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

SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, SEPTEIVIBER 29, 1870.

time it had been taken by the French, but eachli me
their * occupation had been short.lived. The regiment
which bore the brunt of the onset on the German side
was the 13th Regiment of the first Westphalian infantry
division, the company principally engaged in the sting-
gles of the outposts being company No. 1, under corn-
inand of First Lieutenant Ritter, who was slightly
wounded. He was the only officer hurt ;15 men in all
were wounded, and one killed, on the Prussian side. The
French losses were considerable. They left prisoners in
our hands; but I have not heard how many. The prisoners
and wounded of both sides were at once forwarded to
Saarbruck.

SEPTEMBER 24.

Yesterday's engagemement was but a prelude to a more
serious attack to-day. From the " observatorium " in
the château at Mercy-le-Haut we could see this morning
a strong body of troops gathering under the walls of Fort
St. Julien, and presently they poured out along the road
leading from the fort and extending towards the Prussian
right. The day was very fine,' and, sitting up in that
somewhat perilously exposed garret, peering through the
hole in the roof which had been broken for the purpose,
we could make out the d etails of the French columns.
They were advancing in marching order—solid masses of
troops pouring out, the infantry being supported by
artillery and cavalry. This observatory was not,
perhaps, the place best qualified to favour the
uninterrupted enjoyment of scenery, for on the
previous- day 126 shells had been fired at it;
there were several more holes in the roof than were need-
ful or useful for the purposes of observation, but the
spectacle was one of such stirring interest that it was im-
possible not to be absorbed in it. Despatches by orderlies
and by telegraph carried on all sides information of the
movements of the French, and the threatened points
received timely warning, while preparations were made
for immediate concentration. I sat there for about half
an hour watching the details of the scene with M. Ernest
Hart, who had come over with me—he having obtained a
special pass from the Commandant, permitting him to pass
the outposts for the purpose of assisting in making ar-
rangements for the disposal of the wounded in the
previous engagements,—till we had notice to come down,
as the French were obviously preparing once more to shell
the place. It was now two o'clock, and presently the fire
began. The guns of Fort Queleux opened a heavy fire,
and the shells dropped fast among the woods immediately
to the left and below the château, where the French
knew that Prussian troops were hidden. For the first
time, too, the guns from Fort des Bottes, the strong
earthwork just constructed immediately in front of the
château and below the fort, delivered a maiden fire. Tire
shells, however, were for the most part overpitched ; the
majority of them passed over the woods and fell into the
meadows. There was a continuous roar of cannon on
both the right and left flanks. Presently volleys from
both Prussian and French infantry in the chausse'es
immediately below us shewed that sharp fighting was
going on at close quarters. We turned a little further to
the left in order to get a better view of what was going on
and as we moved we heard a new sound. Some mitrail-
lenses had opened fire. The sound was as if a ship had
let go her cable and the chain was running out, making
hoarse and grating music as it sfraped through the hawse-
hole. The fire began to take effect, and we could see
men falling on both sides. From this position, how-
ever, we went over to the right, for the firing in that
direction was heavier and more continuous, and it was
certain, as, indeed, the preparations at Fort St. Julien,
which we had witnessed in the morning, had foretold, that
the real attack was being pressed on the Prussian left, in
the direction of Thionville, and by Bazaine himself. It
was towards that flank that the heavy body of troops
which we had seen issuing from the left gates of Metz had
taken their course ; and though part of the attack was
at a distance of six miles from us, we could see the smoke
and hear the sounds which told of heavy fighting.
The guns on the French right which had threatened
our own position were now silenced, but while
the light lasted we could watch the clouds of smoke which
burst in thick puffs from the French positions on the left,
and they seemed to advance further and further into the
Prussian lines ; but later on, as the dusk fell, the flashes
of light which broke from the now gray woods, and the
louder roar of cannon seemed to tell us that the Prussians
had once more held their own, and were driving back the
French under the shelter of their forts. Fort St. Queleux
was now ablaze with signal lights, and Fort St. Julien re-
sponded with similar fires. The meaning of them, of course
was known only to the French themselves. There is a
report to-day here that the French were enticed into ad-
vancing well into the Prussian lines by a defence which
was at the first comparatively feeble, that they even
captured a provision train which was on the road, and
made some prisoners, but that the Germans then closed in
upon them, and not only robbed them of their prize, but
took 700 French prisoners. It had grown too dark for us
to ascertain where We stood, on the German left, what
had been the precise series of events in the course of the
battle on the right, but our impression, derived from
what we could see, was what I have told you.