THE LAST GREAT SORTIE FROM PARIS.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 799, 8 April 1871, Page 3

THE LAST GREAT SORTIE FROM PARIS.

tf-tritTHEK DETAILS. Early on the morning of Thursday, •January'l9, While the fog still hung •thick and dark, 'General Trochu, led forth his troops in force. Their numbers-are-estimated as at least 100, •000 men —Line, Mobiles, and National Guard all'taking part in 'the ■and a very .powerful artillery supporting them. They carried provisions for four ■days, and while the immediate object was to occupy the line of heights from Garches'to Bu'zanval and Joiichere, it was designed to push forward and cut through to Versailles. General Trochu commanded in person—'ready, say some •of his critics, to welcome death as a "release from tuedifficulty (if his situation ; •and under him, the three corps iVarrr.ee were led, on the right, towards Euen, by General Ducrot, who appears to have kept to his rash vow made in November, not to re-enter Paris unless victorious ; at the centre by the less'kno n'General Belmarre; and on the left by "General Vinoy. The line of operations extended •over about four miles of country. General Ducrot's troops were afoot at three in the morning, but were delayed neaily two hours in taking up their position ! by a heavy fire from the Prussian batteries, which swept the roads by which they marched. The difficulties •of concentration were also increased by •the dense fog.

The accounts which we have received are confused and even contradictory. But it would appear that the French obtain da temporary success. In the first assault, their left carried almost by surprise the important redoubt of Montretout, which was held till late in the evening, and as the news of this capture spread through Paris it was hailed with the greatest enthusiasm. The main •attack, as the day advanced was covered by a tremendous'cannonade from Mont Valerien, where several members of the Government were stationed ; and to the north and at other pomts small diversions were attempted. To the centre and r:ght the plateau of La Bergerie and the Chateau of Buzenval were •attacked, and for a while the French line made steady advance, but it was only while the Germans were concentrating to meet'them. As the French pushed forward, the carnage became dreadful. Q'hey fell in heaps as they neared the Irenches of the. besiegers. " A Parisian law student belonging to the 116 th National Guards, declares that the Prussians did not show their heads oyer the line of a work against which his corps was «ent hut to fire or make grimaces at the Freuch. 'The only one I saw was a fellow that put his fingers to his nose for me.'" Before evening came, the fortune of the day was decided, though still tire combat Taged with terrible fury. There was no beariLg up against the German artillery, no possibility of breaking the serried lines that irrew stronger at every attack. General Trochu, in his first report, at ten o'clock, had referred to the difficulties of the enterprise ; at six o'clock he could only say that he did not yet know the definitive result; hut at ten at night he was obliged to admit the reality of his defeat There is an ominous simplicity in his despatch :

"The day, which commenced successfully, did not terminate with the results we could have wished. The enemy was surprised in the morning, but subsequently concentrated large masses of artillery, with infantry reserves; and at 3 p.m. our left began to give way. When night came on *e were able to resume the offensive, but the enemy's fire continued with great violence, and we had to leave the "eights. The fighting was sanguinary, and I have ordered General Schiniiz to ask for an armistico of forty-eight

Still more explicit waa the note to general Schmitz, published the next mowing ;_« The fog is thick. The enemy does not attack. I have with-

drawn most of the masses which could be cannonaded from the heights, some to their old cantonments. You must now urgently demand at Sevres an armistice of two days, in order to pick up the wounded and bury the dead. This will take time, efforts, carriages well horsed, and a large number of men for the litters. Lose no time." This armistice, we now know, was refused, or at least only accorded as by local arrangemi nt might be most convenient on the actual field of battle. Of the effect of the sortie, as observed from the German side, one Versailles correspondent writes ; " How the French ever got so far is puzzling. A little more fighting of the same kind would take them into Versailles. The French continued advancing, carrying everything before them, until four in the afternoon, by which time their left had a footing in Garches, while their centre and left wing occupied La Bergerie for a few minutes. The fire of the Kaiser Wilhelm Redoubt rendered the place, however, untenable, and the French were driven back over every inch of the ground, and the whole fruits of the sortie were lost. Five hundred prisoners were taken. The Germans lost 20 officers and 400 men killed ; 30 officers and 1,000 men were wounded." The loss of the French is estimated at 6,000.