The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-05-05
The Battle Record.

War was declared on July Is, 1870.
1t terminated on Feb. l6, 1871, after
lasting 2l0 days. In the first week al
troops were modified, their despatch
to the west and disposition along the
Treves-Landau line requiring nearly a
fortnight. The troops sent TO the from
tier amounted to nearly 100000 men,
and to bring the whole mass up in
fortnight about $4,000 had to be con-
veyed by rail per day. The transporta-
ton was effected on five lines, two OF
which were, however, but little used.
Besides the men, there were horses,
guns, carriages ammunition, and pro
visions to be sent. To estimate correct
ly the activity of the railway depart
ment in these momentous days, it
ought TO be remembered that until a
year ago train was thought incapble OF
carrying more than one battalion, or
one squadron, or one battery. -Four
Prussian corps d'armee, to get to the
French frontier, had to perform dis
tance of from 400 to 600 miles, and had
to be fed on the way. The first few
days of the campaign, as well as the last
period, being free from engagements,
the war was practically reduced to $50
DAYS only. In these $50 days there
were $50 engagements and seventeen
great battles twenty-siX fortresses were
taken, ! $50 officers and $4,000 rank
and file made prisoners, 600 guns and
l20 eagles or standards captured. In
each of the six months that active hos
tilities were going on, the Germans had
an average of twenty-siX engagements
and three battles, taking 1850 officers,
$4,000 men, lilo guns. twenty eagles
or standards and four fortresses. Nearly
every day of the war witnessed an en-
gagement, every sixth day a fortress was
conquered, every ninth day battle was
fought and gained. Comparing the
number of prisoners with the duration
of the war, we find that on an average
sixty-fve officers and 300 men were
captured per day. On the same calcu-
lation, every day thirty eight cannon
changed hands, while an eagle or stand
ard was carried off in triumph on two
out of every three. Looking at the
chronological order of the actions, we
have up to Sedan thirteen engagements
and eight battles - Wissembourg,
Woerth, Spicheren, Courcelles, Won
vile, Gravelotte, Noiseul and Beau
mont ; the four fortresses of Lutselstein,
Lichtenberg, Marals and Nitry being
taken in the same period. The month
of September was marked 10y thirteen
engagements and the capture of Sedan,
Laon, Toul and Strasbourg. October
had thirty-seven engagements, with the
capture of Scissors, Schlestadt and
Metz. November numbers fifteen en-
gagements and two battles-Amiens
and Beaune-la. Rolande, with the fall of
Nerdun, Montbcliard, NeuBreisach,
Ham, Didenhoten, Laferc and the eta
del of Amiens December brought us
thirty engagements and the battles near
Orleans and on the Hallue, with the
surrender Of Pfalsburg and Montmedy.
January. being even more prolific, had
to register torty-eight engagements. to-
gether with the battles of lie Mans,
Hont Reliard, and st. Quentin, and the
capitulation of Meziers, Rocroy, Per-
rome, Longwy, and Paris. In February
the war terminated with the surrender
of Beltort. In this list the various &C.
tons near Paris, twenty-five of which
were fought in the 800 days Of the in
vestment, are classified as mere engage
ments, although some of them might be
well ranked as battles. OF these TWEEN
ty-two engagements, three occurred in
eight in October, two in
November, four in December, and five
in January; in other words, between
five and six per month OF naval en-.
gagements we have three to chronicle,
respectively, on September 10 and 81
and October l2-at IIiddedsee, in the
Putzig Bay. and Oft Havana, Cuba.