New-York tribune., 1870-08-18

village on the eastern side of the valley fanked by
trees. Here was the Prussan position. Stretching
far to right and left along this road were heaps OF
spiked helmets to be and cartloads Of needle
guns were collected under the trees At q distance
the French musketry fire had told more heavily than
the German and heard that the French artillery
| had been very well served.
But though the burying parties were busy with
the German dead the Eastern side of Worth, there
was more than an exchange of slaughterous work
on the Western side. Here the Prussians and Baya-
Tians had pushed forward in strong force and their
| fire had told fearfully upon the French. The high
spirit and rigid discipline of the one army had been
more than match for the desperate resistance of
| the other. Whole companies Of Frenchmen had
been moved down in their wild attempts to check
the enemys advance. 1t had been a tolerably equal
| fight in some places. for the ground was strewed
with German dead; but more and more French
| men had fallen in proportion. Black Turcos and
wide-trousered Zouaves lay thick at many points,
and the cIiiraissiers had suffered much There were
steel breastplates and brass helmets scattered cky
the line of retreat, while the dead horses in all
| directions might be counted by hundreds.
| "And so westward through the wood went the
traces of increasing disaster; officers and lying
grimly where they had fallen Some in quet, shady
spots, as though upon picnic seemed asleep Pools
| Of blood remained where the wounded had been
fonnd. There were knapsacks, rifles and overcoats,
either thrown away in fight or left by the wounded
on the field. Then came upon o spot where the
French had rallied and where the dead Of both sides
fought to the last and had tried to fire their pieces
they lay Frenclmen of the line regiments had here
and there fallen in numbers as though they had
halted and faced about in regular order.
But the aspect of the fields beyond the wood
seemed to indicate hasty retreat. Wagons were
overturned. Baggage was thrown out upon the
a1oid md Ef,ar alrox IN ha N
one who had passed over that battle-ground OF
Worth when did could have failed to realize that
great disaster had befallen the French though
my observations were made when most of the
wounded had been removed.
"On SO large a scene of action it would have been
impossible to judge of the exact loss sustained
see no reason, however, to doubt the official return
on the German side, which gives about 10000 French
men and 1000 Germans hors du combat, and about
battle and 5000 in the pursuit. These losses, with
the further loss of cannon and colors, made the
battle of Worth an evil day for France. Well might
the wounded Germans raise themselves to cheer the
Crown Prince as he passed. and cry that Germany
was safe II Will often be told how the armies met on
the 9th August, and how acMahon made his unsnc-
cessful effort to repe the invasion of Aisace how the
Prussians held the left of the line, and the Bava-
rians and Wurtembergers the right, and how a few
Baden troops held in reserve by the Crown Prlnce
were brought up just in time to share the hon0rs OF
the day There was fierce attack on both sides, it
being difficult to say which party began the fight
Gradually as the German troops pressed round upon
their opponents line of retreat, the French were
forced to so hasty retrograde movement that the
retreat became very nearly rout: -,
"The needle-gun proved itself TO be fully the
equal of the chassepot and perhaps more than that
at least 10 say the German soldiers, with apparently
good reason. Moreover, the Prussians knew their
weapon better, having long been accustomed 10 III,
and the Crown Prince handled his army so as to
make the most of the deadly fire of his infantry.
The cavalry was not used for an attack IN te nIst IN
stance, but sent in pursuit when the enemy De-
gan his retreat.
at was victory due to the patriotic ardor of the
German troops much as to anything In their dis-
cpine or tactics, but we must not forget that the
French showed ardor likewise, and the scale was
turned for the Germans at Worth by their lntelll-
gent understanding of the breech-loader drlll and
by their steadiness In firing These matters rake
time to learn We see the glorious results which
Germany is reaping from her careful preparation
"The prisoners were assembled near the first sta
ton of the reOpened railway through WeIssenberg
could distinguish many Turcos and ZouaVes among
line We drove past them very slowly, for the road
was blocked with ammunition wagons; ana no
ticed that they seemed wOfully discouraged. There
no songs ana no sagn'er p vi
in picking fruit in trees that they had climbed, had
not very lively air for Frenchnen IN such posi-.
tion as fruit picking. Then came the conveys OF
wounded men moving to the rear. Suffering had
made them brothers in misfortune. The Germans
and Frenchmen mingled sat OF lay auieIly slue Dy
and the common enemy being the Jolttng wagon
"As we neared Worth there was constant stream
of bringing down wounded men ~ tne ne
They bore the misery of the road in equal silence;
II was rare to hear cry, though the poor fellows
faces showed much pain. They were sadder slght
in their blood stained bandages than the men who
lay grimly on the hillside. :.
Worth itself was a mere hospital, and all the in
babitants were either nursing the wounded or Dury-
inc the dead 1t was an evil fate for the picturesque
little place that more than 100000 men on one and
the other should have settled their quarrel near at
hand. , ru
event of Yesterday the capture OF the little fort
Tess of Leuchtenburg, where large amount OF mill
tary stores are reported to have been captured Ihe
assalants fired heavily into the place. and we heard
their guns booming all yesterday forenoon"