Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-08-16
The Battles of Last Week.

Previous to the astonishing opera
lions of Friday and Saturday last. the
Prussian lines extended from Landau
in the Palatinate to Treves in Rhenish
Prussia, distance of about one hun
bred and thirty miles; and the French
faced them with their right at Hage-
nau and their left at Sierck. Of the
number of the forces actually engaged
on either side we have no means OF
Judging with certainty; but the TACT
that Gen. Won Moltke, the Prussian
Commander-in- Chief did not hesitate
to move in three independent columns,
separated from each other by distan-
ces of sixty miles or more, and with
none but Geographic communication
with headquarters, would lead to the
conclusion that neither of these col
umns could have been less than eighty
thousand strong.
Moltke's plan was to attack the
French right under MacMahon near
Wissembourg, to break through the
French centre at Saarbruck, and at
the same time to advance from the
direction of Treves upon Sierck and
ThionviIle, driving back the left Of
the French forces. A plan like this,
involving three separate battles, and.
as the event shows, two of them Of
the first Importance, could only have
been undertaken by a commander
confident alike in the superior number
Of his troops and their superior fight
ing qualities. What is surprising is,
that each of these battles resulted in
decisive victory for the Prussians.
On the eastern extremity of the
line the Grown Prince Of Prussia ad-
vanced against MacMahon, the most
esteemed of all the French generals,
who had under him his own corps and
part, if not all, of that of Gen. Failly.
The result here was the total defeat
of MacMahon after sanguinary con-
test, and his retreat in the direction
of Bitche, abandoning Alsace to the
Prussians. At the same time Gen.
Goeben, commanding the Prussian
centre, attacked the French under
Frossard at Saarbruck, and, after a
prolonged and obstinate combat, with
heavy losses on both sides, drove
them from the field, and succeeded in
interposing his own troops between
the routed corps OF Frossard and the
broken army of MacMahon fleeing
from Hagenau, and in breaking its
communication with the French head
quarters. simultaneously with these
two great battles, a third of less ex.
tent appears to have been fought up
on the PrusSian right by the troops
under Prince Frederick Charles, who
pressed forward with equal fortune
and drove the left wing of the French
out of Sierck into Thionville. 1t was
even reported that they had captured
the last named place; but this is i'm
possible.
In the face of such an accumulation
of disasters, it is not surprising thar
the French Government should be a;
much demoralized as its army, anC
that both the Ministry and the En-
pres8-regent should issue terrified ap
peais to the people, calling upon then
to rise to save the country from the
new invasion OF an almost resistleSi
conqueror. With facts so stupendou'
before US, it is useless to speculate up
on the the probable Developments 0
the future. 1t is manifest that France
is almost as deeply Inundated by thi
defeat as by that of Waterloo. Their,
the Emperor had stakcd all upon tht
issue of a single field; here the Prus
SLAMS have won everything in thre'
separate and remote, yet contempora
neous battles. In the beginning 0
the present war the French rushed t
the frontier, in the confident hope 0
accommodating there an Overwhelming
mass of soldiers before their heavie
and slower antagonists could be read
to sustain their onslaught. Such wa
the programme; but how different il
the performance The French armie
outnumbered the boosted Frenc
elan repealed; the traditional turi
Francese crushed beneath the stead
ness and pertinacity of the North
The French discipline met with great
l er discipline; the French fire silence
by deadlier weapons; the result di:
: aster without parallel; defeat every
where; the relief even of a trifin
collateral victory nowhere!
We have said that we will not spec
l ulate upon the effects of this UMPIRE
cedented calamity; but there is on
point upon which public curiosity
active, which we will presume to di:
cuss. 1t is generally supposed tina
the defeat of Napoleon must lead t
the expulsion of himself and his fam
ly from Europe. This is not imprcl
able. Indeed, we are confident the
: such will be the ultimate conclusion
. but this conclusion cannot be reache
i, at once. The unanimous feeling {
the French people to-day is to driy
i the invader from their soil-by gigal
tic efforts to retrieve their misfortun
e and wipe away the dishonor that ha
It fallen upon them. They will rise &
e one man for this purpose, and the
e will, Of necessity, rally around Il
= imperial standard, and fight under tt
: lead of the Emperor. But anoth'
/ defeat like the present, or even
e protracted course of partial and frui
less advantages, would be sure to r
suit in the downfall of the Bonaparte,
J. but as yet such an event is out of tt
" question.
j, After the battle of Sadowa t!
% Prussians halted. The road to Vie
J. ma was open to them. The fate
P Austria seemed to be entirely in the
e hands, and superficial observers e
% pected that they would hasten to str
lie the Hapsburgs of all their German
< possessions. But the great intelle