The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-27
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT
OF FRENCH BATTLE

Tn Harper's for October, William Guild
ner. a survivor of the battle of Grav-
elotte. the most hard-fought victory of
the Franco Prussian war, tells how he
saw the victory as color-bearer of his
regiment.
at must have been, I think, about 4
o'clock when Colonel Won Boehn rode to
the head of the regiment and we all
Strengthened, quick, as on parade Ana
he said, sharp, a few words, something
like, Men, the regiment has good name,
and you will give it still better one.
1 was in front, and could hear part or
what he said.
1.-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, were to capture 1t, and there
were many Frenchmen and cannon there.
1.-THE colonel rode on a horse, he and
the majors and the adjutants. Our cap
tains 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 chasse-
pot 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 conee-
mill-Kr-r-r-r-r-r, They drew off as we
went forward. 1t was only at a walk
that we went, steady walk, just as IL
there were no bullets there
"And now we would run forward 80
wards and throw ourselves fiat; and each
time we could see the village that was
fortress nearer.
"And once, when we were lying down,
and I 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.
~ saw the colonel fall He was shot
from his horse and carried back.
1.-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
| fred 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.
~ wish | could tell you what it was
| like as we got near that village of ST
| Priyat The noise, the smoke,f the
/ fla shes. the 1dlllHS men, dhu oiiy ohC w
| sire 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
| rrhen the one at my left was shot. Eight
/ bio bullets in his body from mitrail-
lense--eight Yet he afterward got well
while many a man died from only one
| little bullet.
"And at last we went at oayone'
| fire frpp
a cheer. a wild and savage cheer, and we
ran IN, eager to plunge the bayonets
and we could see, as we came near the
village, that the French were nring IRON
behind barricades and garden walls ane
from windows. -
"And we looked into the wild faces o.
| the French, and they met us hand U
| hand All. we climbed over walls am N,
barricades, and we fired and bayoneted
| and we fought them in the streets.
..On and on we went 1t was wiz
1 time OF shooting. bayoneting, wrestling