The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-09-20
DEFENCE ORP.4RIs.

Can Paris Hold Out Till the French EIIl-
itary Organization is Complete :-The
Probabilities Considered. ..-.,..-
Communication to the London Times.l
As the issue Of the Franeo-Prussian war now
appears to depend on the defence OF Paris, 1t
will be of interest to consider whether there
are sufficient grounds for expecting t1at the
capital will be seriously defended, and II 80,
whether she will be able to hold ont long
enough to give time for completely organizing
| the military inslrrection OF the French people.
| It Is admitted on all hands that such organiza-
| ton Is making rapid and thorough prog
| It is now nearly week since correspondent
orlhe Times stated ''that an observant English
friend Ee who returned yesterday from
tcn' days ramble in Central France
sneaks with the greatest admiration of
| lie spirit. courage and patriotism he
everywhere noticed; the whole population is
arming and drilling;;" and he proceeds to OBJ
serve that "a country like France is not To be
conquered even.sby q million Of well-tralned
and well.armed soldiers belonging to one OF
the most warllke OF European races" Alison
remarks that the French excel all nations In
their faculty tor rapid military organization. It
ispenera!ly admitted, even BY Prussian writer's,
that six weeks drln slffiees to Convert re-
cruit into an efficient soldier, and the Garde
Mobile and other raw French leyies have now
been drilling five hours day for over three
weeks 1t is stated by one. Of your contempora-
ries that the whole nation Is arming, and that
these lsvies will soon amountto =
THREE MILLIONS OF MEN,
two-thirds of whom may be considered service
able under arms Won Moltke Is reported 10
have said that If Napoleon did not see the
Rhine by the 2lst Of July he would never see 1t;
and General Trochu might possibly now retort
that If King William does not enter Paris by the
end OF September he will never enter It,. AS 1t
Is thus evident that the future place OF France
among nations will depend on the number OF
DAYS that Trochu can detan King WIZ m un-
der the walls Of Paris, we may be assn. ed that
/. nonnlation go patriotic and so enthusiastically
proud OF the prestige and military honor of la
ordnde nation, will do their very utmost to de-
lend the capital, and will shrink from no sacri-
fees. however crucial, that. seem calculated to
insure the discontinue OF the PrusSlaa armies:
Thonrhf 81 thus appears certain that Paris will
he Seriously defended, 1t seems to be generally
assumed in this country that such defence can
NOT be sufficiently prolonged to secure the de-
sired resuIt-irst because so populous city
would be speedily starved out. and, secondly.
because the population Of so luxurious and
splendid capital would never endure bonn
bardment. Let us consider now lar these TWO
objections are applicable TO
THE ACTUAL SITUATION.
Asrewards the first, even assuming that the
pluce will not be sufficiently yictualled to sus-
t4in months siege, II cannot be starved ont
until it s invested, and 1t seems to be admitted
that the circuit OF the Gordon Of forts which
surround Paris is too great TO admit of COM
| plete investment BY any force which the Prus-
SLAMS would have available for the purpose,
after deducting for the daily increasing detach-
ments that viii be required to guard their COM
municatlons against the levles marshalling
everywhere to intercept them. The enceinte
of this
GORDON OF FORTS.
exceeds twenty six miles. and the circle OF
fire commanded BY the heavy naval guns, with
which they are being armed, would probably
increase the circuit OF a complete investment
to about forty miles, and in the face OF the
l50, 900 men occupying the circle OF forts, and
possessing the advantage OF interior lines OF
Communications, the Prussians could scarcely
afford to divide or extend their forces to the
extent required ior a complete Investment
The French seem TO consider the west and
northwest of the Gordon too strong to be as
sailable and to be of opinion that the portions
OF the enceinte most likely to be attacked are
those to the north and east, lying between the
Siene. at st. Denis, and the Aarne, near it's
confluence with the Seine, Immediately east
and south of the Bois de Vincennes. This con-
stitutes line of defence about nine miles In
length. defended by eight or nine insulated
forts, with numerous redoubts In their inter-
walls. al, said to be armed with proportion of
the heaviest rifed guns used In the navy, and
as this line of forts Is distant from nearly four
toover FIVE miles from the Place dc Ia Bastie
and Boulevard de Magenta, to which must be
added the further distance which the range OF
their heavy guns would command, 1t ie evident
that no portion of Paris lying within the late
barriers could be efectualiy 6cmbarded until
The exterior lire OF forts was broken through.
And If lie hastily constructed earthworks
that defended the south Of Sebastopol were
able to Eeep ont the French and English for
twelve months, is i too much to expect that
the far stronger works that defend Paris
should o.ccpy the Pruss!ans tor half as many
weeks? and, afte- six weeks of unsuccessful
assaults, delivered with the lavlshness of life
they have .ither.o displayed, wha. would be
the
LOSSES op TEE pRussIAN ARMY
begieging the place? A. Sebastopol the guns
OF attack and defence were equally matched,
and were but ordinary siege and naval smooth
bores; ct Paris, those useG on both sides will
be rlhed; but the French forts will be armed
with the heaviest naval guns, some Of them
journal of the United Service Institution
the Prussian siege guns only throw proiectile
Of fften-seyen pounds, with charge Of one
tenth; and with the railways broken up In
their rear, how many weeks will 1t take the
Prussians to place a siege train, even Of
such guns as these, in position against St.
Denis? am told that, according to the
..arithmetic of sleges,' as sieges were be-
fore the introduction OF rifed guns, forts such
as those around Paris might be expected to hold
ont six weeks; but what effect will. the EN-.
ployme1it Of rifed guns of a power 80 unpre-
cedented in siege operations, t1,u ,as those with
armed have in prolonglng the duration Of the
defence / am not aware OF any experiments
on the penetration "in made earths Of any