Morning journal and courier., 1885-06-30

Archibald Forbes Gives His Impress
 siOns of the Red Prince.

Archibald Forbes Gives His Impress
 siOns of the Red Prince.
 From the London Daily News.l
 Were I called on to define Prince Freder- iek Charles in two words I should style him a disciplined thunderbolt The first time I ever saw Prince Frederick Charles was on the afternoon of the battle of Mars la Tour. About noon on that bloody day Bazaine out there in front of the auberge of Gravelotte had bidden adieu to his master, the emperor, aud had ridden forward to the great plain on whose face lie the villages of Flavigny, Vionville. Mars la Tour and RezonvilIe, to find that the Prussians were standing ath- wart the plateau blocking the outward march of his army toward Verdun; that, indeed, hours before Alvensleben had bidden Rein haben commence the offensive with his Brandenburger horsemen. For five hours desperate battle had been raging furious1y. Alvensleben had been indeed true to his duty. With his single army corps during those dreadful hours of fighting and slaugh- ter he had been barring the progress of the whole French army. Five and twenty thou sand Germans, out there mostly on the bare plain, had given pause to hundred thou sand Frenchmen. But at what cost! Al vensleben's two divisions, Stulpnagel's, and Buddenbrock's had lost one-third of their strength. The infantry had been pressed that he had been forced to adopt the terrible expedient of hurling cavalry at the muzzles of the chassepot. From Bredows gallant horssmen he had not asked too much. They had achieved their mission; they had pierced line after line of French infantry, and had sabred the gunners of the batteries behind; but they had ridden back into their position short by one-half of the strength with which they had commenced their heroic charge The village of Flavigny was a shambles, it's gutters running blood. The plain around it strewn thick with dead and wounded. Well might Alvensleben, with anxious eyes, scan the verge of the plateau for reinforce ments, for he was engaged up to the hilt- not a man stood in reserve He was holding on grimly, but it was with the grip almost of despair.
 At the head of the ravine up which the road winds from Gorze down in the valley on to Flavigny up there on the plateau, I lay among the brushwood watching the lurid scene. Suddenly behind me on the steep as- cent of the road I heard the chatter of many troops. A cavalcade was approaching at hand gallop. Out to the front alone rode square-shouldered chief in red tunic, sit ting his big bay with firm, easy seat. His strong-lined face was intent, yet calm; he spoke over his shoulder to the man riding on his flank. It was Prince Frederick Charles, at the head of his staff, who had ridden up from Pont-a- -Mousson, following his own maxim of moving direct upon the cannon thunder. Out on to the bare plateau he rode, among the whistling bullets and the burst ing shells, and as if by instinct galloped straight for the knoll behind Flavigny, where Alvensleben stood in the fire surround ed by what remained of his staff. It was strange, but, as if by the advent of this one man, the face of the battle magically changed. Broken troops fell into order and began to ,lD concentrated their fire points where it told. Endorsements he had ordered as he had ridden forward came hurrying on the plateau and joined in the fight, cheering as they deployed and opened fire. Le Boeuf had been pressing down from the northward and threatening Avenslebens flank; but now Kraatz-Koschlan's battalions were available to confront him, and when they had been too severely punished to maintain their po- sition headlong cavalry charge crumpled up the head of Le Bsuf's attack. The sun went down on field retrieved for the Ger mans by the cool, skillful generalship of Prince Frederick Charles. In the twilight he swept his front clear by the charge of a cav alry division in line, and then the wearied soldiers were able to take up their bivouacs
 I saw the prince that night ride into Gorge, where his quarters were for the night. The little place was a pandemonium. Only in the center of the narrow street was there c1ear InorouSAlafe. A.OuS the house IronCs were ranged double row of wounded men, lying there on the rugged pavement. The blaze of torches, as the surgeons and the krankentrager moved about, shed lurid light on a scene of singular yet awful pie turesqueness. As the prince rode along the poor wounded fellows recognized their chief, and feeble cheer ran along the lines of the maimed The stern soldier was moved. To right and to left he threw his words of kind ly commiseration and encouragement. He told his ''kinder'' that the day had been won by the Prussian arms, and bade them be of good cheer for they had done their duty as 0ood soTdiers of inc Fathar1aDd