498 



A HISTORY OF CAVALRf . 



[period V, 



tions and designs of the Prussians. Patrols and small 

 parties of Uhlans and hussars seemed to show them- 

 selves from almost every point of the compass, and it 

 was impossible to discover from behind which portion of 

 the moving veil of horsemen the dense masses of the 

 Prussian invading host would burst forth to attack. 



The German corps dJarnwe marched some twenty or 

 thirty miles in rear of these advanced posts in perfect 

 freedom, and without the slightest risk of being delayed 

 by the sudden appearance of hostile detachments in 

 front or flanks. The horsemen meanwhile swept forward, 

 pressed MacMahon far south of Metz, and occupied the 

 whole country between his troops and Marshal Bazaine. 

 They soon reached the Moselle. Nancy, the capital of 

 Lorraine, surrendered on the 12th August to six Uhlans, 

 who were soon followed by a larger party. The line of 

 the Moselle was occupied by the cavalry nearly down to 

 the walls of Metz. And these bolci and dashing exploits 

 of the German horsemen were the absolute cause of pre- 

 venting very considerable reinforcements from MacMahon 

 joining the main army. 



The Germans then having crossed the Moselle, near 

 Pont-a-Mousson, the cavalry in lorge force swept 

 nc^'^hward to turn the right flank ot the French army 

 around Metz. By this time it was clear that the French 

 purposed retreating upon Verdun, and it became impor- 

 tant to intemipt, and, if possil)le, cut off* their march. 

 The main forces of the Prussians were still far to the 

 rear, but pressing on by forced marches. The cavalry, 

 well advanced, were endeavouring to hold the enemy in 

 check until the arrival of the infantry of the main body. 

 On the morning of the 15th August, the Prussian 

 advanced horsemen struck the Metz-Verdun road, and 

 were able to hold in check the French cavalry, and prac- 

 tically to delay the retreat for nearly twenty-four h.-^urs. 

 General Forton's cavalry division, which formed the 

 advance of the French army in their march, came across 

 Von Redern's brigade of the 5th Prussian cavalry division, 

 with a battery of horse artillery. This small force of 

 horsemen maintained a bold front, and, by an artillery 



CHAP, x: 



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