New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-10-01
SURRENDER OF TOUL.
Further Important Details.

A special dispatch to the New York 4ri-
buis, dated from the headquarters OF Prince
Frederick Charles, before Metz, September
y. says:
The investment of Toul began August IA.
On the fifteenth an assault was lna,ic on the
works at "a point not defended by cannon.
1t was repulsed. with the loss Of several hun
,lred to the Germans. Thereafter an irregu-
lar succession Of commandments followed.
not sufficiently serious to effect anything.
These commenced on the twenty-third. The
artillery employed was field pieces and such
mcdieral siege guns as has been captured at
Marsoi.
The Bavarian railroad conductor who ran
the line between Weissenburg. Nancy and
Paris offered 10 build II branch around Toul
in II fortnight but Moltke said: No; we
Will have Toul before that However. the
Dragging attack awaited nothing, the fortress
having double escarpment with full bas-
ton. no glaces. double ditch, thirty feet
wide each all around, fully easemated and
defended by seventy five guns, Of which
twenty-six were ritled pieces from Stras-
burg brought thence while yet France in
tended to defend earnestly.
Within the last fortnight heavy siege
guns arriving from Germany We're put III
position on a spur on Mount st. Michael on
the north, on the heights opposite FaubourS
St Egaree on the southwest. and at Damar-
tin les Toul on the southeast. Nothing seri-
ous was then attempted until last Friday at
daybreak when Il concentrated lombard
ment of the works was begun by the TWEEN
ty-tour-pOund batteries of the second and
fourth artillery regiments supported ny the
troops of the thirty-fourtf infantry brigade.
Ali these forces form part OF the new lnde-
pendent command under the Grand Duke
of Mccklnburg Schwerin, embracing all
that lie between the armies OF Prince Fred
elicf Charles and the Crown Prince, that Is
all the invading troops not engaged III the
sieges of Metz and Paris.
The firing continued all day Friday with
an active but very Ineffective reply from
the garrison. In the evening, the town
| being on fire i'll twenty three places, the
| pressure of the inhabitants upon the Scom-
mander induced him to hoist a white flag
| and offered to capitnlate. Ihe offer was
| Immediately accepted by Colonel Montuffet
commanding the seige corps, who then en-
| tered the town the same evening at seven
o'clock. The conditions were precisely those
of Sedan. A council of the municipalities
held Friday, decided not to offer surren-
der, but the urgency Of individuals, fearing
useless destruction, completely over
whelmed the beligerent determination OF
the military and civil authorities.
The garrison was ridiculOuslT weak. Sixty
cuirrasiers, hundred of the line, forty
gems d'arms, and forty thousand raw mo-
| bilcs among them not one regular artillery
| soldier. Their commander was Major
Hucks, an old cavalry man. The German
officers are wrathy that such a force should
have blockaded the Paris railway. so essen
tial for transport, in fact, the only line, fol
six weeks
The line becomes at once complete. Every
thing has been prepared beyond Toul ioi
weeks, and trains were running by horse
power Only twelve foot bridge neal
Toul had to be replaced. This was done OF
the twenty-fifth, and yesterday the first 10
connective went through.
Many houses are destroyed. The condi-
ton of things is worse than atSedan but no
so bad as at Bazclles. The Gothic chapel
of st. Gengoult, OF the date Sl4, Is almos
ruined. The very imposing Bysantin
cathedral, built as early as 1O2, has only
window arch demolished and its outside
battered by a score of shells. There are
few wounded and no sick In Toul. Oni,
two battalions of the nineteenth infantr,
remain as garrison. The prisoners OF tn
Guard Mobile of the place were released OF
naroIe not to serve again during the wal
The town and environs had picturesque
style. Five hundred OF the Mobile ha'
been trained during the siege to serve Il,
guns. They did the artillery work. But il
depressing the assault of the sixteenth al
the male inhabitants that could procui'
arms participated.