The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-01-30


determined and heroic resistance.
In the north formidable French army, under
General Faidherbe, had been organized in the
neighborhood of Amens On November %
this army was brought into action for the first
time few miles south OF the city, aud was
completely routed by portion of the First Ger
man Army under General Manteuifel. The en-
gagement was not bloody one. but at its close
the Germans, some 70. 600 strong, occupied
Amieus.
Grand bat Futile Effort TO Relieve Paris.
Simultaneous with the occupation of Amiens,
the French were engaged in making a desperate
effort at breaking the lines around Paris.
During October and November the invested
city had not been idle. but the sorties made by
General Trochu had been more in the nature of
feints, and the only thing accomplished had
been the temporary disturbance of the German
lines in the neighborhood of Versailles and st.
Denis, about the middle of October.
On November 2S the main body of the Army
OF the Loire attempted to force passage to-
wards Fontainebleau. They encountered the
army of Prince Frederick Charles at Beaune-la-
Rolande, 26 miles northeast of Orleans, where
they sustained complete defeat, with the loss
of over 5000 in killed and wounded, and several
thousand prisoners, while the German loss was
but little over 1000.
Simultaneous with the advance of pe Palla-
dimes, General Trochu sailed out of Paris in
great force. A wild rumor flew over the wires
throughout the world that the German lines
had been successfully pierced, and the Armies
of the Loire and of Paris had effected a juno
tion. But, after a struggle protracted from the
evening of November % to the Sd of December,
General Ducrot, who was in immediate COM
mand, was obliged to withdraw across the
Marne, with an acknowledged loss of over 6000
in killed and wounded.
The Army of the Loire, undsmayed by the
defeat sustained on November 2Sth renewed its
efforts to advance towards Paris, but sustained
successive defeats on the 1st of December, west
of Orleans, by General Won Der Tam on the
Cd, near Bazoches les Hautes, by the Grand
Duke of Mecklenburg; and on the Sd, near
Artenay, by Prince Frederick Charles. The
result of these pTotracted engagements, accord
ing to NJ. Gambetta was that "the Army of the
Loire discontinued its forward movement" and
evacuated Orleans, to save the city from de-
struction. For his grand failure, General De
Palladines was deprived of his command, to
which General Chanzy succeeded. During the
series of engagements, the Germans captured
10, OC0 prisoners, n cannons, and gunboats on
the Loire.
The French Government Removed TO Il sr-
deuux.
Thus the first supreme effort" to save France,
after the fall of Metz, came utterly to naught.
An essential result of tae accumulation of dis
aster was the removal of the French Govern
ment from Tours to Bordeaux, which commenced
on December 9th.
Further Disasters TO the Army of the Loire.
On the 9TH the assault on the Army of the
. T.fr til
and the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg and after
four days severe fighting around Beaugency
few miles southwest of Orleans, the French
were driven back upon Blois and Tours, with
great loss. Vendome, to the west of Orleans
was also occupied, the French retiring in the
direction of lie Mans, 1l2 miles southwest oil
Paris, and the most important railway station
west Of the capital. Here General Chanzy
made halt and was strongly reinforced before
| he again confronted the enemy. Tours, the
abandoned deputy capital, was temporarily occu,
| pied by the Germans on December 90, without
/ serious opposition.
/ On January o the German forces beyond Ven,
/ dome encountered two corps of the Army of the
! Loire which had again made an advance. A
/ severe engagement ensued resulting in the de-
/ feat of the French, who retreated TO the west
/ ward. Prince Frederick Charles, who was in
/ command OF the Germans, followed Chanzy
closely, and ON the 10th and 11th terrific en-
/ gagements ensued near lie Mans, ending In the
total rout Of the Army of the Loire and it
| practical destruction. The Germans lost III
officers and 1908 mon killed and wounded, Will,
the French, besides their killed and wounded
lost 22,OO0 unwounded prisoners. Thus tn,
] "lorlorn hope" of Paris vanished.
Operations Ia the North.
IA .fs.I Il.
4th of December, after several encounters with
the army of Faidherbe and left General vor
Goeben in command there At the same time
/ the Germans withdrew from Amiens and made
feint upon Hayre. Serious fighting was renewed
on the 22d and continued ON the Esd, the French
being defeated and the year closed with Man
/ teuhel In pursuit of Faidherbe's retreating army
On the I'd, and again on the Sd of January
! there were severe engagements near Bapaume
% miles northeast Of Amiens, in which Fald
herbe claimed the victory; but, II such Il was, 1
was a fruitless one. After receiving heavy re
| inforcements, Faidherbe resumed the offensive
but on the 10Th, after an obstinate fight of sever
hours, was driven into 81. Quentin 40 miles
east of AIniens, by General Won Goeben, who
had succeeded Manteuffel in the chief command
IN the north. ST. Quentin was subsequently
abandoned by the French, who retreated in
totally demoralized condition, on Cambray y
miles north, TO which place the Germans at one,
laid siege; and thence TO the northwest, OF
Arras, Douai, and Lille, lnundating the country
to prevent effective pursuit. The disasters {,
the Army OF the North were fairly on a par will
those sustained by the Army Of the Loire at L,
Mans, the French loss being over $4,000 o
whom 5000 were unwounded prisoners. TIT
German loss was officially reported At "a officer