Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-08-31

The Prussian Campaign.
There seems TO be no halt in the movement
of the Prussian armies on Paris Bazaine is
enclosed in Metz, and Mcmahon is watching
his chances on the north, ready to move to
the relief of Metz or Paris, as he shall be
able, or as the exigcncy may require The
advance Of the Prussians is within sixty miles
Of Paris, and before the end Of the week un-
less some undrcsmed Of contingency occurs,
will be within sight Of the dome Of Les In
valdes. Already with wise provision the
the Government is removing the masterpieces
of art from the salons of the Louvre, and
making the city ready for the onset and occu-
patton of the Germans. The Crown Prince
procaims that he makes war not against the
nation, but against the Emperor Napoleon,
and mitigates so far as possible the evils
which must bcial a country through which an
invading army is passing Thus far the
course of the war has been to US wholly unex
pected. We supposed that the French would
at first be victorious, and that the close Of the
struggle would only witness their defeat
But while they have fought with heroic and
desperate valor, and won the admiration and
honor Of the world for their fortitudo under
successive defeats, and their constant at
tempts to retrieve their disasters yet their foes
have been more numerous and powerful, and
have been handled with sagacity and steadi-
ness aud brillancy, in which they could not
compete. 1t is apparent that the German
armies are all moving by the impulse Of one
will The Crown Prince, Frederick Charles
and Steinmitz are the simple and powerful
executors Of single mind and single plan.
Somewhere at the Prussian headquarters there
is master of military science who Celebrates
the whole plan Of the campaign; calculates
the amount of material necessary to overcome
the resistance /; makes provision for each de-
feat and every success furnishes reinforce
ments as and when they are needed, and d.
reefs the course Of the armies and indicates
when ard where to deliver the swift and tell
ing blows that have fallen upon the French
Empire and armies as the very thunderbolts
of the sky If the director of the Prussian
campaign is Won Moltke, as he is said TO be,
then Germany is as fortunate in its military
chief, as it is in its military commanders. He
is the most remarkable man of modern days
in organizing aud directing and handling i'm
mense armies And he is the most fortunate
Of men in having Generals under his orders
who are able to carry into effect his plans aud
orders. Preserving his counsel with an in
scrutable silence, he moves the armies of Ger
many like the pieces upon a chess-board, with
amazing rapidly and resstess power. HeI
of France to its last line of defonscs, and his
hand is already laid upon the crown which
was baptized in the blood of the memorable
coup detdt. 1t would seem as if the Meme
sis of history was reaping its rovenges on him
who shed tho innocent blood of the boulevards
in AS.
There is sort of pathos of patriotism in
which the celebrated Hyacinthe, mindful of
the pricstly duty not to imbrue his hands in
the blood Of men, offers his services with |
shovel and spade in the bitches and on the
Notifications of Paris. There was a wonder
full beauty of vain heroism in the self sacr-
fee of Douay, who yielded his life to the |
bullets Of the enemy rather than bear the sor-
row Of defeat. There is strange fascination
in the accounts of the wild and almost frantic
enthusiasm which is arming for the defense
of the capital but nothing Of all this piety
of patriotism and romance of self devotion
and headlong conservation stays for a moment
the terrible march of the German invaders
Even as this is read the needle gun may be
within the range of Paris and the destinies
of Napoleon be put by the genius Of Won
Moltke in the hands of King William. The
Germans have been vilfed as barbarians, but
we have reason to believe that they have
modified so far as possible the terrors of war
by the laws Of modern civilization We doubt
not that there will be none of the outrages
which have attended former European wars.
The sack and rnpine of Nladgcburg and Of
the German cities in the thirty years war,
will not be repeated now For if the yictors
in this strife should forget that their conflict
is not with the armed forces of the Empire,
and should devote the cities and towns of
France to outrage and sack and its non-com-
batants to every horrible indignity of ancient
warfare, then the fruits of victory would
turn to ashes in their hands. But we do not
think chat Germany herself would tolerate
such abuses of war. She will be satisfied,
not with humliating, outraging and disgrace
ing France, but with the overthrow of the
Emperor and his dynasty. This accomplish
ed, and there is nothing to stand iu the way
of peace. As things now look it will not
take two weeks longer to accomplish this re-
suit. ra ...
| Ex-senator Sumner was the recipient, the
other day, of box from Nevada, containing
some inferior rice, pair of old Chinese shoes
and an anonymous letter, the latter rather
scurrilous in terms but sugpesting that MS