The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-26 00:00:00

THE PRUSSIANS AT HAVRE.

Writing from Havre, Dec. 23, the correspondent of the
Standard says :—The enemy canfine their occupation to a
circle round Rouen, of which the curve passes through
Yvetot and Neufchatel, bPt they daily send cavalry
patrols a long way beyond their regular lines, probably
to keep the Havre people in a fluster. Nevertheless there
is a kind of belt between the two belligerents. Within
that space a few desultory skirmishes daily take place,
but nothing serious seems to be attempted—one party
advancing as the other retires. Carried on in this fashion
the war might last a century without leading to any
decisive results. It is said that the Prussians are bringing
up heavy siege guns from La Fbre, but I question
whether they can afford time for a regular siege. Havre-
including its suburbs, Sauvie, St. Adresse,lnganville, and
Graville Ste. Honorine, is built on a peninsula, bordered
on the south by the Seine and the marshy plains of the
Eure, which can be flooded by means of the sluices of
the Canal Vauban ; on the west by the sea ; on the
north by a line of hills which stretches fsom Sauvie
eastward ; and on the east by the Lezarde, a little
stream that divides it from Harfleur, and joins the Seine
below that ancient town, after watering the pleasant
valley of Montvilliers, and separating the hills of Ingan-
ville and the plateau of Sauvie from the heights of Gon-
freville and Angerville L'Orcher. Havre was originally
fortified- on the supposition that it was likely to be
attacked from the seaward ; and the sea and river front
covered by a series of bastions connected by very
short curtains, and provided with guns, which, if
properly served, would blow any craft in the roads
between Cape La Heve and the Pointe du Hoc
clean out of the water ; in short, a strong fort
was built at St. Adresse, to the south-east of La Heve ;
and another at Tourneville, to sweep the plain of the
Eure, its fire passing straight over Graville Ste. Honorine.
Thus the fortifications stood when this war commenced.
As mentioned above, these works were meant to defend
the port against a naval assailant. The problem to be
solved was to make these defences available for the de-
fence landwards, and to complete them. This has been
done most thoroughly. Fort St. Adresse has been
turnedinto a regular polygon, and now sweeps
part of the valley of the Lezarde. Powerful redoubts
have been constructed at Sauvie so as to cover the Fecamp
road, Fort Tourneville has been completed so that it
crossesits fire over the valley of the Lezarde, with that of
Fort St. Adresse, whilst its river front remains unim-
paired in strength ; in addition numerous batteries have
been constructed at the entrance of Graville, and the
Lezarde and flooded plains of the Eure form a huge natural
moat, which can be swept by the fire from vessels in the
river. Assuming that the French will only stand to their
guns, I would give something to see Manteuffel attempt-
ing to attack • this place by regular approaches—the
attempt is likely to end in disastrous failure. The Prus-
sians cannot break ground at a single spot which
would not be subjected to a cross fire that
would make it untenable. The only chance fOr
them would be to invent some gun capable of throwing a
shell into Havre from a distance of twelve m lee ; until
they have found means of doing this they cannot hope to
silence the fire of Havre. as, within the range of modern
artillery, they would have to make their approaches
in a valley exposed to the cross fires of three ranges
of batteries, two of theM on hills crossing each other at
right angles.