New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-09-03
DESCRIPTIONS OF BATTLES.
The Battle nt Metz on the Fourteenth-Bat-
tie Of Mars La TOur-Fight at Saar-
bruck-LOndOn Standard Account
Oh1cial German Account.


bruck-LOndon Standard Account
Oflcial German Account.
NEW YORK, August 30.-A correspondent
| of the London Standard, who writes frem
! Verdun on Tuesday forenoon, thus describes
| the battle which took place at Metz, on
Sunday. August IA;
At one O'Clock Sunday afternoon, the
French army. l8e, 900 strong, was encamped
| all around Metz. Since the day previous a
| battle had been considered imminent.
| Several attempts had been made to draw
| the enemy out of the woods they occupied.
The Prusslan army of Prince Frederick
| Charles. or rather the corps now united
| under Field Marshal Steinmetz, had taken
| its position on the road to Baulay, at the
point intersecting that to BOrney.
The road from DeliOnir to Borney, up to
the forest of that place. was occupied by
! prussians. part of their division being CON
| cealed bv woods.
Skirmishing had been going on all the
morning, but it was probable no serious en-
gagement would take place.
At halfpast one the French troops re-
| ceived orders to retreat from their position,
to go in the direction of Verdun. 1t was
said at two o'clock the ardnt gar'de division
were crossing the Mosele on pontoon
| bridge thrown across a few hours previously,
| and the luggage, material and provisions OF
the army were crossing other bridges IN the
direction of Longuevillc.
The euuipages of the Emperor had already
left the Prince Imperial first. and half an
hour after the Emperor himself. We are
| leaving on horseback In the same dlrec-
ton.
| the fourth corps LAdmiIault, and Garde
Imperial. Bourbaki. were preparing also to
| leave their encampments, when suddenly
! the PrlSsians were seen to prepare Tor
! battle.
Some others We're preparing offensive
movements in front of the woods of BOrney,
and in the direction of Grisey and Mercy
les Metz.
The French troops under the command of
| Marshal Bazaine were composed of the
| third and fourth corps and the Garde I'm
| periale. They were fronting BOrney, Gri-
! sey and Mercy les Metz, the Imperial
| Guard forming a reserve near the Fort st.
| Quentin.
AT quarter past four o'clock the attack
commenced. A heavy fire of artillery was
| at once heard in every direction. The sol
| diers of the Prussian landwehr headed the
| Prussian corps darInee.
The mitrailleuse began their deadly work
| on each side. For me there was confusion
| all around. Men were falling in every di-
rection. Columns were whirling around as
bullets were whistling their deadly work
| through their ranks.
A battery of artillery, with mitrailleuse.
was making fearful havoc III Prussian ranks.
heard frantic bravOs announcing its he "
| exploits The fire was SO well directed and
/ the precision SO great that each fire was
| positively moving the Prussian ranks, who
were fighting in a desperate way, their ar
tillery replying to the other and destroying g
French battalions right and left.
At seven o'clock in the afternoon the
~ Il
treat A mitrailleuse had been twice taken
from the French. and. although it is only
one of the hundreds of cases of the battle
| mention it, as it led to an important re
suit.
For the last hour one OF the creates,
efforts of the French had for its object to
dislodge the Prussians from the woods OF
Borney. their troops being protected by that
natural rampant.
The brave Colonel of the Forty fourth
infantry, second division. in retaking the
mitrailleuse was the cause of an immense
| body OF Prussians emerging from the woods
| and precipitating themselves as an In
| furiated torrent upon the French divisiOn II
1t was only preteXt. for it was expected
that the Prussians would follow the same
| tactics as at FOrbach which consists OF
keeping out of sight their masses, their best
divisions. and when the result of battle
seems in favor of their opponents, to change
defeat INTO victory. by TIE powerful move
! ment OF immense bodies of troops plum ging
suddenly on the enemy.
Bit this time Bazaine had prepared a
| match for them. The Imperial Guard, com
manded by Bourbaki, had been kept in re-
serve. The artillery, from a strong posi-
ton. began the defensive. The grenadier-
advanced: and from that moment till a
| quarter to nine you would have thought
| +I,n of nj
Mount Vesuvius; Fort de Quenten sweep
ing with its powertol batteries the flank o!
| the advancing columns. regiments Of cav
airy charging on the wing.
At a quarter to nine precisely, the Prus-
! slams were retreating leaving from 23.OUD to
| TO "a 900 men hors du comb0t The French
! have lost close on to 10000 men, killed and
wounded.
One hundred and forty thousand Prus-
slams took part in the fight. against seventy
| thousand Frenchmen. positively.
Owing to Fort de Quentin slaughterins
| the enemy, the Garde. except Its artillery
ami brigade of grenadiers, did not fight
| They were kept in reserve to the last.
During the combat the rest of the French
| army was retiring on the route to Ntrdun
| and at nine o'clock followed. the Imperial
Guard retrea.in. in the same direction.
General De C8el has been wounded III
the leg; General De Castagny had an arm
cut, and Marshal Bazaine himself received
q slight confusion on the head
/ hear the sight of the Champs de Bat
| taille was horrible. In the morning, in re-
turning, they marched over the dead bodies
which were i'll heaps in some spots.
The following i, the official German ac-
count:
BERLIN, August lH.-The !Staats An.icge,'
OF th, morning publishes further accou nts
of the battle before Metz. last sunday:
The French army, on the morning of the
| fourteenth stood in front of Metz, on the
east side. near point where the road from
| ST. Avoid is Joined by that from Saarlouis
| 1t was formed in great corps saextending 2
| over at least six miles. The army appeared
on the point OF rctreating toward Chalons.
Marshal Bazaine must have had to contend
with difficulties in carrying out this design,
for he did not move.
General Stenmetz attacked the French at
two p NJ, with the Thirteenth division.
which latter was supported by the Four
teenth The French troops were ranged IN
seye1a al lines, defended by very deep rifle pits.
For this reason, perhaps, they fired more
quickly than in former actions.
These lines were at ArS la Gucrexy, OSy.
| Bcrnev and Col0mbes. The woods afforded
them good cover. bat these and the pits were
| taken successfully by storm by the Prus-
slams, who fough very hard, and with very
great loss.
The French losses were principally killed,
! because they fought III trenches. Ihey
were shot through, the head. which was
! alone exposed. No less than 7Si dead
| Frenchmen were counted behind one trench
alone.