Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-10-15
METZ.

AOnDON, OCt. 40.-A IeLL6r QaIeu Me
zieres Les Metz, 7th inst, from the N
7. Tribune special correspondent says
fo-day's battle was the most important
3etfort Bazaine has made since the Prus
f&sians have thrown their belt of men,
Sguns and earthworks around the fortress
He had at least 5000 men engaged
2About 4 o'clock the guns of the Prussiar
Eoatteries by Semoncourt began to give
ftongue. Only a few Frenchmen were
seen. Around at La Douchamps they
8 were first observed. One of the officers
said there viii be nothing serioHs to-day.
E There is too much mist in the valley. Il
seemed that he must be right. When
Twas on the heights of Semoncourt, ]
fcould not see the villages in the valley
below, and the cathedral of Metz was
utterly invisible, but the roar of the guns
&$grew louder, and there came first one
*4great boom and then another from the
Jbig guns lying behind at Frencourt.
Bazaine had laid his scheme with great
art under cover of dense fog. He had
made his disposition with such adroitness
that, when it lifted little past l o'clock,
they were already all but complete. In
# the first instance he directed strong as
sault on Lsdonchamps. The Landwebr
outposts held the place as if there
we're ten Thousand men instead of one
"a hundred The attack was, however, only
Ia diversion. Suddenly the villages of
Grandes and Petites Etapes, of Stenay,
= and Make were overwhelmed by the
4 French. The fifty-ninth LandWher ia
{ Stenay would not fall back, as it should
{ have done in common prudence, but
stood up in its streets until the French,
having played upon it with artillery and
Trained Chassepot and Mitralleuse
bullets, finally pushed backwards
the shattered remnants on the Chausee
10y dint of sheer numbers. The
Sfusileer battalion of the 59th occupied
the Grand Etapes. 1t still occupies the
Grand Etspes now, but the occupation
consists of the dead and wounded. The
battalion would not give ground, and may
sbe said to be snnihilated as it stood, the
& men being with their backs to the wall
! and their faces to the foe. The other
s battalions of the same regiment suffered
terribly. So far Bazaine had succeeded
He had occupied the chain of villages
atbwart the valley, and got few batter
fes of artillery out on their front to reply
Ito the Prussian fire; but the statu quo he|
&5neither wished to or could retain, thel
Prussian artillery throwing their projec-
titles from three sides of the parallelogramI
5fnterfered with the comfortable realization
$of the latter's conception. AS regarded thel
5forner, it seemed clear that BazaineI
would not have done what he had if bel
ssssdidn't contemplate something more. That
something l have not the remOtest doubt
5was sortie to establish connection~withI
Ihionville. His plans were well conceiv-
led, and from Stonay to the two Etapes bel
kept the Prussian line engaged with mus
ketry and artillery. He cent forward FROM
&Grand Etapes great swarms of Tiralleurs,
who Jared extremely i'll at the hands of
the Landwshr, but, besides this, he mass
led great body of men, nearly 80, 900 I'M
#all, on the bank of the Moselle, UNDER
&cover of the houses of Make, and sentI
&them forward to cut their way through
Hthe Prussian environment, where it wasI
4weskest, close to the river. The momentI
twas critical one. The Landwehr had'
ball been sent forward against the villageE
with the exception of one brigade and re-
Serve. But the Tenth army corps hadI
&been crossing the pontoon bridge andI
massing between the river and Amekauge. +
There Gen. Won Voght was in command
{of operations in the rear, and gave ordersI
/ for several regiments to advance. 1t was
10 sight never to be forgotten. First camel
the Fusileers, extending at rapid run /
pinto skirmishing order, and covering theE
whole plain with their long lines; then the!
dense columns of companies of armies,
with bands playing and colors unfurled. B
3But all the work was not left for thef
infantry to do. The artillery entered the
5villsge along with the infantry, and con-
zcentrated fire On the French columns
advancing along the Moselle. Bazaine isl
singulsrly reticent in the field and valley,
5and the only reply came from the sullenl
sides of Mount st. Julien or from the (
ramparts of Fort st. Ely, but the mitrail- :
sleuses ominously sounded their angryE
whirr, compelling skirmishers to aecoil as
they crossed the tine of fire, and tearingE
4 the Chasseurs in the front Of the solidt
masses Of which they were the forerun-
sners. The artillery and the skirmishersk
were enough for the French. The denseE
column staggered and broke. Through
fmy glass could see a continuous sauvet
tqui peut into the village of Make, butt
3when they had once got stone +
! and lime between them and +
Ethe Prussians the fellows were obstinate,
and would go no further in the van. The
Prussian artillery fred on the village, sd- :
svancing closer and closer in alternate or
der of batteries with precision and rapi- s
5dity that could not have been exceeded on
parade. The battery in front of Grandesk
5Etapes would not shutup, and the French
sinitrallieurs still lined the Chausse in its f
front.
By this time 1t was nearly o'clock. al
staff officer galloped along the front with 4
orders for general advance to take thek
3hill by storm. The advance, he told me,
twas to consist of four brigades of land 4
Pwehr, with two brigades of the Tenth {
[army corps supporting. In few minutes E
more the command came sounding alongE
3the line, and the men sprang from their 1
cover and went forward with that steady,
quick step 80 characteristic of Prussian
marching. The shells from the battery in
front of Grand Etapes tore through the
Zine. Mitraileuse and chassepot bullets !
poured against it their leaden hail; butt
Estill the landwehr, silent and stern, &
went steady to the 'front.' l never
The line threw itself into the redout on
the run, the numbers from the battery
drove and had barely time to round the !
corner before the Landwehr were upon
them. The guns they left per force in 5
the villages when the French made last
stand. The Landwshr, with less of the
conventional warrior than the line, are
mot 30 mnch inclined to give quarter as
the professional soldiers. With theE
fFrenchmen this afternoon the first
shock consisted of the bayonetE
thrust. They fought like devils.
BIN rhe narrow ways of the villages, e
|and used mitrailleuses with fair judgement9
|and effect; but then there came the steady,
memorable stride forward of the the
Lanwehr with bayonet, and the villages &
rwere cleared of all save the victors, theH
dead and wounded. The Prusslan artil-
Berry was still firing in the moonlight. q
|Faom the nights above Olge and St Ju-
] Zen there were guns throwing projectiles
son the Landwehr, seeming to shut I'D
their gre. All the ground of Chorley IS
and forward to Vaux was pitted with
shells that had fallen and burst during
the day. A brisk musketry fire was still b
maintained on the front of Chicoules and
|14erne, so quiet when l rode through them
Pin the morning.
knew more furious fire than that to &
(which the center of this line was ex-
posed. Gen. Won Brandenstien, COM IS
handing the third brigade of Landwehr,
twas shot down, and several of his staff
wounded. at length the intrenchments|
were reached, behind which were lying
the shattered remnants of the seth and
b8th Landwehr. The determination CON
eisted in the CIV of 'Ehurrah Prussia. y