The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-08-22
WAR ITEMS.

| and Count Bismarck G0NernOr-GeneTal
Alsace. French newspapers, moreover, re
port that the German authorities are ap
| pointing in every community wlthin snei
fines new municipal authorities An I'M
seems to indicate that in case Germany
should dictate the terms of peace the ces
sion of Alsace and Lorraine will be one o.
them.
THE POPULATION OF ALsACE AND LORRAINE
In the two departments of Alsace, out Of
total population of / ,093, ZOO inhabitants
fully / ,0O7 900 belong, even to this day, tc
the German nationality, either speaking
German exclusively or North German AND
French. In Lorraine the relation Of ma
tionalities is net so favorable to the Ger.
| mans.
This province has four departments
MeuSe, Moselle, Meurthe, and Fosges'
The first has no German population of any
amount but the last three, with total
population of 300, 900, have number OF
wholly German districts with a population
of $4,000. The three departments of Lor-
rainc and the two Of Alsatia thus have, in
total population of 2,3S3,000, German
population of ], S59, 900, or more than one
half. Germany, on the other hand, has on
its western frontier but few scattered
French-Speaking communities, with an az
pOpuloeioA Va o'A's A|SSNN' ~'N'~
York Tribune.
Bazaine exposed himself in the thickest
of the fight on Sunday afternoon, and had
his horse killed under him.. He is said to
be slightly wounded in the foot. The exc
cution done by the French mitrailleurs is
fearful. Four regiments of the Prussian
guard were nearly eXterminated. In the
engagement the French lost 1900 killed
and wounded, and the Prussians 10000.
ENGLISH VIEW OF THE SITUATION.
A spccial from London says: Tuesdays
battle is the browning proof OF French false
hoods and concealmentS in the recent tele-
grams. Palikao declared in the Corps Le-
yislatif that the Prussians had been forced
to abandon their attempt to interrupt the
French retreat, and that BaZainc was pur-
suing his road unmolested to Ferdun and
Chalons. While he was speaking the PruS-
slams were attacking the French flank, and
at nightfall one portion at least OF Bazaine's
army had been forced to abandon the road
to Verdun and were again shut up in Metz.
1t is more than ever plain that no con-
siderable part of the French army has ever
succeeded in getting far on the road from
Metz to Nerdun. Their delay, to whatever
cause due, gave the Prussians time to come
up, and they were able OIL Tuesday to at
-
rest the French retreat and bring four
French corps into action. When Bazaine
found he could not shake Off the Prussan
pursuit he resolved to crush their single
corp: before its support could arrive.
For hours the third Prusssian corps,
whilst supported only by cavalry divisions,
had first attacked, was compelled to bear
the brunt Of a vigorous onslaught from
twice or thrice its own numbers. Toward
the close of the day, reinforced by the
tenth and parts Of the eighth AID ninth
corps, the Prussians resumed the offensive,
and when night fell the French army was
again divided, and it is doubtful whether
either Of the main roads from Metz to Yer.
dun remains open to Bazaine. Three
French corps heretofore unscathed, be-
sides Frossard and the Imperial Guard,
were brought into action, which, on the
! French side, was i general engagement
| while on the Prussian side the larger part o.
/ the army of SteinmstZ and Prince Frede
| rick Charles were not on the field, and pro
| badly not a single battalion of the Grown
Prince, who is believed to be advancing
steadily for Chalons.
| SCENES AFTER THE BATTLE OF woERTH.
| Edmund About describes the scenes after
| the battle OF Woerth as follows:
One sees solid regiments, who proudly
retreat, while few bad soldiers, disbanded
l lost and demoraliZed, and disarmed, throw
themselves desperately into each by-path
| arrived just in time to stop three WretcheG
| rurcos, mounted on artillery horses, as
they were entering in old quarry with the
1 hope Of making a short cut from the field
| Our artillery must have been roughly
used-so many caissons pass along the road
| without guns; but here comes one or two
1 RI IF ha lta fol ,ly
| complete in numbers, rifle on shoulder and
knapsack on back; behind them Marsha
MacMahon, calm and dignifed, almost
! smiling, and fresh as rose. l salute him
as he passes. He responds without no
ticing me. One of his aids, NJ. de Alzac
names me. Then the old hero stops ant
tells Inc quite simply the story of his defeat
thus: g had only $4,000 men, and hat
$780, 900 in front. We have given way be.
fore numbers. They have killed or wound
| ed 1900 men. But we shall have our re.
venge. Explain this to the public. Dc
not fail to say the morale Of the troops il
excellent" We shake hands: 1 exchange
a few pleasant words with Nj. de AlZac, and
| search yainly in the ranks of the staff as
It moves along for the laughing and kindly
face of Vogue, who was killed with Genera
| Colson, both by the side of the Marshal
who was reckless of his life.
Last comes i regiment Of Turcos, the
most complete and finest of the three
These fellows have not thrown away theil
knapsacks nor their arms.
at the gates Of Sayerne the panic-stricker
are flying along the railway or hiding in the
| gardens; but some good regiments OF the
| line are tramplng in steps through the
| streets. Their passage, calm and coura
geous, is not over before II O'clock at night
Il lncf hol tn hn
reached Reichchotfen too late to give battle
| find this little town a prey to panic
truly fabulous. Marshal MacMahon ar
| rived here on Saturday night at IL o'clock
| followed by the remains of his army
pressed by a swarm of brcathlcss fusitiyes
In tWinkling of an eye Saycrne was tilleC
with the first corps, which the foe luckily
DeheVed to have retired upon Bitsche
They massed together where they could
those most fortunate in the houses of towns
| people. those who had brought away
| their knapsacks and camp equipagc, under
! their tents, many unon the pavements and
| in the fields, under heavens canonv' ,Ths
night was passed in terror.
If the enemy had known how to profit by
opportunity he might have made ten o,
fifteen thousand prisoners at one blow. The
population was only half reassured by thu
presence Of troops broken down, starved
and discounted. Some families got off al
| midday, the last that went from Stras
bourg.
THE RETREAT OF MACMAHoN.
PARIS, August 13.-Edmund About con
tinues his description Of the retreat Of
Mac Mahon's corps in letter from Sayerne
dated Monday, August 9Th, as follows
Yesterday, Sunday, 7th of August, at
O'Clock, upon know not what false alarm
perhaps only because three or four SCOUT