New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-01-28

NEW-YORl
Mouse, and near tho BELGIAN border. . result not
wholly desirable for tho united forces would still be
overmatched In numboss and confined with inadequate
supplies 10 narrow district Of unproduove country.
II the concentration should not bo completed the army
Of MacMahon would be confronted In tho same disad
vantageous locality by largely superior force. while
Basaine would remain hemmod In Metx. During tho
long march which tho scheme cntailed. MscMahon's
flank would be exposed to frequent attack There was
little to hope that tho movement could be long
masked from cavalry which had shown such enterprise
that Of the enemy. or that tho Germans, who had
already displayed the utmost decision and resolution In
former operations, would hesitate 10 pursue now.
But II the scheme was ndisputably unwse, cxtrava-
CANT and oohardy what shall be said Of It's tardy ana
inert exeoutoni The false strategy may have been III
spired ct Paris only MscMahon and Napoleon can 10
hold responsible for the allow march The French hrmy
was unQuestionably cumbersome and unwieidy-
ciplined, almost dsorganized.' and lappointed-pu'
these facts while afording positive reasons why inc
campaign should not have been undertaken 90 no. IN
any sense mitigate the plumbers of him VINO conouc'ou
tho slow and miscacusted marches which IN seven aAy
carried the vanguard only few miles beyond the mcu
ony three marches distant from Chalons while tho 0a
struggled in the heart Of tho Argonne forests tne
campaisn vas without tho manner OF
WA unpsrAonsblo The position into which Mac"A"on
led his army invited the several assaults WHOM weIo u
upon It on Aug 80, ct stonne, Vaux, Attgny, "nu 80
mont It was this day that the heads OF 'n0 oo'"
Of tho Saxon east Of tho Meuso and OF tno rru'esn
Crown Prince west Of that river, moving npy
struck MscMahons scattered column In nahk' anu
II violently back In hasty retreat by the seVerS f
which leading northward concentrated ~ sedan an oo
defense Of the Mouse and the Belgian oorder'
The confson Of this retreat extenuates In some 90
gree the weak defense Of Sedan winch Ionowed' ihe
French army reached Sedan In state OF complete do
and II islprobable that attack on the
following day august 81 would have resulted In Mac
Mahons dispersal and flight the Belgian frontier
But tho German commander had resolved upon plan
for the capture Of MacMahons whole army-a design as
daring in conception as 1t subsequently proved admra
BILE in execution and the day and night Of the sst we're
employed In the maneuvers necessary to Its success
These hours during which only severe diminishing en-
sued were vigorously employed by MncMahon In dis
posing his army for battle and he thus able to make
show Of resistance when the battle opened at daylight
on Sept l.
The plan Of Won Motke contemplated the actual en-
velopment Of the entire French, army The immense
Of the Germans enabled Won Moltko to divide his
armies posted to the east the other to the west OF
Sedan with orders to fight their way to Junction north
the city, and the best lines Of retreat OF the French
The incidents Of this struggle not numerous. The
French everywhere overpOwered and 1t was only
high noon when the Germans had carried the nights
north Of Sedan and planted their artillery there 1t was
yet O'Clock In thel1afternOon when tho French,
beaten every point hudded In confused demoraized
mass lay in Sedan at the mercy Of the guns with which
the Germans at opened q crushing bombardmcnt.
He'll was let Sedan" said report of the ter
ribe scene which followed Discipline, there was nome
all organization destroyed officers despaired and
soldiers grew mutinous. At pengthHa white flag dis
played the ramparts brought end tothe lombard
men but not to the fury the the despair OF the
mn xt-HNA 80 rtnt oh fol
lowed the surrender has been described as more painful
than tho day of terror and confusion which lied to It,
Sedan was aldonbe the browning disgrace OF
the French army for 1t brought not only defeat but de-
morazaton. In impotent rage the soldiers, with that
impatient cry Of "treschery," with which the French
have ever sought to excuse their DEFEATS oroke
and trampled their weapons under foot, and officers
protested in written formula against the act Of capt.
tulation, a. If they seriously thought 1t could
have been avoided. Nevertheless Q few regiments
and guns were all that required guard and con-
duct the dsorganited prisoners to their camps OF con-
hnement.
Never before in the annals Of war had the surrender of
an army Of and guns been recorded as the
result Of few hours lighting such however were the
fruits Of the victory at Sedan. The Emperor Napoleon,
after having fed from Metz, to hangke an incubus on
tho skirts Of MacMahons column, rearding Its march
with more than regal train Of cumbersome wagons tend
cred the conquerng King In language which, coming
drawn on tho field Of battle. MscMahon wounded,
all his CORPS division and brigade commanders surrend
cred themselves and their troops at discretion And all
this sacrifice followed battle badly delivered that
loss Of only 5000 men inflicted on the assailing
enemy
Nor was this capture Of men and materel all the gain
to the With Bazaine closely shut In Metr-his
vain efforts Of August and 81 had already revealed
how utterly hopeless his situation was-and MacMahon
annhated nothing remained to oppose the march upon
Paris save vinoys corps Of Ao6ies-compared to the
Crown Princes army was only an awkward squad -
or to retard the few weak forresses which sen
need the Champagne roads. The fate OF MacMahon's
army which should have protected Paris made the I'm
mediate siege Of Paris possibility and Its prosecution
now became the first purpose or the Germans.
WAR sIEGEs.
Indeed from this time September until the close Of
the year the efforts Of the Germans were almost wholly
confined the siege Of the various sronghods Of France
the reduction Of Paris of being the one OF great
est Importance This seminacton the part Of the In
yaders was forced upon them. There were no moro
French In the field to conquer those forming
at Paris Orleans Lille Lyons and the Brittany camp at
Cone and these too far distant to etke the
Germans had had the men with which to dsperse them
But the two grand armies required to keep Bazaine
in Metz and Trochu In Paris while the detached forces
had enough to do to reduce the minor ortresses The
siege operations were conducted vigorously and success
fully yerdun Cov. o., Pfalsburg Dec 12, Toul Sept
23), Montmedy Dec. 14. Laon Sept %, Sossons loot 16
Breissch Nov 10 st. Quentin sept. ~, Schestadt
Oct 49, Thionville ov 2 and various other fortresses
Of the second and third classes fell In rapid succession
and with heavy aggregate loss TO the French From the
moment that Paris invested these became Of second
airy importance and interest only affecting direct lines
Of communication, and We therefore merely alude to
them here out Of their chronological order The defense
Of Strasbourg conducted with moro stubbornness
than skill for nearly two months, and tho city and Its
citadel sustained during that time heavy and continued
nre from and destructive German artillery
But the siege remarkable only stubbornness