818 Ten Years of my Life. 



talion ; from them and from others afterwards I heard the 

 details of his glorious d^ath. -He could not die otherwise, and 

 nothwithstanding my misery I felt proud of him. 



When the Prussian Guards attacked the strong position of 

 the French at St. Privat, my husband at the head of his brave 

 fusileers remained on horseback, a convenient target. A shot 

 struck his horse, which became unmanageable and ran away 

 towards the French. My husband succeed in getting off its 

 back, and in joining his troops on foot, when a bullet broke 

 his right arm. He would not leave the batdefield, but took 

 his sword in his left hand. Thus he remained twenty minutes, 

 when a second bullet pierced his breast, and a third struck his 



Ipor 



Poor Florentine had been killed already at the first volley 

 by a shot in his head. He died on the spot. Count Walder- 

 see was wounded about the same time as Felix by a shot in 

 his body. He was carried back, but on hearing that my hus- 

 band was lying wounded on the field, he gave orders to carry 

 him to the rear. Volunteers were called out for that purpose. 

 When they laid Salm down for a moment, a shot struck the 

 man who volunteered first to carry him. My husband ordered 

 them to remove the waterproof in which he was wrapped, and 

 to cover with it the poor honest soldier. 



Salm's last moments were described to me in a letter, which 



I received from the reverend priest who attended him. I 



shall give this description : — 



'Doncourt, August 21, 1870. 



'On the iSth August, in the afternoon, the second division of the 

 Guards, to which I have the honour to belong as Catholic division chap- 

 lain, entered into the battle against the strongly fortified Saint Marie 

 aux Chenes and Saint Privat la Montague. About seven o'clock, your hus- 

 band, severely wounded, was brought to the Verbandplatz. A bullet had 

 pierced his breast and gone out at his back, a second one had pierced his 

 arm, and a spent bullet contused his leg. Insupportable pain made him 

 groan. Taking hold of my hand, he requested me to administer to him 

 the last comforts of our holy religion. The doctor had given him before a 

 dose of opium. Then I administered to him absolution and the holy oint- 

 ment ; he requested to be laid in a bed ; his servant stood weeping at his 

 litter. In the village St. Ail, which was forsaken by its inhabitants, all 

 doors were locked. They were opened with axes and crowbars. I found 

 a bed, and we carried there the severely wounded man, who, in dyings 

 still pressed to his heart the covering of his colours. He requested me not 

 to leave him, and I readily promised it. We cut oiif from his body his uni- 

 form, to be able to dress his wounds the better. He asked for chlorofcvm, 



