The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-09-30

home that night. About month latel
his almost brOken-hearted mother re.
ceived a letter from him explaining the
whole affair, and the pOstmark bore
the words Montreal, Canada.n
GEN. BEAUREGARD on THE WAR.
The Ex-Confedcrate Soldier nter.
g4a' TF - viewed,
90, sst iu4 u - aE
A correspondent of the Lynchbure
Republican, writing from Allegheny
Springs, Virginia, relates a converse
ton with Gen. Beauregard about the
war in Europe. Some Of the Generals
views are of interest:
The question was asked: what is the
matter with France? Consider her
former military fame, that of the first
warrihg nation in Europe consider her
patriotism, the devotion and readiness
with which she went to the field, her
noble, unsurpassed postponement of
every political question, of every fac
ton in her legislative body to win the
safety of her country, even the sim
practicales," like Favre and Thiers,
shouting hresistance to the death pi
Look at her ready and even excessive
loans to the Government; her public
spirit risen to height that disdains all
compromises, and hurries to offer all
possible sacrifices. Then why her de-
feat, and her defeat continued and ag-
gravated on every field? Why success
sion of disasters !? Is it not possible
that there may have been treachery in
the French camp, as when the Empe-
ror is reported to have made the eXcla-
ton that che was betrayed" and in
deed you noticed i'm the last accounts,
" the French soldiers in Belgium turn
ed upon their officers and massacred
them" "a1'' l..
= CAUSE OF THE FRENCH FAILURE.
Gen. Beauregard replied at length,
and with a clearness and detail of con-
versatiOn that do not pretend to re-
port, but in the third and distant per-
son. The hypotheses that had been
named, the suspicious of treachery, or
of gross incompetency thrown on par
ticular French officers were possible;
but they were not necessary to answer
the problem of the French defeat. AT
ter all, it might be found in slight
causes. War; modern war, had got tn
be such an elaborate competition, one
so close and exacting, that the least
shade of superiority in any one respect
might incline the balance. The French
system of attack was traditional one.
They relied on momentum, dash. He
referred to an article In the Pail Mall
which compared the military
systems and practice on the field of
France and Prussia. The latter had
the advantage in the close and scrupu-
lous circulation Of everything calculat-
ed to give advantage to the single SOL
dier acting as cOmbatant, and inspir-
ed with the idea that ON his individual
effort depended the fortune of the field.
Here was government that bad stud
led the military efficiency of the man
almost exclusively, to the highest
point. A government more exacting
than the Oriental despotism; but more
intelligent than these. The whole So
ciety of Prussia was a vast, elaborate
camp; the supreme
idea everywhere visible that the man
belonged to the government. Form,
severity was the feature of the civiliza-
ton; popular education was enforced :
even its social industries were Organiz-
ed in Prussia no man could pursue q |
trade unless he had served an appren-
ticeship, or performed certain public |
The idea of the great Fre-
lerich had been constantly cultivated |
since his time, to make q nation of sol |
iiers; organization and discipline in
every department of life; and to-day |
we see its results in the most perfectly
.rained armies, and soldiers the most
having that peculiar COM
oination of steadiness with spirit, that
makes the best soldiers in the world
and that is the end, the elimination
If all military education. -ate
j ATTACKING IN CLOSE COLUMN.
WhO,-and Gen. Beauregard spoke
With suffused face" could doubt the
OF the French soldier? The
people il the world may fall
lnder the complications of science-the
orce of single fact overlooked in the
,rand and elaborate competition of
var.n He had noticed, as far as any,
hing could be discovered from the con-
used dispatches of the newspapers,
hat the French bad adhered totheir
avorite, traditional practice in the
ield, that of attacking in close column.
IN the other hand, the Prussians de-
,loyed their lines, seemed to have the
constant idea of developing the largest
ront of fire, and all the newspapers had
remarked the slowness and
elaboration of their fire. 1t was cir
umstance noticedwith curious unanim-
ty by all the war correspondents. An
Irticie in the Virginian, under his hand,
cad: "The Prussians never attack in
quares." r-I rz.<a
THE ARMS OF PRECISION.
What the General designated as the
rms of precision had changed the
whole character of modern war, and'he
cared that the French had not suffi-
iently accommodated themselves to
he important and radical innovation
made in small arms. Their favorite
dea of attacking in close column, and
arrying the field with rush, was good
u former circumstances; brilliant;
upplied the two conditions of ply steal
and moral inspiratiOn.-f
But the arm of precision has changed
ii that.
INTERVIEW WITH THE
ia EMPEROR.
"I had an interview" said Gen.
"with the Emperor Ma
,oleon in 1861 The fact, as known
o the writer, and obtained by him, not
rom Gen. Beauregard, but from a
member of the press, of Paris, is that
Zen. Beauregard visited the French
apitol in 1865, was received there-at
he Grand Hotel-with an ovation that
his modesty, and was invited
O a special interview with the Empe-
or, who, with characteristic and, in
Iced, noble desire to acquire informa-