Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-02-13

THz Fa-scH az SEDAN.
Archibald Forbo.. War Correspondent.
Draw. % Picture Of the Battle.
Mover was fortune kinder 20 any
director oi a. great war dian she wa-
20 Won MoIisl Ia 1870 Spite Of the
Significant warning Of Sldowa 10
srcmcd almost asst IN later years the
uecond empire, as regarding is army,
had hpOn deliberately "r.diug- fall. a"
With tho melancholy exposure OF
iis military degadcncc all the world
h. familiar Whom Marshal Nicl On
Joined the defensive as tho compile
mrut Of tho cho,supot. he throttlod
the traditional elan OF the soldiers Of
France. Her army, dcacientin every
thing save innate courage. lacked
most Of all competent leadership. and
the assumption of tho chicf com.
maul ly the emperor made the Ger.
mans a present OF the ISSUE before a
shot was hrrd.
Tie campaign bcguu fortune
seemed 90 shower her iayors ua
Maltkc. Il appeared as Il the very
stars in their courrs fought In his
favor IN essential feature Of hi7
plan was 90 push for the cucmy's
capital naza.uc helped him in this
10y b1t,ling himself up in Metz Mac.
Mahon yielded hiu the fair way by
moving out oil his path.
10 sn true saying that nothing sue
Goods like success and its converse Is
not lca true thltuuthns lliis like
failure Bus the eyewitness ot the
FuuroGcswuu war must be- pur
blind or warped. who dare aver tina.
the old spirit had faded ont Of Che
army ON which had shoue The sun %!
Austeriitz. aud which had stormcd
the MallliOg with rush.
No: tho poor, mscommaudel be
wildcrod, haEssol. ovegmutched,
outnmnbercd soldiers In tho blue
kepis ngd rcd breaches fought on with
n royal valur that ever commanded
rtspsct and admiration. The sad.
noble story OF uniailiug devotion is
to be told Of tic French regular army
from the dtst battle to the ending ut
Sedan.
With swelling heart and wet owes
| looked down on the final scene OF
the awful tragedy. The picture rises
now before me Of that terrible after
noon. The Bteu ring of German fire
ever rucucling with stronger glip
that plateau on which stood, hud
died, the frcnchmon In tho sham.
bles; the storm OF shell fro that tore
lanes through the dansc masses, all
exposed there 20 its pitiloss blasts;
the vchcmCnt yet impqtcnt protests
against the inevitable in the shape Of
furious sOrdcs now q hcadloug
charge Of Mrgccritte's cuirg8,pis.
laundering IN glittcring, steel clad
splouior down the slope Of Illy with
an impetus that scented resistless
till tho lro Of the German infantry.
mon smote tho Fquadrous fair in the
face and strcwod the swad with
dead and dying now the frantic
gallyp 10 their iatO Of regiment Of
light hors9men un their iron gray
stations, up 10 the very muzzles OF
the needle guns which tho German
lincsmeu held with 80 unwayering
stegdlnCls; now q passionate out.
burst Of rcd tr1usercd loot soldiers
darting agBlnN Il chance zap i'm the
tightening environment, too surely
TO bc crushed by the ruthless flank.
ing fire,
No scmblance of order there. no
token Of leadership; simply hell, in
the heart OF which writhod an iude.
sciihablo mass Of brave men. with
no thought hut Of fighting it out To
tho bitter end lshuddor as write
AZ the recollection OF that ghastly
fields horrors on the day after the
battle.
Tho shell fire hurled ON the exposed
French MASSES had been so close and
30 incosalnt that numbers had been
torn or blown into fragments.
Tho ground was still slippery with
blood, and in the hollows lay little
puddles 70 look at which mado one
faint.
Yet this fell experience did not
deaden in the soldiers OF the French
army the passion 20 keep on fighting.
Napoloons ono wise act was his dis
playing the white flag ON the aftor
noon of Sedan But with what fury
tho soldiers oxccrated him and hi
conduct Archibald Forbes in Nine
tocth Century.
A curious instance OF one poison
killing another Is rnnort.d frnu,