New-York tribune., 1870-09-05

| 10 the valley of which i nave JusI spohch'
| Between this wood and the town were sevefai
French camps; their white shelter tents stand
ing ont clear among the dark fruit-trees' III
| these camps one could see throughout the day
! huge masses of troops which were never used.
Even during the hight of the battle, they
stood as idle as Fitz John Porter's at the
Second Battle of Bull Run. We imagined that
| they must have been undisciplined Gardes
Mobiles whom the French Generals dared not
| bring out against their enemy.
| To the Prussian left of these French camps,
separated from them by wooded ravine, was
long bare hill, something like one OF the
hills on Long Island. This hill, on which was
some of the hardest lighting of the day, formed
ore the keys of the position of the French
az When once its crests were covered with
Prus- an artillery, the whole town of Sedan
was completely at the mercy of the German
guns, as they were not only above the town.
but the town was almost within musket range
of them.
| Still further to the left lay the village OF
lily, set on fire early in the day by the French
shells. South of this the broken railway
bridge blown up by the French to protect
their right, was a conspicuous object
Right above the railway bridge on the line to
Mezeres was the wooded hill crowded by the
new and most hideous "chateaun as he calls it,
of one Monsieur Pave. 1t was here the Crown
Prince and his staff stood during the day, hav-
ing a rather more extensive but less central
view and therefore less desirable than ours,
where stood the King, Count Bismarck, Won
Room, the War Minister, Gen. MOltke, and
Gems. Sheridan and FOrsyth-tO say nothing OF
your correspondent.
THE PRUsSIAN PLAN OF BATTLE.
Having thus endeavOred to give some faint
idea of the scene of what is in all probability
the decisive battle of the war, l will next
give an account of the position of the differ
ent corps at the commencement of the action,
promising that all the movements were of the
simplest possible nature, the object OF the
Prussan Generals being merely to close the
crescent of troops with which they began
into a circle by ef1ecting a junction be-
tween the Saxon corps on their right and
the Prussian corps on their left This junction
took place about noon, near the little village
of Obey, on the Bazeille ravine, behind Sedan,
of which | have already spoken. Once their
terrible circle formed and well soldered to-
gether, it grew steadily smaller and smaller,
until at last the Notifications of Sedan itself
were entered.
On the extreme right were the Saxons-One
corps d'armee, with King Williams Guards;
also, corps darmee IN reserve behind them
The Guards had suffered terribly at Gravelotte,
where they met the Imperial Guard; and the
King would not allow them to be again so
cruelty dccmated. Justice compels me to state
that this arrangement was very far indeed
from being pleasing to the Guards themselves,
who are ever anxious to be in the forefront
of the battle.
The Guards and Saxons, then about $4,000
strong, were all day on the right bank OF the
Meuse, between Rubecourt and La Chapelle,
at which latter village Prince Albert of Sax
ony who was in command of the two corps
which have been formed INTO little extra
army by themselves passed the night of
Thursday.
The ground from RubecOurt to the Meuse
was occupied by the First Bayarian Corps.
The Second Bavarian Corps extended their
front from near the Bazeille railway-bTidge to
a point on the high road from Donchery to
Sedan, not far from the little village of Torcy.
Below the hill on which the Crown Prince
was placed the ground frcm Torcy to lily,
through the large village of Floing, was held
by the First and Third Prussian Corps belong
ing to the army of Prince Frederick Charles,
and temporarily attached to the army of the
Crown Prince
This was the position of the troops about
o'clock on Thursday morning, Sept. 1, and no
great advance took place till later than that,
for the artillery had at first all the work to
do. Still further to the left, near DOnchery,
m a0n nor IN put
off the French from Mezieres, in case of their
making a push for that fortress.
THE FORCES ENGAGED.
The number of the Prussian troops engaged
was estimated by Gen. Moltke at 100000, and
that of the French at 10000. We know that
MacMahon had with him on Tuesday 10000
men. that is, four corps; his own, that lately
commanded by Gen. De Failly, now under
Gen. lie Brun; that of Felix DOuay, brother
of Gen. Abel DOuay, killed at Wessenburg;
and fourth corps principally composed of
| Garde Mobile, the name of whose commander
has escapedme. MacMahOn, although wounded,
commanded in chief on the French side
II is almcst needless to say that the real
COMMANDMENTS Chief of the Prussians was Won
! Moltke: with the Crown Prince and Prince Al
bert of Saxony Immediately next in command.
OPENING OF THE BATTLE.
There were few stray cannon shots fired,
merely to obtain the range. as soon as it was
light; but the real battle did not begin until
! 6 o'clock becoming a sharp artillery fight at
! Q. when the batteries had each got within easy
! range. and the shells began to do serious mis-
| chief At 11:jj the musketTy fire in the valley
behind Sedan, which had opened about
11:2j. became exceedingly lively-being one
continuous rattle only broken by the loud
/ ,,1;,,, of the nittaiIleuses which uloved