The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-09-12
THE EUROPEAN WAR.
PRUSSIAS LOSSES.

been made public. They only fulfil too
completely the melancholy anticipations
with which we saw the troops going out to
the war. Although restricted to officers,
and referring only to q few Introductory en-
gagementS, they contain figures which will
not easily be erased from the minds Of men.
twill just give you few examples.
As YOU may be aware, Prussian regiment
on war footing has 5000 men, with 50 otti-
GERS. OF these SO officers the 74th regiment
(HanoyerianS) lost no less than 80 in killed
and wounded at Wisemborg.
"The 18th (also Hanoverians) on the same
occasion lost 25 officers; the 39th (Rhine-
landers), 26; the SD QHessians), 10; the
95th (Thurincisns), 1G; the SD (Hessians),
ii; the sd (Westphalians), II; the SSth
(Nassauers), 8; the S0th (Hessians), S, etc.
Still worse was it at Woerth, where the
Prussians were for five mortal hours op-
posed to the French, who were stationed
on the hills and could not be dislodeed
until taken in flank by Wurtemburgers and
Bayarians. There the 5Sth regiment Po-
senerS) had 81 dead and wounded officers
the 59th (Poseners), %; the 7th (kinGs
Grcuadiers-Lower Silesans and German
PosenerS), 35 {; the 4Ith Nower Silcsians),
20 ; the 46th Lower Silesians), 30 the 57th
Iower SileSians), 80; the 9th (Westpha-
lianS) 2S; the 37th (We>tp tphalians), 25, etc.
What terrible conclusions must be de-
rived from these statistics in respect Of the
higher grades IS to the number of casual
ties among rank and file ] need not say.
But the most frightful carnage Of all in the
earlier part OF the campaign was at Spiche-
rem, whose steep and preclpitous heights,
defended by Il tearing fire from cannon, mi
tralleuSeS, and chasSepotS, were thrice
assaulted in vain, and ut last carried at the
point of tho bayonet. On this spot 10000
rrussians, gradually increased to $1,000,
and struggled against 10000 French.
Though the official list does not yet extend to
this Sanguinarv encounter, there can be no
doubt rs to the correctness Of the private
intelligence forwarded me, which gives the
total losses as 2,29T, of whom 81 are dead
and 1856 wounded. Accordingly, every
twelfth man was killed or wounded. Some
companies left nearly half their men on the
spot, as, for instance, the fifth company Of
the Forty-eighth (hhine elanders), which
went with $50 men into the fire and came out
with 129. and the first company of the
Eighth (King's Own, Brandenburgers),
which. on the evening of the battle, con-
signed 10T comrades either to the grave or
the hospital. Passing on to the tremendous
three days battle near Metz, we have hut
private intelligence, and this only referring
TO individual detachments; yet we know
already enough TO imagine the rest. On the
18th, in the action named after Pange or
Courceles, the Forty-eishth (Rhinelanders)
lost - officers and S91 rank and tle !; in
other words, about one-third its compile
ment. \ rife battalion in the same locality
was by the enemy's fire deprived of of its Of
ficers and 30 rank and tile-i. e., of third of
the officers and Il fourth Of the men. On
the 1ith Us well rs on the 16th-the latter
being the battle of Mars-la-Tour or Won
yille-the losses Of the PruSSians We're
comparatively greater than those Of the
French, the former being on both occasions
greatly outnumbered. yet holding tast to
the enemy With Il bulldog tenacity, to give
their main force time to come ND and en-
gage him in right earnest. At Mars-la-
Tour the best blood Of the country was
split like water. Within few moments, by
the unexpected unma>king ola mitrailleuse
battery. Count WeStarp. Count Wesdelen,
Baron lleist. Henry VII, Prince of Reuss,
Baron Grimm, Baron Witzlebcn, and many
other noblemcn of high rank and position,
were killed. The grand finale ut Recon-
vile, or Gravelolte, on the 18th. where the
Prussian hosts at last assembled in
strength, are said to have suffered a loss Of
Is, 900 combatants, was worthy of the be-
ginning. Nor did the French suffer less.
In the three actions near Metz they had
nearly $1,000 dead, and 10000 dead,
wounded, and prisoners, together.
THE PRUssIAN ARMIES.
Mr.. IIalstead, editor of the Cincinnati
Commercial, writes letter from Pont-a-
Mousson, dated August 16, in which he
thus speaks OF the Prussian armies:
Il was endeavoring to say something of
that hill, which is almost high mountain,
and which ! assembled yesterday evening.
| The ruins Of the castle, on the very sum-
nit, are very extensive and most interest
| ing. There arc heavy, rugged walls, heaps
of debris fallen ages ago, and upon the pre-
| cipitous SIDE of the mountain (our folks
will not, unless L call it a mountain, think
| Of it us high enough,) are remains Of wall
| four feet thick and ten high. There is not
| within twenty miles point Of land equal
/ to this in elevation, and if l had not used
llp the word magnificent / would employ it
now in describing the landscape. Allow
me, any how, tshy the scene was one
whose magni1cence exceeded even its his
torica interest; and OF the things seen were err,
| six columns oftroops drawn from the roads
| into the fields to rest for the night, and
wagon trains-shall say again those trains
are endless ?-toiling along.
II do not know what we are to do with
this German army. If it continues to come
during the next as during the last eighteen
hours, shall have doubts us to the capacity
of France to furnish it >tandngroom. For
half an hour an artillery train has been
passing my window, which looks upon the
principal street, on the westward descent
from the stone bridge. The drivers are go
Ing hv with their horses on the lope-keep-
ing the glnners on the keen run-guns and
wagons clang and clatter, dust and roar
whips popping, horses Snorting, men say
inc never a word. | did not intend to nj
low myself to be aStonshed by the proper
lions Of the Prussian army, but | must con-
fcss TO a feeling akin to amazement. This
is not, indeed, an army SO much rs nation
on the march. Here are forty armies-a de-
luge of men and horses. Napoleon's army,
as it started for Moscow, had not half the
number Of combatantS in this colossal
horde"
VICTOR HUGO AS GENERAL BRAG-HIs ADDRESS
TO THE GERMANS.
PARIS, September 9.-Nictor Hugo has
written an address to the Germans, Of which
the following is an extract:
FtYou may take the fortress-vou will
find the rampant. You may take the ram
part-you will find the barricade. You
may take the barricade, and then who
knows the resources Of patriotism III dis
trcss? >,
"You will find the sewers mines OF pow
der. ready to blow whole streets into the
air. This will be the terrible sentence.
You must expect to take Paris stone by
stone; to slaughter Europe on the spot; ; to
kill France in detail-in each street-in each
house. That great light must he eXtln-
p1iished soul bY soul. Germans, hold back.
Paris is formidable. Think awhile before
fsr walls.
"Au transformations are passive for her.