The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-09-06
NNG EGRAPH-PHLA DELPHA TUESDAY SEPTEMBER g. 1870

toward Weissenburg. On the 4th, division OF
the 1st French Corps, MscMabon's, under COM
mand of General Abel Douav, crossed the I.auter
and advanced upon the Prussians. Douay had
about $4,000 men; the Crown Prince at least
5000 While an obstinate contest was raging
here, the Cd Bavarian Corps was moved TO the
rear of WeissenbUrg, and the French army
was placed between two fires. General Douay
fell at the head of his troops, and after a des-
perate engagement Weissenburg was carried by
storm, the French were completely routed, and
the remnants of the shattered force com mpelled
TO fall back towards Hagenau. The slaughter
on both sides was terrible, but il is impossible
as yet to give details approximating even to the
TRUTH or to state the number of prisoners taken
by the Prussians.
The Battle Of woerth.
The brilliant victory at Weissenburg was
quickly followed up, before MacMahou could
recover from its demoralizing effects On the
9Th the French commander, mastering his
whole available force and being heavily REIN
forced from the surrounding corps, coucen-
trated his army on the hills west of Woerth, a
few miles below the scene of his defeat on the
previous day. On the evening of the same day
the Prussian advance occupied the hills to the
east of the village, and at dawn of Saturday,
posts. To describe in detail the battle which
ensued is impossible in the space at our com
mand. The French fought with despera-
ton, but they encountered foemen worthy
of their steel and greatly superior in
point of numbers. By o'clock on the
evening, MacMahon had been routed out-and-
out and was making the best OF his way with
his shattered army to the west. The earn age on
both sides was terrible, and 5000 unwounded pri-
soners, 80 guns mitrailleuses and imperial
eagles were left in the hands of the victors. The
completeness of the disaster which befell the
French arms was alleged to have been the result
of blunder in telegraphing to General de
Failly an order to move TO the assistance of
MacMahon. He was directed to move on Lem
bach the telegraph as received, read Kausbach,
and he went in an opposite direction.
Advance of ,he Crown Prince towards Paris.
The fortress of Hagenau, just to the south of
the scene of the battle of Woerth, fell into the
hands of the Prussians and the Wurtemburg
and Baden divisions, under General Werden,
were detached from the Crown Princes army to
invest and besiege Strasburg. With the remain
der of his force, Frederick William at once fol-
lowed up the retreatiDg French, whose move
ment westward was complete rout. MacMahon
rushed pell-mell through Saverne towards
Nancy, where the bulk of his shattered army
halted for few days. But on the 18th he
abandoned Nancy, ana, leaving a garrison at
the small fortress of Toul twelve miles west.
pushed back towards Paris until he reached the
neighborhood of Chalons. The victorious Crown
Prince followed him rapidly, destroying the
railroad to interrupt all possibility of commune
cation with Metz by the main central route, and
pushing his cavalry advance to within forty or
fifty miles of the capital The bulk of his army,
however, advanced lesurely after the occupa-
ton of Nancy, and does not appear to have ad-
vanced beyond Barbecue and St. Dizer, thirty
or forty miles east of Chalons, while awaiting
developments to the north.
The Battle of Forbach.
Simultaneous with the advance of the Crown
Prince upon Weissenburg and Woerth the Prus-
sian right, under General Won Steinmetz, made
move from the line of the Saar. The advance
commenced on the 5th, and on the 9th, the same
day on which MacMahon was routed at Woerth,
terrific encounter took place near Forbach
FrossaId's corps was strongly posted on the
hills of Spicheren, to the west of Saarbruck.
which he had abandoned. His new position was
almost unassailable, but an inferior force, al
though the German army present on the field
outnumbered the French, assaulted it galIantly;
and Frossard was hurled backward upon Metz,
the victorious Prussians capturing 5000 prisoners
and followi log up the retreating French until
they were within few miles of the Moselle.
At Forbach, as at Woerth and Weissenburg,
the French troops fought with heroic despera-
ton, but the glariDg incompetency of their
leaders rendered their courage unavailing and
the result of the three encounters was to drive
them from their first defensive line, the Rhine
and the Saar, through their second line, the
Vosges, to the line of the Moselle.
The Downfall of Olivier.
All Germany was thrown into a blaze of en-
thusiasm by these startling victories, and all
France was overwhelmed with dismay. The
news of the disasters reached Paris on the
7th, and that turbulent city was seized with a
paroxysm of rage and defiance. The first and
foremost object of condemnation was the minis
try, through whose incompetency the people
believed disaster had fallen upon the army The
Corps Legislatif was called together on the 9th,
and a terrible scene was enacted on the opening
of the session. Vast multitudes of people sur
rounded the hall wherein the Deputies assem-
bled, which was protected by large force of
regular troops under Marshal paraguay dill
liers, the commander of Paris. These troops
were greeted with derisive shouts of ''To the
frontier" and serious encounter between them
and the people was barely averted.
But the passions OF the populace were soon
gratified by the result of the proceedings within
the hall When VI. Olivier assembled the tri-
bune, and announced that the deputies had been
called together before the situation of the coun-
try was compromised, NJ. Jules Favre cried ont,
''Descend from the tribune; this is shameful 7"
Protestations of ability the part of the Minis
try to save the country we're unavailing. NJ.
Fayre demanded that the Chamber should at