The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-31

was dash on the Rhine with column Of,
perhaps, l0o,O 900 or l25, 900 men, a passage Of
the river somewhere near Mayence, and an
advance in the direction Of Frankfort Thus
the French would become masters OF the COM
munications between North and South Ger
maly: Prussia would have to hurry down TO-
the Main all her available troops, and the
French could beat them, as they arrived, in
detail.
This plan, the success Of which depended on
German dissenson as much as on French &C
tiYity, was knocked In the head by the sudden
declaration of all the States whose disafection
had been counted on, that they would stand
or fall, sink or swim, live or die, with Prussia.
If any one wishes to believe that Louis Napo-
leon Is so lily served that he was taken Dy sur
prise at this manifestation Of German feeling,
be is at liberty to indulge his eredulity. But
ted just what happened; and that his sole1cs.GG
words Of warning as to Tie nature and dangers
Of the Var had Just this meaning to them. =
! 1t soon became evident, then, that the popu'
lar anticipation Of short and dashing cam
paign was not to be realized. and that, IN lts
place, the country must prepare IseI I0r
long and arduou5 war. The Work OF Gaming
the army into the field began, on each Aoe,
and it was prosecuted under the following eon-
ditions: .z.--.
The infantry of the line in France consists Of
300 battalions, With nominal full strength 0i
$50 men each; and besides these, there are 50
battalions Of the Imperial Guards, 70 OF cnas-
seurs, and ls Of Zouaves and Turcos-ani In
1antry. The system is for these .battaions,
when called to the field, to leave two compa.
mics behind asa depot, and to march TO the
Companies, as rule were full, and that the
fnll strength ofthe sic battalions, on the day
orders to move were received, was only
225. GOO men. The "Army OF the Rhine" COM
prIsed seven corps 1'armee, with an eighth
corps, consisting ofthe Imperial; Gnard ds, as q
reserve: The seven corps conta19ed S4o pat
talions OF infantry, numbering 3l4 ,OOo men;
the artillery, Zouayes, Tnrcos and cavalry
numbered $4,000 men. This gives total OF
2s9, 900 as the total available military strength
which France could put into the field up TO the
beginning OF September, when her first re-
serve would begin to be ready.
The North German army. on the other hand,
consists OF thirteen corps, each having twenty
order.for mobilization was received, winch was
on the 18th of July, a few officers were told on
from each three battallons TO superintend the
formation of the extra fourth battalion; tie re-
serve men-those who have served three
years, and are liable 10 be called out until tney.
have passed their twenty-seventh year
were called in; the battallons were filled up,
and the Landwehr regime IT'S were formed OUT
of.rke men between % and &c years DID, On
the 29th OF July the mobilization was accom-,
plished, and North Germany had In the Held
5tS battalions OF the line, numbering
1000 men each, and in garrison lss
.battaons OF the Landwehr; While the
machinery was set in operation, which, by
the end OF August, would give her further
force Of ll4 battalions Of the line and 90 bat
talions Of the Landwher. Then are TO De
counted the troops of Baden, Bavaria, Heese-
Darmstadt and Wurtemberg, in all about lO9
battalons. To oppose the French army OF the
Rhine, which, as we have seen, could not
number more than 260,000 men, the Germans
moved forward toward the frontier Twelve n ood OF
their thirteen army corps, numbering 336,O00
mep, while the South Germans added their
contribution of 70 battalons, making force
of 4O6. 900 trained soldiers, backed mp by re-
serve, available within a month OF an add-
tlonal l50, 900 men. Thus 1t was plain that the
wRr was commenced under conutlons very
unlavorable to the French, who were outnum-
bered by more than one-third, asd who, worse
than all, were placed under the disadvantage
Of divided command.
When the war was proclaimed the French
army was thus situated: The Third, Fourth
and Fifth Corps were at Thionville, ST. Avoid
and Bltsche; the First and Second Corps were
IL
the Guards were Er CuHlUns; ana The Seventh
Corps was at Belfort. BY the 29th ofJuly the
First and Second Corps were moved forward
towards Metz, and, In effect, the whole army
formed line reaching from ThfonFille to
Bitsche; and at the same date the whole Ger
man army had concentrated between the fos-
ges and the Moselle
The Emperor reached Metz on the 18th o.
July, and the next day assumed the command
Of the Army of the Rhine. which. however, In
point of fact, still consisted OF seven separate
armies. each commanded by marshal With
independent ideas Of his own. On the 30th.
reconnaissance made by the French, In the
direction Of Saarbrickeu, was repulsed. On
the second of August the Second Division OF
the Second Corps took the high ground south
of Saarbricken, and shelled the Prussians out
OF the town. who, however, retained hill on
the other side of the town, and thus prevent
ed the French from entering the village News
from the French lines at about this date con-
tanned hints that the commissariat and supply
service had broken down, and that had every
thing else been ready for an advance this
would have prevented II.
Then. on the 9Th Of August. came the iatal
affairs OF Weissenburg and FOrbach, or. las all
battles have more than one name,) OF Woerth
and Saarbriicken. The German troops enGag-
ed in the Weissenburg affair were the Fifth
anl Eleventh Prussian and the Second Bava-
rl1Q cOTpS-lQ ali lleTS n1llSL Have pten oV,Vuo
German soldiers, II not actually In the fight.
ready 10 be brought into 1t at moments no.
tice And to this great force was opposed, at
first. only Douay's division OF McMahon's corps,
and at the last only the whole OF this corps.
The affair could have had but one conclusions:
the superiority Of numbers assured the victory
to the Germans. The same was trues8f the
affair OF Forbach or Saarbriicken. Froissard's
three divisions and single regiment of Ba-
zaine's corps. In all ABOUT $4,000 men. were at-
tackled and defeated by $1,000 Westphalians
and Rhenish troops. The gallantry OF the
French soldiers, and the bravery and skill Of
their officers in both these affairs, were great;
the loss they inflicted on the Prussians was
heavy; and they did not yield the ground IN.
Ill to hold 1t longer became mathematical
impossibility; but the overpowering weight OF
numbers decided the issue against them.
On the Tth Of August the situation was thus:
Four OF the eight corps Of the French army
had been attacked and beaten In detail; COM.
munications between headquarters and some
of the beaten corps was cut of; the numerical
superiority OF the Germans was evident, and
1t was plain also that they were acting under
the inspiration Of one mind; and hesitation, in
decision and vaciation prevailed In the
French councils. The Emperor was lmplored
10 retire to Paris, first placing the supreme
command of the army In the hands OF Marshal
Bazaine He replied by saying that he should
enter Paris either dead or victorious and
that he should retain the supreme command of
the army in his own hands. a movement Of
retreat and concentration was commenced,