The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-09-07
THE BATTLE AT METZ.
Account of a Correspondent.
New YORK, Aug. 80, 1876


A correspondent of the London Stand
ard, who writes from Verdun on Tuesday
morning, describes the battle which took
place at Metz on Sunday, the l4th At l
O'Clock Sunday p. M, the French army,
!8OOOO strong, was encamped all around
Metz. Since the day previous a battle
was considered imminent. Several at
tempts had been made to draw the enemy
out OF the woods they occupied. Marshal
Steinmetz had taken. position on the
road to Bombay at a point intersecting
that to Borny. The road from Bellenoir
and BOrny up to the forest of that place,
was occupied by the Prussians, parts of
divisions being concealed by the woods.
At Il o'clock the French troops received
orders to retreat from their position, to 90
IN the direction of Verdun 1t was said
at two o'clock the GUant garde division
was crossing the Moselle on q pontoon
bridge thrown across a few hours previous
and the luggage, material and provisions
OF the army crossing other bridges in the
direction of Longeville. The equipage of
the Emperor had already left, and Prince
Napoleon first, and half an hour later the
Emperor himself, leaving Metz on horse
back IN the same direction. The French
troops under command of Marshal Bazaine
were composed of the third and fourth
corps and the Garde Imperiale They were
fronting Borny, Crazy and Mercy-les-
Metz the Imperial Guard forming the re-
serves near Fort de Quinten. AT a quar-
ter past four the attack comnenced. A
heavy fire of artillery was at once heard
IN every direction, the soldiers of the
Prussian landwehr heading the Prussian
Corps dArmee. A battery of artillery
with mItrallleuse was making fearful
havoc in the Prussian ranks. | heard the
frantic bravos announcing its new exploits
The tire was so well directed, the precision
so great, that each fire was positively
moving the Prussian ranks, whose fight
ing was desperate, their artillery replying
to the other and destroying French battal-
lions right and left.
AT Z p. m, the Prussians were making
movement Of retreat A mitrailleuse
had been twice taken from the French, al
though 1t is only one of hundreds of incl
dents OF the battle, l mention it as it led
to an important result. The brave Colo
mel OF the forty ninth infantry, in recalling
the mltrallleurs, was the cause of an i'm
mense body of Prussians emerging sudden
ly from the woods, and throwing them
selves as an lnfuriated torrent on the
French division. 1t was only a pretext.
for it was expected that the Prussians
would follow the same tactics as at For
bach and Froschweiler, which consists of
keeping out of sight their masses, their
best divisions, and when the result of the
battle seems in favor of their opponent, to
change defeat into victory by that power
ful movement of immense bodies of troops.
plunging suddenly on the enemy. But
this time Bazaine had prepared a match
for them. The Imperial Guard comman-
ded by Bourbaki, had been kept in re-
serve. The grenadiers advanced, and from
that moment until quarter to nine YOU
might have thought you were in the mid
die of an eruption of Mount Vesuvius.-
Fort de Quinton sweeping with its power
tul batteries the flank of the advancing
columns, regiments of cavalry charging
on the wings. At quarter to nine the
Prusslans were retreating, leaving 24,OOO
men hors du combat. One hundred and
forty thousand Prussians took part
against 10000 French, positively owing
to Ft: Quintan slaughtering the enemy
Gen. De Caen has been wounded in the
leg Gen. De Castaguay had his arm cut
off, and Marshal Bazaine received a slight
confusion on his head The sights of The
Champs de Battalle were horrible. In
retiring they marched over dead bodies
who were IN heaps in some spots.