Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-11-03
THE CARNAGE 0F WAR
Story of a Survivor of the Bat
 tie of Gravelotte.
INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH.

Down the Charging Troops-A Hand
 to Hand Conflict In the Streets.
 William Guldner, a survivor of the battle of Gravelotte, the most hard fought victory of the Franco -Prussian war. tells in Harper's Magazine how he saw the victory as color bearer of his regiment
 Tt must have been, I think, about 4 o'clock when Colonel von Boehn rode to the head of the regiment. and we all strengthened quick, as on parade. And he said sharp few words, something like. Men, the regiment has good name. and you will give 1t still bet ter one' was in front and could hear part of what he said.
 "The colonel led us to the left, and we crossed railroad track and went through another little white village, and then we faced slope-a long slope with a village on 1t, which the French had made into a fort, and we, cur regiment and others were to cap ture it. and there were many French men and cannon there.
 ''The colonel rode on a horse, he and the majors and the adjutants. Our captains usually rode, too, but this day the captains sent their horses back and went on foot.
 And soon our first men began to fall, for we came under the fire of the chassepot. It was hard. for we could not see the enemy. These first ones were many sharpshooters in ditch, and the noise of their firing was like that of a coffee mill-kr-r-r-r-r-r! They drew of as we went forward. It was only at walk that we went-a steady walk, just as if there were no bullets there.
 And now we would run forward fifty yards and throw ourselves flat, then another fifty yards and the halt and the falling flat, and each time we could see the village that was a for tress nearer.
 And once when we were lying down and saw that the officers were stand- ing, just cool and quiet. it came to me that a man has to pay in such ways to be an officer.
 q saw the colonel fall. He was shot from bis horse and carried back.
 "The first major, he took command, and he galloped to the skirmish line, and he was shot. Then the second major, too, was shot, and he tried to get up, but he could not stand, and he sat on a big stone and shouted: Go on. Go on" And he took a gun from a dead man and fired it.
 eve were ordered to fix bayonets, and that made us glad, but even yet the men carried their rifles on their shoulders as they ran. We were not near enough to charge with bayonets.
 q wish could tell you what it was like as we got near that village of St. Priyat - the noise, the smoke, the flashes, the falling men and only one desire in our hearts.
 "There were three sergeants in the color section, one at each side of me. And first the one at my right was killed. Then the one at my left was shot-eight big bullets in his body from a mitrailleuse-eight! Yet he aft erward got well, while many man died from only one little bullet.
 And at last we went at a bayonet charge, and for the first time there was a cheer, a wild and savage cheer, and we ran on, eager to plunge the bayonets and we could see as we came near the village that the French were firing from behind barricades and gar den walls and from windows.
 And we looked into the wild faces of the French, and they met us hand to hand. An, we climbed over walls and barricades, and we fired and bay oneted, and we fought them in the streets!
 "On and on we went. It was wild time of shooting, bayoneting. wres- ting, clubbing, shouting. On and on, but it was slow work and terrible, for the French fought for every step.
 Il was at the front, for I had the colors There were a few officers still left, and they were shouting and way ing their swords. and other regiments stormed into the village with us, and after awhile-I can't say how long the place was ours.
 "As tell it to you it seems perhaps a simple thing. But when the regi- ment was paraded before the battle began we were more than 2,9OO men and more than fifty officers, and we lost in the fight forty officers and more than a thousand men. Yes, that was the loss of just my regiment alone. It was morderisch, but it was neces- sary.
 Well, it was over. The village was blazing, and many dead man lay in the ruins Some sat unricht dead |