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

THE GERMAN PLAN OF OPERATIONS.

Count Moltke's plan of operations combines the siege of
Paris, with a general visitation of the departments, thus
pressing at once on the capital and the provinces, and
rendering each unable to assist the other. There is
literally no part of France which is regarded as safe
against his expeditions. One of the principal journals of
Paris seriously attributes to him a design of seizing
Toulon, and holding it as England holds Gibraltar.
But we need not go beyond the circle of the facts of the
day to find indications )f the Prussian General's plans.
We learn from Tours that Orleans has fallen into the
possession of the German force, which was described yes-
terday as mane3uvring near Pithiviers. On Monday, says
the report, some skirmishing took place near Arthenay, and
the French general commanding at Orleans, finding himself
unable to resist the enemy, drew off his forces in the dir-
ection, it is believed, of Tours. Here then, the Germans
are on the Loire. From Orleans to Tours the distance
is only seventy miles, and unless MM. Crdmieux, Glais-
Bizoin, and Fourichon shift their quarters soon, they run
a great risk of being cut off from Southern France, to
which it is understood they propose to remove. The army
which has advanced by the Gap of Belfort is a powerful
flying column of 60,000 men, constituted with a direct
view to a system of rapid raiding. It has no unnecessary
impediments, its cavalry is numerous, and it will
be able to throw off detachments, whenever a
well-held position has to be masked. Its duty
will be to visit in turn the towns of Central
and Southern France, in the first place to seize any
points where it may be found that an attempt is being
made to form military organisations, to disperse the corps,
break up depots, and destroy stores. Further, it will
make contributions upon towns which hitherto have not
felt the pressure of the war, and from which demands
come for its continunnce. Lastly, it is hoped that in this
way more accurate conceptions of the state of the country
and the helplessness of its Government will be communi-
cated to that part of the French public whi.ch has hitherto
derived its impressions of the state of affairs from the
bulletins published at Paris and Tours.—Daily News.

THE BOMBARDMENT AND SURRENDER
OF TOUL.

A.RL ON, TUESDAY.

Just returned from Toni. ' Travelled one day and two
nights. The investment began August 14th. On the
16th an assault was made on the works at a point not
defended by cannon. It was repulsed, with loss of several
hundred Germans. Thereupon an irregular succession of
bombardments followed, not sufficiently serious to effect
anything. These commenced on the 23rd... The
artillery employed was field and such mediaeval
siege guns as had been captured at Marsal. The
Bavarian railroad direction, who run the line Weissen-
burg—Nancy—Paris, offered to build a branch around
Toul in a fortnight, but Moltke said, " No, we shall have
Toul long before that." However, the straggling attack
availed nothing, the fortress having a double escarpment
with full bastions, no glacis, double ditch, thirty feet wide
each, all round fully casemated, and defended by seventy-
five guns, of which twenty-six were heavyrifled from Stras-
burg, brought thence while yet France intended to defend
Toul earnestly. Within the last fortnight heavy siege guns
arriving from Germany were put in position on a spur of
Mount Saint Michel, north ; on heights opposite Fau-
bourg Saint! Evere, south-west ; and at Dominartin Les
Toul,-south-east. Nothing serious was then attempted
until last Friday. At daybreak a concentrated bom-
bardment of the works was begun by twenty-four poundei
batteries of the second and fourth artillery regi-
ments, supported by troops of the thirty-fourth
infantry brigade, all of which form part of a
new independent command under the Grand Duke
of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, embracing all that lies between
the armies of Frederick Charles and the Crown Prince,
that is, all the invading troops not engaged in the sieges
of Metz and Paris. The firing continued all Friday,
with active but very ineffective reply from the garrison.
In the evening, the town being on fire in twenty-three
places, the pressure of the inhabitants upon the
commandant induced him to hoist white flags and
offer to capitulate. The offer was immediately
accepted by Colonel Manteuffel, commanding the siege
corps, and the town was entered the same evening by the
victors at seven. The conditions were precisely those of
Sedan. A council of the municipality, held on Friday,
decided not to favour surrender, but the pressure of indi-
viduals fearing useless destruction completely over-
whelmed the belligerent determination 'of the military
and civil authorities. The garrison was ridiculously weak
—6O cuirassiers, 100 line, 40 gendarmes, and 2,000
raw Mobiles ; among them not one regular
artillerist
.Cummanda.,nt, Major Hutle, an old
4.117 lb Gin officers are wrath'

that such a force should have broken the Paris
railroad for six weeks; Now the railroad is restored
to communicate direct with the Paris siege army. - Every-
thing bad been prepared beyond Toul for weeks, and
trains were running by horse-power ; only a 12- fo of
bridge, broken near Told, had to be replaced ; this was
done on the 25th, and on the 26th the first locomotive
went through. I went to Toul on the first inspector's
train that approached the town after the surrender.
Many houses are destroyed. The condition of
things is worse than Sedan, not as bad as
Bazeilles. The Gothic chapel of St. Gengoulph, A.D. 814.
is almost ruined. The very imposing Byzantine Cathe-
dral of St. Mansuy, built-as early as 292, has only a win-
dow arch demolished, and its outside battered by a score
of shells. There are few wounded, ,no sick, and much
order in Toul. Only two battalions of ninetieth infantry
remain as garrison. The prisoners of the native Mobile
Guard were released under parole not to serve again
this war. The town and environs have a picturesque
appearance built much in old German style.
Five hundred of the Mobiles had been trained
during the siege to serve the guns. They did the artillery
work, but in repulsing the assault of the 16th all the male
inhabitants that could procure arms participated. Paris
was closed in on the 19th as follows :—Fourth Corps
opposite St. Denis, twelfth supporting it; then following
from east to south the Guard and fifth, sixth, eleventh
corps. The west em arc of 120 degreels, protected
by the Seine doublings, was held by cavalry.
The condition made by King William, pre-
limimuy to all peace discussions, is the
entry into Paris, so says the officer of head-
quarters who left the city after Jules Favre's visit. I
travelled and conversed from Corny to Frouard on the
25th with Favre's brother, who had arrived three days
previously from Paris, via royal headquarters, with royal
permission to enter Metz. He was charged by the Paris
Government with full powers to treat for Metz, provided
Bazaine would recognise the Paris authorities and their
policy. On Sunday morning he returned from Met;
being awaited at the Hessian outposts by Rittmeister
von Willesen, Commander of Headquarters of the Second
Army, who had conducted him through the German lines.
He then had a final interview with Prince Frederick
Charles, having had one previous to his entering, at which
the Prince had approved his mission. His two days' stay
in Metz had failed of its object, Bazaine being averse to
all treaties as yet, and being slightly insubordinate
towards the new Government since it proposed to nego-
tiate for peace. The Prince knows that for several
weeks yet, at least, hunger will not be his ally
against Metz, although disease is, to the extent of
several hundred deaths daily. There is not the least
intention at present to attack Metz by force, but simply
to await the course of events at Paris, which are expected
to culminate in something decisive within three weeks.
At Paris no offensive movements are contemplated during
the next three weeks; a strict investment only. Three
deserters out from Strasburg on the 22nd say the great
clock of the Minster is not injured. General Uhrich has
suppressed all the last month's news. If the Mobile knew
it, say these men, the defence could not continue. —Daily
News Telegram.

The bombardment of the fortress of Toni, the pos-
session of which is most important for us as regards
railway communication, has been continued within the
last few days with increased vigour. Since the 10th
Septembor the bombardment has been incessant, and on
an average eight shots per minute have been fired, and
that mostly from heavy siege guns, so that the
town was often on fire in six or more places at one time,
and the garrison had to occupy themselves with ex-
tinguishing the fires and in answering our guns as
well as they could by firing shell into our batteries.
The effects of the smooth-bore siege guns that we had
captured from the French vas so unsatisfactory that
some of the heavier Prussian rifled ordnance
was sent on in order to hasten the fall of this fortress,
which cut off our direct communication with Nancy. A
private letter from the village of Chaudeney states that
the garrison of Toul and the commandant are eagerly
expecting relief and support from a body of 5,000 National
Guards from Langres. However, on the 24th inst., after
the bombardment had been vigorously maintained the
whole of the previous day, in consequence of which the
town was on fire in two places, the commandant of Toul
sent at five p.m. an officer bearing a flag of truce 4) our
head-quarters,to the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin,
expressing his desire to capitulate. The Grand Duke tele-
graphed to the Governor of Lorraine, General von Bonin,
to know whether he might accept such offer of capitula-
tion, and in the course of the evening he received a reply
saying that he could do so. The capitulation was drawn
up on the same basis as that of Sedan, and the garrison,
consisting of 3,000 men, were made prisoners of war, and
to-day our regiments, Nos. 89 and 90, will march into the
fortress as a garrison. The fall of Toul has been of the
greatest importance for us, as our railway communication
is now open and free as far as Paris."—Prussian Official
Narrative.

FRIDAY 'AND SATURDAY'S FIGHTING
AT METZ.

FROM THE " TIMES " CORRESPONDENT.)
BEFORE METZ, SEPT. 23.

The activity observed in the French camp, to which I
referred in my last letter, has proved to be the precursor
of hostile movements. It is possible, or even probable,
that the only object of these movements is to harass the
investing forces while ascertaining by strong armed re-
connaissances the strength of the German positions. They
certainly succeed in keeping the German troops actively
occupied. At some points the men have been almost
continuously under arms during the last 36 hours and
more, but with short intervals for rest or food.- Not to
speak of trifling fusillades and stray shells, there occurred
yesterday a smart affair in the immediate vicinity of the
post which I visited and described in my last letter.
Attracted by firing, I went down in the direction of La
Grange-aux-Bois, and found that the enemy was advanc-
ing upon it in force. Under cover of a heavy cannonade'
from Fort Quelen, preceded by a shower of shells, some
of which struck the Grange, and others fell as far behind
as Ars-Laquanexy and did considerable damage to the
church, a strong division of French troops adv anted. They
comprised artillery, cavalry, and infantry. They had
previously been reconnoitred by the Germans
from an excellent neighbouring point of observation.
They knew their composition, strength, and direction,
and were therefore at once prepared to meet them, and
able to avoid a useless sacrifice of lives at their outposts.
The French infantry were thrown into the woods round
La Grange-aux-Bois in skirmishing order and in large
force, occupying a line extending for about one mile to the
Prussian right. This, of course, rendered the position of
the Prussian outposts at La Grange-aux-Bois untenable.
Warned of what was about to occur, I had already left
the Grange about a quarter of an hour previously,
and from where we stood we could see the puffs of smoke
and hear the rattle of small arms—which sounded very
like the mimic rattle of a field-day at the Curragh or at
Aldershott. The Prussians in retiring availed themselves
skilfully of every tree and knoll, and, from behind a series
of breastworks which they had thrown up to strengthen
their position, fired steadily upon the advancing enemy,
and inflicted some severe losses. In order to reach the
point at which their main supports were concentrated
they had to pass over about half a mile of
ground, of which they contested every inch skil-
fully and gallantly. It was now about three o'clock.
The French, in advancing, lost the advantage of the sup-
port of their artillery and cavalry, for the Germans
had so obstructed the roads by frequent and strong
barricides, constructed of hewn trees which lined
the military road to Metz, and the nature of the ground,
covered with dense woods, was so unfavourable, that
mounted forces could not act, and guns could note be
brought forward. All this time, however, a heavy and
continuous rain of shell of great weight was poured upon
Mercy-le-Haut and Ars-Laquenexy from Forts Quelen
and St. Julien. At the junction of the roads leading from
Mercy and Ars—which meet nearly at right angles--the
b-ermans met their supports. A large body of troops of
all arms had been concentrated here, and were posted in
strong positions. The Germans at once assumed the offen-
sive, and springing eagerly to the attack with an irresisti-.
ble rush, they fairly drove back the French at a consider-
ably more rapid pace than that at which they advanced.
All the German troops engaged carried their knapsacks,
mess-tins fastened on the top of them, and their cloaks.
The cloak is slung crosswise over the shoulder, round the
knapsack and under the opposite arm. The cloak so
rolled has turned many a bullet, and saved many a
German soldier's life. So equipped, they poured upon
the French infantry so heavy and close a fire that they
were utterly unable to hold their 'ground. Already in
advancing thus far they had found how strong a re-
sistance a small body of men could make, lighting
with vigour and handled with skill, on ground of
which the natural strength had been increased by
the use of every means. The German troops, after
having cleared 'the woods, drove the French back
through the open, and here they inflicted consider-
able losses. La Grange-aux-Bois was speedily re-
occupied, and by five o'clock the French had been
driven back within their lines. The affair lasted
altogether about four hours. I had.been at La Grange-
aux-Bois at about 1 o'clock, and at a little before 5 I re-
entered it with the Prussian-it:l'mA. This was the secoll
•,• • •

4