Grandest century in the world's history; containing a full and graphic account of the marvelous achievements of one hundred years, including great battles and conquests; the rise and fall of nations; (14758945916)

Identifier: grandestcenturyi00nort (find matches)
Title: Grandest century in the world's history; containing a full and graphic account of the marvelous achievements of one hundred years, including great battles and conquests; the rise and fall of nations; wonderful growth and progress of the United States ... etc., etc
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Northrop, Henry Davenport, 1836-1909
Subjects: Nineteenth century
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa., National publishing co
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation



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,which were promptly re-communicated,by way of Berlin, to the German head-quarters—a proof of how the revelationsof the war-correspondent—whom LordWoolsey once denounced as the curseof modern armies—may sometimesaffect the whole course of a campaign. On the Double Quick. Not long was it now before the headsof the German columns were withinstriking distance of MacMahon, whowas hastening eastward to cross theMeuse in the direction of Metz; buthis movement became ever more flurriedin proportion to the swiftness where-with the Germans deployed their armieson a frontage parallel to his flank lineof march. Alternately obeying hisown military instincts and the politicalorders from Paris, MacMahon dodgedand doubled in the basin of the Meuselike a breathless and bewildered hare. 410 OVERTHROW OF THE FRENCH EMPIRE. On t.he 30th of August an action atBeaumont proved to the French thedtter hopelessness of their attemptingto pursue their Metz-ward march. As^he battle 0/ Mars-la-Tour had com-
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WILLIAM I.—EMPEROR OF GERMANY. pelled Bazaine to reliiiquish his plan ofreaching Verden and to fight for hislife with his back to Metz, so the victoryof Beaumont proved to MacMahon thathis only resource left was to abandonthe attempt to reach the virgin fortresson the Moselle, and concentrate his de-moralized and rabble army around thefrontier stronghold of Sedan. As Sedan had been the birthplace ofone of the greatest of French marshals, Turenne, who had unrighteously seizedStrasburg and the left bank of theRhine for France, and been the scourgeof Germany, it was peculiarly fittingthat it should now become the scene ofthe battle which wa«to restore Alsace-Lor-raine to the Father-land, and destroy theContinental supremacyof the Gauls. Standing on theright bank of theMeuse, in a projectingangle between lyUxem-burg and Belgian ter-ritory, the fortressedold town of Sedan issurrounded by mea-dows, gardens, culti-vated fields, ravines,and wet-ditches ; whilethe citadel, or castle,rises o