Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-12-14
A BLOODY FIELD.
Decisive Battle Ground Of the Franco
German War.

German War.
The battles fought near Metz In
the FIanco-German war Of 1901
were really the decisive struggles of
that great contest, for by them the
French forces were demOralized and
the roads saading to Paris were opened
to the enemy. Three great battles
were fought here-August IA, Is, and
Is, 1870. In the first, five German
brigades fought against i've French
divisions, leaving on the field OF COM
bat 5, 900 men, including 222 officers.
The French loss was 3,6O8 men, in
GLIDING 200 officers. The greater
battle Of Mars-la-Tour took place on
the 10th. The fighting was terrific
throughout. the loss on both sides
being very heavy. The German loss
was 10, 100 men, including I'll Of
fcers; the French loss was 17,OO7
men, ins3uding $40 officers AS the
result of this battle the French I'M
der Bazaine retired to Gravelotte vii
lage, and here on the 18th the Ger
mans attacked them. There were
400, 900 men engaged, the German
army numbering 23O. 900 men and the
French 10000. From this bloody
field the Germans hurled the French
into the city of Metz which subse-
quently capitulated, but the French
defeat was accomplished at enormous
sacrifice. Over 10000 Germans lay
dead on the field and of this number
900 were officers In one brief half
hour the Prussian guard lost 3O7 Of
ticers and 8. 900 men.
Murat Halstead, who was present
on the field, calls the scene the grand
est that mortal ever gazed upon. It
occurred to me at the moment, he
writes, that no descriptive language
could be better than that employed
by Henry J. Raymond in writing of
the battle of Solrerino He said that
two storm clouds seemed to have de-
scended to the earth, and to be pouring
their lightnings and thunderings into
each other. The masses of pearly
white gunpowder smoke-here pillars
OF fleecy snow rising to the skies, and
there whirling abysses of vapor, vi
brating as il electrified were darkly
streaked bv burning villages, and the
sky over the French lines where the
iron rain of the German artillery fell
was spotted with the tiny clouds
pulled by the exploding shells. l
cou d see the galloping of horsemen
bearing orders through the fiery mist
the surging march of the troops,
block after block of the blue divisions
OF Germany crowding to the left-the
sparkle OF steel and of the helmets,
like flashes of starlight on raging
seattle long darts of fire from the
breech-loading cannon of the Ger
MANS which were each discharged at
times almost as fast as COW boy fires
his revolver could discern the
French positions for near three miles
outlined by Pickering fire, and pillows
OF smoke that seemed to swell from
series OF Niagaras: and l heard the
awful uproar cOmprehending a thou
sand stunning shocks. rising at times
to a majesty that was beyond all
faculty of measurements and reminded
one of transcendant burst of music
but there was nothing in all the
wonderful pyrotechnics and monstrous
clamOr to tell how the battle was
going.
The French front was near six
miles long, beginning at a turn of
high ground beyond deep ravlne
east of Gravelotte, and extending to
St. Privat and Doncourt, with several
stone houses and villages. notably
Amanvilliers and Mosku, for points
of support The German plan was
as simple as swinging gate. 1t was
to hold the French firmly along their !
position and then crush their right |
flank. This task was assigned to the
guards. The French were placed
very much as to selection of ground as
the English were at Waterloo, though
covering five times the space, behind
what might be termed crest. a
wrinkle in the ample plain with a
long, easy slope in 'front.' giving their
Chassepot rifles-a better weapon than |
that OF the German-a broad, clear |
sweep
At three points the lmpetuosity of
the Germans carried them too fast |
and exposed them to murderous re.
ception. Steinmetz thought the |
French Welding on their left, which
was really invulncrable. and rushed
his masses of brave men to hopeless
He suffered Tor this the
stern displeasure of the King and
from history. The Sax
ons, mile and half farther north,
were premature and endured shock
ing losses, holding their costly gains
Of bloody ground, but making no
serious impressions. The Prussian
too, carrying out the flank
ing movement in the northern por-
tiOD of the field. were cut down in
thousands, their slain literally cover
ing the fields This massacre of the
flower Of the German army was the
most memorable incident OF the day
and the valor of the French at st.
Privat is one of the comforts of their
broken country Upon that portion
Of the held which l could see, the
French, though hard pressed, held
their lines unflinchingly until night,
and defended them when it grew dark
with bursts OF fire that played along
The low duSkv RIDGE like summer