Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1870-08-12
From the Chicago Post.
Great Prnssian Victory.


Great Prussian Victory.
/ Saturday, the 9Th, witnessed two
great battles between the Germans
and the French, on French territory,
in both of which the French were
disastrously defeated. Won Molthe
evidently is still young enough to
plan battles i'm his study and achieve
victories by telegraph.
In judging of the decisive charac-
ter of the victory, we are happily not
dependent on the news from Berlin.
Paris, too, has been compelled to
speak, and her words are entirely
confirmatory. The French army is
beaten, right and left, and is in re-
treat on Metz and Nancy. There is
distress at the Tuileries /; dismay and
tumult again in the streetsof the
capital. There is 1.-THE utmost con-
sternation :" the Empress acknowl-
edges in a proclamation, that the
army has suffered check" but
entreats the citizens not to "agitate;"
the Emperor telegraphs that "all
may yet be retrieved"
hesitation, i'm brief, is as follows:
Fridays news from Paris was that
the Prussians, in taking Weissen>
burg, had lost more men than the
| French had engaged, and that Me.
Mahon was hurrying forward with a
| hundred thousand men to sweep ir-
resistably around and over Weissen-
burg, and march straight on May
ence. He does not seem, however,
to have advanced from his position
at Haguenau.
On Friday morning the Prussian
armies promptly took the initiative.
The left wing, under the Crown
| Prince, Frederick Charles, and the
right wing, under Won Goeben (of
the Sd corps), moved simultaneously
to battle. The Crown Prince met
Mcmahon at the town of Worth,
some ten miles north of Iaguenau
The battle ragged all day, aud the
French were reinforced with two
divisions from the left wing, but
were driven back on Neiderbronn,
and there completely routed before
sunset. McMahon's army seems to
have been broken in two parts. his
right wing fleeing southwest toward
Zabern, and his demoralized left wing
going northwest toward Bitsch. The
occupation IF Niederbronn, as the
Post explained on Saturday, cuts the
northern railroad from Paris to
Strasbourg. and renders the whole
French line untenatle.
1t also involves the capture of
Haguenau, said to be already aban-
doned by Mcmahon, and completely
uncoyers Strasbourg, rendering its
speedy evacuation by the French in
evitable. Indeed il is reported that
the corps of Baden volunteers is al
ready hurrying across the Rhine to
take possession of this strongly forth
fled and important position.
Meantime the PIussian right was
equally successful. Early in the
morning Gen. Stienmetz launched
the first corps against Saarbruck and
recaptured it. At the same time,
Gen. Kamers found the French un-
der Froissard i'm the wooded Styring
hills west of Saarbruck, and imme-
diately attacked. After a very severe
contest the position was taken 10y as :
sault, and the French broke and fled
panic-stricken toward Metz. The
| Prussians seem to have pursued Wig
orOusly, and it is said that the eX-
IRENE right wing has occupied Thion-
vile. Everywhere, the eagles of
Prussia were triumphant From
Thionville on the north to Haguenau
on the south, distance of seventy
five miles, the whole line advanced.
The results Of the victory are great.
First, 1t iusures a united Germany
aud q divided France. Second, it
gives to the Prussiau arG..;,; M =, ,rvs-
session Of the entire line OF railroad
and Qualifications recently in the
hands If the French. Third, it trans.
ftrs to the Prussians the fortTesses OF
Haguenau on the south, and Thion-
willie on the north. with the probable
possession of Strasbourg without
another battle. Fourth, 1t carries
tile ravages of war permanently to
French territory. Fifth, it involves
the capture of four thousand French
prisoners OH the left, and u large
number not estimated on the right,
thirty pieces of cannon aud six of
the terrible nlitraiiteuses
The French are the most volatile
of people. A victory makes them
irresistible; n defeat throws them in
to despair. Already there is disorder
in their camp, and threats of revoIu-
ton on the banks of the Seine.
Paris is declared by the Empress to
he i'm a state of siege, and from the
French head quarters comes the init
nation that it is doubtful If Metz can
be held, now that the two wings of
the Prussian army flank it on the
north and south.
| 1t looks now as If the Prussian
army would make its way steadily
toward Paris. There will probably
be another desperate combat before
Metz and Nancy are abandoned. but
the spirit of the French army is
broken, and the result Is not prob
! lematical Before the month is over
Bismarck may dictate peace from the
Tuileries. France is already hunili~
ated, and unless their is an immediN
ate and surprising recovery, the
death knell of the Bonapartes has
| struck.