Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-08-17
SURVEY OF THE FIELD,

~
ton of the French armies just prior to
the late battles. Five corps d'arn'ee
we're massed near the frontiers of
France. These were exclusive of the
reserves and the Imperial Guard. Be
ginning at the right of the French
line, Marshal MacAIahon had the first
corps along the Rhine, stretching north
and south Of Strasbourg, with his head
quarters in that city. The left Of his
line extended north to Wissembourg,
and some distance beyond and along
the Lauter river toward the west.
MacMahon had tour divisions of in
fantry and one Of cavalry, and his
troops were choice battalions, conf
posed in part of the Zouayes, Turcos,
and famous Chasseurs d'Afrique, c
soned by experience in Algeria, in
Italy. in the Crimea, and, to some en-
tent. in Mexico. Next to MacNlahon,
on the left, was the Fifth Corps, under
General Achille de Failly, who had
his headquarters at Bitehe, directly
west Of Wissembourg, and a short dis
lance to the northwest Of Warth. He
had four divisions Of infantry and one
of cavalry, composed mainly Of troops
from Alsace and Lorraine, belonging
TO the Immediate section Of France In
which the recent great battles Of Wis
sembourg and Warth were fought. 10
the LEFT or northwestward Of General
De Failly's corps, and facing the Ba-
varlan Palatinates and the Prussian
frontier, was the Second Corps, under
General Frossard, head Of the military
household Of the Emperor and military
~preceptor of the young Prince Louis.
General Frossard had three divisions
of Infantry and one of cavalry. His
headquarters were at st. Avoid, a few
miles from the Prussian frontier, and
on the railway from Metz to Saar-
brucken. . His corps was also composed
of choice battalions from the Southern
provinces of France, and from the late
camp at Chalons. StIll further to the
left or northwest along the Prussian
frontier was the Fourth Corps, under
General Ladnievault, composed of
three divisions Of infantry and II Of
cavalry. The headquarters of this
corps were at Thionville, not far from
where the Prussian frontier joins that
Of Luxembourg. The troops of this
corps are also In part from the late
camp at Chalons. In the real and to
the south Of this corps was the Third
Corps, commandedby Marshal Bazaine,
consisting of four divisions Of infantry
and one of cavalry, with headquarters
ut. the city and fortress Of Metz. The
infantry Of this corps is composed OF
three divisions of the army of Paris,
and one from the gsrrisons Of Metz
and Thionville, all of them reported
to be splendid troops. The five corps
d,armee, above mentioned, composed
the two active armies Of the Moselle
and Of the Rhine, intended for the
invasion Of Germany. They were
distributed except Bazaine, As their
several headquarters will indicate,
close along the frontier of France,
and opposite the frontiers OF
Baden, the Bayarian Palatinate, and
Prussia from below S~trasbourg to
Sierck, northeast Of Knoxville, where
the Prussian territory ends and Lux.
embourg begins. If the. reader now
recalls what he has read Of the recen,
battles lie will see that of the five corp;
composing these two armies, only two
have been engaged in the recent bat
ties, viz !: the First tNacMahon's, and
the Second (Frossard'sl with some OF
the divisions of DeFailly'ss Fifth
Corps, which was posted between the
two. What proportion Of this last
mentioned corps was under fire is quite
uncertain. One Of the kilograms says
five divisions of DeFailly's corps"
reinforced MacMahon, but as the corps
only consisted of Jom divisions of in
fantry, that is q manifest error. But
Of the five corps d'armee of the inyad-
ing force, two of them, viz Bazaine's,
ut Metz, and L~admirault's, at Thion-
Vile, We're not in the battles Of the 9TH
and 9Th Of August, nor was q portion
of DeFailly's. While the other two
and Il fraction seem 10 have been very
badly beaten, these two aad a another
fraction are fresh. But II addition to
the i've corps watch threatened the
German frontier, shere Is q Sixth Corps
the -eserves under Marshal Canro'
bert, which was 2osted ut the old camp
at Chalons, composed of three regi,
.aents Of infantry and one Of cavalry,
from the centre OF France, and the
Imperial Guard, under General Bour.
bake, which was distributed along the
railway from Metz TO Nancy and Lune.
vile. So that Of seven corps d'armee
in the field between Paris and the
German frontier, four corps aud part
Of another, were entirely untouched
in the severe fighting at the close Of
the ba..lesa week ago-but 1t is high.
~ probable that they were brought ILL
to line and participated in the battle
which commencclat Metz last Sunday,
aud which has Continued every day
since, according to the cable tele'
grams. These heavy masses Of fresf
troops, together with those Of Mac
Mahon's, Frossard's and DeFailly':
corps, are the forces which have beer
concentrating to renew the battle,
which Is to decide the future Of France
IL will be c that they present a for
midable front, and that they who re
-ard France as already beaten, have
not looked fully over the field. Tht
new French lire, as far rs We car trace
it, in the light Of the most recent news
4, ,hrou,n hort IN avarape of twenty