The New York herald., 1870-08-30

vIous from the fact that they hastily fortified them
selves In their then position.
FATAL DISPOSITIONS.
To cover his nank movement MacMah0n appears to
nave sent the Douay division ON toward the Lauter,
In the direction OF wissembourg. The attack Of Fros-
sard upon Saarbruck was doubtless meant to
divert the attention of the Germans from this
movement OF the right wing, and not, as Is
generally supposed, mere ''o0up de thedtre."
Hardly had MacMahon time to communicate to
the Emperor that his orders were being executed
when the Crown Prince appeared and took WIS.,
senbourg by storm, continuing his march the 5th,
and utterly routing on the eth, at Woerth, not only
MacMahon's corps, but portions OF the Fifth and
Sixth Faily and Canrober corps OF the centre. sent
10 his support AS MacMahon is universally con-
sidered one of the abest French generals and that
part OF his corps formed Of Spahs, Turcos Zouaves
and Chasseurs d'Afrique as invnclble this victory
should be considered, as 1t really seems To have
been by the French themselves. Of the most vital
importance.
To all but the unintiated 1t now appears reas0na-
BILE that certain time Ia absolutely requisite for
the concentration OF the French and the advance
OF their opponents. There reason for the latter
on account of their brllliant successes. to expose
themselves to the least hazard. or Oil the troops
originally directed to the Rhine 2O0O 900 have not
participated In any action as yet, and 1O0 900 have
since arrived as reinforcement. Moreover, the posi-
tIon OF the Northern Army Is such that, at the
shortest notice, 1t can De moved to the southern
boundary, rs no apprehension any longer exists Of
aFrench invasion along the coast. While there
FORE any short delay tells favor Of the Germans
by enabling them to bring overwhelming forces to
obtain decisive results the same cannot be said OF
the French, as their reserves and retnfOrcements
would require weeks before they could 10 brought
POSITION OF THE GERMAN ARMIES
While we are writing the German armies are sup
posed 10 be on the advance The last accounts place
the First Army General Stelnmetz) ut Sulzbach,
with It's van stretching to FOrbach the Second Amy
prince Frederick Chares at Bliescastle its advance
at the French town Of Saargemuno; the Third Army
Grown Prince OF Prussial at Woerth. With the
secrecy attached to all movements tt is q
matter unknown whether the Second and Third
armies Will move upon BitChe to act In conjunction
with the First, or will take more southerly direc-
ton 1t Is expected that at all events the utmost
ceed along the banks OF the Rhine, sweep away the
enemy there, ana take possession OF his much
vaunted river gunboats
PROGSOSTICATIONs.
Those conversant. with military matters agree In
this one point, vIz.-The front line OF the German
armies does not extend beyond eight nine miles,
and that at every moment q conflict On grand
scale IS imminent. 1t is far otherwise with the
French. Their army may be supposed to spead over
an area OF eighty square miles Germany, and Its
front cannot be less than thirty miles In length The
TWO corps Mac Mahon's anu Frossard's-have been
Canroberts and Failly's-have suffered severely at
Saarbruck. The situation has remarkable siml-
1866 three days prior to the battle OF KOnlggratz.
now propose to give you resume or the
AFFAIR AT wISsEMBOURa.
This Is the first German vctOry-allOwfng the ar.
fair Of the I'd at Saarbruck TO rank un0er that
head-which inaugurated this war.
wssembourg, until The Atm OF August, 1870, q
French fortress OF third rank, is an old German
town, chartered In the year l247 as one Of the
tree cities IN Alsacaa conquered 1878 by Louis XIV
nv n hnr
ultimately taken possession OF by France. Much
Importance was Always attached TO wIssembOurg,
ing suffered defeat In the year 1898, when he was
rouEed by the Germans under Prince Or Waldeck
and General Wurmser, was beheaded by the guillo-
tine.
Tnls General Beauharnais was Louis Napoleon's
grandfather on his mothers side. Instead OF the
child OF BeauharnatS has now lost MlssembOurR,
Notwithstanding the chassepOts, TurcOs and mitrai-
leuses. Though the French army, owing to disputes
among the Germans, made good their escape on
the 18Th October 1893, they lost their whole artillery
aud camp. WHAT little chance have the french at
present when the Germans fight under united
commando
The small town OF wissembourg lies on the little
river Lauter, which, flowing in the Bavarlan palatl
nate, forms the boundary between Germany and
France and empties into the kline at LauterDourg
II hes n Seaatlinl & valley al the 1901 ns OF me
distant but three and nalf miles Germany from
the French fortress Hagucnau and seven miles from
StrasbOurg. The last census gives the population OF
the Industrious little town at 5,57O occupied IN the
vine culture, weaving, tanning, printing. brick
contains a college, two Catholic and one Lutheran
church, synagogue, theatre, DC.
The present fOrtiicatlOnS are OF the eighteenth
century. They were commenced IN 1905, by order
OF Marshal vllars, and extend along the banks Of
the Lauter Tor two and q half miles lover
eleven English mles, being an unbroken series Of
m0atS, walls and bastlOnS, which, during the PENN
sular war and the the war ar Of the French & revolution
ments. These defences called the. "WissembOurg
lines" or .les N0'aes de la Lutte'," run zlgzag
nanKed by formidable redoubts, and were consid
cred, prior to the successful storm Of the Germans
In 1898, as very strong.
THE BATTLE.
The fight commenced on the 4th Inst, at eight
O'Clock A. NJ. II was known that General DOuay,
with the van, STOOD In WissemDourg, while the
larger part OF his division occupied strong position
on the Geisberg, an elevation distant about and
half English mile south Of the town. 757 teet above
the level OF The sea. Under cover Of the fire OF the
Prussian and Bavarian artillery the stOrmng regl-
ments were forced to wade through bitches for half
an hour. 1t was the second Bayarian army corps,
under Lieutenant General Count BOthmer, and the
Eleventh Prussian army corps, under the Crown
Prince, both thoroughly combined, and to the num-
Der of about eighty thousand, who led the attack.
The strong works. which the enemy bravely de.
Tended by murderouS fire. were finally taken,
Prussians and Bavarlans wing with each &C other IN
in the centre OF the town. Here they were met by
fresh French regiments, and 1t now became close
combat Previous to it the Prussian and Bavarian
artillery had distinguished itself by excellent firing
throwing thirteen-pOund grenades and ffteen-pound
shells Win the utmost precision
Considering the great disadvantages OF the ground
which had TO be overcome by the stOrning troops,
their position when inside the town and opposed to
fresh divisions Of the enemy rather crltlca but
at this juncture they were reinforced by the Fifth
army cOrps under General Won Kirchbach successor
to the celebrated General Steinmetz, who did SUCH
wonders with the same troops in 1885, who, instantly
surveying and comprehending the situation, threw
his forces against the right ank OF the French and
with such irresistible vehemence that soon after
the enemy was driven not only from WissembOurg,
but from the walls and Notifications in its rear and
thereby forced to retire TO the aforementioned Gels
berg. The storming OF thls.wel fortified elevation
Could now take place on three Sides murderOus
ire met the Germans whose cavalry, owing to the
peculiar formation OF the ground, could but little
participate In the action. The fighting here was
almost as severe as at Koniggratz, but German
tenacity triumphed. Position after position was
taken by bayonet, and with the cry OF
"Hurrahl" and liking William" the Germans fought
like lions, un at Two O'Clock In the afternoon, the
whole division of the enemy was routed and leay.