The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-09-19
MARS-LA-TOURS.
One OF The BlOodiest BATTLES Of the
War-Thirty Thousand Killed and
Wounded.

War-Thirty Thousand Killed and
Wounded.
The Prussian correspondence OF the
London Times, dating from Berlin
August 80, gives the following graphic
account Of the sangulnary engagement
at Mar sla-Tcur:
At last we have detailed accounts Of
the most sanguinary battle of the war,
that of Mars-la-Tour, or Vionville, on
the 10Th inst. For whole week it al
most seemed as though a veil were to
be thrown upon the horrors of this par
ticular encounter. But the silence has
been broken at length, and public as
well as private letter permit us to form
a pretty accurate idea of what occurred
on that fatal day As will be remem-
bered, the battle was fought between the
van of Prince Frederick Charles and
the greater part of the French army
under General Bazaine. The Prince 5
van, having crossed the Mosele, was
marching north on the left bank Of the
river, to intercept the retreat of the
French TO Paris
In the immediate vicinity of Metz,
behind whose ramparts the defeated en-
emy had been completing his prepara-
tons for retreat, the Prussians fell in
with,,a French army. Mistaking the
troops before them for the rear of the
hostile army, which they supposed to be
in full march westward, they attacked at
once. But the fight had not lasted
long when they became aware OF their
error They had to deal, not with last
lingering remr ant of the French, but
with the main body itself. Considera-
bly, delayed by all manner OF doubtsand
difficulties, General Bazaine had not yet
evacuated Metz, but was still encamped
on the western flank of the fortress, pre-
paratory to his march upon the capital.
1t was disagreeable discovery to make
for the Prussians They were about
$1,000 strong; the force which they had
challenged counted between 10000 apd
10000, and had about 10000 more
within the walls Of the adjoining strong
hold.
Thus they stood and battlcl for near
ly eight hours. Six times they were
charged by the Imperial Guards; six
times they repulsed the attack and,
pursuing the enemy in their turn, drove
him from position to position. One at.
ter the other, the corps OF Generals
Frossard Canrobert Decath, Lldmi-
nauIt and the second Division OF Gen
eral Fally We're forced to give way be-
fore the Prussans onslaught. But their
triumph was dearly bought 10y the ga
liant band Under the telling fire OF the
enemy they had suffered grievously
from the first Gradually their mum
bers were more and more reduced al
last they were so few, and these so
tired, that the French could venture 10
attack their guns
Not until after six o'clock, when,
some Rhinish regiments coming up,
the Germans were no longer so very
much outnumbered, did the scale of vic
tory begin to incline in their favor.
Eventually general charge forced the
enemy to fall back, hotly pursued by
the IIanOvcrian horse and artillery. As
usual in French retreat, confusion
now ensued and rapidly assumed de
gree ont Of proportion to the defeat
sustained. But for the vicinity of Metz
and the protection it afforded to the dis
comfitted troops, there might have been
another disaster like that of Woerth |
This was avoided 10y the nearness Of the
detached forts; but from a military
point of view, retreat to Metz, whence
there is no escape, was perhaps even
less eligible than flight to Paris, how
ever precipitate and calamitous.
The day of Mars-la-Tour has cost
Germany almost as many men killed
and wounded as the day of Konnig
graz. This is a fact which makes all
the usual epithets, such as terrible
awful etc, appear ptiab'y below the
mark. Fortunately eighty per cent. OF
the victims are slightly wounded and
will survive. although more or less inca
pacitated for work. The French losses
are quite rs large and include even a
greater number Of dead. Putting the
casualties on both sides together, the
total we obtain i, am afraid, rather
in excess OF $4,000
The announcements OF officers deaths
in the papers fill whole columns. Fa-
thers, brothers and brides are leaving
in shoals for the front to fetch the
corpses Of their beloved ones Reading
these terrible lists one is sometimes led
to think that Il whole generation had
passed away Alas! at the name OF
Mars la-Tour many a heart will ache
for many year to come.