Year: 1870




and translate the following account, by
a private soldier in the German army,
OF his experience in the battle of the
18th of August before Metz. The let
ter is to his parents on the Rhine, and
gives vivid picture of the difficulties
of the attack, and the courage of the
assaiants.


After we had already lain in bivouac
l3 days, often dripping with sweat, often
soaked with rain, in morning thickly
coated with dew and even frost, the rev.
ellie awaked us at two o'clock of the
morning of the 10th. We departed by
moonlight threw down our packs on the
way and hoped soon to meet the enemy,
yet did not meet him but remained in
bivouac.; We expected to have brush
with him during the night, yet neither
saw nor heard anything of him that
night or the next day, as he constantly
retreated. On the 18th, at s. conG
alarm, matter seemed to 90 differently,
for after marching many hours we heard
at noon the roar of cannon and thick
clouds of smoke indicated villages on
fire. The hollow roll of artillery and
the curve of bombs exploding in air al
ready showed the site of the battlefield.
After ascending a mountain, whence the
battlefield extended through the plain,
lay before eyes, our general did not yet
seem to know what point he was attack
with our division, and we were kept
moving to and fro, until at last the or
der came to take st. Privat la Montague.
This village was occupied by brigade
of the enemy, well entrenched in it. The
walls Of the village and heaps of earth
and dung, with other elevations of the
sort served them for protection, while we
moved against them in close column
and without any shelter in the open
field. Scarcely did we hear the indes-
cribable cracking ofthe chassepots when
at 1900 spaces shot reached our com-
mander and the command devolved up
on our captain. But now the firing be-
came SO heavy that the balls hiss round
our heads like furious hailstorm. We
threw ourselves fiat on the ground where
some projecting clods were our only pro-
lection, but the balls found us out and
many comrade already lay bleeding or
senseless before we could make single
shot carry. We were therefore obliged
to move nearer. We rose, ran 200 steps
and down again,-it was the work of
few minutes. Now line of our sharp
shooters unfolded itself, and opend fire
which was answered with spirit. After
we lad four or FIVE times practiced this
meneuver of rising, running and throw
ing ourselves down once more and
left behind us as we looked around
each time, a number of killed and
wounded, we came to the high road, dis
tant still 400 or 500 PAGES from the vii
lage, and then threw ourselves into the
ditch, whence only the spikes were visi-
BILE. Our captain and three officers Of
our company were already left
wounded. Now from the ditch for the
first time we began to fire vigorously, and
so cartridges were shot off directly, so the
word was-Attack the village. We
gathered out of both bitches on the road,
but scarcely had begun our charge, when
the enemy's fire became so tremendous
that we were soon obliged to take refuge
again in the ditch. AT the same time
the she'll and shrapnel, which to this
time had become but sparingly, now
hissed among US with such fury that we
were obliged to risk the storm at all haz-
ards, to escape the shower of bullets +;
and at the right time hel p came to us.
Our artillery, which had hitherto pre-
vented from coming up by the unfavor-
able nature of the ground, ,-ravines,
mountains, etc,,-now appeared behind
us. The first shot knocked down wall
behind which were hundred red breech-
es, who had cover no longer and were
straightway well pepered by our men.
The second shot lodged in barn, whirl-
ed the red tiles away in a cloud of dust,
and from the hole made by the ball first
dust, then smoke bust out, and at last
the flame which seized on great space
covered with straw, and also cast out a
troop of bearded occupants from their
shelter.


Meantime the process of de uolishing
roc is, burning barns, knocking over wall,
had so often been repeated that not
house was left untouched. BY this time
we had come 20 the main entrance to
the village. We battered the doors and
closed windows of the houses and as
they were forced open fifty mousieurs fell
directly into our hands as they had lost
all hope of getting off. Several stand
ards also were taken. Suddenly every