Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-07-29
The French and Germzn Armies.

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ACCORDING to the best authorities the
land forces of the North German Confed-
eracy-(it is with the North German Con-
federacy, and probably with all the Ger
man States except the Austrians, and not
with Prussia alone, that France has IN
volved herself in warfare superior
in numbers to those of France, and the
Prussian reserves are troops of the same
calibre as those who will first be sent
against the enemy; whilst the French
reserves are almost all mere recruits. The
French feet, on the other hand, Is incon
parably. superior to that of the North
German Confederacy in every respect
The French navy counts in all 331 war
steamers, of which thereare twelve large
ironclads, sixteen ironclad frigates, TWEEN
ty-six so-called mixed frigates, sixty-nine
corvettes, seventy-fve transports, twenty
nine floating batteries and fotilla of 1O4
small river steamers, besides about seven
ty sailing war vessels. 1t is undeniably
the swiftest and most available fleet in
Europe -more than a match in every re-
spect, even to that Of England. Upon
the action of the fleet the success of the
French operations is principally calculat-
ed. A sufficient number of French war
vessels can be stationed at the mouth OF
the Elbe and the ,Weser, the Oder and the
Vistula, to successfully blockade all the
ports of the North German Confederacy,
and there will yet remain an immense
fleet for the transportation of troops and
other operations on the open sea, or upon
the rivers. The hope of the Emperor to
terminate this war by one short victorious
campaign in the same manner as he closed
his previous war enterprises is essentially
based upon the CELEBRITY with which he
can throw vast numbers of troops into
the interior of the enemy's country. In
case Of q first failure Of his policy, the
campaign may be either prolonged in
definitely or even at once decided in favor
of the North German Confederacy, should
the Prussians temporarily abandon a por-
ton of their territory and concentrate all
their forces at one point and then invade
the French territory. ~
Thus it will be seen that the war will
be conducted on an entirely different sys-
tenn from our own. For whilst the
French can reach the northern parts OF
Germany in'a avery short time, by their
fleet, the German troops may cross the
eastern border of France with the same
celebrity, and either of the principal armies
may possibly stand in. the enemy's coun-
try and there decide the war. But when
and wherever they meet, this struggle
will be OF the greatest magnitude;l be-
cause the two largest and best-drilled and
best-equipped armies of the old continent
will contend for the supremacy.
Entirely different as the organization
and spirit of the two armies may be, they
are, in many respects, equal. The Prus.
slams showed, during the last campaign
against Austria, that they can be as i'm
petuous in the attack as the French, and
no one doubts that they are possessed of
as much, If not more, endurance. In a
moral sense the North German sarmy,
however, has great advantage over the
French, in that it is taken indiscriminate-
ly from every class of the population,
whilst in consequence of the substitute
system, which prevails in France, the
bulk of the army there is mainly taken
from the class of laborers and pr0IetGiaes.
Thus the Prussian army really represents
the whole character, the strength, the intel
ligeDcea and culture of the Pruissian peo-
pie, whilst the French army at best only
represent the natural qualities and in
stincts Of its race. There is this, how
ever, in favor Of the French army, that
any common soldier may reach the high
est rank by his personal bravery and ex-
cellence, whilst in Prussia the highest
offices in the army are exclusively reserved
for the nobility. E.N1''e'
Both armies are well trained in active
service. The last Prussian war was, at
best, as good school for active service as
the permanent military occupation Of the
French army at Algiers, and during the
last war in Italy. Both armies are equally
well differed they will march against
each other under equally competent lead
ers, and although the physical constitu-
ton of the Prussian soldier may perhaps
be sr7erior to the average of the French
troops, and,the needle-gun may be @ bet
ter weapon than the ChassepotC chance
and good. or bad fortune may have much
to do with the result of the first move.
ments of the two armies. Tt is otherwise
in regard to the final result of the war.
A first defeat will not compel the N ORTIZ
German Confederacy to give up the fight.
Its reserves the LGndsoehr and the Land
sta'Tn will enable it to continue the war
long time. The national spiris which has
been aroused during the last thirty years
in Germany, and which never was more
vigorous than at present, is at least as
effective as the hope of the French people
to recover the prestige lost under the
present empire. Missouri Republican,