The Express.
London, England, 1855-05-25 00:00:00

THE OAKS.

Nettle fell.

ARMY REFORM.

WHAT THE FRENCH THINK OF OUR ARMY.
TO 211 IDITOI OP Tat DAILY NITS.
Bth,—The favourable manner in which my series ,
of letters in your paper have been received induced
me to make a trip over to France, for the purpose of
bearing with my own ears, and seeing with my own
eyes, what preparations were nuking in that -
country for carrying on the war in the East. This oil,
most be my apology for a very long silence. What 1,7
information I have gained on the other side of the us
Cheese shall be rionsinsaioated in year column from ,„,
time to time as it Ilex affair tele vestal. Vaal -.IC
sew TEM deferred Making mention of our glorious t'l
English infantry, because I wished first to see what ;.
changes had taken plus in the French infantry since a.
I was last in that country. Whilst there the other se
day I saw much to praise, little to blame, and met is
with the greatest possible courtesy from every French 2
officer or soldier I came across. The simple fact of 17
my having served in the English army seemd
to be a passport which opened every door, ;it'
and the means of obtaining any information I at.
wanted. Amongst other persons, I met at Paris t-
an old and valued friend, an officer of the French i;
army whom I had known ten years ago in Algiers, and &-
from whom I had in those days received the greatest !,17.
kindness. As a matter of course, the conversation sr.
very soon turned upon the war now going on in the
Crimea. My friend showed me a letter from an a
officer of high rack in the French army now before 84.
Sebastopol, whose name I shall, of coarse, keep t's
sseret. The greater part of the communication con- tej
sited of a statement of the writer's opinion regard- fi-a,
log the English army under Lord Raglan. As my
friend allowed me to make a copy of the letter, I
• es.
11
have it now before me, and shall, with your penes- st,
sion, make a free translation of it, for the benefit of
our readers. The latter should peruse it with care. to
They may rest satisfied as to its being the genuine is,
opinions of a French officer who has seen a very Bt..
gnat deal of service ; and they should also remember 7,
drat the letter was written from one friend to another, 36
without the slightest idea that it would ever be seen (11
Nian Englishman, far less be ever, published in an as.
gh& newspaper.
"Yon ask me," says the writer, " my opinion of
the English arm now acting with us in the Crimea, 1
and I will t>a proceed to give you that opinion
in as few welds as possible. I will begin with the m
English engineers, a corps which, from what I have 11t
sees of its weddsg, can never have been excelled, and so
edema agnened in say army in the world. The educe-
des ef the dime, the training and intelligence of :
dee mew, the activity of the whole corps, and the s
maser in which they carry on their works, are tit
tally equal to the same qualifications in our u
ems regiments of engineers. Of the courage of iet
these troops I need not speak—they are, like the rest le
et the English, brave almost to a fault. If ever le
then was • mays el which a nation should be proud, re
It is that of the English Engineers, or Sappers and is
Miners as the MS ere celled, whilst the regiment as
itself and the diem en called the Royal Engineers. it,
"Next to then mom the artillery ; and this corps I a
also hold to be quite equal to our own (the Preach) Islt
arm of that kind. The English artillery is in every a.
way first-rate. The officers have all received admi-
rable educations in their own special branch, and in is
everything that constitutes good artillerymen they I!
leave nothing to be desired. The non-commissioned ;
Alms of this corps are also fully equal to our own so
fa way way, and when a battery is short in the so
member of its diners these take their place in the re
meet perfect manner. Their guns are well cast, and is
dale gun-carriages well finished, but the metal of the
heaser is in some instances too light, particularly is
flaking artillery. But, on the whole, I would sever et.
ebb to see better, more useful, or more perfectly or- et
Lltroops in the field than the Engineers and lt
:dry of the English army. The officers in these 11
regiments cannot purchase over each other's head.;
to
and I snot say that the condition they are in is a ea
Inedul refutation of the argument used against es.
=by seniority. But yuu will be surprised
s lat neither in the English engineers nor to
do artillery can the noneetnmissioned officers SO
Mt obtain their epaulets. However good their ";
mama may be, we however much professional et.
h,ewisige they may have, they can
ram tesztbies Weed the reekof quarter-master—
eilmen, ease of wham is attached to each
hateable, and for ends • among whom there lir
meet he some hundreds of aadiaatss. This promo- et.
tics eases so seldom that the English engineers and
&Many sergeants have really se edvanmstent to
bile for—they must remain noweemmissioned °Seers !cl
al disk days. The military irellegepic these speeial
corps is. I tun told, a very Ilse •Ishiadfr bet time 19
is no clam whatever at it for Ma rung, sedve, sad fury
intelligent non-comadmirmed slaws m would be is
willing to learn the *her brushes of their profess-
'
sins. Another great fault that I lad with both the ;.
engineers and the artillery of the English army is it
that they are samwrisally much too weak both in 3t
clusre and sass. To be perfectly effective they is
iambi have at least one-third more of the former and
yltss many again of the latter present with each 4,7
of engineers and with each battery of 1631
to
regard to the cavalry of the English army I et.
'moot ray mark in their praise. The men are very fine, It
sad well skewed (although much more for show than at.
begonia.), vide well, end have well bred horses, end E
Iliin the field they are really worse than useless. I";
apes them ee the worst cavalry I ever saw.
I do net speak of their bravery, which is very greet,
bat enrage is net the art of war. As yet I have not
seen a stogie snaky eager who knows anything
whatever et his duty. They certainly look after the
feeding and grooming of the horses, and—in spite
of what I had always beard to the contrary—the
English dragoon is both kind to, and careful of, his
horse. Bat ones mounted and in the ranks, the Eng-
lish cavalry officer knows nothing whatever beyond
a few simple parade movements. The charge at
Beals" of the English cavalry has been much
talked about. If It had been made by French ca-
valry both Milord Lucan end Milord Cardigan
would have been turned out of the service
(destine) by order of a court-martial. It was nothing
more than a reckless throwing away of life, by men
who knew nothing whatever of their duty or their
profession. This ignorance of all that makes cavalry
of an valor in a campaign extends to every rank in
the Wok cavalry, but the seniors really know less
than thole juniors. Their officers seem to think that
if a mimed is turned out nun well fed and well
=tae-the men riding well, being well
sea stall armed—tie corps. must carry every
dig lehee it, instead of that bang but the oom-
meemmlo3 of its work before the enemy."
MAN translated thus mesh of the letter placed at
dbyerel. I must reserve the rest for another day,
wie Onsimunication would be far too long for your
..Jelin As I said before, the Frisch officer's letter
nelek_late my hands by accident, sad haviag my
Noes permission to make what nee I like of it, I
Om gem you a free translation of its contents.
Tea my
_rest Neared that a more valuable document
of the Mg has not been published in any Engliph
popsy due the commeocement of the war. And the
pines have sot yet translated is of more impor-
tease than what is sow truseatted to you.
ONE WHO HAS SERVED SIX YEARS
IN THE CAVALRY AND
TIME IN THE IN F, ANTRY.TH E SAME
Leedom, llay 23, 1866.