The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-12-14

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T
slstance. Near.y five hundred prisoners were
taken. Including eight officers. The reason for
reinquShlng Brle was that the terrible, persis-
tent fire from the forts rendered 1t utterly ntena
that Brie gave the French footlng so to speak:
on the Saxon mainland, while Champigny formed
a key to the peninsula OF the Marne. the object
of the day on the side OF the Germans was to dis
lodge the French from Brle and Champlgny. Tbs
task fell to the lot of the SaXons, Wurtemburgers,
and brigade of the Second Corps.
The prisoners looked like sturdy fellows, any.
thing but Ill.fed. They were hearty and good to
fight ] judged from the expressions OF ser.
geant. He bade me good morning. and told me
cheeriiy that II any one INDUCED In the anficpa.
tion of the speedy oaptuatiou OF Paris he was ex-
tremely out In his reckoning; food was plentiful.
He said, with laugh, that the programme was
pones SFss eyes wers s ae ID s essEy to cse
Of Of the town I hal has i. ' - p
FRENCH DEMONSTRATION.
As the Prusslans from Brie finished filing
through Noisy, an ominOus sight met my eye In
another direction as peered through loophole
the further bank OF the Marne. under the wing OF
Fort Nogcnt, aud extending right and left along
the Chaumont Railway, were dense columns OF
French infantry: How they came ans there S know Sy
magic. Now they stood fast, closing up as the
fronts OF battalions halted. Then there was
slow movement forward as the head or the col.
umn dipped out OF sight between the village OF
Nogent and the river Then there seemed to be a
final halt. The dense masses stood, their bayonets
glittering In the sun, ss II the men had come out
for spectacle. :n
But little by little there was gradual trlcking
or down to the blight OF the river between
Nogcnt aud Brie. There was a railway bridge
(the Chaumont Ralwayl-a lofty viaduct-but
gap In one arch had rendered 1t useless. Pres
emily, on the plain to the south m Of Bre. knot OF
and denser every moment. simultaneously, the
whole sprang into life. From the farm buildings
about lie Trembay, from sc. Maur and Jolnyille,
there poured out vast bodies Of French troops,
deploying at double, e,quick The line seemed to
extend right athwart the neck OF the loop Of the
RIVER.
TIE FRENCH PLAN DEVELOPED.
At Champlgnv. I am informed, that Wurtem-
burgers, after desperate 1ghtlng had driven tae
subjected to a violent attack and partial eXpul-
sion. The sharpshooters dashed into the thicket,
lining the foot or the rising ground, and scram-
bled through The troops behind them followed re-
had crossed during the night and occupied the
loop. Their bridges must have been between
JoInyie and Nogf mt; and the nulllncation OF Brie
enabled The utilization ut later hour OF bridge
between Brle and the railway viaduct.
The lOis de Grace, lying in front (south) OF
Champs, AFFORDED favorable cover for a detour
into the rear OF Vllliers. which. evidently, was
the point for which the French advance was In.
tended Their force-I refer exclusively to that
section OF Iu that threatened Vlliers-must nave
been at least 10000 How large was the force
with which the Wnrtemburgers had to deal TO-
ward Champigny, had no means OF ascerta.n. a.
ing In those dense columns standing tn support
under Nogent. there could not have been less
than 10000 There were 90 900 OF the left advance,
with whom TO- 900 SaXons had to cope-n0t with
them a9ne but Win n9se e
ground where Ellliers strands, and into the glades
behind.
The French sklrmishers were thrown out with
as much regularity as Inc GAYS wors HaOyed han oeea
with surprising rapdity and apparent discipline;
but there appeared considerable o0seness Ill tneir
formation; total want of intervals, and, indeed;
in places IN overlapping OF battalions. Hau
there been nothing else for the Ssxons to do but
TO repulse IN assault on Villiers directed solely
against it, the task would have been compare
lively simple and not very sanguiDary, nOtWltn-
standing the artillery Te thG 5enSH
By. which It was deplOycd, to sweep right on,
overlapping VIlliers, up the space between that
place and Noisy, and SO to get through upon
only serve as position on which to lean the
Saxon left; 1t became necessary to meet the
French In the open space.
THE FRENCH ADVANCE CHECKED.
From behind vluicrs several tGermanl regi.
ments came out to the right o1 the brow OF tne
the gentle activity the guns OF the forts continued
PLAYING without interruption. SO narrow was
the margin between the comb:tants that ques-
tion much whether shell or two did not fall In
the French ranks. stood by the 1osth regiment
as IL quilted position In which IT had found
some shelter. Two lieutenants gayly shook hands
with hussar ald.do-camp who had just rode up
with an order as they passed him TO go out into
the battlefield. On went the regiment Ia dense
columns OF companies. shells now crushing Into
the ranks, now exploding In the intervals.
The line was formed, rear files closing up at the
double quick, and In q twlnkling less than 1fty
yards separated the combaSsnts. Then came
voley, then sharp firing by file, and the French
broke and gave ground, only to get back TO the
next dip OF the grouad, to let the guns Of the
what cover they might. When the regiments
came back-they had not been gone twenty min.
utes-thlrty. five officers out OF the forty five had
gone down. Neither of the bithe lieutenants
were to the fore. Now there came !ull IN ths
been luil In the cannon. The SaXons could not
get their artillery into action with advantage.
The ground itself was unlavorabe, While inc nre
the s e ~Ss haSs M RssS Erss nssc isnsss s @as
lost 10 them.
THE LAST STRUGGLE.
All this took place before noon. After little
time the artillery fire from the forts fslacRened
considerably. The French infantry made no de-
monslration. On the German LETT, however,
about Clampigny, 1t was evident that hard fght.
ing was going on. About l O'Clock the French
made another advance. havin1received cdnsld-
erable reinforcements. The Saxon infantry con-
frontcd them with the old result; but different
policy was this time adopted. IL was plain that
the only escape from the thunderbolts OF the 1orts
Law In getting at close quarters with the French
infantry, unless, indeed, retrograde moyement
was to be made, and that was not to be thought
OF. SO when the French fell back, the SaXons loi'
lowed, as II they would settle the question with
the bayonetis point. 1t was the old cry, "FoT-
l1arts, tna,ner Uorloarts," but the uortoarts was
very slow.
What happened in the next hour could only
guess by tile constant cracking OF small arms.
The forts confined themselves, appare 7tly for the
chief part, to firing into and over Champigny anu
Villiers. At length the French were slowly and
stubbornly falling back across the north side OF tne
neck Of land, the Saxons pushing them haru; tne
French ever and anon rdlylng. On this position
NJ the main. south OF Brle, there was prolonged
struggle. The Saxons were striving to get at
and cut the pontoon bridge; but this became an
iupossibility when Fort N0gent went to WORK
again with the frlghtfu accuracy or Wnlcn tne
short range admitted. The combatants parted
about O'Clock, both sides falling back. Tne nre
of the fort continued some little time longer.
THE RESULT AND TIE LOSSES.
What shall say Of the RESULT Not much have
the S,.xons gained. Was there much to gain Tne
Wurte temburgers hold one end OF Champigny.
Brle stands empty and desoate; there were frencn