Intelligence Bulletin from Major P. S. Van Cise

482 INTELLIGINCE SECTION hradquarters STONEWALL DIVISION AMERICAN FORCES NOVELBER 13, 1918. B ULLETIN The f ollowing extracts from a Gciman Guido to Franco, giving a bricf sum- mary (from a German point of vicw and thercfore biasod) of somo of the battlo ficlds on our front, may bc of intcrest. These crtracts only covor the vars of 1870 and beforo that datc. 1. BRIEF HISTO HY OF VIRDUN. Vordun, the Roman Vc rodunum, holds on important placc in carly Europcan history, for by the Trcaty of Vordun in 843 the possessions of Charlengests wore divid dd e.mong his three grandsons, Lothairc, Louis the Gomen, and Chail es the Bald, and the Fronch and Goman mombors of the empiro wore nevor again united. The town was carly the seat of c. bishop, and remaincd a froc imperial tovn until 1552, whon it was tekch by the Fronch, although it was not formally united to France until the Icacc of ostphalia in 1548, by which Austric gave up the throc famous bishoprics of Vordun, Toul, and Mctz. Vordun was bombardod by the Prussians in 1792, and, having surrondored aftcr a fcw hours, the in- habitents accorded an amicable rcocption to the conoucrors, to vhom a party of yours girls made an offcring of the bonbons for which Vordun is noted. The Revolutionists recovored the town aftci the battle of Valmy, and sont three of those maidens to tic scaffold. The town was again bombardod by the Gemams in 1870, and teken aftcr a gallant resistanco of three wocks. 2. battle OF SEDAN. The Battle of Sodan, fought Scpt. 1, 1870, raged most ficrocly in the nei 11- borrood of Bazcillos. Mershal Mociation, acting undor ordcrs from Faris dic- tated by Solitical rather than military considerations, and endeavoring to much from the camp a.t Chalons to the of Bazainc in Metz via Montmedy, had bocn forced back upon seden by the victorious armics of the Crown Princo of Prussia and the Crown Princc of The Fronch crossed the Meuso at Mou- zon and took UTD a position on the he ights of La Mon ccllo, Daigny, and Givomo on the right bankt of the Civormo, E srall tributary of the Mcusc, flowing to the E. 03 Dezcillcs, while thir line ves continudd to the W., vie Illy and loing, until it rested upon the poninsula of Iges. The battl G bogen at daybreak, and from 1.30 to 10 2.m. Dezcillo S and IR Monocllo worc the chici points of attach: Stop by step the fight ing was forced farth cr to the No, to Deigny and Givonne, until finally, about 2 Deme, tic right ving of tno Saxons who attached from the Bos and the 1cft wing of the Prussians, who attacked from the To, offccted a junction at Illy, and the ring of stocl was closed round the Fronch. parly in the somo of the Fronch tions begen to rotiro in disorder Tipon the town, and not all the brilliant gellentry of the caval yy, who cashed themselves ageinst the solid Geman lincs in onc dosporate charge cifcr another, could tum the tidc of battle Vhen a Gomanbattory fire uroon the town fiom the heights of Frenois thore was nothing forit but Mabolcon III, tho res at Seden, thoug not in commend, dcliv cred his sword. to the Kins a. missia; and. 85,000 men (including 1 marshel, 59 gen- cuels, an 3250 er officers), rith 10,000 horses, 4,000 70 mitrail- lenses, and on conntity of torestcllinto the hands of the victors. The Gemens are said to I.V lost 9,000 men and the Pronch 17,000. The victory was mainly due to the sumerio strategy of the Gcimen commanders. The Preroh were completely at-manocuvred by the Geimens who hac menaged to concen trate socian a tried 10 ICE of 240,000 and to coop uno the IC the Fronch amy or 110,000 men, Vho hea no t ime to recover foom the di sorgenization of their pr evi- oce totreat. The Geman atteck aided by the double change of commend in the comp. otnee cally in the days and ves accesded by Dum c2ot, the was in um reple GEC by DE Timpice. ARCHIVES 'NATIONAL AND SERVICE