The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-08-18

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day and Monday last, and out of that hard
fighting the sum of French success is that Ba-
zaine has secured his retreat upon Verdun.
Certainly this Is not much; but it is what he
fought for. He was not In position to fight
for the grand prize of victory. He was In full
retreat with beaten, discouraged army, and
his object was simply to carry that army TO q
defensive line behind which its separate frag-
ments could be reassembled, and whore some
hours of rest might restore the spirits of the
soldiers With this design the Prussians
interfered, and hence the battles Of Sunday
and Monday, by which the Prussians hoped to
| completely destroy Bazaine's force or to cut 1t
of from its line OF retreat, in which they were
so far unsuccessful that he got away, though
undoubtedly in sadly damaged state. The
great Napoleon, when his attention was called
to the many fine man@uvres by which Moreau
reached the Rhine, in 1876, went to the main
point in saying, 'It was q retreat, after ALL :"
1t is clear enough that when great affirmative
success is the imperative necessity the
achievement that merely secures escape from
destruction Is not of very high value; yet 1t
should be said for Bazaine that it was some
thing for his side that, in such circumstances
as the French stood In ON Sunday and Monday
last they should be saved from absolute ami
hilation; for it was case, according to
Frances great soldier, when the assailant Is to
blame II he does not completely destroy his
enemy. That the French were enabled to
| fight the Prussians to standstil on Monday
indicates at least that they were then handled
well and that they fought with resoiute cou-
rage. 1t is so much, therefore, to the credit Of
Bazaine that in retreat made necessary by
events occurring before he assumed command
he should deliver battle with the negative
success of saving his army from perious
position at a time when armies are 80 incalcu-
| lably necessary to his country. 1t ia likely,
! however, that Bazaine has observed by this
time that he is not fighting Mexicans just now.
The two battles Of Sunday and Monday
were the attacks of two different Prussian
armies upon the same French army. After
the battle near the frontier the main body of
the French and what was left of MacMahon's
forces retreated by nearly parallel lines, one
upon Metz, the other upon Nancy Frederic
Charles, with the German army of the Rhine,
followed the main body toward Metz, and
Frederic William, the Crown Prince, with the
South German army, pursued on the line
toward Nancy. In the main body of the
French under Bazaine there were not far from
| two hundred thousand men, and it was neces-
| sary to move with precaution and to pursue in
the same way, so that the retreating force was
not concentrated at Metz until Friday night.
On the other line it was different, and more
ground was covered In the same time, for
MacMahons force, inconsiderable in the first
place by comparison with what was opposed
| to him, had melted away In battle and retreat,
30 that it was not even necessary for the
| Grown Prince to respect the presence Of the
African hero. The South German column,
therefore, was far ahead Of the other pursuing
army on Sunday, and it's advance was even
reported at Barbecue, west Of the Mouse,
further west than Verdun, and at least fifty
miles southwest of Metz. 1t is at least
| certain that on Sunday part Of the
cavalry Of this army was at Com
mercy. AS it was reported in Metz so
long ago as Friday last that the Prussians
were moving their troops on the French rail-
ways, and also that they were getting posi-
ton in rear of the French army, it seems
highly probable that the force at Commercy
was there to protect the railway which con-
meets Nancy and Barbecue against a force
issuing from Metz or Verdun, and that the
Crown Prince was moving his troops by that
| rail. In,that case he could have had large
Monday.
| The situation of the troops on Sunday, there
fove, was substantially this: The main army
of the French was in and around Metz with
MacMahon, probably, at st. Mihiel, on the
Mouse. The Crown Prince was west of the
| Moselle and Frederic Charles was in front Of
Metz, with headquarters at Henry, on the rail-
road from Forbach. At Henry the railroad
| turns little to the north before it reaches
| Metz, 80 that Henry is as near to point on
the Moselle. twelve miles south Of Metz, as it
is to that fortress. At that point is the village
| of Pagny sur -Moselle From Henry the Prince
Frederic Charles, DETECTING to his left, moved
to Pagny, and at that place opened communi-
cation with the Crown Prince on the other side
the river. Thus the forces were acting In
concert on the right and left bank of the
Moselle at twelve miles from Metz, and
the immediate purpose of their operation
was to cut off Bazaines retreat The
battle on Sunday began at FIVE P. NJ,
! and was entirely on the right or eastern side
| Of the Moselle-on the same side of the river
with Metz. It was fought by troops OF the
army of Frederic Charles, and Of the army
also of Herewarth Won Bittenfeld, and accord
ing to the despatch Of the King the whole Ger
man line on that side the river was engaged.