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

NAV he said to have been annlhilated as it stood
the men with their backs to the walls and their
faces to the foe. The other battaions Of the same
regiment suffered terribly.
So far, then. Bazaine had succeeded. He had oc-
cupied the chain of villages athwart the valley, and
had placed few batteries of artillery out on their
front to reply to the Prussian fire. But this stda
quo he neither wished to nor could maintain. The
Pussian artillery. throwing their projectilcs from
three sides of the paraleogram interfered with the
comfortable realization of such conception 1t
seems clear that Bazaine would not have done what
he did, if he had not contemplated something more.
That something have not the remotest doubt, was
a sortie to establish communications with Thion-
vile. His tactics were well conceived. From ST.
Remy and the two Estapes he kept the Prusslan fre
engaged with nrusketry and artillery. He sent for
ward from Grand Estapes great swarms of sharp
shooters who Jared extremely i'll at the hands OF the
Landwehr Beside this, he massed great body OF
men, nearly 10000 in ALL the bank of the Moselle,
under cover of the houses of Make, and sent them
| forward to cut through the Prussian environment
where it was weakest, close to the river.
THE CRISIS OF TIE BATTLE.
| The moment was critical one. The Landwehr
had all been sent forward against the villages, with
the exception of one brigade that was in reserve;
! but the Tenth Army Corps had been crossing the
|
and Amelange There Gen. Won Voight was in com
mand of the back operations, and he gave the order
for several regiments to advance. The movement
was sight not easily to be forgotten. Fist came
the Fusileers extending at rapid into skirmish
| ing order and covering the whole plain with
their long thin lines Then came the dense
| columns Of companies of Grenadiers, the
bands playing and the colors unfurled.
But all the work was not left for the infantry
TO do; the artillery entered the village alone and
concentrated their fire the French columns adj
vancing by the Mozelle. Bazaine is singuarly weak
in field artillery and the only reply to the Prussan
fire was from the sullen sides of Fort St. Julien or
from the ramparts of st. Eloy. But the mitralleuse
venomously sounded its angry whrr, making the
skirnishers recoil narrowly they crossed the line
of fire. and tearing chasms in the fronts of the solid
masses of which they were the forerunners.
The artillery and the skrmishers were enough for
the French. Their dense columns staggered and
then broke apart. Through my glass / could see
continuous Sdure Qt peat They pell nell into
the village of Make; but when once they had walls
of stone and lime between them and the Prussians,
they became obstinate and would go further. In
vain the PTussan artillery fired upon the village,
advancing closer and closer in alternate order of bat
terles with precision and rapidity that could not
have been exceeded on parade. That obstinate bat
terry IN 'front.' OF OrdnO Eetdptb WOulu Hot 10 ni-
fenced, and the French sharpshooters still lined
the highway in its front. By this time it was
nearly o'clock. gallant captain of cavalry pulled
up as he galloped past me, to swear at the French
| for spelling his dinner which had been ordered for
| that hour All! the captain will want no more din
| ners He had not gone a hundred yards toward my
| right when shell from st. Julien fell and burst
| right before him. blowing him and his horse into
| fragments The same shell disturbed hare which
bounded from it's form and dashed the battle
field right in line with the fire. The Landwehr
men shouted at the sight, amid the dropping shots
from the chassep6ts and but for special restraint by
the officers believe several would have quilted the
shelter of the intrenchments to 60 In chase.
BAYoNBT CHARGE OF THE LANDwEHR.
As we stood in this suspense a staff officer GAL
loped along the front line with orders for general
advance to take the village by storm. The advance,
he told me- was to consist of four brigades of the
Landwehr, with two brigades of the Tenth Army
CORPS supporting. In a few minutes more the COM
mand came sounding along the line, and the men
sprang from their and went forward with that
steady quick step so characteristic of the Prussans
marching The shells from the battery Of Grand
Estapes tore through the line; the mitrailleuse and
chassep6t bullets poured against 1T their
leaden hail; but still the Landwehr, silent
and stern, marched steadily to the front.
i have Deen unuc1 IRE many llHltSJ Dut
never knew more furious fire than that to which
the center of this line exposed. Gen. Won Bran
dersten, commanding the Third Brigade of the
Landwehr, was shot down as he rode close to NE;
and several of his staff were wounded At length
the intrenchments were reached, behind which were
living the shattered remnants of the 58th and 59th
LandwehT The determination consisted OF HV'Tdg
! Pretssen p and then. VOrtcdrts Inner rOrUartsP
| and the line threw itself to the front in run. The
gunners from the battery drove on. The stubborn
| French had barely time to run around the corner
| before the Landwehr were upon Them -
The French left their guns perforce. They made
last stand in the villages, but 1t would nave been
| better for them had they run away at first. The
Landwehr with less OF the conventional Warriors III
them than the line are not so much inclined 10 give
quarter as are the professional soldiers with many
Frenchman this afternoon, the first shock consisted
! of a bayOnet thrust. The French fought Ike
devils" in the narrow streets of the villages and
used the mtralleuses with fair judgment and effect
But there came upon them the steady, ineXorable
| forward stride Of the Landwehr. The bayOnet OBJ
tanned force from that strength of back and thigh
which is the leading athletic CHARACTERISTIC OF the
the victors the dead and the wounded To the Land
wehr must be conceded the honor OF the fray. Ihey
! it was who checked the rush of the French advance
| by holding the villages till they had not man lett
who could stand upright and fire the needle-gun. To
! them also was intrusted the grand final advance
which swept the French out of the villages.
COMPARISON OF LANDwEHR AND LINE.
have the Prussian line soldiers fight before
! to-day. | saw them Chamber up the face OF the
| Spicheren on Their hands and Knees. saw thenh
depoy in front Of Colombey and MontOy in the bat
tie of the l4th August. saw them stand mp against
the mitraieuses on the slopes of Grayeotte. saw
! them dash back the French sortle OF the l2th of
September. have learned TO believe that the Prns-
sian forces of the line can do anything that
any soldiers in the world can do. But
il was not until now that | gagged
The c"iiber of the Landwehr. Were / a general |
shouII never wish to command better men. Cool in
The Entertainments where they lay calmly in position,
picking up the bullets that fell among them; reso-
fufe indonitable in their steady, quick march for
ward: and irresistible in the final bayonet charge
with which they carried the villages, they are troops