The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-08-19
Account of the Battle of Woerth.
Victory for the Crown Prince.
The Conduct Of the Prisoners.

I swift ana Skllllul movement dBdln
WeiSsenburg, resulting in the complet
/ success of our arms, was but the for
taste Of a storm which threatened I'll
northern part of Alsace. On the Sc
ond day after Weissenburg came tn
battle of Woerth, and the Crown Prime
gained a great victory" over the able:
general in the French army. 1t is az
mitted that the French fought with reel
less courage, and that they infiicte
heavy losses on their opponents; bu
the fact OF this hard fighting, and c
this heavy loss, shows how serious dt
feat was that sustained by Mcmahon
| traversed the battle field while tn
dead still lay unburied "n uam,le,
ground, and could form good ide;
OF how the fight had gone by tn
ghastly evidence which remains
Woerth is at the bottom of fertil
valley between two ridges Of cultivate,
ground. There is quantity OF woodel
land in the neighborhood, and espe
cially behind the French position, or oil
the western side of the valley there is ;
strip of forest, which forms q cover fo
the rctreating troops. The little rive
Rreden, not big enough in the summer
time to float a shift, flows through th'
village, and the high road comes wind
ing down towards the village on thu
eastern side of the vally, fanked 10y
trees. Here was the Prussians posi-
ton. Stretching far to the right anC
left along this road were heaps o
spiked helmets TO lie seen, and car
loads of needle guns were collected un
der the trees. At a distance the French
musketry fire had told more heav
lily than the Prussian, and | heard
that the French artillery had been very
well served; but, though the buryine
parties We're busy with the German dead
on the eastern side of Woerth, there wa:
more than an exchange of slaughterou:
work on the western side. Here the
Prussians and Bavarians had pushed
forward in strong force, and their fire
had told fearfully upon the French
The high spirit and rigid discipline o
one army had been more than a match
for the desperate resistance of the other
Whole companies OF Frenchmen had
been moved down in their wild attempts
TO check the enemy's advance. 1t had
been a tolerably equal fight in some
places, for the ground was strewn with
German dead, but more and more
Frcnchmen had fallen in proportion.
The black Turcos and wide trowsered
zouaveS lay thick AT many points
and the cuirassiers had suffered
much. There were steel breast
plates and brass helmets scat,
tered thickly on the line Of retreat
while the dead horses in all directions
might be counted by the hundreds and
20 westward through the woods went
traces of increasing disaster, officers
and men lying where they had fallen,
some OF them in quite shady hooks, as
though they were pic-nicers asleep and
there were pools of blood where the
wounded lay. There had been found
knapsacks, rifles and overcoats, either
thrown away in the fight or left by the
wounded on the field Then came the
spot where the French had rallied and
where the dead of both sides lay thick.
The Turcos might he seen who had
clearly fought 10 the last and tried to
fire their piras as they lay. French
men OF the line regiments had here and
there fallen in numbers, as though
having halted and faced about in
regular order, hut the aspect OF the
field heyond the wood seemed 10 indi,
cate a hasty retreat Wagons were
overturned, baggage thrown out upon
the roadside and many knapsacks were
To hc seen. No one who had passed
over that battle ground of wrath when
| did could have failed to realize what
a great disaster could have fallen on the
French army, though at a time, when
most of the wounded had been removed
and so large a scene of action, it would
have been impossible to judge Of the
exact loss sustained. However, | see
no reason to doubt the official return on
the German side, which gives about
10000 Frenchmen and 700 Germans
Lors d,, combat, and about 200 prisoners
were taken 10y the victors, 1000 in
battle and 1000 more in the pursuit
These losses, with q further loss o.
cannon and colors, made the work al
evil day for France, Well might tn,
wounded Germans raise themselve:
10 cheer the Crown Prince, as he passed
and crv that Germany was safe. Ther,
was a fierce attack on both sides, it bein!
hard to say which party began, anc
gradually as the German troops pressed
round upon their opponents line of re
treat, the French were forced to make
so hasty a retrograde movement tha
the retreat became very nearly rout
The needle gun proved itself fully equa
70 the Chassepot, and something more
so at least say the German soldiers, will
apparently good faith. Then, moreove,
the Prussians knew their weapon be,
ter, having long been accustomed to II
and the Crown Prince handled his arm.
so as to make most deadly fire OF hi
infantry. But we must not forget tina
the French showed ardor likewise, an,
the scale was turned for the Ger
mans at Woerth by their intelll
gent understanding Of the breecI
loader drill, and bv their steadiness i
firing. These matters take time t
learn. We see the glorious result
which Germany Is reaping from he
careful preparation The prisoner
were assembled near the first station O
the reopened railway through Weisseu
burg could see many Turcos an
Zouaves among them, though tn
greater part were soldiers of the lin,
There were no songs, no laughter, to /
heard from among them, and the fe
that were occupying themselves wit
picking fruit in the tries had not a vel
lively air for the Frenchmen in such
position as fruit picking. The &c
mans and Erenchmen mingled, wit