The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-31
TyxE GREAT VICTORIES.
GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORTS.

Weissenburx, Woerth, and Forbach Described
bv the German COMMUNICATIVE Troops
and Onlcers Engaged.
Our foreign exchanges contain the official re-
ports OF the opening battles of the war. OF the
affair at Weissenburg the official report says:-
The Battle of Weissenburs.
"The French infantry in action at Weissen-
burg and Gaisberg belonged to the 1st Corps;
the cavalry to the 9th Corps. Except an attack
undertaken to cover the retreat, the French
stood on the defensive during the whole engage
ment. Most of the French troops in the en-
gagement conducted themselves with much
splrit, md held their ground manfully. Only
after retreat had become inevitable did they
appear as if seized by sudden prnic. At this
crisis troops of the Corps MacMahon, which
had not yet been under fire, threw away their
caps, knapsacks, tents, ETC., and decamped,
leaviDg even their provisions behiud them. The
Algerian troops exhibited the same temper as
the French. There was no perceptible differ
ence between them and their European COM
rades.
''The infantry, whose battalions were not
above 800 strong, opened fire at 1900 paces
This makes hitting mere matter of chance,
and has tendency to demOralize man in the
use of his weapon. Our practice of forming
company columns and outfanking the enemys
tirailleurs has fully answered. The French
cavalry, even if numerically equal to our own,
invariably declined attack. Our artillery fired
slower but much more effectively, than the
French The mitrailleuse battery fired three
rounds at distance of 1900 PAGES against our
artillery, but did no damage. 1t was soon
silenced by our guns"
The Battle of Woerth.
The battle of Woerth is thus described
'sOn the 5th of August reliable intelligence
was received at the headquarters of the Sd
Army that Marshal MacMahon was busily en-
gagged in concentrating his troops on the hills
west of Woerth, and that he was being rein
sequence of these adyices it was resolved
to lose no time in effecting a change of
'front.' which had been determined upon few
days previously but not yet executed. The I'd
Bavarian and the 9th Prussian Corps were
to remain in their respective positions at Lem
bach and Prenschdorf; the 11th Prussian Corps
was to wheel to the right and encamp at
Holschloch, with van pushed forward towards
the river Sauer; and the LIST Prusslan Corps was
to advance into the neighborhood of Lobsann
and Lampertsloch The cavalry division re-
mained at Schonenburg fronting west. The
Corps Werder (Wurtemburg and Baden divi-
sions) marched to Reimerswiller, with patrols
| facing the Haguenau forest.
''The 5th Prussian Corps, on the evening Of
| the 5th, pushed its van from its bivouac at
Prenschdorf on to theEhelght east of Woerth.
On the other side of the Sauer numerous camp
| fires of the enemy were visible during the night,
| the French outposts occupying the heights west
| of the Sauer, opposite Woerth and Gunstett At
dawn of the 9th skirmishes commenced along
the line of the outposts, which caused the Prus-
| sian vanguard to send battalion into Woerth.
| At o'clock steady firing was heard on the
right (Bavarian) flank. This and the fire the
| enemy directed against Worth caused us to
station the entire artillery of the 9Th Prussian
! Corps ON the heights east of this place and try
! to relieve the Bayarians. A little later the 9th
| Corps was ordered to break off the engagement,
1t being the intention of our generals to begin
the battle against the concentrated forces of the
enemy only when the change of front had been
| effected and the entire German army was ready
to be brought into action. At 7'45 o'clock the
4th Division (Bothmer) of the I'd Bavarian
Corps (Hartmann), induced by the heavy fire
of the outposts near Woerth, had left their BIZ
! vopac at Lembach, and, proceeding by Mattstall
and Lapgen-Salzbach, after sharp engagement
! penetrated as far as Neschwiiler, where they
spread, fronting to the south. At l019 this
Bayarian corps, supposing the order TO break
off the engagement which had been given to the
! 9Th Prussians TO extend to themselves, with
drew to Langen-Salzbaeh. The enemy being
thus no longer pressed on his left, turned all hi
strength with the greatest energy against the
9th Prussians at Woerth. Reinforcements were
continually thrown in by rail. Finding the
enemy in earnest on this point, and perceivine
the 18th Prussans to approach vigorously in tn.
direction of Gunstett the 5th Prussians imme
diately proceeded TO the attack, so as to defea
the enemy if possible before he had time to con
centrate. The 10th Brigade was the first to defl
through Woerth, and marched towards Elsass
hansen and Froschwiller; 1t was promptly fol
lowed by the 10th Brigade. The French stoot
their ground with the utmost peztinaeity, al,
tteir fre was crushing. Wha.eYer the gallanlr,