The New York herald., 1871-01-04
GETTING lE4REA TO PsaIs.
The Second Change o. Base-Operations Near
Oreans-Punbing Back the PrmssIans--Pienty
of Stones FOR Paris-Lc Mans a Good Posi-
tio0-Hope for France Yet.

The second Change o. Base-Operati0ns Near
DEMONSTRATING Back the ePrm-sians--PIenty
OF Stores FOR Paris-Lc aians a Good Posi-
tio0-Hope for France Yet.
LIZ MANS Dec. l6. 1870.
This Is the second "change OF base'' al which |
have assisted, and though the operation AFFORDS no
more comfort 10 individual participants here III the
west Of France than IL did in the swamps o! the
CbicgAhomny, IT, at all events, is far better as a
piece OF strategy, since 1t obviously lurhers The pu
poses of the campaign IA bringing the ngbting
nearer TO Paris.
In the operations near Orleans the line OF supply
for the Army OF the Loire was the railway from
Tours, and there was immense depo. or stores at
Bois. Indeed the great accumulation or subsist-
ence stores made for the revlctuslment OF Paris
was actually al Blois and Orleans and on the rail
between tn TWO places during the agnsinY in irot
OF Orleans; ana II the Army OF the Loire had zen
siampeded in the lighting IN font OF Orleans Toe
Prusslans would have captured large part OF ms
material The fact that they did not get SO much
Ms single car load OF IL is a suncient answer 10
their claim TO have routed Jhe Army oi the Loire in
she fight at Patay. Indeed have begun TO believe
the Prusslans badly of for matter for bulletins since
ind them e4aiting into notable victories conflicts
that are not even battles but mere collisions OF out
posts and recommending parties.
But when Orleans taken and the Prussans
menaced Blois from tle opposite side OF the river
the left OF the Lore army did not retreat upon
Tours, ss seems 10 have been mistakenly supposed
by chroniclers a. some distance from the scene It
h true that the nnumerabe army OF srragg.ers who
have blind instinct of strategy, turned their faces
that way; 80 did All the Old colmssary wagons that
had lost their columns and hundreds OF wagons or
officers baggage. In the days, also when the Prus-
slams were feeling their way from Blois down tho
ieil bank OF the river the regiments the line that
had been housed comfortable nuts to the south Of
L. tha
nyer All tins made II appear, even 10 the people in
Tours, tnat The army was retreating upon and
through the cty but Ii had. facf, turned Its face
quite another way. IL moved oy the iank. The
rendezvous given 10 ali the eoinmissary trains
which left Bois on the night of the evacuation
fendome: and the artillery was directed 10 differ
ent villages On The line from Mer yendome, some
Of II "a far forward as Nsilchenoir.
il might have seen easy 10 defend Tours from the
enemy, ana do not but IL would have been
easy 10 have captured entirely any body eue-
my tat cared spprOacb II, since it must nave sepa
rated sef sF az least sixty lnles irsE lts supplies:
but IL was deemed wiser 10 40 something else, and
boiB parts of tie Army OF the Lore were thus com
petcly cut loose from Tours.
There Is the same facay for changes OF base mere
that General Grept found on rhe seaboard or Virgil
MIA. In the NOV ements from the Wilderness soutb.
ward every river ~ when q could 90 fur.
nshed the means O. bringing supplies near 10 the
army that the wagon line was always very short
And hers We may regard The different considerable
cities OF tne wesi u France - Grant regarded
Mans, FOR instance u as Good Tours: and
II that line becomes unsafe .AeneoD Lise0x or
t0en Will oe as good az LIE MANS. IRON lie Mans
the army can draw npon country exceedingly rich
IN supplies and can draw ass Dy several posts In
exhaustibe Quantities Of arms ana munitions; and
al can De carried directly 10 me army ~ rail, need
ing wagons 0nlr for inc distribution. When YOU
consider. therefore that AZ the result OF the prus
Sian success ~ orleans over a hundred thousand
men Of The Army of the Lore nave simply moved
some tty miles north 0f their isrmef position, and
there l0ned hands with new army, you VIII see
that the PTussan success Il not m0cn vi q thing TO
boast OF N Duiietne and you may safely reason tDat
the en0 Vi Tie Army OF the Loire ~ not just yet
Perhaps ere this some news rom The Otler part 81
the Army Of the A0re may give cause TO reason sl
more COgenily 70 the same elect.
Indeed, II at tnis moment France had an energetic
Initiative ~ her many armies were under the control
Of one soldier Of capacity, II there were q 1rocho
outside OF Paris, The day Of LuyeraDce would be
near foT there are mec enough III We ueid 70 dFaW