The San Francisco call., 1897-10-03
....ee II Sa~zzA1l

means of defense, OF which 500 French
soldiers and SO officers had not failed TO
take proper advantage. When the order
ior the stormIng OF, the castle was given
the Kings Grenadiers advanced in quick-
step without firing a shot, cleared tho
Vegeta Bile gardens with their bayonets and
commenced TO batter in the great gates of
the walls. II this could not be done
without great loss in killed and wounded,
as the French were well under cover
When the castle was taken only II un-@
wounded French officers and 200 men
capltulateG to the Germans but the
Kings Grenadiers had suffered even more,
as 81 OF their officers and BAT men had been
either killed or wounded. General Douay,
the French com mander, was killed during
the battle, probably by an explosion
which had occurred in one of the nit
railleuse batteries The total German loss
in killed and wounded was 1t04 men. The
loss OF the French in this pect has never
been actually ascertained. They lost 100
unwounded prisoners, one gun and their :
entire baggage and encampment utensils.
The French had dis played much bravery, :.
but were no match for the superior num-
bers and discipline OF their sdversaries.
: y a.
always of great Importance, and the battle
OF Weisseuburg caused much 10y in all
parts of Germany, principally because in :
this battle North and South Germans had
fer the first time fought shoulder to
shoulder. The Bavarans in this and all:
subsequent engagements proved them-:@
selves as good soldiers as the Prussians,
and their defeats in former wars seem to
- It,a b
leaders.
The overconfidence of the French peo-
Pile and officers in the invincib bllity of.their
army and the ignorance of the officer. of
all matters appertaining to Germany and :
her army were really surprising. Toward :
the end OF the battle CONS pany OF Bava-
rian rIfemen captured FIVE cartloaqs Of.
baggage belonging to French officers.
This baggage had to be opened, as
most of their owners could not be ascer-
tanned. The writer of these lines: hap !:
pened to look on when an old Bavarian
sergeant opened the trunks and va:lises
one after the other That was sig hit
The very first trunk produced three d dozen
pair of white kid gloves, la bsled. ,tto be;
used at the balls in Berin'!; six fancy
boxes with bonbons, with which. the.
'SeCOQQe HeuEenals IN QLenuel TO-: Win,
tue good graces of German maidens;
several pairs of patent leather. shoes:
white waistcoats and three or four full
dress uniforms. Other trunks had similar
contents. and as every officer seemed 10
have at least four or five pieces ':of bag.
gage it may be imagined with what ide ais
these fellows had gone into the war. The
kitchen and table utensils as we'll as the:
choice wines, liquors and delicacies,, ex=
cited the ad miration of the &c OIL Bsya-
rians, and proved very acceptable. to:
their palates. -.
In conclusion. it may be stated that the,
result of the battle of Weissen burg Could
not we'll have been different, as the Ger
mans had such superior forces at their
commend. But MacMahon deserves Sc
we're censure for exposing the isolated
Division Douay to the attack of th- Grown
Princes army, whose strength ne knew
or ought to have known. He repeated
the same mistake a few days later at
Worth and Froschweiler, where he sut:
fered much more serious defeat than at
Weissenpurg. WILLIAM LoDrMANy.