The battle of Orleans, or Baccon, on the 9th and
10th November, of which we were just able last week to announce that the French had achieved a success, was certainly a much greater success than we knew yesterday week. The French took 2,500 prisoners. The Germans, while giving no account of the number missing, admit over 700 killed and wounded (of whom 42 were officers), and probably this refers only to the first day of the battle, the 9th, whereas a good deal of the success was gained on the 10th. The French admit a loss of 2,000 hors de combat on their own side, but they lost no prisoners, and captured two guns, besides a large quan- tity of materiel. The French believe that the German loss was at least 5,000, including the prisoners, and all the English estimates seem to think this number quite a minimum. The chief fighting was at Baccon and Coulmiers, small places on the north bank of the Loire between Meung and Orleans. Baccon itself, a village on a hill, which was obstinately defended by the Germans, who loop- holed all the houses and kept up a murderous fire, was carried by the bayonet, the French charging with all their old élan. Orleans appears to have been evacuated by the Germans without a con- test. Had all the French plans been carried out, Von der Tann and his army would have been captured ; but the French left, which was to interrupt the German retreat on Toury, gave way, and the extreme right, which was to cross the Loire above Orleans and meet the extreme left in the rear of the Germans, was too late. As it was, however, the victory was a very substantial one, and the first the French have gained.
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