The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1870-08-19
TIE THEATRE CT WAR.
Position Of tie Freac!, and Prussiau
Armies Typographical Features of
the Country Important Points of
Defence.

| DG1cncG.
There arc no larger towns on Ia.
boundary between France and Rlic.l
ish bavaria, but on both sides not i;s
from the frontier are places impurtau
in military point Of view, occupied
| now by Two armies.
wREVEs
The PruSSian right wing reaches tr
Trcvcs on the Moacic. Th; is one O
the Oldest towns in Europe. WhyI
julius C:C$ar led TIC :c9;ouS Of Rom,
into Gaul he found i. the chief tow!
Of the Trcviri-onc Of Tie most Pow:
criul Of the iIaHcn-haircd tribes Of Ger
many. An Inscription on the wall O
The Rath Iausc informs us that il
was built before RomuIus IaiI tic
iouadation Of Rome. The Troviri be-
Game the allies Of Rome. and Angus
tus used them we'll. lie made Trcvcs
the capital Of Gaul, and established {:
Senate and appointed magistrates to
manage tho affairs Of the Empire
north Of the Alps.
Here the great Roman highway.
crossed the Mosclic on u na.,niI:cci,
stone bridge, erected % i. G., which
was blown up 10y Louis XIV. It's re-
mains arc still to be seen. Pruss:an
soldiers now occupy the basilica crcc-
ted by the architects Of old Rome,
aud go through their dress parade on
tho campus, where Cesar and Con-
stantino tho Great reviewed their
lcgions. Trcvcs has q railroad con-
ncction west with Luxembourg, and
with the Rhine by the line Which
runs southeast UP the valley of the
Saar to Saarbrucl1, and which turns
u right an:slc to the northeast. The
supplies for the Prussian troops at
Trcvcs and in the valley Of the Saar
must como either by this one line Of
rail or by steamboats, up the MoscIlc.
Trcves being near Luxembourg, which
is neutral territory, the Pru:>ians can
not receive anything, from the west.
and the 100, 900 soldiers cncampcd on
the hills around this old town must
obtain all their supplies from the
Phinc.
TIE VALLEY OF GAh3.
The Saar rises in the VoSgcs, the
range OF mountains that lie West
Of StrashOurn, and drains their Yves
tern slope. 1t is q beautiful stream.
winding Through q wide, vcr'lant val
ley. The course OF the river is TO-
ward the north, joining the Moscllc
near Trcvcs. 1t has given q name to
several towns. Travelling south o.
I'rcvrs, VIC find S;tar$burg, then Saar-
ho!zbach, then Saarouis, S;,arl,ruc!;,
and Saarbu.icngen, all in Prussia
Gro ssinS the stream, VIC have Sarrc.
suomincs, S:rrcahlc, Sarrunian and
Sarrehancy, in France. In this emu
mcration the order has been south.
ward from Trcvcs. SaarIouis and
Saarbruck in Prussia, and Sarrc"uc
mines, in France, and are Of great i'm.
portancc, but the others arc Of little
account.
SAARLOUIS.
It is f:fty-siX miles from Trcves tc
Saarb"uck, and the important towns
on the route arc Saarburg, Mcrzig and
Saarlouis. The last named place i.
about forty miles south Of Trcvcs. il
is 4 fortified town, surrounded by widc
meadows, and two-thirds cncircled by
the river, Which ut that point is :
sluggish stream. The fertilization.
constructed by Fauban, and consist.
Of rainparts, bastions, luncttos, fossc:
and bitches. A canal connects th<
bitches with the river, and the garri
son, by opening tho sluices, may fill
them with water on short notice
Prussian engineers have strengthened
the works and adapted them to tn,
requirements Of modern militar,
science. The town is located on tn,
western bank, and it is fully Il mil.
across the meadows to the hills tha
bound the valley on tho west. Tn
character Of the soil is such that til,
place cannot be taken by rccula
scigc operations.
The railroad runs along tho Easter
bank Of tho stream, all the way i
Treves in Saarbrucl1. The rairoa
station at Saarlouis is connccte
with tho towns by fine stone bridge
Tho river is too deep to be fordcd b
my advancing army: 1t is about a
wide as tho Rappahannock at Frcdc1
icksburg. Tho Prussian line of d,
fences is along the eastern bank, an
if the French army would get at til
Prussians anywhere between Trevt
and Saarbruclk, thcy must bridge th
stream either by Pontoons or by NOR
solid structures. The distance frol
Saarlouis to tho boundary is abor
four miles; it is the same from Me
zig to the boundary; but as wo al
proach Saarbruck, fifteen miles flu
ther up the valley, the distance b.
tween the rivor and the frontier
not more than mile and ahalf.
sAARBEUCK. .
This is a railway junction, and pc
haps the most important point on I'll
entire limo between Luxembourg ar
the Rhine. Its Importance will
seen only by review of. the situatio
The railroad running southwest fro
Saarbruck into France leads to Il
town of Metz, and there connec
with tho lines running to Paris. r.
Prussian limo from Treves follows
tho valley Of tho Saar to this poil
ITS general course has boon q lit