Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-11-11
The CARNAGE OF WAR
Story of a Survivor Of the Bat
4 tie of Gravelotte.
INTO THE He JAWS OF DEATH.


An Advance Under Fire From Behind
Barricades That Literally Moved
Down the Charging Troops--A Hand
to Hand Conflict In the Streets.
William Guldner, survivor Of the
battle of Gravelotte, the most hard
fought victory Of the Franco Prussian
war, tells in Harper's Magazine how
be saw the victory as color bearer OF!
his regiment: H: 5 Wy: 9s /.
ut must have been, / think, about 4
sclock when Colonel Won Boehn rode
% the head OF the regiment and we all
,traightened quick, as on parade. And
be said sharp q few words, something
like, Men, the regiment has good
name, and you will give it a still bet.
ter one / was In front and could hear
part Of what he said. l, .i
''The colonel led us to the left, and
we crossed railroad track and went
through another little white village,
and then we faced a slope long slope
with sillage on 1t, which the
French had made into fort, and we,
our regiment and others. were to cap
ture It. and there were many French.
men and cannon there. V
"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. 1T q u
"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 sharpsh hooters In a ditch,
and the noise OF their firing was like
that Of a coffee mill r-r-r-r-r-r! They
drew off as we went forward. It was
only at a walk that we went steady
walk, just as IL there were no bullets
there. s.. $3,5.
"And now we would run forward
flfty yards and throw ourselves fiat,
then another fifty yards and the halt
and the falling fiat, and each time we
could see the village that was a for
Hess nearer. .jis
"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. n III. q 81 u
IT 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 gun from
dead man and fired 1t. &
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.
II wish could tell you what 1t was
like as we got near that village Of st.
Privat " the noise, the smoke, the
flashes, the falling men and only one
desire In our hearts. NH
s9There 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 a man
died from only one little bullet.
"And ut last we went at a bayonet
charge, and for the first time there
was a cheer 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 barbados and gar
den walls and from windows. B}
'tAnd NE looked into the wild faces
Of the French, and they met us hand
to hand. All, we climbed over walls
and barbados, and we fired and bay.
oneted, and we fought them In the
streets! !sg Il "
"On and on we went. It was wild
time Of shooting, bayonettng, wres-
tling, clubbing, shouting. On and on,
but 1t was slow work and terrible, for
the French fought for every step.
was at the front, for / had the
coiors. There were "a few officers stta
left and they were shouting and wav-
ing their swords, and other regiments
stormed into the village with us, and
after awhileI can't say how long
the place was ours. s..
AS / tell 1t to you 1t seems perhaps
q simple thing. But when. the regi-
ment was paraded before the battle
began we were more than 1900 men
and more than fifty officers. and we
lost in the fight forty officers and
more than thousand men. Yes, that
was the loss Of Just my regiment alone.
It was morderisch. but 1t was neees-
sary. ssss .ss
Well, 1t was over. The village was
blazing. and many a dead man lay In
the ruins. Some sat upright, dead,
with their backs against walls
| india.s Fame.
They were holding an exam, In an
east London school. and the teacher
was explaining the chief products OF
the Indian empire One child recited a
| list OF comestibles. Please, miss. IN