The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-24
THE BATTLE OF FORBACH.
Graphic Description of Frossard,s Defeat I'm
Front OF Saarbruck.

Graphic Descr,ptcn To- Of Fsosssrd's Defeat In
A correspondent OF the New York World
gives graphic description of Frossards defeat
at Forbach. He writes from Metz, under date
of August 10, as follows:-
On the 9TH OF August, att in the morning our
regiments on the heights OF Saarbruck were ordered
TO fall back second line OF hills in front of the
village OF Spkeren. The French had three divisions
about &c, 900 men. The village itself Is in a hollow
commanded front and rear by ridges; in front the
ridge ends on plain, In sharp activities; ON the
left lies the main road to Forbach, and the railway
ON the right there rs large wood covering the
line at the very edge Of this wood. At 20 O'Clock
fire is opened. We were expecting the attack from
only feint; but IL is no skirmshing line The
Prussians are advancing In heavy masses. They
are arriving along the For6ach road by the gorge OF
what is in store for they least 900 strong
The affair will be serious.
skirmishers; on the left the 10th line held the wood
The Prussian line began with close, rapid fire;
they held themselves well down in the bitches ana
fired at our men as they gained the extremity OF the
plateau. on the right the work began at once.
Round the wood there was terrible nghting. The
musketry fire is one long roll; they climb sharp
ascent, we NOV them down by whole lines the
blanks are filed instantly, and the column keeps
footing, and entering the wood effect junction with
those who had been coming up on the other side.
IN tnls Dnsnnghtlng have heard since that the 10th
line and 10th Chassenrs unavoidably fired on each
other several times; but the enemy must have suf-
leIeu lefrlply. The ChaSSepots had longer range,
but this advantage was sensibiy lessened they
closed in. The Prussi artillery poured in heavy
IRE OF shot and shell, while the French batteries,
though inferior in force aud numbers, made
up for their deficiency by the extreme rapidity OF
their movements and by the certainty OF their prac-
tce The mtrailleuses, from which so much was ex-
pected, might have compensated for the French
infeIorty OF numbers but unfortunately they could
not be brought into play the lighting was hand-to-
hand In the woods that their explosion would have
been as dangerous to friend as TO foe. This cover
nghtng indeed, the French soldiers attribute TO the
Prussan dislike, FIRST OF the mitrailleuse; secondly,
OF the Dayonet In one instance i saw about three
hundred men OF the 2lst, who finding themselves in
the open field and short OF cartridges went for the
Prussans with the cold steei but the Prussans de-
clined the honor, and fairly broke and the French
me1 not being supported, were obliged TO fall into
line again.
About O'clock in spite OF all we could do the
Russians made good their position and threw up in
trenchments In the wood The carnage on the
French side was severe. The little village church OF
Spikeren was turned into hospital, and sad pro-
cession OF wounded men was soon formed. Most OF
the Officers OF the 4oth either killed or wounded
There was no surgeon. The women OF the village
did their best in cleansing away the blood and bind
ing up the wounds-tLe first surgeon being the band
m aster, and his only medcament bottle OF smell
ng-salts
A hospital nag has been run up on the church; the
PTussan guns respect the signal, but the shell plays
over ls and drops INTO the camp IN rear OF the via