The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-07-30
Immense Warlike Preparations
Eight Hundred thousand Men on the
! ~ Frontier. I'LL 81
Everything Ready for an Advance.

1sEtgTdpate CofTGSto1aENes ~ ~ AZ '4Ft tSN
~ LONDON, wednesday; July %.
$ The TFS6Hhe special correspondent al
Metz, on Sunday night, sent the following
| very important letter continuing the firsl
clear statement oftheF French position and
| Il Ist GHagen6u on the Esd, taking the
train by the line which leads past Bitcht
and Sarreguemines to Metz. Along thi.
line warltke preparations Of every kind
were 10 be seen. l passed field batteries
parked complete at the different shunting
j places, until got tired Of looking at them
Although the French carry their infantry
and artillery o good deal over railways
they seem inclined 10 allow the cavalry 4
march along the roads. We saw mort
4 than a single party ofliorsen1en, and In
one case whole regiment walking along
the highway. which, Just before VIC ar
j rived ut The. VosgGs, ran parallel with ule
ruils. The regiment In question seemed
to be in the highest spirits, as they waved
their hands and spurrGd their somewhat
faded steeds into a in answer to the
salutations which reached them from the
foot soldiers in our train. About4 O'CLOCK
we reached the VOsges. This range o.
hills, which takGs rise near BelioTt, runs
nearly parallel with the Rhine until II
sIopes down 10 thelowlRndS about Cob
lIentz and Mayence, where the Strasbourg
Bitche, and Metz lines pierce the range
AS n military obstacle the Yosges have
always been considered the second line
OF defense possessed by France on the
east. Still, the thinness Ofthe range, the
breadth of which near Bitche is under 90
miles, and tho large number OF valleys
which cross II in traverse direction, pre-
vent It from forming very cOnsldera'
bic military obstacle. There is society
called the Francs. Tinillcurs Ofthe VOs'
gcs," which ON u small scale bears some
resemblance to our volunteers As self
organized force 1t seems contrary 10 the
military genius Of France. They have
always been considered in an amusing
light by the French journals which are
however, now beginning 10 express their
establishment ut finding that the bands u
tho YOsgcs are seriously demanding per
mission TO elect general, and to coop
crate with.the regular forces. ALL
AlCr winding for some time through Il
deflle, and before We had altogether de-
scended the western slopes Of the NOsges
we arrived at Bilche, q small fortified
place with strong citadel, tue strength
Of which seemed TO lie in the high and
scarped sides Of the hill upon which It was
perchcd. From BitChG TO Sarrcguemincs
we passed camp after camp. True, many
of these were small, but everything con.
nected with them unmistakabiy revealed
that these were the outlying parts of the
huge force, From BitCle to Sarregue.
mines Is about twenty miles, md through.
out this distance and for about twenty
miles west Of SarrcguCmines, forty miles
in all, the line constantly approaches
within few miles Of the frontier.
Between Bitchc and SareguGminCs their
numbers evidently inspired the French
with confidence; but beyond the latter
post it was clear that the line, which, MS ii
leads from Metz TO BitchC, is just now Of
extraordinary importance, was carefully
picketed. or course, only saw portion
Of the precautions taken, but could OBJ
serve that at important points, such as
where roads crossed the line, there were
camps of cavalry md artillery combined,
evidently placed to support tue vidcttes
and pickCtS which arc watching the
frontier, and 10 save the line from being
interrupted. When we got about thirty
miles west, and u little south OF Sarreguc'
mines, the aspect Of affairs became tanner,
and we did not sec u camp oitcnCr than
one in ten miles, and only passed at the
stations occasional trains laded with mill.
tary material and PERSONNEL; but the line
from StrasbOrg to some distance beyond
SarregucmineS hAs left stamped upon my
brain impressions not likely ever to be
CfIaced by stronger OnrS Of the same kinh.
I fear cannot reduce these impressions
TO writing, but some faint idea may be
conveyed by imagining u Crammcd rail
way line In which all the trains were
filled with soldiers, cheering and being
ohecred; stations lined with sympathiz.
ing spectators; trucks laden with guns in
such numbers that one ceased to take i'll
tercst in them; the roads, when they
could be seen from the trains, inCumbcrCtl
with cavalry; and lastly, for the 20 miles
between the BitCllc and SnrrcgucmlncS'
tents, 40 thick that could hardly make
out whether was passing through one or
several camps.
Abundance OF good forage and wood
was stored along the lines. This last
puzzled me until found that this portion
Of the French railways are supplied with
coal from l'rlisSlnn mines, which, it is
feared, they will flood bCfnre'ahandOning.
But one feature struck me rs conspicuous
bv ils absence. There was little show Of
either baggage or baggage animals ! saw
also none Of the tlr0ves Of cattle which
might have been expected to be seen with
n large army.
When arrived nj Metz for the first
time, transport horses wGrOtO be found in
numbers. They were heavy, slrOnglOOk.
ing horses, many III them grays. They
were plckGtGd In largo square, their
matters tied IN the wheels of country
wagons. Tho horses hal clearly just
COME from the pillow, and beside them lay
their ordinary harness. An auxiliary
COrnS Of peasants Ind been engaged II
conduct the wagons. They Ind no uni.
forms, but carried cards IN their hatS, lie,
noting tho corps ddrHec 10 which they
belonged. tried to get rom ut the
Hotel dc EEuropC, but WINS Informed that
it was full at Generals, and Of the Etdi
.Mdyur. ! then applied ut the GrAnd
IIoiel dc Metz, and was told that nj.
though they had IL Generals, they would
manage 10 accommodate me. Upon re-.
pCaling this speech To the lady who mp.
pears 10 manage the lIolGl dc L'EuroPG
where again repaired to inquire for let,
tiers, she grew u little Indignant, and said
TINT she Ind more Generals IN her hotel
than the madam opposite, md even iG she
Ind not Is, hut then she was not in the
hnhit Of cXaggcrNting,
The cOurt.yHrlS ii both hotels were
crowded with bnggagG.CaTts belonging Ia
the slnlT masters. lBAZAinG alone Ind nj