The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-08-18
ON THE RHINE.

SUNDAY, y uly "A.
There is a fine bridge over the
Rhine here, high also above the mar
row and quaint streets, and over it
last evening | watched the bloused
and dusty workmen go singing Arm
Rheinl" as they came In from the
country to take their places in the
Landwehr forces. / have learned,
during my few hours stay here, that
these apparently silent German towns,
AK la Chapelle, Cologne. Mayence,
and one or two others, are full of in
tensest activity, concealed, however,
from the casual eye. Two thousand
men are engaged here In strengthen
ing the Notifications, which are al
ready among the most formidable in
Europe. We heard, on the frontier
yesterday, that we should find the
good old city in a state of seige. But
mol we wandered out of the train-a
stiff backed officer waived us out of
the station, as he saw we were stran-
gers. and we were amid the people and
soldiery at once. Let me picture
them for you.
There were hundreds of young
men-boys-waitiug at the station
until they could be transferred to the
various points along the frontier.
Nearly all were clad in the very sim.
plest manner, and carried little bun
dies. hurriedly made up, Of provis.
ions or clothing, which showed that
they had not lost a moment in obey
ing their country's summons. Every
few moments . fresh group come In,
singing some jolly. marching song,
and laughing and joking as if going to
wedding. Old comrades were recog-
nized, and eagerly embraced and
kissed, and the new comers usually
SET off at once for the neighboring
shops, where they at once began to
buy the few things lacking for their
outfit. There was but very little
cheering; every one seemed to oonsld-.
er It a very common and natural
thing that he should be called out to
serve the country, and went TRANQUILITY
about his business, seemingly
unconscious of the perfectly
frightful odds against his life.
Great numbers of horses were
gathering through the town, rid
den by workmen who had not yet
donned their uniforms, and camp
stores in long trains ereaked away 70
right and left. Nearly every man IN
the LandWehr forces here was smoK-
ing long porcelain pipe or muncnlng
a huge sausage and the black bread
for which this section OF Geruany ls
so famous. The officers, grave ana
spectacled, of the various. line regl-
ments now quartered here, were
stalking up and down in the market
places and squares, talking TRANQUILITY.
There were a greater number OF In
tellipent faces among the Germans
than in an ordinary French regiment.
was surprised, too, to mole what a
large proportion of the lighting IN
this war is to be done by boys. MANY
and many a French regiment that 1
have seen march out of Paris mas
been painfully young, and here the
whole male population seems on Ioot'
The King is coming here next week,
to be nearer the actualfghtlpg ground
when hostilities commence, and tele-
graph Office and news bureau are Pc
ing arranged for him in one Of ne
principal hotels. To-day extra ON
cial bulletins, posted up In all puplIc
places, announce that the CroWn-
Prince, eager to do do his duty 10 oe-
tense of his country, will take an ac-
tive command" and also that Lhe
French Kaiser has been terribly III
The KldddeTGddtsch, the Berlin COM
ic paper, which has done more 20
bring on the war than has anything
else in Prussia, is filled with pictures
of Napoleons with wry faces and con-
vulsed stomaehs, and with grave nlng
William looking on in silent 0on'
tempt. The Queen of Prussia has
placed herself at the sanitary Com
missions head. and is active IN pre-
paration for field hospitals and the
transport of wounded. We hear to-
day that at Frankfort. where the
Prussians were so hated four years
ago, addresses have been publlsheo
calling on all good citizens to unite
for Germany's defense. The National
Liberty PARTY, so numerous In the
North German Parliament, has never
uttered a word against the war. 1t
has voted all the money asked for,
and so have all tbs State Parllaments.
So King William, with Bavaria. Wur-
temburg and Baden in his favor, may
take courage.
Coblentz is at present the head
quarters of the Prussian army. Every
one who has sailed down the Rhine
knows its commanding position, on
the lordly rock of Ehrenbreitsteiu,