Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-10
AT TIE BATTLE OF GRAvELoTTe.
The Famous aff-shcridan-One of tn
worldts Grapdest Scenes

The Famous Observation-Disclosures of the
Worlds Grandest Scenes.
Drawing nigh, we saw the famous staff
around the king and Moltke. They had
halted on the way from Rezonville to Grave
lotte, at q point from which could be OBJ
served the movements of the right wing Of
the German army, and there they remained
three hours Bismarck was reclining on q
blanket doubled and thrown on the dusty
ground, where there were remnants of stalks
of clover He had French knapsack made
of calfskin with the hair on for pillow, and
his head was sheltered by a strip of French
tent, held by two wooden spikes His att
tude was that Of detection as well as weari-
ness The king wore very long light blue
overcoat and his helmet, and was erect and
alert. A cOored servant was in charge OF
his carriage, The three carriages belonged
respectively to the king, Bismarck and
Moltke.
Standing near the king, his feet wide apart
and holding field glass TO his eyes, was
| Gen. Philip f. Sheridan, who was Bismarcks
| guest, and had ridden to the field in the car
riage Of the chancellor. The old uniform Of
/
worn bv the German leaders, who had been
| in the field but three weeks, and had not en-
countered many rain and dust storms. The
hour was twenty minutes after IL, and the
sounds of battle began tothicken and deepen.
The scattering shots of the skirmishers vera
lost in the roar of firing by regiments, and
the tremendous German artillery began to
play like some sublime orchestra. There
stains about, and penetrating, sour smell
came from them Between two swollen mon
sters located my cherished chair, and, tax
ing the only preserved seat at that stupen
douS performance, ad justed my field glass ant
was soon absorbed IN one Of the grandes
scenes that mortal ever gazed upon.
1t occurred TO me at the moment that NJ
descriptive language could be better thai
that employed by Henry J. Raymond il
writing of the battle Of Solferino He saiC
that two storm clouds seemed 10 have de
scended TO the earth, and to be pouring thei
lightnings and thunderings into each other
The masses of pearly white gunpowder smok
here pillars of feecy snow rising to tn
skies, and there whirling abysses of vapor
vibrating as if electrifed-were dark
streaked by burning villages, and the SIX
over the French lines where the iron rain Q
the German artillery fell, was spotted wit
J the tiny clouds pulled by the explodin
shells
could sec the galloping of horsemen beal
ing orders through the fiery mist-the surgin
march Of the troops, block after block of tn
blue divisions Of Germany crowding to th
left-the sparkle of steel and of the helmet
like flashes of starlight on raging sea-tt
) long darts of fire from the breech loadin
cannon of the Germans, which were eac
discharged at times almost as fast as GOV
1 boy fires his revolver-I could discern I'll
| French positions for near three miles outline
3 by Pickering fire, and pillows of smoke thi
seemed tn swell from series of Niagara
: and heard the awful uproar comprehension
1 thousand stunning shocks, rising at tim
P to a majesty that was beyond all faculty
Q measurement, and reminded one of a tral
y scendent burst of music-but there was not
t ing in all the wonderful pyrotechnics ar
l monstrous clamor to tell how the battle W,
o going. Murat Halstead in The Century.