The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-29
THE RECENT BATTLES.
The Conflicts Near Ainlens and Orlenus-
sketch of The Ground Covered 10y The New
G,nInnatnn.

The Conflicts Near Amiens and Orleans
sketch of The Ground Covered by Ihe New
Campaign.
Moreuil where the French are reported to
have gained great victory, is one of tue prin
cipal towns in the reimbursement of Mont
didier, in the Department of Somme. 1t con-
tains about three thousand inhabitants and is
situated on the bank of the river Azure and
twelve miles southeast of Amiens. Near by are
the ruins of ancient abbey and those of
old chateau. The manufacture of hosiery,
paper, ETC., forms the principal industry of the
people.
A second despatch, dated from Tours, locates
the scene OF the battle at point between Villers
and SaleuX. This is quite improbable, as the
first named place is situated some ten miles
east-southeast of Amiens, while SaleuX is not
more than four miles nearly due west of the city.
Amiens being directly between the two places,
II will be seen that no battle could have been
fought near SaleuX. In the department of
Somme there are several places whose names
begin or end with Villers, but there is 40 place
of that name alone. There is Villers-Bocage di-
rectly north of Amiens, and Quevauvillers, to the
southwest, with SaleuX between the two, but
at neither of these places could the battle have
been fought The place referred to as having
been abandoned by the Germans must have
been Villers- Bretonneux, considerable town
in the ACCOMPLISHMENT of Amiens, some ten
miles southeast of Amiens and about the same
distance north of Moreuil. This would locate
the scene of the first engagement between
Moreuil and Villers-Bretonneux, which we
The battle must have been first fought here;
because the despatch speaks of the French hay
ing been subsequently beaten at Boves village
containing some eighteen hundred inhabitants,
and situated on the river Azure, six miles south
east of Amiens, forming the apex of a triangle
comprising Moreuil, -BretonneuX, and
Boyes. As Boves stands in the rear of the other
places mentioned, and nearer to Amiens, it
would be naturally the point on which the
French would fall back. Beaten there their
next stand would be at Dury, a small village
five miles due south of Amiens, from whence it
is quite likely that their line of battle extended
to SaleuX.
To make the dispatches Ineligible we must
conclude that the battle began between Moreuil
and Eilers- -BretonneuX, which latter place the
French were compelled to abandon before the
heavy artillery fire of the Prussians This retro
grade movement necessitated the aban-
donment of Moreuil, when the French
forces retreated to Boves, few miles
in the rear, where they attempted to
make stand and where they were beaten. In
stead of falling back into Amens they seem to
have moved by their right flank to Dury, a
small town situated about one mile west-north-
stand and in repulsing the Germans. 1t is
likely that the engagement was not confined to
DuTy, but extended to Saleux, distant four miles
to the northwest
The London despatch is either an exaggera-
tion or the Tours report is incorrect. If the
French won great victory at Moreuil, which
lasted till nightfall, there most positively could
have been no lighting at Dury till dark. OF the
| two dispatches, that from Tours is evidently
the most reliable and should be so regarded il
| the absence of the details of the engagement.