SEVEN DAYS’ FIGHTING.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1964, 10 June 1880, Page 3

SEVEN DAYS’ FIGHTING.

The sixteenth section of the German official account of the war of 1870-71, which has been just published, contains the history of the seven days’ fighting round Le Mans in January, 1871, and ft is particularly worthy of study by the English reader because the operations described in it were carried out an enclosed country very similar to the greater part of England. The district between the Loire and the Sarthe in which the fighting took place is hilly, and the fields are enclosed by hedgerows and banks and ditches, which offered formidable obstacles to the movements of troops, rendering the deployment of large masses impossible and the co-operation of the different arms of the service difficult. Even from the highest points of ground it was difficult to obtain a clear view of what was going on. The artillery was obliged to manoeuvre in very small detachments, single guns only frequently being able to come into action,-while cavalry could only move along the roads. Consequently, the battles were essentially infantry combats. But though the fighting was thus carried on almost exclusively by infantry there was never or only very rarely any great dsvelopment of musketry fire. The enclosures offered sot much cover to the assailants that the defenders could no longer pour upon them that long-range fire which had told with such effect upon the German assaulting columns, in some of the earlier actions of the war, when there was a wide clear zone in front of the defenders’ firing line. 'On the other hand, the enclosed nature of the country rendered it difficult even for infantry to advance except along the roads, and consequently prevented the execution of outflanking movements. None but front attacks could, therefore, as a rule be undertaken, and these had to be made generally along or in the immediate neighborhood of .the roads, and with the bayonet. Moreover, the defenders, driven from one line, had always other cover close in rear behind which to' fall back and rally, and conseqnently repeated onslaughts had to be made before decisive success could be gained. On the French side the troops consisted solely of raw levies, Juntrained and most indifferently armed and poorly equipped; while the German army engaged numbered 58,097 infantry, 16,360 cavalry, with 324 guns ; • and yet it was only after seven days’ continuoua fighting and after the German army had lost 200 officers and 3200 men that the French were finally driven back from Le Mans.