The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-08
THE WAR TN EUROPE.
THE SCENE OF BATTLE.

THE SCENE OF BATTLE.
rh, Great struggle e on the Erepssr.5iI
The cable kilograms of Saturday night and
sunday leave no doubt that the French have
sustained disastrous defeat, but the accounts
bf the fighting confused, from the neces-
tiles of the case, that some days will doubtless
lapse before we can form a correct and precise
dea OF the location and extent of the battle.
Previous to the fighting which commenced
on Friday last the Imperial Headquarters were
at Metz, an almost impregnable fortress situated
at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille,
370 miles east of Paris, and about 90 miles
q. s. w. of Saarlouis, the nearest Prussian
stronghold, just over the border. At etrasbourg,
lon the river ILL., mile from its junction with
The Rhine, so miles southeast of Metz, was the
headquarters of Marshal Mcmahon, com mmand-
Eng the French right. At Thionville, on the
lMoselle, II miles north Of Metz, and about 20
|niles from Saarouis, was the headquarters of
the French left under Count LAdmirauTt.
Between and around Strasburg and Thionville
was concentrated the bulk of the French army,
on line about 100 miles in length, immedi-
ately facing the Prussian, Bavarian, and part of
the Baden frontier.
The bulk of the North German army-w
ranged in line of about the same length and
parallel to that occupied by the French, the eX.
(treme right being at Treves, on the Moselle,
\ near the confluence of the Saar, and but few
miles from the Luxembourg frontier and neutral
territory, while the left extended around the
apex of the angle in the frontier at the confu-
4nce of the Lauter with the Rhine, some dis
Iance southwark into Baden The headquarters
: of King William were at Cologne, nearly 100
miles north of Treves; those of the Crown
l. Al,
centre, at Mannheim, on the Rhine, about so
miles north of the mouth of the Lauter those
OF Prince Frederick Charles, commanding the
right, at Kreuznach eight miles south of Bin
gen, on the Rhine, 20 miles southwest of May
ence aud about fifty miles from the French from
tier. The Prussian right was under the COM
mand of General Won Bittenfeld, the locality of
whose headquarters has not been mentioned in
the cable kilograms lately.
On Tuesday last, August 2, the French made
an assault ON the unfortifed town of Saar-
bruck, within three miles of the frontier, driving
in the Prussan outposts after short encounter,
and thus gaining possession of the junction OF
1.-The railroad from Treves through Saarlouis with
1.-THE main line from Metz to Mannheim. The
I French made much of this victory, but the
Prussians regarded it as of no consequence, and
the events of the past three days have showr
l that the Prussisn view was correct. On the Sd
l of August, however, the forces of the Crown
1 Prince advanced into French territory and drove
McMahons troops from the fortress of Weis
senburg, which is situated on the river
Lauter, which here forms the boundary be-
tween Rhenish Bavaria and France, "a miles N
n. E. Of Strasburg, and about 10 miles from the
junction of the Lauter with the Rhine. Weis
senburg is on the railroad running N. N. E. from
Strasburg to Mannheim. Weissenburg was aban
doned as defensive point of the French line in
1857, but the works were not razed at that time
and the place has been occupied from the out
break of the war by at least one division o
French troops The struggle for the possession
of Weissenburg was terrific one, the losses or
both sides being heavy; but the Prussians were
too much for the French, and before McMahor
could come to their relief, Weissenburg, with
the works supporting it, which extend for l;
miles along the Lauter to Lauterburg, near the
Rhine, fell into the hands of the victors.
The situation had thus been modified when
on Friday last, the 5th there was a genera
advance along the entire German line. The
Prussian centre again encountered the French
at Saarbruck, which they recaptured, and ther
advanced into French territory, under comman(
of General Goeben and subsequently of Genera
Won Steinmetz, meeting the enemy in th'
Froissard's command, and carrying their posi-
ton at the point of the bayonet. The result o
this battle was to drive the French from For
bach and st. Avoid, on the railroad from Met
70 Saarlouis, the former few miles only frou
he border, the latter about eighteen miles dis
liant in a southwest direction, not more thai
twenty-five miles east of Metz The cable tee
grams also state that this movement has proba
bly, rendered Bitche untenable. This fortress
which was the headquarters of General d
Faily, in command of the 9TH Corps, is locate
n pass of the Vosges Mountains, but fe'
miles from the Bavarian frontier, and abou
midway between Fsrbach and Weissenburg. o.
sn isolated rock in the middle of the town is
Tort, well supplied with water, defended b
eighty cannon, and regarded as next to impreg
1sble.
The dispatches received on Saturday after