Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-09-14
The Most Wonderful Military Cam
paign Of Modern Times.

The Most Wonderful Military Cam
paign Of Modern Times.
Since the invention of gnnpowder
there has been no war between any
two or more nations which will com.
pare with this just closed between
France and Germany, whether we
consider the strength aud equipments
ofthe armies on both sides, the bloody
battles fought, and within the brief
limits ofa singe month, or the obstacles
overcome and the results achieI cd by
the armies of the successful belligerent.
The war was declared by France
July Is, and hostililies were com.
menced by France, "Louis and l." at
the little frontier German town of
Saarbruck, where the Prince Imperial
received his "baptism of fire, on the
I'd day Of August, and on the % day
Of September the war is ended in the
capiiulation Of the army of MacMahon
and the surrender of Napoleon TO
King William. Within the week from
the opening of the ball in the dramatic
little affair of Saarbuck the strong
positions Of the advance right wing OF
the French army under MncMahon.
from the Saar TO the Rhine. and thence
up to Strasburg. in series of fierce
and bloody battles were carried the
whole French line was doubled upand
pushed backward over the Vosyes
Mountains to the line of the Moselle-
and its protecting fortresses In these
operations the lusses To the French
involved the reduction Of the splendid
army column of fifty thousand men,
with which MacMahOn marched ont
of Strasburg, August 4th. to less than
fifteen thousand IN bis halt 10 repair
damages at Chaluns, ten days later.
Where Napoleon rode back with
the Prince Imperial to his hcadquar
ters at Metz, the French army extend.
ing in segment Of circle from that
point around TO Strasburg, numbered.
perhaps, not less than two hundred
and fifty thousand men. The Ger
man armies confronting them, rough
iy computed since ut half million.
did not probably exceed in all three
hundred and fifty Thousand men
But the weight of it was thrown with
crushing force upon MacMuhon, aud
in his demolition at Woerth the whole
campaign was virtually decided The
next chapter in the sanguinary drama
was in the succession of desperate bat.
tie with the original left aud center
Of the French army on tue line of the
Moselle, under Bazaine, culminatins
in the terrific struggle of the 18th at
Gravelotte, which resulted 10 shutting
up Baziane within the walls of Metz.
to the extent Of from eighty to hun.
dred thousand men, in charge of tae
Prussian General Steinmetz
Thus by the 18th of August the
originAl French q, aung~q,s !, - ~ Rhtrr.
ment belcaguorod in Strasburg, and
excluding the cscapingremnanl OF Nc
Mahon's corps aud the detachment
escaping from Metz and uniting with
MacMahOn in the north To this
point the French losses in killed,
wounded and prisoners, and in their
forces held in several fortresscs, as
under lock and key, were equal TO two
hundred thousand men. The capitn-
lation of the new army of MaoMabon
under General Wimpicn at the time
involved an additional immediate loss
of one hundred and fifty Thousand
men, more or less. We have no
means of estimating the aggregate
losses in killed and wounded on either
side, but from the reports made we APP
prehend that, while the French losses
of the war will not exceed one hun
dred thousand men, the German losses,
from the exposures on that side as the
attacking party, have hardly been less
than one hundred and fifty thousand
men.
All this has been done in the brief
space of month, from the I'd day OF
August TO the I'd day of September
and the grand results are the surren.
der of Napoleon aud the subiugaiiun
of France, aud ut point in the ron
test when the French people were on.
ly beginning TO prepare for the expul-
sion of The enemy.-N y. Herald