The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-14


give tongue, and tho rOar OF guns grew louder AM
louder, and then came first one great boom and
10 Sa zig ae
the manner In which they were foiled, give a de.
From Metz TO Mezieres there is a long trough,
with 2 fat bottom OF alluvial, the margin of Che
Moselle. The tract is about four English miles
near Metz by Norwy and saulney; on the east it is
bounded by slower series of bluffs on which stand
the villages of 0lgy and Malroy, but between them
runs the Moselle, infringing considerably on the
fat expanse just opposite Olgy. Across the bottom
at the narrowest part thus formed lies a series OF
villages, the two Tapes and Stremey, with Make
and LadomchamPs respectively, slightly TO tho east
troops in all these places The dispositions detailed
TO me by the staff officers had been substantially
Bazaine had laid his schemes with great art
Under cover of dense fog he had made his dispo-
sitions with such adroitness, that wher It lifted
complete. In the first instance he directed strong
assault on Ladomchamps. The landwehr outposts
held the place If they 10000 instead OF l0)
men, and the French sent their infantry swarmtug
into IT., White spirts of smoke were visible ali
around the valley on the riRht front,
The batteries at Senecourt were hard az work,
and also others nearer the town, while the
great guns at Frenecourt were sending shells at
low range, right over Ladomchamps, in among the
logue; two other batteries were maintaining semi
cross Gre, and from the bluff on the other side OF
the Moselle, between Olgy and Maroy the Prus-
sian field artillery was roaring The attack on
LadomchaBps was diversion. Suddsniy the
ard Make, were overwhelmed by cataract of
French.
9ho 59th landwehr in stremey wouldn't fall
back, as 1t should have done in common prudence,
hut stood up there in the street until the French,
having played upon it with their artillery and
rained cbassepot and mitrailleuse bullets, and
finally forced backward the shattered remnant by
dint of sheer numbers. The fussilier battalion of
the 5S'h regiment occupied Grande Etape. and it
occupies that village now, but the occupation con-
ssts of the dead and wounded. The battalion
would not give ground, and may be said to have
been annihilated as it stood the men being with
their backs TO the wall and their faces to the foe
Other battalions of the regiment suffered
terribly.
SO far Bazaine had succeeded. He had occupied
the chain OF villages and had got batteries of art-
ery out on their front to reply to the Prussian fire.
but the statu quo had neither replied to could
return, the Prussian artillery, throwing their pro-
with the comfortable realization of the latters
cepton. As regarded the former, it seemed clear
had not contemplated something more That soms
thing have not the remotest doubt, was sortie to
establish connections with Thionvile.
His tactics were well conceived. From Stremey,
and Grand and Petite Etape he kept the Prussian
line engaged with musketry and artillery, and sent
trailleurs who Jared very i'll at the hands Of the
landwehr men, and besides this he moved a great
body of mep nearly 10000 in ALL on the bank of the
Moselle, under cover of the houses of Make, and
sent them forward to cut through the Prussian en-
vironment where 1t was weakest close to the river
The moment was a critical one
The landwehr had all been sent forward agatnst
the villages, with the exception of one brigade,
and that was in reserve; but the tenth army corps
hsd been crossing pontoon bridge and massing
between the river and Analogue. There General
Won Voight was in command of operations in the
rear, and gave the order for several regiments to
advance, a sight never to be forgotten
First came the fusilers, extending at rapid run
plain with their lines. Then dense columns of gre
But all the work was not left for the infantry. The
artillery entered the village alone, and concen-
trated their fire on the French columns advancing
Bazaine is singularly weak in field artillery, aud
the only reply came from the sulen sides Of Mount
st. Julian, or from the ramparts of Fort ST. Eiol,
but the mitraieuses venomously sounded their
angry wbiz, compelling the skirmshers to resoil
as they crossed the line of fire, and tearing the
chasseurs in front of the solid masses, OF which
they were the forerunners The artillery and skir-
mishers enough for the French. The dense
column staggered and then broke, but when they
had once got stone and lime between them and the
Prussians, the French were obstinate and would go
no farther. In vain the Prussian artillery fired on
Advancing closer and closer in alternate order of
battalions, with precision and rapdty that could
not have been exceeded on parade; that obstinate
battery In front OF Grande Etape could not shut up,
and its front. BY this time twas nearly four O'Clock,
and staff officer gaoped along the line with or
storm. The advance was to consist of four br gades
of Landwehr, with two brigades of the 10th army
In few minutes more the command came ad-
| vancing along the line and the men sprnging from
their cover went forward with steady, quick step.
The shells from the battery in front of Orande ECape
tore through the line. and mtrailleuse and chasse-
pot bullets poured against 1t their leaden hand but
still the landwehr, silent and stern, went steadily
| to the front. Gen. VIM. Brondersteen, command
IL G the Sd brigade, was shot down. and several of
| his staff wounded
! At length the intrenchments were reached, be-
hind which were lying the shattered remnants of
| tie 58th and 59th landwehr. The fratenniz alton
consisted of a cry of Hurrah Preussen," and then
| "Norwartz emmer Vorwartz," and then the line
threw itself to the front on a run. The French
guns had barely time to run round corner before
| the lsndwehr were upon them and the guns they
| left perforce. In the villages the French made a
last stand but 1t had been better for them had they
| ran away at first.
II landwehr, with less of the conventional war
| rior in them than the line, were not 80 much in
cline to give quarter professional soldiers,
first shock consisted of the bayonet thrust. They
fought like DEVILS in the narrow ways of the viii
| lsges, and used the mitraieuse with fair judg-
| ment and effect; bnt then there came this steady,
| inexorabe stride forward of landwehr, with the
bayonet and the villages were cleared of all, save
| the victors and the dead and wounded. To the
landwehr must be conceded the honor of the fray.
| They 1t was who checked the right of the French
advance, by holding the villages until they had not
| man who could stand and tre.
| LONDON, Oct. 13-tSpecial TO the New York
| World IA correspondent at Versailles says that
| Bismarck has caused an intimation to be conveyed
to London, st. Petersburg and Vienna that inter-
/ vention to secure peace would be acceptable now
| to Prussia. The conclusion reached by a
council of war yesterday that Paris cannot be sue
| cessfuly attacked but must be reduced by siege
| of many months duration. The advance of the
| French army of Lyons upon Metz has been re-
sSmed, ana Tnmors are current thas tae siege OF OF
has been met by Russia with proposition through
Prince Orloff for mediation by a Congress of the
great Powers at Brussels.
LONDON Oct I3.-[Special to New York World. ]
| Bismarck has received presentations from many
| quarters Of Germany that the people are anxious
ster at Brussels 10 give the great Powers to under
stand that Prussia is willing to propose SETTLE
men ment on the basis of the disarmsmentof the fron-
tier provinces, the rectfcation of the frontier on
| the line of the Rhensh provinces, and a small