The Sun.
London, England, 1807-01-15 00:00:00

8.47.TLt

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[FROM A GERMAN PUBLICATION.]

ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE lIISTOUY OP
THE 14TH OF OCTOBER, THE EVENTS OF WHICII
HAVE BEEN SO UNFORTUNATE FOR THE FRITS-

SIAN MONARCHY.
A late Paris Journal accompanied the description.
of the Battle of Jena with the following reflections :==-
Grand all& awful tru'thQ once more arise from this-
beginning of-the War, and the following are, per-
haps, the conclusions that ought to be drawn from
these 'truths ; that in the present age there is only
one people truly skilled and powerful in the art of
war-==because they" have invented a new system of
-4,artilre, of which'other. Nations have never had any
conception ; that'such is the superiority of the mi-
litary talents of .that extraordinary Genius who con-
duds the Armies - of France, that every one must
be impressed with the continually increasing con-
. viaion,.that Europe will require to be regenerated
as well as France before she can cope with the
latter.

The reflections of another observer go further.—
" It was neither a want of patriotism, nor a want
of personal bravery (he remarks), that so rapidly de-
livered Prussia into the 'hands of the invincible Na-
poleon ;- but it was a deep-rooted germ of destrue-
tiori in the Prussian States, which was visible in the
Army as well asllsew here, viz. a catching at fri-
volities and trifles and this root of the evil may be
ascribed to some old reasons, often suspe6ted by
many, but never publicly told. The all-penetrating
mind of a Frederick 11. directing ail its energies to
one sole objea, was wanting; and the place of such
an' energetic mind was but ill supplied by the ac-
knowledged • uprightness, ' benevolence, and firm
condu6t of the present noble King of 'Prussia. So
i far, therefore, as the strict spirit of discipline iecule
cated by the system of. Frederick was in modern
times regarded as pedantry—so far, in some pro-
vinces at least, did discipline degenerate into the
. ceremonies of a drawing-room, and -the administra-
tion of the finances into a system of embezzlement :
thus was the old warlike , spirit of the Army de-;
stroyed, and seduced froth the observance of what
was essential to its very -existence. - Whoever is.ac-
quainted with the Prussi4p State, will certainly see
with vexation an edifice undermined that once con-
tained so much excellence, and which might so ea-
sily once more have retrieved its ancient dignity and
consistency, if the Heads of the Empire had under-
stood the prognostics of the times, and had been
willing to submit to afew necessary reforms. A
reform was particularly requisite in that part of the
military system which excluded from all promotion
in the Army the most learned,and enlightened mem-
bers of society, viz. the higher classes of the citi-
zens not of the rank of Nobility ; and it is re-
markable, that an order issued in France similar to
that which appeared in Prussia' some years ago, per-
mitting the Nobility alone to he promoted, preceded
the disturbances in the Army which -ended in the
breaking out of the Revolution."
Those who are well informed or. the subjeA as-,
sure us, that Prince Louis Ferdinand ofd Prussia, the
night before the battle of Simile:tit, herwhich he fell,
foretold to several of his confidential friends the
fate of the, Prussian Army-. The ,councils of Co-
lonel Von Pfuhl were never • listened to from the
beginning. •
_ Three orincipai error*. probably hurled the Prus-
sian Army into the guipb of destrudione The first
was an ineonceivabie disregard of any thing like a
regular plan, and an. heedless security. Only a .feW
hussars were stationed in. the Thuringer woods and
hills, the passes and ,fastnesses of which could have
been insurmountably defended against the most su-
perior force in the world by a few cannon and sharp-
shoOters. It is incredible, but nevertheless true,
that- the Prussian Generals left all the most
im-
-portant passes on the Saal unoccupied ; and when
',this was remarked by some Saxon Engineers, they
were laughed at, as if no enemy could come there.
The Prussians had almost no reconnoitring parties;
and they never .siispeded that the Emperor of the
French, with his main body, had advanced within a
few miles of them.
How differently vas the,,Emperof Napoleon suP.•
plied in this resped ; and how far superior was he
in.point of vigilance 'and aaiVity ! When he had
fixed his head-quarters at Auma, early in the morn-
ing two prisoners were brought in who had been
seized as spies. It soon appeared, however, that
they were very honest men, as in their answers
they completely coincided with each other.
The Prussian patroles allowed themselves to be
cheated by thee most (riding appearances. An
Officer commanding a body of horse, which was
sent out from the Royal Camp towards Naumburgh
to reconnoitre, returned without going to Nautn-
burgh, because when half way he learned from a
traveller.that they knew nothing of the. French at
Naumburgh. From such extraordinary security-no
other consequences could follow..
The second grand error. was the unaccountable
negleet of- every means for securing subsistence for
an army of 140,000 men. There were indeed large
magazines stored up in Hoff, Zwickau, Naumburgh,
and Weissenfels, but they were left without any
protection, and soon rendered completely inacces-
sible to the army. which they were intended to
supply. They became a welcome booty to the
French, who by turning the Prussian army cut
them off from all their magazines. On the 11th
of OCtober, the day after the ruinous affiiir near
Saalburgb, the whole Prussian army altered their
former position ;They concentrated themselves into a
camp near Weimar, and placed themselves in such a
position, that they were under. the necessity of either'
fighting or starving. The barren country of Weimar
was in no condition, neither was it by any means
prepared, to subsist this army along with its appen-
dages. There was no bread, no brandy, no beer for
the soldiers, and no fodder for the horses. Every
thing in Weimar was completely devoured during
the two days the. camp remained in the line front
Weimar to Jena and Aueivadt. A supply of brandy
and meal came, indeed, the day before the battle,
bnt it was too late, for the greateSt part of it fell
into the hands of the French. As on the. i ith and
12th of October nothing. was provided, the soldier
was forced to 'take whatever he' could get. Not
only all the vegetables in gardens or in fields, either
above or below ground, were stolen, but aif the
villages were stripped, even the stables and cow-
bouees were broken into, the cattle driven out, and