New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-10-14

fkENC ii, Az Sr BRAVERY OF THE LAND
vEUR-rHE FRENCH DRIVEN BAN "
POINT OF THE BAYONEI.
INV TELEGRAPH TO THE TRlBuNhI -
LONDON Thursday, OCT 10 1871
=, oorresnondent of THE TRIBUNE at
- - y .oor Metz sends a description OF the Da'io
At The 9TH inst. as follows: .4r.
r1,o oncarement of to-day if the most lilPo,' "nV
sort Rozaine has made since the TrusSiahS '
,boir belt of men, guns and earthworks arounu 'A0
<.-.sss Of Metz He had at least $1,000 men en-
Oocod in to-day's attempt; the russians hau con
s;derablv larger number. The morning was uun
I'D misty As reached the emlnence at foN'
.ould barely see Mount St. Quentin above the log
- he valley. the suns rays striking upon its warm
orov neak 1t seemed as if general armlstlce had
ioon declared. Even the outpost fire had ceased
- tho bo,nbardment of the two previous days, the
,sition occupied by the batteries of German heavy
ms was at Frenecourt. near the starting point
% tho rise of hills some distance to the south
vest of Maizieres. To speak more preclsely-they
were stationed on the low hills of Meromont, beyond
which stands an observatory which commands the
whole plain. Marange the headquarters OF the
Prussan Third Army Corps, is considerably IN the
rear of this posihon) These heavy guns, curiously
enough. belong TO the State of Hesse-Darmstadt'
The Prussians pushed their batteries considerably
beyond Frenecourt: they had six feld-batterles
midway between it and Sem6court, and on the oth
they had passed forward seventh battery as lar rs
SemecOuTt itself
DESTRUCTION OF LADONCHANHs
From the several positions the bombardment OF
Fort St. Eoy had been going on, and also sheu-hre
into the Village of Ladonchamps some little distance
nearer Metz than St. Remy, and on the line OF rail-
way Till lately this village Q4adonchamps) had
been considered neutral territory" but on the "a
inst the French had seized it, and established bat
terry in front Of it. The village itself was burned
the same night, by Prussian shells but still the
French retained the position, and the Prussian fire
Of the last few days had been partly directed to the
disodgemeut of the enemy from position which
vas important as the occupation OF 1t could en1Iade
the whole front across the valley.
On the 9th. nearly 1000 shells having been thrown
into Ladonchamps and around it, late i'll the evening,
the French had evacuated the shattered ruins of
once smiling village. The Prusslans at once threw
forward troops in the direction of the village,
establishing their reserves i'll its rear, and sending
forward sergeants squads to occupy it and the vii
lagos of Grand Estapes and Petit Estapes to which
its possession was the key, st. Remy constituting
the chief support. There lay the 59th Regiment of
the Iandwehr Make close to the river and consider
ably in advance, was occupied by outposts sent for
ward from the Tenth Army Corps on the other side
of the Moselle.
The Two DIVISIONS OF Ilo l>duuWcil eVlOUeHV'N
athwart the valley from the bridge at Argancy,
where they touched the Tenth Army Corps, to near
Marange, where they met the Fifth Army Corps;
and to them was cOnfided the duty of holding the
fat alluvia tract on the western bank of the Nosele
THE OPENING FIRE.
At Maizieres found the headquarters of Gen. Won
Hummer who commands the Landwehr The men
were generally housed in temporary barracks which
they had themselves constructed, and which did
great credit to their ingenuity. About O'Clock
was seated at lunch with two staff officers IN an
arbor i'm Gen. Won RUNNERS garden, when the guns
Of the Prusian batteries by Semecourt began to be
heard.
at only because there are few Frenchmen
loafng around LadonchampS," observed one of the
officers. There will be nothing serious to-day;
there is too much mist in the valley"
Certainly it seemed as though he must be right
When was on the hills at Semecourt could not see
the villages in the valley below, and the cathedral OF
Metz which, next TO St. Quentin, is our constant
landmark was utterly invisible But the roar of the
guns grew louder and louder, and there came first
one heavy boom" and then another from the big
guns lying behind at Frenecourt. The officers
fdgeted but would not yet own that anything
serious was taking place. Their nonchalance gave
way at Last when an aid-de-camp came up at gal
Iop, spreading alarm everywhere as he went and
tons to guide the front. In five minutes more we
were ALI In the saddle and after short gallop were
loolng upon the scene of action from the fringe of
the wood in front of the Chateaux of Brieux and
Amelange. -
To explain the tactics of Bazaine and the manner
m which his undertaking was fooled, give brief
csription Of the ground. From Metz TO Maizieres
thee is a long trough with fat bottom-the al
IL "a NHaaf EO ohn
four miles vide On the west it is bounded by the
nights have already named, and, nearer Metz by
Norivy and Saulny. On the east it is bounded by
lower series of bluffs on which stand the villages eff
Oigy and Malroy; but between them and the fiat
bottom runs the Moselle, inpingng considerably on
the fiat expanse Just opposite Ogy, across the bot
tom at the narrowest part thus formed lies series
Of villages the two Estapes and St. Remy, with
Make and Ladonchamps, situated respectively Ut
tie to the east and west front
There were Prussian troops in all these localities.
Their dispositions detailed to me by staff officer,
bad been steadily maintained. Bazaine had laid his
plan with great art. Covered by the fog he had
made his dispositions with such adroitness that
when it lifted, little past / o'clock, they were
sllesdy nearly complete. In the first instance he
directed a strong assault on Ladonchamps. The
Landyehr outpost held the place as if they were
1000 instead Of 100 men, and the French sent Their
infantry Swanning into it, while their artillery
played upon it.
Only an attempt to occupy LadOnchamps,' quoth
ny friend Of tie staff as he lit fresh cigar The
guns VIII teach them the folly OF tlat-and we can
60 back to our aTbor"
1t certainly seemed that if anything could con-
vince the French of their mprudence, the Prussian
artillery might The white ssrrqrts Of smoke were
visible all around the valley. On the right front the
batteries at Semecourt were hard at work. and also