Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-09-14
The Most Wonderful Military Cam
paign Of Modern Times.


there has been no war between any
two or more nations which will com
pare with this just closed between
France and Germany, whether W,
consider the strength aud equipments
ofthe armies on both sides, the bloody
battles fought, and within the briei
limits ofa singe month, or the obstacle.
overcome and the results nchiel cd by
the armies Of the successful beligerent
The war was declared by France
July 10, and hostililics were com.
menced by France, Louis and l." at
tho little frontier German town OF
Saarbruck, where the Prince Imperial
received his "baptirm of fire. on the
I'd day of August, and on the % day
of September the war is ended in The
capitulation of the army of MacM ahon
and the surrender of Napoleon IA
King William. Within the week from
the opening of the ball in the dramatic
little affair of Saarbuck the strong
positions of the advance right wing OF
the French army under MucMahon,
from the Saar to the Rhine, and thence
up to Strasburg. in a series of fierce
and bloody battles were carried. the
whole French line was doubled up and
pushed backward over the Vosges
Mountains to the line of the Moselle-
and its protecting ioriresses. In these
operations the losses to the French
involved the reduction of the splendid
army column of fifty thousand men.
with which MacMahon marched ont
of Strasburg, August 4th. to less than
fifteen thousand in his halt 10 repair
damages at Chaluns, ten days later.
Where Napoleon rodo buck with
the Prince Imperial to his hca1qnar
ters at Metz, the French army extend.
ing in a segment of a circle from that
point around TO Strasburg, numbered.
perhaps, not less than two hundred
and fifty thousand men. The Ger
man armies confronting them, rough.
ly computed since at half u million,
did not probably exceed in all three
hundred and fifty thousand men,
But the weight of il was thrown with
crushing force upon Mac Mahon, aud
in his demolition at Woerth the whole
campaign was virtually decided The
next chapter in the sanguinary drama
was in the succession Of desperate bat.
tie with the original left and center
of the French army on the line of the
Moselle, under Bazaine, eliminating
in the terrific struggle of the 18th at
Gravelotte, which resulted 10 shutting
up Baziane within the walls of Metz,
to the extent Of from eighty to hun.
dred thousand men, in charge of the
Prussian General Steinmetx
Thus by the 18th of August the
original French army of tho Rhine
was disposed OF, including detach
ment belcaguored in Slrasburg, and
excluding the escaping remnant Of Nc.
Mahon's corps aud the detachment
escaping from Metz and uniting with
MacMahon in the north To this
point the French losses in killed,
wounded and prisoners, aud in their
forces held in several fortresscs, as
under lock and key, were equal to two
hundred thousand men. The capilu-
lation of the new army of MacMahon
under General Wimpfcn at the time
involved an additional immediate loss
of one hundred and fifty thousand
men, moro or less. We have no
means of estimating the aggregate
losses in killed and wounded on either
side, but from the reports made we ap.
prehend that, while the French losses
of tho war will not exceed one hun.
died thousand men, the German losses,
from the exposures on that side as the
attacking party, have hardly been less
than one hundred and fifty thousand
men.
All this has been done in the brief
space Of month, from the I'd day Of
August TO the I'd day of September ;
and the grand results are the surren,
der of Napoleon aud the subjugaliun
of France, and at a point in The con
test when the French people were on.
ly beginning to prepare for the expul.
sion of the enemy.-N y. Herald.