Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-08-20
The Decisive Defeat

With the last crowning victory OF the Prus
sian arms in yesterdays great battle, told Of
elsewhere, the contest may be said to be vir
tually ended The only hope the French had Of
making successful stand in defense OF Pari:
was In efecting junction between Bazaine
and McMahon at Chalons. That hope has been
finally cut of by the result OF yesterdays fight
ing The two armies are hopelessly discovered
or what is left Of them, for Bazaine's army NAY
be said TO be now as nearly annhilated as was
Mcmahon. 1t has been alleged by the French
that though portion of Bazaine's army had
been thrown back on Metz, the bulk had sue
ceeced in etfecting q retreat on Cha!ons but a
combat OF the character of that of yesterday in
which 40,0oO were killed, must have been be-
tween large forces, and 1t is evident that ii was
no fragment Of Bsxsine's army that was en-
gagged with the Prussians- The conclusion ia
irresistible that the Prussians had previously
succeeded in preventing any considerable num-
Der oil Bazaines army from effecting a retreat
from Metz, and that after days OF hard fighting,
IN Bazaine's obstinate endesvor to force his way
through he has now been hopelessly crushed,
and discovered from the other wing at Chalons.
To give an intelligent idea of the lighting Of
the last six days it may be stated that the dis
lance between Metz and Chalons is about eighty
miles; that a railroad with q single track, of
which Etain, Nerdun and St. Menehould are the
chief cepots, connects them, as also provincial
highway following nearly the same direction.
On Sunday morning the French retreat from
Metz appears to have commenced. By O'Clock
in the afternoon the advanced guard was on Its
way, aud the Emperor had just taken his de-
partgre along with another division of what was
afortnight ago denominsted the Army of the
Rhine. judging that 1t WAS the intention of the
Prussians to break the continuity Of his line
81
transporting his troops to the left bank Of
tie MOselle, by the bridge, at the fortress and
At the several other points, when the First and
Seventh PTlssisn Army Corps. commanded
respectively by Gen. Monteufel aud Gen.
Hastrow, appeared in their rear, and com
menced an attack with the view of intercepting
their retreat. The Fourth French Corps, under
the command Of Gen. Frossard, appears TO
have sustained the brunt of this attack and as
indicated by the dispatches, the main bo-
dy of the army meanwhile continued its retreat
The aid obtained from the guns of the fortress
evidently contributed to cover the retrograde
movement of the French and to increase the
Prussian loss After conflict Of about three
hours duration, the corps of Gen. Frossard re-
treated toward the fortress while the left of the
French army had occupied in force the opposite
bank Of the Mssclle, and the advance guard had
obviously been summoned to arrest the march,
50 that unbrOken communication might be main
tanned along the entire line. The attacking
force Of the Prussians evidently bivouacked on
Sunday night, Immediately beyond range Of the
guns at Metz.
A few miles after leaving Metz the main high
way branches Of into two lines both again con-
verging at Verdun, and forming . sort Of long
irregular loop, whose extreme breadth is about
five miles and its length about twenty-five. In
the westerly section OF this loop formed by the
two roads the greater part Of the sighting or the
last few days seems to have taken place. First,
We find the Emperor with 50 900 men on Monday
1t Grayelotte, village near the bfurcation Of
the two lines Of highway. Against the Prus-
slams, who were advancing by a flank movement
to cut of his retreat, An attack was made at this
point At best this struggle could only have
been brief one at the close OF the day, and,
though heavy losses are reported on both Sides
il seems TO have ended by leaving the troops en-
gagged in pretty much the same position as they
were before.
On Tuesday q struggle Of more importance
commenced at Yionville, another village on the
lower line Of road, five miles beyond Grayelotte,
and therefore about twelve miles from Metz.
On Tuesday morning the Prussisns made a
movement in force from Pont-a- Mousson TO-
wards Metz The Third Army Corps, under
JUL WV olfcn-ioVch LIS oppcaIs W u8Fo urst
advanced, and TO have encountered four divis-
ions Of the French army posted between Won
vile anu Doncourt; that IL, on q line about reur
miles long, running from south to north, and
resting on the road between Metz and verdun
The attack began at . O'Clock in the morning,
and continued till afternoon. The Prussians
would apparently have suffered q severe defeat
had not reinforcements arrived from the Tenth,
Eighth, and Ninth Army Corps. The battle con-
tinued until dusk, and there were conflicting
reports to the effect. on side, that the Prus-
slams had been driven back on the Moselle and
on the other that the French had been driven
back on Metz. In the light of recent events the
latter statement seems to have been nearest the
fact.
The statement from French sources that the
Prussians had 10 900 men engaged doubtless
arises from the fact OF four different army corps
being in the action, but from, the Berlin dis:
patches il would appear that only the third was
in complete force The close jHxtapostiOn of
the Ietiring French columns l. obvious from
the statement that General Argand fastened
into this action from Rezonville, a village
abouttwo miles near Metz than the point on
which the four divisions first attacked were
posted. The fighting was renewed on wednes-
day at Mars lie Tour, each side claiming tho
victory, and has been continued since culni-
mating in the decisive battle of yesterday be-
tween kezonville and Gravelotte, point about
fifteen miles from Metz.