The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-24

In and around Metz, therefore determined upon
abandoning his position, leaving only force
sufficient to hold the stronghold Of Metz, his
first object being to withdraw the bulk of his
army to Verdun, whence it was probably his in.
tention to continue to fall back across the
Meuse and the plateau Of the Argonnes to The
valley Of the Marne, where a stand could be
taken in the neighborhood of Chalons, to keep
the invaders from approaching Paris.
The Battle of Sunday, August IA.
Bazaine had drawn his own corps and those
of Frossard, L'Admirault, and Bourbaki to the
immediate neighborhood Of Metz on the 18TH
and on the morning of Sunday, the 18th, he
began TO move his army across the Moselle, to
take up the line of march for Verdun. But
before he had accomplished his purpose the 1st
and 7th Prussian Army Corps, commanded re-
spectively by Generals Won Manteuffel and Won
Zastrow, were hurled upon his rear, the corps of
Frossard sustaining the brunt of the attack. The
result of the battle was that the French COM
mander succeeded in getting the whole of his
army across the river, while the Prussans sus-
tanned loss altogether out of proportion to that
which they inflicted. But the westward move
ment of the French was materially delayed, and
the first object of the Prussians was thus
achieved.
The Battles of Monday, August Is.
On Monday, the 10Th, there appears TO have
been two different engagements, neither of
them, however, on very extended scale. The
Prussians crossed the Moselle, a portion above
and another portion below Metz, near Pont-a-
Mousson, after which part of their army ap-
preached Metz to reconnoitre, discovering that
the bulk of Bazaines force had escaped towards
Verdun. Towards evening, however, the Fren sh
appeared to have made an effort to throw the
Prussians, some of whom had already penetrated
as far as Mars-la-Tour back on the Mosele
The encounter took place near the village of
Gravelotte, where the Emperor had temporarily
established his headquarters. The contest was
brief but bloody, and at its close the relative
positions OF the two armies were apparently un-
changed.
The Battle of Tuesday, August I6. 4r
On the morning of Tuesday, the 10th, about
o o'clock, the two armies encountered each
other beyond Gravelotte between Doncourt and
Vionville. The French right was towards
Gravelotte, and its left near Doncourt On the
right it encountered the Pussian left, composed
of the Sd Corps, General Constantin Won Alvens-
leben; and the Hanoverian Corps, General Won
Voigts-Rhetz, of Prince Frederick Charles
army; while on the left it faced General Won
Steinmetzs corps. At each end of the line
there was desperate and protracted struggle,
but the definite result is yet mystery, as both
the official and unofficial reports thus far re-
ceiyed are so contradictory as to render 1t i'm
possible to get at the truth. ''The enemy were
driven back and we biyouacked on the position
we had taken" said Marshal Bazaine while
King William claimed to have had the adyan-
tage. although he acknowledged heavy loss.
The Battle of Wednesday, August IL.
A small portion of the French army appears
to have been cut off in the engagement of Mon
day, and during the night the right wing fell
back few miles TO the neighbornood of Mars
la-Tour where it was assailed on the morning
of Wednesday, the nth, by the army of Prince
Frederick Charles, the action lasting until night
fall. A victory was again claimed for both
sides; but, although the Prussian attack was
evidently repulsed at several points, the main
body of the French appear to have been thrown
back towards Metz, showing that the Prussian
left, under Prince Frederick Charles, had sue
ceeded in getting around the enemy and inter-
posing itself between the French position and
Verdun.
The Battle of Thursday, August is.
On Thursday, the 18th, the conflict was re-
newed, and by this time the relative positions
of the two hostile armies appear to have been
changed, the French facing west and the Prus-
slams east. The French, at the opening of the
battle, appeared to have advanced some distance
west of Grayelotte towards Rezonville, having
thus under their partial control both of the roads
TO Verdun, which diverge at the former place
the southern one through Mars-la-Tour and the
northern one through Doncourt. The battle
which was the most hotly contested of the whole
series, began about 10 o'clock in the morning