The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-01
THE CARNAGE OF WAR
story OF a Survivor of the Bat
lie of Sravelotte.
INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH.

- ADVANCE Under FIRE From 8ehtno
Barbados That Literally Moved
Down the Charging Troops-A Hand
to Hand Conflict In the Streets.
William Guldner. a survivor Of the
oattie OF Gravelotte. the most hard
fought victory OF the Franco-Prussiar
war. tells In Harper's Magazine how
he saw the victory as color bearer of
his regiment:
1T must have been. 1 think. about
o'clock when Colonel Won Boehn rode
20 tho head Of the regiment and we all
Strengthened quick. as on parade. And
he said sharp a few words. something
like. Men, the regiment has a good
name, and you will give 1t a still bet.
Ter one / was in front and could hear
part of what he said
THE colonel led us to the left. aud
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 II, which the
French had made into q fort. and ~.
our regiment and others. were to cap
cure 1t. and there were many French
men and cannon there.
The colonel rode on a horse. he anA
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 10
fall. for we came under the fire of the
chassepot. II was hard. for we could
not see the enemy. These first ones
were many sharpshooters in q ditch.
and the noise of their firing was like
that Of a coffee mill--kr-r-r-r-r-r, They
drew or as we went forward. It was
only at walk that we went-a steady
walk. just as il there were no bullets
there.
And now we would run forward
ffty yards and throw ourselves nat,
then another fifty yards and the halt
and the falling nat. 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 oficers were stand
Ing, just cool and quiet, 1t came to me
that man has to pay in such ways 70
be an oficer.
'T saw the colonel fail. 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 big stone and shouted: Go
on! Go onp And he took q gun from
q dead man and fred II.
I'VE were ordered to nx bayonets,
and that made us glad, but even yet
the men carried their rides on their
shoulders as they run. We were not
near enough to charge with bayonets.
~ wish / could tell you what It was
like as we got near that village OF q.
Privat - 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 a man
died from only one little bullet.
"And At last we went at a boyonet
charge, and for the hrst time there
was cheer, a wild and savage cheer.
and we ran on, eager to plunge the
bayonets, and we could see rs we came
near the village that the French were
firing from behind barricadcs and gar
den walls and from windows.
And we looked into the wild faces
OF the French. and they met US hand
to hand. Alb, we climbed over walls
and barbados, and we fred and bay
oneted, and we fought them in the
streets.
ION and on we went. 1t was q wild
time of shooting. bayonesing. wres-
ting, clubbing. shouting On and On,
but 1t was slow work and terrible. fer
the French fought for every step.
II was at the front, for i had the
colors. There were few officers stfil
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.
"As / tell 1t to you 1t seems perhaps
q simple thing But when the regi-
.aent was paraded before the battle
began we were more than $500 men
end more than fifty officers, and We
lost in the light forty officers and
more than a thousand men. les, that
was the loss of Just my regiment alone.
1t was morderisch. but 1t was neces-
sary.
well, IL was over. The village was
blazing. and many a dead man lay IN
the ruins. Some sat upright. dead,
with their backs against walls"
midas Fame.
They were holding an exam in an
east London school and the teacher