THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR (PART II.) 
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operations were upon the lines of supply. Shortly after the investment 
of Metz, the two lines of Weissemburg-Nancy and Saarbriicken-Metz 
were available as far as the Moselle valley, beyond which the single 
westward line was blocked by the fortress of Toni. The fall of this 
place on the 23rd September secured one main line of rail for the force 
investing Paris. Eventually, branch lines were enabled to be utilised, 
by the capture of the small fortresses north-west of Paris; but no 
further direct communication could be obtained with Germany till 
Mezieres, Thionville, and Metz had fallen. The security of the lines 
of road and rail in the occupied districts was generally entrusted to 
men of the Landwehr, and the general peace maintained by the establish¬ 
ment of Governors-General for the various regions—officers entrusted 
with supreme military and civil powers. The general principle was 
maintained throughout that an enemy's country must support the troops 
of the invader. To gain the existing supplies, recourse was had to a 
system of forced requisitions—receipts being given for the value of all 
articles taken ; but in some cases, especially towards the close of the war, 
an open market was found preferable. Where no supplies in kind were 
available, a tax in money was levied on the towns, to the amount 
required for purchase of provisions, which had then to be forwarded from 
the home magazines.* 
* Each corps had a military transport of 5 provision columns of 30 wagons each, carrying 4 days’ 
provisions and marching with the troops. Connecting these columns to the nearest magazines of 
supply, were 5 other columns of 80 wagons each (entirely a civilian transport of country carts), 
carrying 6 days’ provisions, and ensuring the replenishment of the military wagons. Each man, in 
addition, carried 3 days’ reserve rations in his knapsack. The troops could thus, on an emergency, 
have, exclusive of the resources of the country, 8 days’ rations to depend upon for certain— i.e., 
one day’s fresh and 3 days’ reserve rations in knapsack, and 4 days’ in the nearest provision columns. 
