Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-10-05
naiscella
The Prussian Soldiery.
THE SECRET OF THEIR SUCCESS.

Our Well-kn0Wn adopted fellow oitlzen,
Friedrich Kapp, now in Germany, writes to
the Nation.
In reading the French papers, you will
find that the defeat is attributed by them 10
the greater number of the Germans. . ad-
nit that thus far We have been stronger on
every field and at any given point than the
French. But does this fact speak in their fa-
vor2 Their population and ours is about
equal. They have between thirty-seven and
thirty.eight millions Of inhabitants, while on
tho other side, the North German Confede-
ration has thirty, Bavaria FIVE, Wurtemberg,
Baden, and Southern Hesse three and half
"a total Of thirty-eight and half millions
The French were three weeks ahead Of US
when they declared war, but they did not
move beyond the frontier for the first blow.
Nevertheless they considered themselves so
sure Of the victory, that they neglected the
most ordinary precautions. Why, then, were
they BEATEN We Germans are better or
ganizod for a war, we have a better and more
thorough way Of doing things in that line,
than the French, They are courageous, gall
liant, and full Of spirit but they do not ca
for the details of the service they lah
under the mistaken idea that everything ca'
be done and carried out by impetuosity and
| bravery.
The strength Of our organization does not
lie in the ono per cent. Of the population
which forms the regular army, but in Tho
number of those who have served their time
and in case Of war are called in as resery3
and landwehr. Every year 100000 fully
drilled men are mustered out of the standing
Il e. 1.nli, -, otttf
duty in the field for nine moro years. Thus,
while the standing army numbers only 300, 600.
our reserve and landwehr are 100000 strong.
They are tho flower of the nation--none
younger than twenty aud none older than
thirty-two The French have only enlisted
men. Their last effort to initiate the German
system was frustrated by the egotism Of the
ruling classes, who did not feel disposed to
devote part of their time, and, in case Of
need, their lives, to the service Of their coun-
try.
When the Germans troops moved towards
the frontier, everything was ready for battle;
the smallest strap Of the knapsack, the last
button Of the coat of the steward, were in
their places. Formerly, the normal time Of
mobilizing the army was fortnight. This
time less than week was required in some
instances, the work was done in four days.
Again, formerly the forwarding Of an army
corps by railroad took either FIVE, or at the
utmost eight, days, for it was supposed that
railroad could not forward more than twenty
or tweuty-four trains Of troops day. Each
army corps requiring one hundred and thirty
to one hundred and fifty trains, the whole
number of trains for ten TO eleven corps
thus amounted to from thirteen hundred to
eighteen hundred We have five trunk lines
running from east to west at our disposal,
and, instead of ten to eleven days for for.
warding the army to and beyond the Rhine,
only six days were required; instead Of thir-
ty, we had forty and fifty trains day, the
, Government dispatching train about every
forty five minutes On coming from Cologne
to Berlin, | counted sixty-three military
trains, each Of which contained about one
thousand men. A battery of artillery (six
Ipieces) occupied five to seven cars. The SER
, vice was done with wonderful promptitude and
exactness Not one train was behind time,
and only two accidents happened. The SOL
| diers, who were expressly drilled for this kind
, of railroad service, entered and left the cars
| with as little noise and delay as the passen.
/ gers OF an express train. | was present when
n the Second Regiment of the Guards three
thousand men--eft Berlin; they marched
: along the platform, and each car having the
q number it could hold marked on the outside
b. las, for instance, forty men or six horses,
n etc.,) they were seated in about three minutes.
After the first weeks service the employees
4 were SO accustomed to their work that they di-
o spatched trains laden with soldiers as rapidly
J.. as passenger trains The whole Second Arm ?
Z Corps (pomeraniansl was sent from Berlin ,
Noukrchon near Saarbrucken, in fifty houl
!. feeding, drinking, and marching included }
and arrived there punctually to the minute.
d This spirit ofpunctuality and strict obedi-
ence to the orders of his superior has been IN
e culcatcd into every Prusian and North German
g from his earliest youth. The whole trainin F,
il Of the nation is prominently military, and,
whatever bad effects it may have in other re-
:. ations and at other times, in emergencies like
d the present one it is wonderfully adapted for
Q carrying out even the most difficult military
It task. These qualities cannot be drilled into
ID man in a month or year they must be in
ID terwoven with his feeling and thinking; they
must work by tradition as well as by present
N practice. In Prussia, these traditions and
ID practices are now two hundred years old.
But higher than this personal efficiency
ir value the moral tone Of the German army
0nr soldiers go to the war TO defend their
v hearths and homes, to repel an attack, TO settle
ID our relations to France SO fully and thorough.
ly that she will never again venture to pro.
IN woke us. 1t is bad job, you can hear every
: landwehr-man say, but il must DO done We
~ know that we ruin our business, but now the
m time for defeating the French once and for
, ever has come. There is an earnest resigna
,e tion and firm resolution in these men which
,e deserves the highest admiration from every
4 impartial observer. All classes Of society
N are represented in this popular army. EyaE
in New England regiment you could fo