The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1870-09-16
The Prussian Plan of the Campaign
Against France-A Singular Statement.

A correspondent Of tho Now York
Herald, in u letter dated Carlsruhc,
August 10, says:
You, no doubt, remember how il
was all along, until barely a week ago,
/ expected that the French would take
the initiative in this war, would either
cross tho Rhino at Strasbourg or move
across the Bavarian frontier and car
~ on the war in tho cncmy's country.
You also probably rcco(lcct how every
one believed that the Prussians would
take the defensive, would first occupy
the line upon which they would have
Landau rs a centre, then fall back on
Moselle, and finally mako stand at
Maycncc. Lastly, You cannot have
forgotten (for it occurred within tho
last few days. how astonishcd the
world was when tho Prussians, and
not the French, took tho initiative :;
and then, instead of tho war being
carried into France by tho Prince
Royal. The latter change Of tactics
every one put down to accident, or, at
any rate, to tho fact of tho French
not being ready to cross the Rhine
when they ought to have done so.
We'll, have, within the past few
hours, been shown an official docu-
mont which proves beyond all doubt
that from the very first the plan of
the campaign determined upon at tl,c
Prussian headquarters was exactly
line for line and movement for move
ment what is now being carried on.
Bismarck and Moltkc never intcn-
dcd that shot should be fired in Ger
many. They knew month ago cx-
actly the state Of forwardncss, or ra-
thcr the state of backwardncss, of the
French army. Wherever horses or
provisions were being gathered togc-
thcr for the French, there was Prus-
sian agent taking stock Of tho same.
At Berlin, and, indeed, throughout
Germany, there was but four persons
admitted to know the plan Of inva-
ding France, and not allowing France
to invade Prussia. These wcro Bis
marcl1, Moltke, Blumcnthal and the
King. The idea was, Of course, fos-
tered that tho French would certainly
invade "Fatherland," for by so doing
the national spirit was rendered all
the moro intense. Tho secret was
we'll kept, so well that throughout Eu,
rope every one believed Prussia would
have to act upon tho defensive, and
that French armies would be fed on
German ground. And this belief
worked in another way for tho advan
tage of Prussia. 1t made tho Frcncl,
all tho moro careless about providing
for tho feeding of their army. They
| believed that in one or two days al
most after taking the field they would
be in the valley of the Rhine or that
of the Mosclle, and have all tho crops
and stores at their disposition. But
what if tell you what havc myscI
seen in document which admits oi
no possible doubt, that so long ago as
the 23d July, the exact day upon
which the Prussians would cross tho
frontier in force, and the very places
where they were to cross were alrca
dy settled and named by the initiated
few who directed affairs What if ]
tell you that the advance upon Wies.
senburg, the subsequent following OF
| the French troops, the breaking OF
their limo by attacking them some.
where in the valley OF the Saar and
the forcing of them back upon Metz
or Nancy, if they were not utterly
beaten before, was all mapped out by
master hand in the great art of war
twenty days ago? 1t is impossible
for me to state where or how I got
tho information; but what 1 say is
the fact, and one hardly knows which
to admire most, the head that planned
this attack upon tho enemy that ex,
pcctcd to be the invader, or the mar.
vellous secrecy with which the intcn.
tions of tho Prussian leaders were
concealed so long as thcro was any
reason for doing 30.