The New York herald., 1870-08-20
Additional Details of the Latest
Battles.
Vigorous Action of the French
Along the Whole Line.
Apparent Dismay of the
Prussians.
THE NEEDLE-GUN AND CHASSEPO1

The Fighting Before Metz-Bazainc Strategy.
LONDON, August 10, 1870.
A special correspondent writes from Metz on
Monday as follows;
Yesterday we thought ourselves shut up here and
all chance Of sending letters gone for got nothing
even from Paris. But this morning hear post will
start for the capital and take my chance of your get
ting what ! am able to tell from the inside of a
town which is surrounded by armies, whether
French or Prussian does not much matter SO far as
news is concerned.
At eleven O'Clock on Sunday Marshal Bazaine ef-
fected grand reconnaissance with one division OF
Sadmiraults corps. At two p. M. battle com.
menced on the right at Borny. Until four it was Of
no great importance. Then the Fourth Army Corps,
forming the first line Of battle, accomplished q
n9uvre intended to deceive the Prusslans into the
belief that it was retreatng.
This was at quarter past four p M.
The Prusslans fell into the trap, rushed forward
and attacked with surprising vigor.
Then the Fourth corps, whose retreat to the left
was mere feint, fell at once on the enemy's flank,
while MacMahon, on the right, attacked stimuli.
taneously.
The Prussian attack in the meantime had been
developed in great force the French centre. The
movements on both sides were effected with singu.
lar precision. and the whole spectacle was ike a
review al Chaons.
The Prussians advanced In close column against
the French line, which their artillery, splendidly
served as 1t was, had valnly attempted to shake.
The French Offlcers considered that the Prussian
infantry was relatively inferior to their artillery
The needle gun is heavy and appears to incommode
them much when climbing height or moving rapidly
over broken ground. The soldiers themselves
were active. They fire, lying nat on the
grond, seeking cover from every irreguarity,
but do not use their knapsacks as the
French do to make little ramparts In
front Of them and rests for their guns
1t Is true, has been said OF the other battles of
Woerth and Forbach, that the Prussans fired with
great delberation, while the French ratified away as
fast as they could discharge their Chassepots.
The regiments most closely engaged were the Six
ty-nnth, Nineieth,, Forty-fourth, Sixteth, Third,
Eighteth, Fifty fourth, Sixty-1fth and Eighty fifth
OF the line, the Eleventh. and Fifteenth foot chas-
seurs and the Eighth Ninth and Tenth batteries of
the First regiment OF artillery. Those which suf-
fered most were the Fortyfourh and Ninteth OF the
line, and the fifteenth foot chasseurs. The For.
ty-fourth especially was terribly shattered
while the Eighty6fth though in the thickest Of the
action lost but thirty FIVE men killed and wounded
The .Colonel OF the rty-fourthi was killed. The
Colonel OF the Third horse chasseurs and Gen.
ed. AS 1t is impossible to leave the
town and this action was fought or
at any rate, began at some distance
outside the fOrtfcations / cannot pretend to give
you the account Of an eyewitness nor a complete
account at all. The above details are mostly
gathered from officers coming into town after the
Eight was over.
AT the beginning followed a troop OF nussars as
1ar az permitted and what saw Of the fight was
rom hlllock close by the walls. stan officer
came to summon the Hussar regiments with some
Ofkers, with whom l was seated In q cafe
In five minutes they ran Off and halted
at first on the hillock above mentioned
On D. sudden signal they went teaping away to the
'front.', and, in moment more the artillery on both
sides had covered the valley of the river and the
wholewisibe works In front and the ground beyond
with, asIhck cloud of smoke. There was nothing to
do but TO return 10 town.
BY harpast eight in the evening bulletin
was placarded In the streets saying:--Frlng
il nearly over The Prussian lines extended
three leagues. Ground gained in every direc-
tion.mt II did not say by whom ground was
gained Oflcers who came back later from the
field maintained that victory rested with the French
that the Prussians had been out.generalled and
lost heavily. while the French were comparatively
little exposed. But q Prusssisn of1cer who came
into the cafe ON parole with French oficer, told
different story. Said he "You had better surrender
Mt discretion; we,are more than hundred thousand
strong. You will be crushed. As to the battle you
had your own way at first for we believed
we had only division In front Of us; but you know
what the end wasp
IL Is difficult TO question even officers closely, so
keen are still the suspicious about spies and to ask
whether the FreQch army bad suffered defeat