The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1870-08-18
The Rhine Frontier.

eiu LdtrPeI ana the ceugTa phIcal relations
OF France and Prussia, attention !, at on,a
drawn to three principal points, viz: the
position "t The turtreSst.> which are bpfwaan
the eastern frontier OF France aud the linz
OF the Rhine, the route which Is natural,
Iaia open by these IurtreS>es To the heart
OF rance AID the Eoutes which connect the
same lortie>ses with tie great centers of
"ermany. W hen the importance of these
s''oh-40iaS Is understood, and when it is
re"Ie'no oeied that they are IN the possession
VI 'UH>ia' Il becomes easy to understand
vs.! france should lie glad Of any pretext
10 justify her IN making IN attempt to get
control of them. As the famon, T,aI;,o
quduLha efai vas TO the Au>trians. so is
th:S German qGadrilateral to the Prussiaos
1t enables them to repeI inv9sion and - 20.
to1' ''ith' u 'of-e' oe'tIrlI aervits mtsuu
favorable for them as could we'll be con
celvcd or desired. The greet fortified
points were until 1868, Coblenrz, Colonne,
Metz and Lux mbourg, but in that year
the latter wa> dismantlcd by the Prussaus
very unwilHngly, and only on the strong
representation Of the other power, which
insisted on the fuifiment of the treaty of
Prague, one provision OF which vas also
the abandOum ut of the fortress Of Nentz
or Mayeucc, which has not b on compiled
with 10 this day by Prussia. Juxemh0urs
having been partly di,mantled, the Prus-
SLAMS have since fortified Saar Louis Cor
mersheim and Landau, winch in very
short time can be placed in a solid attitude,
and which IL reality from bat one place,
aud made to 'ake the position recently Oo-
cupled hy Luxembourg. Meut8 com
mands the cn'rauce 10 the river Main aud
covers Frankfort, CoJleuIz commands the
M0>eie, while Cologne and EhrenbyeitsteiD
command the Rhine at there respective
positions. In addition to these stronghods
the pruSsiaus have planned an entrenched
camp at TTevcs, Such is the German
quadrateraI, which is so situated, more
over. that a Prussian army sheltered within
it would be able attack in flank and rear
French army entering it through Baden or
RhenIsh Bavaria; while, Oh the other hand.
the road to Paris is comparatively indie
tended. Bv way of Saar- Louis, Germer-
shelm and Laudau, Prussia can launch all
the forces she has accumulated behind the
Rhine, betwcen C0blentz and Mentz and
directly upon the feeble point of the
french frontier, between Strasburg and
Nentz, leaving Alsatia isolated by the
/ Nosges; aud turning Mentz by the route
/ through Nancy, size may march directly
upon Paris
/ 1t should not he forgotten that Cohlcntz
| is connected with Maycnce bv double
/ line OF railway on either siuc of the Rhine
and that Cologne is also connected with
7 Coblentz by railway and by the Rhine
/ itself; that from Mayeueo troops can be
sent to Gcrmershelf by two different rail-
ways, aud that the line which runs from
! Saar Louis divides to two branches. The
one leading to Nayence and Cohlentz.
! the other to Gcrmershcim and Landau
! And further, that line has been com
/ pletcd three-touTths OF the way direct
! from Mayence 10 Landau, ard lines are
in progress directly from Cobientz to
/ freves, and from Cologne to the same place
f.a... -! ,+~. :. 80 evident that Prussia
! has been preparing. Looking at Ger
man we had railways uniting the three
gates Of the Rhine, Colgne, Cobentz and
Nayence, with Berlin. and Dresden and
| taS5el the ceurerS Of the North German
| Confederation. The ordinary garrison of
what has been called the Gers1an auad
rllateral, = compo ed OF fifty fo-.r battaions
OF insanity, with cavalry and artillery IN
proportion. and it can te 1uhle in brief
time 10y drawing troops from the adjoining
military centcrS. In few days, by draw
ing from Berlin and Dre>en, the troops
! dttulil Rla't'i tiiEtH 5tt. .ttb men can be
maNsci behind the Rhine. between Cologne
and Nayencc and 200 600 can he sent to
the tortres>es which form the salient points
Of this vast encamDment. Therefore, un-
less the French are very rapid in ,hcir
/ movements they will be exposed to a flank
attack, no matter which route they take.
Times are changed since 1892 and 1906,
when Prussia was ruled by timid princes,
and her armies we're mismanaged by in
competent men like the Duke of 81 unswIck.
So far as can be at present known the con
batapts meet on nearly equal Germs. the
Prus,ians, however, having the advantage
as to position. Should the war last any
time, it will render more than ever appar
ent the fact that the neutrality of Belgium
Is a source Of Inconvenience, if not Of dan
ger, to France Where that httle !ingdom
a part OF the French empire the road to
Berlin would be much more accessible to a
French army than it is Al present.