The Placer herald. [volume] (Auburn, Placer County, Calif.) 1855-1991, 1859-09-10
o.. ~ the Battle-F

ond editor of the New York
hut now in Italy, writes interesting
, 1m'. 10 his journal concerning the war;
~ '', Speaking of the admirable discipline in
he French army he says;
'n' wonderful Order in the Army.
d., IN snite of all these drawbacks, moth
pu surpass the admirable manner in
ln gs;r J this great army has been handled or
,ha exemplary conduct of the soldiers during
' 'hs whole campaign. | would never have
WI; ,'Eo " it possible that 100000 men,
O e1a;srs trained as separate and distinct
so'u ."r n the State, never held to any very
pow pow ,resnonsibility to the civil authorities,
rg 'd I've marched through foreign country,
cou'a burning sun, and under circumstances
" oTo Great discomfort, with such An absolute
oaf complete abstinence from everything
, nIa disorder, as has marked the passage OF
l l,Ho immense force through Northern Italy.
t rT'o have been constantly, now for sew
i .oI laws in and about the camp. and have
' s,"' sojdiers everywhere-in the streets, on
, ,ue' b;rh roads, in the fields, at cafes, and in
'' ..ats bouses.-I have not yet seen or
hoard of solitary instance OF rude conduct,
0 O even of rude language, on their part.
W mt believe that any fire company, or
Soar Of New York Volunteers, ever went
WV 0 for single day on target excursion,
w;hout exhibiting more "rowdy sm' than
w., I', whole French army has shown during
tho whole of this Italian campaign. This is
W., narty. presume, to the natural po-
Likeness of the French character, it is
nart Of a Frenchman's nature never to Ell
.rrroach upon the private rights or to wound
,ho feplincs of Others Much of it is due,
also TO the discipline of the army,-to its
senarate and isolated mode of existence.
The soldier is taught to look to the camp for
.avcrvtbing he needs-wilh the world outside
he has nothing whatever to do. lie has no
claims upon it, and he has never learned to
make demands, or to ask favors from it.
saw three artierymen a. Castiglione, who
had travelled 10 Brescia and back, thirty
miles, in burning sun, through binding dust,
and without morse to eat for twenty four
hours. They were away from their camp,
and without money, and could therefore get
nothing. asked them if nobody had given
them food. They said no-no one had
known of their hunger, and they did not
like to ask! This does not answer to the
popular notion of an invading army-which
is generally supposed to eat its way through
the country Selling whatever i! needs, and
sweeping bare the rcgio, through which it
takes its desolating way. There have been
no more welcome or popular trdrelers in TIA
" for years than this French army. They
march only upon the high roads, they buy
of the peasants and merchants the cattle,
poultry, fruit &C.. which they have to SELL
paying always full price, and in current coin;
and if they hire carts, oxen, mules or don
keys, for purposes Of transportation, they do
hby fair contract and with prompt pay
On the day after the battle l met several
PEASANTS who inquired Of me the way to the
wymasters office as they held written war
rants for small sums Of money for having
bOugh load of wounded from the field to
the hospital. frequently saw soldiers come,
covered with dust and ready to drop with
%sa'igue, directly from the field, into the little
with m NJ be place, and count out their sous
Of vine or piece Of b aifesaRuEacy' Tor a drink
Indifference Of the Soldiers.
Another thing which struck me torciby
Vas the air of Indifference with which the
soldiers seemed to treat the WHOLE affair of
the tight. There was no appearance of ex-
aIaton--no excitement no indication what
ever Of anything out of the ordinary course
Of things among them. | did not hear
shout, not cheer, not song from them al.
They acted as if they had done their days
work, and were glad TO rest little; and that
vas all. The whole thing was regarded by
them as an ordinary business transaction.
The officers were not quite so Indifferent
nor did tLey take quite so common place
view of the engagement; they had apprecia-
Tea ITS Importance, and probably understood
us difficulties better than the men, and talk
ed Of it with corresponding warmth. But
50 far as any show of .teeling was concerned,
on the part of the troops you would never
nave nav supposed that they had been doing any
s.Os more than dig canal or remove tri,
Jung obstacles out of a road over which they
''ao louhd 1t necessary to p1ss.