ACHIEVEMENTS OF FIELD ARTILLERY. 
668 
effective that the pursuit of the disorganised infantry was abandoned, 
and the cavalry were able to reform, behind the line of guns after their 
brilliant charge. Shortly after this a strong French cavalry force ap¬ 
peared on the ridge above Ville sur Yron in four compact masses, which 
were charged by General von Barby, and the greatest cavalry combat 
of the war, when 5,000 mounted men met in hand-to-hand encounter, 
took place. After a stubborn contest the German horsemen forced 
their opponents back, and the French right wing then gave up any 
further attempts to act on the offensive. 
Darkness was now approaching, and the Germans stood where the 
French had been in the morning, but though they continued to make 
inroads on the French position, it was rather with a view of deceiving 
their foes as to the force opposed to them than with any idea of gaining 
any larger success. 
Yon Alvensleben had accomplished, perhaps, the most brilliant 
achievement of the war in keeping .up the fight till the afternoon with 
his single corps, and driving the enemy from Flavigny to Bezonville, 
a half-mile to the rear. “ Thanks to the valuable assistance of the 
10th Corps, the battle could be carried on through the afternoon on 
the defensive, but only by most decided counter-attacks from the 
cavalry, and the unflinching tenacity of the artillery.” 1 
During the night the enemy evacuated the positions he still held, 
and abandoning the march to the west withdrew nearer to Metz. The 
object of the Germans was gained. 
During the day 188,000 French, with 476 guns, had engaged 67,000 
Germans, with 222 guns. The losses of the latter amounted to 660 
officers and 15,170 men, those of the former to 859 officers and 16,128 
men. 2 
The artillery losses were very heavy in some cases. The heaviest 
were as follows 
Battery. 
Killed. 
Wounded. 
Officers. 
Men. 
Horses. 
Officers. 
Men. 
Horses. 
Remarks. 
1st Heavy Field Battery, 3rd Corps... 
9 
40 
1 
31 
_ 
2nd ,i 
■■ • a 
u 
If 
1 
8 
40 
2 
37 
— 
1st Light 
„ 
II 
— 
3 
40 
3 
30 
— 
2nd H 
n 
II 
2 
4 
42 
2* 
39 
•{ 
* Including 
the doctor. 
6th ii 
„ 
1, 
II 
— 
3 
29 
1 
17 
15 
3rd „ 
'n 
If 
II 
— 
5 
26 
2 
15 
15 
ttlst Horse Artillery 
II 
— 
3 
42 
3 
18 
17 
52nd if 
„ ' 
II 
6 
23 
— 
14 
18 
3rd „ 
II 
II ■ 
II 
_ 
4 
50 
4+ 
26 
28 
f 1 mortally. 
cist H 
,, 
II ■ 
10th Corps . 
4 
18 
3 
38 
17 
2nd „ 
II 
„ 
ii 
— 
6 
47 
— 
16 
3 
3rd „ 
„ 
„ 
II 
_ 
3 
24 
1 
19 
25 
1st ,, 
II 
II 
4th Corps... 
1 
3 
21 
1 
18 1 
15 
a Fired 1148 shells. 5 Fired 1161 shells. c Fired 1048 shells. 
1 Von Moltke. 
2 Hoffbauer, 
