The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-08-19
10000 Prisoners takento Chalons
Regular Army True to Napoleon
CHALONS NOT OEFENSlBLe.
Bazaine Claims a Victory
Especial 10 the Tribune. ]

l LONDON, august li.-bur specls
e from Chalons writes Sunday: TIE
: thousand wounded are being brough
E into camp. The town and camp pr'
: sent scene Of rlotous disorder and di'
2 sipation. Soldiers are shouting an
2 drinking; the cafes and streets are file
with prostitutes, and there is no restrain
Of order or decency among officers O
: soldiers. If another battle is lost
/ will be a massacre.
Our special writes from Chalons Sun
day: The train BY which ! attempte,
. to 90 10 Metz found the line cut at Pont
a-Mousson, and returned with the Four
, teenth regiment. which was ordered t
Metz Reports of disturbances at Pari
have unsettled the Garde Mobile, hal
of whom wonld break away and return
in case OF revolution. The regular
army is still trne to the Emperor, bu
nobody else.
The advance of the Prussians beyont
Metz is known, but a great force will re
main there. ! cannot understand the
notion of q battle here, in the circum
stances; Chalons is not deiensible
position against superior forces, being
simply and immense level plain, the
camp is not entrenched, and there are
no works in course Of construction, mol
officers permanently commanding, but
whoever among the generals passns
through happens to be senior in rank is
commander while he stays, and changes
are made almost daily.
The same correspondent writes
Monday: The Pont-a- -Mousson affair
was serious. Six or seven trains were
started from Chalons for Metz in rapid
succession, carrying about seven thou,
sand soldiers, comprising three infantry
regiments and some artillery. Near
Pont-a- Mousson they found the rail
way cut and Prussian artillery opened
on the trains, which moved back az
rapidly as possible; but panic began,
and, although only two men were killed,
many Jumped from the trains while
moving rapidly The trains finally got
away without much loss.
Dispatches received to-day atthe Prus-
sian Embassy in London confirm the
Prussian successes on Sunday, already
reported, but do not much light on
subsequent events. No telegrsms re-
ceived in London up TO midnight We'd
nesday explain the movements Of the
last three days. The French accounts
are extremely vague, but indicate than
divided counsels and changing plans
have constantly embarrassed and en-
dangered the French retreat Our
dispatches from Chalons, already tele-
graphed you, ,provethat troops were push
ed forward from Chalons towards Metz
up TO Sunday, when the trains were
stopped and fired OH at Pon-a-MoussOn
On Sunday the Prussians found the
French still in great force under the
wall of Metz. Since Sunday no con
siderable battle is known to have been
fought anywhere, but the French reports
Of checks TO the Prussians west Of the
Moselle, whether true or false, coincide
with Bazaines retrograde movement.
In the absence OF Prussian kilograms,
there is nothing TO show what forces,
either Of Prnssians or French, remain
near Metz but there can be little doubt
Bazaine, after hesitating till il wa- al
most too late, has withdrawn the main
body Of the French army westward
and that the Prussian forces have har-
rassed his retreat by unremitting At
tacks on his flanks and rear. In such
circumstances no general or decisive
engagement should be fought, unless
the Prussians had moved rapidly
enough 10 cut off the French retreat.
They seem to have crossed the Moselle
both above and below Metz, a large
force remaining at the same time before
Metz, and there is no known basis for
Palikaos statement in the Corps
Legislatif that the Prussian attempt 10
cut of Bazaine had failed, for there is
no evidence that it had been made in
force as to compel Bazaine 10 choose
between abandoning the direct line to
Chalons and fighting q battle Latest
accounts place him at Etvin, but the
French appear to have no information
as to the disposition or strength OF the
Prussian columns threatening his
march. IL it be true, as the French
give out, that Metz is held by mere
garrison, it may be many days before a
great battle can be forced by the Prus-
slams or accepted by the French at any
point west Of Metz. Meantime there
is likely to be, as during the past three
DAYS, a continued succession of encount.
ers between the heads of the Prussian
columns and the rcarguard of the
French.
New YoES, August I'm. Gaiilar
det telegraphs a French paper here
from Paris that two battles were fought
between Metz and Verdun, in which the
Prussians were severely checked. Thi:
reverse OF the Prussians will give Gen
eral Trochu time TO organize the new
army being formed at Chalons, which
already numbers two hundrsi Thousand
men. Part of the lnfantrie de la Gardt
Imperiale have arrived at Mourmelon
The correspondence representing tina
very great decentralization prevails il
the corps Of Mcmahon and Failly il
not true There is, however, much dis
content beginning to be expressed b,
the men at their leaders allowing tn
enemy TO concentrate in overwhelmln!
numbers and bear down upon them n
expose.i points, as at Woerth. Paris i
more ouiet and TRANQUIL. Agitstions
however continue at Lyons, which ar
set on foot by revolutionary bands
Strasburg is secure. The army IS II
, excellent spirits. since the VIC
tory before Metz, while the country
E recovering confidence. Gaillardet adds
' Edmund About is now sick at the for'
, ress of Pfalsburg, which though with
in the enemy's lines is still held by
a French garrison. -.
:. PARIS, August ls-An official di:
match from Marshal Bazaine, Just r,