The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-18

nome garrison SeIVlce. Dus eo.o tS NN.J
counter6alanced by the fact that 1t is lmpos-
sible for him to commit himself far from the
French frontier without leaving go consider
able an active force as could check, for time
at least. apy movement by bis enemies across
his flank and rear With o view OF operating
directly against the French capital. such IN
formation as we have, therefore, combines with
former experience and Mith strategical con,
Ssideratiops to make us believe that the real
field force carried forward, If the Frereh take
/. the offensive, will hardly exceed quarter OF
million Of men. - -,
Turnin1 to the Prussian side, we are able
nom the nature Of the case, to spsak more
Is, 80 fixed and definite, aud. was 60 exactly
carried out into effect four years ago, that we
may fairly calculate upon 1t as basis. There
arc eleven Prussian srmv corps raised IN as
many provincial districts, besides that OF
saxony Tin every military respect now Frus-
sian province numbered the 12th. thu
ateentb; selected by special recruitment over
the whole klogdom. forms the Guard Lca CSrPs, Pls
that the 9Th, 10Th and l1th, lately raised IN
Schleswig- -Holstein, Hanover. and Cassel, may
not have their lists OF Reservisteh Tor supple.
mentary rank and file OF over three years
servics) properly complete. Yet on the whole,
as some Of the corps exceed the normal
strength, and as there is Hesse-Darmstadt
not be too much to assume the active force
now collecting 1T 800 600 m en-, or 30 corps.
The Iandwehr-old soldiers for the most
part-can certainly guard fortresses as well as
the Garde Mobile OF France, being in fact, ex-
cept as regards their beng usually encumbered
by family ties, 90 useful body otreserye as
could be desired for the second line OF coun-
try'to be defended. Between these two bodies
come the Depot Battalons, or Ersatz Reserves
the numbers Of which are very variously esti.
mated, for the reason chiefly that its members
are IN two bans or categories, the second OF
NhIct e0hHists largely OF men Who have not
been found physically efficient as recruits ana
which, though enrolled, the State does not
care to train The real OF hrsselass th;rS Ersd :;
the 1e0, ,o6O who are on the paper strength OF
the Confederation army under this head; but
these 60. 900 men, unlike the LandWehr, are
anecialIy hald liable to fill up vacancies IN the
line, and are, in fact, in time OF war, recrults
preparing for ,field-seryice at the depots. Ex-
cludipg Landwehr and certain garrison pat
tslions, 1t may be estimated that the NORTH
Germans could, upon full strain, place nearly
UO, 600 men in the field, or rather SEQ, 900 men
at once, with supplement OF 5000 getting
ready to fill up the vacant places IN the RANKS.
-Of the distrlbusion OF these vast numbers
little yet is known, except that the genera
movement is towards the Rhine, where Gener-
al Herwnrtb-probably the finest speclmens
a1tant Of the old Prussian school OF otheers-
ooyers the lower section OF the river withithe
IN. 9th and 11th lRhenish, Westphahan, and
Cassel) army corps. The consolidation OF
these was not completed when this week began;
when finished, the General, II retaining tue
command, will naturally front from the Mosele
towards the French with his $1,000 men. AA
the keeping Of General Vogel von Falkenstein,
the captor Of the Hanoverian King and army
in the last war, who, with headquarters at
hanover, commands the Hanoverlans (10sh,)
the schleswig- -Holstein (9th, the East Prussian
and Porneranian list and 2d) army corps.
Berlin adyices, however, show such heavy
movements Of troops to the west from the last
two provinces, that We suspect strongly that
Vopel will not have left him the whole OF inc
four corps. Supposing HIM to be, allowed
100000 for the protection OF the ports and to
cover the capital, there are Just 2OO ,0OO men
left to be concentrated in the chief army on
the Rhine. As Herwarth's command is as
signed to him, and the Crown Prince is to lead
a third army. composed wholly or chiefy OF
putting this force down as a first army, under
Prince Frederic Charles, and concluding 1t to
be concentrating about Frankfort and Mayence.
No means are as yet at hand to enable us to
udge whether this is strictly 80, or whether
Prussian corps or more will not, as is most
probable, be handed over tine Guards; oth
and 6th, have all fought under the Crown
Prince oefore,) to form the nucleus OF the
sonth German forces. These, already constl-
futed as the Third Army OF the Confederation,
are placed under the command OF the Crown
Prince, an officer OF whose v1gor, careful
study: of his profession, and ability to Judge
che terrain before him, the Bohemian campaign
furnish at least one strong army corps, being
able 10 put from A, 600 to 1000 men into the
f1eld at will. The Wurtemberg aud Baden
Governments can each produce a strong .dl-
vision; aud these, added to the condogent due
from the part Of Hesse-Darmstadt below the
Main, would together supply corps rather
less in number than the Bavarian, but OF excel
lent material. A SINGLE Prusslan corps, II
added as before suggested, will bring the
Crown Princes muster roll up to more than
1OO. 900 combatants; but the South German
troops can hardly be ready for the field as soon
~ their great ally. except possibly the Baden
division, which, for some time past, by the
By Prusstan general on Prussian principles.
Recapitulating the whole, therefore, it ap-
pears that the Germans will soon, II tune is
given them, face their enemy with three sepa-
rate armies amounting to about $40, 900 men,
the largest being in the centre; and II We have
erroneOusly underrated the exact. French
strength, We are not inclined to believe that it
Oopfedel atloI has It's forces fairly In the field.
We have now 10 glance she billy at the theatre.
Every ono viii understand that the French
front OF operations is tar more limited at pres
ent than in former wars. The whole Rhine
below Coblentz is practically closed ty the
naturalization Of Luxembourg and Belgium,
Bnd above Strasbourg by that OF Switzerland.
To move by his own left and the Moselle would
commit the Emperor into q broken country
terminating in tho gUrges OF the river, with
the additional difficulty Of the great fortress
Of Coblentz aud It's impreenabe outwork,
EhrenbreltstelD, lying IN his path and re-
ouiripg TO be masked by large detachment.
In case Of DIS taking q bold offensive, there
fore. We may assume that it will be somewhere
through The Vosges mountains, which are w
easy Of ascent from the French side, and so
penetrated BY grea. roads and railroads as to
Sorm no practical obstacle to his descent into
fine PaIatInate. such q descent I've are sup
posing him not at tlrst to be met IN great
force) would bring him by movement due
eastward on Landau-s BaVarian fortress now
adays fallen into lthe sec 'nd-rate rank-or
northeast on Mayence, or, keeping TO the
southeast within his OWE frontier, TO Stras-
bourg.
Mayence IS not only immensely strong in it
sell. but is situated opposite the junction OF
the MAN WITH the RHINE, the stream tor ning
the letter 8 with the top towards the French;
10 that to invest it has at all times given them
lhe special difficulty that 1t cannot 10 shut in
but by dividing the investing forces INTO three
;enarate frsctions. 10 do this, except IN case
u q great victory previously WOO, must be
considered ont of the question, and we believe
t may coon be FUND that this fortress is IN
eality the most important by far i'll all Eu-