The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-03
"WAN rED-A GENERAL. ;"
From the N. Y. Sun.


''WAN rED-A GENERAL"
From the N. Y. Sun
On August 20 special correspondent of
the Sua, himself a Frenchman, telegraphed
to us from Paris that ''generalship to help
the country out of its difficulties is utterly
wanting;' and scarcely two weeks ago the
Paris PdtTfe, now or recently published in
Poitiers, prefxed to its leading article the
title, "W anted-a General" The confession
is as significant as it is humiliating A nation
naturally warlike and fond of martial fame
and which has devoted its genius and
resources to the establishment of military
system considered inferior to none in exist
ence, has found itself in time of need without
a competent leader. France, threatened with
complete subjugation, looks over her long
roll of generals, many of them bronzed and
SCARED by years of service, aud finds
only routine officers and martinets-vali-
ant men enough doubtless, but incapable
of directing great tarmies-or the incompetent
favorites of the late Emperor, whose incapa-
city is the laughing stock of the very men
they assume to command. With the excep-
ton of Trochu, it may be doubted whether
there is French gegeral of high rank living
who can conduct campaign on a compre-
hensive scale This is the lamentable result
of eighteen years of imperial rule. The first
Bonaparte being a transcendent military
genius, gathered around him circle of great
generals. The last Bonaparte, being only an
adroit intriguer, discouraged eminent mill
tary talent, and surrounded himself with ad-
venturers great only as public plunderers.
Such were st. Arnaud his first commander
in the Crimea, and Lebouf his last chief of
staff. But until the commencement of the
present campaign the people-nay, even the
Government itself-believed the French army
invincible.
Thus far the representative men of the
French army, the MacMahons Bazaines,
Canroberts, and Frossards, have shown them
selves to be fighting generals only; and fight
ing generals who cannot look beyond the
efforts of mere personal courage, we know
from bitter experience are an expensive
luxury. Leaving out of view the misman-
agement which, in the beginning of the cam
paign, caused the French army DO be severed,
and the main body to be cooped up in Metz,
while the defeated fragments retreated upon
Chalons, it is necessary only, in order TO
prove the incompetency of the French CON-
manders, to consider the ill-fated movement
of MacMahon toward Sedan, which practi-
cally resulted in the destruction of the entire
army originally confronting the Prussians in
Lorraine. The diary of a French officer
attached to the Fifth Corps, under General
de Failly, extracts from which are published
in the PdH Mall Gazette, throws considerable
| light on this subject.
To effect his hazardous flank march, Mac
Mahon should have had thoroughly dis
ciplined force, we'll equipped, and, above
one of the most difficult that a general could
undertake, and without good troops success
| was scarcely possible. But what does Mac
Mahon do! This last hope of the French
army collects a mass of demoralized fugitives
and raw levies. From the abundant supplies
at Cbalons be furnishes his men with few
biscuits each, and gives the order to march,
| expecting an army of over hundred thou
! sand men to subsist on the country it is about
| to traverse. So much for the foresight of the
| General. OF course, the biscuits were soon
! deyoured by the hungry soldiers, and they
! were left to shift for themselves, notwith-
standing it was all-important that they
shou oppose the enemy with full strength
as well as with courage and discipline. They
barely kept themselves alive when not under
| fire of the Prussians, by begging or stealing
| bread and potatoes from the peasants, and
even of such supplies the amount was INSULT
ciGnt. II We may credit the diary, for six
days, from August % to August 81, the troops
received no Tations of any kind, but foraged
| ON the country. In every encounter during
| that time, in toilsOme marches over ploughed
fields heavy from rains, and in their brief
and comfortless bivOuacs they suffered the
ceaseless papgs of hunger. And this mob of
half-starved men was the army with which
MacMahon expected to confront twice or
thrice the number of Germans, flushed with
victory, and to effect junction with Bazaine
To insufficiency of food, incompetent gen.
eralship and neglect of discipline seem to
have been added. Corps and divisions
marched by themselves, apparently without
directions from any controlling head, and the
superior officers kept themselves aloof when
their presence was most needed. Thus, after
long engagement with the enemy on Au-
gust 80, the 9TH Corps marched the whole of
the night, without rest or food, toward Beau
mont. But we will quote the words of the
diary
"August 3O-We arrived at Beaumont, a hilly aud
woody country, at 4 A. M. The men are utterly eX-
hausted by the march, by hunger. and above all by
want OF sleep. There Is no possibility OF bringing