The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-05 00:00:00

HOW IT WAS TAKEN.

Ampler details tell us that the frontier was crossed
shortly before ten, the second divisidin of the second
corps advancing on the left by the town of Forbach, which
is the nearest French post of any consequence, and the
third division filing by the little village of Arne-
wald, which lies at the foot of the heights
commanding Siarbruck. A battery of twelve guns of the
sth Artillery Regiment was sent forward to support the
troops. At about twenty minutes to eleven the 66th and
67th Regiments, who were the first in the advance, sent
out skirmishing parties, and business began at once,
the Prussians awaiting the tirailleurs in the ditches
and hollows round the foot of the hills. Just
before eleven the firing became general and very heavy,
the balls of the Prussians flying in all directions, and the
skirmishers battling most energetically, though, strange
to say, so very few people, on the French side at least,
were hurt. Only one French sharpshooter was killed in
all this preliminary firing. After the skirmishers had
finished the troops pushed forward. Some guns were got
in position on the hill on one side of the river Saar,
opposite the heights occupied by the Prussians,
and there played with good effect. A well
sustained cannonade was kept up, under cover , of
which the infantry formed on the left, by the
side of the wood, and moved forward towards the hills.
At a quarter past twelve the wood of Ludwigswald began
to burn, and soon after Saarsbruck itself was set on fire
by the French artillery. All was now ready for infantry
work, on the supposition that the Prussians meant to
fight. The French had to take the heights and the
Prussians had to keep them, but so far as we can learn
from the very confused details, they did not attempt to
do anything of the kind. It appears that nothing in par-
ticular came of all the cannonading, sharpshooting, and
burning, for the Prussians fell back from their position,
leaving them in the hands of the French. The bulletins
say that the artillery then drove them from the town,
but we all know better than that. If the Prus
sians had meant to remain in the town,
they would have fought for the heights that
commanded it. They could not hold one without
the other. It is obvious that if they had made up their
minds to abandon the heights, they intended also to
evacuate the town. At five minutes past one the French
troops were in possession of all the points previously held
by the Germans.

There can be little question that the accounts of this
affair haVe been exaggerated. Even the Moniteur, which
is not prone to underrate official deeds, reduces the
expression "from 10,000 to 20,000" to "from 6,000
to 7,000." A still lower estimate is probably
nearer the truth. It remains, too, to be seen how
far the evacuation of Saarbruck by the Prus-
sians was an intentional manoeuvre, and how far
it was the result of actual defeat. The number of fatal
casualties, only eleven, proves that there can have been
no very hard fighting. But it is equally evident that the
-Prussians committed a fault in not making a greater effort
to keep possession of Saarbruck, and in their leaving the
prestige of victory to their opponents. The moral effect of
such an advantage cannot be slight. It must put the
troops in good spirits; it has made people here joyful;
Rentes have gone up, and the whole affair is very satis-
factory. It seems to have been more a trial battle than
anything else—fought for the purpose of trying the
chassepot and the mitrailleuse, to let the troops face fire,
and, not least, to air the Prince Imperial.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

Azamat Batuk, the correspondent of the Pall ill,

Gazette., writes as follows from Metz, dated Tuesday

" The first fight took place this morning at and near Saar-
bruck, partly in the town itself, partly in a forest.
French accounts will probably represent the battle as a
considerable one ; but I have good reason to believe
that, although the number of troops present
on both sides was large, the number of men actually
engaged on either side did not exceed 2,000. The
French plied their artillery hard, and the Prussians were
ejected with some loss. Few particulars have been
received yet, but the number of killed on the French side
is spoken of as not more than ten :men. The Emperor
left the Palais de la Prdfecture at half-past eight, shortly
after receiving a telegram that fighting Was going
on. He drew up in an open carriage with his
soli to the railway station, where a special
train awaited him, and where his field horses,
and those of his staff as well, were ready
saddled and placed into the waggons. The Emperor
and his son were both present at the fight. It was
reported that the Garde Impdriale--or at least that part
of it which is at and near Metz--had orders to leave Metz
if there was no news up to three o'clock. At a quarter
to three, however, the Emperor himself returned with the
news. It made no excitement. Officers simply exchanged
compliments by shaking hands, so that at first I fancied
something was wrong. It appears, however, that this
coolness is only a matter of policy and tact.
We do not wish to shew any particular satisfaction at so
trifling an affair ; it is only natural and not worth
mentioning. The people in the town, however,
were not above shewing a certain degree of
pleased agitation ; and while I write these lines
there is more noise, more singing in the streets
than usual. In spite of their coolness, however, the
officers here do not conceal their satisfaction at what they
conceive to be the moral results of the affair. They say
that if the Prussians had not defended the pasition at all it
would have been intelligible. But,since they began to fight
they ought to have gone on ; and a retreat under such
circumstances must act unfavourably on the spirit of the
8,000 or 10,000 men who had to march back. As the
French have begun to advance there is, of course, a
rumour that victory will be resumed to-morrow."