THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 819, 1 June 1871, Page 3

THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR.

The statistics of the war published by the " Staatsanzeiger," of Berlin, will give an idea of the magnitude of the campaign and the extensive scale on which it had been conducted : " War was declared on July 15, 1870. It terminated on February IG, 1871, after lasting 210 days. In the first week after the declaration of war, the German troops were mobilised, their despatch to the west and disposition along the Treves Landau line requiring nearly a fortnight. The troops sent to the frontier amounted to nearly 600,000 men, and to bring the whole up in a fortnight about 42,000 had to be conveyed by rail per day. The transport was effected on five lines, two of which were, however, but little used. Besides the men, there were horses, guns, carriages, ammunition, and provisions to be sent. To estimate correctly the activity of the railway department in these momentous days, it ought to be remembered that until a year ago a train was thought incapable 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 a distance 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 180 days only. In these 180 days there were 156 engagements and 17 battles; 26 fortresses were taken, 11,650 officers and 363,000 rank and file made prisoners, and 6700 guns and 120 eagles or standards captured. In each of the six months that active hostilities were going on the Germans had on an average 26 engagements and three battles, taking 1950 officers, 60,500 men, 1110 guns, 20 eagles or standards, and four fortresses. Nearly every day of the war witnessed an engagement, every sixth day a fortress was conquered, every ninth day a battle was fought and gained. Comparing the number of prisoners with the duration of the war, we find that on an average 65 officers and 2070 men were captured per day. Ou the same calculation, every day 38 cannon changed hands, while an eagle or a standard was carried off in triumph on two days 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, Vionville, Gravelotte, Noiseul, and Beaumont ; the four fortresses of Lutzelstein, Lichtenberg, Marsal, and Vitry being taken in the same period. The month of September was marked by thirteen engagements and the capture of Sedan, Laon, Toul, and Strasburg. October had 37 engagements, with capture of Soissons, Schelestadt, and Metz. November numbers fourteen engagements and two battles— Amiens and Beaune-la-Rolande, with the fall of Montbeliard, Neu Brisach, Ham, Didenhofen, Lafere, and the citadel of Amiens. December brought us thirty engagements and the battles near Orleans and on the Hallue, with the surrender of Phalsbourg and Montmedy. January being even more prolific, had to register forty, eight engagements, together with the battles of Le Mans l St. Quentin, and the capitulation of Mezieres, Rocroy, Perronue, Longwy, and Paris. In February the war terminated with the surrender of Belfort. In this list the various actions near Paris, 22 of which were fought in the 130 days of the investment, are classified as mere engagements, three occurred in September, eight in October, two in November, four in December, and five in January ;, in other words, between five and six per month. Of naval engagements we have three to chronicle, respectively on September 19 and 21, and October 12—at Hiddensee, in the Putzig Bay, and off the Havannah." Was there ever such a long run of victory without a single reverse ?