The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-30 00:00:00

, ►of the Emperor's army, while his cavalry force, sup-
ported by horse artillery, came gradually forward on
,s the left. Dragoons, Cuirassiers, and Etussars in
one miAty tide of flashing steel, to which' all
f eyes were directed—they swept on their way under
i the blazing sunlight. Every eye was directed to
them, as slowly each regiment, singling out its bat-
talion, prepared itself for the tremendous charge.
First, the batteries were brought up and poured
their fire into the compact masses of squares ; and
then, before " the war cloud" had swept away
• horse and man were hurled like thunderbolts upon
them. It was a wonderfully fine sight, and brought
this great field day to a splendid finale.
The foregoing details of the sham-fight at Desvres,
if they serve no other purpose, will at least enable
the reader to understand that, on this occasion, a
perfect idea was given, if not of a real pitched
battle, at least of the manner in which the French
army, Ni Jaen such battles are fought, endeavours to
bind victory to its eagles. First, there was the
terrible display of infantry power in all its varied
forms, in skirmishing, in forming line, in seeking
shelter from fire or coming under it, in the firm
advance, and in the square. Then the force of the
artillery arm was shown, the distances at which it
acts, and how it covers reverses on the one hand,
and conceals movements on the other. Finally,
there was the cavalry brought proudly forward and
charging—that portion of an army which comes in
with most effect, in real as well as sham-fights, at
the close—which changes into rout, smashing and
driving into irretrievable confusion the broken
ranks of an enemy. Of the spectacle in which,
during four hours, these different phases of the
tion can be formed by any
battle-field were represented, no adequate concep-
t description. It is not
language, however well selected, to fill in
upon the canvass of the mind so astonishing
a picture. When the mere effects of the
pageantry comprised in it are exhausted, other
considerations remain behind. Such, for instance,
are the impressions thus conveyed of military
science as an element of power in human affairs.
Undoubtedly, in this respect, the French army de-
serves the reputation which it enjoys, and it is no
disparagement to the character of our own troops
that we feel duly the might which
such an army
carries along with it.
At the close of the sham fight the Emperor and
Empress, side by side, and followed by a immensea ste , -rode from battalion to battahion.n iTo
nominally an inspection, it was in reality a grace-
fulugh
mode of enabling the men to see her
Ma
and they appeared much gratified at the
opportii jesty:
nity for doing so.
It was five o'clock before they began to march
back to their encampments of the preceding night,
but though they had had a fatiguing day of it, and
bivouacking is not even is fine weather a brilliant
prospect to look forward to, they sang merrily in
bands as they went. In some respects, to see their
dense columns moving along under the bright
moonlight, and afterwards the long line of their
watch fires fringing the Feat de Boulogne, was
almost as striking as their most brilliant move-
ments in the field.
It is confidently believed here that there were
from 80,000 to 100,000 men engaged in the sham-
fight at Courtray, 50,000 at that near Marquise,
and that the Emperor and Prince Albert reviewed
30,000 when they went to St. Omer. Now, the
army of the North is chiefly concentrated in five
camps, each containing about 10,000 men. That
makes 50,000. Allowing that there are 10,000
more billetted in villages and towns, the whole in-
fantry does not exceed 60,000, and cavalry and
artillery together will not make up another 10,000.
The full strength of the army, therefore, may be
set down at from 65,000 to 70,000, and, as a con-
siderable number of men remain behind on such
occasions, it is tolerably clear that the estimates
generally accepted here are very much over-stated.
To-day and to-morrow are blank days, but on
Saturday the grand parade for the distribution of
decorations is expected to take place at the Napo-
leon column, and on Sunday, it is said, the Em-
peror and Empress return to Paris.