The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-29 00:00:00

THE TROPHIES OF THE WAR.

The Staatsartzeiger has made an estimate of the trophies
of the war. The skirmishes which took place during the
reconnaissances that preceded the war caused but little
loss to both sides. The affair of the 2nd of August, when
the Prussians provisionally retired from Sarrebruck, cost
the. French six officers and sixty-seven soldiers. The day
of Wissembourg gave us 30 officers and 1,000 soldiers as
prisoners, and besides 4 mitrailleuses, 15 cannons, 4
pounders, and seven 8-pounders, 31 provision waggons, 13
carriages, and 14 trucks of cartridges for the infantry. In
the battle of Woerth the French lost 6,000 prisoners, of
whom 100 were officers, 2 eagles, 6 mitrailleuses, 35
cannon, 42 waggons, 200 horses tents, and baggages for
two divisions, besides two railway trains full of pro-
visions. The same day they lost at Spieheren, and
after this battle, in the two engagments near Reichshafen
and Sarreguemines, 2,500 prisoners, 4 cannons, 40 pontoons,
several stores of provisions, 10,000 wollen covers, 40,000
hundred-weight of rice, coffee, sugar, rum, wine and bis-
cuits, besides stores of shoes, military caps and gaiters,
while the stock of snuff alone was worth a million. The
strong places which surrendered to our troops in the first
fortnight of the month of August, were worth at Hag-
nenau, 9 officers, and 103 men, 80 horses and great quantities
of arms; at Lichtenberg 3 officers, 280 soldiers. 7 cannons,
200 guns, 30,000 cartridges, etc ; at Lutzelstein, arms and
munitions of war ; at Marsal, GO pieces of cannon. The
three days of the battle of Metz did not produce such
grand results in proportion to the sacrifices they
entailed, as the combats of the proceeding fortnight had
done, because the enemy was able to shelter his
stores under cover of the strong fortress, nevertheless the
day of Rezonville cost the French 36 officers and 2,000
soldiers, who were made prisoners ; that of Gravelotte,
54 officers and 3,000 soldiers. The total of their losses in
these three battles may be estimated at 25,000 men. In
our march forward we took the strong• place of Vitry,
with 17 officers, 850 soldiers, and 16 cannons. The battles
and skirmishes which took place near Nouart, Beamont,
and Sedan resulted, before the capitulation of Sedan, in
the capture of 30,000 prisoners, besides a number of eagles
and cannons. _At Beaumont the enemy lost 7,000 pri-
soners, 2 eagles, 11 mitrailleuses, 23 cannons, and en-
campments. Before the capitulation the battle of Sedan
brought us 25 cannons, 2 eagles, and 25,000 prisoners.
The capitulation of Sedan was worth 1 marshal, 39 gene-
rals, 230 staff offiCers, 2,095 officers of all ranks,
84,450 soldiers, besides 14,000 wounded. We found
eagles belonging to all the regiments, 70 mitrailleuses, 330
field-pieces, 150 siege guns, and 10,000 horses. The rest
of the French army, about 14,500 men, with 12,000
horses, cannons, and artillery-waggons, took refuge on the
Belgian territory, where it was disarmed. The capitula-
tion of Laon gave us many trophies and' provisions, of
which the list has not yet been published; but it is certain
that among the spoils are 23 oitannons and many guns. In
summing up these successive results, we find the total loss
of the enemy, and consequently the trophies of the Ger-
man army, after two months of campaign, to consist of
1 marshal, 39 generals, 3,250 officers, 104,750 soldiers (and
the 14,000 wounded at Sedan), 10,280 horses, 56 eagles,
102 mitrailleuses, 690 artillery-pieces for campaign and
siege, 400 waggons and carriages, many sets of pontoons,
stores, and railway waggons, with an incalculable quan-
tity of provisions in sums, munitions, equipments, forage,
and rations.