The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-08-18

ing TIE bCCk, l2O,7OG. nay dtcrdgC
during The precious 1cek. ending 1Ugud 4,
I2l $50.
The Collapse of the Bonapartc Empire.
Never in all history has great and proud
nation been covered with such humiliation
ns the present war has hcapcd upon the
BoNArARTE dynasty and the people who
have rut their power and their honor in its
keeping. Beginning the wGr on a frivolous
pretext, the French Emperor hurried to the
frontier a powerful army TO take Prussia ly
surprise, and conquer her before she could
bring up her defenders But this force found
there one more powerful; and what was
moro significant, il found that it must fight
not with Prussia alone, but with the whole
of Germany. So foolishly had the Emperor
bungled in bringing on tho war, that he had
united and consolidated the German people.
where lie ought TO have divided them, 50
that n cons iderab'e portion would have been
on his SIDE, or would at least have remained
neutral.
g. This political defeat Of Tho French. with
which thu war commenced, was but the
precursor of an unexamplcd sar.cl Of mill.
tary disasters which llnvr mark ii every stage
of its progress. The FIRST serious operation
was to thrust ono of the German armies be-
tween the French rps under IMAGINATION
and the main body of the Imperial forces
Thus they separated MAcMAnoS from his
supports and broke his communications
while at tho same time another German
army fell upon him with overwhelming
numbers and literally crushed HIM, 50 that
he has not been OF tho asst acc lunt snce
and probably never will be- The same day
the French centre under FRossAVD was
broken and driven back and thcmAin French
army was c, mpcll,d to fall back upoa Mott,
where, we were told, a dc,sivt. battle would
be fought aud the tde II German successes
reversed.
But this calculation did not take into nc
Couat either the superior numbers of tn,
Germans, or the sup rior intellect by which
their operations are directed While the united
Prussan armies under Won STEINMETz aud
Prince FREDERICK CHARLES were moving
against the main body of French gathered
D
the French to be 10000 strong, under Prince
FRLpERICK WILLIAM, the sane that had
disposed Of IMAGINATION, was fastening by
way OF Nancy and Bar lc-Duc toward c. a.ons.
THIS great thanking movement, more formi.
daLic than any undertaken by GRANT or
SHERMAN, threatened TO cut the communica.
tons Of tho, French at Metz and a retreat
Of the whole French army upon Chalons was
nt onco ordered.
1t is plain that the battles of Sunday and
Monday last were fought while the French
columns, in obedience TO this order were
marching away from Metz on the road
toward Chalons. The battle OF SUNDAY con.
sisted in an attack by Pruss an force
which surprised the French by suddenly ap
pearng on the west bank of the Mosele,
when all the Prussians were believed to be
stil on the right bank. According to the
Emperor NAPOLEON, this attack was made
just ~ one halt of the French army had cot
across the river. lie says it was re.
pulsed after four hours fighting; but
he does not deny that It prevented the rear
Of his army from crossing the river and
forced it back within the lines of Metz The
battle OF Monday evidently Logan with an
effort of the troops thus crowded back into
Metz the preceding day to get ont and cross
the river 30 as TO join the main French
army, This effort WINS folcd and the
French were again pressed back within their
iortiications. Thus the operation upon
MACMAHOH was successfully repeated at
Met, and the French army Is again divided
in two and its parts prevented from uniting
again.
While these successive defeats utterly de.
stroy the prestige Of the French generals
aud break down the spirit of soldiers and
people, and while revolution is constantly
threatened in every part of France not oc.
cuped by the Prussans, the Government
makes frantic efforts to send forward rein.
iorcements' But the PrussIans give them no
opportunity TO organize the now lcvies so as
10 make them effective. Marching with ex.
traorlinarY rapidity, they do not allow their
antagonists even to breathe or 70 turn
around The PTussan rciniorcemcnts, too,
nrc on the spot as if by magic. pouring
NhNH lulO liht bplllt Illhuly lnrOuu
Of their Gothic ancestors Of old. Already, too,
we hear of a new German army, 100000
strong, which has crossed the Rhine near
Mulhouso and has its advance at Bcsan-
con marching upon Paris from the east, And
while calamity and dsmay thus accumulatcs
on every hand, AMI Franco seems ne if sud
denly struck with moral paralysis, the world
looks on in astonishmcnt, inquiring what il
Is that has destroyed the life Of that great
people and why they arc now mpotcut
10 defend their own country against foreign
foe
The answer Is simple France has beer
"r '.ph'con years the victim Of oae Of tho