The National Register.
London, England, 1808-08-21 00:00:00

pNAt REGIST'

tea,. t'iveir s.vnatiou now—br—etaine deplorable. The main !
arisl was sepaisied from its reserve at Halle. The ad- ,1
saute tit uernad..tle as far as Gera cut off every communi-
Cation with ressony and no resource remained but to fight
under disadvantages were defeat was ruin or to effect a
preciptiate and disorderly retreat over Muhlhausen into
.Hanover and to the Elbe. F.ach plan was equally des-
perate. Had the Piussian army, after the loss sustained
on tie Seal, retreatel towards Halle, destroyed their maga‘
sines at Naumnurg, effected a junction with the Prince of
Wurtensberg, and taken a strong volition behind the
Llbe, and, in case of imperious necessity, retired as far as
Frauntort un the Osier, they would have been able to await
these the Human unties which were hastening to their
acs stance, and probably sued the monarchy.
'I hest considerations have induced us to cbuse for our
slisquisitson, a subject which it is the highest interest o.
this country and of Lurope to ascertain. The late events
in t.,pain, aid Use suspicious inactivity of Bobaparte, whilst
Austria 14 making a vast augmentation to her war estab-
lishmeoi, give a presumptive right to reject established
opinion ou this hen!. We always entertained strong doubts "
relative to the generally-received amount of the French
alley ; whilst the French themselves, and the nations they
eubducd, accused to vie with each other in exaggerating its
slumber. But before we enter on our subject, we will
• take a review of the other armies of the Continent, and after
Navin„contrasted their real strength with the efficist ac-
counts published at Berlin, Vienna, and Petershurgh, our
Neuters will be better prepared for following us in the
subject of our inquiry.
It had been for many years a prevailing opinion on the
Contieent that the Prussian army amounted to 260,000
men. However, we find in an Etat, published by the
Court of Heflin in January, 1806, that it consisted of no
snore than .39,661, viz. 3114 guards, 1/6,30t infantry,
.440 artillery, asd 14/0 men which are
denominated. About the time that this
were issued for raising /0,000 mill-
states. This great augmentation of
nil-
shewed the dangers of the munar-
of a war with France, received the
applause from every patriotic indivi-
Whilst the independence of the North
this 'rigorous and enlightened roes-
_ as the surest check to universal
personal friendship existing between
the Emperor Alexander furzified
this intimate alliance of two power-
regarded by the most timid as a silt&
their respective possessions. If. we
34,000 Sautes, and 16,000 Hessians, we
government was generally thought
disposal, exclusive of the Hosnians, more
brave and disciplined as ass; in the
immense tinny existed only in ima-
impotence or the government, the
:ants, or, more probse(ys /he state of
the finance., which were nut adequate to se ti eitraordi-
awry exertions. frustrated the expectations o 1 the Conti-
pent, and prevented the execution of this grand project of
sationat defence.
Let Us now compate with the foregoing itttestent, d
sh/4 mode, the number employed against the French in
1806. Tills disasters sustained by the other suites of the
Continent, and the reputation of the enemy, it may he-
presumed, engaged the Prussian government to bring its
the approach
it from
. at that
and had
the len-
Yintaisce
circum-
unfortu-
conshited of

96,000 men, besides 18,000 `axon auxiliaries. The re-
serve at Halle, commanded by Prince Eugene of Wurtern.
berg, amounted to 4b,000 rum; and the cprps iu West.
phalia, under the orders of Lesrocq, ass about 14,000;
making in all about 135,000. On adding a few battalions
left at Berlin, Potsdam, Custrin, Breslau, illagdeblirp.,
Nienburg, &c. which Isere computed at 1 ..000,
we will find that the Prussian military force, indeed of
239,667 regulars. end 10,000 militia, did not amount, at
Ithe highest calculation, to 150,000. It will be Latinalls
asked how this monstrous exaggeration could ha.estaktit
dance, and have been so long beliestd ? It will be best
resolved by another question : How have ewer) 'deception
exaggeratibn fbund their way into society t because
there were a number of persons, from vanity, weakness,
and rapacity. interested in keeping up the delusion. It is
probable, Rod we have strong reason to bi neve it, Clat
the King himself was as unacquainted with the real state
of his army, as the roost ignorant and the most otscure of
his subjects: But there was a confederacy of traitors in
the army and ministry, who found their account in the
.deception ; and made no scruple of sacrificing the ;Email--
city and army to their infamous avarice. The confede-
racy comprised almost ell the officers of the artnyo from the
generals down to the very captains; and this was the rea-
son why a company in the Prussian sers ice was worth
3000 dollars a-year, whilst the lieutenant had only 250; but
the latter had a prospect of participating some day in the
infammis pro6ta. This excessive disproportion proceeded
(rain the incompleteness of the company as to numbers;
and as the colonel, the lieutenant-colonel, and the majors
' had their respective companies; thd abuse magn.tied in
proportion as it remained unpunished, and the Monarch
and the State were equally defrauded by a few traitors;
and, as may he expected, the country was subjugated by
the enemy an a campaign of six weeks.
Let us uuw take the official etat of the Austrian arms-, as
published in the beginning pf 1805. It amounted to
:150,945 men. Infantry, 271,871 ; Cavalry, 60,800 ; Ar,
finery, 15,994 ; and 12,280 Garrison Troops, Let us cum,
pare with this etat the armies cmplo)ed against the French
in the Campaign of the same year. Mack had under his
command at Ulm, 70,000 men ; the Archduke Charles on
the Etseh, end John in Tyrol, had about 80,000, making
altogether no more than 140,000 men. As Russian armies
were likewise hastening to their assistance, we may con.
dude that their whole force, with the exception of a fcw
battalions on the Turkish frontiers, was collected at lint,
Verona, and in Tyrol. So that, ihstend of 85n,945 mein
shall find their army consistedof little more than 150,00 o:
The same contradiction, inaccuracy. and disproportion, are
visible in the Russian accounts, published in leo3. Ac-
cording to these their army consisted of 832,870, 1:'1.--
13,103 Guards, 53,034 Cavalry, 226,121 Infantry, 12,150
Garrison Troops, 44;052 Artillery, 13,920 and
100,954 Irregulars ; and three jeers after this statement,
the army was represented as fir more nutherous. if vie
will give ourselves the trouble to contrast with this pomp-
ous enumeration; the force which this power opposed last
campaign to the French, when it bad time enough, after the
first adcounts were received of the arrival of the enemy IIA
the Banks of the Vistula, to collect its scattered force
rom
the very exttemities of the empire. if we do it, and can
rely on the declarations of Lord Hutchinson, which there
is every reason to believe were true, the Russian army in
Poland sever did amount to 100,000 men. We feel, on
this occasions a strung inclination to indulge in the mingled
sensations of laughter, contempt, arid indignation, at the
folly; rodomantade, credulity and hectoring vanity of the
European C.slinets. It would appear they had entere.
into a taciVagreement to give full credit to tfieir reciprocal
falsehoods. We know no other plausible way of ac-
counting for their vanity and extravagance.
We have entered into this detail relative to Austria,
and Anglia, in order to prepare oar Reader
1, some observations on the French military systru3, which

1

more t 113.11 71411,6111. vi
40,478 cavalry, 13,240 1
not particularly deuomi
Etat appeared, orders w
tie nails Premium State
Mary strength, whilst it
thy *al the prospect of
aseripitst tribute of ape
duel in Germany, U'in
. inea to be • secured by t
e sum et wu considered
4iespotem. The pers
Frederick William and
these expectations, and
iful monarchs WM regar
. I,**wit guarantee rif the
I add in army of 34,000
1i - shall fu I the Prusian_g
0 to have at its disposal,
than 330,000 men, as t
1
world. but, alas ! this
enema. Either the ii
1 i treachery of its servant

1 r-------. ---0 --.
whole force into the field ; in paitirwPari at the appr
of the Ruiviiins allowed it to withdraw every regiment
Poland end Silesia. The writer happened to tratel at
time through Westphalia, Hanover, and Sax >fly, and
an oppottuoity, from an intimate knoirlei-e of the
gunge-, a bog aniaaraf; . ..:4, person*, negnain
with several P ~....",-;44.- ,
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