seizing the hedges, at once opened
fire. The enemy replied sharply but fell back
| toward their main line taking position about
halfway between it and Us, and in front of
large farm surrounded by high walls and deep
bitches.
THE BATTLE OPENS.
The firing on our right had gradually in
creased. and developed into a sharp skirmish
fire. We could see the enemy's first line of
skirmishers slowly falling back, kneeling to
load and deliver their fire, and then retreating
a short distance to repeat the same maneuvre.
As the houses masked the view of the approach
OF our troops, l made my way toward our right
by road that ran along the edgeof the grounds
OF line old chateau, the inmates of which,
/ ladies, children, and all, were perched on the
walls of the garden enjoying the novel sight.
From hill near by l had a full view of the
field of battle To my rear and almost at my
feet lay the town, with the highway stretching
back southwark into the country, while to my
right were open fields, crossed here and there
by roads and dotted with clumps of trees and
detached farms In front, and little to my
left, We're the lines of the enemy and the large
farm just mentioned, and which, ! could now
see, was filed with troops, lining the walls in
side and lying in the bitches Wherever there
was gate Or an opening they had thrown up
breastworks or dug rihe-pits to protect them
selves, and | could see the white caps shining
in the sunlight as the owners peered over the
little mounds of fresh earth.
The plain on my right was covered by our
troops infantry and artillery, all advancing by
different roads, and beginning 10 extend their
lines across the fields. 1 saw our skirmishers
hill on which | stood, and which was also occu-
pied by the staff.
As the masses of infantry began to show
themselves from behind the houses OF the town.
heavy distant boom, followed quickly by
another and another, showed that they had
been perceived BY the enemy, as his artillery
opened on them. But our men were not long
in replying, and the earth shook as three six
gun batteries came rushing up the hill. The
drivers cracking their whips as they leaned
forward urging on their powerful horses
straining and pulling the heavy wheels
sank In the soft earth, the officers waving
their Sabers and shouting their commands,
bugles sounding, the scarlet guidOns flying in
the midst of the clouds OF dust the glints of
light on the shining tires of the wheels, the
rush of air as these, the most terrible engines of
modern warfare, went tearing past me, presented
a most stirring and exciting episode. They
reached the top of the HILL unlimbered and
went into battery, and quick as thought, al
most before the guns touched the ground, the
thunder of their answer burst forth. Through
the thick, steam-like powder smoke that now
enYelOped the whole mass / could see the
figures of the cannoneers working ike shadOwy
demons, and now and then the silhouette of a
gun as it was run forward after the reeOil to
again burst out IN angry fire, blazing like
lightning IN the sulphurOus vapOr.
THE FINAL DASH.
Our skirmishes crossed the road and directed
their fire on the defenders of the farm. At first
these replied slowly, but the supporting lines
of our troops coming up, continuous discharge
of small-arms was opened on them, and the
walls and ditches the rife-pits, seemed to be
ablaze. Heavier and heavier grew the fire
from our side as line after line moved forward,
increasing the number of the attacking force
until the fields in front Of the farm were alive
with men, Kneeling to fire, and taking ad-
vantage of every little break in the ground,
every heap of earth, every tree and bush, they
had finally pushed up close 10 the farm, when
their bugles sounded a charge, and rushing
forward with shout, they swarmed over the
bitches and walls and crowded into the inclOs-
ure, the enemys soldiers as rapidly retreating,
but keeping up sharp fire as they pursued
their way toward their main line.
Here, so far, all had been quiet, save from
the batteries on their left and only the white
caps of their strong skirmish line, dotting the
rising ground in front of the villages, we've TO
be seen, their main body being hid by the
houses and trees.
At this moment the artillery over on their
right opened fire, as cur left wing. that had
been forming under cover of the town, showed
itself the plain. Sharp skirmishing fol-
lowed, increasing in volume as it rolled toward
our right, blazing out from the farm just
taken, and flashing all along the enemys
line as our whole force began to advance, pre-
ceded by lines of Skirmishers and bristling with
fringe of spouting fame and smoke. The