The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-28 00:00:00

BETWEEN PARIS AND ORLEANS.

The special correspondent of the Telegraph, writica
from Chateauneuf-en-Thymerais on November 20th,
says:—Yesterday, long before daylight, Wittich's soldiers
were up and stirring in the farm, the village, and
the open country, in which many had bivouacked.
Within doors they were bustling about, engaged in
cleaning themselves up, seeing to their horses/
lighting fires, and looking for something to sustain
the inner man. Without, though nothing could be seen
through the dense mist, the guttural accents of the men
could be heard as they chattered, laughed, and called to
each other—cheerfully shouldering their heavy knapsacks,
and preparing for another day's march. By six o'clock
the troops were moving off, and by half-past eight
the General and his staff had mounted, and were
ready to follow on the way towards St. Jean.
Near the little village of Craon, which lies beyond
St. Jean, are belts of wood near the road, affording a
thick cover. It was intended, I believe, that the 22nd
Division should pass these woods, and then proceed south'
wards to the left of Chateauneuf—which was to be °cow

pied on the same day by the main body, under the
Grand Duke of Mecklenburg - Schwerin, marching
from Nogent-le-Roi. After passing St. Jean,
the advanced guard were suddenly met 11
a heavy fire from the woods. A somewhat
sharp engagement took place, lasting for two and a
half or three hours, and resulting in the capture of 120
French soldiers of the Line. So dense was the fog, that
nothing could be seen of the enemy, or the position
which they occupied ; and consequently no artillery could
be brought to bear. The fighting was entirely re-
stricted to a musketry fire, and little damage
was done on either side, so far as the Frencb
losses could be ' judged at the time. Owing t°
the state of the atmosphere, it was not deemed expedient
to enter and clear out such a large tract of wood; and in
the afternoon the troops were accordingly drawn off, and
marched back in the direction of Chateauneuf,-passing
that town, and halting a few miles from it, at and beyond
the Ferme Neuve, where General Wittich's head-
uarters were placed for the night. On the same
evening another fight took place in the village of
Digny, A party of troops—Bavarians, I believe--
were marching quite unconcernedly into the place, when
I they were received by a withering and well-directed voila
from the houses, quite shrouded and hidden from view by
the fog. As in the former instance, it was impossible
to bring fieldpieces to bear to dislodge the enenlY,
strongly posted behind the shelter of the wall°
and in the houses. Since nothing could be seen
of their whereabouts, or of the position that they held, the
troops were ordered to fall out of range, and were com-
pelled to bivouac for the night upon the wet, cold ground,
in the open country, under a thick mist and drizzling
rain, without a single bush or tree to afford even fb
slight shelter from the inclemency of the weather. In the
morning the village was carried at the point of the
bayonet, the enemy suffering considerable loss in killed
and wounded, besides nearly 200 men taken prisoners.
all of whom were Infantry of the Line or Marines. 1I;
the meantime, while the advanced guard was occupied
with the enemy in the woods at Cr4lon, the main
body of the army, marching from Nogent-le-Roi, en'
tered and 'occupied• Chateauneuf— a few shots being
interchanged with some scattered Francs-tireurs and
Mobile Guards, who still hovered about the neighbouring
woods.