The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-09-28
TIE CREAM OF THE VAR NEWS

der date of Donchery, September g.:
And let our soldiers and statesmen at home
make note of this. The issue of that battle
iSedan) was decided solely and entirely by
artillery fire, donot. here mean to say that
# the Prussian armies and the troops OF the
allies had been brought to deal with the
French army of Marshal Mcmahon they could
not and would not have beaten IT with musket
and bayonets so effectually. No one can pre-
the coils of the net which Won Moltke, Won
Blumentha and the members ol, the Mill
tary Cabinet of the King Of Prussia
woye around the unfortunate Marshal.
or show. how the subtle perfection OF
the strategy which enabled the presid-
ING genius at the head OF the list to put his
finger. DAYS before, on the very spot on the
map where Mcmahon was TO- be brought TO
bay, could be evaded and frustrated. But what
7 assert after O long examination of the, bat
tle.feld Yesterday. and an actual observation
of the progress Of the action itself, Is that but
for the decided superiority and terrible effect
of the Prlssian artillery fire, the position OF
Sedan could not have been taken without an
appalling loss Of life, whereas It was Wonat
comparatively small expense indeed. IL was
to the comparative impotence of the French
artillery that result was due. Now, I know
the able director Of our artillery at home is
bent on making radical change In our sys-
tenn Of ordnance. l do not know how far
Colonel Adve has yet carried his Ideas Into
effect. but all artillery officers are aware
that the breech-ioading system has been
condemned in England, and that siren
nous effort, successful at last, has been
made to adopt the muzzle-loadng steer
gun and the shrapnel shell. II Colonel a.
had seen the battlefield OF Sedan, / think
he would have been shaken In mis- strong cou-
yjctiou, ifanything could shake 1t. speak
of him with the greatest respect, but entrcat
him to stop and inquire before he carries
vital change-to inquire Into the circumstan-
ces Of this battle and to sec II ne Is not OF tne
the superiority of artillery, not IN numbers,
but In weight, range and precision, the VIC
tory was die" do not know what the rela-
tive merits of the Armstrong and OF the Prus-
slams breech-loaders may be, or what may be
the demerIts Of our time and percussion fuse;
but 1t Is quite clear that any attempt TO adopt
the French muzzle loading system, or any
thing like Il, ought to be resisted strenuously
until q careful inquiry has established It's supc-
rlority.
As far back as November, 1866, says the Pail
Mall Gazette, of September I, and before Cen
eral Trochu had published his celebrated book
on the French army, we printed sketch OF
him by highly qualified contributor, which
we cannot do better than now reproduce:
General Trochu's want Of sympathy WITH or
rather his general distaste to the present ORDER
of things In France Is so notorious that his
nomination rs member OF the French Com
mission on the reorganization OF the army, Is
at once an act OF homage TO MS rare capacity
and proof that tine Emperor can, when ne
chouses. subordinate personal feelings to high
considerations. II was Marshal BnSeaud who
recommended the authorities to place this OFF,
Ger. when still very young, In q post OF COM
mand and to give him the rank that brings
with il responsibility. In one Of his. letters OF
recommendation 10 high parsonage, his pa
iron wrote "Je vous enYole letone dun
marechal.' But the inder"ndence OF Tro..
chu's character and The buntness OF
his apeech have stood in the way Of
his advancement to the highest honors Of his
profession. WheI the Emperor ole day was
rStolinr the constitution and organization OF
lhe Ministere de la Guerre (and possibly con-
traslipr IL with the British War Office he eX
claimed: "Cest doma9e done qu'On ne salt
pas sen servr.- On his return from the
Grimea he expressed much admiration for the
regimental discipline OF the English army in
the field, comparing it With the destructive
and maraudlng habits OF the French troops,
and. when asked how he would propose TO
correct this license so natural to soldiers. he
answered, "En les luisant vertueuX.h He mad
soon the opportunity Of showing how fur this
assertion was neither paradoXlcal nor petan-
tic; Tor in the Italian war his disvlsion COM
bined oil the military qualities with regard
for the persons and properties ol noncombat-
ants hitherto uneyanipled. He began by de-
grading q non.commissioned officer 10 the
ranks for insulting a peasant wonaa. and
through the whole line of march the site
OF his encampment was always distingulsla-
BILE by the uninured dwellings and the null
berry trees still clothed with green vines
amid the field of desolation. This
power Of restraining military disorder is
especially valuable in the present temper Of
the French army. Two causes are operating
to the damage of the tradiIlonally amlable and
friendly character Of the French soldier. The
first is the prominent position given to the
zouayes, and the Infection of their rowdy and
violent spirit. The other, and far more seri-
ous. is the recruitment OF the Oil soldiers ull-
der the new law of conscri: :,tiou. These are
generally men who have isied to establish
themselves in civil lite, and who re-enier the
army with the worst habits and principles. 1t
may have been the hope OF the orignators OF
this system that the veterans VINO returned 10
the service would lnllSe into the younger por-
ton OF IL certain imperial associations Ut which
IL was deficient: but the effect is acknowledged
on all hands to have been most detrimental TO
discipline. Indeed, the quiet, gay, gentle and
simple iiou-piOW Nniantry soldlerl Of the
French line is HOW the exception rather than
the rule: aud this Ray have something TO do
with the presumed: necessity for altering the
constitution OF an army which few months
since was regarded with 50 much Sell-Satisac-
liUn at home and with so much respect, and
even terror BY the rest OF Europe.
General War Notes.
A non-commlssoned Prussian officer who
was detailed to stay at the depot of bis resi.
ment made three applications to be detailed
for active duty, all OF which being unsuccess.
fnl he shot himself in a tit Of despair.
Three-tourtlis of the pictures hitherto eXhlb-
ited in the Museum oi the Louvre, at Paris
lu,ye been carefully packed mp and sent OF
from Paris To an unknown destination. There
now no longer remains any but pictures oil the
French school.
General Won Doring, who fell In one OF the
battles before Me z, leaves In his WILL dateo te
18Th of July of the present year, sum OIL !ooo
tlalers (about SIS, ,OOO) to be distributed among
The poor OF Paris on the day when the Empe,
ror Napoleon should be dethroned; anu 2ooU
thalers to the poor of Berlin, which they snaii
receive on the day the Prusslaus re-enter ber-
lin as victOrs. -
The Braudenburg regiment, No. 35, mas 81 a
vIvandere seventy-two years Old, called ene
Widow Hackert, who was In the war OIL 1913.