The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-08-18
Military Organization in Prussia.

Ine recent eXnlDltl0nS OF pr0WeSS with Wn1Cn
the Prussian army has astonshed the world,
have placed it, in public estimation, in the chief
rank of national military establishments. 1t is
evidently most extraordinary army; its arma-
ment and Commissariat are pronounced not to
! be equalied by those of any other army in !,
Europe, and the moral individual excellence of
the soldiers is stated to be of the highest order
A military critic remarks, and with much truth:
-"Ihe Prussan generals command thinking
bayonets, and find them not the worse tools for
that"
There can be no doubt but that all this excel
ence is TO be attributed to the military organiza-
tion of Prussia, which is based on the principle
that every citizen owes his services to the
country. The law OF that nation demands that
every man shall be a soldier; but, owing to
the limitation of the army to certain number
OF men, every person may not be obliged to
enter the ranks. When the young PruSsian
attains the age Of twenty the State calls upon
him Tor his services, and requires a certain
number to enter the standing army in which
they remain for five years, the last two OF
which are spent IN the reserve. Formerly it
was only necessary to remain in active service
for two years, with the exception of the Royal
Guard, after which the soldier was dismissed
and placed in the reserve, but was liable to be
| called out at any time Tor three years more;
but the present King, when. Prince Regent, in
| 1860, without asking the consent OF the Legis-
| lature extended the regular term of active
| service to three years, which was equiValenG TO
| an increase in the peace establishment by
| nearly one.third. The time OF service tor pro-
| fesslonal men, students, ETC.. however, is only
| one year. Those men between the ages of
| twenty and twenty-five, who are not required
| for the regular army, are enrolled IN the second
| levy of the t0ndlCebT, of which we shall speak
| hereafter. Young men of any station in life
| are however, allowed to enter the army as
| volunteers for one year. without receiving any
| pay, and at the end of the year they go over
to the reserve, in which they remain for two
| years more.
| Having served his term in the regular army,
| the Prussian soldier enters the first levy OF the
| tGnd1cebT, where lie remains for seven years,
and is then transferred to the second levy,
| where he is enrolled for like term. Conse.
| quentlv Prussian subject is not released from
military duty until he is 80 years OF age, his
time of service being divided as tollows:-From
20 to 25 years OF age IN the standing army from
26 to 80 IN the first levy, and from 33 to 80 in the
second levy OF the tdndocehr; the entire period
being nineteen years. The first levy of the
tdpd1Cehr is called out few days in every year
for drilling and manGuvrlng. In war 1t is en-
ployed the same as the regular army, The
second levy is liable to be called out IN time oi
war for the purpose of garrisoning the ortresses.
Thus the LdRd1cehr Is a standing militia which
forms a second reserve of the army, and is aug
mented trC m the ranks of the regular troops,
instead of supplying recruits to them, as Is the
| case i'll some other countries. The standing
army is in fact the military school, and the
tGnd,cehr forms the nucleus OF the army The
hrst levy of the latter performs the annual eX-
ercises with the regular troops, and the eye OF 0
military officer would detect no difference il
the manBuvres of either corps. The second levy
, is likewise a thoroughly experienced military
body, for, as we have shown, it consists chiefly
of soldiers who have been drafted from the
. ,reRular army to the first levy, and from thence
to the second, when arrived at the requisite age
| The horses for the cavalry of the tdndlCehr are
| furnished by the landed owners OF the circle
| during the continuance of the annual exercises
l | When the Prussian arrives at the age of SO
) | and is discharged from the tandlCeIr, his Gov
ernment Is still not content to part with hin
y oil nnth hnV q On no Tin Vi
2 | is now Incorporated into an irregular militia
r called the tGadStI7rn where he remains until h'
' | is co. This body acts as a bome-guard in thu
| event OF foreign invasion; but 1t is only loCa
: | force for defensive purposes and is never called
5 | out except in extreme cases. when even younI
+ men OF from II to 20 are also compelled TO serv
P | in it.
r The military lists of the middle of last yea
t | give us the number of disciplined men in Prus
e sla, whose period of military service has no
1 expired. The standing army on peace foot
4 | ing, Is entered at 2l3,0O0 men, but or wa
4 footing at 647, 900 men; the difference betweel
: | these sums (434, ,000) represents the reserve o
the regular army and the first levy ol the tdnd
! ooehr, which OF course are now under arms TIT
d | second levy of the idndlCehr is put down q
:, | $4,000, which swells the total TO 742, 900. II
e add to this there we're still 900 drilled mel
I III the country who were under 80 years OF age
BY her peculiar military organization II vii
o be seen that Prussia has always an immens
= and thoroughly disciplined force always OF
s hand and ready tor any emergency, and this
S | too, at out q Jrlnlng expense Wheu compared
!, | with the military expenses of other countries
/, tor she only mas to pay for her troops when the
l. ore actually on duty. The lighting quality 0
y the Prussian soldier has been thoroughly teslet
on the battlefield during the present war, willis
o his marching powers have been proved to b
Vt very great and quite equal to those of tn
Y | French in the old war. In fact the order an'
d | the regularity and speed with which the Prus
)f SLAMS entered the enemy's country were YER
st striking; mo precautions" says c0rrespoI
a dent, "were omitted and the army moved as
j ought, exactly ss if an enemy were in front"