The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1921-07-22

has taken her prarer-book and Is going
TO mass" As pictured 10 myself that
quiet. happy life. 1 could have hurs;
into tears.
But the drums began to beat and tbs
irumpets sounded.
The first movement was when ouI
four divisions were ordered to nd
vance. We were about twenty thou
sand men marching In two lines and
sinking up to our knees with every
step In the soft mud. Nobody spoke
word.
Face TO face with us were the Eng
llsh. In perfect order. their eannoneers
with lighted matches In their hands.
On all sides, as far as the eye could
reach. nothing was TO be seen but cuL
raises, helmets. swords, lances and
rows of bayonets.
what battlei" cried Buche, my
comrade-at-arms. "Woe to the Eng
lish !"
And / thought as he did. I believes
that not a single Englishman would
escape. But bad luck pursued us that
day; though, had it not been for the
Prussians. think we should have ex-
terminated them all.
Down into the little valley we pour.
ed. right into the face of the English
fire. and shouting all the time "Give
them the bayonetI'
The batteries hurled their grape-sho,
point blank upon us. 1t was then, 70.
the first time, / saw the English close
ut hand. They had fair skins and
were clean shaven like respectable cit
liens. They can fight well, too-but
we are as good as they. Every shot
of the English told; and this forced
us to break our ranks, for men are
not mere palisades. ..r
And almost at the same moment we
saw a mass of red dragons, on gray
horses, sweeping along like the wind
and sabring our stragglers without
mercy. 1t was one of the most ter
rible moments of my life as we wers
driven back.
What fearful thing Is battle!
Then out came Marshal Ney waving
his sword in the air. Older, thinner
and more bony than when l saw him
last but still the same brave soldier
with the clear eyes that seemed to
take us all in.
Forward" he cried, 81 shall lead
you myself" And we rushed ahead,
one after the other like a pack of
wolves, until we gained the principal
outpost of the British.
But suddenly the rumor spread that
the Prussians We're coming. l felt
myself grow pale.
At that moment cries of "vive FEM
pereur!" rose from thousands of
threats behind us, and looking back
l saw all our cavalry of the right wing
advancing to attack the solid squares
of the English. 1t was an awesome
sight. With waving sabres they rush.
ed pell-mell again and again upon the
red-coats. Twenty such charges they
made, until the horses of our cuiras-
siers, exhausted, could no longer even
walk-and there still firmly stood the
great red lines, steadfast as walls.
Now all that remained for attack
was the Old Guard-those wonderful
veterans who had fought in Germany,
in Egypt, in Spain and in Russia, of
whom the Emperor took special care
and who no longer knew parents or
relations. They only knew the en-
peror who was their god. When II
was said in the ranks '"The Guard is
going to charge" Is was the same as
saying, 1.-The battle is wont"
And Ney commanded them!
Upon the Guard fell the concentrated
hail of bullets. In twenty minutes
every officer had been dismounted ant
the Guard, reduced from three thou
sand men to twelve hundred, slowl!
gave way.
Now the entire English army fel
upon us. And, as the remnant Of tn,
Old Guard fell backward, across tn
field fled hussars, cuirassiers, artiller,
and infantry like an army of savages
WAT can tell you more9 1t wa
utter rout. And in the valley oil
Blucher, with forty thousand Prus
slams, was looming up. fH
The end had come-and wert Xix
child.
Back we s, Irried, borne down wit
fatigue, hunger and despair
Keep on" cried Buche, "the Pru.
SLAMS take no prisoners. Look! the
are cutting down everyone"
: So back, back, even to Paris W
fled, and there we learned that ho
tilities were to be suspended. that tn
emperor had gone, and that the kir
was returning to the throne. Desc
lions began.
hurried on from village to villas
! and at last reached Pfalzbourg ar
!. my home.
Up the stairs l sprang; Catherlr
:, was in my arms. fell to sobbing
violently that one would have thougl
= misfortune had come upon me-.
The first words of Catherine wer
!, "Joseph, knew that you would cor
h back. had put my trust In God"
Thus happiness finally reached ,
l. Now l have lived to see tho retu
: of the flag of liberty and to see {