, 1870-12-28
CAMP Before PARIS.
Sorties Of November 80 and De-
cember | and 2.
The Army or the Loire and Its
Operations.
Proclamation Of Gambetta Posted at
Versailles,
Condition of Paris,

I shal now only attempt to give you some
particulars which may not yet have reached
you- As eaid in my last letter. dated No.
vember 50, the rar1sians intended to make tho
last week In November one to be remembered
in history Trochn's plan Was evidently to
attack the beaiegess 1t vArioua pointa, then
suddenly concentrate the bulk of his fokcas,
ard throw himself upon the weakest portion
OF the inveeting line, and thus b1e,k through
the iron band, and uith it put All cnl 10 the
siege of Paris. It the meantime, it w1a ex-
pectcd that D'Aurc!le de Paladine, with his
Army Of the Loire, would meet with better
success than be had, and be enabled to Join
hands viii Trochu. But man proposes and
God dispoaes. Tho best OF plans sometimes
fcult to discern.
On the o6sh the forts around Paris began
most violent bombardment, A sortie was
made against the Park OF STINT Cloud, ssvres,
and Vile D'Avrs. This sortie, occurring
during tho nights OF the 29th and 29th. WAS
intended to matk the concentration Of large
bodies OF the beeieged Ut other points.
TIE Fifth Army Corps was still engaged in
the repulse OF the French 1t the above-namad
placer, when the beeieged, under General
Ducrot. made fierce attack Against the Sixth
Army Corps. on the 2sth uit. Tho assailiug
rsrty consisted Of the Firrt Army Corps and
come few battalions from venoy' = Corps, and
must have numbered about 40, 600 troops Of tho
line md Ga,do Mobiles. AZ. 1t usually isppsas,
the French with their elan and impetuosity,
gave the Germans 4 severe shock. The lat
withdrew on to the second line. Tho French,
embo1deued, followed, and and At L'llAT
most obstinate fight continued for several
hours, the result OF which w1s thai
the assai1ing parisiana aaw themselves
While lie Germans re-oocnoied their former
position. The loss OF the Sixth Corps during
that DAYS fight, according to German &C.
counts, WAS but four officers aud sixty men,
figure winch is almost incredible when one
takes into consideration the magnitude and
The duration Of the fight. But for the pros
cut, we have TO be satisfied with such reports
IL they choose to glve Us, OF have none At all.
The French loss has been varioualy eetimAted
all along from 800 to 5000. As the official
report Of that affair has not made it's appoAr-
arce yet, you may take from the lbove figures
Just thoso that suit you best. lou must not
was conaiderAbly more ID i maxim which has
been lived up 70 by belliCcrenta Of all na,ions,
and during all ages, and finds its votarles IN
this war Is well. No matter, then, about the
estimated Losses. Neither party asemed to
have lost their last man vet during the fight
another desperate sortie from Fort Charzen--
ton and Fort Nogent agsinst the Wurteu-
be,eess, vile IeeEing ap an incess.nt Ind
heavy artillery fro from the three forts
aroucd st. Danis. a. we'll IS from
The batteries Of the st. Ouen heights,
and the SaxoDs. 1t WAS during Ibis day that
vas 1t loss to decide upon whlth contest, of
the many that were gong on at tho time.
should endesvor to witness. 6nally concluded
to see the one against the Sa1ons and the
Cards Corps. Arrived s. ST. Germain soon
found, however. that the fight there WIS limit
Cd to ono Of artillery, Tho firing WAS 80 rapid
| that I counted eighty ahota ia minute only
| from tho F1ench ba.te1ies, vMls ae many moro
| had been fred from tho German side- The
! artillery OF these latter do not fire az rapidly
a. The French. Thtir shots follow esch other
| in mora measured time, while those Of the be-
Aieged at timea succeed each other a rapidly
| M those cominc from mitrtiIieuee, and then
III at once stop. They fe semh1e more tho ner-
vous tEitchitE "a Of an oya1-excitsd man. It is
| 80 with their Ehessepots. Tie greatest mis-
fortune the French had 10 contend against
i daring this war vas the very auperiority OF
| their Gheesepot over the needle-gun. With
! the kuowtedre that the range II the former ia
considerably greater than that Of the latter,
the French eoldier begins 10 fire 1t Loco yards,
sighting. Of couEse, at long range. While
| thus wasting hls ammunition, he, in his ex-
ci,ement, yeYy often omits to change tie
eighting, notwithstanding tho Prnssisna
mar have approached him within but
500 yarde- 1t thus hippena that, while
The Chasaepot balls 60 hAtmless1y over the
deliberate and steady aim, sre almost every
sine eure OF their shot. BESIDES, ths disad.
ysutage Of the Prassiap nectlle- guns, as you
NAV kpow, coptists in their recurring oue moro
movement than tho Chaaserots, which arc
primed 1t the s.me time the cartridge il
soldier Is apt to g1in ia 1apidity one shot IL
every three or four over the pruasians. This
very gain in the rapidity of loading and dis
charging Of firearms is considered, by all mill
tsry critics. i. OF no advantage. un1s.s ht
troops handling such arus are perfectly verse;
| i1telligently in case the hreech becomes
oye1heated from the too rapidly.followin
dieeharees. :
But 10 return to the affair OF the seth. Tha
French, under nucTot, succeeded in breaking
the lines Of the Wurtemberger1. and. Aftel
tho latter's desperate defcnco Of Champisny
The pruseians.
Champtgny Is, ~ you remember. tho pl.c
whence I dated my frat letter to you, durinl
the beginning ct the siege. i lies on th'
left bank Of the .Marne, Eone fourteen kilo
:. metres from Paris. on tho main road lead
irg from Joinville-le-ront, opposite th
fortified camp Of manpuTres Of the woods o
vircepnes up to the heights Of Chtnneviera
The village, beginning On the iocline OF til
Hill of Chtnnayiere, wind- itsclr down on on
continuous and long street, to The shores o
quired 10 ascend from the lower 10 the uppe
end Of the village. The French had capture
! the lower end, where most Of the entEench
nents Of the Nu1tembe1gers were. In th
tneaptime, smother body of Tho bcsieged b.
cIosst d The Marue, under the protecting gun
| ~ -. rx
, | mr. Afarue and -su1-NIarpe, both of whic
nIscnr fhev tont aYter stubborn 1asistauce.
Tbe dsT Of he 35th, therefore, closed Wit
the French having in their possession thra
: important pesi,;ons Of The investing linz
The cl,arm 81 the c;rcle Has bruken. Au il,
r.s reon;red nnw waa intranfdity and dash o
! ths n.9r NJ Tho bes;eres 20 4. to make tho pe
sifinn cornt,oainc tl,a rest OF the circle uuter
ahie' They eop7d hsya cnue essilv. aud viii
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