Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-08-26
Movements or tho Armies Abe;sl
hlrsz,

FROM Inc Vow orH Tribune.
All hope OF IA concentration Of the
French army at Metz appears TO have
been abandoned on SUNDAY morning
last, when it was discovered that the
prussans had penetrated between
Metz and VOul, where MucAlahon was.
POnt-a- Mousson. MacMahon could
not then hope to reach Bazane re-
endorsements could not come forwad
from Cha.ons to Metz; those which
atteml ted it were turned back and it
became an imperative necessity that
Bazainc should retreat toward ChalOns,
as MacMahon 10y another route was al
ready doing. The evacuation Of Metz
by the main army under BaZaine was
therefore begun on Sunday morning,
August II, and continued without in
terruptiou until about o'clock i'm the
afternoon. Al that hour the prussi-
ans arrived before the fortiiicatiOns Of
the town, and, suspecting the move
ment of their enemy, attacked with
great energy. French unofficial re-
ports published in Paris papers inti-
mate that this attack on Sunday after
noon was made by Prince Frederick
Charles moving northward from Pont-
a-Mousson along the west bank of the
west of Metz. Oi1icial Prussian re-
ports indicate that il was an attack by
Gen. Won Steinmetz, who commands
what is now the right wing, upon the
rear guard of the French posted in the
outer works on the eastern part of the
city of Metz. No matter where made.
this attack was either rcpulsed or was
ended by darkness. The Prussiaus re-
tired to their bivouacs for the night,
and the French Marshal appears TO
have completed the traIsfcr OF his ar
my to the west bank OF the MOselle.
\ reconnaissance on Monday morning
revealed, as the Prussian reports say,
that 1.-THE main body had departed. ~
Since thai time we have heard moth
ing official, aud little that Is trust
worthy. tiscloar only that the French
retired slowly upon Ncrdun, harasscd
ut every step. The Prussians, moving
by parallel lines and seeking contin-
ually TO interpose II strong column be-
tween BaZalne and MacAlahon, (whosc
line of retaeat is a score of miles furth-
er south than that of BaMinc,) has
seized every opportunity TO strike at
the rctreating columns, The cortinu-
Gus and repeated cngagenientsof of which
we have had intimatiOns for the last
two OF three days have doubtless been
brief, desperate cOmbats between the
heads of the prus-ian columns and OK
posed portions OF the French. Their
results are not fully known. The
French claim the advantage in one of
these combats, said To- have been fought
at GraVelotte on Tuesday; but the adj
vantage gained was nothing more than
the maintenance of their ground. If
the statement that lilzline's army
was at Elain ho trlc, it is clGar that
one result of these frequent attacks
was To force the French lgom the main
road to Ncrdun.
Can the French reach Chulous, and
can they hope to mako stand there ?
These are the surmlsCs which VIII
naturally suWgcst themselves ~ long
as the present silouco is maintain a.
The purpose OF the Prussiaus H., of
course, 10 push Bazane from his direct
line of retreat, 10y Newmand Chalons,
to Paris TO accomplish that is TO -e-
cure for themselves the shortest line to
Paris, and 10 that end every effort OF
the Yictor viii bc directed. The posi-
tiOn of lhe French army is certainly
a precautions one, and the announce
mont that the Prussiaus arc between
IL and Chdluus would create no greater
asturishmcnt than the statement,
made little more than week ago, that
the French lines un The Saar had been
broken and MacMahon defeated. Ii
he succeeds I'm reaching Chulous Ba-
2aine's condition will not be greatly
improved, MacMahon may Join him
there, rs their lines of retreat converge
at that point; and he will have added
to his force two hundred thousand
men. But the men are not soldiers TO
stand in an open field on an un,ortlfiod
plain before the deadly fire of the
needlc-gun. TO his own brukcn army
Bazaine would thus add % dcmomlized
mass capable only OF eating. and be