Year: 1870

| CORRESPONDENCE NEW YORK TRIBUNE.
/ LONDON, August 23.-The follow
! ing detailed account of the battle of


Thursday, August Is, was received
this morning in London from our
special correspondent, who witness
ed the battle at the Prussian head


quarters, and stood by the side Of


Bismark and the King:


The first realization which we had


at Pont Mousson, where l found


myself on the 18th, of the extent to


which fighting had been going on on


Tuesday and Sunday last at the
front, was the coming in ofwounded


men. At first it was surmised that


these had been wounded in skirmish-


es, but on the 10th, late in the even
ing, there were signs that the work


was becoming warm.


On that evening soldiers with
ghastly wounds walked about the


market place in Pont a Mousson,


surrounded by eager groups Of their


newly arrived comrads, stated a story


of disaster. Poor fellows! It surely


was a disaster to them; borne away


as they had been from the field with


out having heard of any result. 1
stood among these groups and the


narratives Of the men all amounted to
their having been sent to confront a


much larger force than their own,
and their divisions had been cut up.
l was struck by the fact that though
there was some dissatisfaction sug-


gested by their tone Of voice, l heard
no word of complaint uttered, They


dwelt rather on the fact chat they


had dealt heavy blows on the 14th


and that though the 10th division


had an available organization it had


been demolished and had sold its
lives dear.


On the 18th the wounded from the
preceding day began to pour in Pont-
a Mousson. They were brought in
in long, uncovered grain carts, lying
upon hay. From my window, which
overlooked the main street, and also
commanded a view of the market
place, 1 counted more than 90 of
these long carts, each holding on an
average about 10 men. 1t was
strange to see them as they passed
amid the files of French, unable TO
conceal their joy on the one hand,
and the Prussian soldiers on the
other. But now comes the other
side of the account. The street be-
gan to swarm with other wagons
with other wounded. The wearers
of red trousers, and now and then
batch of unwounded prisoners at
length arrived-a carriage with a
French general, followed by vast
crowd of French, and for a time it
seemed as if there might be COLI
sion between the inhabitants and the
Prussians, so earnest were the de-
mostrations Of the populace. But it
was now at least evident that the
struggle was very serious at the front
At midnight or little after, trum-
pets for miles around began to
sound. This was the first time we
had been startled by such wild mu-
sic. Trumpet answered to trumpet
through all the bivouacs around the
little city. For several days previ-
ously, there had been troops almost
perpetually marching through, but
now the tt amp through every road
and by-way made, between midnight
and dawn, perpetual roar. Hasti-
ly dressing, I ran out into the
darkness and managed to get a
seat on a wagon going in the direc-
ton Of the front, which was now un-
derstood to be a mile or two beyond !
the village of Gorze, some II miles
from Pont a Mousson. On our way
we met a considerable batch of
French prisoners, who were looked |
upon with considerable curiosity by
the continuous line of German SOL
diers with whom we advanced. But
only one or two offensive cries to-
ward the prisoners were heard. The
way was so blocked with wagons
that l concluded could do the six
or seven miles remaining on foot !
better, so l got out of the carriage
and began to walk, and run swiftly
ahead At Monvient on the Moselle,
abou5 half way toMetz,I / found num-
bers of cavalry uhlans and hussars
crossing the river by a pontoon
bridge, hurrying at the top of their
speed toward Core. Hurrying my
own steps 1 soon heard the first
thunder of cannonade seemingly
coming from the he art Of range
of hills on the right. Passing through |
the village and ascending the high |
plain beyond l found myself sudden
ly in the battle field strewn literally |
as far as my eye could reach with |
dead bodies. In one ortwO PARTS of
the field companies were still bury
ing the dead, chiefly Prussians, the
French being necessarily buried last
were lying on the ground in vast
numbers. a few of these, saw,
were not dead. As l hurried on a
a splendid regiment of cavalry came
up behind, and when they reached
the brow Of the hill they all burst
out in 3 wild hurrah and rushed
forward. A few more steps and
gained the summit and saw the scene
which had evoked their cry and
seemed to thrill even their horses.


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