, 1885-07-28
rt.e E paINcg.
re rneo, OF III. Advent Upon ihs Field
Of Battle.


VI ANAA a. ~ aNtNNaN
The first time | ever saw Prince Fred.
rrick Charles was oil the afternoon OF
the battle Of Vars la Tour. About noon
on that bloody day Bazaine out there in
front of the auhcrge of Grayelotte had
hidden adieu TO his master, the emperor,
and had ridden forward on to the great
plain on whose face lie the villages Of
flavigny. \ i~onyille. Mars la Tour, and
Re4onville, to lind that the Prussians
were standing athwart the plateau
blocking the onward march Of his army
toward Nerdun, that indeed hours he
fore Alytnslele en- had hidden Reinbaben
commence the offensive with his Drank
enburger horsemen. For Ave hours a
desperate battle had been raging furi-
ously. Alvensleben had been indeed
true to his duty. With his single army
COPS during those dreadful hours of
lighting and slaughter, he had been
barring the progress OF the whole
French army.
i've and twenty thousand Germans.
out there mostly oil the bare plain, had
given pause to 100, 600 Frenchmen. But
NJ what n cost Alyensleben's two di-
visions, ; tulpnagcls and Buddenbrock's,
bad lost one-third of their strength.
The infantry had been so pressed that
he had leen forced to adopt the terrible
expedicnt of hurling cavalry at the
mulzles of the chassepots. rom Bre-
dow's gallant horsemen he had not
asked too much; they had achieved
their mission; they had pierced line
after line Of French infantry, and had
sabered the gunners of the batteries be-
hind; but they had ridden back into
their positions short by one. hall Of the
strength with which they had com
mencel their heroic charge. The vii
lage of hlavigny was n shamble, its gait
tiers running blood. The plain around
1t was strewn thick with dead and
woun ed. Well might Alyensleben
with anxious eyes sean the verge OF the
plateau for reinforcements; for he was
engaged up to the hilt-not n man
stood in reserve. lie was holding on
grimly, but it was with the g.ip almost
OF despair
At the head OF the rayine up which
the road winds from Core down in the
valley on TO hlavigny up there on
the plateau, ! lay among the brush
wood watching the lurid scene. Sud
denly behind me on the steep ascent Of
the road | heard the clatter of many
troops. \ cayalcade was approaching
at a hard gallop. Out to the front
alone rode a square. shouldered chief
in n red tunic, sitting the big bay with
a firm, cas- seat. His strong. lined
face was intent, yet calm; he spoke over
his shoulder to the man riding on his
flank. IL was Prince Frederick charles
at the heal OF his staf, who had ridden
up from Mont-a Mousson, following his
own maxim of moving direct pom the
cannon thunder. out on to the bare
plateau he rode, among the whistling
bullets and the bursting she Is, and as
If by instinct galloped straight for the
knoll behind tlayigny, where Alvensle-
ten stood in the fire surrounded by
what remained of his staff.
1t was strange, Tut as if by the ad.
vent Of this one man the face of the bat.
tie magically changed. Broken trooI
fell into order and Legun to push for
ward. The batteries massed and con
centrated their fire on points where it
told. Eeinforcements he had ordered as
he had ridden forward came hurrying
on TO the plateau, and joined in the
fight, cheering as they deployed and
opened fire. lie Bout had been press
ing down from the northward and
threatening A~lvenslehen's flank, but
now kratz-k oschlan S battalions were
available TO confront him, and when
they had been too severely punished TO
maintain their position a headlong cav
airy charge crumpled up the head of lie
Bo uf S attack. The sun went down on
a field retrieved for the Germans by the
cool, skillful generalship of Prince Fred
erick Charles. In the twilight he swept
his front clear by the charge of a cav
airy division in line, and then the
wearied soldiers were able to take up
their biyOuacs.