Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-08-27
THE BATTLE AT METZ.
Details OF the Fight ON Sunday,
W. August II.

ters gone, for we got nothing even from
Paris; but this morning | hear the pos
will start for the capital, and / take my
chance Of your getting what 1 am able
to tell you from inside Of town sur
rounded by armies--whether French ol
Prussiap does not much matter, so fal
as the news is concerned, .g....
"At clock on Sunday Marshal
Bazaine effected grand reconnaissance
with one division Of L'Admirault's
corps, , .go 9h
"At 2 pm. q battle commenced on
the right, at Bourey. Until it was Of
no great Importance Then the fourth
army corps, forming the first line oi
battle, accomplished a maneuver i'm
teRded to drive the Prussians into the
belief that it was retreating. This was
at 4:l5 pm. aaNhii an'
"The Prussians fell into the trap,
rushed forward and attacked with sur
prising vigor, Then the Fourth corps,
whose retreat to TIE left was mere feint,
fell at once on the enemy's flank, while
McMahon's, on the right, attacked sim
ultaneously. Il, The Prussian attacI6n the
meantime had been developed in great
force in the French center. The move
ments on both sides we're effected with
singular precision, and the wholespecta-
Gle was like a review at Chalons. The
Prussians advanced in close column
against the French line, which their ar
tillery splendidly served as it was, had
yainly attempted to shake. The French
officers considered the Prussian infantry
was relatively inferior to their artillery.
The needle gun is heavy and appears to
incommode them greatly when climbing
hight or moving rapidly over broken
ground. The soldiers themselves were
active. They fired lying fat ON the
ground, and seeking cover from every
irregularity, but do not use their KNAPP
sacks as the French do, to make little
ramparts in front of them and rests for
their guns. 1t is true, as has been said
of the other battles of Woerth and
Forbach, that the Prussians fred with
great deliberation, while the French rat
tied away as fast as they could discharge
their chassepots. The regiments most
closely engaged were the 69th, Goth, 44th,
Goth, 38th, 54th, 6bth and S5th, of the
line; the llth and 18th foot chasseurs,
and the Sth, 9th and 10th batteries of the
First regiment of artillery. Those which
suffered most were the 44th and Goth of
the line, and the 18th foot chasseurs.
The 44th, especially, was tolerably shat
tered, while the S5th, though in the thick
est of the fight, had but thirty-fve men
killed and wounded. The colonel of the
44th was killed.
"As it is impossible to leave the town,
and as this action was fought, or at any
rate begun at some distance outside the
Notifications, | cant pretend to give you
the account of an eyewitness, nor com
plete account at all. The above details
are mostly gathered from officers coming
into town after the fight was over. AT
the beginning | followed the troops of
hussars as far as i was permitted to, and
what saw of the fight was from a hillock
close by the walls. A staff officer came
to summon the hussar regiment with the
officers with whom | was seated in cafe
In five minutes they ran off and halted
on the hillock above mentioned. On
sudden signal they were tearing away to
the front, and in moment more the ar
tillery on both sides had covered the
works in front of the ground with thick
cloud of smoke. There was nothing TO
do but to return to the town, which ] did
at $3.50 pm. At 8 clock in the even
ing bulletin was placed in the streets,
saying: The firing is nearly over. The
Prussian lines extended three leagues
Ground was gained in every direction
1t did not say by whom the ground was
gained. An officer who came back later
from the field maintained that the victo-
ry rested with the French, and that the
Prussians had been ontgeneraled and
lost heavily, while the French were com
paratiyeiY little exposed. But Prus-
sian officer who was taken. prisoner and
came into my cafe on parole with a
French officer told q different story.
Said he, You had better surrender at
discretion. We are more than a hun
dred thousand strong, and you will be
crushed AS to the battle, you had it
your own way at first for we believed we !
only had division in front Of us, but
yod kpoU what the end was.
Its difficult to question even officers
closely, SO keen are still the suspicious
about spies, and to ask whether the
French army suffered defeat or not is
worse Hence ] can give you only such |
particulars qs aps collected in the way |
have mentioned As q EreHchman i |
believe in the success of the French |
arms, bit know not why the advanced |
columps have Withdrawn again under I
the wall of the fortress, This morning |
(Moaday) there were reports Of heavy |
artillery toward ThionYille, but now all |
is again qniet. We only know that Sum |
DAYS conflict was not decisive, and that |
another battle is imminent. The troops |
aEe never. a, rest. Maueuyers in one /
directiog or enother are going on con-
stantly. Orders bsge this moment been
issued that no civilian sball lesye the
city on any pretext.T E.TITgLI.I &. "A
Sfgo shots from Fort ST Quentin
have juS deEolished the head of the
Thionyille railroad bridge ~ Metz sta
ton. am told it was done to cnt OF g
detacbMept of FIVE huEdred Prussians
encamped at MGpiigny, who attempted
10 cross the Moselle and gess seen from
the fort Noptigny Is two kilometres
distant from AaiEs th3A3 lashI -
AT seven o clock this morning two
Prussian Cuirassers entered that town,
They we're followed by four others, and
breakfast was served TO the whole six,
which they paid for. They promenaded
the town I'D eight clock, and then with
drew, not only unmosested by anybody,
but carrying of two prisShess.-a St
Cyr pupil and an orderly. All this Al .
mile and a half from Metz, will give you
3 ACTON Of the dash and boldness Of the
Prgssiae seselEy, last night we thought