The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-02-16
THE FALL OF BHLFoRT
NHAPP FRAN NCE
Receives Another Blow.
The Town and its DefsnseS.
Progress of the Siege.
Alsace and Lorra in g.
The Germans in Full Possession
@tc.. Etc.s Etc., Ktcss Etc.
The Town and its Defenses.
Progress of the Siege.
Alsace and Lorra n g.
The Germans in Full Possession


In the convention for an armistice, agreed
upon between NJ. Jules Favre and Count Bis
marck on January %, was included the follow
ing provision:-
military operations in the territory of the De-
partments Of Doubs, Jura, and Cote dor, as well
as the siege Of Befort shall continue independently
of this armistice, until an agreement is arrived at
regarding the lines OF demarcation the tracing of
which through the departments mentioned is re-
served for an ulterior understanding"
An offer was made by Bismarck, during. the
negotiations, to extend the armistice TO this
section of France, but NJ. Favre refused to
agree to it, as the surrender of Belfort was de-
manded as one of the conditions. So, while
military operations have been suspended alto
gether throughout the rest of France, the
struggle has still gone on in the district sur
rounding Belfort, TO culminate, as might have
been expected, in the final surrender of that
fortress.
The Fortress of BeIfort.
Belfort or Befort is strongly fortified town
of about 5000 inhabitants in the Department of
Haut- -Rhin, on the Savoureuse, about 35 miles
west of Basle in Switzerland, and rs miles south
of Strasburg. 1t has a fine church, college,
a public library with 20 900 volumes, and several
important iron foundries and wine factories.
p 1t has always been regarded as highly impor-
tant point in the military system, and for six
hundred years saw many changes in ownership.
Finally, in 1648 it was ceded to France by Aus
tria, under the treaty of Westphalia, aud from
that time to the present remained in undisturbed
possession of that country. Vauban then took
the defense in hand and enclosed the town and
citadel within Fashioned enceinte
by which the former was completely
hidden from view. But the defensive works,
as they stood at the outbreak of the war, were
only completed about forty years ago, when
General de Bellonet added two additional lines
or circles of defensive works, by means of
which Belfort was supposed to have become
almost as strongly fortified as Strasburg and Metz
Nature indeed, had done as much as art for
the defese of the Eplace. The citadel
stood upon a steep rcck, and in addition
there was the Roche de BeLf0rt, or Rock of
Belfort, which rises at its highest point to an
elevation of two hundred feet above the river
Savoureuse. The town was furthermore de-
Tended by permanent fortified camp, capable
of containing twenty thousand men. Its rail-
way communications were also of the most inn
portant character, the town being the junction
of three lines, those leading to Paris, South
1 eastern France and Switzerland.
| Its Position In the Military system of France
The declaration of war against Prussia at
once rendered Belfort one of the most import
ant military points in France. Situated az the
southern extremity of the Vosges Mountains, it
defended the passes between Southern Alsace
and the valley of the Doubs, especially the road
called the France de Belfort, which is the key
to the passes between the Vosges and the jena.
The passes are rendered very narrow by pro-
lection in the Swiss frontier just to the south
east of Belfort, bringing it within fifteen miles
of the border. But they presented one of the
most practicable paths for an advancing upon
the capital and once penetrated, the enemy
would have entered upon a fat
and open country, with but one important OBJ
stacle in the way of direct march upon Paris
\ the fortified town of Langres, situated near
the source of the Marne, about 65 miles W.NW.
of Belfort.
The defense of Belfort was therefore a matter
of vital importance, and the fortress became the
extreme southern point of the French line at the
outbreak of the war, General Felix DouaY, COM
mander of the 7th Corps, making 1t his head
quarters.
The Siege Of BeIfort
There were some unimportant military move
ments in the neghborhoedo of Belfort during the
earlier weeks of the war, but it was not until
about the 1st of November that the Germans
laid formal siege to the place. There was an
engagement in the vicinity on November
Q. and on the Sd the place wa:
regularly invested. General Treskow was in
command at the time, but he was subsequently
superseded by General Won Werder, who rein
forced the besieging army with large portion
of the forces which had been In the sieg'
of strasburg, consisting principally of soutl
German troops. A regular approach by earth
works was necessary, by reason of the formida
BILE character of the Notifications.
On the 10th of November, and again on tn
23d, the garrison made sorties which we're un
successful. About the first of December tn
German lines were SO far advanced that tn
bombardment began, but the garrison made
! determined and heroic resistance, and the be
siegers suffered great loss Soon after the BON
bardment began, the Germans attempted +
carry the works by storm, but wer
beaten off, The neghboring heights, however
were captured by the besiegers, with considers
Bile loss. About the middle of December, reir
forcements of heavy artillery arrived from Bi
yaria. and towards the close of the month tw
more attempts at carrying the place by storI
were made, both of which were unsuccessful
These we're followed by an unsuccessful sort
on the part of the garrison, these operations a