The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-08-18
MACMAHON'S ARMY.

Muster in and March from strusbours-On
tho Route to Hagucnnu--Fcrce Of the Corps
Of Characterization the Troops Appeared
Zouaves and Turcos-Camp Morale and
Courtesy.
HEADQUARTERS MACMAHoN's ARMY CORrs)
STRAsBoURG, August 8, 1870.
This has been stirring day In Strasbourg Ever
hnce three A. NJ. troops have been deflling from
sheir various encampment5, ana taking the road al
most directly north to Haguenau small town about
twenty miles from this, to which the Headquarters
Of Marshal MacMahon's army corps proceeds TO-
morrow. do not know whether you win find
Haguenau pronounced, by the way, Agunau) on
the map. I have by me five different maps OF the
northeastern and eastern frontiers OF France and
can only find the place upon one Of them. But you
can easily pick 1t out when tell you that 1t Is on
the line OF rail that goes from this place to wssem
bourg, and 80 to Landau and Mannheim.
The whole Of the French army, seven corps in ALL
will with the exception OF one corps which is to
be left at Colmar to the south Of this and act as
an army OF observation upon the Prussian corps
under the Crown Prince, which, as said yesterday,
is massed behind the Black ForesD then he upon the
frontier the left upon Thionvile, with outposts to
the very verge OF Luxembourg, the right upon Ha-
guenau, with outposts there upon Carlsrune.
FRENCH TROOPS IN THEIR WAR PAINT.
The troops that marched to the front this morning
corps darnlee and all the artillery The former
consisted OF two brgades under Generals OF Brigade
St. Heriler and Lerebre General OF Division Raout
commanding the division.
The Brigade st. Heriller Gr is the custom In the
French army to call brigades after the OF the
generals who command them) is composed OF the
Eighth Ohasseurs a Pied-one battanon-and the
Thrty-sixth and Forty-eighth regiments Of the line
In all about 4,s00 men.
The Brigade Lefebre was composed OF the Second
Turcos and the Second Zouaves, about T. 400 men,
And thus General Raoults division Of infantry
numbers some 0, 200 men.
The troops were for the first time fairly In their
war paint, and very ugly paint 1t is with some Of
them. The first regiment to pass through was the
Second Zouaves consisting of three battalions of
coo men EACH The men had slowed away their red
baggy trousers and wore those garments
made OF brown cotton or linen. The regi-
ment was composed Of three battalions, making
together about 2,400 OF all ranks. The men
certainly looked very ready, but they
also looked exceedingly rough. In plain English,
never in my life saw such dirty looking set of vaga.
bonds. l do not mean to say that they were COW
cred with dust or mud which in dry or rainy
weather may happen, and must happen, to any sol.
der; but they looked uubrushed, unkempr, each
man carrying on his back an immense load OF diff
Ms unlike his neighbor as he possibly could be-.
should also liked have paid dollar for every
man In their ranks who had washed his face to-day
II any one would have paid me a cent for every man
among them who had not touched water as to his
outward person for the last twenty -four hours.
should nave been considerable gamer by the bar.
gam,
now THEY CO.
A French infantry soldier Is always heavily laden
the line OF march, In my opinion far TOO much so,
Besides his knapsack he carries one-third of the
including both canvas and poles. TO this is added
three days ratOns, ninety rounds OF ammunition Q
heavy blanket still heavier cloak and his share Of
the cooking pots. How men can march, and, still
more, how they can march and fight under such
3 burden, Is perfect marvel Moreover, 1t
can do even toleraby well with such loads upon
them, they must DO very much better without
them, and the question is whether it would not be
wiser to weigh them down less and let them have
pr0portonatey less comfort when they get to their
Journeys end. But am quite sure That Of the two
ment that marched out OF Strasbourg to-day there
were not score who had not added greatly to the
upon their knapsacks, others strings OF onions, cab
bages or other vegetables Some had large stone
(ror Zouave never steals long as he has money
TO buy, and they are oil well of, comparatively, ut
ea 81 strings s e e to hs npny Of 9 hss
being considerably higher than the top OF
tile bearers head. Potatoes also seemed TO
be q favorite possession with many, and
some OF them carried their heads bags filed with
-four vegetables, coffee, bread OF finer quantity
than their rauons or what not. These were, however
only the provfdent members of the regiment, and
every Zouave takes pride in being provident as re-
CARDS his food for the future as well as for the pre-
j0ent i'0 e~+-
Their officers tell me that they have known the
men go through months OF heavy campaign in AL
rerla. carrying as matter OF course the third OF
Tent the three days, rations, the blanket the great
icoa the pack, the cooking pots and oil that they
are obliged to carry, and in addition TO these always
burdcning themselves with extra weight Oh some
sort or other. 4ef
Apart from these, the provdent men OF the corps,
there were very many, certainly third, VINO IN