The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1870-08-19
THE PRUSSIAN VICTORIES.
Review of the Field Of Operations
Plans of Tho French DcstrOyed-Tloir
Combinations Broken Their Best
Generals Beaten.

The two great struggles: Of s:atur
day, at different points on the French
frontier, have completely altered thc
rclativ" positions OF tic French aT.
mics, as well rs the prospects of the
| combatants. n waiter in one Of The
New York papers. who has evidently
| studied tho situation ald j.; familiar
movements, says:
III appears 10 have been the rurp0=c
OF tho Emperor to hurt an enormous
army upon the frontier before his adj
vcrsary could &cL ready to meet it;
but Prussia, who had surprised Eu
rope by her promptnv"s in 1866, sur
prIscd every one again hy the celebrity
OF her movements, in the face Of this
threatened invasion, and, hctoro Ma
rolcca could reach the lino Of the
S;ar. every mi'e Of the boundary
bristlcd with Layouuts and lrowucti
with batteries. The question Of :d-
vance now became q problem Of 10
S:nall difficulty. There were but
three OF four routes Oh which ;ln i,.va-
sion was praciic;ihc. The French
may be said to have held 4 line de-;
The North side ran from Metz to The
Rhine, the cast side followed the
course OF tho river, through Stras-
bourG TO l'cIfort tic anglo Of the
two sides was near Wcisscnburg.
From the numerous difficulties that
would attend any other method OF
advance, IL movement from the RIGHT
wing seems to have been considered
the most practicable, as presenting
the least formidable opposition. Til;
part OF the army, occunyin.. the
broad and beautiful valley whic!, lies
between the Eosgcs mountains and
the Rhine, was under the command
Of the Empcror'., greatest marshal,
and embraced the flower Of his troops.
If he had thrown them across tho
river, either at Strasbourg or some
point between that place and Rastadt,
and SO moved upon Stuttgardt, he
would have had 4 strongly fortified
place TO reduce before he could cross,
and then tho difficult march through
the dctilcs Of the Black Forest would
have had T. strongly fortified place to
reduce before he could cross, and then
the difficult march through The defilcs
Of the Black Forest would lie before
him. "A ovcmcnt northward
through Haycnau and Wicescnb,ry
led him upon Landau and Mannheim,
and involved the masking Of Ra..adt,
but it was in many respects tho best,
and exposed the interior Of France
less than any other, since to Prus-
sian iurcc invading from the Baden
side the Fosscs formed q natural bar
ricr which a comparatively small
army could defend.
Whether this movement Of McSIa-
hons was to bo tic main attack, or
only diversion Oh Il large scale, is
doubtful. The Indications arc that
the principal advance was to be by
way OF Saarbruckcn, willie the left
wing moved across the Lautcr, and
pushed forward to Landau. Thus the
Two halves Of the army would be or-
Grating On coHvcrginS lines. The
Irussians adopted u strategy almost
identical with The French, but, with
the same boldncss which resulted for
them so fortunately at Sadowa, they
allowed their two convcrging armies
to disrc gard any connection with each
other, and moved up at once to make
the aattcll himself The first move
mcnt was Il prussian raid upon tho
railway by which McMahon COMMUNE
Gated with the French centre and left.
The next was the affair at Saarbruck-
en- last Tuesday, when General Frois-
snrd seized the railway connecting
the forces Of the Grown Prince with
the Prussian centre and right.
That no attempt had been made to
defend this line, and no anxiety was
manifested to recover it, showed that
the Grown Prince was confident in
his own strength to conduct an indie
pendent campaign. Marshal McAla-
hon, meanwhile had moved down
from Strasbourg and established his
headquarters at llagerau, while two
Of his divisions occupied the fortified
town Of Weissenburg, situated direct
| ly on tho frontier, At tho foot Of the
cast spur Of the Vosgcs. AS he was
reinforced during the recent battle by
portions Of Canrobcrt's corps from Sd
far back rs Chalons, it is probable
shat the troops had already been or
dcrcd to join him in Wow Of an i'm.
mediate advance.
Thus at the beginning of the great
battle, which ragged from Thursday
until Saturday night, we find McMa.
hon with powerful corps Of picked
men at tho angle Of tho two lines
which formed tho Frcuch position
threatening two avenues Of approach
into Germany, and covering the whole
valley in his rear. On Thursday, tho
Crown Prince, with portions of the
Fifth and Eleventh Prussian Corps
and corps of Bavarians, fell upor
McMahon's front, carried Weissccburs
by assault, carried tho heights o
Gcisburg in the rear, drove in the twt
advanced divisions, and moved severa
milcs into the French lines, tearing
up the road in tho direction of h
gonau: and compelling McMahon t,
move hurricdly to tho left and con
ccntrato in tho neighborhood c
Bitsche. BY this brilliant operatio;
the angle Of the French lines wa
driven in, and not only was McNlf
hons position turned, but the Grow
} Prince threatened to take the Who'll
: French right and ccntre in flank an
rear and roll them up! Both partie
: during the night concentrated for
, decisive battle. McHahon drew .fiy