The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-17

THE RECENT BATTLES.

Con nficting Reports of Threet Days Fighting
In the NeIRhborhood of Metz-The Grand
Movement of the French from the Moselle to
the rneuse.
For three days past fighting between the two
hostile armies has been going on within 175
miles of Paris, and Paris is as much in the dark
about theexact locality and result of the battles
as if they had not yet been fought. In the
Corps Legislatif yesterday afternoon Deputy
Keller called attention to this fact, and the only
satisfaction received from Count de Palikao,
the Minister of War, was to the effect that the
Prussians had been checked several times, and
were retiring tOlUdrdS ConamerCy. Now Com
mercy is situated on the Meuse, some Is miles
west of Toul, at the point where the river is
crossed by the railroad from Paris to Strasburg;
and if the Prussians are retiring towards that
point they have not only succeeded In getting
the French west of the Moselle but are actually
in possession of o portion of the line of the
Meuse. The Paris Gdulois refers to the battle
of Sunday as the ''battle of Longueville,' which
is about 10 miles still further west of Comercy,
some miles west of the river Aisne, and almost
on the banks of the Marne! Indeed, the Paris
Presse of yesterday declares that the army of
the Crown Prince, after the battle with
MacMahon at Woerth, advanced as far as Bar
le-D Due, a few miles west of Longueville and
siLuOSI OH Tic hdIuSs anu bub lSJ lullCo lIOm
Paris. The Prefect of the Meuse also corrobo-
rates this far advance of the Prussians, by
stating that he has destroyed a portion of the
Paris and Strasburg Railway in the neighborhood
of Bar-le-D Due, towards which a body of German
Uhlans were seen marching from Comercy.
The most and indeed the only, circumstantal
account as yet received of the battle of Sunday,
the 14th, states that
at was only a sembance OF success or a mitiga-
ton OF disaster. The Germans having cut on all
! railway communication with Metz, Bazaine com
menced 10 retreat across the MOselle and proposed
I'D 10 follow the ordinary high road towards Verdan
When half the army was across the river he was
surprised and attacked by a large force OF the
enemy, who, after four hours lighting, were re-
pulsed with great loss From appearances the Prus-
| slams once more outgeneraled the French aud got
around in great force 10 the side OF the river by
which Bazaine meant to retire, and checked his
retreat"
Dispatches from King William to the Queen
of Prussia render it certain that battle was
fought on Monday, the 10Th, directly in front of
Metz, in which the French were repulsed and
. driven inside OF the Notifications. The Paris
Presse of yesterday, however speaks of a move
ment of MacMahon from Metz towards Verdun
and Chalons, intended TO prevent the army of
Prince Frederick Charles from cutting the COM
= munication between himself and Bazaine, aud
4 adds a that before he reached Longueville,
the corps of L'Admrault and De Caen encoun-
tered the army the battle of Monday resulting.
Prussian accounts of Mondays fighting refer to
an attempt on the part of L'Admirault TO flank
the LIST Corps of the Prussans, commanded by
General Won Mauteuffel, from all of which we
are forced to infer that the fighting on Monday
extended all the way from Metz to the neigh
borhood of Longueville, a distance of about City
miles, although the contest along this
laextended line was probably not
"a Simultaneous one. While by King
u Williams bulletins of Mondays battle, we
i are assured that the Prussians were victorious,
the sub-prefect of Verduu forwards to Paris re-
| ports of Prussian defeat between Metz and
Verdun, with a loss of 10000 (sic.), followed by
a retreat towards the South, and the correspon-
dent of the Londoa Daily Ne,os alleges that the
result of the battle of that day was to force the
Germans back to the Moselle.
The lighting was continued yesterday, and as
we write we are in receipt of cable telegram
from Paris which Estates that there is no doubt
hard fighting has been going on since Saturday
last, the French being engaged in a great
strategical movement involving q series of en-
gagehehts." This movement is probably an
! attempt to transfer the entire French army,
with the exception of the garrison of Metz, from
the line of the Moselle to that of the Meuse; and
/ as the railway from Metz to Verdun is not YET
completed, and the parallel line to the south
from Paris to Strasburg has been destroyed al
several points, and at Others is in possession o.
the Prussians, between Frouard and Com
mercy the French are obliged tC
move their troops without railway ap
pliances thereby permitting the enemy
70 harass their rear at every step. running
fight has apparently been kept up for the pas
three days, extending all the way from Metz tC
h OommeTcy; and while the French may have