, 1870-08-07
THE WAR IN EUROPE.

THE WAR IN EUROPE.
The Theatre OF WRr..-Its TopoErn ph.
tcal Fen1urck-Thc ksr21<si,An LANE
OF Dcfcn1e---poAfttono or the French
TrooPA~.-ProbMbfr Point OF Attnch.
Fors tAt .ser Yort Tfs5xn<, Aaq.h
There are no large towns on the boundary
between Franco aud Rhenish Daya1ia, but On
both rides not far from the frontier ato places
important in military point OF view, occupied
now by the two almles-
The Prrssian right wing reaches to Treves
on the Moseale. This is ono Of the oldcat
towns in Europe. When julius CGs.r led the
legions Of Rome into Gaul, he found it the
chief town OF tho Treriri-one Of the most
powerful Of tue daxe1-haired tribea OF Ger
many. An inscription on the wall OF tho Rath-
nonlulus laid the foundatlons Of 1:o1ue. Tbs
:tevin became the allies Ut Home,
aud Augustus used them well. ue
made Ireses the capital Of GauI,
and established Senate aud appointed IN t;,s-
ttates IL manage the aHcita of the Empire
north Of the Alps Here the groat.koulAn
highway cEoesea the Moselle On magnificent
stone bridge. erected % 3. e., which was
flown up by Louis NV. Its remaius are still
to he seen. Pzuhaian soldiers now oeccupy
tic baeiica erected by the architects OF old
lionc, and 80 through their dress-psta1e on
the campus, where CIsar aud Constantine the
Great reviewed their legiohs. Trevus has q
railroad colstse:tion west with Isu1enl,uz,. and
With the 1;sIine By the lina which runs south
east up the yslIcs of tho S1ar to Saa.bfuck.
AID nll.ch tllen turns a right angle 10 tt4s
nc1thcast. Tho supplies for tho pruss;an
:5uops III Iresea aud III slis valley OF the Saar
1u,,rt rotnc either by thi. one line Of rail or by
steamboats, mp the stoeelic. Traves being
near Lu1emtu1., which il neutral territory,
ths fE1teia1ls cannot receive anything from
the wort, aud 1he LOO, ,oGo soldiers ancampell
III tic hills around lie old town must obtain
all their supplies from tho 1ihlne.
THE y4lIkY or TIE BAAn.
lhs Saat rises IN the Sosges. the range OF
mountains that lie west Of strlsburg, and
drains their weatcrn slope. It IL q LeSut:iu,
stream, winding through vide. vesJant ynl,
ley. lhe course Of the river IL toward the
noril,, joining the Aoselle, ucaz T1eves. II
Las gwen name to several towns. Travel.
ling touth Of Troyes, He find St-ashurg, tAe1
Saatlolzbarh, then S:arlouis Saa1Ls1ck. ani
saarlulieugep, all in 1.ussia; c,oss: ~ thu
stream: ne have Satreguemincs, sarreabie
SsF1nnaar'. aud saIre!taney, in Fsanee. |,
n'.s enumeration the order Inns ueen south
ward from Ireyes. Saarelouis and Saarbrucs
III rrasela, and SarraSacmiue., in France, ar,
u srt At Importance, put the others arc O
little account.
s..AELor1s.
It is &c miies! from Treyes to Ssarbtuck, at1t
the important toxns Oh the route arc Saar
lnrG, MesziG and Saarlouis. The Iast-uameG
Place If about 10 miles eouth OF Treyes. I'll
fulfilled town, surrounded by Mi1e mead
owe, ard tso-:LisIs cnclsclei Ly the riyer
which, 1t that point, is sluggish e11eam. Iht
The Notifications were constructed By Fau-
tor, and consist OF ramparle, hsstions, lu
nettos. 1etser, and bitches. A canal connect.
tho uitches viii the river. and the garrison.
by oI'ening the s1uiccs, may tllt thein with
have strengthened tie wutks, and a.isrt.t
;Lcm to tho requirements Of modern rniutar,
sci.nce, Tie town i, lecatci on the western
bank. and il ii fuffy mile xc1oss tho mead
,ws to the hills that bound tho valley on ihs
yest. The character of the soil is such tia
tie place cunnot be taken by regular sciG.
operations.
The railroad runs atong the eastern hank OF
the ttre an, all tic way from Trcves t. Ssar
t1nck. Tie railroad station at Sasrlouis il
connected with t1t town By fne stout
bridge. The river Is TOO deep to be forded b,
sn acvancing army. It IL about a vida 4,
tie isalpahannccE 1t Fredericksburg TIL
rsnsaian line Of defences :s along tho oasteru
oaEt, and il the French army would get =
tho P1nssians any where between Tfeves asst
6ansh1uck they nlust tridSe the atre4m eitf.al
by pontotns CT by more solid etruetures- Thi
distance from Saatlouis to the boundary j,
about four miles; it IL the same from Me'zif
to TIE boundary but y We approa:h saas
distance between the river and the frontier i
NOT moro than mile and half.
s4ARRECcK.
This is railway junction. and perhaps tht
most important point on the entire line be
tween Luseml<1nEB and the HEine;. It's I'M
portance will be hesu only By review of tI
situation. The railroad running son.'.w rs
from Saarbr1ick into Franco leads to tho tow1
Of Metz, and thero connse:a with the line
running 10 Tat7s. Tho prussian line feou
Treyes follows up tile valley Of the >;Aar T.
little east Of south. int here it makes shasl
curve round high hill, leaves tie Saar, turn
northeast, follows up n small brook through
ras.nf. paeses coal niue and the little ham
lets Of 1'uttwilles and Sultzbach. goes up Al
ascending grade, with wooded hilla on eithe
haEsi, reaches the summit between tile valls
Of the Saar and the Maize, and desceuds thu
east nj Saarbruck ,s Seuenkirchen, anothe
important point. i is the junction OF th
line leading to Bingen, With the equal
isa11st@1t Line reaching the Rhine q
Manbeins and Speier. Up these two line
to Neuenkirchen, and over this single In,
vest OF Nansnkischen, tie PEtksisn army, q
It least j0'. 600 men, must receive theie sup
plies 1t is fuEly % mics from Seucnkirrhe,
to the boundary, On the south but at Saa1
51uck the railroad iH within reach Of tie gun
planted On French territory.
FoRnAcH.
Three and half miles west Of Saatbrnck
ForbacA, ! small town, containing the Frenc
way leading. 10 Paris. The railrosd to Met
auns through the yillsge. Between the tow
! and the RIVER saar, on the north, i the foret
o. Forbach, while on the south side Of h
highway are I setics Of low bills, with road
and ratha winding through the r4rinea. Thes
! hills are near enough to Saarbruck to enAbf
| the French ar,illeIists to throw their ,ids
-hct not only into the town, but beyond il
and the rru4sian batteries on the bill east {
| SAsrbruck eau send theirs well over to Ia,
bach.
| TIE vpsdEs.
Between SaArbruck and tho Rhine are th
| vu.Gcs Mountains, N outlying spur of th
| Jurz range. Tbe railroad, running due eas
from Eeuenkirrhen 10 the Rhine, paasee ove
1 md through thera-now winding along III,
| row and deep favines, and now gtmipC thzoug
tunnel OF crossing the valley on viaauc
frt uch eide. presents the same Topographic.
features. lie toxu Of Ditcbe, On the Frsnc
| side, is loeated on the western slope OF h
SoeEee. Any grand movement Of either arm
must be n1zda west Of that locality. Althoug
FRENCH troops osear{ Strasbulg, and Il
found al the way up the Rhine to Bas1e, ao
although there are ITussian troops It Rsstai
md kehl. ard other points On the easter
:'lrk Of the Rhina, the maior.ty Of .he troop
of either army are in position between Bitch
and Sierck. On the weet. bot s11nies Il
| t1anked By the neutral Territory Of 1u1cu
bourg, ind on the east By the vosges Mou,
taiue.
Louis Napoleon has made up his game {
chess, hut how will he play i1s he ca1nt
move by the 1efs flank, for lu1emburg IL
the VA. He cannot move by tho right hanl
| between S&arburE and the Rhine, without Sc
ting entang1ed among the Tosges- He c.,
ain force on StsAsburg. and cross the Rim
without uncoFering Paris and leaving his 1a1
way connections exposed. II he moves str1igf
ahead, acruss the Saas, be must force 1Ine I
ter line Of Prussian positions. batteries upo
the hills and sweeping the detl1es amid II
Emperor havitg declared war. King Willis
can wait With patience his advanee b. stanih1
el the defensive.
Should the Hst1seians assumc the oHensiy
they will lind numerous Obstacles in the
path. They can make no movement bs Il
nslt tank without violating the neutrality I
LE1embnrg. II they move straight On, Il
enemy can retire behind the Aoselle aud 'hol
them 1t bsy. The yosges, however, wouI
lot be in the way were they to move by Il
left fink; on the contrary movement In th,
direction toward tbs west would take the,
iIto An open country.
From what We knox OF the country and Il
uassipc Of the fo1cea. it would seem that Il
far1t great engagement must take placa som
wLere in the vicinity Of 9axrhruck. OF Sas
turx. or Seuenkirchen, for, II Louis Napoleo
can lale nnd hold the line Of railroad hetwet
Of 1t those localities, il viii 50 far to nent1a
fze the action Of the pruse1an right wing, N.
! and, having accomplished that, France m