The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-12-16
THE CARNAGE OF WAR
Story of a Survivor of the Bat
tie of GraveIotte.
INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH.
An Advance Under Fire From Behind
Barbados That Literally Moved
Down the Charging Troops-A Hand
to Hand Conflict In the Streets.

William Guldner, Il 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:
1T must have been, l think, about i
O'clock when Colonel Won Boehn rode |
to the head of the regiment, and we all
Strengthened quick, as on parade. And
be said sharp Il few words. something
like, Men. the regiment has a good
name, and you will give it a still bet
ter one l was in front and could hear
part of what he said.
The colonel led us to the left, and
we crossed a railroad track and went
through another little white village,
and then we faced a slope-a long slope
with a village on it, which the
French had made into a fort, and we,
our regiment and others, We're 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 Oon our first men began to
fall. for we came under the fire Of the
chassepot. 1t was hard, for we could
not see the enemy. These first ones
were many sharpshooters in a ditch,
and the noise Of their firing was like
that Of 4 coffee mill-kr-r-r-r-r-r! They
drew off as we went forward. 1t was
only at a 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 fiat,
then another fifty yards and the halt
and the falling fat, and each time we
could see the village that was a for
trcss nearer.
And once when we were lying down
and I saw that the officers We're stand
ing, just cool and quiet, it came to me
be an officer.
II saw the colonel fall. He was shot
from his 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.
I'VE were ordered to fix bayonets,
and that made us glad, but wen yet
the men carried their rifles on their
shoulders as they ran. We We're not
near enough to charge with bayonets.
Il wish I could tell you what it was
like as we got near that village of st.
privat-the noise, the smoke, the
flashes, the falling men and only Il
desire in our hearts.
There were three sergeants in the
color section, one at each side of me.
And first the n at my right was
killed. Then the one at my left was
~shot-eight big bullets in his body
from Il mitrailleuse-eight. Yet he aft
erward got well, while many a 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. All, we climbed over walls
and barricades, and we fred and bay
oneted, and we fought them in the
streets!
On and on we went. 1t was q 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.
II was at the front, for l had the
colors. There We're a few officers still
left, and they were shouting and wav-
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.
las l tell it to you it seems perhaps
a simple thing. But when the regi-
ment was paraded before the battle
began we We're more than $500 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.
1t was morderisch, but 1t was neces-
sary.
We'll, it was over. The village was
blazing, and many a dead man lay in
the ruins. Some sat upright. dead.
with their backs against walls"