Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-09-23
GEN. BEAUREGARD ON THE WAR,

, The EI-confederate Soldier Interviewed
Why the French Were whipped Fatal
Errors in Attack-An Opinion OF Napo.
leon and Trochu.
A correspondent Of the Lynchbure Re
publican, writing from Allegheny Springs
! Virginia, relates conversation with Gen.
eral Beauregard about the war in Europe.
Some of the Generals views are of inter.
est,
/ The question was asked What is the
matter with France Consider her for
mer military fame, that of the first waring
natlon In Europe-consider ker patriotism,
the devotion and readiness with which she
went 10 the held, her noble, unsurpassed
postponement of every political question.
OF every faction in her legislative BODY TO
win the safety OF her country-even the
"1mpracticables'' like Favre and Theirs
shouting resistance to the deathw Look
at her ready and even excessive loans to
the government; her public spirit risen to
a height that disdainG all compromises
and hurries to offer all possible sacrifices.
Then why her defeat, and her defeat con
tlnued and aggravated on every field :?
Why this succession of disasters /? Is il
not possible that there may have been
sreachery In the French camp, as when
the Emperor IS reported to have made the
exclamation that che was betrayed''-and
indeed you noticed the last accounts. s'the
French soldiers in Belgium turned upon
their officers and massacred them!'
CAUSE OF THE FRENCH FAILURE.
General Beauregard replied at length,
and with a clearness and detail of CONVEX
satlon that do not pretend to report but
In the third and distant person. The by
potheses that had been mentioned, the
suspicious of treachery or of gross incom-
potency thrown on particular French off
GERS, wero possible, but they were not ne
cessary to answer the problem of the
French defeat. After all, it might be
found IN slight causes. War-modern
War-had got to be such an elaborate COM
petition, one so close and exacting, that
the least shade Of superiority in any one
respect might incline the balance. The
French system of attack was traditional
one; the relied on MON entum, dash. He
referred to an article in the Pail Mall Ga
zette, which compared the military sys-
TENS and practice on the field of France
and Prussia. The latter had the advant-
age IN the close and scrupulous calculation
of everything calculated to give advant-
age to the single soldier acting as a COM
batant, and inspired with the idea that on
his individual effort depended the fortune
OF the field. Here was government that
had studied the military efficiency of the
man, almost exclusively, to the highest
point. A government more exacting than
Oriental despotism, but more intelligent
than thsnSs tns IAe9 gfala ta seeeiatyw at
BILE than the man belonged to the govern
ment. Form, severity, was the feature of
| their civilization; popular educ alton was
enforced; even its social industries were
organized; in Prussia man could not pur-
sue trade unless he had served an ap-
p6 in
conditions. The idea of the great Fred
erick had been constantly cultivated since
his time, to make nation of soldiers; or
gauization and discipline in every depart
ment of life; and to-day we see it's results
| in the most perfectly trained armies-sol-
diers the most obedient yet enthusiastic,
| having that peculiar combination of stea-
diness with spirit that makes the best SOL
diers in the world-and that is the end,
the elimination of all military education.
ATTACKING IN CLOSE COLUMN.
| "Who'-and General Beauregard spoke
with suffused face" could doubt the
courage of the French soldier? The bravest
people in the world may fall under the
complications of soience-the force of a
single fact overlooked in the grand and
elaborate competition of war;" He had
noticed, as far as anything could be dis
covered from the confused dispatches of
the newspapers, that the French had ad-
hered to their favorite, traditional practice
in the field, that of attacking in close col
umn. On the other hand, the Prussians
deployed their lines, seemed to have the
constant idea of developing the largest
front of fire, and all the newspapers had
invariably remarked the slowness and de-
liberation of their fire. 1t was circum-
stance noticed with curious unanimity by
all the war correspondents. An article In
the Virginian, under his hand, read: ''The
Prussians never attack in squares"
THE ARM OF PRECISION.
What the general designated ns " the
arm of precision had changed tho whole
character of modern war, and he feared
shat she French had not sufficiently accom-
mOdated themselves to the important and
, radical innovation made in small arms
Their favorite idea of attacking in close
column and carrying the field with q rust
was good in former circumstances bril-
liant supplied the two conditions of ply
sical momentum and moral inspiration
, But the arm of precision had changed al
that.
, BEAUREGARDS S INTERVIEW WITH TIE EN-
} PERoE.
81 had an interview" said Gen. Beaure
: gard, ''with the Emperor Napoleonin 1866.
The fact, as known to this writer, and OBJ
tanned by him, not from General Beau
regard, but from member of the press o1
a Paris, is that General Beauregard visited
! the French capital in 1866 was received
, there-at the Grand Hotel-with an ova
tion that surprised his modesty, and wa
invited to a special interview with tn,
Emperor, who, with characteristic and
: indeed. noble desire to acquire informa
ton, asked our great Southern genera
pointedly what most remarkable and sig
nifcant fact he had observed in the wa
out of which he had jnst come with world
wide and immortal reputation. Genera
: Beauregard replied with dissertation OF
the use of the small-arm. He gave th
Emperor a manual illustration of the sub
} ject, repeating his remarkable convictio
3 of the change which tie arm of precisio
Il had made IN the art of war. That arr
had made calculation tho virtue of tb