Year: 1870

, ~


little doubt that 1t will require an army TO kee


him there. This is not for the Prussians
| simple case of o fortress and its garrison
| before which they could leave q corps an
pass on, as they have done with the severa
fortified places in their rear. They have Gu
off the retreat, perhaps, of an army tina


fought them desperately for five successive


days IN the open country, and in this arm,


there cannot now be less than one hundred
thousand men. Our report that on Saturday
at daylight Bazaine ''made most desperat.
effort to cut his. way through the Prussiar
line" indicates I'D necessity of holding hin
with large force-perhaps, indeed, with al
the force that it required to drive him into the


place. Thus he may for the present practi-
calIy neutralize the army of Prince Frederick
Charles But doubts here must soon be dfne
with. Although it is reported that Metz as
fully provisioned it is scarcely possible NAT
it is sufficiently provisioned to feed Bazaine's
army. 1t was provisioned for its garrison
and these supplies will not feed q hundred
thousand men for many days, and The yigilant
energy of the Prussans will certainly prevent
the introduction of new supplies. The Mar
shal, therefore, must starve, surrender or cut
his way through. He will very surely
not relinquish the effort to get away
with the failure of Saturday. He will try
again and again and he may strike weak
place. This is his best hope, and this has
been done successfully so often in the history
of war that soldiers possessed Of such pug


nacity as Bazaine clearly has need never
utterly despair while this chance is open. II
surrender must come at last its effects on
France will 60 far to finish the story of this
misjudged war.


But we must remember that this story is
altogether from Prussan sources. 1t is persist
emily denied in the dispatches from Paris--lirst,
that Bazaine has been driven into Metz; next,
that his communications with Verdun have
been cut. Indeed, in our reports from Paris
we have quite different story, and we get
the first glimpse of events that affords an ex
plication Of the tangled reports of the very
great battles since Tuesday last. By this it
would appear that the whole army of Prince
Frederick Charles had crossed the Moselle to
the south Of Metz by Tuesday, and that on that
day they engaged Bazaine near Gravelotte,
and that while the Marshal was thus engaged
with Frederick Charles Won Steinmetz,
who had crossed the Mosele to the
north of Metz, advanced in southeasterly
direction to strike Bazaine's rear-much as
Stonewall Jackson fell upon the rear of
Mcclellan before Richmond while Lee was
engaging him on the front aud right-only
that Bazaine was equal to the occasion, and
faced this new enemy with force perhaps
hitherto not engaged and defeated his pur-
pose. This view Of the relative postio rs OF
the German forces accounts for the reports
we had of fighting near Briey, to the north
of Metz, and of the German artillery en-
trenched there. If the Germans had any
success in that fghting-and they claimed a
complete victory-they must have driven Ba-
zaine the further from Metz in proportion as
they were successful. Victory on that day
therefore, would, in its consequences, be quite
inconsistent with what they claim to have
won by the severe battle of Thursday, which
was doubtless a renewal and repetition Of the
battle of Tuesday. Ii is possible that having
two armies in the field, they may have iso-
lated Bszaine at some point in the open coun-
try, where he has covered himself with ex-
defences-which some excited
chronicer has mistaken for the lines Of the
fortress-and it may be from such position
that he tried to cut his way on Saturday


While Bazaine holds Frederick Charles at
Metz he keeps him away from Paris and
without him the Crown Prince, from his
delay, would appear to be very 10th to try con-
clusions with MacMahon, knowing, as Of course
he does, that MacMahon has treble the
force with which he met the Prince on former
occasion. Here we see the moral effect Of
hard fight, even though defeat be the issue.
Upon this army Of the Crown Prince the issue
for France just now depends, and if it were
commanded by another Frederick Charles or
made up Of Prussians that issue would not
long be uncertain for the raw troops between
it and Paris would not be an impediment and


Bazaine, however obstinately he might fight


at Metz, would be fighting without govern
ment. But as it is it seems likely to afford an
opportunity to organize strong defence of


the capital. Something may be judged of the
situation in this regard by what they are
actually doing in Paris. Our Paris dispatches,
dated Saturday, at one p. NJ, reported that
the environs of the city had been laid waste,
and that the woods of Vincennes and Boulogne
were to be cut down; but at seven P. NJ. Of
the same day it was reported that the woods
would not be cut till battle had been lost in
Champagne. MacMahon is therefore depended
upon to keep the enemy at distance for
some days yet, and meantime the peacemakers
ply their efforts, and the comparative success