The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-08-23
From Foreign Mails per Steamer
Scotia.


New YoRK, August %. - The
special correspondent of the Times
with the German army, writing from
Soultz Les Fourtz, on Sunday. saws
that everything confirms the impres
sion that the great battle of Woerth
was an accident. and the belief gains
ground that Mcmahon had like Douay
no idea of the force with which he
was opposed. When he attacked
the Prussian headquarters il was q
surprise, and the outpost firing. which
extended along the ridge over Woerth,
a rivulet,a few yards deep, was not con
sidered serious until the French dis
played a great line of artillery along
the ridges, aud opened furious can
nonade.
Had the corps upon the Prussian
left kept more Ia front. aud had the
Bavarnans, coming from Weissenburg,
pressed on more rapidly, and come on
the French left, their escape would
have been almost impossible. As il
was, when the heavy cavalry were re-
pulsed in their charge round through
the battaliors in the rear, the mass of
men threw down their arms.
Their fighting at Froschweiler was
grand. The Prussian Generals say
they never witnessed anything more
brilliant. but the Prussians were not
to be denied, and with tenacity as
great and q fierce resolution, they
pressed on over a rivulet and up the
nights, where vineyards dripped with
bloood, and checked again and again,
still pressed on with furious intre-
pldlty which the enemy could not
withstand.
In that desperate fight of six long
hours, during which the battle ragged
in full vehemence; it lasted indeed
Tor thirteen hours, and at one time
the French gained ground and got
down onto the ridge on the left,
but the main stress of the day was in
a narrow front of some two aud half
miles along q stream az each side of
Woerth, and the final stand was made
at Reicbsofen and Froschweiler, from
which at length they retreated by
several roads through difficult coun
try By Neiderbrum, &c upon Bistche.
The victory of Goeben at aarbruck,
opens the road to Metz. but Bistehe,
with a strong citadel, still intervenes
between his left and the army which
ought to complete his communication
with that of Prince Frederick
Charles.
The same correspondent says the
Prussians, like their generous enc
mics, admit the gallantry which could
not resist them, and old soldiers say
that nothing In the hottest of the
fighting at Konigratz could at all
compare with the fighting at Woerth.
Marshal McMahon's report to the
Emperor, the defeated commander at
Woerth. or Reichshaffen, as the
French prefer the name of the battle,
has addressed the following report to
the Emperor. 1t is dated SaVerne,
Sunday:
Il have the honor TO report to your
Majesty, that on the 9th of August,
after having been obliged to evacuate
the town of Weissenburg, the First
Corps with the object of covering the
railroad from Strasbourg to Bitische,
and the chief channels Of communi-
cation between the eastern and west
ern sides of the Yosges, occupied the
following positions:
tThe First Division was placed
with the right in front of Frosch-
weller, and the left in the direction of
Reichshaffen. resting on a mound
which covers the village. I detached
two companies to Ncurwiller, aud
one to Jagershall.
1.-The Third Division occupied with its
first brigade a contrefort reaching
from Froschweiler and terminating in
a point towards GuesdoTf; the Sec
ond brigade rested its left on Froseh-
weller and its right on the village OF
ElaashoUsen. The Fourth Division