The second, or "central army," under Prince Frederick Charles, "the Red Prince," as his enthusiastic soldiers styled him, occupied Mannheim and Mayence, guarding the Vosges, through which was the principal avenue to the heart of the coveted Rhineland provinces; while the third army, under the Crown Prince of Prussia, who, as is well-known, is married to our own "Princess Royal," had its headquarters at Landau, where also the Baden and Wurtemberg contingents had to rendezvous.
"The ball was opened"-- to use the light-hearted expression of a French journalist in describing the commencement of the murderous struggle for supremacy between the two nations--at Saarbruck on the 2nd of August, 1870, when the late ill-fated Prince Imperial of France received his "baptism of fire"; but the first real engagement of the war did not occur till two days later, at Weissembourg, this being succeeded by the terrible battle of Woerth on the 6th of the month, when the German army under the Crown Prince of Prussia crumpled up the forces of Mcmahon, and thus effectually disposed of the previously much-vaunted superiority of the French military system, with its chassepot rifle and mitrailleuse.
With these initial victories of Germany we have not much to do, however; for Fritz belonged to the Hanoverian division, which formed one of the units of the Tenth Army Corps, under the command of Steinmetz, which did not come into action until later on.
On joining his regiment at headquarters, our young recruit from Lubeck, hastily summoned to exchange the pen and desk of a Dutch merchant's counting-house for the needle-gun and camp of the soldier, discovered to his great joy, that, instead of having to go through the tedious routine of garrison duty--which he had expected would have mainly composed his experiences of the war--the French invasion of Rhineland had so suddenly collapsed, that the Teuton forces, which had been assembled for the original purpose of defending the native soil, were now able to take the offensive and in their turn invade the territory of the foe; and, thus, he would be able to see active service on the field.

This was a consummation dearly desired on his part, for he was young and ardent; although, perhaps, the order to go forwards was not quite so much relished by some of his comrades, who were married men and preferred the quiet of their home fireside to the many risks and discomforts of a campaign, which, at the beginning, they did not look upon so hopefully as their leaders.
"Hurrah!" he exclaimed one morning at Coblentz, when the division in which he served was paraded on the Platz in heavy marching order, the men hurriedly falling into the ranks.

"No more sentry rounds now and guard-mounting; we're off to Paris!" "Don't you crow too loudly, my young bantam," said a veteran near him; "we'll have a long march first, and then perhaps one of those confounded chassepot bullets we've heard so much of will put you feet foremost, in a way you won't like!" "Bah!" replied Fritz; "I'll run the chance of that.

Anything is better than stopping here kicking our heels in this old town, while our brothers are gaining laurels in the battlefield!" "Ach, mein lieber," said the other; "wait till you've seen a little of the reality of war, the same as I did four years ago at Sadowa; you'll then think differently.

It all looks very well now, with your smart new uniform and bright helmet; but, when the one is ragged with bayonet cuts and bloody and dirty, and the other doesn't preserve you from a leaden headache, you will prefer, like me, barrack life--aye, even in Coblentz!" "Hush there! order in the ranks!" sang out an officer at this moment, stopping Fritz's answer; and, the word of command being presently given to march, the conversation was not renewed.
After the fearful loss they had suffered at Woerth, which battle was followed up by the sanguinary defeat of Frossard at Forbach, to the left of their line, on the same day, the French fell back on Metz as their rallying point, hoping by means of the vast entrenched camp there and its facilities of communication with Chalons and Verdun, to be able to make a stand against the enemy, now pressing them so sore.